Episode 136 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 pedigree is well known, they've won some of the country's toughest quiz shows.

They are the Eggheads.

And challenging our resident quiz Goliaths today

are the St Alban's Cobras.

This team all attend Queen's University, Belfast,

and take their name from the street that the majority of them live on.

They quiz twice a week and usually finish in the top three.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Ben.

I'm 22 and I'm a maths student.

Hi, I'm Ryan. I'm 22 and I'm a medical student.

Hi, I'm Lucy. I'm 21 and I'm a medical student.

Hi, I'm Peter. I'm 21 and I'm also a medical student.

Hi, I'm Gareth. I'm 21 and I'm an English graduate.

So welcome, St Alban's Cobras, and welcome, Ben.

-Thank you.

-And the name of the team, the St Alban's Cobras?

It's actually the street that three of us live on in Belfast.

-What's it called?

-It's St Alban's Gardens in Belfast.

The Cobra thing is your addition?

The Cobra thing is an addition by us, because during our university career we were invited

to take part in a university dodgeball league, which we won,

and so we decided to take the name, the Cobras.

And it was victorious for us. We made costumes as well, Cobra costumes.

And you haven't brought your costumes?

Decided against it because, er...

-we thought people might remember that...

-We feel sad.

..For too long.

All right. So, welcome.

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

If they don't beat the Eggheads, it rolls over to the next show.

So, St Alban's Cobras, the Eggheads have won the last 14 games,

which means £15,000 says you can't beat them.

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

St Alban's Cobras, who wants this, against which Egghead?

We'd hoped this category didn't come up actually.

I thought this was a classic student category?

Yeah, it is sometimes. Erm...

Gareth, would you like to step up?

I'll take the risk. I'll do it.

Gareth, OK. Against which Egghead?

-Barry?

-We'd like to play Barry.

OK, Gareth from the St Alban's Cobras versus Barry.

And to ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions in the Question Room.

I'm still trying to get my head around students

who are hoping that Film & TV don't come up.

-How do we explain that?

-I don't know.

Too much time in the bars as opposed to watching TV.

Oh, I see! OK. So three multiple-choice questions on Film & TV in turn.

Whoever answers the most correctly goes through to the final

and, you can choose the first or second set.

I think I'll go for the first set.

Which actor and comedian is best known for the TV character Rab C Nesbitt?

Right.

Instantly recognisable to me -

Billy Connolly.

I know it's not him.

And Robbie Coltrane,

I think... I'm not completely sure...

but I think he's Hagrid and I recognise him.

He's not Rab C Nesbitt. So I'm going to go for Gregor Fisher.

And Gregor Fisher is the right answer. Well done.

Elimination is a great way of working them out.

Barry, "Gizza job!"

was a catchphrase of which iconic 1980s TV character?

It was "Yosser" Hughes in Boys From The Black Stuff.

It was "Yosser" Hughes. Well done.

So back to you.

Gareth, who played the title role in the 1992 comedy Carry On Columbus?

Right.

The only one that stands out to me there is Kenneth Williams

for reasons of which I'm not too sure yet.

I think I'm just going to go on first instinct

and go for Kenneth Williams.

Kenneth Williams. It could easily be, but it is...

-Jim Dale.

-Tricky question that,

cos they were interchangeable those Carry On actors,

I think Kenneth Williams was dead by then.

It couldn't have been Kenneth Williams.

So Kenneth Williams was not with us, Gareth.

Barry, over to you.

Take the advance with this question. The 1940 romantic comedy film

The Shop Around The Corner, which starred James Stewart

and Margaret Sullivan, was remade in the 1990s with which title?

It wasn't Joe Versus the Volcano.

I'm just trying to remember which of the other two concerned a shop.

I think it's You've Got Mail.

You've Got Mail is the right answer.

You got that right, Barry. So that means, Gareth, you have to

get this right or you are not in the final round.

Who played the sports teacher Mr Sugden in Ken Loach's 1968 film Kes?

It's about 100 years before you were born.

Kes I think was a bird. I've no idea.

