Episode 14 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, with new member Beth on the end.

-Yes.

-How's it going?

-Yeah, not too bad so far.

-Good, good, good.

-And, Eggs, are you happy to quiz?

-Yes.

-Always.

They're always happy to quiz.

Taking on our quiz champions today are the...

Now, this family team from across Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire

quiz together at The Village Swan in Ivinghoe, Aston.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Caz and I'm an aerospace recruitment consultant.

Hi, I'm Rich and I'm a travel sales director.

Hello, I'm Judi and I'm a retired teacher.

Hello, I'm Martin and I'm a retired deputy head teacher.

Hello, I'm Ken and I'm a retired engineer.

So, Caz and team, welcome. Good to see you.

And, Caz, you're all related in some way, is that right?

-We are, yes.

-Can you take me through it?

Rich is my husband, Judi and Martin are his parents,

-and that's my dad on the end.

-OK, good stuff.

-And do you guys watch Eggheads?

-Yes, we do.

-Always.

All right, so you know what's going on here.

-Good luck to you all.

-Thank you.

Every day there is £1,000 worth of cash up for grabs

for our Challengers. However, if they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, Beds Bucks Borderers,

the Eggheads have won the last three games. You can see they are getting

into their stride and you've got to stop them.

There's £4,000 on the table if you do.

-Would you like to try?

-Oh, yes.

-Yes, definitely.

Good stuff. The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Science.

So, which one of you would like this?

-Ken.

-It's Ken.

Oh, it appears to be me.

Ken, our retired engineer against which Egghead?

Any of them including our newest one, Beth?

-Definitely not Beth.

-Definitely not Beth, no, no.

Let's give the new girl a chance.

Right. So it was going to be not Beth and now it is Beth. OK.

So, Ken from Beds Bucks Borderers versus Beth.

What was your degree in, Beth?

Microbiology.

Microbiology. OK.

But you're an engineer, so let's see how this works.

To ensure there's no conferring, would you please take your positions

in the Question Room?

On Science, Ken, would you like to go first or second?

I think first would be safer.

All right, good luck to you.

Approximately how many litres of saliva

does a typical human mouth produce in one day?

Well, I'd have to be quite a drinker to drink 50-60 to get rid of.

I think 1-2 would be safer.

Yeah, 1-2 is right.

Well done, Ken.

Beth, your question.

Which of these animals is typically warm-blooded?

Well, crocodile is certainly not.

I'm pretty sure a tortoise isn't either,

so let's go with dolphin.

Dolphin is right. Back to you, Ken.

Which of these planets is the largest?

Well, I think Earth would be the smaller one.

I think I'd better go for Neptune.

Saturn is the largest, Ken. Sorry about that.

Back to Beth.

Which marine term can follow slipper, spiny, Spanish

and shovel-nosed to make the names of various creatures?

Can you read those out again for me, please?

Which marine term can follow slipper, spiny, Spanish

and shovel-nosed to make the names of various creatures?

Now, I think Judith has a little thing with marine animals,

so, if in doubt, say shark. I really think the only one

of those that would have any sort of snout is a shark, so shark.

-It's lobster, Beth.

-Oh, well, there you go!

-How about that, Ken, a slight let-off...

-Yes.

-..for the engineer?

Try and get this one right.

The chemical elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium

are often collectively known as NPK

when referring to their use in which area?

I cannot imagine it could be computer hard drives.

I think it's got to be fertilisers.

The correct answer is fertilisers. Well done, Ken. Two out of three.

Nicely played. Let's see if you've knocked Beth out. Beth, to stay in.

Which of these chemical elements is often used in the manufacture

of pacemakers due to its inert nature?

Sodium is certainly not inert.

Tantalum, I think that's a rare earth metal,

quite far down in the periodic table.

So it's definitely between tantalum and erbium.

I tell you, it's going to be highly embarrassing

if I lose the Science round.

