Episode 28 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

pit their wits against possibly the greatest quiz team in Britain.

You might recognise them, as they are Goliaths in the world of TV quiz shows. They are the Eggheads.

And taking on the awesome might of our quiz Goliaths today are

the Transplantees.

The team know one another through the Leicester Transplant Fund -

each year they raise money for the cause through the Transplant Games.

Let's meet them.

Hello. I'm David, I'm 64, and I'm a teacher.

Hello. I'm Paul. I'm 45, and I'm a press moulder.

Hello. I'm Patrick. I'm 69 years old, and I'm a retired engineer.

Hello. I'm Dave. I'm 44, and I'm a window cleaner.

Hello. I'm Phil. I'm 38, and I'm a machine operator.

Welcome, Transplantees. Thanks for playing Eggheads today.

Just tell me a bit more about all the work you do.

-I know there's an awful shortage of donor organs in this country, isn't there?

-Terrible shortage.

Are you trying to raise awareness about that,

and indeed help people who are waiting for transplants?

The Transplant Fund was set up to encourage people who have had transplants

to go to the Transplant Games.

The Transplant Games itself, the idea of that is to show that people with transplants

can carry on with a normal life - we haven't got two heads,

and that it also raises the awareness of transplantation,

and to encourage people to donate their organs, so that people can have a normal life.

-Carry that donor card.

-Absolutely, yes.

-Let's play the game, Transplantees,

and see if you can win some money.

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

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

So, Transplantees, the Eggheads have won the last 25 games,

which means £26,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

THEY LAUGH

The first head-to-head battle will be on the subject of film and television.

Who'd like to play this? Film and TV.

-You wanna go, Phil?

-You wanna go, mate?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I reckon Phil. Who are you taking on?

Er, Judith, please.

-OK, you want to play Judith on Film And Television?

-Yes, please.

Let's have Phil and Judith into the question room, please.

And, Phil, would you like to go first or second in this category, Films And Television?

Er, first, please.

Best of luck, Phil.

Here's your question.

Craig Revel Horwood is a judge on which TV talent show?

Oh...it's... I don't think it's Britain's Got Talent.

I'd go with Strictly Come Dancing.

Strictly Come Dancing. Craig Revel Horwood.

It's the right answer. Well done.

Craig Revel Horwood.

Occasionally acid-tongued.

He says he speaks as he sees.

OK, Judith,

which dog was written out of EastEnders in August 2008 after fourteen years on the show?

Well, there was a dog called Wellard, a huge great sort of hairy thing.

Um, so I think it must be Wellard.

It is. Well done, Judith.

Yes, spotted his disappearance. So it's one each.

Back to you, Phil.

In August 2008, Helen Skelton was unveiled as a new presenter of which TV show?

Right, erm...

It's definitely not Loose Women.

So it's a toss-up between Soccer AM, Blue Peter...

I'll have to go with Blue Peter.

You've worked it out. It's the right answer.

Helen Skelton, new Blue Peter presenter,

unveiled in this summer of 2008. So, Judith,

"Invisible. Silent. Stolen,"

is the tag line to which 1990 Sean Connery film?

I'm just trying to think if Red October was stolen.

Red October was the submarine, wasn't it?

Erm, it was invisible, and...

it's silent, because it's under the sea.

-I think I'm going to go for Red October, The Hunt for.

-OK.

-The Hunt for Red October.

-Yeah.

It's right. Hunt for Red October is correct.

Two all. OK.

Well, both going well.

Phil, see if you can get this, and it might win you the round.

A Bout de Souffle and Week-end are works by which French film director?

No, I haven't got a clue on this one,

so I'm gonna have to go for...

Jean...Renoir.

-Down the middle.

-Yeah.

-Jean Renoir.

A Bout de Souffle and Week-end are works by which film director?

I thought you would give me the right answer.

It's not Jean Renoir, it's Jean-Luc Godard.

So there, a slip on the third question.

Judith could be straight in. If she gets this, she gets the round.

Peter O'Toole's Oscar nomination for the 2006 film Venus

brought his total Best Actor Oscar nominations to how many?

I don't think he's had that many. I mean, I don't think he's had eight.

I think it's probably four.

Four? OK, four Oscar nominations, including Venus, for Peter O'Toole.

-No.

-Six?

-No.

-Eight?! LAUGHTER

-It is eight.

-I'm amazed.

It's all square. Good news for you, Phil.

Judith got that wrong, so we go to sudden death, which means we take away those multiple choices.

