Episode 74 Eggheads

These people are amongst the greatest quiz players in Britain.

Together they make up the Eggheads, arguably the most formidable quiz team in the country.

The question is, can they be beaten?

Welcome to Eggheads, the show where a team of five quiz challengers

pit their wits against possibly the greatest quiz team in Britain.

They are the Eggheads.

And challenging our resident quiz champions today are...

This team of colleagues all work for Sussex County Cricket Club,

and as well as attending local pub quizzes together,

they all take part in the club's monthly quiz night.

Let's meet them.

I'm Adam, I'm 27, and I'm a press and media officer.

Hi, I'm John, I'm 53, and I'm a management consultant.

Hi. I'm James, I'm 28,

and I'm a business development executive.

Hi, I'm Trevor. I'm 50, and I'm a commercial manager.

Hi. I'm Tony, I'm 46, and I'm a business relationship manager.

Adam and team, welcome. Good to see you.

So, obviously, cricket very important to you.

Yeah. We're the oldest professional club in the county. In the country, sorry.

Formed in 1839.

We've been very successful on the field the last few years,

and we're trying to make a name off it now as well.

And just looking at the team name, it comes from a song.

Can you help us remember the song in the most dramatic way possible?

I think we can.

Ready?

# Good old Sussex by the sea

# Good old Sussex by the sea

# We're going up to win the Cup for Sussex by the sea #

That's great! Hey!

We need more teams to sing their names.

Gives us a lift. OK, so you're up against the Eggheads.

There is £1,000 worth of cash every day up for grabs for our challengers.

If you fail to defeat the Eggheads,

as you know, the money rolls over to our next show.

So I can tell you, Sussex by the Sea,

the Eggheads have won the last 24 games.

So there is £25,000 to play for today.

The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of science.

Sorry it couldn't be cricket.

What do you think?

THEY CONFER

It's John or Trevor, isn't it?

John, do you want to get us off to a good start?

John's probably out on science.

Trev, if you're happy with that.

Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Trevor? Against which Egghead?

Any one to choose from.

Who are you going to choose?

Judith. We'll go for Judith.

OK. Trevor from Sussex by the Sea against Judith from the Eggheads on science.

Let's see what happens. Please, both of you go to the Question Room now.

So, Trevor, you're the science man for the team.

It seems that way. I think it was by process of elimination.

No other volunteers, you probably heard there, were willing to take it on.

Good luck in science. Here we go. Trevor, you can choose the first or second set of questions.

Um, I'll go first, please.

Here is your question. In which form of renewable energy

are photovoltaic cells often used?

Um...

We're actually just going through a bit of a renewable energy process at the ground at the moment,

so doing a little bit of work on this.

I don't think it's tidal.

Don't think it's geothermal.

So I'll have to plump for solar.

Solar is correct.

Judith, your question.

Three-spined and nine-spined are the two native British species of which fresh-water fish?

Sounds like stickleback, doesn't it?

I don't think pike's got... Pike is very fierce looking, but I don't...

-I think it's stickleback.

-You think stickleback is the answer?

-Chris is nodding. Chris?

-Yeah, she's right.

Stickleback is correct. OK, back to you, Trevor.

Spiders belong to which animal phylum?

OK, mollusca, I'll probably eliminate that.

That would be more shells.

Chordata, I've never heard of that.

Arthropoda...

Down the middle. Arthropoda.

Arthropoda is correct.

Hey, well done. Easy to trip up on a question like that.

OK, Judith - tiny, hollow structures known as nanotubes

as first discovered in the 1950s

were made up of which element?

Nanotubes...

Sodium.

Complete guess, or a bit of an instinct there?

Well, only an instinct.

What do you do normally when you're in trouble?

I go down the magic right.

-Should I have done it?

-Why didn't you go down the right?

-Because I thought it was sodium.

-No, it's carbon.

Oh!

-Honestly?

-Yes, honestly.

Would I lie to you?

That's rather handy. You're in the lead if you get this one right.

You've knocked an Egghead out, and that's a good start.

An adiabatic process is defined as any process occurring without input or output of what?

Well...

I was trying to latch onto any part of that syllable - adiabatic.

And that's a little bit tricky.

Adiabatic...

Nothing is coming up there. Input or output...

Um...

I'm going to have to go down the middle. Water.

-Complete guess.

