BRIDGE: CELEBRITY GRAND SLAM - EPISODE GUIDE

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If you want to catch up on what you’ve missed – or want to get ahead of the game – here are our show-by-show synopses of who did what with whom...

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Episode 1: Grand Slam When You Can
An eclectic group of people meet at a hotel in Hertfordshire: broadcasting icon Sue Lawley; actress Susan Hampshire; former England cricket captain Mike Gatting; rock legend Pattie Boyd; Britpop band Blur drummer Dave Rowntree; crime writer Val McDermid; ITN correspondent James Mates; and Sky news anchor Kay Burley. What have they got in common? They all love playing Bridge, and they’re here to battle it out at the Bridge table for a share in a £20,000 charity prize pot. They are all experienced players, except for one:  plucky Kay Burley began learning to play the complex and challenging game just three and a half weeks ago...

The diverse group, many of whom have never met one another before, gather nervously in the Hall of St Michael’s Manor, a magnificent Tudor country house hotel. Hosting the two-day house party is writer, presenter and former barrister Clive Anderson, who introduces the tournament with the observation that many consider Bridge to be the finest card game in the world. Also on hand to commentate and coach the celebrity players are two experts: English Bridge internationals Andrew McIntosh and Glyn Liggins.

Next, the players discover who each will pair in the first round of the competition. In a game where communication is key, will they get on, both at and away from the table? And who will play with novice Kay? To add to their nerves, it’s revealed that the same hands are being played at both Bridge tables, so they can’t blame their luck on the cards. Worse still, each time they end up playing a contract, their partner will be able to observe their play on monitors in a separate viewing room and dissect their moves with Clive and the experts...

Round One sees Mike Gatting in pieces when he sees his partners’ cards, but by the last hand of the show someone (we won’t spoil it for you) bids The Big One...but will they make it?

Playing in the Drawing Room (green table) are:

                        Pattie Boyd (North)

Kay Burley  (West)          Dave Rowntree  (East)

                       Sue Lawley (South)

Hand 1: Dave made 3 No Trumps non-vulnerable
Hand 2: Dave made 4 Hearts non-vulnerable
Hand 3: Sue went two off non-vulnerable in 4 Hearts
Hand 4: Pattie made 7 No Trumps doubled and vulnerable non-vulnerable

Playing in the Oak Lounge (blue table) are:

                        Val McDermid (North)

Mike Gatting  (West)          Susan Hampshire  (East)

                       James Mates (South)

Hand 1: Mike made 3 No Trumps non-vulnerable
Hand 2: Susan made 4 Hearts plus one non-vulnerable
Hand 3: Mike went three off doubled and vulnerable in 4 Spades
Hand 4: James made 4 Hearts plus two vulnerable

LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 1
Boyd  16
Lawley  16
Mates  6
McDermid  6
Hampshire  -6
Gatting  -6
Rowntree  -16
Burley  -16

Episode 2: Troubles and Doubles
Round One’s grand slam bid is the talk of the Manor as the eight celebrities gather back in the hall to find out how they are doing in the battle for the £20,000 charity pot and, more importantly, who they are going to partner in Round Two...

Bridge beginner Kay Burley finds herself playing in the grand Oak Lounge alongside cricketer Mike Gatting, The Wire in the Blood author Val McDermid, and photographer and former model Pattie Boyd. But will Kay’s partner coax the best out of her? And will anyone fall into the fiendish trap of the 1 no-trumps doubled and vulnerable which resident experts Andrew McIntosh and Glyn Liggins have set up in order to teach the players that sometimes, bidding even when they have no points is the thing to do?

Between hands however, there’s a touch of baize-based romance as ITN correspondent James Mates joins Clive on the sofa and reveals he started playing Bridge in a bid to woo his future wife – and now he’s hooked...

Back in the Drawing Room, James joins Blur drummer Dave Rowntree, former Desert Island Discs presenter Sue Lawley and actress Susan Hampshire at the table. In the final hand of Round Two, Sue finds herself in a tricky five diamond contract. Can she make it? There’s a bid swing if she does...

