Episode 1 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, the show where

a team of five quiz challengers pit their wits against possibly

the greatest quiz team in Britain.

They are the Eggheads.

And taking on our legendary quiz Goliaths today

are No Disgrace in 2nd Place. Now, it's fair to say that

those of us who love sport admire the work of the guys in this team.

Perhaps you might not instantly recognise their faces,

but you'll certainly recognise their voices, from the commentary,

reporting and, in Rob's case, the master of ceremonies work they do

on some of the world's biggest sporting events.

So, Rob, would you do the honours, please?

Thank you, Dermot.

Ladies and gentlemen, taking on the might of the Eggheads -

Will they crack? We hope so! - we are No Disgrace in 2nd Place!

DERMOT LAUGHS

Let's meet the team.

Hello, I'm Rob Walker, I commentate on athletics, report on all sorts

and sometimes MC on snooker.

Hi, I'm Lee McKenzie. I'm a pit lane reporter

and presenter on BBC's Formula One show.

Hello, I'm Mitch Fenner and I commentate on gymnastics for BBC.

Hi, I'm Karen Pickering, former international swimmer

and I commentate on swimming and diving.

Hello, I'm Andrew Cotter, I commentate on many sports,

but I specialise in golf and rugby.

OK, well, thank you very much for that, Rob.

That's a nice way of doing introductions.

Maybe we'll introduce that for the regular games.

You can just stay over my shoulder and pop up. It'd be fantastic.

That's a bit defeatist, the team name?

-No Disgrace in 2nd Place?

-LAUGHTER

There is in this game! There's no money for second place.

It's just realism, realism rather than pessimism, I think.

But you report on the sporting events, you know, these coaches

and the competitors, they say, "There's first, or you've lost."

That's why we talk about it and don't do it!

OK, are you prepared, though? Have you been talking amongst yourselves,

thinking of categories and which Egghead you might play?

We've definitely been talking amongst ourselves.

Yeah, we were strongly hoping that, er, that sport might appear,

but then, if we do sport, and it all goes wrong,

-then we can never go back to our jobs.

-I know.

-We've ruled out more categories than we've taken on.

-OK!

Let's see what categories come up. Let's play the game.

Because, every day, there's £1,000 worth of cash up for grabs

for our challengers' chosen charity. However, if they fail to defeat

the Eggheads, the prize-money rolls over to the next show.

So, No Disgrace in 2nd Place,

as this is the first of our celebrity specials,

£1,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

And our first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Food & Drink.

-Who'd like to start us?

-ROB: We talked about this.

-Who fancied it?

-But we also know that one of the strongest

is supposed to be Kevin and, apparently,

his weakness is that he doesn't even own a cooker.

-Food & Drink is his Achilles heel.

-Right.

-Big clue.

-Right, so...

-We know who we're taking on, but who's doing it?

Well, it was...it was one of the ones I fancied more than the others.

Put it that way. I wouldn't say it was a specialist subject of mine...

This'll be a mighty collision, fantastic.

You can get us off to a winning start. Come on!

-Give it a go. All right, I'll do it.

-Straight out of the box!

-And Kevin.

-For the team.

OK, Karen and Kevin and they're bigging up your chances, Karen.

And I like all that research you've done, Andrew,

-like the good well-prepared commentator you are.

-Absolutely!

It could all be a lie, but no, absolutely,

fail to prepare, prepare to fail, so Kevin's going down, possibly.

Well, sorry, you did the research

and Karen takes on the responsibility.

Passes it over nicely. It's all about teamwork.

OK, well, let's have Karen and Kevin

into the Question Room, please, to make sure you can't confer.

Well, Karen, it's so good to have you all here.

I mean, you all have so many different backgrounds and expertise

in terms of the sports you commentate on, but of course,

you were a world champion in the sport you commentate on.

Did you find that transition an easy one?

Um, actually, it wasn't too bad and I think that I just loved the fact

that I could still go to the major championships and still be involved,

um, in the sport that I love and, actually, it's so much easier

talking about it than doing it, so it's a bit of a dream job, actually.

-Yes, a lot of nodding going on...

