Which scientist, who was once voted Britain's favourite boffin, has no eyes?
The answer... at the end of the show.
Welcome back to Lateral, and it's another elimination match.
Both of our teams here have won one game and lost one game,
which means that whoever wins tonight is going through to the grand final.
And whoever loses tonight is going home.
So very best of luck to both teams, let's meet them again, we have...
Hello! I'm Geoff, along with Vicki here.
We make transport and travel videos on YouTube.
-And you are team...? -Off Peak Only.
Lovely. Now, you won one match by the skin of your teeth
and then you got wiped out in the final round last time.
We hadn't had enough coffee, so this time we're pumped from caffeine
so we're going to power through.
Alright, and you are playing...
Team Terminator.
I'm Kat, this is my sister, Helen.
And so you lost your first match... just.
-One second. -One second in it.
But then absolutely dominated in your second match.
It was 23-1, I think, something like that.
-There were a lot of points given to you there. -We were having so much fun,
we forgot to answer any of the questions wrong.
So that's really, that's like the trick about flying, you know,
to fly you just have to jump and then sort of forget to fall to the ground.
All you have to do is forget not to know the answers.
-Yes, that's exactly what we… -Okay, we have to forget to lose.
Good luck!
I'm not sure it's the best tactic, but we'll see how it goes.
Let's do round one.
The first round is called Deep Thought.
Sixty seconds for each question, you know the drill by now.
The earlier you buzz in, the less clues you hear, but the more points you get.
The first question is going to go over to Team Off Peak Only here
and we start with this.
Why did early US English typewriters only have 24 letter keys?
So it must be to do with some kind of combination, say like the letter zero.
-Do you mean the number of zero? -Like an O and a zero, yeah,
but then like an 'L' and an 'I' letters, so what two letters can you make from...?
You would do a combination to get one letter.
This did involve making the device cheaper.
Okay, so that would make sense, you...
Yeah, you don't have to produce as many keys.
-Well, I'm going to go with, because… -L and I is probably the closest.
-Can I go with that answer? -Yeah, yeah.
For three points.
I don't know if you want to know the exact characters,
but there must be two letters on the typewriter which you combine,
you can combine to make that other character, so…
-So you'd hit one, go backspace, hit the other? -And do the other
-and that's how you'd make that character. -I can't allow that.
So I'm going to give the rest of the question over to you guys.
If you don't know it right away, the clock's going to restart.
That was going to be my answer, like something H out of an N and an L.
It was a particular feature of Latin letters.
Hang on, wasn't F equal to S, like in the old...?
Yeah. But there weren't typewriters in, like, the 16th Century.
What, they didn't do Beowulf on a typewriter?
Two of these letters have a special property.
Oh...
-They are homonyms, -Reflective, they are…
They lay on top of each other.
They have the same sound.
No, it isn't.
I'm going to point your attention back at the question.
The typewriters have 24 letter keys
but they would have had other keys as well for the space bar and the punctuation,
and for numbers and you…
Well, I said that to you.
You literally gave the correct answer
which is that O doubles up as zero and I doubles up as one.
But I didn't say it when I gave the actual answer so...
Yes, so it's not what you actually said,
-so I can't allow it. -In my head I've won the points so that's fine.
-So we pass over to team Terminator. -Okay.
I contain appearances by some very famous Shakespearean characters,
four other men, a father and finally an American and an African.
I feature parts of South Asia, Canada and Peru along the way.
Despite some early pieces being in Greek,
people all over the globe know me word for word.
What am I?
It's got to be the Bible. Shakespeare, the Bible...
Bible...
No, not Canada and Peru. No, no, it's not...
I mean is it something like the periodic table?
-No. -Okay.
-I am internationally important.
Only… only I know that word for word.
Internationally important.
Is it the Declaration of Independence, or...?
No.
The Girl Guide... the Scout promise.
Collectively there's 26 of us.
-Then it's the alphabet. -It's the alphabet.
-The alphabet. -It's the… it's the…
The alpha...
-I'm looking for a certain… -The papa tango.