I'm erring more towards erbium than tantalum.

Let's go with erbium.

Erbium. Now, let's see. Dave, do you know?

You're looking like you do.

Erm, I'm not that sure but I would have gone tantalum myself.

-But tantalum's used in quite a lot of different things.

-Is it?

-Yes.

Pat, you've got any thoughts?

I think tantalum is used in mobile devices.

Tantalum is used in mobile phones?

And there's an ore called coltan that contains tantalum.

It's a strategic ore. It's dug up in places like the DRC.

-Not looking good, is it?

-It's not looking good. It is tantalum, Beth.

I'm sorry, you've been knocked out by Ken. Well done, Ken.

-How about that?

-That's not a bad start, is it?

The engineer wins on Science.

You've taken on an Egghead, you've emerged triumphant.

You will be in the final round. Good start for our Challengers.

Please come back, rejoin your team-mates.

All right. As it stands, Beds Bucks Borderers have not lost a brain.

Well done, Ken. And the Eggs have lost one

and the next subject for you is Geography.

So who would like this?

I think... I think it will be the former geography teacher.

You had to pause and think about that?

Well... No, it will be you, Martin, yeah?

-Yes.

-OK, Martin, our retired deputy headmaster

-against which Egghead?

-I think I'll choose Lisa, please, Jeremy.

Martin from Beds Bucks Borderers versus Lisa from the Eggheads.

And just to ensure there's no conferring,

please go to our famous Question Room.

-Well, Martin, I know you know Route 66.

-I certainly do.

-Tell us why.

-Because I hitchhiked all the way down

-from Chicago to LA in 1965.

-All right.

Well, if Route 66 comes up, you're a lucky man,

but we're on geography, and you were a geography teacher.

-PE and geography, yes.

-Oh, PE and geography?

-Yes.

Would you like to go first or second, Martin?

I'll go first, please.

And here we go. The village known as Llanfair PG,

famous for its 58-letter name,

is in which part of the United Kingdom?

I think it's on an island to the north of Wales.

So, we'll say Wales.

Yeah, Wales is bang on.

-Do you know the full name?

-My wife would be able to do it for you,

because she is from Wales.

Judi, can you do it?

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndro- bwllllantysiliogogogoch.

-Gogogoch.

-And I come from Swansea.

Brilliant. That's very good. It is Wales.

All right, Lisa, your question.

Sydney is a city in which Australian state?

Brace yourself, Jeremy.

I might be about to get an Australian geography question right.

Sydney's in New South Wales.

Well, how did you do that?

I've been there.

OK, so you've been swotting up, haven't you?

-I have.

-All right. Back to you, Martin.

Which of these ski resorts is in Switzerland?

Oh...

I do go skiing, so I think Innsbruck's in Austria.

And Courchevel, Gstaad...

I think it's Gstaad.

Gstaad is quite right. Well done.

So, second question to you, Miss Thiel.

Approximately what percentage of the land area of the United Kingdom

is made up by Scotland?

I don't know. I mean, I don't think it's as much as 50,

because that seems a lot, and, you know, once you start getting up

to the top bit though, it gets quite narrow.

But, again, ten seems awfully small.

Is it safe just to go straight for 30 or have I sort of overestimated

the size of Scotland?

No, do you know what? This is revenge for the fact

that every time I drive to Glasgow,

when you get over the Scottish border, there is still 90 miles

to go to Glasgow, and you're like,

"No, I'm sure Scotland is smaller than this,"

so I can't be overestimating it. I'll go for 30.

Yes, you're right, 30% it is. Two each. Back to you, Ken.

After Great Britain,

which is the largest island in Europe?

I don't think it's Ireland.

Iceland or Sardinia.

I think I'd go for Iceland, Jeremy.

It is indeed Iceland.

So, Lisa, to stay in,

the exclusive resort of Necker Island, owned by Richard Branson,

is in which body of water?

