Episode 81 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 quizzes. They are the Eggheads.

Challenging our resident quiz Goliaths today are

the Townsend Saints from Hertfordshire.

They are old school friends who attended Townsend Church of England Secondary School in St Albans.

With their schooldays behind them, they now do their learning at various pub quizzes.

-Let's meet them.

-Hi, I'm Chris.

I'm 24 and I'm an insurance clerk.

Hi, my name's Tom. I'm 24 and I'm a trainee accountant.

Hi, my name is Lisa.

I'm 24 and I'm an operations co-ordinator.

Hi, my name is Matt. I'm 23 and I'm a civil servant.

Hi, I'm Joe. I'm 27 and I'm an invoicing co-ordinator.

So, Chris, you're all from the same school originally?

That's right. We went to secondary school at Townsend

and we've remained friends since.

And secretly competitive with each other?

Not so much secretly. But we do, especially with sports and if we're on the same quiz team,

we try to come up with the right answer first.

You can't win this individually, you work as a team!

Oh, yes. I understand that!

Insurance clerk, trainee accountant, operations co-ordinator,

civil servant, invoice and mailing co-ordinator.

These are your professions - is there a theme here?

Yes. None of us knew what we wanted to do when we left school!

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

for our challengers. But if they fail to beat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, Townsend Saints, the Eggheads have won the last 11 games,

which means £12,000 says you can't beat them.

-Is that all right?

-Yep.

First head-to-head battle is on the subject of Geography.

Which one of you wants this?

-I don't know. What do you reckon, guys?

-I was going to hold out

for Arts, but I'll give Geography a go. To get rid of it.

-Yes? Confident? Cool?

-Yes.

Joe, on Geography.

What d'you reckon for the Eggheads?

-I'll take on Chris. Definitely.

-Yes?

Why Chris definitely?

HE LAUGHS

He's just a person that symbolises the Eggheads the most.

In other words, they want rid.

-Celebrity status has arrived for Chris.

-An archetypal quizzer.

-OK.

So it's Joe from the Townsend Saints against Chris from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring, would you please take your positions

in the Question Room.

I'm going to ask each of you three multiple choice questions.

You get to choose, first or second set, Joe?

I'll take the second set, please.

Chris - the island of Ikaria,

said to be named after the legendary Icarus, belongs to which country?

I don't think many islands belong to Spain, apart from

the Balearics and the Canaries.

And apart from...

Sicily and Sardinia, I don't think Italy owns many islands.

But Greece is known for having masses of islands, plus Icarus

was a Greek, so I'll say Greece.

Greece is correct. Well done. One point to you.

Joe, over to you. In Scotland, what type of geographical feature

is often known as a burn?

I wouldn't say a hill.

I think they have different... I can't think of the words,

but there are different words for hills and mountains.

What I get in my head is an image of a Scottish man, "Wee burn"!

So...I don't think you'd describe a wood as "wee"

so I'll go for stream.

Your team are enjoying the logic here.

Is he right, team, d'you think?

-I think so, yes.

-He is right.

Well done. Stream, it is.

Chris, the year 1900 saw the opening

of which city's metro transit system?

The Moscow Metro came later.

The New York subway, I think, was slightly later.

But the Paris Metro opened all in one lump in 1900, with all those

iconic Art Nouveau stations. So it was Paris.

Tough question. But Paris is the answer.

Well, I would know that, wouldn't I?

Yes. With your train driving background.

Back to you, Joe. The American city of Minneapolis is located

on the banks of which river?

I don't have any idea where Minneapolis is.

I'm going to have to try and work this out a different way.

I can't just say it sounds like Mississippi a bit.

For that reason, I'll take Mississippi out.

We'll work with Colorado and Rio Grande.

Rio Grande sounds like it spends more time in central and

southern Mexico...and America.

So, I think I'll go for Colorado.

Colorado River is your answer.

I'm afraid it was the one it sounded like. Mississippi.

So you're wrong. So Chris, your chance to take the round

with the third question. Here we go.

