Episode 10 Celebrity 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 a special celebrity edition of Eggheads,

where five quiz challengers pit their wits

against possibly the greatest quiz team in Britain.

You might recognise them. They've won some of the toughest quiz shows.

They are the Eggheads.

Taking on the awesome challenge of the Eggheads today are Rent-a-Gob.

Everyone on this team has many strings to their individual bows,

but what brings them together are their voices.

Each one is an eloquent orator

who's lent their recognisably dulcet tones in the form of narration and voiceover

to some very familiar TV programmes, radio shows, movie trailers, things like that.

To perfect their art,

they spend many hours locked away in darkened rooms, talking to themselves.

Sounds like a perfect job for CJ. Let's meet the team.

I'm Jon Briggs, voiceover artist and journalist.

You know me from the Weakest Link, your satnav and probably your mobile.

Hi, I'm Redd Pepper. I'm a movie trailer voice artist,

and you've probably heard me a few times saying, "Coming soon".

I'm Steve Punt. I'm a writer and performer.

You'll hear my voice on radio a lot.

I can, in fact, speak in both FM and medium wave.

Hello, I'm Charles Nove, radio broadcaster, voiceover,

and occasionally, bus driver.

And hello, my name's Mitch Johnson.

I'm a radio presenter, and the voiceover of countless TV shows.

Welcome to you, Rent-a-Gob.

Each and every one of you, your voice is familiar to millions around the country,

and I want to talk to you individually about that as you play,

but any particular interests, Jon, that relate to the Eggheads?

We have discussed who would take which subject,

and, as you can imagine, voiceover is a very singular profession,

so the five of us together can't agree on anything.

So it's been impossible to devise who will take which subject.

We'll uncover them as the game goes on.

Let's start the game.

Every day there's £1,000 worth of cash up for grabs for our challengers' chosen charity.

If they fail to defeat the Eggheads, the money rolls over to the next show.

So, the Eggheads have won the last nine games,

which means ten grand says you can't beat the Eggheads.

Let's see what the first head-to-head is.

This is where you try and knock an Egghead out. And it is on History.

You choose a player, anyone you like, as it's the opening round,

to try and knock an Egghead out.

I don't mind doing history if you want.

-Ooh, Jon's volunteering.

-I wasn't volunteering.

Just hoping somebody else might take the lead.

-Jon forgets the golden rule. Never volunteer.

-Damn.

You didn't tell me that beforehand.

OK. I now have to choose somebody, don't I?

Yes, if you have decided to go for it,

choose any one of those fine five Eggheads.

Yes. Well, I've always fancied Judith,

so I'm going to take on Judith in that case.

Who-ho! All right.

Let the quizzing commence.

Jon and Judith are taking this one.

Can I ask you both to go to the question room where you can't confer?

Jon, great to have you here.

Aren't you on the wrong show? It's normally the Weakest Link for you.

It is, and Dermot, I hasten to add,

simply because I am the voice of a programme about general knowledge

does not imply that I have any.

Right, well, let's play this round. What about history?

Is it one of your interests?

No, I sadly managed to put my hand up at the wrong time.

But somebody had to do it, and I know they're really grateful that I'm here.

You're very game, taking it on.

You choose, do you want to go first or second?

Every single edition of Eggheads I've ever seen,

the contestant has gone first, so I shall follow suit.

OK, and first question, then, Jon.

The world's first iron bridge, which spans the River Severn in Shropshire

was built in which century, 17th, 18th or 19th?

I've got to do this the right way round.

If it's the 17th century, it's 16-something

and I don't think it was that early.

19th will be 18-something and I think that's too late.

And I have a feeling those wonderful engineers with stove-pipe hats

were largely around in the 1700s,

so I'm going to plump for the 18th century.

Great analysis and the right answer.

The 18th century. Chris, when, precisely?

1757, was it, at Coalbrookdale?

No. '79.

1779. By whom?

-Darby. Abraham Darby.

-Abraham Darby.

OK, Judith, your first question.

The George Cross was created by and named after which monarch,

George IV, George V or George VI?

