Episode 4 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've won some of the country's toughest quiz shows. They are the Eggheads.

Hoping to beat the Eggheads today

are The Hartlepool Monkeys who all work together at the same hospice.

Everyone in Hartlepool understands their team name, but we may need some explanation. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm John, I'm 63 and I'm head of fund-raising.

Hi, I'm Greg, 30, and I'm a fund-raising events organiser.

Hi, I'm Scott, I'm 32 and I'm volunteer services manager.

Hi, I'm Johnnie, I'm 62 and I'm a doctor.

Hi, I'm Stephen, 46, and I'm an administration assistant.

Welcome to you, Hartlepool Monkeys.

The legend of the monkey-hangers, tell us about that, John.

Well, during the Napoleonic Wars, there was a shipwreck off Hartlepool

and there was a monkey washed on the beach.

As the people of Hartlepool had never seen a Frenchman before,

they thought the monkey might be French, so they tried it and hanged it as a spy.

Has that been authenticated? It's a story we've heard told.

It's in folklore, it's written down.

-Let's hope it's Egghead-hanging today you do.

-That's what we're hoping for.

Best of luck, Hartlepool Monkeys. We'll talk more about the important work you do during the programme.

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

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

Hartlepool Monkeys, the challengers won the last game, proving that it can be done, they can be beaten,

so £1,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads. Let's get on with it.

The first head-to-head battle is on Science.

Monkeys, you get to choose. Who wants to play?

-And who do you want to play against?

-John, I think this is your subject.

-It looks like it.

-Who would you like to take on?

-Who do you think?

-I think Pat.

-Pat?

Yeah, let's go for Pat. We don't know Pat very well.

-Can we take on Pat, Dermot?

-Of course you can.

You'll find out about Pat now. Let's see how he does against Johnnie.

Could I ask you both to take your positions in the question room?

We've talked about monkey-hanging, but I know you all do fantastic work at the Hartlepool Hospice.

What do you do there, Johnnie?

I used to be a GP many years ago, but I went to Hartlepool ten years ago

to be a doctor within the palliative care service at the hospice.

-That's what I've been doing for ten years.

-Fantastic.

Johnnie, it's Science and you should know a bit about it, certainly the medical side.

-Some bits of it maybe.

-Do you want to go first or second?

-I think I'll go first.

OK, good luck. Here's your first question then.

The conjunctiva is a delicate membrane covering part of which sense organ?

Well, I think if I didn't know this, I'd probably be struck off.

It's in the eye.

The conjunctiva... I'm glad to say your registration is safe.

Yeah, it is eye. Well done.

Pat, first question to you. What name is given to the blemishes on the skin

associated with ageing or exposure to radiation from the sun?

I think those are liver spots.

Yes, I think those are liver spots.

OK, liver spots...is correct.

Well done, Pat. One to you. OK, Johnnie, second question.

What type of substance is firedamp, frequently a problem in coal mines?

This is one that takes me back to my childhood, Dermot,

because I grew up in a mining village in Ayrshire

where firedamp, I think, is another word for methane.

It's a gas that all coal miners feared, so it's a gas.

It's the right answer. Well done. It's a gas.

OK, Pat.

By definition, a tropical storm becomes a hurricane when its winds reach what speed?

I don't know this, but I'm inclined to think it'll be the higher figure

because a tropical storm is itself quite vigorous,

so 64mph is plausible for that.

So I think I'll go for the higher figure. I'll go for 74mph.

74, that's the right answer. Well done, Pat.

Good opening round so far. Two each.

Your third question, Johnnie.

Leonhard Euler, born in Basel in 1707, made important discoveries in which field?

This is one I really don't know.

I don't think...it's in botany,

just because I've read a little and studied a little of that

and I don't remember his name at all.

I think I'm going to go for mathematics.

On the basis that chemistry you know a lot about, read about botany

and you hadn't heard of him. You got the right answer. Well done.

It's maths and that means you've got a 3-2 lead.

If it stays that way after this question, you're through.

Pat, in 1938, the German physicist Otto Hahn discovered nuclear fission

by bombarding which element with neutrons?

Well, hydrogen consists of a solitary proton,

so I don't think bombarding it with neutrons

would start a fission reaction.

I think plutonium is a synthetic element.

He could have bombarded plutonium.

Of those three, I would think uranium is the best candidate.

Plutonium and uranium are very heavy elements.

-But I'll go for uranium.

-Uranium...

Nuclear fission, Otto Hahn. It's the right answer. Well done, Pat.

It's three-all. We go to sudden death.

We take away those possibilities, those options that you worked so well on that last question with.

I've just got to hear an answer from you.

What is the name of the fourth largest constellation which lies just above the Equator

and takes its name from Greek mythology, referring to a whale or sea monster?