Where in London is Rotten Row?

It comes from Route du Roi - the way of the King -

and it's at the southern edge of Hyde Park,

parallel with Kensington Gore.

It's a horse-riding track.

Hyde Park is your answer?

And it's correct. Chris, congratulations to you.

You'll be playing for the Eggheads in the final. Joe,

I'm sorry, you've been beaten. You won't be joining us in the final.

Please, both of you, come back to the studio.

So, as it stands, the challengers have lost

one brain from the final round. The Eggheads have lost no brains.

Our next subject is Sport.

Who's the Sports person? I reckon you all are, actually.

Well, we hope we're quite strong on this.

We were hoping that every option would be Sport.

THEY LAUGH

I'm thinking either Tom or Matt. They're the strongest on Sport.

-Along with Joe.

-I'll be happy to take it.

-Yes? OK.

Matt against...? Now, the tough one.

OK. I reckon we'll go with Daphne. Does everyone agree with that?

Daphne, yes. Definitely.

Matt from the Townsend Saints against Daphne from the Eggheads.

Please take your positions in the Question Room.

I'm going to ask each of you three questions on Sport in turn.

Matt, choose the first or the second set.

I'll have first, please.

In which sport is Hong Kong's Marco Fu

a well-known competitor?

OK. It's not badminton. It's definitely not that one.

I like a bit of golf and the name doesn't ring a bell and

I know that it's snooker. I'm gonna go with snooker.

Brilliant. You're right. Snooker it is.

Daphne, your question. What's the name of the campaign launched

by the FA at the start of the 2008/9 season, aimed at combating

unacceptable behaviour on the pitch and from the sidelines?

I haven't heard of it. Sorry.

It doesn't sound like Honour.

Respect?

I don't know. Respect sounds the most possible.

-It's right.

-Oh!

-Well done. Respect.

Matt, Romania's Constantina Tomescu took the gold medal

in which athletics event at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games?

I watched some of the Olympic Games.

Usain Bolt was brilliant in the 100 meters.

But the name doesn't ring a bell to me.

I'm going to go, probably...high jump.

Because javelin would be for stronger events.

I'm gonna go with high jump, I think.

-Eggheads?

-Marathon.

Marathon. Marathon was right.

Constantina was a marathon runner.

Daphne, your question. Who was the first left-handed player

to win the Ladies' singles title at Wimbledon?

I've just got a feeling that Ann Jones was a left-handed player

and she certainly won it before the other two.

So, I should go with Ann Jones.

Ann Jones is correct.

You're pulling away.

You need this one Matt, OK?

Otherwise you're not in the final. Here we go.

Australia cricket captain Ricky Ponting plays for which team

in domestic cricket?

I'm a big fan of cricket.

Obviously, if it was county clubs in England I'd have a better chance.

But I think Ricky Ponting is from Melbourne, which I know

is probably New South Wales.

I'm probably going to go with New South Wales Blues.

New South Wales Blues.

Let me ask your team, because they're looking agitated.

When Australia were playing South Africa recently

at Tasmania, they were saying it was Ponting's own ground and

he hadn't scored a century there.

Yes. Sorry, Matt. It's Tasmanian Tigers.

Well done, Daphne. Matt, you were beaten by our Egghead,

and as a result you'll not be able to help your team in the final round.

Would you both please come back and rejoin your team-mates.

Townsend Saints, as it stands you've lost

two brains from the final round. The Eggheads have lost no brains.

Next subject is Film And TV.

-Lisa, Tom or Chris?

-I'll have a go at it.

Yes? Go for it, Lisa.

Well done, Lisa. Well done.

Against who?

-Um...

-Against whom?

-Judith?

-Judith, please.

-Judith.

So, it's Lisa from the Townsend Saints

against Judith from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions

in the Question Room.

OK. Let's see how you do. I'll ask each of you three questions

on Film And TV in turn. Lisa, first or second set?

Can I go first please, Jeremy?

