Episode 1 Make Me an Egghead

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 do you have the brains to join them?

Hello and welcome to Make Me An Egghead.

We've launched a nationwide search

to find the greatest quiz brains in Britain.

By the end of the series, two people will emerge as champions

and win the ultimate prize for quizzing enthusiasts,

a place on the most fearsome quiz team in history, the Eggheads.

In previous years, both Barry and Pat

have won this prestigious competition

and earned the right to sit on the Eggheads' bench.

-So, Barry, did it change your life?

-Absolutely.

I know I remember when I was sitting there

with an equal mixture of abject fear and excitement.

And what about you, Pat?

-What's it like being an Egghead?

-Very good, yeah.

I really wanted to win all those years ago

and I was delighted when I did.

Dave, you were also on, as we called it, Are You An Egghead?

What's it like, the pressure of it?

Absolute pressure because you know you're up against

a quality quizzer each round.

You can't really afford to make one single mistake - they're costly -

and it just keeps you on your metal.

It's what you get into quizzing for.

All right, so, we've got some of the best in the country,

in the world on this side.

Let's meet today's contestants,

both hoping that they've got what it takes to become an Egghead.

Hi, I'm Gareth Kingston.

I'm a marketing manager from Flitwick.

Hello, I'm Alan Heath.

I'm a chartered accountant from Buckingham.

OK, good luck, both. Gareth, you've got an amazing quiz pedigree.

Fifteen To One champion, Mastermind.

What's been the most important thing?

I think Fifteen To One is the one that is life-changing, really,

because there's a sum of money attached to it.

It was a really tough competition

and I was just over the moon to win it.

And, Alan, what about you? Also a Mastermind veteran.

Yeah, I'm the current Mastermind champion.

-Have you guys met on Mastermind?

-No, we've never quizzed...

-You've never quizzed?

-We've never competed against each other before.

-Your background is economics?

-That's right.

What about you, Gareth? What did you study at college?

I studied a history degree.

A lot of international and colonial history.

OK, what's your favourite area, Alan?

-My favourite area is history, as well.

-OK!

-We'd enjoy History coming up.

-All right.

-Good luck to you both.

-Thank you.

-And, contestants,

this is where you need to prove that you could be an Egghead.

Just like on Eggheads,

both of you will compete over a series of different rounds

where your knowledge will be tested on the regular Eggheads categories.

So, the first head-to-head battle will be not on History, sadly,

but on Geography.

I'll ask each of you three multiple-choice questions

on Geography in turn.

Whoever answers the most questions correctly wins the round.

And the prize for winning a round, crucially,

is that you gain an extra brain for the final.

Not just any old brain.

One of these five Eggheads over here.

Before the show, we tossed a coin

and as a result of that, Alan, you've got the option

of whether you want to play first or second on Geography.

I'll play first, please, Jeremy.

OK, good luck to you both. Alan, your first question.

The Greek resort region of Halkidiki is a three-pronged peninsula

jutting into which branch of the Mediterranean Sea?

OK, well, the Tyrrhenian Sea is to

the west of Italy, so it's not that.

It's unlikely to be the Adriatic.

The peninsula I think it is, it's in the Aegean.

Aegean is quite right.

First point to you. Good stuff. OK, Gareth,

your question.

Which of these cities is on the shore of the Rio de la Plata?

OK. So, the Rio de la Plata is otherwise known as the River Plate.

Goes between Argentina and Uruguay.

There's a song in Evita which is about Buenos Aires

and mentions Rio de la Plata,

and so I'm going to go for Buenos Aires.

-Let me just check with the Eggheads, is he right?

-Absolutely.

-I did it on the Evita song, as well.

-Same here.

That's the really cheap and cheerful way of getting it right.

But well done. Quite right there, Gareth.

So, you've got one each.

OK, Alan, your question.

The Limpopo River flows through which of these African countries?

