Episode 132 Eggheads

These people are amongst the greatest quiz players in Britain.

Together, they make up the Eggheads,

arguably the most formidable quiz team in the country.

The question is, can they be beaten?

Welcome to Eggheads, the show where a team of five quiz challengers

attempt to beat possibly the greatest quiz team in Britain.

Their quiz pedigree is well known, as they have won some of the country's toughest quiz shows.

They are the Eggheads.

And taking on the awesome might of the Eggheads today

are the Busy Ladies from Hampshire.

This team are members of the Andover Women in Business Club.

As well as providing help and support, the club functions

as a networking tool for the busy businesswomen of Andover.

So let's meet them.

Hello, I'm Hannah. I'm 32 years old and I'm a florist.

Hello, I'm Caroline. I'm 57 and a self-employed craftswoman.

Hello, I'm Claire. I'm 40 and I'm a textile accessory designer.

Hello, I'm Lynn. I'm 54 and I'm a magazine editor.

Hello, I'm Vera. I'm 72 and I'm an actor and writer.

So welcome, Busy Ladies. Welcome Hannah and your crew.

-Thank you.

-And I sense that if

you were all ever to leave Andover, the place would collapse.

Probably fall apart without us!

-And Vera, you're fascinating, because you write plays...

-Yes.

-..for productions?

-Yes, for our own small production company.

-Where does that show?

-All across the south of England

for clubs and societies, WIs, U3As, that sort of thing.

-So, we've got a very busy team here.

-Oh, yes.

-Good luck to you all.

£1,000 worth of cash up for grabs every day for our challengers.

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

Busy Ladies, the Eggheads have won the last 10 games,

which means £11,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

First head-to-head battle is on the subject of Film & TV.

Busy Ladies, who wants this?

You going to do it?

-Yeah. I'll do it, yeah.

-Hannah.

Film & TV against which Egghead?

-You've got the classic line-up here.

-I'm going to go against Judith.

So Hannah, our florist from the Busy Ladies, against Judith from the Eggheads.

So there's no conferring, please go to the Question Room.

So, I'll ask each of you three multiple choice questions

on Film & TV in turn.

Whoever answers the most questions correctly is the winner.

Hannah, you can choose the first or second set.

I'll go first, Jeremy.

Here we go,

Film & TV. Good luck, Hannah.

Which actor played the role of Mitch Buchannon

in the American TV series Baywatch?

That is David Hasselhoff.

The Hoff is the correct answer.

Still very popular.

Judith, in which year were the films Bad Boys, Crimson Tide

and Toy Story released?

Erm...I think it's...

..well, it's definitely not 1985.

I just don't know whether it's '95 or 2005,

because life passes so fast.

Erm...I think it's erm...

'95.

1995 is the right answer. Well done, Judith. Good guess.

Hannah, your question.

Who became the first Spanish woman

in history to receive a Best Actress Academy Award nomination

for her performance in the 2006 film Volver?

I'm just thinking back to the film. Erm...

2006.

I'm going to go for...Penelope Cruz.

-Is she right, Eggheads?

-She is indeed.

You are. Well done.

Judith, your question.

Fred Savage played the role of Kevin Arnold

in which TV comedy series between 1988 and 1993?

I don't know. Whatever it was, I didn't watch it.

Erm...what about Roseanne?

What about...

The Wonder Years?

Oh, no.

-Yes.

-Oh...

-Roseanne is wrong.

-The Wonder Years is right.

-A bit tricky there, because

the character's name is Kevin Arnold

and Rosanne's surname was Arnold.

-That was what you were thinking of, Judith?

-What was I thinking of?

With your logic and deduction,

you were thinking of the fact that Roseanne's surname was Arnold.

Oh, really? Perhaps I was.

You were, Judith! You were.

So Hannah, if you get this right -

well, we mustn't say it in front of Judith, she gets very upset -

but a bad thing will happen to the Egghead.

JEREMY CHUCKLES

Hannah, what is the name of the son

of the fictional character Alan Partridge?

Now...

Alan Partridge...

I believe it's Fernando.

OK...

It is Fernando. You are in the final. Well done.