Oh, thank goodness. I thought the Pacific was going to come up,

and then I would have been in trouble.

I don't think it's Mediterranean.

I suppose it could be an Indian Ocean one,

but I think it's a Caribbean one.

That tends to be where, you know, if you're the sort of man

that has a few billion to spare on buying an island,

they tend to have few more going in the Caribbean than the Indian Ocean.

No, go on, first thought, Caribbean Sea.

Yes, part of the British Virgin Islands, so you're quite right,

Caribbean it is. Three each. We go to Sudden Death, Martin.

Gets a bit harder. I don't give you different options.

Here's your question.

Which Scottish river flows from Loch Dochfour at the top of Loch Ness

to Inverness before discharging into the Beauly Firth?

Oh, my goodness me.

Which Scottish river flows from Loch Dochfour

at the top of Loch Ness to Inverness

before discharging into the Beauly Firth?

I'll have to have a guess here, I'm afraid.

I have to say the Tay.

Yeah, you're going to be so cross with yourself when I tell you this.

It goes from Loch Ness to Inverness,

so the river is the Ness.

-Oh!

-That's one of those clue is in the question things.

OK, Lisa, for the round.

Which collective name is given to the US states

of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island

and Connecticut?

I don't want to change the world.

I think the answer I'm looking for is New England.

Your Billy Bragg quote will have gone over the head

-of so many people, but not me.

-I know, it's why I did it.

You did it for me.

New England, as well as being the title of a Billy Bragg song

is the answer. Well done, Lisa.

On Sudden Death you've won the round.

Sorry, Martin.

You've been knocked out by our Egghead,

and as a result you can't help your team in the final round.

Please return, rejoin your team-mates,

and we'll see what happens next.

So, as it stands, Beds Bucks Borderers -

thanks for the unpronounceable name, by the way -

have lost a brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost one as well, so pretty evenly matched so far.

And the next subject for you is Film and TV.

-So who would like this, Caz?

-That's Rich.

-That would be me, then.

OK, Rich, our sales director, against which Egghead?

Can't be Beth or Lisa.

-Pat, would we go Pat?

-Chris?

-Chris, Chris, I think.

-Yeah, go Chris.

-We'll try Chris.

-All right.

Rich from Beds Bucks Borderers against the great Chris,

known as the locomotive, from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions

in the Question Room.

Film and TV, Rich, do you want to go first or second?

I'll go first, Jeremy, thank you.

And here we go. Good luck.

Who played the role of Angie Watts in EastEnders?

Angie Watts...

I think... Dirty Den, Angie Watts...

I'm going to go with Anita Dobson.

Yes, it is the wonderful Anita Dobson. Well done.

Married to, do you know?

Somebody famous.

It doesn't spring to mind.

-I'm sure Chris will know.

-No.

-Brian May.

-You don't know, Chris?

-No.

-Brian May.

-Caz knows.

-Yes, Brian May of Queen. Yes.

-Yes, yes.

OK, Chris. In which year did Patrick Troughton

first play the Doctor on Doctor Who?

Well, Doctor Who started in 1963

with William Hartnell as the First Doctor.

And three years after that,

Patrick Troughton took over, so it's 1966.

Yeah, '66 is quite right. And I was looking,

they've got a bit of a display of the BBC's history

inside BBC HQ, and it seems to be almost the same week

as the JFK assassination.

-Is that right?

-Yeah.

-So it was November '63-ish.

Yeah. Interesting. OK.

Back to you, Rich. Who played the role

of the Marshall Will Caine in the classic Western High Noon?

Oh, High Noon...

I've got to say, Jeremy, this is a bit before my time.

I'm erring towards John Wayne.

But... Gary Cooper...

Definitely not Gary Cooper.

I'm going to stick with John Wayne. John Wayne.

Let's see, Martin, do you know this one?

-Who do you think?

-I think it's the middle one.

-Yeah, it is Gary Cooper.

