A 29-year-old woman with Down’s Syndrome has appeared on the BBC One quiz show Pointless, hosted by Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman.
Rula Sweby, from Bedford, appeared on the show twice on November 9th and November 10th 2016, on series 16 of the program.
Rula displayed a wide range of knowledge, including music, chemistry, fictional vampires and politics across her two appearances on the show, alongside Peter, a family friend.
In the first show, Rula and Peter reached the ‘head-to-head’ round, which is the penultimate stage of the competition.
The pair negated a tricky first round on musicians, and then another round on chemistry, where Rula showed excellent quiz ability.
In a question entitled ‘Chemical elements whose names contain four or more consonants,’ Rula scored a very impressive two points for her answer of Krypton.
In the head to head round, Rula and Peter had to answer questions on varied topics such as famous walls, ‘lost’ things and British tennis players. Their opponents Gavin & Gareth overcame them after a close battle which they edged 2-1.
Their second appearance on the show did not go to plan, though, with the couple eliminated early on after both getting answers wrong on a round on British Prime Minsters.
Rula said it was her idea to come on the show, and chose Peter because of their long term family friendship.
“Peter and I go way back, so he was the best person to come on with,” she said.
Away from Pointless, Rula is currently writing a crime thriller called The Echoes of Murder, and is doing much of her work in New York City.
Rula is a truly inspiring woman who is showing that Down’s Syndrome is no barrier to achieving what you want to achieve.
The vast majority of people in the country have not appeared on quiz shows or attempted to write a novel, and the fact that Rula is achieving so much despite her condition should be a lesson to everyone.
The BBC, Pointless and the presenters, Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman must also be commended for allowing Rula on the show and treating her with the utmost respect and without a hint of patronisation.
Featured Image taken from Series 16 Episode 14 of Pointless on BBC One: All Rights Reserved by Endemol UK and the BBC
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