Brainbox Uri hits Millionaire heights

Reading Evening Post
14^th September 1999

Full marks: psychic star takes top spot in newspaper test

Brainbox Uri hits Millionaire heights

By MATT BLACKMAN

SONNING celebrity Uri Geller says his psychic powers helped him correctly answer all 15 test questions for quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

The famous spoonbender was called out of the blue by The Express newspaper on Friday in a test to see how real life millionaires would fare in the ratings-topping show.

Mr Geller, who came top in the survey, said although he didn’t know the answers to a number of questions he could predict the patterns of the answers.

He said: “In a way it’s not quite fair, because I did use my psychic powers.”

“I think there were at least two or three questions that I had absolutely no idea of the answers, but I figured out how the show would arrange the answers.”

“It was pure guesswork, but it worked.”

However, the Sonning resident admitted he also needed some earthly help with the £4,000 question about TV show Points of View, asking for the name linking three presenters.

He said: “Luckily I had my son Daniel with me, because I really didn’t know the answer to that one!”

If he had appeared on the show, hosted by Chris Tarrant, Mr Geller would have walked away with a cool £l million, but said the pressure of the event would make it far more challenging.

He said: “When I was at school I was never good at quizzes.”

“But this was over the telephone so it was very relaxed. If you’ve got 15 million people watching, it’s a different matter.”

“I’d never say no to £1 million, but I don’t know the system they use to invite people on the show, so I don’t think I’ll be on it.”

Other millionaires who took on the daunting 15 questions included Ann Summers boss Jacqueline Gold, who would have won £125,000, and former Conservative party chairman Lord Archer, who only managed three questions, worth £300.

The questions Uri was set by the Daily Express are shown below. Answers underneath. Don’t miss Uri Geller’s column in the Reading Evening Post every Thursday.

Quiz MASTER – above, Uri Geller impressing the crowds with his spoon-bending; inset, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire host Chris Tarrant; below, the 15 questions Uri answered correctly

1. If you are in your birthday suit, what are you wearing?

1. Your best clothes
2. Your work clothes
3. A nappy
4. Nothing

2. Which pop group fronted by Simon Le Bon had its first hit in 1981

1. Duran Duran
2. Depeche Mode
3. Haircut 100
4. Eurythmics

3. What did Lazio Biro invent?

1. Ball point pen
2. Rubic cube
3. Nylon
4. Instant coffee

4. On what day of the week does the Queen give away Maundy Money?

1. Tuesday
2. Wednesday
3. Thursday
4. D. Friday

5. In which sport might you traverse the piste?

1. Fencing
2. Skiing
3. Gymnastics
4. Badminton

6. What can Australia boast to have the biggest of in the world?

1. Restaurant
2. Casino
3. Coral reef
4. Pub

7. What name links three presenters of BBC’s Points of View?

1. Took
2. Ford
3. Smith
4. Robinson

8. In which country is Soave wine produced?

1. Germany
2. Austria
3. Portugal
4. Italy

9. In which of these countries do motorists drive on the left?

1. France
2. Spain
3. USA
4. Ireland

10. To which of these might a ‘codicil’ be added?

1. A musical score
2. A will
3. A statue
4. A headache pill

11. What is a funambulist?

1. A tight-rope walker
2. A sleepwalker
3. A firewalker
4. A fell walker

12. In which of these countries do motorists drive on the right?

1. Angola
2. Botswana
3. Mozambique
4. Namibia

13. Which of these people was alive in 1823?

1. Jane Austen
2. Lord Byron
3. Percy Shelley
4. John Keats

14. What first went on sale in Britain in 1900?

1. Potato crisps
2. Toothpaste
3. Aspirin
4. Coca Cola

15. What do people with gephyrphobia fear?

1. Being alone
2. Being touched
3. Crossing bridges
4. Standing upright

Answers

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