-Oh...!

It's the... I know it's a long time ago, but Chris,

it's one of those films, isn't it?

-Yeah, it is one of those films everybody's seen, yeah.

-Yeah,

because it's the sheriff who takes on the gangsters.

Yeah. Well, it's a load of nonsense, really,

cos a whole town full of people,

most of whom have come through the Civil War

and can handle a gun, are supposed to have a fit of the vapours

cos a bunch of gunslingers are coming to town. Rubbish!

So they all, what - they all go missing and it's left to Gary?

It's all down to Gary Cooper to face them down, yeah.

OK. Chris,

"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition"

is a famous line from which TV comedy series?

"Trouble at t'mill." It's Monty Python's Flying Circus.

You could probably quote the whole sketch. Monty Python is correct.

OK, so third question to you, Rich,

you need to get this right to stay in. Which Oscar-winning film

was based on the true story of a man named Solomon Northup?

Now... I have no idea,

this is going to have to be a complete guess...

Solomon...

I'm going to go with 12 Years a Slave.

-12 Years a Slave is quite right.

-Yay!

-Nice one.

So you've drawn level with Chris,

but he can take the round with his third question.

Chris, Issur Danielovitch

is the original name of which actor, born in 1916?

Issur Danielovitch is Kirk Douglas.

How do you know this stuff?

-Just do.

-You just do?

-Yeah.

Kirk Douglas is the right answer, you've taken the round.

with three correct questions,

-well played, Chris. Good player, Rich, isn't he?

-Not half.

Classic films he's very good on,

and Monty Python. And Doctor Who, come to think of it.

So, Rich, sorry, you've been beaten by our Egghead -

please come back, rejoin your team-mates.

OK, Beds Bucks Borderers have lost another brain.

Not a crisis yet, Caz, though.

No, not yet.

HE LAUGHS I wish I hadn't asked now!

It depends what comes up next.

The Eggheads have lost a brain as well themselves,

and it's Sport now.

So it's going to be Judi or Caz

-for this.

-Judi.

-PLAINTIVELY:

-Better be me!

-Judi.

-OK.

And which Egghead would you like? You can have Dave or Pat.

-Pat, do you reckon?

-Yeah, Pat, I think.

Right. My husband here advises me to have Pat.

Judi from Beds Bucks Borderers versus Pat,

who is, I think, Sporty Spice, sometimes.

I hadn't thought of myself in that way...!

But you do know sport.

To ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions in the Question Room.

OK, Judi, I know that it's maybe not your subject, this one.

-So would you like to go first or second?

-First, please, Jeremy.

OK. Good luck to you.

Who was appointed captain

of the England rugby union team in January 2016?

Ooh...

My son and my husband

will know this. I'm not so sure that I do.

Erm... So...

maybe not Dylan Hartley.

Erm...

I think I'm going to go for George Ford.

I've got to go to Rich on this. Rich?

I felt your pain there.

Yeah. Dylan Hartley.

-It was Dylan Hartley.

-Ah!

-Don't worry.

Pat, your question.

The football manager Jock Stein

won nine consecutive league titles

with which football club between 1966 and 1974?

Er, I think his name is forever linked with Celtic,

and I think he achieved a dominance in Scotland.

You are absolutely right.

OK. Back to you, Judi.

Max Verstappen,

who in May 2016 became the youngest man to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix,

was born in which country?

Ooh...

I don't think it would be France.

I think it might be between...

..between Belgium and Austria.

I'll go down the middle and say Austria.

OK, 50-50. Let's just check with your team-mates.

-Team-mates...?

-Sounds very Belgian to me.

-Well, I think it's Belgium.

-Belgium, yeah.

We're getting Belgium here.

-Think he's Dutch, actually.

-Oh...

-Judi, I'm so sorry.

-Oh.

So born in Belgium.

Don't worry. There's still time here.