Lisa, Paddy Garvey and Dave Tucker were characters

in which TV series of the 1990s?

Tucker. That's ringing bells with me for some reason.

I don't know why. I think I'm going to go with Soldier, Soldier.

I'm thinking of...

I dunno. I'm thinking of Robson Green. I don't know if that's

something completely different.

But I'm going to go with Soldier, Soldier.

-It's the right answer. Well done.

-Yay!

Well done.

OK, Judith, here we go. Who provides the voice

of Alex the lion in the 2006 animated film, Madagascar?

I know Jack Black does somebody's voice. I read this the other day.

I going to say Jack Black.

It's the wrong answer. It's Ben Stiller.

I know, he's Kung Fu Panda.

I've just got it, damn it!

It's always great when you swear.

You can always cut it out.

Foul-mouthed interventions!

THEY LAUGH

OK, over to you, Lisa.

In the 1970s sitcom Citizen Smith, how did Hilda Braid's character, Mum,

regularly refer to Robert Lindsay's Wolfie Smith?

Oh, my goodness.

I'm going to go for,

and this is an absolute guess because I have just no idea...

..Jonesy.

He's called Wolfie, but she's calling him Foxy.

Foxy was the right answer.

What was going on, she was getting it wrong deliberately or...?

She wasn't the sharpest needle in the knitting set, actually.

I see. So it was not deliberate?

Foxy.

Judith, Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

and sidekick Ginger are two regular characters from which sketch show?

I haven't watched Little Britain USA and I love Little Britain.

So, I'm kicking myself.

I going to say Little Britain...USA.

It's not.

It's That Mitchell And Webb Look.

OK, Lisa. If you get this right, there's no way back for Judith.

-You will be playing in the final round.

-OK.

Who directed Sid And Nancy, the 1986 film biography of Sex Pistols

bass player Sid Vicious?

OK. Another one where I really don't have any idea at all.

I feel like I've heard of Julien Temple, but I can't think why.

I'm going to go for Julien Temple for that reason.

He's the only one that I feel like I've heard of before.

The right answer is Alex Cox. Sorry.

OK.

Judith, you need this.

If you don't get this right, you're not in the final round.

Which actor, born in 1913, began his showbusiness career in the circus

as part of the acrobatic act, Lang And Cravat,

until a finger injury caused him to retire in 1939?

I think that's Burt Lancaster.

Burt Lancaster is the right answer.

Yeah, brilliant actor. And he has got you back into it, Judith.

So you've got level scores after three questions each.

That means it gets a bit harder. We go to Sudden Death

and these questions are not multiple choice.

Lisa, which actor played the role of Jesse James in the 2007 film

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford?

-I think it's Brad Pitt.

-Is that your answer?

-Yes.

-And it's right.

-Yes!

So, the pressure is on you now, Judith.

If you get this wrong, you are out.

In which TV series did the former Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston

appear as DCI Bilborough, who was memorably killed

by a psychotic Liverpool fan played by Robert Carlyle?

I don't know.

I just don't watch telly enough.

I've no idea. I simply can't think.

-Sorry.

-No answer, just sorry?

-Yup.

It was Cracker.

Cracker.

So Lisa, well done.

Well done. You turned it around for your team, that's great.

So, you took on our Egghead and you beat her, and that means that you,

Lisa, will be in the final round. Judith, I'm sorry, you won't.

Do please, both of you, come back to us.

As it stands, the challengers have lost two brains

from the final round. The Eggheads have lost one brain.

Our last subject is Music.

Which of you wants Music? It has to be Tom or Chris.

I don't know anything in the past 30 years, Chris.

Tom actually said to me once that he's given up on music entirely.

So I think I'm going to go up for that one.

We almost want to see Tom do it.

Just to see what the catastrophe would look like!

If the questions are selectively on the Kinks and...

yes, just the Kinks, then he'll be all right.

Or the Beach Boys.

-So, Chris against...?

-I think we'll take Barry.

