Episode 55 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.

And challenging our resident quiz champions today are Quiz Akabusi.

This team started quizzing together four years ago, and meet each week

to quiz at The Pear Tree in Edinburgh. Let's meet them.

Hello, I'm Grant, I'm 31, and I'm a music teacher.

Hi, I'm Will, I'm 27, and I'm an art marketer.

Hi, I'm Dan, I'm 26, and I'm a bookseller.

Hi, I'm Mark, I'm 26, and I work in customer services.

Hi, I'm Michael, I'm 26 and I'm studying history and politics.

Hello, Quiz Akabusi, good to see you here. Are you followers

of the great man's career, hence the team name?

Erm, possibly. It started off more as a bad pun,

but stuck. But, yeah, he's kind of our mascot.

I see! A mascot. Rather large and fast mascot!

How did you get into the quizzing, then? Why are you such quiz addicts?

Well, we all met at a record store, working together.

And we just decided to go along once to do a quiz, and we did OK.

We thought we'd try again,

and we did OK, and it's just taken off from there.

Here you are on Eggheads. And working at the music store,

I take it, is kind of music trivia a particular strong point?

-Yeah, generally.

-I think it attracts a certain kind of nerdish

personality to work in a music shop.

I think that helps the quiz performance.

Yeah, you pick up a lot, I suppose, in the day job.

Let's hope the music round comes up, and put some of that to the test.

Listen, 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 to the next show.

So, Quiz Akabusi, the Eggheads have won

the last two games,

which means £3,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

And the first head-to-head battle is on Sport, which I suspect

might be quite a strong subject for you as well.

Anyone of you can play.

-I'm thinking Michael would be good for sport.

-I'm thinking Michael.

-Are you up for it?

-Yeah. I'll do it.

Unanimously, Michael.

Unanimously, Michael, apart from Michael!

So that would be a majority vote.

Michael, who would you like to play from the Eggheads?

-Judith.

-We'd like Judith, please.

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

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

-I'll go first, please.

Good luck.

The England footballer Ashley Cole

usually plays in which position?

He's a left back, so he's a defender.

The England footballer Ashley Cole

is a defender, of course, yes, well done.

Judith, your first question.

Ravi Bopara and Graeme Swann

have played test match cricket for which country?

I thought they played for England.

Erm, I think I'm going to say England.

It's the right answer, yes.

England players. Second question

for Michael. Which boxer knocked out Ricky Hatton

in the second round of their light welterweight World Championship bout in May 2009?

Well, erm, I'm pretty sure it's Manny Pacquiao,

because I remember going to put a bet on it.

Erm...

Yeah, that's the only one I think it is. Manny Pacquiao.

You've got the right answer.

Judith, second question.

In which year did Steffi Graf

last win the Ladies' Singles title at Wimbledon?

I'm so bad at dates, I never know.

But I think she kept going for quite a long time.

So I'm going to say 1996.

'96...

is correct. Well done, Judith.

2-2, now. And Michael's question.

Irina Rodnina won three Olympic gold medals

for the Soviet Union between 1972 and 1980 in which sport?

Well, erm, I've got to say, I've got absolutely no idea.

Just going to have to take a guess,

so I'll say gymnastics.

Gymnastics for Irina Rodnina.

Figure skating.

And Judith, to win the round,

which American golfer who has never won a major

did Nick Faldo defeat in a play-off to win the 1989 US Masters?

I sort of wonder why...

I have never heard of any of them.

I think Hale Irwin sounds like a nice name.

The defeated...player in the 1989 US Masters defeated by Nick Faldo

is Scott Hoch.

So, it stays all square.

And we go to sudden death, Michael, and we're taking away the options,

so guessing becomes a lot harder, you've just got to conjure up an answer out of your own head.

Your question.

Patty Sheehan, born in October 1956,

is a famous name in which sport?

I'm not really sure about this at all. Erm...

I'm going to just guess...golf.

-Golf?

-Yeah.