Pat, which England cricketer

scored a record 258

in a Test match against South Africa in 2016?

Well, I know that around that time period

Joe Root was consistently a very strong batsman.

But Ben Stokes had some big scores as well.

I'll go for Ben Stokes.

So there's a lot riding on this -

if you get this right, Judi is out. Let me just check the Challengers.

-What do you think?

-That's correct, yeah.

-You know your sport there.

Ben Stokes is the answer. Pat, you're in the final.

-Sorry, Judi, no way back...

-Ohhh!

..but I know it wasn't your subject. Don't you worry.

OK, so you've been beaten by our Egghead. That's the final head-to-head -

if you come back to us, we'll play the final round.

So we talked about Max Verstappen,

and born in Belgium but a voice here said...

-Think he's Dutch.

-Yeah, Dutch, that's right,

so just in case people were saying, wait a minute, he's Dutch.

He's obviously... He's racing for Holland now.

Anyway, this is what we have been playing towards,

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

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

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

So, Rich, Judi and Martin from Beds Bucks Borderers

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

OK, this is the moment of truth, Caz and Ken,

you are playing to win the BBBs £4,000.

Chris, Lisa, Dave and Pat, you are playing for something

that money can't really put a price on at all,

which is that precious Egghead reputation.

As usual I will ask each team three questions in turn -

this time they're all General Knowledge.

You can confer, Challengers. So, Beds Bucks Borderers,

the question is can your two brains

defeat these four in a famous victory?

And would you like to go first or second?

We will go first, please, Jeremy.

OK. All the best, good luck.

-Father and daughter, right?

-Yeah.

-Here we go.

Although then under a different name,

in which year did the BBC's World Service radio network

first broadcast?

Over to you, Dad.

Bit of a crisis here.

I think for five years

it was something else private, and then I think in 1932

it became the BBC.

So your answer is '32?

-Yes.

-'32.

You're quite right.

HE CHUCKLES

OK. Eggheads.

From 2000 to 2004,

the music producer Damon Thomas

was the husband of which woman?

He's never been married to Britney Spears or Madonna

-as far as I know.

-DAVE:

-No.

-So it must be KK.

-CHRIS:

-Yeah.

So, Kim Kardashian, is everybody happy?

-Mm-hm.

-Yeah.

-OK.

Right, erm...

Going through that, we're going for Kim Kardashian,

please, Jeremy.

I don't know how many times

I've heard you guys say the words "Kim Kardashian"

-in this quiz.

-We try not to.

Inescapable this time - it is the right answer, Kim Kardashian.

OK. Caz and Ken -

in Scotland a criminal trial

may end with one of three different verdicts.

Guilty, not guilty and which other?

Well, I don't think it would be half guilty, would it?

No. Can't be.

Not proven, no verdict. Not proven...

I don't know the answer to that one.

-No, we're just going to have to...

-No verdict...

-Not proven.

-Not proven...

-This is in Scotland, right?

-In Scotland.

That sounds great with a Scottish accent.

JEREMY LAUGHS

-WITH ACCENT:

-Not proven.

-Not proven.

I agree.

-Shall we go for that?

-I agree.

Not proven, Jeremy.

Yeah, that's absolutely right.

Innocent till proven guilty,

but in the case of Scottish criminal trials, not proven is an option.

Eggheads, your second question. On the back foot slightly here.

King Julien the Lemur

is a character in which animated film franchise?

Isn't it Sasha Baron Cohen? # I like to move it, move it... #

-DAVE:

-Is it?

-Think so.

-CHRIS:

-Yeah.

-PAT:

-That's him.

Yeah, well, Madagascar obviously

fits with everything else, doesn't it?

It would be very strange to have a lemur in the Ice Age...

In the Ice Age. Or Toy Story.

-Madagascar? Are we happy with that, team?

-Yeah.

-CHRIS:

-Yeah.

We're going for Madagascar, please, Jeremy.

-OK.

