Written in lower case, what is the only three letter word
that looks the same when spun upside down?
The answer... at the end of this grand final.
Welcome to the Lateral grand final.
Two teams here who have battled through all the series so far.
One of them will be walking out with the trophy, and we start with…
-I'm Simon Clark. -I'm Sally Le Page and together we are…
it sounds like a really weird band, we are Viva la Vida.
Team Viva, as I keep calling you, I keep shortening it ever so slightly.
Yeah, but it is actually Viva la Vida.
-You are undefeated so far. -We are.
That's going to change, I have no doubt.
Come on!
Go in pessimistic, you're rarely disappointed.
Well, so your first game was really close,
-your first game came down to the wire. -You could not have got more close.
Your second game, you actually didn't answer a question in the final.
-Yeah. -There we go.
-Yeah. -I was told to sit on my hands for that one.
-It worked very well. -I didn't really have to do anything.
-Your opponents just got completely locked out. -Yeah.
Do you think that's an advantage, a disadvantage?
-Do you need the experience, whatever? -I think we're rusty now actually.
Well, they, yeah, it's been a while since the last round
and they have played another round more than us.
So they are a little bit more experienced at this game, so...
But more tired.
And facing you is...
A completely knackered Team Terminator.
-Kat Arney, Helen Arney. -Sisters, and...
-Juggernauts. -Yes.
I mean you have blasted your way through.
You've had one defeat on the way here, but that's all.
-Yeah. -So you've taken a slightly longer path.
-Yeah. -Yeah, this is a rematch, isn't it?
Yeah.
This was the first game and it was very close back then.
New questions, it all comes down to this,
very best of luck to both of you, let's play round one.
You both know how it works by now, six questions, 60 seconds,
the quicker you buzz in the more points you get,
but the less clues you will have heard.
We're going to start with you - your first question is:
Horse races, beer, road signs, precious metals and land.
What's the link between them?
Okay, so Derby, like the…
Oh, okay, there's…
People, horse races...
You get given a prize in guineas.
-Do you? Oh, okay. -Well, some of them.
Precious metals, you've got gold, silver.
These are some of the few exceptions that are still allowed.
Oh!
Like not gambling.
-Imperial units. -Ooh!
-Are they measured in imperial units? -Yes, go for that. I'll let you buzz.
Just in the nick of time for three points.
Are they measured in imperial units?
Yes, they are, in the UK those are the few things that still use imperial.
Three points straight off.
You are off the mark and we go over to Team Terminator.
In 1925, Dr. Crippen almost met a sticky end
when he was rescued from the locked chamber of a building on fire.
In the same disaster, despite desperate efforts to save them,
sportsmen, nobles and over 40 MPs perished and many others were badly disfigured.
Which London venue had burned down?
Oh my gosh, 1925, so it's going to be a gentlemen's club or something.
Or a theatre, something, sportsmen, nobles and over 40 MPs...
A locked chamber of a building on fire.
Oh, is it the Houses of Parliament? -Houses of Parliament.
On four points.
The Houses of Parliament?
-Did not… -House of Lords.
…catch fire in 1925, that is not the correct answer.
The question goes over to the other team, the clock restarts.
Are you going to answer.
You don't have to answer and you can buzz in whenever you want, okay.
-Let's wait for another clue. -Right.
-Burning down... -No one was actually killed in this.
-Oh, was it Madame Tussauds? -Oh, yeah.
Madame Tussauds.
Is correct for three points.
They were wax figures that burned down, 'sticky end' is the keyword in there.
-Oh, man! -Next question is also to you.
In 1933, activist Choudhry Rahmart Ali wrote in his pamphlet 'Now or Never'
that "30 million Muslim brethren" lived in five eastern regions of the British Raj:
Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, Sindh and Balochistan.
-I think it's Bangladesh. -How is this approximate region known today?
I think, because that's what the division was between India and Bangladesh.
Go ahead. I don't know.
Bangladesh.
