Episode 3 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 here with the most fearsome quiz team in history, the Eggheads.

So, let's meet today's contestants,

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

Hi. I'm Michael Taylor and I'm a writer from Manchester.

Hi. I'm Ian Bayley.

I'm a computer science lecturer from Oxfordshire.

Welcome, guys.

-Nervous?

-Not yet.

You've quizzed before, both of you, and at a really high level.

In fact, Michael, you've been in this studio before.

Yeah, it didn't go terribly well, but I have been here before.

So, tell us what happened.

I came on with some friends of mine from university,

and I played Judith in Geography

and I made the classic schoolboy mistake

of not reading the exam question.

I didn't listen to the question and gave the wrong answer.

-Did you remember that, Judith?

-It's all right.

I'm completely forgettable. I understand.

-LAUGHTER

-No, you're not at all!

So, as I understand it, Michael, you've won University Challenge.

And, Ian, Mastermind is your thing, is that right?

Yeah, that's right.

Tell us about your Mastermind subjects.

Well, I've got six Mastermind subjects

because I went on twice.

The first time, I got to the final and came second,

so I went through all that again,

and the second time I got to the final and came first.

And what is your most extraordinary Mastermind subject?

Possibly Dr Who in the 1970s,

but the one that I won the final with was paintings

in the National Gallery.

Well, that's a nice one.

-There's quite a lot of them, actually.

-Yeah.

It was very, very enjoyable to research,

because I just had to spend my days in an art gallery.

-You won Brain Of Britain as well.

-Yes, that's right. Yeah.

And, Michael, you are now writing questions for University Challenge.

Yeah, which is quite fun, actually. You get paid to learn things.

Gosh. We've got two top quizzers here, Eggheads, haven't we?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

No way of telling them apart at this stage.

Good luck to you both.

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

It's very difficult.

Just like on Eggheads,

both of you will compete over a series of rounds

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

So, the first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Politics.

Going to ask each of you

three multiple choice questions on Politics.

In turn, whoever answers the most questions correctly wins the round.

The prize for winning a round on Make Me An Egghead

is that you gain an extra brain for the final.

And not just any old brain.

You can choose one of these five Eggheads over here.

Now, before the show, we tossed a coin,

and as a result of that, Ian,

you have the option as to whether you want to go first or second.

I will go first, please.

Good luck to you both. And here is your first question, Ian.

Which anniversary of the Easter Rising

was marked in April 2016?

It was the 100th because it happened in 1916,

during the First World War.

100 is quite right. Yeah.

And it's the island that you're from, Michael, correct?

-It is.

-You're from the North.

-I am.

Here's your question.

Maria Shriver, who married Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1986,

is the niece of which former US president?

Hmm. I don't know, so I'm going to have to think about this.

I don't know if it's worth...

Because Schwarzenegger was a Republican,

is it worth just going for the Republican there?

Obviously, Carter and Kennedy were Democrats.

I don't know the answer,

but given that Reagan was a Californian Republican

and Schwarzenegger was a Californian Republican,

I'm going to guess Reagan.

Ian, is he right?

I think it's Kennedy.

I think she's associated with the Kennedy clan.

Yeah, very much. Kennedy is the answer.

Very good reasoning, actually. It's just...

Yeah, I loved your logic there. It just took you astray.

Ian, your question.

In 2014, who became the prime minister of Italy?

Oh.

OK, so, this one is a bit tricky because I'm pretty sure that

all three of those have been prime minister in the 2010s.

I think that Monti was appointed as prime minister

to help solve an economic crisis,

but I think that might have been a little bit before 2014.

You did say 2014?

-In 2014...

-Yeah.

-..who became the prime minister of Italy?

And I think that Prodi was before that, yeah.

I think I have to say Renzi.

-It's correct.

-Good.

But I'm feeling like Prodi was a long time ago.

It was a while ago, yeah. It was a while ago, yeah.

Also became president

of the European Commission.

Oh, yes. Yeah.

-Ah.