-I'm afraid you're wrong.

The answer is heat.

The answer is heat, so Judith, your chance to draw level,

although if you get this wrong, you will be out.

What was the surname of Antoine Cesar, Alexandre Edmond,

Antoine Henri and Jean Antoine,

four generations of the same family who were physics professors

at the French National Museum of Natural History?

Oh, dearie me.

Um... This is... I'm going down the magic right, and it better work this time.

-Lavoisier.

-Lavoisier is completely wrong.

I'm sorry.

Don't go down the right on my account.

Becquerel is the right answer.

-I nearly went for that.

-You've been knocked out by Sussex by the Sea.

Trevor, well done. You're in the final round.

Trevor and Judith, please come back and rejoin your teams.

So, good start for Sussex by the Sea. Well done.

You haven't lost any brains. The Eggheads have lost Judith from the final round.

The next subject is sport.

You're supposed to all go, "Yippee, isn't that wonderful!"

We said at the beginning, didn't we,

that if sport came up, Tony is going to do it.

I'm not the sharpest tool in the box. Sport was my only one.

OK. Tony against...

an Egghead.

-Do you want to take on Kevin?

-I think so, yeah.

-Confident with that?

-I think I'll take on Kevin.

All right. So, it's Tony from Sussex by the Sea versus Kevin from the Eggheads on sport.

Please go to the Question Room just to ensure there's no conferring.

Ok, so we're on sport. Tony, would you like to go first or second?

Um, I think I'll go first.

Good luck.

Which international rugby union player

married singer Una Healey of The Saturdays in 2012?

Right, I do know it's not Gavin Henson.

Charlotte Church. Obviously Welsh.

Thom Evans was dating somebody else.

I don't think it's him. I might be wrong there.

Not 100 per cent sure on this. I think I'm going to go for Ben Foden.

Ben Foden is the right answer. Well done.

Kevin, over to you with your question.

Which female tennis player won the Singles title at Wimbledon,

the US Open and the Olympics in 2012?

Yes, a very good comeback year.

That was Serena. Serena Williams.

Serena Williams it was, Kevin. Well done.

One point each. Back to you, Tony.

The football club called AFC Wimbledon was formed in which year?

This is a toughie. Um...

I don't think it was 2002.

I'm not 100 per cent. I'm going to go with the earliest one.

-1982.

-OK, who's the football fan in this team?

-Would be me, I think.

-Adam, tell us the story.

Well, they were formed on the back of

the original Wimbledon moving to Milton Keynes, and it was 2002.

-2002 is the right answer, Tony. Sorry.

-Yes, yes.

2002 it is. See if Kevin takes the lead.

What is the name of the stadium in New Zealand

that is home to Auckland rugby and Auckland cricket?

I don't think I've heard of the other two.

There is certainly...

an Eden something in Auckland.

There are various Edens around those grounds.

I haven't heard of the other two, so I'm going to have to stick with Eden Park

because I know there is an Eden Stadium in Auckland.

Eden Park is correct, so you've taken the lead.

Tony, You need to get this one right, or he's knocked you out.

Here's your question. To keep you in the contest...

Bombardier Billy Wells was well-known in which sport,

becoming British champion in 1911?

Well, never heard of him.

Um...

Doesn't seem like a cycling kind of name or era for me.

Billiards was around more than snooker at that time.

I'm going to go for boxing.

You've got it absolutely right. Boxing is the answer. Well done.

OK, Tony, you've drawn level.

What you have to hope now is that Kevin gets this wrong. Let's see.

To the nearest furlong, Kevin, the Oaks horse race at Epsom is run over what distance?

Well, it's run over the same distance as the Derby.

They're very close together. They're run within a couple of days of one another.

They're over the same course, I believe, which is about a mile and a half,

which would make it 1 mile, 4 furlongs.

So, your answer is 1 mile and 4.

Is he right?

-I think so, yeah.

-Yeah, you're right, Kevin.

You're in the final. 1 mile and 4 furlongs it is.

Tony, sorry, you were beaten by our Egghead there.

As a result, you will not be able to help your team in the final round.

No easy way to say it. Please both of you come back here, and we'll play on.

So, as it stands, Sussex by the Sea have now lost a brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have also lost one.

The next subject is geography.

-Who's the most travelled?

-I think we said John, didn't we?