The word you're struggling for is international NATO phonetic alphabet.
-Exactly. -Alpha, bravo, gamma, delta.
As soon as you said some of the letters there, I'm happy to give that to you, yes.
Does anyone want to go through what we've got there, the Shakespearean characters?
Romeo.
Romeo and Juliet, yes.
There are some other male names in there.
-Charlie is in there. Father is... -Papa.
Papa. American and African, finally?
-Zulu. -Yankee and Zulu, yeah.
That is the NATO phonetic alphabet, absolutely right for two points.
Next question is a picture question for you two; have a look at this.
What two letters are missing from a South American capital?
What two letters are missing from this photo of a South American capital?
You see the question marks on there.
Do you know the name of any South American countries and their capitals?
Rio.
They are the same letters in English.
South American, name some other countries in South America.
-I want to say… -You said geography earlier.
-You said you're good at geography, Geoff...
The capital is Quito.
-I have no idea. -We might as well guess two letters.
-I have no idea. -Q-U-I-T-O.
I have no idea which country Quito is the capital of.
Q-U-I-T-O, which two letters are missing from this photo.
-No. -I don't know.
The country is Ecuador.
Take a punt for one point.
A and Z.
A and Z, no, so I'm handing that over for a possible point.
-Q and O. -No.
Now, what's special about Ecuador in it's name?
Is it to do with the…
Oh my God, if I… this might be wrong, on the equator.
-So the letters would be...? -Either, north… N and S.
N and S for North and South, you're absolutely right.
Far too late and you needed another clue but yes, that is north and south,.
You are looking at a photo of the equatorial line.
Oh, there's even a line down the middle.
There is even a line down the middle.
And it looks like a compass, oh...
So the next question is with you.
In the 1880s, Lord Salisbury, namely Robert Cecil,
promoted his nephew AJ Balfour to several key posts,
including president of the local government board and chief secretary for Ireland.
This alleged nepotism is said to have inspired what common phrase?
-Well, a common phrase that means nepotism. -About nepotism.
So keeping it in the family.
Keeping it in the family.
I'll rub my back, you'll rub my nephew's back…
The family relationship is important.
Okay.
So, nephew, uncle....
Uncle...
-Something to uncle. -Uncle Sam.
No.
Avuncular...
The phrase means, "there you go!"
Oh! Robert Cecil...
-Bob. -Bob's your uncle.
"Bob's your uncle" is right, for two points.
Alright, the next two questions are on the buzzers between both teams, so if you're ready.
The three commonest types of these in the UK all bear prime numbers.
When kept in the loop it can save lives, but becomes dangerous if too well built.
Many people have blown this when overcharged, both practically and metaphorically.
On four points.
It is a fuse. It's the one amp, three amp or…
-Eleven and thirteen. -Fuses.
You are exactly right, for four points.
Congratulations, team Terminator.
It is a fuse. 3 amp, 5 amp and 13 amp are the common ones in the UK.
When kept in the loop it can save lives because it's actually a circuit breaker.
Many people have blown their fuse when overcharged
because they're angry about something.
It's a lovely question.
I didn't even get to finish it, that is astonishingly well done.
Fingers on buzzers, let's see if we can get you off the mark on this one.
Go on. Go on, Geoff.
What's the mistake in this quote from a book published in 1911?
Covering the Mona Lisa with the red silk,
the three men took the painting to the Uffizi for a short stay
where thousands toured the gallery for a glimpse until she was returned to the Louvre.
She was unharmed except for two tiny scratches that were apparently made
when the thief rolled the painting into his toolbox.
Is the Uffizi not a public gallery?
The Uffizi is a gallery, thousands toured there for a glimpse...
She was never in the Louvre?
One key word in that quote makes it impossible.
Thousands toured the gallery for a glimpse.
Is it that she can't be rolled up?
She can't be…
The mistake is in the last part.
-I've got it. -Oh!
Team Off Peak by a fraction of a second.
Right. I was going to say, it says she was unharmed,
but she was harmed because she was scratched.
No, it's 'unharmed except for', that's not an error in there.