-That's how I got confused.

-Yeah.

OK. I see.

Renzi was the very youthful mayor of Florence

who I think became prime minister.

I'm not sure he'd ever been an MP,

but he went from mayor of Florence to prime minister.

And Monti, while we're at it, anyone got any thing on Monti?

He was a kind of EU technocrat

put in to try and save the Italian economy.

Renzi is right. Well done.

You've got two, so you must get this, Michael,

to stay in the round.

At the 1997 general elections,

Stephen Twigg became the MP for Enfield Southgate

overthrowing which conservative politician

in a surprise reversal?

Again, I don't know the answer.

I can't go through Rifkind and Lamont,

but I know that Portillo's defeat in '97 was memorable

and many people took great schadenfreude in it.

So, I'm going to guess Portillo.

Michael Portillo is the right answer.

OK, so, you're still in it,

but, Ian, you can take the round now.

In 1946, which city hosted the first General Assembly

of the United Nations?

Oh.

You would think it's New York,

given that's where the General Assembly meets.

At the moment, however,

I've got a distinct memory that in London

very close to the Palace of Westminster

is a building called the Methodist Central Hall,

and I think that they met in there.

-It's a long story, if I'm wrong.

-HE LAUGHS

So, your answer is?

My answer is London.

Cos they're in New York now,

and that could easily have led you astray,

but you're absolutely right.

It is London, and we say congratulations, Ian.

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

So, as a result,

you gain an Egghead for the final round,

and all five are there waiting to be picked.

Who would you like?

All five of them are brilliant, as many people know,

but I will choose Kevin, please.

Kevin. Now, last time you were called into action in this game,

we had a question about the meaning of Avalon.

-Yes, yes.

-And a bad thing happened.

-Kevin's circuits failed.

-Oh.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, both of them.

-They're supposed to work in parallel.

-Yeah.

It's apples, isn't it?

Yeah. It is apples. Well done!

He didn't know that. HE LAUGHS

So, we wish you better luck this time.

Anyway, early days still.

As it stands, Michael has got

no Eggheads to help him in the final.

Ian has one, and that one is Kevin, and we play on.

The next category is Food & Drink,

and Ian is the winner of the last head-to-head.

-You can choose whether you go first or second.

-I'll go first.

So, here is your first Food & Drink question.

Which of these is the name given to a non-alcoholic cocktail

usually consisting of orange juice and bitter lemon?

I haven't heard of the drink

and I haven't heard of any of those names,

and the only thing that I can use

to get me to any sort of answer is,

"Oranges and lemons say the bells of St Clements,"

which is probably the stupidest leap in the dark anyone could say,

but, really, I've got no other way of choosing.

No, I'll go for St Clements.

OK. Judith is our cocktail specialist. Judith?

It's absolutely right, and the right reason too.

-Oh.

-It's right and the right reason, so perfect.

-Yay.

-Good.

-So, point to you. OK, we go over to you, Michael.

What is the main flavouring

of the famous Austrian cake sachertorte - S-A-C-H-E-R-T-O-R-T-E?

I've never heard of it.

And I don't speak German,

so I can't really derive anything from that.

But sacher, from that it could be something similar

to the French sucre, which would be sweet.

I thought it was going to be a fruit when it came up,

so based on that, I'm going to guess lemon, but I don't know.

Let's have a look. Lisa Thiel?

I thought it was chocolate.

Chocolate is the right answer.

So, over to you, Ian.

Which seafood is a main ingredient

of the Italian dish spaghetti alle vongole.

Alle - A-L-L-E. And then V-O-N-G-O-L-E.

Well, Latin for cuttlefish is sepia,

but Italian is very likely different.

You know, I think that crab has got more of a taste to it

than cuttlefish or clams.

OK. I'm going to go for crab.

-It's the wrong answer.

-OK.

-I feel I know this, that it's clams.

-Clams, yes.

But lots of Italian restaurants serve this and call it that.

There's plenty of references to it.

