EPISODE 1

 

"Good evening and welcome back after four months in which, as predicted, we have seen an economic turnaround, an upturn in business confidence and nationwide prosperity. Trouble is, it all happened in Finland."

FIRST BROADCAST: 16th April 1993
TEAMS: Ian Hislop &
Jonathan Ross; Paul Merton & Peter Cook

 

ROUND ONE - FILM CLIPS:

Ian & Jonathan:   Group 4 allow four prisoners to escape during first week in operation

Paul & Peter:   NUT conference rejects teacher appraisals

Ian & Jonathan:   Euro bank spends its Eastern Europe budget on itself

Paul & Peter:   Bill Wyman's son marries Mandy Smith's mother

Scores: Ian & Jonathan 4; Paul & Peter 3

ROUND TWO - TABLOID HEADLINES:

Paul:  ‘POLICE CHIEFS' FURY OVER LEGO CAR THIEF’

Police angry at Lego model of joyrider in new urban collection

Peter:  THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS IS...C20H240:

Invention of artificial aromas to entice people into shops

Jonathan:  KLINGON LINGO ALL THE RAGE

American University teaches the Klingon language

Ian:  £1,200 CRUNCH

Man fined £1,200 for dropping empty crisp packet

 

Scores: Ian & Jonathan 7; Paul & Peter 7

ROUND THREE - ODD ONE OUT:

Paul - the Queen; Paul Merton; Jonathan Ross; Nigel Kennedy

(the Queen, as all the others have been accused of promoting estuary English)

Peter - Peter Mail; Fay Weldon; Salman Rushdie; the Queen

(the Queen, as all the others have been advertising copywriters)

Jonathan - Lord Grade; Lady Grade; James Gilbey; Jeremy Beadle

(Gilbey, as all the others own videophones)

Ian - John Birt; Paul McCartney; Bill Clinton; J.Edgar Hoover

(Hoover, as all the others gave jobs to their wives)

 

Scores: Ian & Jonathan 9; Paul & Peter 9

ROUND FOUR - MISSING WORDS:

Ian & Jonathan:

TORY ROW AS MAJOR MAKES DATE WITH __________

OFFENDERS GIVEN __________ UNDER NEW LAW

HEALTH SERVICE FACES PRESSURE TO TEAM UP WITH __________

PRIEST __________ AT TRIVIAL PURSUIT

Paul & Peter:

COCAINE HAS LEFT MY BRAIN __________ SAYS DAVID BOWIE

__________ PUTS SPARK BACK IN SEX LIFE

BBC PLANS EPIC HUNT FOR __________

TORIES SEEK TO DELAY __________

 

Final Scores: Ian & Jonathan 11; Paul & Peter 13 

                           


 

EPISODE 2:


"Good evening and welcome to the programme in which the week's major news stories are distilled into astute observations about people's ear hair."


FIRST BROADCAST: 23rd April 1993
TEAMS: Ian Hislop &
Chris Evans; Paul Merton & Fiona Armstrong

ROUND ONE - FILM CLIPS:

Ian & Chris:   Re-trial of LA officers accused in Rodney King case

Paul & Fiona:   Italian parliament vote to ditch proportional representation

Ian & Chris:   Government scheme to employ the jobless in Holland

Paul & Fiona:   Hollywood to make "Noddy" film

 

Scores: Ian & Chris 4; Paul & Fiona 3


ROUND TWO - TABLOID HEADLINES:

Paul:  ‘MAN CAME FROM MUSHROOMS’

Scientists discover that the nearest living organism to man is the mushroom

Fiona:  BAN THESE CEREAL CHILLERS

Vicar complains about monster-like toys in cereal packets

Chris:  SECRET SHAME OF THE HOVIS BOY

Boat boy from 1976 Hovis advert is now prolific criminal

Ian:  YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE WHO'S ON THE LINE’

Telephone developed with built-in lie detector

 

Scores: Ian & Chris 8; Paul & Fiona 7


ROUND THREE - ODD ONE OUT:

Paul - Alistair Burnet; Nicholas Fairbairn; the Pope; Carl Watkins of Redditch

(the Pope, as all the others had been found face down on a pavement - Mr Watkins had been jailed that week for having sex with one)

Fiona - James Hunt; Geoff Capes; Jason Donovan; Beaky, the Queen's stud budgie

(Donovan, as all the others are keen budgie fanciers)

Chris - Paul Gascoigne; Fiona Armstrong; Kenneth Tynan; Jools Holland
(Armstrong, as all the others have used the F-word on television)

Ian - Henry VIII; Robes Peer; Douglas Hurd; Tony Benn

(Peer, as all the others changed the law to suit their own needs)

Scores: Ian & Chris 11; Paul & Fiona 9


ROUND FOUR - MISSING WORDS:

Paul & Fiona:

FERGIE KIDDIES FLEE THE SCARY __________

GROUP 4 WANT TO RUN __________

TORIES AND LIB DEMS EXCHANGE __________

POLICE EXPECT HUGE JAMS AS __________

AUTHORITY TEST THE IDEA OF __________ RADIO 1

Ian & Chris:

PATTEN TURNS __________ ON GOVERNORS

WILLS KILLS HIS FIRST __________

CHOCOLATE CABBAGE FAILS __________

GUMMER SHARES IN WIDDECOMBE'S __________

DIANA'S __________ PUT ON BONFIRE


Final Scores: Ian & Chris 15; Paul & Fiona 17

 


 

EPISODE 3:


"Good evening and welcome to the programme in which we boldly empty the nose of news into the handkerchief of satire."