-THEY LAUGH

..from your colleagues here. OK, and you get to choose,

as the challenger, do you want to go first or second?

I'm going to go first, I think, I'm going to pile on the pressure.

OK, first question - what is the name of the baking technique

in which flour and butter are mixed using the fingertips

to give the consistency of breadcrumbs?

Well, um, I'm assuming it's not folding in,

because you aren't doing any folding.

Pretty sure you don't break in,

so I'm going to go with rubbing in, as a guess.

It is the right answer, well done, rubbing in! You have one.

And, Kevin...

What type of fabric shares its name

with a light cake made with stiffly beaten egg whites?

A light cake made with stiffly beaten egg whites?

-Yeah, precisely.

-Yeah.

I can't see anything like that being called a seersucker,

-and linen sounds odd too, so I'm going chiffon.

-Chiffon.

Is the right answer. Yes, Kevin,

you've got one there too and back to Karen.

The gaiwan, invented in China, is a lidded bowl used for serving what?

Um, I don't think it's going to be tea, cos that's probably a teapot.

A lidded bowl...

I'm going to guess it's seaweed.

OK, seaweed for the gaiwan lidded bowl used for serving...

tea!

-THEY GROAN

-It's tea!

What's wrong with a good old teapot?

I suppose it is a kind of one.

Um, Kevin, your second question -

gypsy tart, a dessert made from pastry with evaporated milk filling

is a dish originating in which county?

HE LAUGHS

It's one of these regional British speciality questions, isn't it?

I hate these.

Never heard of it.

Well, I can't, it could literally be any of them, couldn't it, really?

Um, so I'll try Kent.

It's the right answer.

-Well, at least we know it was a pure guess...

-Yeah.

You landed yours and, unfortunately, Karen didn't land hers.

Well, another question each and you need to get this one, Karen.

What type of food is the traditional Jewish recipe cholent?

No idea.

So this is going to be a guess.

I'm sort of drawn towards a savoury pancake, but I don't really know why.

I'm going to guess at that. A savoury pancake.

-It's a meat stew, Karen!

-Oh!

-Sorry!

-Bad luck.

You did start so well, Karen,

but no place in the final round. Come back and join your teams.

No Disgrace in 2nd Place, you've lost one brain from the final round.

The Eggheads are all there, but we've only played one round,

of course, so we'll play another one, which is Sport!

-LAUGHTER

-Sport!

Who wants to do it?

We definitely said that we want to save you for the general knowledge.

For sitting on my own being humiliated, yes.

All right, look, we're going to be expected to win.

Who do we take on?

-Well, I'm looking at him.

-No, who do we take on?!

-No, who do we take on?

-Take on?

-Chris?

-I would say Chris. Yeah, I'd say Chris.

-Go for it.

Go on, Rob.

-OK.

-Rob and Chris.

- Rob! - We're going to go for Chris.

It'll be Rob and Chris heading for the Question Room, please.

So, Rob, the commentating and MCing, snooker, boxing,

sailing, triathlon, is there anything I've left out?

A bit of athletics as well, that's probably my number one love,

-the athletics.

-That is?

What about, um, sports you actually participate in,

or don't you? Tell me.

No, I'm a runner. When you're tall and thin and lanky,

with not much co-ordination, there aren't many sports available to you,

but I absolutely love running, it's the thing that got me into

wanting to be a sports journalist and broadcaster in the first place.

I've done a few marathons,

but sadly, not as quick as the likes of Paula Radcliffe

or Haile Gebrselassie. DERMOT LAUGHS

But I bet you were no slouch?

Not bad. The highest level I got to was county champion

at 1,500m and cross-country. And then I quickly realised that

I was maybe a little bit better at talking than I was at running,

so I just keep it going on a recreational basis.

OK, right, let's see what it takes to win this round - Sport -

well, you said it before you started, all of you,

there's a lot of pressure on whoever plays it.

That means you, Rob. Do you want to go first or second?

Oh, thanks very much! I've got to go first.

OK, first question, then, is this -

the phrase "park the bus" is particularly associated with sport?

