Ruth Shaw, a single parent to her 10-year-old daughter Sophia, from Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, appeared on the UK Version on 10 August, 2010. She won £75,000 after walking away on her £150,000 question. She was studying for a PhD in Ecology and Climate Change. She says her dream job would be as a mystery shopper for the brand Prada. Her brother Tom is in the audience for some moral support.
Ruth's Run To The Million[]
| £500 (1 of 12) - 15 seconds | |
| A stitch is a pain felt after exercise in which part of the body? | |
| ⬥ A: Foot | ⬥ B: Knee |
| ⬥ C: Shoulder | ⬥ D: Side |
Ruth wins £1,000.
| £1,000 (2 of 12) - 15 seconds | |
| "A-tishoo! A-tishoo! We all fall down" is a line from which nursery rhyme? | |
| ⬥ A: Pop Goes The Weasel | ⬥ B: Ring a Ring o' Roses |
| ⬥ C: Baa Baa Black Sheep | ⬥ D: Georgie Porgie |
| A break is taken. A good luck message is played from Ruth's mother Kate. Chris asks Ruth about her phobia of cheese, and Ruth says she hates the smell of it, the sight of it, and the idea of it. Ruth says she's aiming for £20,000 but £50,000 would be able to pay off her debts, and leave her with some money left over. Her student loans stood at £30,000 at time of taping. |
| £2,000 (3 of 12) - 30 seconds | |
| Johnny Depp's portrayal of Jack Sparrow in the 'Pirates of the Carribean' films is said to be based on which rock star? | |
| ⬥ A: John Lennon | ⬥ B: Ozzy Osbourne |
| ⬥ C: Keith Richards | ⬥ D: Bono |
| Ruth says she used to work at supermarket Waitrose, where she twice fell asleep at the till, and got her hair caught in the conveyor belt. |
"Oh no!" Ruth has a phobia of cheese.
| £5,000 (4 of 12) - 30 seconds | |
| Which of these is a type of cheese? "Ask the Audience" lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: Petit Belgique | ⬥ B: Petit Italie |
| ⬥ C: Petit Suisse | ⬥ D: Petit Angleterre |
| Ask the Audience Results: A: 3% ⬥ B: 6% ⬥ C: 82% ⬥ D: 9% | |
| Earlier in the show, Ruth mentioned her phobia of cheese. As such, as soon as the question came up, Chris shouted 'Oh no!' and the audience laughed. Chris promises Ruth the question writers had this question for this set anyway, and it wasn't just put there to try and slip Ruth up. Unsurprisingly, with 23 seconds left on the clock, Ruth asks the audience. She goes with them, and wins £5,000. |
Ruth manages to pass the cheese question.
| £10,000 (5 of 12) - 30 seconds | |
| In 2009, David Haye beat Nikolai Valuev to become world champioon at which boxing weight? | |
| ⬥ A: Heavyweight | ⬥ B: Middleweight |
| ⬥ C: Flyweight | ⬥ D: Welterweight |
Ruth says she knew the answer as she loves boxing.
| £20,000 (6 of 12) - 30 seconds | |
| A goitre is an enlargement of which gland? | |
| ⬥ A: Pituitary | ⬥ B: Thyroid |
| ⬥ C: Adrenal | ⬥ D: Salivary |
| Ruth says she'd also like a Season Ticket to Leeds Football Club, and to the Metropolitan Opera House. Chris and Ruth then talk about her daughter Sophia. |
| £50,000 (7 of 12) - 30 seconds | |
| Which of these animals is classed as cold-blooded? | |
| ⬥ A: Ferret | ⬥ B: Frog |
| ⬥ C: Fruit bat | ⬥ D: Fox |
| As Ruth as now reached the £50,000 mark, she can take as long as she likes for the final 5 questions, and has earned her new lifeline, Switch the Question. She still has both her 50:50 and her Phone-a-Friend. |
Guaranteed £50,000.
Ruth's new lifeline.
| £75,000 (Question 8 of 12) - Not Timed | |
| If you travelled due south from London, which African country would you reach first? "50:50" lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: Algeria | ⬥ B: Libya |
| ⬥ C: Mauritania | ⬥ D: Tunisia |
| Ruth thinks it may be Tunisia, but cannot remember where Algeria. She rules out the other two answers, but say "50:50 would probably leave the two I think it might be." She thinks about phoning a friend, but instead goes 50:50. This removes one of the answers she thought it might be, Tunisia. She goes with Algeria, and wins £75,000. Ruth says the money will go towards paying off her debt, sorting out her housing, and helping her siblings who have similar housing problems. She says her brother Tom, who's in the audience, would get some money to help him get a house, or for his girlfriend to get a mortgage. A break is taken. |
Ruth answers another question correctly.
| £150,000 (9 of 12) - Not Timed | |
| When the PRS for music compiled Britain's first "official" karaoke chart for 2009, which song was the most popular? "Switch the Question" lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: I Will Survive | ⬥ B: Delilah |
| ⬥ C: Angels | ⬥ D: Waterloo |
| Ruth is torn between A and B, so almost immediately asks to Switch. She would have said A, which was wrong. |
Ruth's Phone-A-Friend list.
| £150,000 (9 of 12) - Not Timed - SWITCHED QUESTION | |
| Which actor and comedian is the cousin of the TV cook Clarissa Dickson Wright? "Phone-a-Friend" lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: Alexander Armstrong | ⬥ B: Ben Miller |
| ⬥ C: David Mitchell | ⬥ D: Robert Webb |
| Ruth uses her final lifeline. Her choices are Brian, Steve, and her mum Kate, who 'knows everything'. She phones Kate, who doesn't know, but doesn't give a guess within the 30 seconds. Ruth thinks it might be A, as that name sounds the poshest, but decides to take her £75,000 and run.
Ruth's guess would have been A: Alexander Armstrong, and if she went with that, she would have won £150,000. Total Prize: £75,000 |
Ruth is now £75,000 richer.
Sources[]
| Preceded by Elvin Philoman |
U.K. Contestant (Season 27) Ruth Shaw |
Succeeded by Stuart Craig |