Yeah, the Limpopo is in southern Africa so it's Mozambique.

Mozambique is correct.

Your question, Gareth.

In Berlin, the thoroughfare Charlottenburger Chaussee

was renamed what in 1953 to commemorate the victims

of a workers uprising in East Berlin?

Well, I don't know Berlin,

and this doesn't ring any bells at all for me, so...

Juni doesn't sound very German.

I could make myself look a fool here.

I will go for Strasse des...

12th of October.

-Let's see. Eggheads, do you know?

-I think it's June.

It's the workers uprising in the East.

Something that happened on that date and they chose to commemorate it.

Interesting. OK, the answer is Strasse des 17 Juni -

the 17th of June.

So, you have a chance here

to take the round, Alan, with this question.

What is the approximate distance in miles

between Bethlehem and Jerusalem?

I think I'm going to have to use my Bible knowledge here

because I think Jesus - well, Mary and Joseph, sorry -

travelled to Bethlehem from Nazareth,

which was quite a journey, to Joseph's ancestral home,

which I think was somewhere around Jerusalem.

So, on that basis,

I would probably go for the lower of those three and say six.

If you've got this right, you've taken the round

and you're a step closer to a seat behind that table.

Six is the right answer.

Alan, well done. Three out of three. Congratulations.

You've won the first head-to-head round.

Now, as a result,

Alan, you gain an Egghead to help you in the final round

and you can now tell us which of the five you would like.

Got to be a Mastermind champion. Can I have Pat, please?

You certainly can.

So Pat, you're happy with that? You don't really have a choice.

No choice, but I'm happy anyway.

All right, Gareth, as it stands, has gained no Eggheads so far

and Alan has the first one.

He's chosen Pat. We play on.

The next category is Film & TV,

and, Alan, as you won the previous round,

you can decide whether you go first or second.

Well, it worked last time so I shall go first, please.

Your first question on Film & TV, Alan. Here we go.

In which 1970s film did Charlton Heston

play Dr Robert Neville,

a role later reprised by Will Smith in I Am Legend?

I don't think it was Planet Of The Apes.

That was totally different.

I don't know anything about The Omega Man, to be honest.

It could well be that that has something to do with robots.

So, on that basis, I will go with The Omega Man.

-Gareth, what would you say to this?

-It's that, yeah.

-It is that?

-Yeah.

The answer, Alan, is The Omega Man. Well done.

OK, Gareth, you're fighting back now.

Here's your question.

Which of these TV detectives drives a vintage Porsche sports car?

Well, Sarah Lund's from The Killing.

Stella Gibson and Saga Noren really don't mean very much to me,

so I'm going to go for Sarah Lund.

Sarah Lund is your answer.

Yes, she is from The Killing, I'm pretty sure about that.

She's actually not the right answer, but I'm just...

-Is Saga Noren from The Bridge?

-She's from The Bridge, yeah.

-She drives a vintage Porsche.

-Yeah, it's Saga Noren.

Saga Noren is the right answer, so, Alan, your chance to

get a second one right now.

The Line Of Duty actress Vicky McClure

is a native of which city?

Right, I have to say I've not watched Line Of Duty.

I don't know who Vicky McClure is.

From the name only - I mean, it could be anything -

but I would probably go for Liverpool.

Nottingham is the answer.

You're still ahead, Alan.

Gareth, you've got a chance to catch up, though.

Here's your second question.

The Irish actor Jack Gleeson

played which villainous character in Game Of Thrones?

Theon Greyjoy is played by Alfie Allen,

Baelish is Aidan Gillen,

so Joffrey Baratheon is the answer.

That's very good.

I can't give you the extra points for all the other names.

I wish I could.

But Joffrey Baratheon is the right answer, Gareth. Well done.

So, one each.

Oh, it's tense here! Your question now, Alan.

The actor Tom Hiddleston has a double first

from Cambridge University in which subject?