And vongole means clams, does it, or seafood generally?

-Clams.

-It means clams.

-It means clams.

-But it comes with little clams...

-Yeah, that's right.

-..open on the spaghetti.

-Yeah.

-It's lovely.

It is nice. Actually, my mouth started watering there.

Spaghetti alle vongole is clams.

You have one point, Ian. Michael has none so far.

Michael, try and come back.

What type of pastry is an essential part of the French cake

known as a religieuse?

As you're maybe beginning to tell,

I don't know an awful lot about Food & Drink.

See if I can reason anything here.

I have an incredibly boring diet.

I'm going to say choux.

-Choux is correct.

-Oh. Sorry.

-LAUGHTER Don't apologise.

-Blind guess.

So, you're level. Third question to you, Ian.

Which of these has a high content of the pigment lycopene,

believed to have antioxidant properties?

I think I do know this one.

I think it's tomatoes because I think that the Latin name

for tomato contains lycopersica or something like that.

Either way, I think it's tomatoes.

-Let's see. Anyone know here?

-Yep, tomatoes.

And the Latin name tomatoes is?

Lycopersicum esculentum.

-You were halfway there with that.

-Yeah.

Very impressive. Tomatoes is the right answer.

So, you have two out of three.

Let's see if you can get

your second now as well, Michael.

You need this.

What type of food is tobiko,

often used as an ingredient in sushi?

Tobiko is T-O-B-I-K-O.

Sushi is not something I would eat. I don't know how...

how spiced sushi is.

I'm sure it can be.

It does come occasionally wrapped in seaweed.

I'll say seaweed, but based on just assuming,

because sushi does sometimes come wrapped in seaweed.

-Seaweed is your answer, and you don't like sushi?

-No, I don't.

It's not right, I'm afraid. It's fish roe.

I guess those tiny little pink bubbly things.

You see a few different kinds, a few different colours, but, yeah.

OK, so, seaweed is wrong.

Fish roe was the answer, so we say well done, Ian, again.

You have won that head-to-head.

You're starting to get a sizable advantage, Ian.

You can choose another Egghead.

Obviously not Kevin, who you've already got.

I will choose Pat, please.

So, Pat, how were you on that Food & Drink round?

-I'd have done all right.

-Yeah?

-It was OK.

Never know how, cos it's not always natural quiz territory, is it?

They're very varied.

Yeah, you can certainly be surprised on a Food & Drink round, yeah.

So, as it stands, Michael has yet to get an Egghead

to help him in the final.

Ian has got two.

And the next category is Sport.

So, Ian, you won the last one. You can choose first or second.

OK, I will go first with this one as well, please.

Good luck to you both.

Which London football club was granted a 99-year lease

on the Olympic Stadium in 2013?

It's West Ham United,

because they've played their final game at the Boleyn Ground.

That's right.

Bit of confusion over what West Ham's ground was called

-because we've always called it...

-Oh, yes.

-What was the original...?

-Upton Park.

-Upton Park.

-Yeah.

Then for the final game, everyone called it the Boleyn Ground

and we all thought, "Well, hang on..."

I have another name for it seeing as Manchester United lost there.

LAUGHTER All right.

West Ham United is correct.

OK, Michael, the comeback starts now.

In 2014, Marcus Ericsson became the first driver

from which country to race in Formula One for two decades?

Well, it's certainly not Germany

because there's an abundance of German drivers in Formula One.

I assume the last guy who was Swedish to race in Formula One

would've been Keke Rosberg maybe, and he was in the '80s.

I think he's Swedish, so Sweden.

Certainly sounds like a Swedish name.

Sweden is right, Michael. Well done.

So, your question, Ian.

A batsman who's been stumped in a game of cricket

is traditionally referred to as being out of their WHAT?

Stumped.

Out of their field, out of their turf,

out of their ground.

I wouldn't even say that there's one of those three

that I associate more with one sport or another.

I guess you've got a position in cricket called a fielder,

so I think field.

I'll go for field.