Oh, well, that's interesting.

I don't think it's George IV.

Um, the George Cross I always think of is Malta,

which collectively had a George Cross awarded in World War II.

I have a feeling it's George VI.

Yeah, King of the time, George VI.

Well done. Got there in the end.

Jon, the remains of the Roman fort of Vindolanda

are in which English county, Dorset, Cheshire or Northumberland?

Dorset, Cheshire or Northumberland.

Well, I'm going to go on the idea of where I think the Romans patrolled.

I don't think they did a lot in Dorset.

I don't think they got that far down.

I think most Roman roads get there but don't go any further.

Vindolanda.

I think, therefore, it's Cheshire or Northumberland,

and I'm going to plump for Cheshire,

where I think they did more building than others, but it is a guess.

OK, Cheshire for Vindolanda.

It's not, Jon. It's keep going and on the other side.

It's Northumberland. It's part of Hadrian's Wall, isn't it?

-Hadrian's Wall, yeah.

-The famous find were the Vindolanda tablets,

hundreds of things which contained shopping lists,

letters backwards and forwards, a whole host of great insights into Roman history.

Yeah, OK, Judith.

In the 1960s, the twin temples at Abu Simbel in Egypt

were relocated in their entirety a short distance away,

to avoid being destroyed by the creation of what?

The Suez Canal, the Trans-African Highway, or Lake Nasser?

I went there on my honeymoon.

And we went for three days in a kind of paddle steamer up from Aswan,

and when we got there to see Abu Simbel,

the whole thing was covered in scaffolding,

and they were just about to remove it

because Lake Nasser was being created by the Aswan Dam.

Yes, well, can't deny that kind of knowledge.

Seen it happening.

Talk about being there. You really have. You've got the T-shirt.

You've got the point. Lake Nasser, OK, is correct.

Right, well, Jon, you need to get this, then.

The Duke of Cumberland, the third son of George II,

was given what nickname as a result of his brutal treatment of the Jacobites

after the Battle of Culloden in 1746?

Was it Butcher Cumberland, Bloodsucker Cumberland

or Bonebreaker Cumberland?

Um, this is just a total guess.

I can't claim to have been anywhere near it on honeymoon either.

Let's...Bloodsucker just doesn't sound...We're talking historical,

so Butcher or Bonebreaker are the two I think I'd go for.

I'm going to go for Bonebreaker Cumberland

cos I think it's the sort of thing

-they would have come up with in those days.

-OK, Bonebreaker Cumberland.

Um, yeah. Pretty gruesome, but it's Butcher.

Ach.

Butcher Cumberland there, Jon.

So no more questions for Judith

after her honeymoon on Lake Nasser.

Jon won't be in the final round. Judith, you will be.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Well, first round, one member of Rent-a-Gob gone.

All the Eggheads are still there,

and we move on to our second head-to-head today.

This subject is Music. Choose a player, please, guys.

Music. Can't be Jon.

-Looks like you, man.

-Me? I'll do it.

-Yeah, I'll do it.

-You up for it, Mitch? OK.

And choose an Egghead. It can't be Judith. Any of the other four.

I think I will choose Daphne.

Daphne, OK, it's Mitch and Daphne playing this one, from the question room, please.

Well, Mitch, you get to choose. It's music. First or second?

Um, I'll go first, please.

Best of luck, Mitch. First question coming your way.

Born To Hand Jive and Beauty School Dropout are songs in which musical?

Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, or Grease?

Um, do you know, those two songs don't pop into my mind as songs.

Hand Jive, er, Beauty School Dropout.

It wouldn't be Guys and Dolls.

I don't think it would be We... I think it's Grease, actually.

Yeah, it is Grease, yes.

Two of the, let's say, not front-line songs out of Grease.

And your first question, Daphne. Your favourite subject.

-1980s pop bands.

-Oh, no!

Hee, hee, hee. Try this for size.

The 1980s pop bands ABC and Heaven 17 hail from which British city?

Sheffield, Birmingham, or Liverpool?

