Ben Shephard struggled to contain his laughter after a Tipping Point contestant gave a brilliantly wrong answer to a question about the ancient Greek poet Homer.
The funny moment came during Monday’s episode of the ITV game show on 25 October, when primary school teacher Dom, from Manchester, found himself facing a question about classic Greek literature.
But there was one problem: Dom immediately thought the question was about an entirely different Homer.
This is 27 seconds of remarkable television.
Tipping Point, the gift that keeps on giving. pic.twitter.com/AMzZ8obJMR
— Sam Huxley (@samhuxley) October 25, 2021
‘I know he likes doughnuts’
As part of the quiz, Shephard asked Dom:
“In his epic poems, Homer often refers to the nectar as the drink of the gods and which other substance as their food?”
Rather than thinking of the ancient Greek poet, Dom apparently had Homer Simpson in mind.
“I know he likes doughnuts,” Dom replied.
Shephard appeared stunned by the unexpected answer, but Dom remained committed to his interpretation.
“I think I’ll go with doughnuts please, Ben.”
The presenter managed to lock in the answer, but was visibly struggling not to laugh.
He then turned to fellow contestant Linzi, a marketing manager from Huddersfield, and asked what she would have chosen.
Her response only made the situation funnier.
“I would have said doughnuts as well, beer and doughnuts,” she said.
Shephard burst into laughter before going back over the question.
Ben Shepherd’s face is perfect. Remarkable daytime quizzing, this 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/0Lreh0JCX2
— Graeme Douglas (@graemedouglas) October 25, 2021
‘We’ve got the wrong Homer’
It was only then that Dom realised exactly what had gone wrong.
“We’ve got the wrong Homer… It’s not Homer Simpson, it’s the author Homer,” he admitted.
Linzi revealed that she had made exactly the same assumption.
“I straight away thought Simpson,” she said.
Unfortunately for both contestants, their shared answer was incorrect.
“No it’s not doughnuts, it’s ambrosia,” Shephard explained.
He then playfully outlined the difference between the two Homers.
“Homer, of course, poet, scholar, bard, philosopher. Not Homer Simpson, who works in a nuclear factory, drinks beer and likes doughnuts. Easy to confuse both Homers.”
The exchange left Shephard and the contestants laughing, turning what could have been an ordinary quiz question into one of the episode’s most memorable moments.
The incident also highlighted just how quickly a familiar name can send even experienced quiz contestants down the wrong path — especially when that name belongs to one of television’s most famous animated characters.