Oh, dear, right, this is an interesting one.

I don't know a huge amount about football, but I have watched

a reasonable amount in the last 10 or 15 years and I can't think

I've ever heard a commentator use that expression for football.

I've got a slight gut instinct

that it just sounds like something that an American might say,

which is leaning me towards baseball, "park the bus".

I'm just getting images of somebody smashing a home run

and someone with an American accent shouting from the crowd,

"Park the bus, man, take it home!" Or something like that!

So, look, it's ever such a slight guess.

-I'm going to go for baseball.

-OK, well, you've convinced me...

LAUGHTER

That's a very, very good explanation.

-It's not the right answer, Rob.

-Oh, no!

It's, um, football.

Football. Um, so nothing there for Rob and a chance

for an early lead, then, Chris.

In golf, what name is usually given to a hole that,

owing to its characteristics or style,

particularly defines a specific course?

Well, the 19th hole is the bar in the clubhouse.

A dogleg hole is what it says.

You know, a hole you've got to go around the corner to get to,

so it's got to be the signature hole of the course.

It is, yes, so you have that lead.

Right, Rob, let's get you off the mark.

Saeed bin Suroor, born in Dubai in the late 1960s,

found fame as a leading figure in which sport?

OK, well, I've covered the sailing in China in 2008

and I covered the sailing in Weymouth.

And I hadn't covered it before that, but I did do a little bit

of retrospective history and I don't remember that name from sailing,

though I could be wrong.

Now, I know horse racing has some big followers in that part of the world,

so I'm tempted to lean towards that.

Again, I'm not a massive expert in motor racing,

but my instinct is leaning me more towards A,

towards horse racing, than the other two.

But after my mistake in the first round, I'm not so confident,

but I've got to go with something, so I'm going to say horse racing.

OK, confidence knocked, needs to score...

Under a lot of pressure.

-You got it!

-Yes, come on! DERMOT LAUGHS

You know what? I think, if Eggheads ever did have a commentary,

as you're thinking about the questions, we should have

Rob in the background going, "Daphne's thinking about it!"

OK, er, well, you have won there, that's good.

And hope Chris slips up

in one of his next two. Chris, which team won seven consecutive

county cricket championship titles between 1952 and 1958?

I don't think it was Middlesex, cos most of that time I was living

in Middlesex and I don't remember much furore about the cricket team.

Don't think it was Surrey, but, um...

We're talking about the Fred Trueman era, aren't we?

So it's got to be Yorkshire.

-Yorkshire?

-Mm-hm.

-Is it, Barry?

Sadly, it wasn't. They should've done, but it wasn't. It was Surrey.

-Yeah, you've knocked your own bails off, it's Surrey.

-Oh.

It is Surrey. Well, look at that, Rob!

Right back in it, everything to play for, let's see if you get this

and you just might win the round.

Which English Rugby Union international

was named Player Of The Season in France in 2012

after moving there to play in 2011?

Right, now, Cipriani has had his fair share of spells at a lot of clubs.

But I'm pretty sure he has spent his time

outside the UK playing down under.

That didn't necessarily go so well for him.

I remember reading some headlines, so I'm going to rule out Cipriani.

I'm going to put my money on the golden boy, that winning kick, 2003,

is it going to be a winning kick for me if it is? It's Jonny Wilkinson!

LAUGHTER

You've done your own self commentary there, that's good.

-It's not the right answer, though, Rob!

-Oh, no!

I'd love to give you a point for that commentary.

It is Steffon Armitage!

-Not Jonny Wilkinson.

-Oh!

-Not Jonny Wilkinson.

-Oh!

-Which means Chris has a chance here

to take the round. Chris...

The Briton, Allan Jay,

won two Olympic silver medals in 1960 in which sport?

'60? That was, hmm...

I was 13.

I don't think it was table tennis.

I don't think it was badminton. I seem to remember something

about somebody doing something with fencing, so fencing.

Fencing is the right answer, Chris!

You have done it!

Bad luck, Rob. Oh, well, you'll just have to come back

and captain the team, help them with their selections,

no place for you, though, in the final round.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Well, um, if you keep going like this, your wish will become true,

-No Disgrace in 2nd Place!

