Episode 94 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've won some of the country's toughest quiz shows.

They are the Eggheads.

Challenging our resident quiz Goliaths today are Bognor Regis + 2.

This team of friends are all passionate about quizzing

and regularly put their brains to the test at the South Downs pub quiz in Feltham. Let's meet them.

Hi. I'm Peter. I'm 65. I'm a retired local government officer.

Hi. I'm Mike. I'm 55, and I'm a solution marketing manager.

Hi. I'm Carol. I'm 58.

I work as a teacher and shop supervisor.

Hello. I'm David. I'm 61 and an independent electrical retailer.

Hi. I'm Paul. I'm 39.

I'm a connections and infrastructure manager.

Peter and team, welcome. Thank you.

And I know you've been retired for a while.

You all do different things, actually, don't you? We do.

So, you love your archaeology? I'm a bit of a digger, I'm afraid, yes. Do you find anything?

I think my best find has been a flint axe,

which was about this sort of size, which I really enjoyed finding.

Have you brought it with you? I haven't. It's in the safe.

Cos it could come in handy! Well, we wish you well. Thank you.

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.

Bognor Regis + 2, the challengers won the last game, proving it can be done.

That means ?1,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

First head-to-head battle is on the subject of Food Drink.

Had you thought about this in advance?

I'm not sure I can... I wouldn't mind... Carol?

Carol wanted to do this one, so... OK.

Carol.

Choose an Egghead.

CJ, I think.

CJ. OK. Carol from Bognor Regis + 2 versus CJ from the Eggheads.

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

Carol, you had a famous grandfather.

Yes, he was called Fabian of the Yard or Fabian of Scotland Yard.

He was the head of the flying squad at the Met in the '40s and '50s.

Was he famous for solving any particular thing or just for being a big presence there?

I think in one of his books he caught the first cat burglar,

and he also got the King's Award for Gallantry

for defusing a bomb at Piccadilly Circus.

Goodness me! Great story. It was. All right, we move to Food Drink.

Carol, you can say whether you want the first or the second set.

Oh, I'd better have the first ones, I think, thank you, Jeremy.

So, here we go, Carol. Jelly roll is the American name for which foodstuff?

Well, I think a rollmop is a fish, or a herring, isn't it?

I don't know that they have sausage rolls in America,

so I think I'm gonna go for Swiss roll.

Swiss roll is quite right. Good logic.

OK. CJ, what type of food is Monterrey jack?

Something I can't eat, cos it's not vegetarian, but it's a red cheese.

Cheese is correct.

One point each. Carol, over to you.

What does one do to lettuce to create lettuce chiffonade?

Well, I've never heard of covering lettuce in oil.

Doing a chiffonade is shredding it.

Carol, brilliant. Shred it is right.

Well done, Carol. Your team are impressed.

CJ, what is a Mexican pulque?

I was in Mexico not too long ago,

but I'm just hoping it's one of their myriad chilli sauces.

Again, if it's an alcoholic drink, I just wouldn't know it.

I will go for chilli sauce. Chris?

It's an alcoholic drink.

Yes, it's an alcoholic drink, CJ.

Carol, which grape is used to make white Sancerre wine?

Well, it's actually my favourite wine,

so I'm hoping it's Sauvignon Blanc.

Absolutely right. Well done.

Sauvignon Blanc is the correct answer. Three out of three.

So that means there is no way back for CJ. You're out of the final.

Well done, Carol. Is it happening AGAIN, Eggheads?

Please, both of you, come back and rejoin us here.

As it stands, the challengers have not lost any brains

from the final round, while the Eggheads have lost one brain.

And the next subject is Film TV.

Who would like Film TV, and against which Egghead?

Am I gonna get the one nobody else wants again?

No. Do you want to go, Dave? I watch a bit of TV, I go to the cinema, so...

OK, that sounds good to me. You're well qualified. Nobody else wants to do it.

David against who?

This is perhaps a choice I shouldn't make, but I've always fancied a pretty woman with a million pounds.

So, Judith it is.

It's David from Bognor Regis + 2 versus Judith from the Eggheads.

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

David, first or second set?

Erm, the team instruction is first.

David, what type of road vehicle did Stephen Fry use to drive around

the 50 states in the 2008 series Stephen Fry In America?

Well, I do know the answer,

and I can't see Mr Fry on a motorbike and sidecar.

VW camper's more for surfers, I think,

so we'll have to go for London cab.

London cab is right. Well done.

Judith, here we go.

Which children's TV programme began with the lines

"Here is a box, a musical box, wound up and ready to play"?

"Here's a box, a musical box..."

I think it's Play School.

Camberwick Green is the answer, Judith. Sorry. Oh, is it?

I thought that was a postman.

David, which actress came to fame as the artificially created girl

in the 1961 TV science fiction series, A For Andromeda?

