Episode 41 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 won some of the country's

toughest quiz shows. They are the Eggheads.

And challenging our resident quiz champions today

are the Lunkheads from Cheshire. The team of colleagues,

who work an insurance department, dreamt up their name

after a session of throwing insults at one another. Let's meet them.

-Hi, I'm Tony, I'm 40 and I'm a Claims Manager.

-Hi, I'm Claire,

I'm 29, and I'm a Claims Consultant.

Hi, I'm Colin, I'm 32 and I'm an Investigations Manager.

Hi, I'm John, I'm 39 and I'm a Technical Negotiator.

Hi, I'm Steve, I'm 30 years old and I'm a Claims Consultant.

Well, welcome to you, Lunkheads. Sounds like a very colleaguered

atmosphere in the department with you all insulting each other!

Yes, we have a lot of very healthy disrespect to one another!

So it's not an homage, it's not a play on the Eggheads' team name?

Well, I think it influenced it somewhat.

Have you done any quizzing together or is it the first time for you?

Well, some of us have quizzed together and some of them

regularly quiz together and with some of the other guys

-we've quizzed in company quizzes.

-OK, Lunkheads, let's play the game,

I'll tell you how much you can play for today.

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

for our challengers. However, if they fail to defeat the Eggheads

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, Lunkheads, the Eggheads have won the last nine games

which means £10,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

Do you want to play?

-Yes.

-Let's do the first head to head battle, then.

This subject is Geography. Anyone of you can take part, of course.

-Geography.

-So you can do it!

That's me, yeah, fine.

OK, Colin, and any Egghead you like, first round, of course.

-What about CJ?

-Yeah, shall we go for CJ?

CJ. You've done your work, haven't you?

CJ's done well on geography if he finds his way to the questions!

Let's have Colin from the Lunkheads and CJ from the Eggheads

into the question room, please, just to make sure there's no conferring.

So Colin, as you know in Eggheads,

the main requirement is knowledge but a bit of luck comes into it

and I believe you're a pretty lucky fellow!

A trip to Vegas turned a few dollars into quite a few hundred, didn't it?

It did, yes.

We went to Vegas a few months ago

and we walked into the casino, put 50 down on the roulette

and about an hour and a half later walked away with £500!

Well, let's hope that continues today.

Now this has a bearing on whether you choose a set of questions that suit you or not.

Do you want the first set or the second set?

I think I'll go second, please.

OK. Hoping the tactic of putting the Egghead in first will work.

You want an early slip-up, then.

OK, CJ, in which US state is Disneyland theme park located?

I'm not sure there's anything of much value in New Jersey

and there's plenty of Disney stuff with the Bushes in Texas,

but I think Disneyland is in California.

You think California, Disneyland?

Did you visit it on your trip, Colin,

-you were in Nevada, next door? Did you go into California?

-No,

we, did, but we went to Northern California, San Francisco.

Having given the answer away there,

yes, of course, it's correct, Disneyland in California. OK, Colin.

First question for you, then.

Ladywood, Selly Oak and Perry Bar

are all names applied to Parliamentary constituencies in which city?

I've never heard of Ladywood, but I've definitely heard of Selly Oak

and I'm pretty sure it's in Birmingham.

Birmingham, just identifying one of them, it doesn't matter,

they're all in the same city and that is Birmingham. Well done.

CJ, second question. Which country has a city

called London with a population of about 350,000 situated on the Thames River in Middlesex County?

It's in Canada, Dermot.

It's all the same apart from the population. Canada is correct.

Well done, CJ, two to you.

OK, Colin, good start for you. Let's see how you do with your second.

The US City of Philadelphia is located on which major river?

I'm not too sure on this one, actually.

Pretty sure it's not the Missouri - I think that's further south.

The Hudson River...

I'm not sure if I've heard of the Delaware River.

I'm going to go for Hudson, but I'm not too confident, actually.

Not too confident on the Hudson.

You're right not to be. It's not correct, Colin.

It is the Delaware, the one you hadn't heard of.

Well, CJ has a chance to win it, then, if he gets this.

CJ, the island of Benbecula

separates which other two Scottish islands?

Now Benbecula, I think, is the airport of the Orkneys.

I think that's the...

oh, or is it the Shetlands?

I don't think it's the Hebrides, so I'm going to rule out Harris & Lewis,

so here we are with the inevitable 50/50 chance.