THEY CONFER

I suppose, yeah.

-Might be slightly better than me.

-I would say so.

-Go on.

-Who am I going to go against?

-John, is that you?

-It's me, yes.

John against which Egghead?

Not Judith or Kevin.

THEY CONFER

Avoid Chris.

-Maybe Pat.

-Pat.

Pat.

So, on Geography it's going to be John against Pat from the Eggheads.

Please go to the Question Room now.

Good luck, John, on Geography. You can tell us whether you want to go first or second.

I think I'll go first, please.

Here we go. First question.

Heathrow Airport is in which part of London?

Well, I live in south-west London,

and so I know that Heathrow, it's in the west.

It is in the west. Well done.

Your question, Pat.

Which of these contains the deepest point in the Indian Ocean?

Well, I suspect that Ascension Trench and Togo Trench would be in the Atlantic.

So I think it's Java Trench.

Java Trench is the right answer. Well done.

OK, John, your question.

Thessaly is a region on the mainland of which European country?

Well, my father was a clergyman, and Thessalonians is a book in the Bible

about the people from Thessaly.

And I don't think they were from Portugal or Italy,

so I'm going to go for Greece.

You're spot-on with that, yes. Greece is the answer. There we go.

OK, Pat. The town of Grange-over-Sands is located on which coastal inlet?

I think that's one of the end points

of the walking route across the giant Morecambe Bay sands.

They're quite treacherous.

I think there's a man appointed by the Crown

to be the official guide, and he leads people across.

Very carefully.

So I THINK it's Morecambe Bay.

Morecambe Bay is correct answer.

OK, John, your question.

Kakadu National Park is in which part of Australia?

And John, it's spelt K-A-K-A-D-U.

Well, I have been to Australia, but not to Northern Territory.

Nor to Tasmania, nor to South Australia.

And so I'm afraid I will be taking a guess at this.

I'm going to go for Northern Territory.

-Let's see. Eggheads?

-He's right.

Yes, you're right. They all agree. Northern Territory it is.

So you've got three out of three. Very well done, John.

Faultless play. Let's see if you knock Pat out now.

If he gets this one wrong, he's out.

What is the name of the large peninsula on the east coast of the United States

that's occupied by portions of Virginia,

Maryland, and Delaware?

Its name is made up from bits of constituent states.

Of those three permutations, it's Delmarva.

That's good. You've done it. Well done.

Delmarva is the right answer.

Could have been logically any of those, but it was that one.

OK, so, we go to sudden death, John.

We're locked at three points each.

It gets a tiny bit harder because I don't give you alternatives.

Here we go. The Iron Gate Gorge on the Danube River

forms part of the border between Romania and which other country?

Well, I'm going to go for Hungary.

-Eggheads know?

-I was thinking Serbia, but may be wrong there.

Serbia is the right answer. Serbia.

So Pat, if you get this one right you're in the Final.

The ruins of the ancient city of Harappa are in which modern country?

I think Harappa was one of the Indus Valley civilisations,

along with Mohenjo-Daro, and if that's the case

I think it should be Pakistan

as most of the Indus Valley now lies in the country of Pakistan.

Demonstrating quite some geographical knowledge.

You're correct, Pat. Pakistan is the answer.

You will be in the final round. John, sorry.

You've been knocked out. Please, both of you, return to us here.

So, as it stands Sussex by the Sea have now lost two brains from the final.

The Eggheads have lost one. The next subject is music.

James, yeah?

I'll give it a go, yeah.

James on that? OK. Against which Egghead? There are only two left to choose from.

Barry or Chris on the right.

-Go for Chris.

-Yeah.

Yeah.

We'll go for Chris, please, Jeremy.

OK, good stuff. James from Sussex by the Sea versus Chris from the Eggheads on Music.

To ensure there's no conferring, please go to the Question Room.

-James, do you like your music?

-I do, yeah.

Modern music, I hope, so...

I'm not more of a classical man, but... we'll see.

-James, would you like to go first or second?

-I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

Here we are. Good luck. The girl group Little Mix was formed in 2011 with how many members?

Well, my wife will probably hate me for saying this,

but she was a big fan of the TV programme they performed on,

and they actually performed at our grounds last year,

so I'm pretty confident when I say they have four members.

They performed at the County Cricket Ground?

They did. They were a support artist to JLS, and it was a great concert.