Judith, you can't catch up now,

so we'll have to leave this round there.

Sorry, you've been knocked out. Please both of you come back to the studio.

So, one for the Busy Ladies.

You lost no brains from the final round so far,

the Eggheads have lost one brain.

The next subject is History.

Which of our Busy Ladies would like this?

Can you do History, Caroline?

-No, I can't.

-You can?

-I can give it a go.

-Give it a go.

Because it was between you and Lynn, wasn't it?

-Go for it, Lynn, yeah?

-OK.

We're going to go for Lynn.

Lynn...against?

-Go for Chris.

-You choose.

-Yes. You choose.

-No, you choose.

-Go for Chris, then.

All right.

-We're going to go for Chris.

-OK.

Lynn from the Busy Ladies... A long negotiation there.

Chris from the Eggheads on History,

and to ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions.

-Good luck in this round.

-Thank you.

-First or second set of questions?

-Oh...I'll go first.

Lynn, here's your question.

What name, Lynn, was given to

the members of the wealthy aristocratic class in Ancient Rome?

Oh. Mm...

Well, not Plebeians.

I've never heard of Praetorians,

so I'll go for Patricians.

Patricians is spot on, Lynn. Well done.

Chris, your question.

Who was the first King of England of the Yorkist Plantagenet line?

Well, William II was William Rufus. He was a Norman.

And Charles II was a Stuart. So it's Edward IV.

Edward IV is the right answer.

Your question, Lynn.

Joan of Arc was executed in which city in 1431?

Erm...I think that's Rouen?

Lynn, well done. Rouen is the correct answer.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

Chris, your question.

In which country was the explorer Ferdinand Magellan born

in about 1480?

Magellan was Portuguese. So it's Portugal.

Portugal is correct.

Famous for?

Well, he was in charge of the first circumnavigation of the globe.

He didn't live to complete it, he died in the Philippines.

Lynn, your question.

What is the name of the ship that in 1805 brought to Britain the news

of Nelson's victory and death at Trafalgar,

but was then grounded and wrecked off Cadiz in 1808?

Well, HMS Pickle sounds very unlikely.

Probably be the one, but it sounds unlikely.

Erm... So between Potter and Piper I'm going to go for Piper.

Vera, do you know? You looked certain for a second.

I didn't think it was Potter

and I didn't think it was Pickle, so I thought it was Piper.

But I may be wrong.

No, it is Pickle.

It is Pickle? Well, I'm blowed.

HMS Pickle is the answer, not Piper.

Chris, which member

of the Pankhurst family, famous for making advances in female suffrage,

moved to work in Ethiopia at the age of 74 and died there in 1960?

Well, Emmeline was the famous Mrs Pankhurst of the suffrage movement.

So it's not her.

Er...

Was it Christabel, was it Sylvia? They were Emmeline's daughters.

I think it was Sylvia who went to Ethiopia, because Christabel

was active in British politics as late as the '30s.

So I'll say Sylvia.

Sylvia is the right answer, Chris.

Well done. You know your Pankhursts.

Eggheads have won that round,

Chris will be in the final.

Lynn, sorry - you were beaten there.

-Very knowledgeable, he is.

-Indeed.

You won't be supporting your team in the final. Please both rejoin your team-mates.

So, as it stands, the Busy Ladies have lost one brain from the final round,

the Eggheads have lost one brain as well. Level pegging.

Next subject is Arts & Books.

I think there's going to be a fight for who wants this one.

-Caroline's going to do that. ..Aren't you?

-Yeah.

-Caroline.

-Caroline.

Caroline. Against...?

We're going to go for CJ.

At least it's not Sport.

Caroline from the Busy Ladies

against CJ from the Eggheads. Please go to the Question Room now.

CJ, your strongest areas, in Arts & Books?

All those that don't involve the arts or the books.

But you like books with pictures in, I assume?

Especially if I can colour them in, yes.

Three questions on Arts & Books in turn. Caroline,

-first or second set?

-I'll go first, please.

Here we go. Although he was born in New York City,

Frank McCourt's prize-winning book Angela's Ashes

is predominantly about his upbringing in which country?