I'm going to pick the wrong one

so I'll just jump in and pick it, Jura & Islay.

-Juray & Islay, Eggheads?

-North and South Uist.

Yes, it is, North and South Uist,

which is very good news for you, Colin, so you're saved,

but unsaved if you get this wrong, if you know what I mean.

You've got to get this to take us into sudden death.

What sort of terrain is the Taklamakan region of China?

Well, I've not...

I've not heard of it. China...

It's a vast country so there's obviously lots of different...

it's quite feasible all three of those

type of terrains could be there.

-I'm going to go for desert.

-OK.

Well...is that old roulette wheel luck going to return?

It's the right answer, yes, desert.

OK, we go to sudden death, then, and Colin, that means

we remove those choices, so just got to hear answers from you both.

CJ is first. In terms of area,

which is the second largest of the world's oceans?

It's the Atlantic.

The Atlantic.

It is the Atlantic, yes, second largest of the world's oceans,

thank you, CJ. Correct. OK, Colin.

Which Swiss city is famous for its bear-pit where bears have been kept

on display since 1480?

Well, I've never heard of a bear pit in Switzerland,

I must say, so I'm just basically going to have to guess a Swiss city,

so I'm going to say Geneva,

just probably because it's the largest city to my knowledge.

OK. Geneva, and bear pits,

don't know if they HAD them, but they don't now, not Geneva.

Do you know, CJ? You could easily have been put in second?

Well, I would have gone for Zurich

-because it is the largest city.

-It's not Zurich, ether. Other Eggheads?

It's in the name, Berne.

-It's the name.

-Bears and Berne.

-Berne, I mean is bear in that?

It is, it's derived from bear, yeah.

But that ends this round, Colin.

I'm sorry to say no place for you in the final round.

CJ, I'm sorry to say, you'll be there. Would you both please come back and join your teams.

Good effort, Colin, just not to be but it's early days.

The Lunkheads have lost one brain from the final round, the Eggheads are all still there.

We'll play our next subject then, shall we? This is sport.

Ah, and Colin, you'd have quite fancied this, wouldn't you?

Yes, that was my second choice, really.

Oh, well, you know, have you got your plan right?

Well, Colin can't play, can't play twice in the head to heads.

Who else is it going to be?

I think John would probably do that.

-That's fine, yeah.

-OK, John, and from the Eggheads it can't be CJ. Any of the other four.

-Judith, please.

-OK, yes, let's have John from the Lunkheads

and Millionaire winner, Judith, into the question room, please.

John, now would you like to go first, or second?

I'd like to go second, please.

Judith, off-cutters and leg-cutters are skills in which element of cricket?

Well, um...

I don't think it's bowling and I don't think it's fielding.

I think it must be batting.

-OK.

-Er!

-Batting, off-cutters and leg-cutters!

I'm sorry, Judith, it's not batting, it is...

-do you know, other Eggheads?

-Bowling.

It's bowling, off-cutters and leg-cutters.

Right, that's the start you wanted, John, that's the first

bit of it done. The next bit is getting your first question right.

Which jockey was riding Nijinsky when he won the 1970 Epsom Derby?

OK. Well, I think Willie Carson

would perhaps be too young to have ridden in 1970.

I've heard of Nijinsky.

I have to say my gut feeling is Lester Piggott,

-so I'm going to say Lester Piggott.

-OK.

What I always call the Goldilocks question - too young, Willie Carson,

too old, Gordon Richards, and just right, Lester Piggott.

It's the right answer. That's if you don't know it.

Right, you worked that out very, very well, John. OK, Judith,

which English Rugby Union Club plays its home matches at Kingston Park?

Which English Rugby Union Club plays its home matches at Kingston Park?

Sale.

-Sale?

-Yeah.

-Kingston Park - is it Sale, other Eggheads?

-No, it's Newcastle.

-It's Newcastle, Judith.

-Newcastle.

-Can I go home, now?

Well, very soon, I think.

-Thank you. Just hurry it up!

-I do just need to go through

the formality of putting another question to John.

OK, John, she's got two wrong.

If you get this, as you know, you're through to the final round.

Alex Ferguson managed the Scottish national football team

at which World Cup Finals?

Right.

Actually, I'm a Manchester United fan, but I'm actually surprised.