Probably completely wrong there. I'm going to go for Dudley Sutton.

Sports teacher Mr Sugden in Kes was played in fact by Brian Glover.

Bad luck, Gareth. Barry has won.

We don't need the question for him because there's no coming back.

You won't be in the final.

Please, come back and rejoin your teams.

All right, the St Alban's Cobras have lost one brain

from the final round, while the Eggheads have lost no brains so far.

Next subject is History.

Who wants this and against which Egghead?

OK, well, I think that I will take this one.

-OK, Ben.

-And, Judith, if you'd do me the honour?

-Delighted.

-Judith.

I think the last game or the one before, one of the contestants

fell in love with Judith, so she's still coming down from that.

So Ben from the St Alban's Cobras versus Judith from the Eggheads.

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

Ben, it's just been pointed out that on the monitors you look like CJ.

Well, that's a compliment in itself then.

To me it isn't.

I'll ask each of you three questions on History in turn

and, Ben, you can choose the first or the second set.

I'd like to go first actually.

Here we go. Good luck.

The god Marduk was the principal deity of which civilisation?

Marduk is spelt M-A-R-D-U-K.

Right.

I really don't think that it was Ancient Greece.

I think the principal god there might be Zeus.

And Roman Empire, again, I don't feel as though it's the Roman Empire.

I'm going to go down the middle and go for Babylonia.

Well done. Babylonia is right. Really good.

-Would you have got that?

-I think so.

-Here's your question.

In which month of 1066 did the Battle of Hastings take place?

Ah! Well, before it came up, I was thinking of October.

I think it was October because I think there were gales involved

and sailing on the right day for William the Conqueror.

So, October.

Your answer is October.

-And it's right. Well done.

-Phew!

Back to you, Ben. The American state of Georgia

was named after which British king?

This is really something I would never have thought of.

I think it might be George II.

George II is the correct answer.

Impressive play here.

Fantastic. Judith, over to you.

Who became commander in chief of the combined Japanese fleet in 1939

and oversaw the attack on Pearl Harbour,

as well as his country's involvement in the Battle of Midway?

Well, Hirohito was the Emperor.

I'm torn between Tojo and Yamamoto.

I think it's Tojo.

Tojo is your answer. Barry knows his Japan. Who was it?

-It was Yamamoto.

-Oh, no!

So Yamamoto was the right answer, Judith.

You didn't get a point there. Over to you now, Ben.

Who was the last King of the French, ruling from 1830 until he abdicated

and moved to Surrey in 1848?

I'm really, again, not too sure.

I was kind of hoping for Louis XVI to come up there.

I thought that might make sense, but, again, it's only a guess.

Erm... I really don't think it was another Louis.

I'm actually going to go for Charles X.

-On this occasion you've guessed wrong.

-Ah!

-Cos it's Louis-Philippe.

-Oh, well.

He was the last King of the French.

Charles X was actually the last King of France, but Louis-Philippe

was known as the Citizen King,

so he called himself the King of the French

to distinguish himself from the last King.

-I see. Post-revolution?

-Um-hm.

OK. So you need this, Judith.

-I know.

-Or you're not in the... Do you want to be told?

-No.

-No. I mustn't say it.

-We all know the rules.

We know the rules. If you don't get it, you're not in the...

In 217 BC, the Carthaginian general Hannibal

defeated the Roman army under Gaius Flaminius on the northern shore of which Italian lake?

I think it was Trasimeno, Trasi-mayno.

-Trasi-mayno or Trasimeno is correct. Well done.

-Phew!

So you're locked even.

After three multiple-choice questions

it now goes to Sudden Death. Here we go.

In US history, the laws that enforced racial segregation in

the South between the end of the formal reconstruction period in 1877

and the beginning of a strong civil rights movement in the 1950s

were commonly known by what name?

I'm really not...

Again, it would be a guess.

Is it the first or second amendment?

I think I'll go for second amendment. I'm not sure, but it sounds sort of right.

It's not.

It was called the Jim Crow laws.

Judith, your question.

