Incredible scenes
You can prepare as much as possible for a quiz show, but sometimes the gods don’t look down kindly on you and you get handed a subject matter that you simply haven’t got a clue about.
This has led to many a Pointless contestant coming unstuck over the years, especially in the final round, when the last pair are offered three pretty broad and sometimes cryptic subjects to pick from to win the jackpot.
But once in a blue moon, a miracle happens.
Contestants Tasha and Jo won the jackpot of £2,250 thanks to Henrik Larsson, but the reason the Celtic striker came through for them was the real story.
The sisters made it to the jackpot round and were given three choices from the subject ‘the year 2000’ – they could name a Euro 2000 goalscorer, a Brit Award winner from the same year, or an actor or actress who featured in 2000 film Snatch.
With the pair undoubtedly not the biggest football fans, Jo was about to begin providing Brit Awards winners, only for Tasha to chip in unexpectedly to mention” “I have one goalscorer – Henrik Larsson.”
And, in a remarkable twist, Larsson ended up winning the pair the jackpot by virtue of his consolation goal in Sweden’s 2-1 defeat to Italy.
Initially delighted by the money win, Tasha then revealed the twist in the tale that made this one of the all-time great quiz show victories, saying: “We’re gonna have to take Alex for a drink I think!”
“My boyfriend Alex is a massive Celtic supporter and he knows I’m rubbish with names…so he said ‘anything football-related, he’s played for Man U, he’s played for Celtic and Barcelona I think,” Tasha explained after the surprise win.
“And he just said ‘Go for Henrik Larsson’, and it’s paid off!”
In fact, neither of their two Brit Awards guesses – Natalie Imbruglia or TLC – would have been pointless answers.
And, as you can probably guess, there were plenty of Celtic fans watching who were delighted, both for Tasha and Jo, and on the part of Alex for doing the right thing.
One Twitter user wrote: “Love that two girls just won the jackpot on pointless cos one of their [sic] bf told them to just guess Henrik Larsson for any football question.”
A second penned: “Henrik Larsson might be the best ever Pointless winning answer ever.”
A third said: “Henrik Larsson is the answer to every question that matters. Fact.”
“UNBELIEVABLE SCENES ON POINTLESS!” tweeted a fourth. “If in doubt, say Henrik Larsson.”
A final Twitter user added: “Just goes to show you: Henrik Larsson is THE answer.”
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