I've got no idea.

Um, eighties pop band.

Well, I'll try the most famous one. Liverpool?

Oh dear, you REALLY don't know, do you?

-I don't know.

-I'll let Mitch tell you.

-I know the answer. They both come from Sheffield.

-Yep, Sheffield.

-Told you.

-Well, great start, Mitch.

See if you can get two-nil in the lead with this one.

The Pursuit, released in 2009,

is an album by which British male vocalist?

Jamie Cullum, Will Young, or Paolo Nutini?

I was going to say I felt really cruel choosing Daphne,

-with these difficult questions, and now

-I

-don't know. The Pursuit.

Er, Jamie Cullum's a bit jazzy. So's Will Young, a little bit.

Paolo's Scottish. I never understand any of his lyrics.

Who did The Pursuit? It's going to be a guess.

It's not Jamie Cullum, that's too jazzy.

Actually, it's not Paolo. Oh, blimey.

No, let's take a wild guess. Jamie Cullum.

Well, that was the one you ruled out first.

Swung round all of them, were about to go for Will Young, were you?

I gave away Paolo's new album the other day

and I can't remember what it's called.

And I've listened to Will Young's new album, so it's a process of elimination.

-Well, you've got it.

-Yeah?

-Well done, Mitch.

Ha, swinging around there,

but two-nil in the lead, and go through if Daphne gets this wrong.

Which musician was injured in the same car accident

that killed Eddie Cochran in 1960?

Duane Eddy, Pat Boone or Gene Vincent?

Gosh.

Um, well, it's not Pat Boone.

I think I'm going out straight away.

Um, Gene Vincent.

Is the right answer, yes.

Sweet Gene Vincent.

OK, well, Daphne's still clinging to this round,

but you put her out of her misery, Mitch, if you give me a right answer here.

Often played by military bands on occasions of departure,

the tune of the song The Girl I Left Behind Me

is also known by what name?

Is it the Torquay Trot, the Blackpool Rock, or Brighton Camp?

Hmm. Not my specialist subject, military marching band music.

Um, again, could be one of three. 33 per cent chance.

Let's say a trot or a rock.

The Girl I Left Behind. Where's Torquay?

Blackpool Rock.

Blackpool Rock, The Girl I Left Behind Me.

You haven't left Daphne behind, unfortunately.

-Daphne, it's not Blackpool Rock.

-Brighton Camp.

It is Brighton Camp.

OK, well, it's news to me. Well done.

Yeah, I wonder who thought that one up.

The Girl I Left Behind Me. Brighton Camp.

You can get back in the game, Daphne, if you get this.

No more eighties pop.

I'm searching for it, but unfortunately I have to ask the question in front of me.

Here you go. Who wrote the music for the 1902 operetta Merrie England?

Edward German, John Ireland or Benjamin Britten.

I think it's Edward German.

You've got it right. Edward German wrote the music for Merrie England.

Which means she's somehow back in it.

-She's crawled and fought and climbed back in.

-Not for long.

Mitch, we go to sudden death if it's all square after three questions,

and we remove the choices, just got to hear an answer from you.

-OK.

-Here you go.

Come On You Reds was a 1994 UK number-one single

for which football club?

Liverpool City.

No, Manchester United, what am I talking about?

-So what's your answer?

-Manchester United.

Is the right answer, yes.

You got that one, saved that just in time, yes.

I had not spoken so...

Right, Daphne, who had chart hits in the 1980s in Britain

with the singles Good Tradition and Twist In My Sobriety?

Weird titles.

Um...

Gosh, I'm trying to think of someone who sang in the eighties

and my mind's gone blank.

Michael Jackson.

I know it's wrong.

No, it's not Michael Jackson. Who is it, CJ?

-Tanita Tikaram.

-Tanita Tikaram.

Who?

Listen, we'll just leave you in ignorance there.

The 1980s is clearly something people can exploit with you

when it comes to the music round.

A real blank spot there for Daphne,

which means great news for Rent-a-Gob.

Mitch, you're in the final round, playing for the money.