Well, I haven't read the book, but I have heard about the film.

And I believe it's Ireland.

You are absolutely right. Well done.

Over to you, CJ.

Captain Cat and Myfanwy Price are characters in which 20th-century work?

That is Under Milk Wood.

You got it right, CJ, Under Milk Wood. One each.

Back to you, Caroline.

"Man hands on misery to man. It deepens like a coastal shelf.

"Get out as early as you can, And don't have any kids yourself."

are lines from a work by which 20th-century poet?

Well, I studied Keats at Literature,

erm...

and it's obviously a more modern piece.

Erm...

I'm going to take a flyer,

and say Philip Larkin.

It's more than a flyer, it's the right answer. Philip Larkin.

CJ,

which Shakespeare play ends with a statue of Queen Hermione

appearing to come to life, only for it to be revealed

that she is the real Hermione, who was thought dead for the last 16 years?

I have no idea. You know I know very little about Shakespeare.

Oh, dear.

There's something nagging me about Timon Of Athens,

although I've never read the play...

that...the King's being punished, I think.

I can't remember The Winter's Tale although I read it at A-level.

I don't know, but I'm going to go

for Timon Of Athens.

-Daphne...?

-Winter's Tale.

-Oh.

-CJ, you're wrong.

Winter's Tale, it was.

Fallen behind.

So if you get this right, Caroline,

you will have taken him on the curve.

What is the predominant colour in Klimt's painting The Kiss?

It's Gustav Klimt,

and I'm trying very hard to picture it in my mind.

And...I think it's gold.

You're right. Absolutely right.

So CJ, you've been knocked out. There's no way back.

Well done to our challenger,

good news for the Busy Ladies,

cos Caroline will be able to play in today's final round. Do come back to us.

So as it stands, the Busy Ladies have lost one brain

from the final round, the Eggheads have lost two brains.

-Last subject is Sport.

-Oh! I knew it would be.

Is this... Have we prearranged this one?

Yeah. This is definitely my worst subject.

Claire, OK. And you're going to take on...who?

-Kevin?

-Oh, I don't mind.

-Or Daphne?

-Go for Daphne.

-Daphne?

Daphne. Go on, then.

So Claire from the Busy Ladies of Andover

versus Daphne of Weston-super-Mare...

-Da-da!

-..and the Eggheads.

So there's no conferring, take your positions.

Three questions on Sport in turn, and Claire, you can choose

-the first or second set.

-Definitely first, please.

Here we go.

Who became captain of the England cricket team in January 2009?

Oh...!

SHE LAUGHS

I don't think it's Michael Vaughan. I think he's done that.

Er...I can picture Kevin Pietersen...

..and I'm not sure that it was him either.

So I'm actually going to say Andrew Strauss.

Andrew Strauss is your answer. That's right.

-Yes!

-Well done.

-Oh!

Daphne,

for which football team did David Beckham make his debut in January 2009?

Oh! Football.

But it's AC Milan.

AC Milan is the right answer.

Over to you, Claire.

Which American golfer won the British Open and the US Masters

in 1998 at the age of 41?

Erm...I'm going to confess that I'm really unsure about this one.

Erm...

I have a slight leaning towards one of them,

so I'm going to go with that, and say...Phil Mickelson.

I was hoping you were leaning a little bit further to the right.

Oh. I'm not very good at leaning.

-Mark O'Meara it was.

-OK. That's OK.

So Daphne has a chance

to go into the lead on Sport.

Your favourite subject, Daphne.

-I don't think so!

-What is your favourite sport, anyway?

Tennis, really.

Well, you'll enjoy this question.

-Oh, no!

-Which rugby union player,

who scored a try in England's 2007 World Cup semifinal against France,

retired from international duty in December 2008?

SHE SIGHS I don't know.

My grandson's going to be so cross with me.

I think Mike Tindall's still playing, isn't he? But, er...

I hope they're not banging their heads on the desk.

I will go for...Will Greenwood.

-No.

-No?

-No, no, no. You lent the wrong way

as well, Josh Lewsey is the answer.