So can you just tell me straight, Approaching Menace

is the title of the theme tune to which long-running TV show?

It's not the real name for the EastEnders theme, is it, or something like that?

-Is that your answer, Phil?

-Yeah.

-EastEnders.

-Approaching Menace. Yeah...

-Feels like it!

-Talking about the Mitchell brothers, yeah.

-LAUGHTER

I can see that as their theme.

It's not, and if only I could have given you a clue.

-A lot of people in this studio have heard it.

-EGGHEADS LAUGH

Do you want to...? Just hum it for us, those that have been on it?

THEY HUM THE MASTERMIND THEME TUNE

Mastermind.

Approaching Menace.

You can see why now, as you approach that chair.

What's it like, walking up to that chair, Chris?

Well, ten more steps on the road of life, really. Gets you from A to B.

-Didn't faze you?

-Didn't faze me, no.

-You were Magnus years, weren't you?

-Oh, yes, yes.

-I'm the golden age.

-Yeah. OK. Well, there we are. Approaching Menace.

Didn't hear it from Phil, which means an opportunity for Judith.

Who declined his Oscar for best actor in 1973,

sending an actress posing as a Native American to the ceremony in his place?

I have a feeling that's Marlon Brando.

It's correct. You've won the round.

It means, Phil, no place for you,

I'm sorry to say, in the final round. Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Transplantees, one brain gone from the final round. Next category,

let's play the next subject. This one is Science.

Who'd like to play Science? Can't be Phil.

-I'll go.

-OK, David. And which Egghead would you like to play?

It can't be Judith, so one of the boys.

I've always wanted to play against CJ, so I'll choose him.

Now your wish has come true. Let's have David and CJ in the question room, please.

David, first or second?

I'd like to go first, please.

Best of luck.

Science. First question to you, David.

Ornithology is the branch of zoology concerned with

the study of which creatures?

Well, I'm certain it's not insects,

and frogs are amphibians,

and so I'll go for birds.

Birds, ornithology. Correct. Good start.

CJ...

in imperial measurement, how many inches are there in a yard?

12 inches in a foot, three feet in a yard. That would be...

-44!

-Er, nearly. 36, Dermot. Work on your adding up.

LAUGHTER

Ah, well, I try. 36 is correct, yes.

OK.

David, how many ventricles are there in the human heart?

There are four chambers,

so therefore, there are two auricles, or atria,

as they're known now, and so therefore, there are two ventricles.

Two. You seem to have a detailed knowledge.

Is this from your work with the society,

or because you know this kind of thing?

Erm, well, I do teach this subject.

-A-ha!

-TRANSPLANTEES LAUGH

Good stuff! You'd better know it, then.

I know! I'm in trouble if I don't!

Yeah, it's four. No, it's two. Absolutely. Well done.

Ventricles in the human heart.

Ah, right down your street, then.

Excellent. OK,

CJ, in the human body, what is the technical term for the Achilles tendon?

Ouch.

Yeah, it does hurt, doesn't it, if you tweak it?

The only one that's ringing even the vaguest bell is sartorius,

but I can't... I can't even place why that word

is even remotely recognisable to me.

Let's go for the one I think I recognise, and go for sartorius.

-Sartorius tendon.

-Yeah.

It's not right. It's the calcaneal tendon.

Calcaneal. Erm, so, David,

you go through to the final, if you give a correct answer.

Amino acids are linked together by what type of bonds?

I very much doubt whether they're ionic.

I'm probably going to choose the wrong one here.

I'm going to go for hydrogen.

OK, hydrogen. Amino acids are linked together by...

peptide bonds. You did!

You went for the wrong one! Peptide.

OK, CJ...

the entire genetic complement of an organism is known as what?

I can't remember what it was called. Was it the HGP,

the Human Genome Planning? But it's genome.

-Genome?

-Yeah.

-..is correct, CJ, yes.

So it's all square.

Sudden death.

David, which element has the highest melting point of any metal?

Its original name was wolfram.

I believe it's tungsten.

Hence its use in welding, and all that, yeah?

Tungsten is correct, yes.

OK, well, CJ, you've got to get this.

Which tropical marine bird of the genus Sula - S-U-L-A -

is similar to a gannet, and probably takes its name from the Spanish for "fool"?

I've got nothing to go on here, apart from the slight similarity with...

I can see how it might come from Spanish.

-I don't like it, but I'm gonna go for cormorant.