Erm, I'm not sure.

I don't think it's Helen Mirren.

Julie Christie I used to fancy a lot in those days,

but I'm not sure it was her, so I'll go for Sarah Miles.

It was the one you fancied. Yeah, well... It was Julie.

Judith, your question.

In which comedy series on TV did the dim sidekick character

of Piers Fletcher-Dervish appear?

I don't know.

Erm...

So a guess again.

The right-hand side has been very lucky, so The New Statesman.

It's so unfair on our challengers, but you are right.

The New Statesman is the answer.

OK, that's a cruel blow for you, David.

Your third question - you're level now -

the teen movies Bring It On in 2000

and Get Over It and Crazy/Beautiful in 2001

starred which actress?

Erm, I'm not sure.

As is traditional, it seems, in this game, we'll go for the middle one,

Kirsten Dunst.

..is the right answer.

THEY LAUGH INCREDULOUSLY

So there IS a god!

Well done!

Beaten at your own game, Judith.

Which renowned English actor

played the villainous Russian Lieutenant Colonel Podovsky

in the 1985 film Rambo: First Blood Part II?

'85? 1985.

Well, I think if I was casting it and he was a villainous Russian,

I'd choose Steven Berkoff.

Is that your answer? Yeah.

Steven Berkoff is correct, Judith.

OK, three questions we've had.

Scores are level. We now go to Sudden Death.

To make it that bit harder, David, this is not multiple choice.

Here is your question. In 2007, which journalist made headlines

when he was shown losing his temper

and shouting at a Scientologist on Panorama?

I think it's Martin something.

But I can't remember the surname.

Something like Bahir or...?

I can't remember. That's as close as I can get.

Martin Bahir? Yeah. I think you're thinking of Martin Bashir. Yeah.

But it wasn't him.

No. OK. It was John Sweeney.

Judith, which Dennis Potter work, broadcast in 1993,

co-starred Ewan McGregor as Private Mick Hopper?

Now, this I really should know, shouldn't I?

Erm, the only I can think of is Pennies from Heaven. It's not that one.

Erm, I'm sorry, I've come to the end of being able to think.

Lipstick on your Collar is the answer. Mm. So you remain level.

David, the 1956 Oscar- and Palme d'Or-winning feature documentary

The Silent World

or Le Monde du Silence was co-directed by Louis Malle

and which other person?

Well, Jeremy, that's The World of Silence.

I don't know.

The silent world was always considered the sea, so we'll say...

I'll need a first name and a surname.

Jacques Cousteau.

..is the right answer!

Well done, David!

If you get this wrong, Judith, you're not in the final.

Which female singer starred as a factory worker going blind

in Lars von Trier's 2000 feature film Dancer In The Dark?

I don't know.

Didn't see it. Don't know.

Is that a pass? I'm afraid it's a pass.

The answer is Bjork.

Judith, you're not gonna be in the final.

David, well done. You will be playing in the final round!

Doing well, challengers. Both of you, come back to the studio.

So, as it stands, the challengers haven't lost any brains

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

It's not going well for them. The next subject is Science.

Which challenger wants Science?

And you'd like to play who, Barry, Chris or Kevin?

I think Barry might be quite good on Science.

I think they're all quite good on science! Yes!

What are you gonna do?

Not much of a choice, but we'll say Barry.

So Paul from Bognor Regis + 2 versus Barry from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring,

would you please take your positions in the Question Room?

Paul, they definitely wanted you for Science.

Because of your background or your job now, or what?

No, just an interest. Paul, you can say first or second set.

Same instructions again. It's gotta be first.

The American King Camp Gillette

is credited with the invention of which everyday item?

Er, it sounds so obvious

that it's probably wrong, so I'll say safety razor.

You've got it. Safety razor.

Gillette razor.

Barry, in the UK, a gallon is the equivalent of 4.55 what?

Well, there's eight pints in a gallon, so it can't be that.

There's 20 fluid ounces in a pint, it can't be that,

so the answer must be litres.

And litres is quite right.

Paul, in the human body, of which of the three types of ribs

are there the greatest number?

Ooh... The body isn't one of my strongest, so it is a guess.

I'll go for the middle one, false ribs.

False ribs is wrong. Team-mates?

True ribs. True ribs. They're down the side, aren't they, or what?

Yeah, the ones that are connected to the breastbone.

They're the ones connected to the breastbone.

Barry has a chance to take the lead.

Barry, which creatures are included in the scientific order Passeriformes?

Passeriformes are perching birds.

Two points to you. You pull clear.

So, Paul, you need to get this one right.

Of what is the Rankine a scale and a unit?

It's spelt R-A-N-K-I-N-E.

Rankine is the true SI unit for temperature.

Spot-on. Well done!

If you get this one right, Barry, you've won.

