Brain of Britain Heat Three

OK, then, heat 3. The contenders were: -

Ann Everett

John Furlong

Chris Jones

Nigel Thomas

Off we go with round one then. Anne didn’t know that H2O2 is hydrogen peroxide for her first, which gave Nigel a timely bonus. John’s first gave him a list of winners of GB Bake off but nobody recognized them. I only did because we were asked the same question in the rugby club. Chris didn’t know that a Jesse tree depicts the lineage of Christ for his first, and Ann took that bonus. Nigel knew that Platz Solidarnosc would be in Gdansk. He took this second, third but didn’t know that you have a Busyness of ferrets. I thought that all of the contenders had questions which gave them a chance of getting off the mark in this round. That’s how it should be.

In the second round Ann didn’t know that the current nicknamed the Pineapple Express is around the Hawaiian islands. The clue was in the question, and Chris had that. John didn’t know that Arthur Bell Nicholls was Mr. Charlotte Bronte. That bonus went to Ann after Emily and Ann were discounted. Chris didn’t know the Asquith quote about Kitchener – if not a great man, then a great poster! John had a bonus. Nigel again took a first but didn’t know that Woodrow Wilson was the last President to be widowed in office. BY this stage Nigel led with 5 to Ann’s 3. All of the contenders had answered something, and all of them had shown some gaps in their knowledge as well.

Ann had her music question to start next. She had the old chestnut about the alleged plagiarism of He’s So fine by My Sweet Lord written by George Harrison, and made short work of it. She didn’t know the Grey dagger et al are subspecies of Moth – which Chris Jones knew. John didn’t know that Fiesta is the alternative title of The Sun Also Rises. Ann had that to share the lead. Right – another good old quiz chestnut for Chris now. He didn’t know that Angelo Siciliano was the real name of Charles Atlas. Nobody did. Right, there is no reason why any average person in the street should know that. If you’re going to have a serious stab, or even a semi serious stab at a prestige quiz show though, it’s the sort of thing you really ought to know. It’s not an uncommon question. Nigel didn’t know that Lenin et al are all characters in “travesties” by Tom Stoppard.

In the fourth round Ann didn’t know that gavage is feeding by a tube or funnel. I didn’t know either although I guessed, but John took a bonus.  For his own first he was given a burst of Chopin. If in doubt with Chopin you say the Minute Waltz, but this wasn’’t that. He didn’t recognize the Black Keys etude, nor did I or anyone else. Chris took his own first but didn’t know either of the men apart from Churchill to hold cabinet posts during both world wars. I knew Lord Beaverbrook. Nobody had a bonus. Nigel took his first, his second, his third, his fourth . . . but not his fifth. He didn’t know that the musea del oro is found in Bogota. Shame. He still led with 9 – 5.

So to the Beat the Brains interval. The first asked which play of the 36 plays in the first folio was not actually included in the contents due to rights issues. Good question – I went for The Tempest , they went for Henry VIII, and we were all wrong. It was Troilus . . . The second asked which one title would tell you whether you were holding a British or American edition of the collected works? Good question – I guessed Love’s Labours/Labors Lost. The Brains gave no answer.

Back to the contest. Ann was asked in which genre the Eisner awards are made in publishing. Never heard of them, but I was well pleased in guessing comic books since I knew that Will Eisneer created The Spirit. Mind you, John Eisner also played the longest match ever at Wimbledon didn’t he, so you pays yer money. Nobody had it. John had some maths thing as his first, and neither of us had it. Nigel had it. Chris had his music question. I didn’t recognize the dulcet tones of Roger Daltrey and somebody else but Chris had it. He had his second but not his third. Nobody knew the July Column in Paris. Keith was asked for three states with Mexican borders and had them all. He took his second but not his third. Deneb, Vega and Altair are the summer triangle as Chris knew. Chris had now gone up to 6, and Nigel looked good with 12.

Ann didn’t know the jack and jill are the male and female hare – neither did anyone else. John should have known Robert Peary for his first – Nigel took that windfall. Chris took his first but didn’t know the SI Unit – the Gray. Never heard of it. Nigel had his music question next – Love Letters Straight from your heart. Knew that, and knew it was sung by Ketty Lester. Nigel didn’t. Neither did any of the others. So here we were at the last round. Ann didn’t know that the highest ethnic group in Kenya are the Kikuyu. John knew tundra, but not Hugh Dowding. Chris had that one. For his own questions nobody knew Jodie Stimpson won the women’s triathlon in Glasgow 2014. Nigel, already home and dry, took another point, but didn’t know that the Land of the Incorruptible is Burkina Faso. Well played Nigel.

Final Scores

John Furlong – 3

Ann Everett – 5

Chris Jones – 8

Nigel Thomas - 14