As he's an actor, I would probably plump for the history of art.

Now, I didn't know he was this well read and educated.

Classics is the answer.

We've got an interesting turning of the table here.

So, you're equal in the second round. Gareth,

you need this.

Which actor from the 1977 film Star Wars

was also the voice of The Joker in TV's Batman - The Animated Series?

I've not seen the animated series.

I can't imagine it being Harrison Ford.

I know Mark Hamill, he's done a lot of voice-overs

for computer games and possibly animation,

so I'd go Mark Hamill.

Mark Hamill is the right answer. You've taken that round.

This is tight, isn't it? Congratulations, Gareth.

You have won the head-to-head.

And as a result, you gain an Egghead for the final round.

So, you can't have Pat, but any other.

Because he is so much better at classical music and art than I am,

I'm going to go for Barry

and hope that he can plug a gap if it comes up.

It's fair to say, Barry, you love your opera, you love musicals.

I do, I do. Very much so.

But you're not so hot on music by The Clash.

-Well...

-You are?

-Horses for courses.

-JEREMY CHUCKLES

This is a real contest today, isn't it?

As it stands, Gareth has gained an Egghead to help him in the final.

Alan has got an Egghead, too. Absolutely evenly matched now.

And the next category is going to make it even tighter,

I think, cos it is History, which is

the favourite subject of you both. And, Gareth,

as the winner of the previous round, you get to decide

-if you'd like to play first or second.

-I'll go first, please.

And here is your first question, Gareth.

In the late fifth or early sixth century,

a force of Britons defeated which opponents at the Battle of Badon?

And Badon is B-A-D-O-N.

It's too early to be the Vikings, I think.

The Picts would have already probably been north of the Wall.

But the Anglo-Saxons came in and dominated Britain

until the coming of the Vikings,

so I'd go Anglo-Saxons.

Chris, you know your Vikings.

It'd be the Anglo-Saxons, Hengist and Horsa and those people.

Anglo-Saxons is right.

Real twists and turns in this contest. OK, so, now,

it's Alan slightly on the back foot. Your question, Alan.

Which King of England was the son of Earl Godwin of Wessex?

Harold II's full name is Harold Godwinson,

so it's Harold II.

Brilliantly done. It is Harold II. Well done. One each, History.

Here's your question, Gareth.

The stanhope, a 19th-century invention,

had which purpose?

That's tricky. I haven't heard of it.

19th century - remotely controlling ships would be quite clever.

The stanhope.

I'm actually going to go for...

It might be one of those viewers of photographs.

So, yeah, I'm going to go for viewing microphotographs.

Viewing microphotographs. Do you know this one, Alan?

-Yeah, he's right.

-Yeah, you're right.

Viewing microphotographs.

We now go to Alan for your second question.

Lady Barbara Fitzroy, whose father may have been

the Duke of Marlborough or Charles II,

was the daughter of which royal mistress?

Right, OK.

Well, they're all mistresses of Charles II.

So, I think Barbara Villiers is probably the more famous

of the three at the time so I'll probably go Barbara Villiers.

It is Barbara Villiers.

OK, so, the score is level.

Two points each. You've both won a round.

Couldn't be tighter. We go back to you, Gareth.

Get this right and put the pressure on Alan.

Who was the last Whig Party president of the United States?

Whig is obviously W-H-IG.

Really wish I'd learned this list properly.

Three relatively unremarkable presidents

and I'll go for James Buchanan.

-Anyone here?

-I think it was Fillmore.

Yeah, Fillmore is the right answer.

So, it gives Alan a chance here. If you get this one right,

Alan, you will be able to seize another Egghead

to help you in the final round

in this all-important quest to actually become an Egghead.

In 1870, who became the first president

of France's Third Republic?

I can rule out Raymond Poincare cos I think he was president

during the First World War.

I've never heard of Adolphe Thiers.