-Cormorant. No.

You've made a bit of a booby of yourself.

Booby, not cormorant,

which means great news, David.

You are through to the final round.

No place for you there, CJ.

Would you both please come back, and join your teams?

The Transplantees hit back there.

As it stands, both teams have lost a brain from the final.

And our next head-to-head today is Sport.

Now, I know plenty of you

will be fancying this one.

Paul, Patrick or Dave? Sport.

-I'll do it, please.

-Which Egghead would you like to play? Can't be CJ or Judith. One of the others.

-Er, I'll take Barry, please, Dermot.

-Barry? OK.

Eager to get on with it, Dave? Straining at the leash!

THEY LAUGH

OK, let's have Dave and Barry into the question room, please.

Dave, I know you're involved in the athletics world,

so an exciting time for you in the lead-up to the Olympics.

Yeah, I'm very interested. Yeah, I like to officiate at athletics.

I, more or less, go all over the country with my daughter and my son.

They compete for a local club. But yeah, it would be very good to see 2012 in London.

-It would be great, yeah.

-OK, well, let's play the Sport round.

Hope for some athletics questions for you. I don't know.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-I'd like to go first, please.

OK, best of luck, Dave.

-First question. And...

-DERMOT CHUCKLES

..given our previous discussion, this one's rather interesting.

Which Scottish cyclist won three gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games?

Well, I obviously really like this guy.

I think he did really, really well.

I'm guessing it's Chris Hoy.

Chris Hoy, yeah. Yeah, lovely bloke.

Dedication to training is phenomenal.

-All the athletes...

-Fantastic, yeah.

-There we are.

Chris Hoy, correct.

Barry...

first question for you.

Who did Fabio Capello select as the permanent captain of the England football team in August 2008?

Well, I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this,

cos football's not my sport, but I believe it was Rio Ferdinand.

-OK, Rio Ferdinand...

-SHE MOUTHS

..captain when John Terry is injured,

-the permanent captain.

-BARRY LAUGHS

John Terry is the answer we're looking for.

There we are. He just ran straight into that,

didn't he? Didn't pause there.

Just shows, the Eggheads can get it wrong every now and again,

which is good news for you, Dave.

You're in the lead - this will double it, if you get it.

How many tennis French Open singles titles did Bjorn Borg win during his career?

Well, obviously, it's not my favourite subject, this,

so it'll be a wild guess.

I would say four, for a guess.

-And it's only a guess.

-OK, four.

-CJ MOUTHS

The French Open, how many?

We know about his Wimbledons. How many French Opens, CJ?

-Six.

-Six.

Six French and five Wimbledons.

-That was it.

-OK, it's six.

It's six, not four.

So, er, no damage necessarily done there -

you retain the lead if Barry doesn't get this.

Barry, in which sport might you be expected to encounter boils and haystacks?

I've never heard of boils and haystacks in boxing.

There is a punch called a hay cutter, I think,

but I don't think there's a haystack.

Doesn't sound a diving term, but in canoeing,

with the various eddies that you're likely to get in the river,

a boil and a haystack sounds quite plausible,

so I shall go for canoeing.

OK, just working that out on plausibility, really.

It's right. Well done. Canoeing.

All square. The next couple of questions

might sort out a winner. Dave.

Roman Sebrle, the first man to score over 9,000 points

in a decathlon competition,

was nearly killed when he was hit by which piece of equipment in 2007?

Yeah, hold on! HE CHUCKLES

This is a tough one. Yes. Erm...

Well, obviously, throwing.

I would say, erm...discus.

OK, Roman Sebrle scored 9,000 points

in a decathlon, was nearly killed when he was hit by...

-a javelin.

-Oh.

-A javelin.

-One of the other throwing events.

OK, well, er, Barry,

Karl Malone, who retired as the second-highest points scorer in NBA history in 2005,

spent 18 seasons with which team?

The second-highest scorer.

That presupposes that he played for one of the better teams.

On the basis that he retired in 2005,

and Chicago Bulls had a better period earlier than the Lakers,

I shall say the LA Lakers.

The Lakers. Yeah, you were tossing up between the Lakers and the Bulls,

weren't you? And you know what?

-It's Utah Jazz.

-BARRY LAUGHS

So you were never close.

-This is not my day, is it?

-Nah!

BOTH CHUCKLE

So there we are. Well, Barry, look at that, red all over the board,

but somewhere amongst the red, a tick for each of you, which takes us into sudden death.

