Ben Shephard appeared to bend the rules on Tipping Point when he literally climbed into the famous machine to help his This Morning colleague Vernon Kay win an extra £50.
The unusual moment came during a special celebration marking a decade of Tipping Point, when Shephard decided to give Vernon a chance to play the iconic counter-dropping game despite the presenter never having appeared on the show as a contestant.
“Vern, you’ve never been on Tipping Point so I thought I’d give you a go on the machine,” Ben told him.
Ben Shephard literally climbed into the Tipping Point machine today
The pair then turned the segment into a light-hearted competition, with Ben asking Vernon a question previously put to Josie Gibson, who was presenting This Morning alongside Vernon that day.
The question was: which Spanish tennis player had won his 13th French men’s singles title?
Josie had jokingly struggled with the answer, suggesting it was the player “with the lovely hair” and asking whether it was “Vidal”.
Vernon, however, knew exactly who Ben was looking for.
“It was Rafael Nadal,” he correctly answered.
The TV host is celebrating ten years of this show Tipping Point
His correct response earned him the chance to take a shot at the Tipping Point machine, and Vernon selected Dropzone One before telling Ben when he wanted his counter released.
Unfortunately, the drop did not go according to plan.
“Not the best release I’m going to be honest, Vern,” Ben admitted. “Is it going to be a rider? It’s flat.”
But rather than simply letting Vernon accept his fate, Ben decided to intervene.
“I’m just going to give this a little hand because we’re good mates and I don’t want you to fail,” he joked.
What happened next was something viewers certainly would not normally expect to see on the quiz show.
Ben leaned over the edge of the giant machine and physically knocked two counters onto the next shelf, effectively giving Vernon’s attempt a helping hand.
Josie immediately protested from the side, pointing out that Ben had not given her the same treatment.
“He didn’t do this with me,” she complained.
The intervention appeared to work, with a black counter eventually dropping into the tray.
Ben celebrated the result as Vernon secured an extra £50.
“You’ve just made £50,” he declared.
The cheeky stunt was clearly intended as a joke between the presenters rather than a genuine attempt to manipulate a normal episode of the ITV game show, but it made for an unusual anniversary moment.
Shephard has been the face of Tipping Point since the programme launched, and the special appearance gave his fellow This Morning presenter a chance to experience the famous machine for himself.
After ten years of watching contestants battle against the counters, Vernon got his own opportunity — even if Ben was willing to give gravity a little assistance along the way.