I think I've heard of Marie Francois Sadi Carnot

so I'll go with Marie Francois Sadi Carnot.

-You've gone astray, as well.

-Ah.

-It's Adolphe

-Thiers. Right.

Scores level after three questions. We go to Sudden Death.

Gets a bit harder - I don't give you alternatives -

and we go firstly to you, Gareth.

Born a princess, Astrid of Sweden

became the queen consort of which country

before her death in a car accident in Switzerland in 1935?

Well, I don't know this, so I've got to think of monarchies.

Could be Norway, Belgium.

Netherlands have had a bit of a run of female monarchs,

so I'm going to discount that.

I'm going to go for Belgium.

-Belgium is quite right.

-Hmm.

-So, very heavily fought round.

We go back to you, Alan. This to stay

in the round, Alan. Who was the first US President

to fly in an aeroplane whilst in office?

Woodrow Wilson famously crossed the Atlantic

for the Paris Peace Conference.

I don't know. I would just go with Woodrow Wilson.

Woodrow Wilson is your answer. Let's just check with the Eggheads.

I've got a feeling it might be Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

You're quite right. So, Alan, sorry, you've lost that round

and we say congratulations, Gareth, you've won the final head-to-head.

What a contest. As a result, Gareth,

you're going to get to choose an Egghead for the final round.

Can't be Barry or Pat.

-Who would you like?

-Because we haven't had any Sport,

I'm going to go for Tremendous Knowledge Dave.

Cos sport is a weak spot for you, is it?

It's not a weak spot, but I know it's a good strength for Dave.

Yeah, sport and '80s music.

Well, music between 1978 and 1982.

Yeah, something like that.

All right, so, Gareth, you've got Barry and Dave in the final round.

Alan, you've got Pat.

Why don't we play that final round now?

So, this is what we have been playing towards.

It is time to find out who is one step closer to becoming

an Egghead and who will be eliminated from our search?

Gareth, Alan, I'm going to ask each of you three questions in turn.

This time, the questions are all General Knowledge.

In this final round, however, you will no longer be playing alone.

You're going to have the backing of the Eggheads you've won

over the course of the show so far, which means, Gareth,

you're going to have the help of Barry and Dave,

and, Alan, you will have Pat behind you,

literally and in every sense.

So, you'll be able to call on your respective Eggheads for advice

before you give an answer to the question.

However, you can ask each of your Eggheads for help only once,

so you must use them wisely.

OK, Gareth, you won the last round,

so you now get to choose whether you want to play first or second.

I'll go first, please.

And here is your first question. All the best to you both.

Gareth, David Corbett was involved in finding which item in 1966?

Well, the Rosetta Stone was discovered

considerably longer ago than 1966.

It was discovered, I believe, by Napoleon's troops.

Mona Lisa was last stolen in the early part of the 20th century.

Something like 1908, 1912, something like that.

Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen in 1966

just before the World Cup and it was discovered

supposedly by Pickles the dog,

and I'm presuming that this chap is the owner of Pickles the dog.

So, I'll go Jules Rimet Trophy.

Yeah, good logic and great back story.

Jules Rimet Trophy is correct.

First one to you and no use of an Egghead

there either. OK, Alan, your question.

At Crufts in 2016, the Border collie came top of which group?

Well, Border collie is

I'd say more of a sheepdog than anything else.

I can't think it was a gundog.

Utility is the sundries, left after all the rest, I think.

-I'm going to go for Pastoral.

-Pastoral is your answer.

Pastoral is quite right, Alan, well done.

So, we go back to Gareth.

The pademelon is a creature that most resembles which of these?

It's spelt P-A-D-E-M-E-L-O-N.

I don't know this and I would be hazarding a guess.

I'm going to go for Barry, please, on this and hope that he knows.

OK, Barry's being called in.

-I'm trying to read your expression there, Barry.

-Pademelon.

I don't think it's a wallaby.