I don't recall him actually managing Scotland, but clearly he did,

because neither the option of none of those dates

is not available, so he was the Manchester United Manager in 1990,

um...he joined Manchester United around 1986.

By process of elimination, I'm going to say Mexico 1986.

OK, Mexico, 1986.

And a lot of knowledge there, Manchester United fan,

and got the right answer!

Yes, Mexico 1986.

You're through to the final round. Judith's wish has come true

and Eggheads, just on Alex Ferguson, presumably then Manchester United

recruited him from Scotland? He would have gone to the World Cup Finals and joined Manchester United?

Yes, he'd been Aberdeen Manager up to that point, and then managed Scotland, briefly, and then Man U.

And Man United since then, as identified by John.

Really had to get that, didn't you? You couldn't go to the bar

with your Man United friends... get that one wrong. And, Judith, yes, your wish has come true.

You can sit out the rest of the game.

You're not playing in the final round.

John, you will be there, great asset, I think, to the Lunkheads.

Would you both please come back and join your teams.

Well, solid round there by John. Both teams now

have lost one brain from the final round. Our next subject today

is Film and Television. Who'd like to play this one?

-I'm going to do this one.

-OK, Claire.

This plan is beginning to work! Who would you like to play?

It can't be Judith or CJ, so that leaves Daphne, Barry or Kevin?

-We're going to go for Barry.

-OK, then. Let's have Claire and Barry in the question room, please.

Claire, would you like to go first, or second?

I think I'm going to stick with the team strategy and go second.

Worked for John, didn't work for Colin,

let's hope it works for Claire!

Barry, which 2001 natural history series narrated by David Attenborough

concerned life in the world's oceans?

Absolutely wonderful series

and I watched every episode and it was The Blue Planet.

The Blue Planet is the right answer. Well, done, Barry. Good start.

OK, Claire. "Computer says no"

is a catchphrase used by a character in which TV comedy series?

OK, well I'm a big fan of all three of these,

so this shouldn't really be a problem.

I'm going to go for Little Britain, Dermot.

Little Britain - "computer says no". Yes, of course it is. There we go.

Barry, second question for you.

In which film did Colin Firth play a character called Paul Ashworth

who was based on the author, Nick Hornby?

A lot of Nick Hornby novels there! Which one was it?

I'm going to assume Nick Hornby

is a true football fan because he wrote Fever Pitch

and go for Fever Pitch.

And Fever Pitch it is! Fever Pitch, concerning Arsenal.

OK, well, it's two to Barry and Claire, second question for you.

The actress born Margarita Cansino

in New York in 1918 is better-known by what name?

OK, this is a tough one.

I'm not really sure.

I'm going to go...

I'll go on gut instincts and I'm going to go for Lauren Bacall.

OK. Lauren Bacall. It's incorrect.

It's not Lauren Bacall, Claire. Barry, do you know?

It's the lustrous Rita Hayworth.

It is Rita Hayworth. Rita Hayworth, then, not Lauren Bacall. So, Barry,

you win the round if you give me a correct answer to this one.

Which television comedy series was the creation

of Rob Grant and Doug Naylor?

This is my all-time favourite sci-fi comedy series,

and CJ just told me that it's coming back!

I couldn't be a more delighted person than I am at this moment. Red Dwarf.

Red Dwarf. Unfortunately it's the way they fall.

This first set of questions has suited you, Barry.

It is the right answer. You are through to the final round.

Barry will be back to play in the final round and Claire won't be.

I'm sorry. Would you both please come back and join your teams.

OK, Lunkheads, at the moment you've lost two brains from the final

round. The Eggheads have lost one. We're playing our last head to head

before that final round, so it could be all square

in terms of players in the final round if you win this Music category.

It's Music, and Tony or Steve to play it.

-This was going to be Claire's as well!

-This is mine, yeah!

It's got to be the iPhone...

Yes, I shall take this one.

OK, Steve, and waiting for you in the question room

can be either Kevin or Daphne?

-Kevin, I think.

-Kevin, OK. Let's have the battle

between Steve and three times World Quiz Champion, Kevin, it's Music.

The question room is the place you should go.

Steve, what are you going to do? Are you going to stick

with the team plan and go second, or do you want to go first?

-It's your choice.

-I think that I'm actually going to take the first set of questions, if you don't mind.