So, it's Chris from the Townsend Saints against Barry

from the Eggheads. They are going to try and take you out.

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

OK, Chris. I'm going to ask each of you three questions on music

in turn. Chris, you can choose the first or second set.

I think I'll go first.

Chris, which singer who had a UK Top Ten single in 1978

with I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper,

married Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1984?

Andrew Lloyd Webber...

Just trying to think of maybe seeing him with someone.

I'd know who Bonnie Langford is.

Whenever I do a quiz and I don't know the answer, I always middle it.

They tend to be right more often than not.

So I'm going to middle it. Elaine Page.

It's the wrong answer.

Sarah Brightman, it was.

OK, Barry. Your question.

The Tears Of A Clown topped the UK chart

in 1970 for which singer and The Miracles?

I'm afraid to admit that I still thoroughly enjoy Motown music.

The Tears Of A Clown was memorably sung by Smokey Robinson

and The Miracles.

Great song, great artist, you're right. Smokey Robinson.

Well done. One point to you. Chris, you've got to catch up.

The words to which hymn were written in 1963

by Sydney Carter, although the tune dates back to the 19th century?

I've got a feeling Silent Night,

from somewhere at the back of my head,

I think that might be a German song originally written in German.

I'm going to go for Lord Of The Dance.

I'm sure I've heard people sing Amazing Grace before that.

So Lord Of The Dance, just by process of elimination.

Great, well done. You're right.

You're right!

Barry, your question now.

In 1978, David Van Day and Thereza Bazar formed the pop duo Dollar

after having hits such as There's A Whole Lot Of Loving

as part of which other group?

Well, Manhattan Transfer's only hit was Chanson d'Amour.

And I don't think they were in that.

And I'm certain they weren't in The New Seekers.

So I think the answer is Guys 'n' Dolls.

Yeah, it is Guys 'n' Dolls.

Your question, Chris.

And you need this to put pressure on Barry.

Otherwise you can't come back. What type of musical instrument

was the 17th century shalumo?

I don't know this answer, but I'll try and use the great logic I used

on the last question to get to it.

I don't think it's a keyboard.

Possibly percussion or woodwind.

I've never heard of this instrument. I'm sure it's very obvious.

But I'm going to go for...

Using the same logic as I did last time, I'm going to go for

the one I discounted first of all. Keyboard.

Your logic has totally baffled me. I don't know what you're doing.

I have to say, it's not working that well, cos keyboard is wrong.

It's woodwind in fact.

Chris, I'm sorry, there isn't any way back with only three questions.

So Barry, well done. Chris, you were beaten by our Egghead.

You won't be joining your team in the final round.

Barry, you will be. Please both of you come back to the studio.

This is what we've been playing towards.

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

Those of you who lost your head-to-heads

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

So Chris, Matt, and Joe from the Townsend Saints,

and also Judith from the Eggheads,

are going to have to leave the studio now.

Tom and Lisa, you are playing to win the Townsend Saints £12,000.

Daphne, Chris, Barry and Kevin, you are playing for something

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

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

This time the questions are all General Knowledge.

You are allowed to confer, you two.

Townsend Saints, the question is, are your two brains better

than the Eggheads' four? Tom and Lisa,

first or second set of questions?

-What do we think?

-I think first. Put the heat on them.

-Yeah.

We're going to go first, I think.

The name of which punctuation mark is shared by that

of a brightly coloured butterfly found in Britain?

I don't know. Comma...

-It sounds...

-Comma?

Yeah. I don't know why.

I always thought hyphen sounded like a living thing.

I'm thinking comma. I don't know why.

-You're really pushing for comma?

-Yeah, but if it goes all wrong...

If it does go wrong...we'll win as a team and lose as a team, Lisa.

-OK.

-I think we'll go with Lisa. Given she's had

a winning record so far.

-And we'll go with comma, I think.

-Your answer is comma.

-I'm really glad you did that, it's right.

-Excellent.

The one bit of knowledge you had, it was very important

you didn't overrule it. Well done.