Would you both please come back and join your teams.

That means that both teams have lost one brain from the final round.

And our next subject today is Food And Drink.

Who'd like to play this one?

We've got Redd, Steve or Charles.

-Do you fancy it?

-I'll give it a go.

-Yeah, sure.

-Charles.

Charles.

All right, well, two women have played, so you can play one of the chaps there.

Chris, CJ or Kevin.

-Kevin.

-Let's have Charles and Kevin into the question room, please.

Charles, well it's Food And Drink. What's your interest in that?

Eating it and drinking it.

OK, good, as I might have imagined.

-Right, do you want to go first or second?

-Oh, we'll go first.

Here you go. What type of foodstuff is the Australian damper?

Is it porridge, bread, or cheese?

What type of foodstuff is the Australian damper?

D-A-M-P-E-R.

Damper.

Well, I'm going to dismiss cheese, which is probably a mistake,

but I'll do it anyway.

I don't know, so I'm going to go for bread

on the grounds that you might use it to mop up damp things.

Probably the reason why it's called that, not.

It's the right answer, though. Damper.

And, er, Kevin, what name is commonly given to the solid form

into which inferior-quality tea is sometimes compressed?

Is it bales, boulders or bricks?

I believe they're called bricks.

They are, yes. Bricks of tea.

And Charles.

Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey

are all types of which fortified wine?

Madeira, Marsala, or Vermouth?

Right, well, several of them sound like illnesses,

but you can probably get an ointment for them.

Um, Vermouth doesn't figure, I don't think.

Well, from a narrowing field of ignorance,

I'm going to go for Marsala.

Marsala. It's not. And it's not Vermouth. It is Madeira.

Madeira. The only one I recognise there is Malmsey.

That's a kind of Falstaffian drink, isn't it?

Drowned in a pot of Malmsey.

OK, well, a chance for Kevin, believe it or not, to take the lead.

Bigoli all anatra is an Italian pasta dish

with a sauce made from which meat?

Duck, beef or lamb?

This is spelling time.

OK. Bigoli, B-I-G-O-L-I

all, A-L-L,

anatra, A-N-A-T-R-A.

Bigoli all anatra.

I think I'll go for duck.

Duck is the right answer, yeah.

-Why did you go for that? Was there a linguistic...

-Yeah, anatra.

-Anatra is duck?

-Well, it's a genus of duck.

That's why you're an Egghead.

OK, it means you need to get this, Charles.

Pastinaca sativa is the botanical name for which root vegetable?

Beetroot, parsnip or turnip.

Well, it sounds a bit like parsnip so it probably isn't that.

And no good saying,

that's a British vegetable and that dismisses it

because that's nothing to do with it

and wouldn't deter an improbable botanical name.

In for a penny, in for a turnip.

-In for a turnip?

-Mm.

OK. The Pastinaca sativa is a parsnip.

Aargh!

It's what you first thought. First instincts.

That's what Kevin's stuck with, and he's won a Food And Drink round.

No place for you in the final round, Charles. Please come back and join your teams.

Those Eggheads have crept into the lead.

Rent-a-Gob have lost two brains from the final round,

the Eggheads have lost one.

And we reach our last head-to-head before that final round.

This one's Geography, and Redd or Steve to play it.

-Ooh.

-Geography.

Oo-hoo.

-Take a shot.

-You'll take a shot?

-I'll take a shot.

-Redd's going.

-Redd's doing it. Yay.

Oh, man!

Now, choose an Egghead. It's either Chris or CJ.

CJ.

-Oh, I love the way he says that. It sounds ominous, doesn't it?

-CJ.

Let's have Redd and CJ into the question room, please.

Red, there's a bit of a London Transport sub-plot

to this edition of Eggheads.

-You worked on the tube, didn't you?

-Yeah, that's right.

I used to be a train driver many years ago, 17 years ago.

And it was doing that job that led to the job you have now.

Yeah, pretty much.

Because I was such a great train driver and I did my job meticulously,

I also made the public address announcements.