Oh! fantastic. Well, you're absolutely right.

Four members is correct.

Chris, opened in 1932, the famous theatre called the Radio City Music Hall

is in which city in the United States?

Radio City Music Hall's in New York.

It's New York. That's the correct answer.

One point each, and back to you, James.

"I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck

with a pink carnation and a pick-up truck..."

are lines from which UK Top 10 hit of 1972?

Well, considering I wasn't born for another 12 years

it sort of pre-dates my era.

But I'm reasonably sure... I think it's School's Out.

Let's check with your teammates.

-It's American Pie.

-It is. It's American Pie.

Don McLean originally. James, sorry.

Chris, which female vocalist

featured on the UK number one single Hot Right Now in 2012?

Ooh, Hot Right now... Hm.

Emeli Sande.

Ah, you've got that wrong, actually.

I thought you'd rule her out on the basis she's probably the best-known.

It wasn't her. It's Rita Ora. It was with DJ Fresh, Chris.

-Does that help at all?

-No, it doesn't, really.

Rita Ora surely is that orange juice you used to get in cinemas.

Rita Ora is the correct answer.

James, your question, so he's let you off the hook there slightly.

Get this right, you could put pressure on Chris, and join your colleagues in the final.

Here we go. Arthur Honegger's work Pacific 231

is believed to be an orchestral description of which type of transport?

Hopefully I'm filling my teammates with confidence when I do this expression.

Um, it's not something that immediately springs to mind.

So on that basis, I'm going to take a punt,

and go straight down the middle - steam locomotive.

-Eggs, is he right?

-Absolutely.

Steam locomotive is the right answer. Well done.

Wow.

All right, Chris. If you get this wrong, you're out.

The Adagio in G Minor by the 20th Century musicologist Remo Giazotto

is often said to be based on a work by which Baroque composer?

Now, the Adagio, it's...

It was the theme of something, wasn't it?

It's based on a theme by Albinoni.

Right, Albinoni. You got straight there.

And you're correct.

Brilliant work by an Egghead, Chris. Well done.

You're still in this round. We go to sudden death.

Becomes a bit harder. I don't give you alternatives.

In 1981, Ghost Town was a UK number one for which group?

Wow. Um...

I'll admit again, I haven't heard of the song. Sorry, gentlemen, back in the studio.

Ghost Town, 1981... Trying to think of bands from that era that might have been reasonably famous.

Um...

I'm probably going to make a fool of myself when I say it, but...

Status Quo.

No. This was the whole era of high unemployment at the start of Mrs Thatcher's term.

Came out of Coventry, this band. The Specials.

-Sorry.

-OK.

Chris, you have a chance here to take the round if you get this right.

Which character in a Christmas song

is described as having a corncob pipe and a button nose,

and two eyes made out of coal?

Yeah, why do I know this? Frosty the Snowman.

Frosty the Snowman. You're in the final. James, sorry.

Knocked out. You took him to Sudden Death, but wasn't quite far enough.

If you come back to us, both of you, we will play that final round.

Not to worry, James. Still got some good fire power in the final round.

This is what we've been playing towards.

It is time for the final. As always, it's General Knowledge.

I'm afraid, those of you who lost your head-to-heads

won't be allowed to take part in this round.

John, James, and Tony from Sussex by the Sea,

and Judith from the Eggheads, would you please now leave the studio?

Adam and Trevor, you are playing to win Sussex by the Sea £25,000.

Chris, Barry, Pat Kevin, you're playing for something money can't buy -

the Eggheads' reputation.

As usual, I will ask each team three questions in turn.

This time the questions are all general knowledge,

and you are allowed to confer.

So, Sussex by the Sea, the question is, are your two brains able to defeat the Eggheads' four?

Adam and Trevor, do you want to go first or second?

I think we'll go first, please, Jeremy.

Here we go. Good luck.

Which paper size is twice that of A4?

As soon as it came up, I thought A3.

-Twice.

-Twice A4.

-Twice A4.

-Absolutely. Twice A4.

-As soon as it came up.

-Yeah. We do a lot of ordering with paper

in the marketing department, so should be a good question for us.

-We think it's A3.

-A3's right.

Well done. Eggheads, your question.

Which actor has appeared in the films Hellboy,

Lethal Vendetta, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?

I think John Hurt's in Hellboy.