Start again, Dave. Can you tell me which Dutch former footballer

named his son Jordi after a Catalan saint?

Oh. This is a...

I don't really know many Dutch football players,

only the ones that are normally playing now, so...

The only one I can think of is Johan Cruyff.

It's the right answer, yes! Johan Cruyff.

When Jordi was born,

he was playing for Barcelona at the time. Went to play for Man United, didn't he?

He did, for a while, yes.

OK, well, you've got to get this, then, Barry.

Who did Martina Navratilova say had an unfair advantage in the 1992 Wimbledon semi-finals

because of her oral outbursts, or grunts?

I seem to recall Martina Hingis was quite vocal.

I think that's about the right period.

I'm sure CJ will be pulling wonderful faces if I've got it wrong.

-But I shall go for Martina Hingis.

-Martina Hingis.

-Ah, it's a bit early for her, isn't it, CJ? '92.

-Monica Seles.

-Monica Seles, Barry.

-Oh!

-I think you just got confused there.

I was confused all this round! LAUGHTER

I think you have. Anyway, listen,

great news.

You're through, Dave. Johan Cruyff's put you through.

You'll be playing in the final. You won't, Barry.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Getting better and better for the Transplantees,

two Eggheads now missing from the final round. You've lost one brain.

And our last head-to-head before the final round is History.

And, Paul or Patrick, who wants to play this?

-Patrick. Yeah.

-I'll go.

-Yep.

-Yeah.

-Patrick.

-And, er...

-And it's Chris or Kevin remaining.

Yes, it'll have to be Chris, I think. Yeah. Chris, please.

OK, let's have Patrick and Chris into the question room, please.

Patrick, let's see if we can get another one of you through to the final round.

This would be marvellous. Whittle the Eggheads down to two. Would you like to go first or second?

Oh, I'll go first, please.

Here's your first question, then.

What was the name of the royal yacht launched by the Queen

on the 16th of April 1953?

Well, straightaway, Britannia springs out at me.

I've never heard of the other two, so I'll go for Britannia.

Royal yacht Britannia. Yeah, right.

Good start, Patrick.

Chris, first question.

The Spanish hero El Cid

is famous for fighting both for and against which people?

"For and against," is the operative word.

It was the Moors -

the Arabic people who settled in Spain.

The Moors is the correct answer.

Well done, Chris. Patrick, your second question.

The 1690 Battle of the Boyne

was a victory for which king of England over the deposed monarch, James II?

James II... Erm, Charles II, let me just think...

I'll go for George I.

-OK, George I, a victory for George I over James II? Chris?

-Yeah,

King Billy, William III.

William III. Of course, you were saying King Billy.

-Took place in the Battle of the Boyne in...

-1690.

There we are. Nothing for you, Patrick, and a chance, then,

for the lead for Chris.

With whom did the participants in the 1605 Gunpowder Plot

plan to replace James I on the English throne?

I don't think they'd have stood for another queen,

so it's not Elizabeth Stuart.

And Henry Frederick Stuart doesn't sound right,

so I'll go for Robert Bruce Stuart.

-OK. Er, no, they did want a queen. Elizabeth Stuart.

-Oh, right.

They did. Elizabeth Stuart. So, good news for you, Patrick, there.

Stays all square,

and you can go into the lead if you get this.

Which UNESCO World Heritage Site,

located in modern-day Turkey, was the capital of the Hittite empire?

Er, it's not part of history that I've studied,

or even read about, but, er...

I'm going to have to hazard a guess here, really.

I'll take the one in the middle. I don't know how you pronounce it.

Hatt-oo-sa, is it? The one in the middle.

The one in the middle, OK. Hattusha.

Er, capital of the Hittite empire. Has he hit that?

-He has.

-He has. It's the right answer.

Well done, Patrick.

Nothing wrong with a blind guess now and again!

In the lead. Well, will another Egghead bite the dust?

Chris...

to save yourself, Mansa Musa,

who led a famous pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324,

was the ruler of which African empire?

Ah, now, this was the Islamic civilisation,

in sort of the sub-Saharan area, wasn't it?

So I don't think it was called Niger,

and it certainly wasn't Algeria.

Because it was based around Timbuktu, I'll say it was Mali.

-Mali?

-Mm.

-You've got it. Well worked out.

Yes, two each.

We go to sudden death, then, again.

So, Patrick, can you tell me this?

Which European dynasty ruled Austria from 1282,

secured the rule of the Holy Roman Empire in the 15th century,

and ruled Spain between 1516 and 1700?