So one each. Claire, Lasse Viren, who won gold medals

in both the 5,000m and the 10,000m at the 1972 and '76 Olympic Games,

was born in which country?

Hmm!

You couldn't have more difficult questions for me, erm...

Oh, dear.

I'm sure the rest of my team

probably know the answer to this one.

Erm...

I'm going to say Finland.

-You're right.

-Oh!

-Daphne, if you get this wrong, you're not in the final.

-I know!

In which sport, Daphne, do teams from Europe and the USA

compete against each other for the Mosconi Cup?

I think...fingers crossed,

it's pool.

Tell me I'm right!

How do you know that? It's pool, it is pool. Well done.

So scores are level, which means we go now to Sudden Death.

Claire, here's your question.

-OK, mm-hmm.

-Which swimming stroke comprises the penultimate leg of the Olympic medley relay?

OK...

I reckon it's...

..butterfly.

Butterfly is right. Well done!

You've got the edge. And you knew that.

I did, swimming I like, that's the only thing I like.

All right, Daphne, get this wrong, you're not in the final.

Fenway Park is the home ground of which US baseball team?

Boston Red Sox.

-Your answer is correct.

-Oh!

Well done.

-I'm really sorry.

-OK, Claire...

-Oh, dear.

Which Italian skier won the gold medals in the slalom

and the giant slalom at the 1988 Winter Olympics?

I'm afraid, Jeremy, I know of no Italian skiers, so I'm going to pass.

I was going to say I need the first and last name,

but I don't think you're going to give me either.

OK, any Eggheads know that?

-Alberto Tomba.

-Alberto Tomba.

He won a gold in the giant slalom in the '92 games as well.

-Right, this is it.

-Daphne, get this right, you're in the final.

Which country won six of the first seven men's ice hockey tournaments at the Winter Olympics?

Canada?

-Is that your answer?

-Yes.

Well done, Daphne, you've got it right!

So, Claire, you won't be in the final.

Daphne, you will, well played.

Both of you please rejoin your team-mates.

This is what we've been playing towards,

it's time for the final round, which is General Knowledge,

but those of you who lost your head-to-heads

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

So Claire and Lynn from the Busy Ladies

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

So here we are, Busy Ladies, this is where it gets exciting.

Hannah, Caroline and Vera, you're playing to win your team £11,000.

Kevin, Daphne and Chris, you're playing for something that money

can't really buy, the Eggheads' reputation.

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

The questions are all General Knowledge.

You are allowed to confer. Busy Ladies, the question is,

are your three brains better than the Eggheads' three?

-And also, would you like to go first or second?

-We'll go first, please.

Very best of luck. Baton Rouge is the capital of which US state?

My American geography is...

-Not very good.

-..not very good.

Right, erm...

I don't think it's in Mississippi,

because I think that's... too far south.

Baton Rouge, Alabama?

I think it's probably Alabama, but I'm not... What do you think?

I was going to say Louisiana.

I was going to go for Louisiana, but I don't know.

Shall we go for that one?

-Yeah.

-OK. Right.

Louisiana.

Well done to you for shifting your ground, Vera, it is Louisiana.

Yeah! Very good.

Well done. I don't know where it came from, but it was right.

Eggheads, your question.

What name was given to crowded slum buildings and slums

in the 18th and 19th centuries?

Rookeries, yeah. Yeah, they pop up in Dickens

quite a bit, they get called rookeries.

Rookery is the right answer.

Your second question, Busy Ladies.

Which ballet dancer, celebrated for his spectacular leaps

and sensitive interpretations, was born in Kiev in 1890?

-Nijinsky, I'm sure.

-I don't know this one.

-It's got to be Nijinsky, hasn't it?

-Yes.

Cos he was well known for his leaping, yes. Nijinsky.

Nijinsky is correct.

-The other two... Well, Baryshnikov is still alive, is he?

-Yeah.

Nureyev died...what, 10 years ago?

About 15, '93, I think.

OK. Eggheads, your question to catch up.

Which former Blackadder cast member was elected to serve on

the Labour Party's National Executive Committee in 2000?

That, erm...was Tony Robinson.

