Forres woman wins Pointless trophy, but misses out on jackpot
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A FORRES woman has won a trophy after reaching the final of a popular prime-time TV programme.
After three nights on the box, Alisha MacPhee (30) and quiz partner Maryanne Orr, from Fife, reached the final of Pointless on Tuesday night.
The former Forres Academy pupil went a whisker away from winning the duo the jackpot with her answers on Peaky Blinders, but they had to settle for the famous 'coveted Pointless trophy'.
For Alisha, the programme airing was the end of a long journey. She applied to be on the show in 2020, before auditioning and then filming the shows in May 2022.
She was home in Forres to watch herself on television with her dad, Geoff, who got her into Pointless.
He, like everyone else, was completely unaware of whether Alisha won the show or not, even when they were sat watching it together on the same couch.
"My dad got me into Pointless about 10 to 15 years ago, so it was nice to be able to watch it with him," Alisha said.
"We didn't tell anyone at all whether we won or not, although they all knew we were on it and reached the final because the trophy is on display in the house.
"A lot of my friends have tried to catch me out, but the show encourage you to keep quiet."
Alisha, who works and lives in Glasgow with Maryanne, said she was taken aback by the number of people who tuned in to watch her.
She didn't get off to the best of starts on the show – with a wrong answer seeing her and Maryanne eliminated in round one on Friday night.
However, they cruised into the semi-final on Monday, answering questions on Shakespeare, The Royal Family and Elton John.
Tuesday night saw them go one step further, beating three other couples to win the trophy – before scoring two and three in the final round with £1250 on the line.
"We definitely helped boost the viewing figures," Alisha joked.
"I didn't expect so many people to care but everyone at the football on Saturday was coming up to me and asking about it and everyone at work was buzzing to watch me on the TV.
She added: "Being on the show is definitely very different from watching at home. We were last, on podium four, so I spent the whole time talking myself in and out of answers.
"You are relying on other people not saying the answer you have – and as soon as they do you are panicking."
The whole experience is one that will stick with Alisha. There's just one, very small, regret.
"We didn't get a single football question, so we were gutted about that," she said.