Which element in the periodic table

is named after a town in Scotland

where it was first detected by Adair Crawford and William Cruickshank

in the late 18th century?

Well, ytterbium is named after Ytterby,

which I think may be in Sweden.

But the element that's named after a town in Scotland is strontium.

Do you happen to know what the town is called?

Strontium?

It's Strontian.

The element, you're quite right, is strontium. Well done.

The round goes to Barry. You will be in the final, Barry.

Paul, I'm sorry, you won't. You were beaten by an Egghead on good form.

Come back to us.

As it stands, the Challengers have lost one brain from the final round,

whilst the Egghead have lost two, but they may be fighting back.

Now, our next subject is Sport.

Who wants this? Not you, Mike, I'm guessing.

You're not, though, are you? I'm not a sport man. Shall I take sport?

You're the obvious choice, yes. Well done, Mike.

It's me. It's you, Mike, against Kevin or Chris?

My colleagues are saying Chris.

So, Mike from Bognor Regis + 2

versus Chris from the Eggheads on sport.

Please go to the question rooms.

I know this is not your subject, Mike, but you're in the chair.

You can choose first or second set.

I'll go with everybody else, I'll go first.

In American football, Mike, what name is given to the area into which

players must carry or pass the ball in order to score a touchdown?

Erm, I think the side zone would mean that players are moving side to side.

Never heard of the base zone.

Erm, I'm gonna go for the one in the middle, the end zone.

Correct. One point to you.

Chris, here we go - according to Boris Johnson,

speaking after the Beijing Olympics,

ping-pong was invented on the dining tables of England in the 19th century,

and it was called what?

It was played with cigar box lids

and champagne corks, and it was called whiff-whaff.

Whiff-whaff is right!

Mike, which team defeated England 32-22

in the semi-final of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup?

Well, rugby league is not really a sport that I know.

And I wouldn't have thought that Fiji were a rugby league country.

Not so sure about New Zealand.

So again I'm gonna go for Australia as my answer.

It was New Zealand.

Mike, you got it wrong.

Chris, back to you, to take the lead. Who did Lleyton Hewitt defeat

in the final to win the Wimbledon men's singles title in 2002?

Well, I think it's a bit late for Agassi. 2002, you say?

2002.

Yeah. Straight down the middle, Pat Rafter.

As it's tennis, I'm gonna turn to CJ, who will know the answer,

because he knows the answer to all tennis questions.

The only Grand Slam final he reached, it's David Nalbandian.

David Nalbandian, Chris.

So, its level, 1-1.

Mike, which French word is normally used by the referee to begin a fencing bout?

Commencez is begin.

Allez is go.

Tirez, I don't know.

Gonna go for commencez.

Commencez is wrong. It does mean begin, but it's actually allez.

Chris, if you get this right, you take the round.

Good grief.

What is the normal length of a quarter in NBA basketball?

Quarter.

Er, how long's a game?

Well, four 16s.

Four 16s would be beyond the attention span of Americans.

Ha-ha! 10 minutes strikes me as falling too pat,

and since they like order quantities of things, I'll say 12 minutes,

giving a 48-minute game.

Chris... Mmm? You just won the round. Well done.

12 minutes is right.

Mike, sorry, you've been beaten by our Egghead,

so you won't be able to support Bognor Regis + 2 in the final round.

Please, both of you, rejoin your teams.

This is what we've been playing towards.

It's time for the final round, 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, Mike and Paul from Bognor Regis Plus +2,

and Judith and CJ from the Eggheads,

please would you now leave the studio?

Peter, Carol and David, you are playing to win Bognor Regis +2 ?1,000.

Chris, Barry and Kevin -

you're playing for something which 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,

and you are allowed to confer. So, Peter, Carol and David,

would you like to go first or second? I think we'll go first.

In the card game whist,

what is the maximum number of rounds or tricks it's possible to win

in a standard game?

I have got no idea. Well, if you...

Well, as it's my birthday... Yeah?

Yes? I think 13. Do you? Do you?

Mmm. Have you got any better ideas?

I've got no idea at all. I don't play. 13?

Well, it adds up, in some way. It's a thing of 52.

OK, four 13s, that's it.

So 13 is...

OK. Jeremy, we're gonna say 13.

13 is right.

Well done!

Yeah, 4 times 13.

Bang! Ah! Excellent!

Eggheads, your question - for what does the letter C stand

in the British security service abbreviation GCHQ?

Well, the full thing is Government Communications Headquarters.

So, communications.

Communications is the correct answer. Well done, Eggheads.

Back to you, Bognor Regis + 2.

Remember, if you beat them today, they will have lost four in a row,

which is totally unheard of in the history of Eggheads.

Oscar I, who lived from 1799 to 1859,

was king of which two countries?

Any ideas? No! Oscar...