Playing in the Drawing Room (green table) are:

                        Sue Lawley (North)

James Mates  (West)          Susan Hampshire  (East)

                       Dave Rowntree (South)

Hand 5: Dave made 5 Diamonds doubled and vulnerable
Hand 6: James went down four in 6 No Trumps vulnerable
Hand 7: Sue went one off in 5 Diamonds vulnerable
Hand 8: James made 5 Diamonds non-vulnerable

Playing in the Oak Lounge (blue table) are:

                        Mike Gatting (North)

Kay Burley  (West)          Pattie Boyd  (East)

                       Val McDermid (South)

Hand 5: Val made 5 Diamonds plus one vulnerable
Hand 6: Pattie went one off in 4 No Trumps vulnerable
Hand 7: Pattie went three off in 2 Hearts vulnerable
Hand 8: Kay made 3 Clubs plus two non-vulnerable

LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 2
Lawley  22
McDermid  15
Boyd  7
Gatting  3
Mates  0
Rowntree  -10
Hampshire  -12
Burley  -25

 

Episode 3: Redouble Results
With eight hands now under their belts, celebrity Bridge players Sue Lawley; Susan Hampshire; Mike Gatting; Pattie Boyd; Dave Rowntree; Val McDermid; James Mates and Kay Burley are gaining confidence, but the draw, when presenter Clive Anderson reveals the pairings, remains a tense affair.

In Round Three, Mike Gatting finds himself playing with the formidable trio of Pattie Boyd, Susan Hampshire and Sue Lawley in the Oak Lounge. What’s more, Mike quickly lands himself in a difficult five spade contract after a hotly contested auction.

Over in the Drawing Room, novice player Kay Burley finds herself at the table with Bridge fanatics Dave Rowntree, James Mates and Val McDermid.  But the feisty news anchor refuses to be daunted and bravely bids on...

Things really heat up when James Mates confidently doubles his opponents in three spades only to find himself promptly redoubled, to the delight of Clive Anderson and the two experts watching from the viewing room. However, with characteristic determination, James resolves “I’ve made my bed so I had better lie in it”...but will it prove to be a bed of roses?

And proving that Bridge may indeed be the new rock’n’roll, Dave Rowntree, drummer with the Britpop supergroup Blur, leaves the table between hands to chat about his life on the road and his secret for avoiding boredom on tour: non-stop Bridge.

Playing in the Drawing Room (green table) are:

                        Dave Rowntree (North)

Val McDermid  (West)          Kay Burley  (East)

                       James Mates (South)

Hand 9: Dave went one off in 5 Clubs non-vulnerable
Hand 10: Kay went one off in 3 Spades redoubled and vulnerable
Hand 11: Dave made 4 Hearts plus one non-vulnerable
Hand 12: Kay made 3 No Trumps non-vulnerable
 

Playing in the Oak Lounge (blue table) are:

                        Susan Hampshire (North)

Mike Gatting  (West)          Pattie Boyd  (East)

                       Sue Lawley (South)

Hand 9: Mike made 5 Spades plus one vulnerable
Hand 10: Sue went one off in 3 Hearts vulnerable
Hand 11: Susan made 4 Hearts non-vulnerable
Hand 12: Pattie went one off in 3 No Trumps non-vulnerable


LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 3:
Lawley  19
McDermid  11
Boyd  10
Gatting  6
Mates  4
Rowntree  -6
Hampshire  -15
Burley  -29

Episode 4:  What’s My Bid?
If you’ve been following the series, you’ll know that one of the celebrities has been leading the pack since the start of the tournament at St Michael’s Manor.  But that’s all about to change...

At draw time presenter Clive Anderson announces the new pairings and it’s straight off to the card table to continue the battle for the £20,000 charity prize pot.  Playing in the splendid Oak Lounge this round are Dave Rowntree, Sue Lawley, Val McDermid and Mike Gatting, while over in the elegant Drawing Room novice Kay Burley is at the table with James Mates, Pattie Boyd and Susan Hampshire.

Meanwhile, things are lighthearted for Clive and experts Andrew McIntosh and Glyn Liggins as they spy on each of the players and try to guess their next bid. For the players at the tables though, knowing their partner and the experts are watching and commentating on their performance has made it a much tenser affair, and things start badly for one pair when they go three off doubled in four spades. All is not lost however, and later on comes a chance to really redeem things by bidding six diamonds for a juicy big swing...

In-between hands, crime writer Val McDermid, whose ever-popular novels include The Wire In The Blood, reveals that although she’s competitive enough to “cheat the kids at Monopoly” she loves playing Bridge so much she doesn’t care whether wins or not...