OK, here you go, Steve. Good luck with it. The name Father McKenzie

appears in which song by The Beatles?

Well, Lovely Rita

and Michelle are songs that I'm not familiar with.

I am familiar with Eleanor Rigby

so I'm going to say Eleanor Rigby.

Phew! Great sigh of relief from the Lunkheads and me!

It's the right answer, yes. Eleanor Rigby

with Father McKenzie in there.

We won't go through the lyrics. Thank goodness that was the one

you'd heard of! OK, Kevin, the title song of which stage and film

musical starts with the line "What good is sitting alone in your room?"

-Rather apt, given where you are at the moment, isn't it?

-Yes.

The title song of which stage and film musical

starts with the line "What good is sitting alone in your room?"

And I'm not wearing fishnet stockings, either!

-How do we know?

-Well, you'll just have to take my word for it, Dermot.

It's Cabaret.

Cabaret is the right answer, Kevin.

-There's an image to conjure with, isn't it?

-Not really!

-No, exactly!

One each. OK, Steve second question.

The Hall Of The Mountain King

is a piece of orchestral music by which composer?

Mmm.

I have heard of this one.

I must say that I'm being drawn again to the second choice here,

-so I'm going to say Elgar.

-Elgar?

OK. Hall Of The Mountain King.

It's not. It's Grieg.

Grieg, I'm sorry. So a chance for Kevin.

The Shock Of The Lightning was a UK Top Ten hit single in 2008 for which group?

I've seen the title.

I've just got to try and remember which of them it was.

Oasis have had their... Their new album is Dig Out Your Soul.

Now was that released as a single, or did they have this?

I'm going to say Oasis.

It's the right answer, Kevin. It means you've got

to get this then, Steve.

Which musician used his nickname, The Father Of The Blues,

as the title of his 1941 autobiography?

I fear this is to be a complete shot in the dark, unfortunately.

I'm going to have to say here...

WC Handy.

You've got to get it right... and you have done! WC Handy,

shot in the dark, you've landed it.

OK, you've just got to hope that Kevin doesn't know this, then.

Which Russian composer conducted at the opening concert

of New York's Carnegie Hall in 1891?

Right, well it's not Glazunov.

I'm just trying to think.

I know that Tchaikovsky certainly visited America

and that was towards the end of his life,

that was within a couple of years of the end of his life.

Rimsky-Korsakov, I'm not aware of him

having visited the States.

I know Tchaikovsky did, so I'm going to have to go for Tchaikovsky.

Tchaikovsky,

conductor in the Carnegie Hall in 1891, the opening concert...

is the right answer, Kevin.

You've won the round. Not to be for you, Steve, sorry about that.

Would you both please come back and join your teams.

Well, 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 your head to heads

won't be allowed to take part in this round, so Claire,

Colin and Steve from the Lunkheads and Judith from the Eggheads,

would you leave the studio.

Well, Tony and John,

that leaves you playing to win the Lunkheads £10,000.

Barry, Kevin, CJ and Daphne,

you're playing for something money can't buy -

the Eggheads' reputation.

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

The questions are all General Knowledge

and you are allowed to confer.

Lunkheads, are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four?

And, Tony and John, would you like to go first or second?

We'd like to go second, please.

Well, off we go then.

Eggheads, final round.

Your first question.

The masthead of which daily British newspaper features an eagle carrying a rolled-up paper?

The masthead of which daily British newspaper

features an eagle carrying a rolled-up paper?

Independent.

That's The Independent.

Yes, it is, Eggheads.

Correct, one to you.

John and Tony,

which 20th century Prime Minister

was born in Huddersfield in 1916?

Which 20th century Prime Minister was born in Huddersfield in 1916?

-Well, we've got to go for somebody with a northern accent.

-Yep.

So, I think Clement Attlee is ruled out that way.

Yeah, he would have been too young as well.

Anthony Eden, I think he was

-a bit posh, too.

-He was the early 50s, I think.

Yeah, and I think the one that fits my bill is Harold Wilson.

I would agree entirely, yep.

Yeah, I think Harold Wilson.

-That your answer?

-Yes.

Harold Wilson. Eggheads?

-Yep.

-Absolutely.

It's the right answer, yes. Well done.

OK, second question for each team.

This is for the Eggheads. Dead Poets Society,

Witness and The Truman Show are films by which director?

