A former Pointless contestant has revealed how a childhood puzzle and a family connection helped her and her friend crack a question that ultimately saw them win the show.
Fortuna Burke appeared on the BBC quiz show with her good friend Satish, where the pair were asked about countries on Greenwich Mean Time. Under pressure from the clock, Fortuna immediately remembered Ghana because her grandmother is from the country.
Childhood memories prove key
“I remembered that Ghana is on Greenwich Mean Time because my grandma is from Ghana,” she told Mecca Bingo. Satish then drew on a completely different memory from his childhood to help identify another answer.
“He remembered this puzzle he'd had as a child where every piece was a different African country,” Fortuna explained. “Using his memory of the map, we worked out that Mali should also be on Greenwich Mean Time.”
The unlikely combination of memories paid off, with the pair getting the answer right, scoring fewer points than their opponents and ultimately winning.
Prize money and memories
Fortuna said the experience of reaching the correct answer while the clock was ticking remains one of her favourite memories from appearing on the programme.
“It was such a brilliant example of us piecing together these completely unrelated bits of knowledge while the clock was ticking!” she said. The pair won around £1,632 each, with Fortuna using her winnings to buy a laptop and go on a skiing holiday.
She said appearing on Pointless remains a particularly happy memory, describing the experience as one of the “funny, happy memories” she has from her twenties.
Awkward moment with host
She also recalled an awkward moment involving host Alexander Armstrong, after she forgot that her microphone was still switched on.
Fortuna said she thought Armstrong was “really fun, suave and sophisticated” and remembered commenting to Satish: “He sounds so sophisticated, he’s got such a posh accent.”
Satish quickly reminded her that their microphones were still live and that everyone could potentially hear their conversation. “I remember thinking, ‘Well, at least I’m not saying anything bad!’” Fortuna said.
She added that the experience showed just how professional things were behind the scenes, with contestants having relatively limited interaction with the hosts away from filming.
She also praised Armstrong and described him as a “brilliant host” who is “a great speaker, very quick and funny”.
“He has that suave, relaxed quality that makes hosting look effortless,” she added. “He comes across as incredibly polished and sophisticated while still being entertaining, which I think works perfectly for a programme like Pointless.”