Michael, what do you think?

You'd probably say out of their crease more often,

but of those three, it would be ground.

-Yeah, ground is the right answer.

-Ah, OK.

So, let's see if you can pull into the lead here, Michael.

The 14th hole at the Augusta National Golf Course,

Chinese Fir, is the only hole on the course without what?

Well, it doesn't have a water hazard,

but many other holes on the course don't have water hazards.

It's definitely got a two-tier green, but it doesn't have a bunker.

Its green is the defence.

It slopes violently from left to right.

So, bunker is the answer.

Bunker is right. You sound like you've been there.

No, I haven't,

but I've got a worryingly good knowledge of Augusta.

-HE LAUGHS You like golf?

-Yeah.

And the 14th hole slopes violently from left to right.

From left to right, and on the final day,

they normally put the pin on the right-hand side of the green

so you see everybody firing up the left-hand side

and the ball gently makes its way down.

-Ah.

-Or should do.

Now, that is a level of knowledge of Augusta Golf Course

which I've never seen displayed on this side, if I may say so.

-Yeah.

-Respectfully.

Yep. No, he's brilliant.

Right, here we go.

Ian, your question.

And if you get this wrong,

then Michael takes the round and starts to pull it back.

Which of these tennis players became the first female athlete

to earn more than 100,000 prize money in a single season?

Well, they're all from a long time ago.

The same era, roughly - the 1970s.

I associate Billie Jean King with earning a lot of money.

I just wonder why that would be.

Obviously, the reign of Navratilova lasted for longer.

She won her last Wimbledon in 1990,

so if inflation means that we had to wait longer

for it to be 100,000,

then that would suggest more likely to be Navratilova.

But my first thought was Billie Jean King,

so my answer will be Billie Jean King.

Billie Jean King is correct. HE SIGHS WITH RELIEF

-HE LAUGHS You're still in it.

-Well...

-That is tough, to do that...

-I have to say, though, that's very fluky.

Although, maybe that very dim light bulb in my head

about her earning a lot of money might have been based on something.

Who knows?

So, we have two points to Ian, two points to Michael.

Michael, get this right, you're able to choose an Egghead.

What is the nickname of the left-field wall

at the Fenway Park baseball stadium in Boston?

OK.

Um, I don't follow American sports at all,

so this is going to be a semi-informed guess.

The Boston Red Sox play at Fenway, I think,

so purely based on that, I'm going to say Red Giant.

-Is he right?

-No.

-It's the Green Monster.

-No. Green Monster...

-Green monster. Oh, right.

..is the answer. So, two points each. Level after three questions.

We now go to Sudden Death.

Gets a bit harder. I don't give you alternatives. Yours first, Ian.

What is the name of the ground at which the Rugby League team

now called the London Broncos played their first game in September 1980.

So, I don't think I know any London rugby grounds.

Well, tell you what, of course I do know a London ground.

I suppose I could just say Twickenham.

Except Broncos is League, but still...

HE SIGHS

Yeah, I'll just have to say that, Twickenham.

No, it's not Twickenham. It's Craven Cottage.

-OK.

-OK.

So, you have a chance now, Michael, to take the round

with this question. Sudden Death.

Shakib Al Hasan has captained which international cricket team?

Bangladesh.

-No doubt at all...

-No.

-..in your mind, or mine.

Bangladesh is right. Well done, Michael.

You've pulled it back a bit there. You've won the final head-to-head.

So, you can now choose an Egghead. Obviously not Kevin or Pat.

I want Dave.

Tremendous Knowledge Dave.

So, Michael, you've got Dave in the final round.

Ian, you've got Kevin and Pat.

And let us now play that final round.

So, this is what we have been playing towards.

It's time to find out who is one step closer to becoming an Egghead

and who will be eliminated from our search.

Michael and Ian, I'm going to ask each of you three questions in turn.

This time the questions are all General Knowledge.

In this final round,

you will no longer be playing alone, though.