Is not the correct answer, so the whole question gets thrown over,
-buzz if you want to, the clock restarts. -I think it is Pakistan.
-I think it's… -Well, Kashmir isn't that…
-Kash, no Kashmir… -That is the disputed...
Shall we wait for one more?
No, hang on, yeah, let's hold up because...
This is a current country.
Yeah. It is Pakistan.
Yes, it is, for three points.
What's the clue hidden in that question?
I thought it was that there were 30 million Muslim brethren in India
and it was like a trick question.
-The French Revolution. -No.
-But that was perspective.
I think Sally's just figured out...
It starts with a P, an A, a K.
-It is an acronym. -an S and a tan.
Yeah, it's a portmanteau, it's all those names jammed together.
So, yes, three points to team Terminator and the next question is yours.
For most card games,
the aces are generally regarded as the most important cards in the pack
but it hasn't always been this way.
Which major historical event of the late 18th Century
is said by experts to have been a catalyst for this change?
Right. So …
Oh, well, it's going to be the revolution, the French Revolution, something like that.
Oh, something like that, yes, because cards were French.
Or American Independence.
No, but France has…
Originally, the ace was the least important.
Previously the ace was least important, but that meant the king was the most important.
So that like… it was almost like you had to regicide the cards.
-Are we going to go with the French Revolution? -I think we should.
-Go, do it. -For three points.
-The 'at' symbol. -Is correct.
Yes!
Absolutely right, the king used to be the most important card
and then the ace was placed on top
Which ties the scores.
The next question is on the buzzer for both teams,
so if you're ready have a look at this.
Why do Americans count the number of chirps a cricket makes in 15 seconds and then add 40?
Oh, for four points right away.
-Oh, it's the temperature in....Fahrenheit. -Farenheit.
Is exactly the correct answer.
-Oh, team work, team work, sister. -You're absolutely right.
I needed in Fahrenheit in there as well, that's the adding 40.
The crickets get faster as it gets warmer,
which for someone who is in working on a PhD about insect biology,
I thought that was a home question when I saw it.
They answered again, because this happened before, I waited until the end of the question.
The last question in this round.
The Russian botanist, Nikolai Vavilov spent 1924 in Afghanistan
to study their farming culture.
He noticed that in Herat province they had hundreds of huge dovecotes.
Apart from food, why did they need so many pigeons?
Oh, for four points again.
-Poop, they needed the fertiliser. -Pigeon poop for the guano,
-Phosphates in the… -Is again the correct answer.
The only way to fertilise the soil there was through guano.
I'm just going to say, I've been thinking a lot about pigeon poop recently
for reasons that I shan't go into now.
I mean at the end of that poop talk…
Basically, Tom, we don't need you any more(!)
The scores were tied, but now at the end of round one, they are 14 to 6.
It's alright, we can do this.
Round two is Second Thought.
You all know how this works, we're going to see a board with 12 clues on it.
What is the thing they're all pointing to?
Team Viva, you are going to be going first, pick a number.
-Number twelve, please. -Number twelve.
For five points.
Salad.
-Rocket. -Caesar.
Rocket.
Rocket is not what I've got, so...
-Number six. -Number six.
Shakespeare.
Shakespeare, well, you know, he said Caesar
and I reckon that we'll just say Caesar because they stole our electromagnet.
So I'm going to say Caesar.
It is the correct answer.
-No, it's a pun on his surname: 66, Root 66. -Oh!
-Yes! -The trophy is yours.
Astonishingly, you got a load of points in the last game.
We didn't mean to steal your electromagnet, it was the other guys.
No, your opponents in the last game stole points essentially by overhearing you
-and this time it worked the other way. -I'm so sorry.
-I am so sorry, you said Caesar. -I literally... okay, it's fine.
So that is five points over here and you get the first pick of the next board.
-Ten. -Number ten.
Recommended for travellers.
-Malaria jab. -Can I have one?
-Yeah, go on. -Hitachi.
-Yeah, go on. -Bumbags!
Bumbags, is not the answer.
