Weakest Link Rugby Special - II

Anne finds Thomas exciting

Anne Robinson ruled over a Rugby Special of BBC quiz game, the Weakest Link, earlier this year. The players taking part were Will Greenwood, Colin Charvis, Brian Moore, Geordan Murphy, Austin Healey, Matt Dawson, Simon Taylor, Thomas Castaignède, Matt Dawson and Martin Bayfield.

The money would go to charity, possibly as much as £50,000. Each round was worth £5,000 which the team won without dropping a question, but they did drop Austin Healey at the end of the first round.

Here is a transcript of Round 2 with the other rounds, increasingly briefer, to follow.

QA is Anne Robinson, clad in black but enjoying the players' company, which may appear unusual.

QA: Round 2, team. You banked £5,000. You are down to eight players. We are taking ten seconds off your time.

We'll start with the strongest link form the last round. That's Thomas. (Her voice rises in excitement as she says his name. Thomas Castaignède bulks his biceps a la a bodybuilder.)

Let's play the Weakest Link. Start the clock.

QA: Thomas, in the UK in a traditional meal of pie and mash, the mash is made from which vegetable?
TC: Potatoes

QA: Matt, in travel, which road users are legally allowed to drive through red lights - emergency vehicles of cyclists?
MD: Emergency vehicles.

QA: Simon, what is 42 plus 8?
ST: 50.

QA: Martin, in the popular expression - the bigger they come the harder they what?
MB: Fall

QA: Will, what 'm' is a term for a sovereign head of state, such as a king, queen or emperor, who rules usually by hereditary right?
WG: Monarch

QA: Colin, if the interior of the building is inside, where is its exterior?
CC: Outside

QA: Brian in history which British military leader lost an arm and the sight of an eye - Nelson or Wellington?
BM: Nelson

QA: Geordan, in art the painters Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali were born in which European country?
GM: Spain

TC: Bank! (The team then had £2,000.)

QA: Thomas, in rugby union, the player who captained the England team between 1988 and 1998 is Will who?
TC: Carling

QA: Matt, what 'L' is the term for the soft white pig fat used in cooling?
MD: Lard

QA: Simon, in the Gregorian calendar, days commemorating the patron saints of both Ireland and Wales fall in which month of the year?
ST: March

QA: Martin, which word for a baby's pacifier is also an alternative word for a mannequin?
MB: Dummy

WG: Bank! (The triumphant noise happens.)

QA: OK, you have reached and banked your five thousand pound target. In fact, you had a chain of twelve correct answer. So you could have done it much sooner. Who banked too soon? Whose brain needs a conversion? It's time to vote off the weakest link.

Ghost voice: For the second round in a row Thomas is the strongest link. According to the statistics Colin is the weakest link, but will the voting reflect the facts?

QA: Voting over. It's time to reveal who you think is the weakest link.

(One by one the players click on their screens in front of them on which they display the name of the person they want to drop off.)

WG: Thomas
CC: Matt
BM: Thomas
GM: Brian
TC: Geordan (which he spells Jordan)
MD: Brian
ST: Matt
MB:Matt

QA: Simon, hello - or buona sera.
ST: I see what you're saying.
QA: What am I saying?
ST: You're saying 'good evening' in Italian, I think.
QA: Do you like Italy?
ST: You are alluding to the fact that we were beaten by them recently.
QA: Was that fun?
ST: Not particularly, Anne.
QA: What happened, Simon?
ST: We didn't play very well and Italy played well. (As he says this he has his left hand in his pocket.)
QA: Did you have your hands in your pockets during the game?
ST (removing hand from pocket): No, we don't have pockets. So - no.
QA: Do you not, Simon?
ST: No, just to prevent that kind of mishap.
QA: Why Matt?
ST: I voted for him last round and so I thought I'd just keep voting for him. Less thinking that way.

QA: So, Martin, you're a film star?
MB: I wouldn't go that far.
QA: Oh. How far would you go?
MB: Just a little less than that.
QA: How many Harry Potter films have you appeared in?
MB: Three so far. Well, we've done three. The third one's not out yet.
QA: What did you do in the first one?
MB: I was a stunt double for Robbie Coltraine's Hagrid the Giant.
QA: Oh, really. Have you lost weight since then?
MB: It's very nice of you to say. Not many people have noticed.
QA: How tall are you?
MB: I'm six feet ten inches, Anne.
QA: Where do you get your clothes if you're that tall?
MB: Places in London.
QA: Special places for very tall people?
MB: Special places for special people I like to think of it, Anne.
QA: Were you born tall?
MB: Not this tall.
QA: I'm asking everyone this, but what don't you like about Matt?
MD: Well, there's an envelope being opened in London tonight and Matt doesn't want to miss it. So I know he wants to get away - I'm sure, quickly.

QA: Matt, why do you think they're getting rid of you? You haven't answered a question incorrectly.
MD: It's their loss - their loss.
QA: It's not that you're a bit arrogant is it, Matt?
MD: Not in the slightest, as you would know. I mean you would know arrogance, Anne.
QA: I would. Well, whichever way you slice it, Matt, you are the weakest link. Goodbye.

Matt Dawson then does the walk of shame and address the television audience.

MD: I think the boys back in the England dressing-room will be looking at me and probably a bit ashamed that I got voted off, but I can stand proud that I lasted longer than Austin Healey. (The show was first shown on 20 March 2004, the day of the England-Wales match.)

To be continued................