You'll have the backing of the Eggheads you've won

over the course of the show, which means, Michael,

you've got the help of Dave,

and, Ian, you will have Kevin and Pat right behind you.

You'll be able to call on your Eggheads for advice

before giving an answer to a question.

However, you can ask each of them for help only once,

so use them wisely.

Right, Michael, here we go.

As you won the last round,

you get to choose to play first or second.

I will go first, please.

And here is your first question.

Which English actress who played Big Suze

in the comedy series Peep Show

married Lord Frederick Windsor in 2009?

I've always meant to watch Peep Show and never got round to it.

I'm probably going to have to do something rash here and ask

for my Egghead's advice already.

So, can I call in Dave?

You can call in Dave straightaway, of course.

Dave, what do you think?

Unfortunately, Michael, I don't watch Peep Show either

and haven't really got a clue on this one.

Let me have a think.

If there's a name that possibly I've heard, it's Isy Suttie, but...

I'm aware...

Or the only other actress I knew was in Peep Show was Olivia Colman.

All I can say to you, Michael, is I would go Isy Suttie

on the basis of nothing really at all.

-My guess would be Isy Suttie.

-OK, Dave.

You've offered your advice there.

Michael, you can decide whether you take it.

I probably will.

Dave's guess is as good as or if not much better than mine,

so I'll go Isy Suttie.

The answer is Sophie Winkleman.

-Sorry, Michael. Lost your Egghead on that.

-Sorry, Michael.

Don't worry, Dave. That happens.

It's put Ian in a better position.

He's still got his two Eggheads. Here's your first question, Ian.

Thomas Henry Huxley, born in 1825,

is best known for his support of which scholar's theories?

It's Charles Darwin. He was known as Darwin's bulldog.

The answer is Darwin.

Charles Darwin is correct.

So, he's ahead, Michael.

I know you're up against it here, but you can still win.

Hold your nerve.

John Philip Holland, born in Ireland in 1840,

is remembered as an early designer of which form of transport?

Sure I can't go second now?

Well, there definitely had been designs of submarine

well before 1840, which was when he was born, so...

I haven't heard of him,

and on the basis that I may have heard of him

if he had designed a bicycle, I'm going to say glider.

Glider is your answer.

I'm not sure when we started gliding.

Maybe it was around then, but the correct answer is submarine.

Oh, right. OK.

So, that means if you get this one right, Ian, you will have triumphed.

Which type of UK bird is also known as a dabchick?

Dabchick. One word, Ian. D-A-B-C-H-I-C-K.

OK.

I think it's grebe, but really I'd be stupid not to ask.

I will ask Pat, please.

OK, now, because you've said it,

-you might have put it into Pat's head.

-Yeah.

-You're being called in, Pat.

-That's what I'm worried about.

You've got to extract from your head anything you heard.

I'll attempt to extinguish all of Ian's deliberations

from my mind, but I'm very confident it's a little grebe.

OK. I will say little grebe.

-Probably worth the double check, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-If you've got this right, you've triumphed.

-Yeah.

-And I've also spurned Kevin, so sorry about that, Kevin.

-Yeah.

If you've got it wrong, Kevin might well come in useful, though,

at a later stage.

But there is no later stage.

-Little grebe is the right answer.

-Right.

-We say congratulations, Ian. You have won.

-Thank you.

And commiserations, Michael. It didn't quite fall for you.

No, it didn't, but the better man won.

I'm very lucky I didn't have the Peep Show question. Yeah.

Well, that's very sporting.

And you've managed to do it without calling on Kevin.

Didn't see what you were made of today, Kevin.

Oh, sugar and spice. Oh, no. That's somebody else.

LAUGHTER So, well done, Ian.

You've proved that winning comes

as naturally to you as to our Eggheads.

You are one step closer to joining our quiz Goliaths,

-but your work for today isn't quite over.

-Mm.

The good news is that you're guaranteed a place

on our leaderboard cos it's only got one name on it.