-HE LAUGHS

-We might even get third, actually!

-Yeah, well, that would be a novelty!

Um, no victories yet, so two brains missing from the final round.

The Eggheads are all still there.

Let's move on to our third subject and it's Politics now.

Who wants to play this? And, remember,

Rob and Karen have played, so we've got Lee, Mitch or Andrew.

-Well, it's you or me.

-I would suggest you.

-Me?

-If you do history...

-OK.

-Shall we have a vote on it?

-I'll have a go. I'll have a go.

-ROB: I think Mitch.

-There you go, Mitch!

I'm voted in, OK. I'll go for it.

Your choices are Barry, Daphne or Dave.

I think I'll go for Dave.

OK. Mitch and Dave playing this one. Into the Question Room, please.

And, Mitch. Gymnastics.

Listening to you during the wonderful Olympic commentary,

such a technical sport, of course,

and so many people want to watch it, understand what's going on,

but, of course, have no idea how you score who is better than the other.

I was very impressed by the way you brought the viewer along with you,

just salting in, "Watch out for this, look for that.

"They can score on this."

Do you deliberately do that or does that just naturally come to you?

I think it's a natural thing.

Basically, when people are looking at it,

they know what looks good and they also know what looks dangerous.

And I think it's getting that balance right.

Whenever I see a gymnast perform, I'm always impressed

and I want everyone else to be impressed. It's so difficult!

And when they do it well, as well as being difficult, it's just worth...

Every time I see a performance, I'm impressed.

-And I try and convey that.

-Right, Mitch, let's play the round.

It's Politics. Do you want to go first or second?

I might as well go first.

Best of luck, Mitch. First question.

Yvette Cooper became an MP for which political party in 1997?

It's not a name I know.

I'm not a big fan of politics.

I drew the short straw for this round.

So, it's going to be pure guesswork.

All the other questions have been in the middle or on the right,

so I'm going to go on the left and say Liberal Democrat.

OK, the Liberal Democrat Yvette Cooper.

Well, there's an image.

Dave, you're shaking your head.

Yes, it's Labour.

Cos she's married to Ed Balls.

Yes, Yvette Cooper is Labour,

but not a Lib Dem, as Mitch thought.

So, Dave, your question.

Who was John Major's Deputy Prime Minister from 1995 to 1997?

Don't think it was Norman Lamont.

They didn't exactly end on good terms.

I don't think it was Douglas Hurd.

I think it's Michael Heseltine was the First Minister.

Deputy Prime Minister. Yes, that's the right answer.

So, you've got a point.

And Mitch, how many children do Bill and Hillary Clinton have?

Well, I've only heard one mentioned.

Chelsea, I think.

The others have either been very, very careful

about their private lives or...

No, I'm going to say one. Chelsea.

OK, one child for Bill and Hillary Clinton, naming her as well.

It is the right answer. Yes, Chelsea.

OK, your second question, Dave.

Who was president of the USA

after Franklin Pierce and before Abraham Lincoln? Is it...

I think that's James Buchanan.

OK. That is the right answer.

Yes, James Buchanan. There we are.

Well, Mitch, you're on the board

and you need to get this one on the board, as well.

Who came third in the 2012 London mayoral election?

Erm... Being a Cornishman,

I've not got a lot of interest in London politics.

I'm not really interested in politics, actually.

But, anyway, it's going to be another guess.

Brian Paddick.

Brian Paddick, you think.

-It was Jenny Jones.

-Aww!

-Jenny Jones.

Good performance from the Green Party.

And it means your round is over, Mitch.

You're not in the final round.

Would you both please come back and join your teams.

The plan's working fantastically!

LAUGHTER

Missing three brains now from the final round.

The Eggheads haven't lost any.

Last chance to get rid of one of them

or Lee or Andrew will be on their own.

Now, it's one of you to play this Music round.

The plan was to save Andrew till the end.

Yeah.

So, I will take the Music.

-Come on, Lee, yes!

-Come on, Lee!

Who shall I go against?

You've got Daphne or Barry remaining there.