Tony Robinson is...correct.

Next question is for the Busy Ladies.

Who's written cook books with the titles

Home Made, Family Kitchen and Real Family Food?

I think it's Tana Ramsay.

-Do you?

-Pretty...sure.

If you're sure, because I don't know.

-I'll go for Tanya Ramsay.

-Tana Ramsay.

A lot riding on this...

It's not Jools, it's not Marie, it is Tana Ramsey. Well done.

-Well done, well done!

-Hannah, you're playing well.

Eggheads, you get this wrong, the Busy Ladies take £11,000.

Third question. Along with Linz,

which city became European Capital of Culture for 2009?

-It's Vilnius, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Yes, they double up these days.

It used to be there'd be one particular city,

but now they tend to go for two, and the other one for 2009 is Vilnius.

Vilnius...is the right answer.

So the scores are level.

We now go to Sudden Death, and to make it that bit harder,

these questions are not multiple choice.

Are you ready, Busy Ladies?

-Yes.

-£11,000 up for grabs, here's your question.

Which London bridge was closed only two days after its official opening

in June 2000?

Oh, it was the wobbly bridge!

What's its proper name? Do they call it the Millennium Bridge?

The Millennium Bridge, I think, yes.

You go for that, I'm not sure.

We know it's the wobbly bridge, but we don't know whether you'll accept that.

It goes from the City to Tate Modern, so we think we must be Millennium Bridge.

-Your answer is...

-Millennium Bridge.

-Is the right answer,

well done. Eggheads, you need to get this question right.

What is the highest number that can be drawn in the UK's National Lottery Lotto main draw?

It's 49.

49, isn't it?

-It goes up to...

-Yeah, it's definitely 49.

Yeah, the Lotto main draw goes up to and including 49.

-Yeah.

-49 is correct.

Here's your question, Busy Ladies.

What is the two-word French term,

originally used as the nickname of Cardinal Richelieu's secretary, Pere Joseph,

that describes a powerful adviser or decision-maker who operates secretly or unofficially?

-It's eminence grise.

-Eminence grise is correct.

-Well done!

-Well done, Vera.

Eggheads, your question.

If you get this wrong, you're gone.

Which 18th-century author produced the epic The History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire?

Edward Gibbon. Yeah.

That was Edward Gibbon.

Edward Gibbon is correct.

OK, so we're back with it.

The United Arab Emirates is a federation consisting of how many states?

What countries are in it?

I thought it was three.

-Is there something that tells you three or are you...?

-No, I don't know.

-No, but you think three.

-Shall we go with three?

-Yes.

-Three.

-You're some way off. It's seven.

-Oh, it's never!

Seven. Can we name them?

-Dubai, Qatar...

-No, Qatar's not one of them.

-Isn't it?

-No. No, it's a separate country.

There's Dubai, there's Abu Dhabi.

There's Ras al Khaimah, Umm al Qaiwain, Ajman,

and I can't think of the other two.

There's another well-known one that I've forgotten. Plus another one.

OK. If they get this right, they've won.

Eggheads, which New York-based newspaper was founded in 1955

by Dan Wolf, Edwin Fancher and Norman Mailer?

A literary thing, I think. I mean, is that the Village Voice?

-Yep.

-As in Greenwich Village.

It's about the '50s, Greenwich Village, Village Voice.

I don't know that, I'm just putting that in as a suggestion.

-Shall we go for it?

-Go for it, yeah.

-We'll go for it, yeah.

We don't know this for sure, we'll go for the Village Voice.

If you get this right, you've taken the contest and the Busy Ladies have not won.

Village Voice is the right answer.

Congratulations, Eggheads, you've won.

You did really well. You took them on in Sudden Death,

and things can unravel when it gets to this stage.

Unfortunately, they didn't unravel enough.

Commiserations to you, Busy Ladies. It's been very nice to see today.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally, and their winning streak continues.

I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £11,000,

which means that the money rolls over to the next show.

Eggheads, congratulations. Who will beat you?

Join us next time to see if a new team of challengers have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£12,000 says they don't.

Till then, goodbye.

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