Which historical British political party

is said to be named after a slang name for Presbyterian rebels in the west of Scotland?

All I can think of is the Monster Loony Raving Party.

The Whigs and the Tories, erm, and the Liberals.

It can't be the Whigs.

It can't be...

I really can't think. I'm going to say Whigs, cos that's all I can think of.

-Your answer is?

-Whigs.

-Is correct.

-No!

-Yes.

-I never knew that.

Had you gone with Monster Raving Loony Party,

A) it would have been a great moment in Eggheads

and B) we would have had to apologise to the Presbyterian Church as well.

That's what I thought.

Judith, you've pipped Ben at the post.

So Judith will be in the final

and, Ben, you will not be helping the Cobras in the final,

I'm afraid, because you lost the round.

Please, both of you, come back and rejoin your teams.

So the St Alban's Cobras have lost two brains from the final round.

The Eggheads still have not lost any.

The next subject is Sport.

I reckon this is good for you.

This is very good for us, hopefully.

Which Cobra wants Sport and against which Egghead?

I think I'll take Sport.

Peter. Not Judith, not Barry.

I think I'll challenge CJ please.

-I really rather you didn't!

-He doesn't mean that.

So, Peter from the St Alban's Cobras versus CJ from the Eggheads.

And so there's no conferring, go to the Question Room.

-Peter, you do loads of sport?

-I try to stay active, yeah.

Go on, give us the list.

Erm, I play football, Gaelic football, and during the summer

I like to play golf and tennis. And I also enjoy skiing and snowboarding.

OK. CJ and Peter, good luck.

I'll ask each of you three questions

and, Peter, you can choose first or second.

I think I'll go first please, Jeremy.

Peter, which country won a clean sweep of medals

in the women's 100m at the 2008 Olympic Games?

Erm... Well, one of these countries immediately stands out

for being notoriously good at sprinting.

And I don't think it was Russia.

Australia enjoyed a lot of success in swimming and other events.

I think it was Jamaica that enjoyed the clean sweep.

Very good. It was indeed. Over to you, CJ.

Aorangi Terrace is a feature of which UK sporting venue?

Spelt A-O-R-A-N-G-I.

I've heard it. Does that count for anything?

You've heard of it?

-I've heard of it.

-Can't give you any marks for that.

Actually, no, I've not heard of Aorangi Terrace.

What I've heard of is Aorangi Park.

Aorangi Park is some sort of facility at Wimbledon. Erm...

I'm sure Aorangi Park is tennis, so I'll have to go for Wimbledon.

Wimbledon is correct, CJ. Well done. One point each.

Peter, which NFL team made their first-ever Super Bowl appearance

in 2009?

Erm... Fortunately, myself and my friends

would...really enjoy watching NFL, so I think I know this one.

I think it's the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona Cardinals. Well done.

Brilliant that you knew that. It's fantastic.

Arizona Cardinals is correct.

It's great when it's not a stab in the dark and you've been there.

You've seen it. Enjoy the Sport. Just like you, CJ.

Speaking of stabs in the dark.

Here we go. What innovation to the game of football

was invented by referee Ken Aston after his experience as Head of Referees

at the 1966 World Cup finals?

The name means nothing to me,

but I've got something nagging me

that red cards were first used in the 1970 World Cup,

which would chronologically make sense.

Erm... And that's all I've got to go on, so yellow and red cards.

Yellow and red cards is the right answer.

It would be funny if it was the offside rule.

How simple it would be without that.

OK, Peter, keep the pressure on. Cos he's not that good on Sport,

even though he's putting on a confident face.

Harvey Penick's Little Red Book is a respected advice manual for which sport?

This one I'm actually not sure of, to be honest.

I know there's a lot of manuals, instruction books

and whatnot for golf, so I think I'm going to go for golf on this one,

but, again, it's a guess.

It's a good guess though. Golf is correct.

Three out of three.

Well done on your Sport.

CJ, if you don't get this, you're not in the final.

Which country won the gold medal when rugby was last played

at the Olympic Games in 1924?