And one lucky day a television executive was on my train

when I made an announcement telling people of problems up ahead.

He was impressed with the voice and we exchanged numbers,

and 17 years later, I'm still doing what I'm doing and very happy about it.

Could you do us a trailer for this edition of Eggheads

in the scary movie kind of mode?

Five men,

one presenter,

five Eggheads.

They thought they'd win.

They thought wrong.

That's absolutely fantastic.

Something like that, you know, that's what we do.

That'll do very nicely.

Did you live in the United States for a while? The accent is...

Yeah, I lived in New York, Manhattan for the early part of my youth.

And I came here when I was 15 years old.

And now I'm a little bit older than that. Let's leave it at that.

-Yeah, we will.

-OK, Redd, let's play the round, then.

It's Geography, and you get to choose. Do you want to go first or second?

I'm going first.

First question is this.

Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding area

is sometimes referred to by what name?

The Potteries, The Factories, or The Cotton Mills?

Well, I know for sure it's not The Cotton Mills.

That's for sure.

The Factories is just not a cool name.

And The Potteries, I know it. It definitely is The Potteries.

Because I have a buddy who supports Stoke City

and he told me, hah!

So I know this. The Potteries.

Don't stop, Redd. We could listen to that all day, couldn't we?

-It's the right answer, yes. The Potteries.

-Cool.

And CJ, your first question is this.

The leisure and residential resort of Coney Island

lies on which ocean?

Atlantic, Pacific or Antarctic?

I don't care. I just want to hear Redd talk again.

Um, I think that's on the Atlantic.

And that's the right answer, yes. The Atlantic. Coney Island.

OK, Redd, second question.

What is the main unit of currency of Costa Rica?

Is it the Colon, the Peso or the Bolivar?

Costa Rica.

Oh, man.

This is going to be a guess.

I'm going for Colon.

It's the right answer, yes.

Who could disagree with a selection like that?

I'm scared to say...I'm glad you haven't got one wrong yet.

CJ, Adam's Bridge is the name given to a chain of sandbanks

lying between which two countries?

Yemen and Djibouti, India and Sri Lanka, or Mexico and Cuba?

I haven't heard this,

but the highest mountain on Sri Lanka is called Adam's Peak.

So that would be a logical choice, I suppose.

Um...

Because Adam's Peak is on Sri Lanka, I'll try India and Sri Lanka.

That's enough to get it. India and Sri Lanka is correct.

So back to you, Redd.

In which Australian state is Flinders Ranges National Park located?

Is it New South Wales, Queensland, or South Australia?

Well,

I'm trying to be logical about this.

But if you looked at my logic book, it's about so big.

Um...

Pure guess.

South Australia.

Wow! Is the right answer.

Fantastic!

South Australia is correct so CJ needs to get this.

The old fortress of Icheri Sheher

is at the centre of which modern-day city?

Baghdad, Baku or Beirut?

Um, it doesn't sound Lebanese.

It sounds further east than that.

And certainly Baghdad would have needed

a well-known fortress over the centuries, Baku less so.

I really don't know, I'm going to guess at Baghdad.

Baghdad. Eggheads, have you heard of it?

-Baku.

-It's Baku.

Which means, Redd, you're in the final round. Great round.

Look at that, unblemished. Three out of three.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Fantastic round there by Redd,

and Redd, Judith's got a question for you.

Yeah, I want to know if you sing as well?

I can sing for you, baby, I've just won that round.

I can sing for anybody.

This is what we've been playing towards. It's time for the final round, as always, General Knowledge.

But I'm afraid those of you who lost those head-to-heads can't take part.

So Jon and Charles from Rent-a-Gob and CJ and Daphne from the Eggheads,

would you leave the studio, please?

So Redd, Steve and Mitch, you're playing to win Rent-a-Gob £10,000 for your chosen charity.

Judith, Kevin and Chris,

you're playing for something money can't buy, the Eggheads' reputation.

I'll ask each team three questions in turn.

It's General Knowledge, so anything can come up. You can confer.