I think I'd like to play against Daphne, please.

Why so, Lee? Why do you want to take on Daphne?

Erm... This is the first thing

I have no actual basis for,

but I just think I like watching the programme and I always like Daphne.

Yeah! We all love Daphne.

And my husband adores Lee.

He watches motor racing.

-Just a love-in here.

-There we are! Absolutely.

I'd hate you to let your husband down,

so maybe you could be lenient with some of your answers.

LAUGHTER

OK, continue those negotiations in the Question Room, please,

Lee and Daphne!

Well, Lee, I bet you hear this all the time, but I'm going to say it.

Call that a job?

SHE LAUGHS

I mean, travelling the world, Formula 1. How hard is that?

-I know, I know, it is hard.

-It's harder than people would imagine.

I'm not giving a sob story, but we do go to over 20 countries.

I go to over 20 countries. Jetlag is a bit of a problem.

Yeah. Lee, would you like to go first or second?

It's been so successful for the past few rounds,

I think I'm going to go first.

And your first question, Lee.

Which Adele song starts with the lyrics

"There's a fire starting in my heart,

"reaching a fever pitch, it's bring me out the dark"? Is it...

I do a lot of karaoke in hotel rooms round the world.

I think this one's Rolling in the Deep.

And how are the drivers at singing? Who's the best?

I have done some karaoke with some of the drivers.

-Sebastian Vettel's learning to play the guitar at the moment.

-Is he, now?

And he's a huge Beatles fan. So he always does that at karaoke.

Mark Webber always does Summer of '69, but we've all heard

that for about ten years now, so he needs to find a new song.

OK. And, let me confirm, Rolling in the Deep is the correct answer.

Well done, Lee.

And Daphne, what was the Spice nickname of

Spice Girl's member Mel B?

She was Scary Spice.

I quite like Swanky.

Would have been a good one.

Scary is the right answer.

Back to Lee.

In 2012, who won the first series of The Voice UK?

Well, Leona Lewis and Joe McElderry were both on X Factor,

so that would leave me with Leanne Mitchell.

Yeah, simply worked out.

Well done. It's the right answer. Leanne Mitchell.

And, Daphne, This is the Day by John Rutter

was commissioned for the wedding of which member of the Royal family?

-Prince William.

-The most recent one.

-Yes.

-It's the right answer.

Prince William. OK, all square. This is a good round.

Lee, the song Apres un reve, or After a Dream,

is one of the best known vocal works by which French composer? Is it...

I don't know this one.

Debussy, I think that was mostly

piano work, but it doesn't mean to say

that vocals didn't get put on to something.

Erm...

To be honest, it's just going to be a guess.

I'll go straight down the middle,

-Faure.

-Faure.

It's correct!

Yes!

Well. Can you make it?

Daphne, which singer known as the father of country music wrote

TB Blues, having struggled with the disease for several years?

Is it...

I think Hank Williams died comparatively young.

So maybe it's Hank Williams.

-Is that your answer?

-I don't know.

Hank Williams.

Well, you've just made your husband very happy.

Lee's still in the game.

You're out! It's Jimmie Rodgers.

Oh, right.

Jimmie Rogers. There we are.

Last time of asking and you got through!

And Andrew a very relieved man, I think.

He's not going to be there on his own facing the Eggheads.

OK, Lee, come back into the studio

and prepare yourself for the Final Round.

And so, this is what we've been playing towards.

It's time for the Final Round,

which, as always, is General Knowledge.

But, I'm afraid those of you who lost those head-to-heads won't be

allowed to take part in this round.

So, Rob, Mitch and Karen, from No Disgrace in 2nd Place,

and Daphne from the Eggheads, would you all leave the studio, please.

So, Lee and Andrew, you're playing to win

No Disgrace in 2nd Place a thousand pounds.

Kevin, Dave, Chris and Barry,

you're playing for something which money cannot buy.

It is the Eggheads' reputation.

Now, as usual, I'll ask each team three questions in turn.

This time, the questions are all general knowledge.

That's one of the differences from those head-to-heads.