The thing is, if I knew astronomy at all, this would probably be an easy one

and people, when I go back home, will be beating me up over it, but I really don't know.

The only name that comes into my head now is Pleiades.

OK, Pleiades... It's not. It's the first one wrong, Johnnie, from you. Do you know, Pat?

-I think it's Cetus.

-It is Cetus, named after the sea monster sent to devour Andromeda.

Cetus, not Pleiades, so a chance for you to win the round, Pat.

Which bird is sometimes called goatsucker because it was believed to suck the milk from goats?

I think it's the nightjar and I think its Latin name is Caprimulgiformes,

which literally means "goatsucker".

I'm fairly confident, not certain, but I think it's the nightjar.

Nightjar is correct, Pat. Well done. Congratulations.

Bad luck, Johnnie. Very good science knowledge,

but caught out with your astronomy. You won't be in the final round. Come back and join your teams.

As it stands after that, The Monkeys have lost one brain from the final round. The Eggheads are all there.

Let's play our second head-to-head today. This one is Sport.

Who wants to play? Can't be Johnnie.

-That will be Scott.

-That will be Scott.

-You've got it all planned here, I see.

-He's our sportsman.

-Shall we play CJ?

-CJ.

CJ?

-Sorry, CJ.

-CJ's delighted... Don't apologise to him.

Apologise to him when you beat him.

Let's have Scott and CJ into the question room, please.

Scott, tell me about the hospice.

I know volunteers are often the lifeblood of organisations like yours.

-You help organise and train them?

-That's exactly what I do.

My role is to ensure we have enough volunteers in the hospice in various departments.

We've got currently 250 volunteers complementing all areas of the hospice,

including our shops, our domestic services, catering, in-patient unit.

Every one of them is brilliant.

It takes that many. That's incredible. Put the word out here.

You've got room for plenty more volunteers if they want to help?

We've always got room for more volunteers.

-Let's hope that message gets out there. Scott, would you like to go first or second?

-First, please.

Good luck, playing CJ here.

Your first question. In tenpin bowling, what term is used

for the channels on the sides of each lane to catch errant bowls?

I think that one, Dermot, is definitely gutters.

Gutters is correct. Well done. Good start. Tenpin bowling. OK...

Will that skittle CJ?

Dominic Cork, born in 1971, has represented England in which sport?

He's a bowler. Cricket.

Oh! It is the right answer, Dominic Cork.

Back to you, Scott.

Which club signed the Russian footballer Andrei Arshavin in February 2009?

Well, I know this answer which is helpful.

It's not Liverpool or Manchester United.

Arshavin signed for Arsenal.

Arsenal is the right answer. Andrei Arshavin signed by Arsenal in 2009.

There you are, you've got two.

CJ's second question. The sport of motorcycle speedway normally takes place on what shape track?

It's not a figure of eight, otherwise they'd all be crashing.

Do they have straights

or is it just going all the way round the corners all the time?

I don't think it's circular. I'll go for oval.

OK, that's the right answer. Well done, CJ.

Oval for normal speedway.

Third question. How many times did Joe Louis successfully defend his world heavyweight boxing title

after defeating James Braddock in 1937?

Well, I must admit 1930s boxing isn't my specialism.

I always said if I'm unsure and numbers came up,

I would go for the middle one.

I'll stick to my strategy

and plump for the middle number and say it's 35.

Whatever it is, it's a phenomenal number.

1937, won the title and defended it. Eggheads?

-25.

-25 times, Scott.

25 times. Well, 25 there, not 35, so a chance for CJ

to win the round.

In which event did the athlete Emil Zatopek win gold medals

at both the 1948 and 1952 Olympic Games?

Of course, he took part in all three of those events.

He is most remembered as a marathon runner, I think.

I think he won gold in the marathon, but I don't know if he won it twice.

I don't know about the 10,000

and I think the 5,000, he certainly ran it.

If he'd won the marathon twice in succession,

especially at London, it would have stuck more.

-I'll go for the 5,000 metres.

-5,000 metres, Emil Zatopek, a legend...

-5,000 metres, successive golds?

-10,000.

10,000, CJ. 10,000 metres.

A let-off, Scott. We go to sudden death again.

And your question - how many times does each athlete face the water jump over the 3,000-metre distance

of the Olympic steeplechase event?

Is it as basic as 400 metres into 3,000?

That would make it about seven or eight times.

It doesn't quite fit.

Eight.

Scott, you had it, the formula!

It is 400 into 3,000.

-It's seven.

-I was thinking...

-That would be 2,800, wouldn't it?

Then the last 200 metres. Seven times. You were so close.

Great effort. Bad luck.

CJ, if you get this question right, you've won.

With which team did Michael Schumacher win his first Formula One title in 1994?