I don't think they've ever actually been recommended(!)
I just really thought, like bums is going to be the answer at some point,
I thought I'd try and get it in as bumbags. Not this time.
-Okay. -So for 5 points.
-Number three. -Number three.
Sometimes mandatory.
-Vaccinations. -Try, yeah.
-Vaccinations? -It's a good guess based on those two,
but it's not what I've got, so passing it back over.
-Let's go number one. -Number one.
I want to pick number one.
National or private.
Insurance.
Is correct, national insurance or private insurance,
sometimes required and recommended for travellers.
-So that's another four points over there. -That's good.
-Are you guys okay over there? -Yeah.
The first pick's yours, so...
We're going to get to pick, it's fine.
-Lucky number seven. -Number seven.
Engagement.
Okay. Don't say anything, we made the mistake last time.
Prior.
Prior is not what I've got, so I'm passing it back over for five points.
-Nine. -Number 9.
Suit.
Oh, I think I know what this is.
-Already? -Yeah.
I think it's diamonds.
And you're right, for five points, that's astonishing, Kat.
I may have been engaged twice, okay,
so if anyone wants to buy some lightly used diamonds.
Oh!
-It's fine. -It can be done.
-Leave some points for us, guys. -There's still five points left in this game.
-I feel good. -Five!
You're first pick off the next board.
Alright, so let's go number four.
-Number four. -Number four.
Must be chosen to join.
If you're a chosen one, to be joined.
-Religion. -It must be, yeah.
-The WI. -The WI.
The WI.
Is not the right answer, so passing it back over.
-Number nine, please. -Number nine.
In a palace.
Is it king or queen of England?
I don't think you're chosen to be king or queen of England.
-Are you not chosen by God? -Oh! Oh well, what do you join?
-The royal family. -I need an answer, please.
The monarch of England.
No, is not right, so passing it back over.
-Two. -Number two.
Green seats. Oh!
Well, the green seats is one of them is green and one of them is red, isn't it?
So like House of Lords, House of Parliament, and now I'm panicking because it's…
-Palace of Westminster. -It's Westminster, is it green seats are MPs.?
No, but you if you're chosen, you have to be elected.
Yes, you're not chosen, no, but you're selected as a Lord as well,
-so it's a palace, Lambeth Palace. -I need an answer.
I think green seats are the elected MPs, aren't they?
The green is MPs, so it's the House of Commons.
Is the correct answer.
Oh, that is a clean sweep of round two at really high scores.
Which leaves us with a 26 point difference.
-It's fine. -It can be done.
Good luck.
The last round of the grand final is Quick Thought.
You both know how it works.
There's 3:40 on your clock for that massive advantage.
-There is 1:30 on yours. -Just rub in, Tom, just rub it in.
Keep saying it.
Your clock is going to start counting down first,
buzz in to stop the clock, get it right to start your opponent's,
get it wrong, ten seconds away, and your clock starts again.
-If everyone's ready. -Uh-huh.
In France, which date or event is referred to as 'Jour-J'?
Jour-J, is that the George is it…
Jour is day, so it's just what J means.
J, like me day, birthday?
The English equivalent is also alliterative.
New Year, May day.
This is one of the most famous events in history.
-The French Revolution. -No.
-Christmas. -Liberation.
Jesus' birth, Easter.
This is in 1944.
D Day.
-D Day. -D Day is correct.
The D Day landings, 3:40 on your clock.
What kind of person might do a 'finger fumbler' for fun?
A finger fumbler, then we can wait and we get a clue can't we?
-We'll get a clue. -Yeah, yeah. No, is it a magician?
-A finger fumbler. -As the name implies,
if you get it wrong it could be painful.
Oh!
Is it like knife throwing?
Yeah... knife juggling?
It's an equivalent activity to a tongue twister.
A tongue twister.
Finger fumbler, like a… like a Rubik's Cube, like a…
It's a type of person that uses their digits a lot.
-A pickpocket. -A magician.
Yeah, go for it.