You get the rest of the question, I suspect you may guess immediately.
I'm going to go that she can't be rolled up.
Is the correct answer.
The Mona Lisa is painted on wood, so it can't be rolled up.
-I had that in my head. -Well, you didn't say it.
Well, I didn't say it out loud.
Which means as we go into round two,
the score is ten to team Terminator
-and zero to team Off Peak. -Yes!
Round two is Second Thought and there's no need to panic yet,
there's still twenty points available in this round.
There's plenty of time to make it back.
As usual you're going to see a board of twelve clues.
Pick a number, reveal the clue behind it.
They all match up with one idea, one concept that I've got on my card.
You've got to tell me what that is for even the ones you haven't seen yet.
The earlier you get it right, the more points you get.
You guys get the first pick here, pick a number.
Number five please, Tom.
Number five.
Self-image... for five points.
A mirror.
-Go for it. -A mirror?
No, is not what I've got, so for five points, pick a number.
-You pick one. -Eleven.
Don McLean.
-Is Don McLean… -He's a singer.
-Yeah, you are. -Yeah.
-Singer, artist...
I need an answer, please.
Selfie stick.
Good effort, I'm fairly certain Don McLean never really had a selfie stick.
But I'll pass it back for four points, pick a number.
-Number three, please. -Number three.
Lost part of his left.
A lake.
It's a bold choice, but no, it's not what I've got.
-For four points pick a number. -I mean, I thought selfie stick..
Oh, again, you don't need to buzz.
-You may as well pick a number. -We can have a free clue.
Alright, let's go for six.
Number six. Night sky.
-It's Vincent Van Gogh. -It is Vincent Van Gogh.
You're absolutely right, he painted Starry Night,
which is what Don McLean sang about.
He lost part of his left ear.
I don't know where that came from, but congratulations.
First choice on the next board is yours, pick a number.
I'm going to pick number four.
Number four.
Can be irritating.
- I think I know the answer to this. -Is it me?
Is it… no, let's pick something that's irritating.
Is it pollen?
No, it's not.
Passing it back over for a possible five points, pick a number.
Let's do the symmetry thing, number nine.
Number nine.
Can be mail ordered.
-Can I say it? -Say it.
It's slightly sexist, I'm thinking of mail order bride or a wife.
Wow! No!
I'm not going to give you a second shot at that question,
I'm just going to file that one away for the future.
-Do you want to try for four points? -Yeah.
-Shall we go two? -Two, yeah.
Two.
On the tip of your finger.
Something to do with nerves, itching powder...
Scratch... nails?
Notice that's a question mark, there.
A crazy guess, is it ladybirds?
-It is not, they can be mail ordered. -Yes, that's what I was thinking.
-But it's not what's on the card. -You can be allergic to them.
Four points, pick a number.
- Number eleven. - Number eleven.
Left and right are often different.
-Gloves. -Gloves is not what I've got.
So we'll go down to three points. Team Terminator, pick a number.
-Five. -Number five.
Carried in a special case.
Left and right are often different...
Is it something like fencing equipment?
No, I'm handing that back over.
We definitely know what it is, but let's have another.
-Pick a number. -Yeah.
-Pick a number first. -Seven.
-Do it. -Floats on liquid.
-Contact lenses. -Contact lenses
is exactly what I was looking for.
We've got a point!
-Very good. -One point.
And that is good for three points.
Yay!
You're off the mark, you have three points and the first choice of the next board.
-Number six. -Number six.
Often Scottish.
Take a guess and try not to stereotype quite as much as Geoff's done.
-Whisky. -Whisky, no, is not what I have.
-Passing it back over. -Twelve.
Number twelve.
Pink.
So pink Scottish things are like…
Ah, gin.
Gin is not what I have.
So for four points.
-Number four. -Number four.
A type of game.
-I don't have any clues. -No?
-Shall we just say a random word? -Say a word.
Candy floss is pink.
Candy floss is also not what I have on my card.
-Nine. -Number nine.
Can use a ladder.
I know.