I think Patrick Stewart was in Hellboy.

I'm sure John Hurt was in the Crystal Skull.

John Hurt's in Lethal Vendetta.

Pretty certain Patrick Stewart isn't.

-You think John Hurt IS in Lethal Vendetta?

-Yeah.

So, we're pretty sure he's in two, then?

The sort of thing he would be in.

-Shall we go for him, then?

-I think we have to.

OK.

Well, all at sea here.

But on the basis we think John Hurt was definitely in two of them

we're going to go for John Hurt.

Interesting to see you stumbling on the first question.

John Hurt is correct.

Shreds of memory there, guys, were helping you.

OK, your question.

Souris is the French word for which creature?

French not great for me.

No, not great either.

The only one out of those I might have learnt at school

would probably have been mouse, I guess.

I don't think I'd have learned badger, to be honest.

-I think we'll rule that one out.

-OK, for now. Yeah.

I can't pick anything up on that, to be honest.

Shall we go with the first answer? Mouse?

-Go straight down the middle.

-Yeah.

We don't know, Jeremy, to be honest.

On the basis it rang a vague bell

just from learning French at school

we'll go for mouse.

OK. It's certainly not badger anyway.

Anyone know what the French for rat is?

-Rat.

-Rat is rat. So you're correct.

It is souris for mouse.

Pfff!

OK, Eggheads, your question. Let's see if you can make a mess of this one as well. Sorry!

The fashion designer Donna Karan launched her own label in which decade?

Surely it can't be as early as the 40s.

She was only born in the early 40s, I think.

Yeah.

I'd go 80s. What do I know?

I assume she may have had some sort of apprenticeship.

Yeah. I think perhaps on the basis...

Well, I've got a slight worry, but I think the 80s is the percentage...

OK, well, we're not all at sea on this one.

We all seem to have come to the conclusion the 80s is the answer,

so that's going to be what we're going for.

The 1980s. You are right, Eggheads.

1980s is the right answer.

OK, £25,000.

Palms are sweating here.

Your third question. The 18th Century philosopher Bishop Berkeley

explained his views on what is known as subjective idealism

with which Latin phrase?

Subjective idealism, yeah.

Could be perception.

Esse est percipi.

Perception. The middle...

-That's the only one... Or prosequi...

-The word, yeah.

Subjective...

Gut feeling is middle.

But it looks too obvious.

It could be trying to direct us to those two.

-Do you know what...

-Fidelis? Ideal...?

Idealist.

-Does that work?

-Yeah. It does.

-It does.

-OK.

Shall we go for...

..leftfield?

-Let's do it.

-Leftfield, yeah?

OK. We're going to go for In arduis fidelis.

The answer is Esse est percipi.

So you got it wrong. That means if they get this one right they have taken the contest.

In the Scottish phrase, "It's a braw, bricht moonlicht nicht",

what is the meaning of the word braw?

-IN SCOTTISH ACCENT:

-It's lovely, you know.

-Aye.

-It's cold.

No, it's not cold.

No. It's a braw, bricht moonlicht nicht. It's a lovely moonlit night.

-It's lovely. Not cold.

-All right.

It can't be cold.

Trust me - my mother was a Scot. Braw means lovely.

I trust you, then.

Well, we have an ersatz Scot here with us.

What do you mean, ersatz?

What are you?

Chris is of the opinion it's lovely, and who am I to argue with him?

-We're going for lovely.

-Lovely you've given us, and Chris,

you've become Scottish in the last few minutes?

No, I'm half Scot.

-My mother was a Drummond.

-Right, didn't know that.

It's all come out at a rather convenient moment, hasn't it?

He absolutely snatched at the answer. The three of you were left standing.

But he is completely right. Braw means lovely.

So we say, congratulations, Eggheads. You have won.

-And commiserations.

-Should have gone with my gut feeling, I think.

Yeah. It's trying to work out which one they might have put in that might not have been -

The question looked too easy.

-Live and learn.

-It meant what it said on the tin.

Well, bad luck, Sussex by the Sea. Been great to play the game with you, though.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

Their winning streak continues, and it really is rather impressive now.

I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £25,000.

The money rolls over to our next show. Eggheads, congratulations.

Who will beat you? Join us next time to see if a new team of challengers

have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£26,000 says they don't. Until then, goodbye.

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