A close-up magician.
No, it's a deaf person;
it's the equivalent of a tongue twister in sign language.
So your clock restarts with ten seconds less on it.
Which reggae and pop group took their name from the application form for unemployment benefit?
UB40.
UB40 is correct, 55 points, seven seconds on your clock.
In the Bible, who instantly killed exactly 25% of the world's population?
Oh, it's … which one killed, Cain and Abel, which one killed the other?
-Cain. -Is correct.
Cain slew Abel.
Two minutes 45.
Which video-gaming device was inspired by the way that sumo wrestlers weigh themselves?
How do sumo wrestlers weigh themselves?
Oh, do they hang off a thing?
Sumo wrestlers are heavy.
Yeah. That wasn't the question.
We know they're heavy but how do they weigh themselves?
So heavy they have to weigh themselves on two scales.
They have to… no, but it's a console.
-A gaming console, -A gaming device.
So is it a Wii, what, a joystick?
Moving their weight side to side changed the readings.
Oh, oh, oh. Go, go, go.
It's the Wii, Wii board, the Wii surfboard, you know,
the Wii surfboardy thing where you stand up and you wiggle around.
I'll take it, it's the Wii fit balance board, yes, you're right.
-Honestly. -47.3 on your clock.
.--.-. was added to the Morse code in 2004 to represent which character?
Can you repeat it please?
.--.-.
It was the first character to be added since World War 2.
Could it be the 'at' symbol?
It could. It's worth it.
-The 'at' symbol. -Is correct.
You're on it.
2:12 on your clock, complete this quote by Will Rogers:
'The trouble with political jokes is that often they get…'?
-Voted to be President of the United States! -Topical.
There's only one word missing.
The problem with political jokes is they often…
Get… fail.
-Elected. -Is exactly the correct word. 27.7.
Which term for a prestigious, successful company
comes from the highest denomination of token used in casinos?
It's like a bar, isn't it?
I don't know.
What is it, Fortune 500.
The tokens have a fairly common name.
No.
Chip, blue chip.
-Yeah. -Blue chip.
Is correct, yes. 1:53.
Which two-digit shirt number is given to England cricket player Joe Root
for one-day internationals?
I mean, I've literally no idea.
-Shall we just take the hit on this? -Yeah, let's go.
Er... eleven!
-No, it's a pun on his surname: 66, Root 66. -Oh!
Which company has a name meaning 'three diamonds' in Japanese?
Oh.
Hitachi, shall we go for that?
No, it's Mitsubishi, the logo is three diamonds.
Course it is, the car... Duh!
Which artwork features the words 'I pressed the fire control...
'and ahead of me rockets blazed through the sky'?
What was the question?
Which artwork.
-Isn't it Roy Lichtenstein? -The painting's title is part of the artwork.
Is it Lichtenstein?
It's the…
It's a defining piece of pop art.
Yeah, it's by Roy Lich... but I can't remember what it's called.
It's called 'rockets' or something.
-Like… -Pass.
-No, it was called Whaam. -Yeah.
So that's another ten seconds away, 39.1 on the clock.
Which two Gaelic sports differ by only one letter?
It's hurling and curling. Hurling and…
-Hurling and curling. -Is correct, 10.7 on your clock.
Which south-west township to Johannesburg was established in 1963?
Name a South African place.
Pretoria?
No, it's not, it was Soweto.
And you don't have ten seconds to give, so the victors are Team Terminator.
Commiserations to the previously unstoppable Team Viva.
We chipped into their lead.
You did, it was close, there were only a few points in it.
And congratulations to the incredibly well named Team Terminator.
-Yes! -The trophy is yours.
-Oh, thank you. -Take it. Take it, it's all yours.
There we go.
We'd like to dedicate this to our mother for making us ferociously competitive.
We've already gone to the theme tune, it's fine(!)
I still can't get used to seeing you in a suit,
even though I've never seen you in real life before.
-I know. -It feels wrong.
It's a cognitive dissonance.