Benetton.

It's correct, CJ. You have won the round somehow.

Bad luck, Scott, the better player going out.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

As it stands, The Hartlepool Monkeys have lost two brains from the final round. The Eggheads are all there.

Our third round today is Geography.

And it's John, Greg or Stephen?

It's not one of my strongest subjects, but we can't do any worse, so shall I go for it?

-Do you want to go for it?

-Yeah, I'll go for it.

-Who are you going to go with?

Who do you want to choose?

Pat and CJ have gone, so it's Kevin, Judith or Barry.

-Who should we choose?

-Judith?

-Judith?

-We'll go for Judith.

-OK, let's have Stephen and Judith into the question room, please.

-Stephen, would you like to go first or second?

-I will go first, please.

OK, off we go.

It's Geography and, Stephen, here's your question.

The Isle of Dogs is surrounded on three sides by which river?

Well, I would say that the Isle of Dogs would be in London,

so therefore, the answer would be the Thames.

It certainly would. Well done.

Surrounded by the Thames on three sides.

Judith, the resort of Marbella is on which of the Spanish costas?

I never know the difference between any of the costas.

God, I don't know! The Costa del Sol is Benidorm and things like that.

On the other hand, the Costa...

"Sol" means "sun" and that's far south...

Do you know, I have no idea!

Costa del Sol...

I think I might say Costa del Sol simply because it's got "sun" in it

and therefore it... Marbella is quite far south.

Costa del Sol for Marbella.

Marbella is in the Costa del Sol. It's the right answer.

Well done. Back to you, Stephen.

Chappaquiddick Island lies off the coast of which US state?

I'm thinking that the name Maine is coming to my mind,

so I will give an answer of Maine.

OK, Chappaquiddick Island off the coast of Maine...

It's Massachusetts.

It's not Maine, Stephen, so bad luck.

It means Judith has a chance for the lead.

Ventnor is a resort on which island?

I think that is the Isle of Wight.

The Isle of Wight? Yeah, that's the correct answer.

So it's 2-1 to Judith.

You've got to get this, Stephen.

The regions of calm sea approximately 30 degrees north and south of the Equator

are collectively known as what?

Well, obviously, it's got something to do with animals,

but which is the right answer?

I'm not sure,

but I will go for the middle one,

for no particular reason, horse,

as it seems an unusual name.

OK, well, Scott tried that with his Joe Louis

and in this case, it is correct. Well done, horse latitudes.

And why... Why the horse latitudes, Eggheads?

There's light winds there and to loosen the load on the ship,

unscrupulous captains would throw any livestock over.

-That would normally be horses.

-There we are.

A correct answer from Stephen keeps the round alive.

Judith, Rostock is an important seaport in which country?

I just completely and automatically thought of Russia,

so I suppose I'd better go with that.

-Down the middle for you?

-Yeah.

-Russia, Rostock, is incorrect.

-Where is it, Eggheads?

-Germany.

-Germany.

-Germany.

Rostock in Germany, so, a let-off, Stephen.

It means we go to sudden death. Can you tell me this?

What is the official language of Mozambique?

Well, I would think...African.

OK...

African language. Of course, an African country, but that's not correct, Stephen.

It's got its old colonial stamp still upon it and it was formerly... Do you know, Eggheads?

-Portuguese.

-Yeah, a Portuguese colony.

Bad luck there, Stephen.

Judith, the towns of North and South Shields are on opposite banks of which river?

I'm really embarrassed, actually.

I don't know where North and South Shields are.

The, um...

Tyne.

-Yeah, it is the right answer, Judith.

-Is it really?

-Yes, the Tyne.

Yeah, so the Tyne.

-You're lucky, Judith.

-I am lucky. I'm very embarrassed.

-You got through. Bad luck, Stephen.

You won't be in the final round. Would you both please come back and join your teams?

The Eggheads are all still there and The Hartlepool Monkeys have lost three brains from the final round.

Last chance to knock an Egghead out. It's Music.

The remaining players are John and Greg.

-Who wants to play on Music?

-Go on, Greg.

-It looks like you, Greg.

-Greg loves music.

-Who would you like to play from the Eggheads? Pat, Judith and CJ have played.

That leaves you Kevin or Barry.

-Kevin.

-I'll take Kevin, please.

Go on! Scott's saying, "Go on!"

Four times World Quiz Champion Kevin versus Greg and the subject is Music.

And the place to do it all is the question room, please.

-Greg, do you want to go first or second?

-I'll take the bull by the horns and go first.

All right, best of luck, Greg.

Who composed the music for the songs I Got Rhythm and They Can't Take That Away From Me?

I'm just singing them in my head.

It's going to be a bit of a guess, this one,

and I'm going to try Leonard Bernstein.