Playing in the Drawing Room (green table) are:

                        Pattie Boyd (North)

Kay  Burley  (West)          James Mates  (East)

                       Susan Hampshire (South)

Hand 13: James made 5 Clubs vulnerable
Hand 14: Susan made 2 Hearts plus one non-vulnerable
Hand 15: Kay went one off in 4 Spades non-vulnerable
Hand 16: Kay made 5 Diamonds vulnerable

Playing in the Oak Room (blue table) are:

                        Mike Gatting (North)

Dave Rowntree  (West)          Val McDermid  (East)

                       Sue Lawley (South)

Hand 13: Dave made 3 No Trumps plus one non-vulnerable
Hand 14: Val went three off in 4 Spades doubled non-vulnerable
Hand 15: Mike made 4 Hearts vulnerable
Hand 16: Dave made 5 Diamonds plus one vulnerable

LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 4:
Lawley  18
Mates  14
McDermid  12
Gatting  5
Boyd  0
Rowntree  -5
Burley  -19
Hampshire  -25

Episode 5: All Change at the Top
“Day Five at the Big Bidder Bridge House”: Clive Anderson sets the tone and lightens the atmosphere at the draw for the new pairs and the hall at St Michael’s Manor erupts as a new leader is announced for the first time since the tournament started.

For the first time, everyone is starting to enjoy themselves: in the Drawing Room a fearsome female foursome comprises Sue Lawley, Val McDermid, Susan Hampshire and the increasingly-emboldened novice Kay Burley, while over in the Oak Lounge Pattie Boyd is playing with Mike Gatting, Dave Rowntree, and James Mates, although Pattie struggles to make herself heard as the boys argue about vulnerability...

She eventually gets her say in an inter-hand chat with Clive however, recalling husbands George Harrison and Eric Clapton, and revealing what she loves about Bridge.

Playing in the Drawing Room (green table) are:

                        Sue Lawley (North)

Susan Hampshire (West)          Kay Burley  (East)

                       Val McDermid (South)

Hand 17: Kay made 2 Spades plus two non-vulnerable
Hand 18: Val made 3 Spades plus one vulnerable
Hand 19: Sue went three off in 5 Clubs non-vulnerable
Hand 20: Susan went one off in 2 No Trumps vulnerable

Playing in the Oak Lounge (blue table) are:

                        Mike Gatting (North)

James Mates  (West)          Pattie Boyd  (East)

                       Dave Rowntree (South)

Hand 17: Pattie went one off in 6 No Trumps non-vulnerable
Hand 18: Dave made 6 Spades vulnerable
Hand 19: Dave made 2 No Trumps non-vulnerable
Hand 20: James made 1 Heart plus one vulnerable

LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 5:
Gatting  20
Lawley  18
McDermid  12
Rowntree  10
Mates  -1
Boyd  -15
Burley  -19
Hampshire  -25

 

Episode 6: Another New Leader
Round Six starts with a bit of a twist as master of ceremonies Clive Anderson announces that two of the favourites will be partnering each other...Sue Lawley, James Mates, Mike Gatting and Kay Burley are together in the Oak Lounge, while Dave Rowntree, Susan Hampshire, Val McDermid and Pattie Boyd are at the table over in the Drawing Room.

The pressure’s on and the tension mounts in the first hand when dummy lays their cards, only to hear partner moan ominously “I hope those aren’t your trumps. I really hope those aren’t your trumps”. We won’t spoil the ending, but when the same contract goes one off, a gritty post mortem conducted by expert Andrew McIntosh follows...

Providing some light relief from the pressure however is former England cricket captain Mike Gatting, who, in the breaks between hands, gives a candid lowdown on his fellow players and reveals his passion for the game.

Playing in the Drawing Room (green table) are:

                        Dave Rowntree (North)

Val McDermid  (West)          Susan Hampshire  (East)

                       Pattie Boyd (South)

Hand 21: Pattie made three hearts vulnerable   
Hand 22: Pattie went one off in three clubs non-vulnerable  
Hand 23: Susan made 2 Hearts plus one vulnerable   
Hand 24: Dave made 4 Spades plus two non-vulnerable

Playing in the Oak Lounge (blue table) are:

                        Sue Lawley (North)

Mike Gatting  (West)          James Mates  (East)

                        Kay Burley (South)

Hand  21: James went one off in 3 Spades non-vulnerable
Hand  22: Mike went two off in 3 No Trumps vulnerable
Hand  23: James made 3 Hearts vulnerable
Hand  24: Sue made 4 Spades plus two non-vulnerable

LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 6:
Lawley  24
Gatting & Rowntree  14
McDermid  8
Mates  -7
Boyd  -11
Burley  -13
Hampshire  -29

 

Episode 7:  Back on Top
It’s the penultimate round and a nerve-wracking time for the Bridge-playing celebrities at St Michael’s Manor. Three players have so far taken the lead in the competition and the £20,000 charity prize pot is still wide open. All the players are eyeing up the £10,000 first prize which will go to their chosen charity...if they win.