And I have something at the very, very far reaches of my mind

that says it might be a lizard,

which would tempt me to go for gecko.

OK, so, Barry says gecko, but that's just the Egghead's suggestion.

You can choose the answer yourself, Gareth.

How would you distinguish between it looking like a wallaby or...

..a kangaroo?

Before you go on, I'm just going to say you can call in

both your Eggheads on one question.

No, I don't think I want to risk that.

I don't know what gives something the essence of gecko either,

but I am going to go for gecko.

OK, well, Gareth has gone for gecko. That was Barry's answer.

-The answer is wallaby.

-Oh!

So, you've used an Egghead and got it wrong,

which almost evens us up. In fact, Alan, if you get

this one right, you'll take the lead.

Lumley Castle overlooks the county ground of which cricket club?

I would be very surprised if it was Middlesex

cos that's in Central London.

Don't know many castles being in there.

I think I might save Pat for question three

and probably guess this one.

My guess would be Worcestershire.

Worcestershire is your answer.

It's funny, I'm very aware of Lumley Castle

cos I was near it a lot when I was at university in Durham.

Durham is the answer.

So, slight let-off for you there,

Gareth. You both have one Egghead left

and one question left before we go to Sudden Death.

One of you can take it. Gareth, your third question.

The Hand And Flowers pub in Marlow, which, in 2011,

became the first pub to be awarded a second Michelin star,

is owned by which TV chef?

I think I've heard this before.

I think it's Tom Kerridge.

Tom Kerridge is the right answer.

Two out of three.

Will it be enough?

You need to get this one right, Alan, to stay in.

Huntigowk Day is an old Scottish term for which event?

Again, I don't know.

I'm going to ask Pat, if I may, if he knows.

You're calling in your Egghead on your third question.

That's the perfect moment. Pat, what do you think?

I think a gowk is a Scottish word for a bird,

perhaps a cuckoo or a hawk or something.

I would have a slight preference for April Fool's, but it's a whim.

I've got no evidence at all.

If I'm going to go out, I would go out with Pat, I think,

so I'll go for April Fool's Day.

April Fool's Day.

If you've got this wrong, you will be out.

But you're right, it is April Fool's Day. Well done.

So, you've managed to come level there

after your three questions, and we will now go to Sudden Death.

Gets a bit harder. I don't give you alternatives, as you know.

Gareth, your question. You've still got Dave.

You can call him in in Sudden Death if you need to.

Which character, introduced in the 1960s,

is the daughter of Lord Hugh and Amelia Creighton-Ward?

I really feel I should know this.

Do I gamble or do I ask Dave?

On the basis that I want to try and stay in,

I'm going to just see what Dave thinks.

-OK, you're calling in your Egghead.

-Yeah.

-Dave, what do you think?

The first thing that came into my head,

and seeing it's the 1960s, is Lady Penelope.

Yeah, that was what it was for me, as well,

so I will go for Lady Penelope and hope that it's right.

I know somebody who will know for sure

whether it is, but I'm going Lady Penelope.

And you would know for sure, Alan,

-because your subject on Mastermind was what?

-Thunderbirds.

-Is he right?

-Yes.

-JEREMY LAUGHS

-You should have got that question.

-Yes.

-That was one for you.

-Yeah.

All right, so, here we are

on Sudden Death. Well done, Dave.

-No problem.

-Cheers, Dave.

-Nicely done,

but you have now used both your Eggheads.

We're back with Alan now, who needs this right to stay in.

For what does the letter S stand in ZSL,

the charity that runs conservation projects

in more than 50 countries and manages London Zoo?

Well, it's the Zoological Society of London

so it must be Society.

Society is quite right.

Sudden Death. You're playing alone now, gentlemen,

and your question now, Gareth.

In 2012, which member of The Script was one of the coaches

on the first series of The Voice UK?

That was Danny O'Donoghue.

Danny O'Donoghue is the right answer.