Don't sound so delighted about it, Michael, it's the right answer!

Could put you in the final round.

Depends on this answer.

Judith, which boxer did Roberto Duran defeat

in the 1980 welterweight world title bout, known as the Brawl in Montreal?

Erm... Lennox Lewis.

It's not Lennox Lewis.

Do you know, other Eggheads? One of the all-time greats, one of the greatest boxers of all time.

-Leonard.

-Sugar Ray Leonard.

We finally winkled that out of the Eggheads.

Michael, you're in the final round. You are playing for the money today.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

A victory there Kriss Akabusi himself would have been proud of.

Michael sprinting over the line in quiz terms, anyway,

and he's in the final round. All the members of Quiz Akabusi are still there at the moment.

One Egghead missing, that's Judith. Our next head-to-head now is Film and Television.

Some of you might like this, I suspect.

-Can't be Michael, any of the other four.

-That shouldn't be me.

No, I think it should be Grant.

OK, then.

-Keen to play there, Grant.

-Well, not keen but...!

You get to choose any of the remaining four Eggheads,

-any of them bar Judith.

-Chris?

-Yeah.

-Chris, please.

-OK, Chris at Film and Television.

Let's have Grant and Chris in the question room, then.

-Do you want to go first or second, Grant?

-I'll go first, please.

First question is this...

The Meltdown and Dawn Of The Dinosaurs

are the subtitles of the sequels to which 2002 animated feature film?

Well, I know it's not Finding Nemo,

because it doesn't have any sequels.

It's Ice Age.

Ice Age would fit, wouldn't it?

It is the right answer, yes.

Your first question, Chris.

"To infinity and beyond" is the catchphrase of which character in the film Toy Story?

To infinity and beyond! It's Buzz Lightyear.

Yes, it is, that's correct.

And Grant,

in which suburb did Tracey and Dorien live in the popular TV sitcom Birds Of A Feather?

Right, erm... Since the answers came up there, one popped into my head,

but I want to make sure that I don't rush in.

I'm pretty sure it's not Catford.

I've got a strong feeling it's Chigwell.

It is the right answer, yes, well done. Chigwell. Birds Of A Feather.

Chris,

in the world of US TV broadcasting, for what do the initials HBO stand?

HBO stands for, erm, what's it, Home Box Office.

It's the right answer.

So, it's all square, and you might win it if you get this, Grant.

The 80-year-old actor George Burns joked, "It couldn't have happened to an older guy,"

after winning an Academy Award for his performance in which 1975 film?

Even though I really like 1970s films,

I've never even heard of any of these.

Actually, I have heard of The Sunshine Boys.

It may be because it won some Oscars.

-OK, I'll try The Sunshine Boys.

-Try The Sunshine Boys,

you've heard of that.

Yeah, because it won that Oscar! It is the right answer, yes.

So you have three. Let's see how Chris does

with his third question.

Before playing TV's Citizen Woolfie Smith,

Robert Lindsay played Jakey Smith in which situation comedy?

I think the first appearance of Robert Lindsay I can recall

was in a comedy about national servicemen in the RAF

called Get Some In.

It's the right answer, Chris, yes, well done.

All square, and once again

we go to sudden death. And you know what that means, Grant - no more options.

Here's your question.

Who hosted the British versions of The Price Is Right

from 1984 to 1988 and Stars In Their Eyes from 1990 to 1992?

Well, I remember, I think it was Matthew Kelly was Stars In Their Eyes,

but I think he took over from Leslie Crowther.

I'm sure he did The Price Is Right, so I'll say Leslie Crowther.

Bang on, yes. Well done, right answer.

Very good. Your question to stay in it,

Chris. Vonda Shepard appeared regularly

as a resident performer in a bar where the characters

of which TV series first shown in 1997 drank after work?

Was that not where they went to unwind in ER?

In Ally McBeal.

Ally McBeal. I think some of the other Eggheads thinking that.

You're through to the final round, Grant.

Knocked Chris out. Would you please come back and join your teams?