Top four places at the end of the heats will make it through

to the semifinals, so you get three points for each round you won today.

That's six points in total that you've banked.

As we're still in the early stages of the heats,

you're guaranteed a spot in the top four,

but only time will tell how long you stay there.

So, let's have a look at the leaderboard to see what score

you've got to beat to get the top spot.

And you can see it's Gareth on top with 20 points.

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

by answering two minutes of quick-fire questions.

You get one point for each correct answer.

I've got to accept your first answer.

-Are you ready to play?

-Yes, I am.

Good luck. Your time starts now.

In the original Star Wars trilogy,

which character was played by Peter Mayhew?

-Chewbacca.

-Correct.

In the Harry Potter books, what is the name of Harry's pet owl?

-Hedwig.

-Correct.

For what does the G stand in relation to the GI diet?

-Glycemic.

-Correct.

Which band recorded the 2005 UK hit single The Important Of Being Idle?

-Oasis.

-Correct.

For which country did Vinnie Jones play international football?

-Wales.

-Correct.

How many pieces does each player have

at the start of a standard game of backgammon?

-13.

-No, 15.

What is the first name of the title character

in Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs Dalloway?

-Clarissa.

-Correct.

What is the state capital of the US state of California?

-Sacramento.

-Correct.

Which 1945 film was based on

the short play Still Life by Noel Coward.

-Brief Encounter.

-Correct.

Which historical artefact was stolen from Westminster Abbey

on Christmas Day, 1950?

-The Stone of Scone.

-Correct.

Which goddess from Greek mythology was the counterpart

of the Roman goddess Venus?

-Aphrodite.

-Correct.

Zurga is a character from Bizet's opera known in English

as the Pearl WHAT?

-Fishers.

-Correct.

The French national heroine Joan of Arc

was known as the maid of which city?

-Orleans.

-Orleans is correct.

Which US sport is played by the Dallas Cowboys?

-American football.

-Correct.

Which 1956 film features the songs

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and True Love?

-High Society.

-Correct.

What is the present name of the country formerly known as Persia?

-Iran.

-Correct.

Which spirit is added to tomato juice

to make a bloody Mary?

-Vodka.

-Correct.

Morgan Freeman narrates the 2005 film March Of The WHAT?

-Penguins.

-Correct.

Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space in which year?

-'61. 1961.

-Correct.

Which popular hymn starts with the line

"And did those feet in ancient time..."?

-Jerusalem.

-Correct.

Which John Steinbeck novel are George and Lennie

the central characters?

-Of Mice and Men.

-Correct.

In which decade did Anthony Eden serve as British prime minister?

-1950s.

-Correct. That's it.

-You've played very well.

-Oh!

You've played out of your socks there. Goodness me.

-You scored 21 points there, Ian.

-OK.

Which we add to your previous six,

giving you a grand total of 27 points.

-I'm not even sure you got anything wrong. Oh, the backgammon.

-Yeah.

-But then that was cos it was each player and you doubled it.

-Indeed.

-Yeah.

-Let's have a look at our leaderboard.

And you have displaced Gareth at the top

in quite dramatic fashion.

-Ian Bayley now the top. 27.

-Right.

Are you OK there?

-That was quite an intense moment.

-It absolutely was, yes.

And we were darting around from Yuri Gagarin

to High Society and American football.

Yeah. Absolutely.

-So, it's like you're opening every filing cabinet in your head.

-Mm-hm.

-Yeah.

-How did that feel?

-Oh, exhilarating.

It's interesting how there was for the first couple of questions

I had to really think and I felt it was going to go on like that,

me having to really drag the answers out.

And then suddenly I was able to get into it

just after about the backgammon blunder, as you said.

-Well done.

-So, yeah. Feel good.

Michael, thank you for playing as well.

-He was good, wasn't he?

-They'll do well to beat him.

Maybe we've found our Egghead. We shall see.

Quite a few rounds to go.

Join us next time to find out

who else might have what it takes to become an Egghead.

What a game. Till then, goodbye.