Was it the Goths?

No, Patrick, it wasn't the Goths.

I'm sorry. Chris, it could have been your question if you'd been put in first by Patrick.

-It's the Hapsburgs.

-The Hapsburgs.

Hapsburgs.

Chris, you win it if you get this, then.

Which island chain did the United States seize from Spain in 1898?

Oh, Battle of Manila Bay. Down the torpedoes, full speed ahead.

It was the Philippines.

-Don't know what you're on about there!

-CHRIS LAUGHS

But Philippines is the right answer, Chris. Oooh.

Close, but you're in the final.

Sorry, Patrick, you won't be playing for the money today.

Would you both please come back, and join your teams?

This is what we've been playing towards.

Time for the final round - as always, it's General Knowledge.

I'm afraid those who lost their head-to-heads

won't be allowed to take part.

So, Patrick and Phil from the Transplantees,

and Barry and CJ from the Eggheads,

would you leave the studio now, please?

So, David, Paul and Dave,

you're playing to win the Transplantees £26,000.

Chris, Judith, Kevin, you're playing for something money can't buy -

the Eggheads' reputation.

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

This time, the questions are general knowledge, and you are allowed to confer.

Transplantees, the question is, are your three brains better than the Eggheads' three?

And David, Paul and Dave, would you like to go first or second?

-First, shall we?

-First.

-Shall we go first?

Yeah. First, Dermot, please.

Straight in there, for the Transplantees.

Best of luck to you, guys. Here's your question.

Hippophobia is the fear of which animals?

Hippophobia is the fear of which animals?

-I'm absolutely sure it's horses.

-Horses.

-Yeah.

-I'm sure it's horses.

-OK.

Yeah. It's not hippopotamuses!

If you remember, the hippo, the hippopotamus, is the water horse.

Oh, yeah, it is.

On the basis that a hippopotamus is a water horse, we'll go for horses.

Horses, hippophobia. So, hippo's not up there.

And horse is the right answer. Well worked out, yeah.

Got the link there with hippopotamuses and the rest of it.

So, Eggheads, in which town is Royal Birkdale golf club?

-(Southport.)

-In which town is Royal Birkdale golf club?

Er, site of the 2008 Open. It's Southport.

-Southport.

-On Merseyside. Yeah.

Correct answer, Eggheads, yes.

Back to you, then, Transplantees.

In which conflict was the navy cruiser the General Belgrano

torpedoed and sunk?

In which conflict was the navy cruiser the General Belgrano

torpedoed and sunk?

-I'm certain it wasn't the Persian Gulf War.

-No, that's too far back.

And World War II was far too back.

-Yeah. It's definitely the Falklands.

-Yeah, yeah. Gotta be.

It's got to be the Falklands, Dermot.

The Falklands, the General Belgrano.

Are you gonna scuttle the Eggheads here?

It's the right answer, yes.

Two to you. OK, Eggheads.

Which country won the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest?

Which country won the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest?

Forbearing from any comment on voting patterns

or things being preordained, it was Russia.

Russia is correct. Yes, Eggheads.

Tricky one. Well negotiated,

and all square.

Third questions each.

The kuna is the official currency

of which European country, Transplantees?

The kuna is the official currency of which European country?

K-U-N-A, the kuna.

Well, Croatia and Slovenia are both Yugoslavia, aren't they?

So they would have the zloty.

What do you think?

-Erm, Czech Republic.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Definitely.

Well, it's a guess, isn't it? It's a wild guess.

It's a little bit of working out.

We feel that Croatia and Slovenia were the same country at one time,

or part of the same country,

so therefore we're going for the Czech Republic.

-OK, Czech Republic, and the kuna.

-Could be totally wrong.

You'll soon find out.

You are wrong. It's not the Czech Republic.

It is...Eggheads?

-Croatia.

-Well, there we are. Croatia.

A chance for the Eggheads, then.

Eggheads,

Marius Petipa was an influential figure in which area of the arts?

Marius Petipa is an influential figure in which area of the arts?

He was a famous 19th century choreographer.

-Ballet.

-Russian.

-OK, ballet?

-Yeah.

It's correct, Eggheads. You've won.

Bad luck, guys.

Thanks for telling us about the important work, about the Transplantee Games,

-and, of course, carry your donor card.

-Absolutely.

-Yeah.

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

you won't be going home with the £26,000,

which means 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.

£27,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.

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