The other big one is that you are allowed to confer, which is

why Lee's victory was so important in that last head-to-head.

So, No Disgrace in 2nd Place, the question is,

are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four?

Lee and Andrew, one last thing to decide.

Do you want to go first or second?

There's been a theme, we've gone first all the way through.

We'll go first? We'll go first. Get it over with quickly.

Get it over with quickly. You mean three correct answers,

the Eggheads get one wrong, you've got the money.

OK, first question is this.

In the United States, greenback is a nickname for what?

In the United States,

greenback is a nickname for what?

Well, I think it's dollar bill.

-Simple as that.

-Yeah?

Both been over there plenty of times, I suppose.

Without any greenbacks at all.

LAUGHTER

It is the right answer.

The greenback. Dollar bill.

Eggheads, what name is the English equivalent

of the French name Guillaume? Is it...

-William.

-The Conqueror was William.

-Yeah.

I think William the Conqueror was a Guillaume, so it must be William.

It is William, yes.

One to you and back to No Disgrace in 2nd Place,

then, and second question.

La Monnaie is one of the names of the main opera house

in which European city?

La Monnaie. M-O-N-N-A-I-E.

-Well, it's French.

-Brussels or Geneva?

Brussels or Geneva,

but I would go with Geneva.

For some reason, we think Geneva's

a more cultured place than

Brussels, despite all those MEPs.

-I don't know. Geneva?

-I think Geneva.

-Geneva.

-OK, Geneva.

No, Brussels.

It's Brussels. Full of MEPs, yeah.

La Monnaie in Brussels.

So, Eggheads, what is the name of the creepy pub where the

backpackers David and Jack seek refuge

in the film An American Werewolf in London?

Is it...

The Slaughtered Lamb.

This is that wonderful pub where, the moment they walk in,

all of the locals immediately clam up and go silent.

Makes you feel really welcome.

It's The Slaughtered Lamb.

The answer is The Slaughtered Lamb!

It's the correct answer, Eggheads.

So, you have that lead and

Lee and Andrew need this.

What is the title of the sequel to the 1925 book

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos?

Is it...

It's not Gentlemen Always Lie.

He said confidently,

with no base for that at all.

I thought it was something to do with brunettes

subsequently in their lives.

After they've had a whale of a time with the blondes.

But I want a stay of execution.

I want us to be here a little bit longer,

enjoy this moment, before we lose.

I think it's Gentlemen Marry Brunettes. Are you happy with that?

-Yeah.

-Being a brunette?

-Yeah, I was going to say,

I wasn't sure when you said about them having fun with the blondes.

They have tremendous fun with brunettes, too.

We don't want to have a team domestic at this stage of the day.

-They'd have a whale of a time with the brunettes, as well.

-Brunettes.

Gentlemen Marry Brunettes.

OK, being very diplomatic. Wanting a stay of execution.

You've got one, because you've got the right answer. Yes.

But gentlemen marry brunettes.

But, is it only temporary?

The Eggheads have a chance to win the game here!

Which city is the capital of the Italian region of Umbria?

Is it...

-ALL:

-Perugia.

-All agree?

Assisi's too small,

Orvieto's too small.

Umbria, I believe,

a mountainous area of Italy

and I believe that Perugia

is the capital.

Grr! It is the right answer,

Eggheads, you've won!

Well, it came to pass, but there is No Disgrace in 2nd Place.

-Well, a little bit.

-No, there is not!

Not the way you played it. Not the attitude, the fun,

the stories you've told us.

It's been absolutely fantastic

having them here, isn't it, Eggheads?

Absolutely great. Thank you all.

Those of you still in the studio, particularly Lee,

who won through in that magnificent head-to-head against Daphne

and you three there, sitting in the Question Room.

Thank you very much for your efforts, too.

But, the Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

They reign supreme over quiz land.

I'm afraid you haven't won the thousand pounds.

That means the money rolls over to the next show.

So, Eggheads, congratulations. Who will beat you?

And join us next time to see if a team of familiar faces from

the world of returning dramas have the brains to defeat our Eggheads.

£2,000 says they don't. Until then, goodbye!

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