#29 - I reach my Tipping Point

Ben, Lisa, Jake, Daniel and me (and some random's green shirt)

The studio lights, the pressure, Ben Shephard's handsomely chiseled jawline. This was possibly the most surreal of all my challenges so far.

This week I completed number 29 on my list...to appear on a TV show.

I've always wondered what it would be like to be on TV. I've quite often briefed people before they go on camera - but I've never been thrust into the limelight myself.

My mom and grandad are the closest things we have to celebrities in our family. They appeared on a Christmas special of the Generation Game in 1970-something - and forty years on, it's a great story to tell. So I thought I'd have some of that.

The show: Tipping Point. The jackpot: £10,000. National humiliation: priceless.

On Wednesday I traveled to London to film what it turns out was the 200th episode of ITV's afternoon flagship quiz show, Tipping Point.

But this quest started last November with a hastily filled in application form followed by a surprising phone call in January asking me to take part in a phone interview. Pacing nervously, I scored a 9 out of 10 after failing to state that the human organ associated with the word cerebral is the brain (apparently head isn't an organ).

Auditions

I was then invited to an audition at a hotel in Birmingham where I had to sit another general knowledge quiz before being asked to 'do a piece' in front of a camera. There were about 20 or so others at the audition, all trying to out-personality each other. It's suffice to say that some of the weird and wonderful of the West Midlands were on form that day. The 'stand-up' comic who started doing exceptionally inappropriate Nelson Mandela impressions and the drag queen backing-dancer from Walsall were two particular highlights. Still, I must have done something right - I got the call back. I was going on the telly! Of more than 10,000 applicants, I'd made it.

So this week I headed down to London to the less than glamorous studio setting of a wet and windy Wimbledon industrial estate. I sat in reception and took in the TV memorabilia which included an original 1970s Darlek, a poster of the Iron Lady and a receptionist who seemed somewhat exacerbated by that morning's post: "that's another hand written letter for Simon Cowell, he was only here once and that was years ago!".

An original 1970s Dr Who Darlek

I was eventually joined in reception by fellow contestants Lisa (from Kent) and Jake (from Halifax). Lisa and I were both TV show virgins but Jake was a veteran of the TV game show world having been knocked out (not literally) twice in Pointless.We were to be joined later by Daniel - contestant number 4.

We were eventually ushered into 'the Green Room' where we'd nervously chatter for the next few hours as we prepared to meet the Tipping Point host, Ben Shephard and battle it out for that £10,000 jackpot.

We'd been told to bring five changes of clothes...apparently black, white, blue, stripes, checks and pastel colours are a no-no in HD. They soon told me that all of my clothing choices weren't right for the cameras so they delved into their costume department and presented me with a less-than fetching two-tone green shirt. It felt as if it was an omen.

We chatted to the research assistants who were there to keep us company and they re-told various anecdotes of funny answers in the auditions. My personal favourite was 'name the 19th Century female author who will appear on the new £10 note'. Even if you don't know the answer to this - surely 'I don't know' is a better answer than Rihanna?

After a spot of lunch and a touch of makeup we were led into the studio to film the final show of the series and Tipping Point's 200th show.

We were wired up with the microphones then took our places behind the podiums where our names were illuminated for all to see. I think it's fair to say, and please pardon the language, but I was shaking like a sh*****g dog at this stage.

Then in waltzed Ben. Turns out he's a really nice, unassuming bloke who put us all at ease by taking a few 'selfies' on his iphone and having a chat to us all about how we were doing.

We recorded our intros - I was torn about whether to say I was from Dudley or Wolverhampton...difficult to decide which sounds worse on TV?

the glamorous 'Green Room'

For those of you who have never seen the show - just think general knowledge questions followed by a huge '2p' machine which used to be in holiday arcades as a kid. Put a coin in at the top, watch it drop on to the shifting shelf below and see if it nudges other coins off at the bottom. Nudge the coins off and you win. Well this is the same...but huge - and lit up like a Vegas brothel (or at least what I imagine a Vegas brothel to look like).

Fingers on Buzzers

Then we were off...fingers on buzzers and all that.

The rest is a bit of a blur. I buzzed in to the first question and got it right. I didn't want to play the counter yet so passed it over to one of the other contestants. He failed to get any counters out - I'm feeling smug. I then buzz in for question two. Correct again. This time I decide to play...and the counters move - but not enough to tip it over the 'tipping point'. Ben utters something about karma.

In any case - I answered four questions in round one - got them all spot on too. Quantitative Easing and naming 'Dale' from the 1990s cartoon Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers where personal highlights for em. But, sadly, the machine wasn't willing to pay out. Although I did set up one of my fellow contestants for a massive 13 counter drop (bugger). So, with just one counter over the edge, although not getting a question wrong, my stint on the show was over. Had I only taken note of the phrase 'only play if you think it will pay'. 

So I didn't bag the £10,000 prize, in fact, I didn't even get my BFH (bus fare home for those not familiar with Bullseye). But it was an incredible, albeit surreal, experience. A few months ago I thought this would be one challenge too far - but I did it. Granted, humiliated for all eternity for falling at the first hurdle, but by no means disgraced. The show airs later this summer.

#29 - bloody brilliant.

For the outro...the game show as a kid I'd loved to have go on...in spite of Jim Davidson.