USA.

Straightaway like that. The USA?

-Yeah.

-You're right. It was the USA.

-You need to know that. It's not guessable.

-Yes!

Did you know that? No.

Amazing. Rugby last played at the Olympic Games, 1924, and America won.

-Do they even play rugby now?

-Well, exactly.

OK, three questions each you've had. The scores are level. We go to Sudden Death.

Pete, Gene Tunney was the world heavyweight boxing champion

-during which decade of the 20th century?

-Erm...

My dad will kill me for not knowing this off hand,

because he's a big fan of boxing.

I'm going to go for the '50s.

It's the 1920s.

'26 to '28, Gene Tunney.

So, CJ, you get this right, you are in the final.

Which snooker player is known as Mr Maximum

having reputedly compiled nearly 200 147-breaks in practice?

Willy Thorne.

You're right.

198 so far. Well done, CJ. You've taken the round.

Peter, you were beaten by our Egghead,

so you won't be able to help your team in the final round.

Please, both of you, come back and join your teams.

So, St Alban's Cobras, you've lost three brains. The Eggheads have lost no brains.

Our last subject is Geography.

Who wants this? It's Lucy or Ryan.

Do you fancy it, Ryan?

-What do you think?

-Yeah, you're Geography...

-I'll take this one.

-OK, Ryan against which Egghead?

-Go Chris.

-Chris, yeah.

I'll play against Chris.

So, Ryan from the St Alban's Cobras against Chris from the Eggheads.

Please take your positions.

I'll ask each of you three questions in turn and, Ryan, you can choose the first or second set.

I think I'll go for the second set.

The first hasn't been working the best for us so far.

So you first, Chris.

The Gulf Stream is a powerful current that originates in and is named after which gulf?

It would have a hard job warming Europe

if it started in the Persian Gulf or the Gulf of Alaska,

so it's the Gulf of Mexico.

Absolutely right. It is the Gulf of Mexico.

Ryan, your question. Faro and Coimbra

are municipalities in which European country?

I think that the Faroe Islands are a part of Greece.

I don't think it's Italy and I don't think it's Portugal.

So I'll go for Greece.

Ah, somebody has their head in their hands here. Is he wrong?

-Not the Faroe Islands. Faro is in Portugal.

-Faro is in Portugal.

Coimbra is as well. So, Ryan, you got that wrong, I'm afraid.

Chris, over to you.

What Japanese city was known as Edo until 1868?

Well, the old capital was Kyoto and they moved the capital

to what had been Edo and it was Tokyo,

so Tokyo's the answer.

Tokyo is the correct answer.

Ryan, you need this one now, or Lucy's on her own.

-That's not what you want.

-Not really, no.

That's like the goalkeeper facing penalties. Here we go.

Killarney, Listowel and Tralee are towns in which Irish county?

Erm, I remember hearing about a football match

from back in the 1960s where Kerry were playing Down

and it was Remember Listowel,

so I'll go for Kerry.

Shall we all just rejoice? He's got it right.

So far, Lucy, you're off the hook, just for a moment anyway.

OK, Chris, what is the only American state to have a non-rectangular flag?

Oh!

Now because it was a territory till well into the 20th century

rather than a state,

I will go with Oklahoma.

CJ, knows the answer to this. Is it Oklahoma, CJ?

-It's the swallow-shaped tail of Ohio.

-Ohio.

Ohio. Oh!

Oh-ho! Ohio.

Well, there's hope now, Ryan.

If you get this right, we go to Sudden Death.

You've still got to get it right though.

Famed for its trout fishing,

Lake Taupo is the largest lake in terms of surface area in which country?

And it's spelt T-A-U-P-O.

Because of how it's spelt,

I think I would go either for New Zealand

or Brazil, but it is a guess.

I think I'll go for New Zealand.

Eggheads, is he right?

-He is indeed.

-You're right, Ryan.

So three questions each and scores level. We go to Sudden Death.

Your question, Chris.

Which city in Somerset takes its name from the natural springs

located there and had a population of only 10,406 at the 2001 Census?