So Redd, Steve and Mitch, the question is,

are your three brains better than the Eggheads' three brains?

Would you like to go first or second?

-First.

-Well, by tradition, we should go first.

-First.

-We'll go first.

It's a long time since a celebrity team won. Let's see what you can do.

£10,000 here, and your first question.

What is the name of the yodelling cowgirl voiced by Joan Cusack

in the 1999 animated film Toy Story 2?

Is it Lucy, Stacey, or Jessie?

-I haven't seen it.

-Um, well, he hasn't seen it.

-Redd?

-I think my 11-year-old would kill me if I didn't say Jessie.

-Oh.

-The cowgirl.

Did you do the trailer for that, Redd? You can't remember.

No, I didn't do that one. No.

Jessie.

It's the right answer, yes.

Jessie, yodelling cowgirl.

OK, Eggheads. Which computer game character

often has to rescue Princess Peach

from the clutches of the evil Bowser?

Is it Mario, Sonic or Lara Croft?

-It's Mario.

-It's Mario, isn't it?

Yeah, Super Mario. Agreed on Mario?

I don't know.

Well, that's the Italian plumber Mario.

Super Mario is correct, yes.

One each, back to Rent-a-Gob.

What type of creature was Apis,

an animal deity worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians?

A bull, a cobra or a hawk?

I'd say snake.

I...What do you think?

-I think cobra.

-I think cobra. It feels right, snakey things, yeah.

Ancient Egypt, yeah.

Unless a hawk?

-No, cobra.

-If it's cobra or a hawk, we know that much.

That much we know.

The majority opinion

seems to be cobra.

OK. Snakey. Eggheads?

-Bull.

-Ah, it's a bull.

-Oh, no.

-It's a bull.

Which was third, I think, on your list. Some comfort, perhaps.

Eggheads' chance for the lead, then.

American athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee won three Olympic gold medals.

Two for the heptathlon, one for which other event?

400m hurdles, 200m or long jump?

Yeah, I'm just making sure,

cos obviously being a heptathlete,

she was pretty versatile, but yeah, she was a long jumper as well.

-Go for long jump?

-Yeah.

That's the long jump, Dermot.

Long jump? It's part of the heptathlon, isn't it?

Is the right answer, Eggheads, yes.

So you've got to get this, Rent-a-Gob.

In the 19th and 20th centuries,

five generations of the Martineau family

served as Mayor or Lord Mayor of which English city?

London, Birmingham or Liverpool?

Yeah, is there anywhere...

Anywhere in either Birmingham or Liverpool

called Martineau something?

Not that I know of.

Martineau Road, Martineau Gallery,

Martineau Multi-storey Car Park?

Isn't there a road in London?

I really haven't... Nothing's jumping out at me, Steve.

They sound French, don't they?

Which of those is the most French sort of city?

-London, I suppose.

-Is that a clue?

Yeah, well, we're going to have to take a guess.

-What shall we guess?

-Well, if I get it wrong...

-Just say, because we don't know.

-Liverpool.

-We'll say Liverpool.

The Martineaus,

Mayor or Lord Mayor of Liverpool.

It's not the right answer. Do you know, Eggheads?

-Birmingham.

-It's not London so...

It's Birmingham.

Any Martineau Squares or Places?

I don't know Birmingham, I'm afraid.

I'm sure the people of Birmingham will be telling us soon.

The answer is Birmingham,

which means, Eggheads, you've won.

Well, the Eggheads have taken the quizzing honours,

but you've taken the entertainment honours by a long shot.

Thank you so much for sparing time in your busy schedules

to come and entertain us so royally today.

And quiz so well, you in particular there, Redd.

Fantastic head-to-head there.

And wasn't it great to put faces to those voices

that are part of the fabric of our everyday lives?

It's been absolutely wonderful having you here. We have been privileged.

But those Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

I'm afraid you haven't won the £10,000,

so that money will go to Children In Need to add to this year's appeal.

Eggheads, congratulations. Who will beat you?

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

can defeat our Eggheads. Until then, goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]