OK, Leonard Bernstein...

It's Gershwin, They Can't Take That Away From Me and I Got Rhythm.

Let's see if Kevin's in quiz rhythm.

In western musical notation, by what name can a "G sharp" also be known?

Logically...

Not that logic has always got anything to do with it,

but it should be "A flat".

-Is that your answer?

-Yeah.

-It is the right answer. Well done, Kevin.

Greg, let's get you started.

Constant Craving and a duet with Roy Orbison on his song Crying

were hit singles for which singer-songwriter?

I know this one because I'm quite a fan of the song Constant Craving.

-It's KD Lang.

-It is. That is the right answer. Well done. KD Lang.

Kevin's second question.

Westlife sang with which singer on the UK No.1 hit single of 2000 Against All Odds?

Right, I don't know this one.

I can't remember who they did Against All Odds with.

It seems... 2000 seems to me a bit early for Beyonce.

Whitney or Mariah.

Um...I don't know it, so I shall go for Mariah Carey.

CJ?

-Yeah.

-You're nodding there. It is the right answer.

You need to get this then, Greg.

Which American singing star founded Reprise Records in 1961?

I knew the last question.

I don't think that it was Elvis.

I could be wrong, but something tells me it was Frank Sinatra.

OK, you're going for Frank Sinatra?

-Yeah.

-OK, Reprise Records founded in '61

by Ol' Blue Eyes, yes, Frank Sinatra.

That really was breathing a sigh of relief there.

You have to hope Kevin doesn't know this. Which Rossini opera features the aria Largo Al Factotum?

That's one of the leading arias from The Barber Of Seville,

Factotum being Figaro.

Barber Of Seville is the right answer.

I suspect Greg had that sinking feeling.

Just got that first question wrong. Greg, you won't be playing in the final round.

Please come back and join your teams.

This is what we've been playing towards, the final round, which is General Knowledge.

Those who lost your head-to-heads

can't take part in this round,

so, Greg, Scott, Johnnie and Stephen from The Hartlepool Monkeys, would you leave the studio, please?

John, you're playing to win The Hartlepool Monkeys £1,000.

Barry, Pat, Judith, Kevin and CJ, you're playing for something money can't buy -

the Eggheads' reputation.

I'll ask each team three questions in turn on General Knowledge. You are allowed to confer.

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

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

-I'll go first, please.

Good luck, John.

Here's your first question. In education, an MA is a Master of what?

I don't think it's Architecture or Archive.

-I think it's Arts.

-MA is a Master of Arts, yes.

Good start, John. Well done. First question to you, Eggheads.

Russian Blue is a breed of which pet?

-Cat.

-I think it's a cat.

We're all agreed a Russian Blue is a cat.

The answer is cat, yes, Eggheads.

One-all. Good start for you, John.

What is the name for the wooden framework with holes for the head and hands

in which offenders were formerly imprisoned and exposed to public abuse?

I don't think it's tirade and I don't think it's harangue.

And I hope it's pillory.

Pillory, yes, it is, John. Well done, two to you.

Well, Eggheads...

Korcula, Hvar and Krk are islands lying off the west coast of which European country?

-It's Croatia.

-Croatia?

I'm reliably informed that it's Croatia.

Croatia... Yes, it is. That is correct, Eggheads.

Those islands off the coast of Croatia.

We've got to the point where the game could be won and lost.

John, good luck with this.

Who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance

in the 1988 film The Accidental Tourist?

Do you like your films, John?

I don't see a lot of films

and I've never seen this one, believe it or not.

Somehow I think Jessica Lange is springing to mind.

I don't know the answer, but I am hoping it will be Jessica Lange.

OK, Jessica Lange, Best Supporting Actress in 1988

for The Accidental Tourist...

Crucial question. Eggheads?

-Geena Davis.

-Geena Davis, John. You hadn't seen it.

A chance for the Eggheads then.

From 1948 to 1960, Syngman Rhee was President of which country?

-It's South Korea.

-South Korea.

South Korea. No hesitation.

Looking down the faces there...

It is the correct answer, Eggheads. You've won.

John, good performance in the final round. You were just whittled down in those head-to-heads.

They seemed to go against the guys. You played a really good game.

The result in terms of those head-to-heads doesn't represent the quality of the quizzing today.

Thank you for taking on the Eggheads and telling us about monkey-hanging

and a million times more importantly, the Hartlepool Hospice.

Best of luck to you all and I'm glad if we've done a bit to spread the word about the great work you do.

-Thanks very much for playing Eggheads today.

-Thank you very much.

But the Eggheads reign supreme over quizland once again.

You won't be going home with £1,000, which means the 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 can defeat the Eggheads. £2,000 says they don't. Until then, goodbye.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2010

Email [email protected]