-Reliably informed by Lisa

that it's Sasha Baron Cohen's character.

Madagascar's the right answer. Well done.

All right, we need them

to slip up, don't we? They haven't so far.

Keep focus here, Challengers.

Which Oscar-winning actress

revealed in 2016 that she had the words "Carpe diem"

tattooed on her wrist,

an 81st birthday present from her daughter?

Who's 81?

Probably all of them.

No... Judi Dench is not 81...

I would say Helen Mirren

is the one most likely to get a tattoo.

Is she 81?

I don't know.

Or maybe Maggie Smith then.

Oh... They're all spunky ladies.

Maggie Smith doesn't sound to be the person who'd have a tattoo.

-Exactly. Exactly.

-Yeah.

Helen Mirren, I would go for.

-SHE SIGHS

-I'm thinking Helen Mirren.

You're in charge!

We'll go, in the hope that she's old enough...

-I don't think she IS old enough.

-You don't?

-No.

No, no, I don't think she is.

I think the only one who IS old enough is Maggie Smith.

Yeah. I agree.

OK, we've done an about-turn there, Jeremy,

we think the only one who's possibly old enough

is Maggie Smith, so that's our answer.

So Helen Mirren was born in 1945,

so you saved yourselves there.

Maggie Smith was born when...?

She's old enough, but I don't think she's got a daughter.

But what year?

I'd have gone that she's round that time.

Yeah. Early/mid-30s.

OK, Maggie Smith was born in 1934...

-OK.

-Oh, right.

Judi Dench's birth year...

1934...

So how do you choose between them?

I think Maggie Smith has got a son

and Judi Dench is the one with the daughter.

It's Judi Dench.

Cos she has the daughter.

-Oh... Never thought about the daughter.

-Judi Dench.

I didn't think she was that old, I must say. My goodness.

I'm sorry. But you're not out yet.

-Just hold steady there, Challengers. Keep the faith.

-OK.

Eggheads, your third question, for the contest.

Which mythological creature is the national animal of Scotland?

-It's the unicorn.

-Unicorn.

-I only learned this the other day.

-CHRIS:

-One side of the royal arms.

-DAVE:

-Unicorn, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-What about you, Pat?

-Yeah...

-Happy with that?

-Rings a bell, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's not the griffin.

-The dragon's Wales, that would be contentious.

And the griffin... Don't think so.

-LISA:

-No, I definitely heard this the other day.

And I thought they would have something

slightly less attractive and more "fighty" in Scotland,

but I believe it IS the unicorn.

-Are we happy with unicorn?

-Well, as I say it's the left-hand side

-of the Scottish royal arms.

-OK. Boss says so.

We're going to go for unicorn, please, Jeremy.

Unicorn. Not dragon, not griffin?

If you've got it right, the contest is over,

otherwise we go to Sudden Death.

Eggheads, the answer is...

unicorn.

We say congratulations. You have won.

It's that wretched 3-2 thing,

just in the final round, the third question.

I'm sorry, Challengers.

-Never mind.

-Judi Dench...

-We're glad to get this far.

But that was a good swerve away from Miss Mirren.

Yeah, unfortunately in the wrong direction.

But she's watching the show, you know,

and you're about to choose her,

and she's going to be cross with her TV,

and then you decide, no, she's too young.

But I hope you've enjoyed playing.

-We have.

-Very much.

-Great to have you. Thank you so much for coming.

Commiserations to the Beds Bucks Borderers, though.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them,

they still reign supreme over quizland.

We won't call it a run yet, it's more like a gentle stroll, isn't it?

But you're getting there, Eggheads.

It means you're not going home with the £4,000,

so we take the money, we roll it over to our next show.

Eggheads, I wonder if THEY will beat you.

Doesn't look like it, does it?

Join us next time to see if a new team of Challengers

have the brains to take the money.

There's £5,000 they'll be playing for. Till then, goodbye.