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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 55 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Elton, Ben
Trainee Chef. We are told this early on in the book; not a skill he seems keen to use in the house. One of his best attempts was rice for a rota?
Capricorn. You only needed to open the book to know this. Typical Capricorn? Who's knows, all you Capricorns out there better have a good hard look at yourselves!!
27. This detail is given on the very first page, but you could also find out by reading day to day.
Dervla. From her friendly neighbourhood camera man? One of Ben Elton's best twists. Did you think it was him? I know I did.
Layla. Woggle was nominated but not evicted. Shame about his timing because he could of really made things go with a bang!
seven. Layla is already evicted, Woggle was arrested, and Kelly is dead. Ten started, leaving seven to go back in.
Jazz. "Jazz had been the favourite to win ever since his dramatic intervention to save Sally's life in the confession box."
Geraldine Hennessy. Ably assisted by Bob Fogarty. And a better twist I have yet to find. Big Brother contestants everywhere BEWARE!!
Actor. Despite having been written before the third "Big Brother" series, I believe that David is not a bad take on Alex the model. His mannerisms and attitude, it's almost as if Mr Elton is psychic!
Day twenty-seven. This is mentioned at the start of the book, but I was still confused as there were two time lines, one for the house mates, the other for the police.
Kelly. Cleverly hidden, as there was no clue as to who the victim was, until the event took place. The police didn't even mention her name!
Macbeth. A line from "Macbeth" is adapted slightly by Coleridge later on in the book, to fit the situation. The original passage is "Who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him." Chilling stuff!
Sally. She was adopted and it turned out that her mother's victim was her father!
House Arrest. It's not that easy to think up names for this type of show and if you can think of any better ones, let me know!
Peeping Tom Productions. Endemol are, of course, the people responsible for the real "Big Brother", the other two I just made up!
Geraldine. Her plan was to record herself impersonating each of the female housemates and be murdered while in character, then play the tapes back while murdering the women on the toilet (whomever that happened to be!). Although this actually happened, it was a tape made of Coleridge's colleagues re-enacting these fake murders that caused Geraldine to confess on live television!
| The "off-the-planet" introduction to "Gridlock" features aliens who are researching Earth for a 3-minute slot in a TV comedy program. What is the name of their native planet? | Ben Elton's "Gridlock"
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Brain. The show is called "That's Amazing, Brainians". They learned more about humanity and philosophy than we know ourselves, and they accidentally taped a documentary about Tuscany. (You have to read it...)
| Geoffrey Peason was determined that his disease should not be used to define his whole self, and that he should be able to say "spastic" without it seeming like an insult. Therefore he unofficially changed his surname to...? | Ben Elton's "Gridlock"
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Spasmo. This was in vain hope that someday spastics could rise above the negative image connected with the name of their condition. And it was funny.
| According to "Gridlock", there is a certain sticker that can be found on computers which will guarantee that the person owning the computer is "dull, dependable and sane as a pair of corduroy trousers". What does this sticker say? | Ben Elton's "Gridlock"
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You don't have to be mad to work here but it helps. At Geoffrey's office, the woman whose computer wore this sticker was Denise. She was the one who unwittingly revealed Geoffrey's whereabouts to Sam and caused his murder.
Hydrogen. It could be extracted from water and after being used, only expelled water, so it was very environmentally friendly.
| In 1977, Geoffrey went to a concert for a classic punk band in his spasmobile. Which band? | Ben Elton's "Gridlock"
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The Clash. "Geoffrey's had been the only wheelchair to make it to the front of a gig on The Clash's White Riot Tour in '77. His dad had to hose it down to get all the gob off afterwards.
| Sam Turk, fuelled by greed, murdered his accomplice and friend, Bruce Tungsten. This was because he and Bruce disagreed about how to exploit the miracle engine plans. True or false? | Ben Elton's "Gridlock"
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False. It was Sam's "loyal Lieutennant" Springer who was shot to death because of the money disagreement. As Sam said afterward, "Dough is strange stuff".
| After the press discover that Transport Minister Digby Parkhurst is a gay transvestite, he commits suicide. How does he do it? | Ben Elton's "Gridlock"
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Gasses himself to death in his car. "The enternal combustion engine had claimed another victim."
Although Digby is a particularly hated character, his death is a tragedy because it highlights the still-existing prejudice against homosexuals.
A Global Moritz (Mark III). The accident was caused because of faulty brakes. Global Motors could have improved the brake system on these cars, but decided they'd rather keep the money, and thus pretty much ruined Deborah's life.
| "Mr Automobile" Bruce Tungsten, owner of Global Motors, was sent a little mocking doll by the Japanese car company Hirohato. What did it do when he clapped his hands and said "Global Motors"? | Ben Elton's "Gridlock"
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It laughed. He hated the doll but he kept it anyway.
"'The prince sent Harry tennis balls because he was laughing at him Sam, do you understand? ...Two years ago I recieved this, Sam,' Bruce indicated the laughing doll. 'Take a good look at it, old friend, and try to think of it as my balls.'"
| Sam Turk orders several hitmen to dispose of Geoffrey. How many of them does Geoffrey manage to kill? | Ben Elton's "Gridlock"
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The first two. The second two get the better of him.. Geoffrey kills the first hitmen, Frank and Gary, in his appartment using labour-saving mechanisms he designed. When the second hitmen come - Fritz and Noddy - he uses more of his inventions to combat them but eventually he exhausts his armoury and is shot to death.
This scene is very abrupt and shocking but it is also truly sad.
He has cerebal palsy. Despite being a brilliant physicist and "one of the coolest people in London", Geoffrey's achievements are under-recognised just because he is a spastic. Elton spends a lot of time stressing the unfairness of this fact.
| When Sam Turk sends out the hitmen to kill Geoffrey, their code word for him is "hamster". True or false? | Ben Elton's "Gridlock"
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False. It's actually "gerbil".
"'He dead yet?' demanded Sam.
'The gerbil's state of being is at present undetermined,' replied Springer reprovingly."
| When Deborah confronts Sam in his office, what is the first of Geoffrey's weapons that she uses against him? | Ben Elton's "Gridlock"
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A flat iron to the head. She tells him she has a copy of the plans in her blouse. He lunges forward to claim them when she presses a magic button and out shoots the irom into the side of his head. Ouchie!
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