Oblivious to the tensions however, are presenter Clive Anderson and experts Andrew McIntosh and Glyn Liggins, who continue to observe the play from the viewing room provide a pithily accurate assessment of the bids.

This round, Susan Hampshire, Mike Gatting, Dave Rowntree and novice Kay Burley are in the Oak Lounge, while over in the Drawing Room James Mates, Val McDermid, Pattie Boyd and Sue Lawley are battling it out at their table.

It’s a round of big swings with game contracts twice being bid in both rooms but twice only making in one room, but in spite of it all, Sue Lawley finds time to chat about her love of Bridge and – revealingly – recalls being such an avid player that even breastfeeding her children wouldn’t drag her away from the table...

Playing in the Drawing Room (green table) are:

                        Dave Rowntree (North)

Val McDermid  (West)          Susan Hampshire  (East)

                       Pattie Boyd (South)

Hand 25: Sue went three off in 3 No Trumps non-vulnerable
Hand 26: Pattie went one off in 4 Spades vulnerable
Hand 27: Sue made 3 Spades non-vulnerable  
Hand 28: James made 4 Hearts plus one vulnerable

Playing in the Oak Lounge (blue table) are:

                        Dave Rowntree (North)

Val McDermid  (West)          Susan Hampshire  (East)

                       Pattie Boyd (South)

Hand 25: Susan made 3 Diamonds plus one non-vulnerable
Hand 26: Mike made 4 Spades vulnerable
Hand 27: Mike went one off in four Diamonds non-vulnerable
Hand 28: Dave went one off in 4 Hearts vulnerable

LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 7:
Lawley  31
Gatting     19
Rowntree  9
McDermid  1
Mates  0
Burley  -8
Boyd  -18
Hampshire  -34

Episode 8: The Grand Finale
It’s the final showdown and Clive Anderson calls the Bridge-loving celebrities together for the deciding round at St Michael’s Manor. By now, all the stars have partnered each other, but Clive reveals he has a concluding ace up his sleeve: the person currently lying last in eighth position will be the first to pick who they want to play with. The player in seventh position chooses next, and so on.    

It’s a tense time with the £20,000 charity prize money still up for grabs, but the players take it in their stride and ultimately, Sue Lawley, Kay Burley, Dave Rowntree and Pattie Boyd end up in the Drawing Room, while Mike Gatting, Val McDermid, James Mates and Susan Hampshire convene at the table in the Oak Lounge.

It’s a great round of Bridge with game contracts being made in one room while they go off doubled in the next. Then, fittingly for the ultimate part of Celebrity Grand Slam, a grand slam is bid...but will they make it, and who will win the £10,000 first prize?...

Playing in the Drawing Room (green table) are:

                        Kay Burley (North)

Pattie Boyd  (West)          Dave Rowntree  (East)

                       Sue Lawley (South)

Hand 29: Kay made 2 Hearts vulnerable
Hand 30: Dave made 2 Spades plus three non-vulnerable
Hand 31: Sue made 4 Hearts plus three vulnerable
Hand 32: Pattie went one off in 4 Spades doubled and vulnerable

Playing in the Oak Lounge (blue table) are:

                        James Mates (North)

Mike Gatting  (West)          Susan Hampshire  (East)

                       Val McDermid (South)

LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 8:
Lawley  39
McDermid  13
Mates  12
Gatting  7
Rowntree  1
Burley  0
Boyd  -26
Hampshire  -46

RESULTS:
Sue Lawley wins £10,000 for the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival
Val McDermid wins £3000 for Eaves Housing for Women
James Mates wins £2500 for the Rory Peck Trust
Mike Gatting wins £2000 for the Lord’s Taverners
Dave Rowntree wins £1000 for Amicus
Kay Burley wins £750 for Macmillan Cancer Support
Pattie Boyd wins £500 for Action on Addiction
Susan Hampshire wins £250 for the National Osteoporosis Society

 

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