Oh, they've both got it, but you don't need to buzz.
I keep saying this... for four points.
Is it a salmon?
It is a salmon, they use a ladder to get past dams.
They are pink and they are a type of game,
as in venison or something you go out and hunt.
-Yeah, there's a fish ladder on the Thames. -That's really cute.
So that is four points and the first choice of the next board is yours.
-Ten. -Number ten.
Part of a speaker.
Part of a speaker, like a human speaker, it could be with their heads...
-It could be the cone, the grill. -It could be a cone or a magnet...
Cone.
Cone is not the right answer.
Handing it over, possible 5 points. Pick a number.
-Number one, please. -Number one.
Uses a field.
Oh, this is definitely some kind of science thing,
so they're going to lap it up if we don't get it.
-Positivity, Geoff. -Sorry.
What I meant is we're going to score maximum points here.
Force field, sound field...
-Some kind of an electromagnetic wave. -Magnetic field.
-Something sciency. -Need an answer.
-Magnet. -Go with magnet.
Magnet.
- Yes, for five points, you are exactly right. - You said it!
- You wouldn't let me answer... - You said the word magnet, I think…
Since we were born, she's never let me answer first,
and if we had we would have got five points!
At the end of that round,
the scores are 18 to Team Terminator and eight to Team Off Peak.
The final round is Quick Thought.
Teams, you both have 90 seconds of thinking time.
But because you're ten points in the lead,
we're going to convert those points to seconds, five seconds per point.
So you have 50 more seconds.
Your clock starts at 2:20; your clock starts at 1:30.
And I'm afraid it is going to start running down first.
As soon as you run out of time, you are out of the game and out of the tournament.
So, very best of luck to you both, buzz in as soon as you know the answer.
If you're right your opponent's clock will start counting down.
If you're wrong you will lose ten seconds and your clock will continue.
Everybody ready?
Close enough, here we go.
The Chinese dish 'Mother and Child Reunion' has which two main ingredients?
-Mother and child, so maybe it's like… -Meat and a vegetable.
-It's something… -The dish is a type of soup.
Noodles? Noodle soup...
But is it like…
One ingredient is older than the other.
Oh, my goodness.
I really don't know, do you want to just have…
-Take a guess. -Make a guess.
Like noodles and chicken.
No.
The last clue would have been, it doesn't matter which answer comes first,
it's a chicken and an egg.
So ten seconds away, and the clock restarts now.
Which toy from 1952 was originally sold with various pieces
but without the main body?
I want to say spinning top, I don't know why.
-Right. -Nowadays the main body is plastic.
I still want to say spinning top.
-Go on then. -But it's probably wrong.
Spinning top? -No, it's Mr Potato Head.
So that's ten seconds away, 24.5 on your clock.
Which performer from Newcastle obtained his nickname
because of a particular striped jumper that he wore?
Singers from Newcastle, go.
Ant and Dec.
It's a five letter name.
It's a five letter name... stripes, about somebody with a striped shirt.
-I don't … I don't know. -No idea, time's about to go.
The jumper was yellow and black.
Name anybody that wears yellow and black.
-I can't, I don't know, do you have any? -No.
No.
No, there's nothing you can do if you haven't got the answer.
There isn't ten seconds to give away.
So I'm afraid for the second time in a row...
-You did so well in the earlier rounds. -Yeah.
Do you want to take a guess?
We think it's Sting.
It's Sting, it absolutely is.
Because he looked like a bee, his nickname was Sting.
-He's from Newcastle? -And he's from Newcastle.
-I had no idea he's from Newcastle. -That's what we were looking for.
I am really sorry, it's the last round has let you down again.
Congratulations, team Terminator, you are through to the grand final.
Team Off Peak, it has been lovely to have you on the show.
You can hold your head up high, you've got one victory under your belt.
So congratulations on that.
Commiserations on not making it to the final.
But you've acquitted yourselves really well.
And you folks, we will see you in the final next time.
See you then.
You know I'm going to get comments, don't you?.
-Yeah, you are. -Yeah.
But... don't be sexist, then(!)