Eggheads, which comic-book hero made

his first appearance in issue 15 of Amazing Fantasy in 1962?

-Spider-Man.

-Yep. Yeah, the other two are much earlier.

It's Spider-Man.

Spider-Man is the correct answer, Eggheads, well done.

A point to you. Second question.

Keep the tension.

Here we go.

What is the common name for the medical condition

adhesive capsulitis?

Adhesive suggests being stuck, doesn't it?

That would point towards frozen shoulder.

Yeah, capsule,

kind of... I don't know.

It might be something to do with the shoulder joint.

I think that's a hinge joint.

Ingrowning toenails...

Or ball and socket joint. Which could be a capsule. I suppose.

Ingrowing toenail, I don't think.

No. I wouldn't have thought so.

I think maybe frozen shoulder. I don't know.

Yeah, let's plump for frozen shoulder.

We seemed to be erring towards that at the start.

We'll go for frozen shoulder, I think.

On the basis that it's a ball and socket joint.

And frozen, an adhesive link, I think.

You're right.

You're right.

Eggheads. Can you sense them getting nervous, this lot?

-I don't think they feel nerves.

-Oh, they are.

There's a pool of sweat under the table, only I can see it.

What term is used to refer to the metals, colours and furs

used in heraldry?

Tinctures. They are tinctures, Jeremy.

They are tinctures, you are right.

It always upsetting when, before I've said the options,

somebody said the words tinctures under their breath over there.

-I hate that look of recognition and knowledge.

-But they can go blank.

I've seen it happen. Keep the faith.

Your third question. Who piloted the first powered flight

in an aeroplane in the UK?

-Do you recognise any of them?

-No, I do not.

Brilliant! Neither do I.

The only thing I can think, Charles Rolls, that might be something to do

-with Rolls-Royce, unless it was an engine created that way.

-Yep.

-That's the only thing I can think of.

-Samuel Cody...

That's kind of familiar, I don't know why. For some reason.

-They could all kind of be familiar.

-In the deepest depths of my brain,

I might have heard of one or two of them.

Shall we use Chris's famous

-"If we don't know, we'll plump for the middle one?"

-Yeah.

-Does that work?

-Did it work?

It did not work. It didn't work last time, so it must work now.

OK. All right then.

-Shall we do it?

-Yeah, let's.

-Just plump for the middle.

-Yeah, OK.

OK, we'll plump for the middle.

Charles Rolls.

I'm sorry, it didn't work.

It was Samuel Cody.

-OK.

-I was listening to the logic about the Rolls,

you know, aircraft, engine. Right lines there.

Absolutely.

Rolls was a pioneer. He was an aviation pioneer.

And he was killed in a flying accident only two years after

Cody made the first powered flight.

So it's a very good one to go for.

But it was Samuel Cody - actually an American,

-but resident here at the time.

-George Cayley was a 19th century

pioneer of gliders, and on one of his early experiments he took the

sensible precaution of sending his foot man up in the glider to test

it out, who immediately resigned the moment he landed back on the ground.

OK, Eggheads, your question now. If you get this right,

you have snatched the money from our brilliant Townsend Saints.

But you may not get it right. Here is the question.

Between 1790 and 1806, the Frenchman Joseph-Marie Jacquard developed

a device that was a refinement of which item of technology?

Loom.

Between 1790 and 1806, the Frenchman Joseph-Marie Jacquard developed

a device that was a refinement of which item of technology?

He developed a system that was for the automatic operation of looms

in textile manufacture.

And it's sometimes cited as being

one of the first steps on the eventual road to computerisation.

It worked by punch cards.

So loom is the answer.

Loom is indeed the answer, Eggheads.

You got it right. Congratulations.

You've won.

The way they throw in the punch card fact is almost insulting.

Challengers, I'm sorry.

You fought very bravely there.

Commiserations to you.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally and

their winning streak continues. They're having a good one.

I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £12,000.

That money then rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, congratulations. Who will ever beat you?

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

£13,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.

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