That's Wells.

It is Wells. Wells done!

Ryan.

Dar es Salaam is the chief port and largest city of which African country?

Erm...

I think I will go for Tunisia.

Something is probably telling you the right answer, cos the

first and last letter are correct, but it's not Tunisia. It's Tanzania.

And you'd think that was the capital, but it's not any more.

-It used to be, but it's now Dodoma.

-Dodoma is the capital, yeah.

Chris, you'll be in the final. Ryan, you won't be able to help

solitary Lucy in the final.

So please, both of you, come back and rejoin your teams.

This is what we've been playing towards. It's time for our final which is General Knowledge.

But I'm afraid those of you who lost your head to heads

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

So, Ben, Ryan, Peter and Gareth, all from the St Alban's Cobras,

would you please leave the studio?

-Well, here we are, Lucy.

-Here we are. Here I am!

-Was it always going to end like this?

-Not in my head.

-You can win.

-It's been done by one contestant...

-Just one?

-Er... No, well, by one, but probably on more than one occasion.

-Oh, yeah.

-About three.

-Three maybe. So...

-I'll try my best.

-You're playing to win your colleagues, the Cobras, £15,000.

-Yep.

-Chris, Barry, Judith, Kevin and CJ, you are playing to win something

that money can't buy, the Eggheads' reputation.

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

This time the questions are all General Knowledge. You are allowed to confer.

Great! Can I ask you?

Lucy, the question is, is your one brain better than the Eggheads' five?

Do you want to go first or second?

I'll go first. Nothing to lose.

Good luck to you. In the UK for how many years

are new cars exempt from MOT testing?

Erm, I'm not really that sure of this,

but I've, erm,

had a car myself for maybe just coming up on a year now

and I haven't got anything, erm, regarding an MOT.

The answer might be three years.

Ten years seems quite a long time,

so I'll go for three.

Three years is right.

Well done.

Eggheads, your question.

Who had UK hit singles in the 1950s with Singing The Blues

and Rock With The Caveman?

-Tommy Steele.

-Singing The Blues certainly was Tommy Steele.

-Yeah.

That was Tommy Steele.

Tommy Steele is quite right.

I know there's five of them, but they can fall out with each other.

-Sometimes it helps.

-I've no-one to fall out with.

-You don't.

So I hope this one will be good for me.

Lucy, what is the most common alias of the comic-book villain

The Riddler, a frequent adversary of Batman?

Erm, I'll have to be honest, I have absolutely no idea whatsoever.

Harley Quinn, maybe just gut instinct.

It's just the first thing that I thought,

"Yeah, maybe that one." So for the pure reason,

that's the one I'll go for.

Harley Quinn. It's actually wrong.

-It's Edward Nigma.

-OK.

As in "enigma".

-Harley Quinn is the Joker's sidekick.

-Oh, right.

-And she's a female.

-And Joseph Kerr? Jo Kerr?

-The Joker.

You pull ahead if you get this right.

What is the literal meaning of the word "cenotaph" when translated from the Greek?

It's empty tomb.

Empty tomb is the right answer.

So what that means is...

-You need to get this one right.

-OK.

In which month does the grouse-shooting season end on mainland Great Britain?

Erm...

Again, not something I would be very familiar with, grouse shooting.

Erm...

I think maybe December.

December is right!

QUIET APPLAUSE

-They could have clapped louder couldn't they?

-A nervous clap.

It's a nervous clap.

OK, Eggheads, you get this right, you've taken the contest.

What denomination of the American dollar is sometimes referred to as a "sawbuck"?

Sawbuck is ten.

That's the ten dollar note, Jeremy.

The correct answer is ten dollar note.

Congratulations, Eggheads. You've won.

-Well!

-You did fine and commiserations, Lucy.

And to the Cobras, back there, St Alban's Cobras.

So the Eggheads have done what comes naturally.

They reign supreme over quizland.

Their winning streak continues and the Cobras won't be going home with the £15,000.

That money rolls over to our 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.

£16,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.

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