It's a strange name for a king, isn't it? King Oscar. It is.

Mmm. Sweden and Norway both have kings.

Greece doesn't.

Greece and Italy don't have them any more. Oscar...

Oscar...

Papadopoulos. Greece!

Shall we hit the middle?

Let's go with the middle. Yeah.

We're not sure, Jeremy, but we're gonna say Sweden and Norway.

Have they got it right, Eggheads? Yes.

Yeah, you have. Well done.

Back to you, Eggheads. As set down by the Council of Nicaea in 325,

Easter is celebrated by Roman Catholics and Protestants

on any Sunday between 22nd March and which other date?

25th April. Yeah. Yeah, it's a period of just over a month.

It's between 22nd March and 25th April.

And you're right.

Third question -

in ancient Egyptian mythology, who was the God of storms, disorder and warfare?

Ra was the sun god. I think it's...

I reckon it was Heka, but I don't know why I think that.

Heka or Set?

It's a heck of a question.

I was looking at the pyramids, I didn't pick that one up.

No. OK? Yep. OK.

We're going to say, Jeremy, Heka.

It's not right.

Set.

The one who slew Osiris.

Chopped him up into little pieces.

He was a violent god. He wasn't a pleasant character.

Here's your question - what is the middle name

of the golfer Lee Trevino?

Mmm...!

I can't get anything out of him.

Chuck is short for Charles. That's unlikely to be his middle name.

Yeah.

Personally, I'd go for Tuck.

So would I. Your gut feeling...?

Well, it's not a gut feeling, it's just a...

It has some logic behind it.

It could be a double bluff,

cos the other two obviously are used as forenames,

whereas Tuck isn't normally used as a forename.

So, shall we go for Tuck? Yes, let's go for it.

We don't have the faintest idea.

And we'll go for Tuck.

His name is Lee Buck Trevino.

You've got it wrong. Pass the buck! You've got it wrong.

Now, we go to Sudden Death.

Gets a bit harder.

Neile Adams, Ali McGraw and Barbara Minty

were all wives of which legendary Hollywood actor?

I know this. Steve McQueen. Happy with that? Absolutely.

Erm, we think it's Steve McQueen, Jeremy.

Steve McQueen is correct.

Well done.

Eggheads...

which city in Lancashire is home to the National Football Museum?

It's Preston. Preston is correct.

Here's your next question -

in the USA, by what two-syllable name

is the National Railroad Passenger Corporation more commonly known?

Amtrak.

I'm sure it's...

No, it's Amtrak. We think it's Amtrak, Jeremy.

Amtrak is right. These are tough questions.

Well done, you're doing well. Eggheads - the word haptic

is used in technical contexts to refer to which of the human senses?

There's five main senses, aren't there?

Sight... I don't think it's sight. It's not gonna be sight.

Probably not hearing. No, I don't think it's hearing.

Touch, which is the other...?

Taste. Oh, taste.

Do we know any other words for touch?

And taste...

Can you give me an answer?

We're gonna have to go for it, aren't we? Go for touch. Go for touch.

Again, as you've probably realised by now, we can't remember.

We know we've come across this before, but we just cannot

at this stage remember, so we're going to take a punt on touch.

You got it right. Touch is correct.

See how much it means to them!

Their pride is on the line here.

Here's your next question - for what does the letter S stand

in the telephone abbreviation STD?

I think it's subscriber trunk dialling.

Subscriber trunk dialling.

I'm sure that what it means. Yeah, OK.

Erm, Jeremy, we think subscriber trunk dialling.

Absolutely right. Ooh, Carol!

Subscriber is the answer. Well done.

Here we are again, Eggheads - they're really pressing you now.

What was the name of the London-based magazine reviewing

popular arts and culture, that was founded by Julie Burchill,

Cosmo Landesman and Toby Young in 1991?

I know I've seen this.

But...

I'm trying to visualise it.

Cos I know I've seen it. But it's just too far back.

It's something like, I don't know, does it begin with F?

Freelance? No. Er...

I do need an answer from you,

even though I appreciate the stakes are very high.

I'm sorry, I just... I just cannot come up with it.

I know I've seen it, but I can't come up with it. I've never seen or heard of it.

OK, Eggheads, answer, please?

I can't... Shall I just say anything? Frozen. Don't know.

I think it might be a one-word title beginning with F, but I'm not even...

You know, it's just...

The answer is Modern Review.

As simple as that? Congratulations, challengers, you've won!

THEY CHEER

Well, this is extraordinary.

Eggheads, you've gone down four times in a row.

I'll leave them to their private grief. Well done.

Anyway, you've proved again that they can be beaten,

and we're breaking all the records here on Eggheads.

Join us next time to see if a new team of Challengers will be just as successful.

Till then, I'll commiserate with them. Goodbye!

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