h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It went history question, religious question, history question, English literature question, history question.

No "Who won the FA cup in 1960?". No "What is the unit of measurement of magnetic field strength?". No "What is the tallest mountain in Alaska?". No "What is the name of the little boy in Pokemon?".

So - does that sound like an even mix to you?

Ummm, I'm not sure... can I phone a friend?

The incidious creep of WWTBAM speak into daily life was witnessed by myself last weekend. I was watching an amateur game of football and one player set off on a solo run ignoring the please to cross the ball from his fellows before coming unstuck by the corner flag. Almost to a man the rest of the team shouted "..but we don't want to give you that!".

[NOTE - **NOT** a political statement!!]
*Looks down on everyone from his throne, which is atop a very tall marble column. Waves sceptre.*

I am the king. I rule with an iron fist! You are all worthless pieces of dirt! You shall pay me taxes, so that I may build a navy of galleons and wage war on France! I also need a new palace.

I'll have you know that yes, it was I who decreed that that other peasant should win. I wished to prove my superiority over you all: she will also pay taxes to build my navy of galleons! Ha-hah!

Guards! Take them away! Throw them in irons!

This week on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue they played a round of "dumbing up" where the teams had to suggest versions opf current programmes with higher intellectual content.

Graeme Garden came up with "Who Wants To Be A Molière?

(and Tim Brooke-Taylor suggested Watchdog *without* Anne Robinson )

Wonderful! Excellent!

I like muchly.

I am minded to believe that it was not fixed, mostly from the contestants attitude. She struck me as not really believing it was happening, that the amount of money involved hadn't registered. Especially at the end when Tarrant asked her daughter how she felt; "Well I knew she knew that last answer, she would never have gambled that much money if she didn't know it" And her mum mumbles "Oh, I don't know" as if it was all a laugh and she didn't care what the outcome was.
I don't know if I am making myself clear but I reckon she won due to being (Dizzy is the wrong word, but I'm going to use it) too dizzy to get panicky and hence stayed calm, which is the most important thing in these types of games, I would assume.

I'm sure the quiz part wasn't fixed - but the way the big win appeared in the schedule opposite Victor's exist is a bit suspicious. Perhaps it was used as a ratings spoiler by a bit of clever editing and holding on to the win for a week or so before airing it?

Westy

Am I the only one who thought that the last One Foot in the Grave was a bit pants?

I was very disappointed, especially when comparing it to last week's.

Dunc: West Brom?, Don't know, Mt. McKinley and Ash.

If they had decided to 'help' someone win, it's more likely that they'd used someone well educated, rather than an ordinary joe who may appeal more to the public, otherwise there would be even more cries of fixing because it would be less believable that he/she would know such answers as the husband of Eleanor of Aquatine or whatever it was.

The questions were more of a type that someone with a 'classical' public schooling would know, like DJ said, where was the general pop/TV type trivia? Who or how many people pick the questions on a particular night? If it's only the one, a simple quick discussion between a member of the heirachy of the programme and the question picker would be all that was needed to 'fix' the questions, hence very little chance of leakage. Chris Tarrant wouldn't even know about it.

Cow - not 'exeunt' but 'exit' - only one character was exiting. Exeunt is when more than one character exits.

Curiously everybody could have known the answer to the final question - Henry II - as it was covered in great detail by Simon Scharma in The History of Britain on BBC2 barely two weeks ago. She looked like the sort of person who would have watched it, therefore her confidence in answering was not surprising - even I knew the answer!!

I stand corrected, nitpicker!

As you should! Why didn't I spot that?

* gets all depressed *

Not being in the UK at the moment, I didn't see either of the two programmes. However, I have to say that I find it very insensitive of the public not to tune in and see poor Victor, a cult icon, snuff it. Personally I think there should have been no contest; watching some dozy old biddy become richer than you or watching Victor Meldrew's final glorious moments. Nuff said...

I, like most people, watched Mrs. Keppel bagging her million on one side whilst recording Victor popping his clogs on the other side. It rather makes a mockery of the ratings war because most people probably ended up watching both.

*Waves sceptre*

I hereby abolish the BBC! You no longer have to pay TV license fees! Instead, you shall pay taxes; to me! Hahah!

[Non-king: Personally, I think they should introduce a channel showing soley things like Bagpuss, the Clangers, Igor the Engine, Thundercats, the Visionaries, Bodger and Badger (the old series) and so on and so forth. At night, there would be only Mystery Science Theater 3000, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Duckman, old and forgotten B-films, and muchos, muchos Manga - and a few other sundry programs. Through the small hours would be the hypnotic, trance-inducing Open University. All this would render so many students (me included) unable to leave their houses/flats/hovels/porches that the streets would become much less crowded, there would be less litter, and there would be fewer small, old cars breaking down and blocking the roads.]

I can see your vision.

And I *like* it!

h2g2tv... just imagine the possibilities!

"Who won the FA cup in 1960?"
Can I ask the audience?

"What is the unit of measurement of magnetic field strength?".
Telsa or Gauss?

"What is the tallest mountain in Alaska?"
Don't know, but I bet it's covered in Ice

"What is the name of the little boy in Pokemon?"
Ash.

Well done, have a quid...