FIRST BROADCAST: 30th April 1993
TEAMS: Ian Hislop &
Frank Skinner; Paul Merton & Richard Littlejohn


ROUND ONE - FILM CLIPS:

Ian & Frank:   Government announces the end of the recession

Paul & Richard:   Speculation over Brian Clough's drinking habits

Ian & Frank:   Referendum in Russia

Paul & Richard:   Martyn Lewis pleads for more good news in bulletins

Scores: Ian & Frank 4; Paul & Richard 4

ROUND TWO - TABLOID HEADLINES:

Paul: ‘PLANTS THAT SPEAK VOLUMES’ 

Scientists discover that plants can communicate with each other

Richard:  DI BITES THE BULLET

Princess Diana gives a speech about bulimia

Frank:  RADIO GA-GA!

The launch of Virgin Radio

Ian:  STING ACCUSES TRIBESMEN

Tribesmen accused by Sting of selling off bits of the rainforest


Scores: Ian & Frank 8; Paul & Richard 8


ROUND THREE - ODD ONE OUT:

Paul - Shirley McLaine; the Dalai Lama; David Icke; Franz Beckenbauer

(the Dalai Lama, as all the others believe they were other people in past lives)

Richard - Ken Livingstone; Lord Lichfield; Simon Perry; Thora Hird

(Perry, as all the others have advertised cheese)

Frank - Bill Clinton; Jerry Hall; Amanda de Cadanet; Troy Tempest

(Tempest, as all the others named their daughters after places)

Ian - Dr Crippen; Hannibal Lecter; Richard Littlejohn; Derek Hatton

(Hatton, as all the others have a history of violent crime)

Scores: Ian & Frank 10; Paul & Richard 12


ROUND FOUR - MISSING WORDS:

Ian & Frank:

LAMONT SAYS 'THINK __________'

QUEEN OBJECTS TO __________ NEAR BUCKINGHAM PALACE

BBC TO SEEK PARTNERS FOR __________

HURD'S __________ SHAMEFUL, SAYS TEBBIT

Paul & Richard:

YELTSIN SCORES ___________

IMF THROWS __________ OVER CHANCELLOR

GROUP 4 FIND __________ IMPOSSIBLE

FISH __________ IN SPACE

*This was the first time less than five headlines were used in this round.  

Final Scores: Ian & Frank 17; Paul & Richard 15

 


 

EPISODE 4:

"Good evening and welcome to the programme that treats everyone like Royalty, unless of course they're members of the Royal Family."

FIRST BROADCAST: 7th May 1993
TEAMS: Ian Hislop &
Caroline Quentin; Paul Merton & Baz Bamigboye

 

ROUND ONE - FILM CLIPS:

Ian & Caroline:  
Buckingham Palace to be opened to the public

Paul & Baz:   Row over proposed abolition of May Day in favour of Trafalgar Day

Ian & Caroline:   Tycoon Asil Nadir jumps bail and flees the country while facing fraud charges

Paul & Baz:   East German spy on trial in the West

 

Scores: Ian & Caroline 4; Paul & Baz 4

ROUND TWO - TABLOID HEADLINES:


Paul:  ‘ALL THE VICE GIRLS LOVE AN ABSEILER’

Prostitutes in Cardiff sent on adventure holiday

Baz:  DOG GETS A £60M LEAD

Owner leaves Alsatian a fortune in her will

Caroline:  EC SAUCE! 

All by the EC to ban smutty postcards

Ian:  IS THE PORRIDGE TO YOUR SATISFACTION?

Survey asking prisoners about conditions in Britain's jails

Scores: Ian & Caroline 8; Paul & Baz 8


ROUND THREE - ODD ONE OUT:

Paul - Sinead O'Connor; Pinhead from "Hellraiser"; Prince Albert; the head of Grange Comprehensive in Bournemouth

(the head, as all the others have had some part of their anatomy pierced - he famously banned male pupils from wearing earrings)

Baz - Brigitte Bardot; Jane Seymour; Monica Seles; King Tutenkhamun
(Tutenkhamun, as all the others have suffered the "Hello!" magazine curse)

Caroline - Margaret Thatcher; Ross Perot; Imogen Stubbs; Roy Disney

(Stubbs, as all the others hate beards)

Ian - Stella Rimington; Peter Imbut; John Gummer; Richard Needham

(Gummer, as all the others have had major security gaffes)

Scores: Ian & Caroline 12; Paul & Baz 11


ROUND FOUR - MISSING WORDS:

Paul & Baz:

OVATION AS THE QUEEN SAVAGES __________

__________'S UP, MR MAJOR

12M BRITONS SHOW SIGNS OF __________

MAN WHO DRESSED CHER ADMITS __________

Ian & Caroline:

__________ ISSUED TO LAWYERS

BRANSON IS A MODEL FOR __________

PRINCESS ENDORSES __________

DINOSAUR SETTLES __________

 

Final Scores: Ian & Caroline 16; Paul & Baz 17

 

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