Dead Poets Society, Witness and The Truman Show

are films by which director?

That would be Peter Weir.

Peter Weir is correct, Eggheads.

OK, second question for the Lunkheads.

Who wrote the novel, A History Of Mr Polly,

that was first published in 1910?

Who wrote A History Of Mr Polly

that was first published in 1910?

I don't think it's Rudyard Kipling.

I'm not sure. I mean you associate

HG Wells with science fiction, but I've a feeling

he wrote other genres as well.

I was originally erring towards Evelyn Waugh

but I will...

I think we'll go for HG Wells. I think you're right.

-Seeing as you're captain...

-OK.

-I'd like you to decide!

-Right. You know what I think.

-Yeah.

Well, we've got to go for HG Wells because if I go

for Waugh and I'm wrong, I'll look an idiot.

So what's it to be then, guys?

I think we'll go for HG Wells.

OK, HG Wells, all kinds of considerations

being taken into account there!

And ending up with...

-the right answer.

-Yes!

The History Of Mr Polly,

well done.

Got it in the end, so it's 2-2.

Eggheads,

cassiterite

is the major ore of which metal?

Cassiterite is the major ore of which metal?

It's tin, and didn't Britain used to be called The Cassiterides

or something like the Tin Islands...

-Tin Isles.

-..by the Romans,

because of the tin that was here.

OK. Cassiterite is the major ore of tin, it's correct, Eggheads.

Tony and John, you need

to get this question right.

Here you go.

What is the name of the tough regime of surveillance

to which the young Queen Victoria

was subjected in an attempt to keep her

dependent on her mother?

What is the name of the tough regime

of surveillance to which the young Queen Victoria was subjected

in an attempt to keep her dependent on her mother?

-My thoughts...

-I'm glad you've got some thoughts!

I have got thoughts, whether they're sensible thoughts or not

will yet to be seen, aren't they?

I would discount Camberwell System.

-I don't think...

-Why?

-I don't think

the royals would have anything to do with Camberwell.

Who was Camberwell?

It's a place in London.

I don't think I would go anywhere near it.

I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

I have a feeling it would be the Kensington System,

because only that

Queen Victoria's mother, I assume, would have lived

in Kensington Palace,

not Buckingham Palace,

so that's the only reason why

I would think Kensington System on that.

-That's fine by me.

-My only thought.

-That'll do me.

-Go on.

That's what we'll go for.

-What is it?

-The Kensington System.

Gone for the Kensington System?

Some interesting logic there

which has landed you the right answer!

That was really good! Very good reasoning.

It takes us to Sudden Death

so as you saw before,

we remove those choices and put this to the Eggheads.

Who resigned as the Governor

of the remote Russian province of Chukotka in July 2008?

Chukotka, C-H-U-K-O-T-K-A?

Roman Abramovich.

It is the correct answer, Eggheads,

Roman Abramovich

resigned as the Governor

of Chukotka in July 2008, so back to you,

then, Tony and John.

Great quizzing. Here we are, another question.

A reliquary, said to contain

the bones of the three wise men, is in a cathedral in which German city?

Is there any reason why they'd be in a particular city?

There would have to be a famous cathedral,

a famous medieval cathedral.

They're all medieval, the Hamburgs and the...

Hamburg, I like the sound of Hamburg. I might come back to that.

I also like the sound of, in my head, I like the sound of...

Munich, but I think...

I don't know about Munich,

but I like Hamburg, Hamburg.

I can feel people going to Hamburg, I don't know why.

Should we say what I just thought before and have forgotten now...

-Hamburg, please.

-Hamburg?

The three wise men, the bones of the three wise men...

Well, CJ, you lived in Germany for some time. Is it Hamburg?

-I don't think so.

-Cologne.

-Cologne.

-It's Cologne.

It's Cologne, which you weren't thinking about, which means,

of course, Eggheads, you've won.

Tony and John,

really bad luck there.

You worked really well together.

Most entertaining, in the final round. I know it was hard work

but you working those out, the Kensington System,

fantastic answer and thank you for playing today.

It's a pleasure to meet all the Lunkheads.

I don't think you'll call each other lunkheads

after this, I think you all played really, really well.

The Eggheads have done what is natural. Their winning streak continues.

You won't be going home

with the £10,000 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 have the brains

to defeat the Eggheads.

£11,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.

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