So, again, advantage Gareth,

and, Alan, this to stay in.

Who directed the 1980s Eddie Murphy films

Coming To America and Trading Places?

Hmm.

I have to admit, I don't know.

Guess Robert Zemeckis.

If you're right, we play on.

If you are wrong, then the contest is over for you

and Gareth takes a step closer to the Eggheads' desk.

The director of the 1980s Eddie Murphy films

was John Landis.

So, we say congratulations, Gareth, you have won.

And nip and tuck. I mean, bad luck, Alan,

cos I can see how evenly matched both of you are.

-Hope you've enjoyed it.

-Yeah, it's been a great time.

Two incredibly sturdy quizzers here.

But congratulations, Gareth, you've proved that winning

comes as naturally to you as it does to our Eggheads.

You are one step closer to joining our quiz goliaths.

But your work for today isn't quite done.

The good news is that you are guaranteed

a place on our leaderboard.

The top four places at the end of the heats

will make it through to the semifinals.

You get three points for each round you won today,

so that's six points you've banked already.

And as the winner of our first heat in the men's competition,

you are guaranteed top spot.

Only time will tell whether you stay there.

You're now going to get the chance to add to your score

by answering two minutes of quickfire questions,

one point for each correct answer.

I have to accept your first answer.

-Are you ready to play?

-I am, yeah.

Good luck, your time starts now.

Which Alan Bennett play features characters called Dakin and Posner?

-The History Boys.

-Correct.

In relation to the test for vehicles,

for what does the letter T stand in MOT?

-Transport.

-Correct.

In 2006, at which racecourse were the ashes

of the horse Desert Orchid buried?

-Cheltenham.

-No, Kempton Park.

In the nautical acronym SONAR,

which word is represented by the letters N and A?

-Pass.

-Navigation.

Which British university is home to the Bodleian Library?

-Oxford.

-Correct.

Of which island country is Manama the capital?

-Bahrain.

-Correct.

For what does the letter S stand in the military medical acronym MASH?

-Surgical.

-Correct.

Which magazine was set up in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wife Lila?

-Punch.

-No, Reader's Digest.

Which pre-decimal coin was colloquially known as the tanner?

-Farthing.

-No, sixpence.

Which comedy duo had a UK number one in 1991 with The Stonk?

-Hale and Pace.

-Correct.

Between 1980 and 1991,

which position was held by Robert Runcie?

-Archbishop of Canterbury.

-Correct.

In 1963, the volcanic island of Surtsey

appeared off the south coast of which country?

-Iceland.

-Correct.

Which Jane Austen novel features the character Elinor Dashwood?

-Sense And Sensibility.

-Correct.

Which 1978 film features the song You're The One That I Want?

-Grease.

-Correct.

In popular legend, who cut the Gordian Knot?

-Alexander the Great.

-Correct.

For what does the letter B stand in the cricketing abbreviation LBW?

-Before.

-Correct.

In British history, who was the father of Edward VII?

-Prince Albert.

-Correct.

In 1984, Murray Head had a UK hit single with

One Night In Bangkok, a song from which musical?

-Chess.

-Correct.

In the name of the basketball team New York Knicks,

for what is Knicks...? BUZZER

-No time to complete that question.

-Knickerbockers.

Yeah, you're right, as it happens.

For what is Knicks short?

The answer would have been Knickerbockers.

Gareth, you did a storming job there, I must say.

14 points, you scored, in our two-minute round.

So, you get three points for each round you won today.

That's six points that you've banked already,

giving you a grand total now of 20 points.

Let us see the leaderboard,

and you're the first person on it, so this is rather good!

You're right up there. You can take a photo of that.

-Look at me!

-Look at you. Number one in a field of one.

Great quiz. Thank you so much for playing.

Join us next time to find out who else might have what it takes

to become an Egghead.

Been great quizzing with you both. Thank you so much.

Until the next show, goodbye.