A flying start for Quiz Akabusi.

2-0 up. No members missing from the final round so far.

Two Eggheads gone. And our third subject coming up now is Science.

Who'd like to play this?

It's Will, Dan or Mark.

No-one wants this.

I think I've been nominated whipping boy.

Who would you like to whip you,

from the Eggheads?

-Not Kevin. Daphne.

-Yeah?

-How do you feel about that?

-That sounds nice. Daphne.

Let's have Daphne and Mark into the question room, please.

So, Mark, do you want to go first or second?

I think I'll go first, thanks.

OK, first question is this.

What is the term used in physics to describe the properties of a fluid

by virtue of which they offer resistance to flow?

Well, erm, the first thing that springs to mind is viscous fluids.

I'm going to go with viscosity.

Is the right answer, well done.

Daphne,

piranha fish are native to which continent?

They come from South America.

It is the right answer, South America.

Piranhas, native to that continent. So, second question each.

Mark, in 1897, the English physicist JJ Thomson

announced his discovery of which particle?

JJ Thomson. Erm...

can't say I'm familiar with him.

Erm...

But, so far as my knowledge of atoms goes,

electrons are probably the most important.

So I'm going to go with, as a guess, I'm going to go with electron.

Guessing at electron. You've got it, well done. Two to you.

Daphne,

what is the surname of the American scientist who invented

the stretchable fabric known as Spandex for the DuPont company in the 1950s?

Well, I have no idea. I can't imagine anybody being called Mr Wobbles...

Guess Mr Shivers.

It's Joseph C Shivers, yes, well done.

So, still all square. And Mark,

which trees belong to the genus Fagus?

I have absolutely no idea.

Fagus... I'm going to take a complete punt,

erm, I'm going to go with beech, because it's in the middle!

Beech.

It's correct!

Three to you. And Daphne,

to save yourself. Will the third Egghead be about to exit?

In which part of the human body is the glabella located?

I think that's in the head.

-In the head?

-Yep.

It's correct. Well done, Daphne. Whereabouts?

-It's something to do with the forehead.

-Yes.

The bit between the eyebrows.

-Yep.

-Well done. 3-3, and again, it's sudden death. Every round

so far, sudden death. And no need to explain, Mark - no more choices.

In which US state is the Kennedy Space Center located?

The Kennedy Space Center, I assume, is where Mission Control is.

And in the films, they're all saying that "We have a problem, Houston."

-So I'm going to go with Texas.

-OK.

"Houston, we have a problem." The old Apollo XIII.

But, no, it's not Texas. Daphne, do you know?

-Florida.

-It's Florida, and it means a chance

for Daphne to win the round

and be the first Egghead to make it through to the final round if she does. Let's see.

What's the cube root, Daphne, of 125?

Five fives are 25, five 25s are 125. Five!

It's the right answer. Daphne, you're through to the final round.

Is the Eggheads' honour about to be restored?

Mark, no place for you. Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Well, is it beginning to slip a bit for Quiz Akabusi?

They've now lost one brain from the final round, the Eggheads

have still lost those two. The last head-to-head coming up. It's Arts and Books.

And your remaining players are Will and Dan.

I'll do Arts and Books.

OK, Will. And the remaining Eggheads are Kevin and CJ.

-But he's good on...

-Kevin is amazing.

-Go on, then.

-CJ.

OK. We'd like to go for CJ, please.

Let's have Will and CJ in the question room, please.

Will, do you want to go first or second?

I think I'll go first, please.

Athos, Aramis and which other character are referred to

in the title of Alexander Dumas' novel The Three Musketeers?

Well, I haven't read that particular book,

but, fortunately, I remember the animated programme Dogtanian,

and I think they borrowed the same names.

And I'm fairly sure the answer is Porthos.

That's given you the right answer, anyway.

Porthos is correct.

CJ, in ballet, what name is given to a jump of variable height

which transfers the dancer's weight from one foot to the other?

A pirouette is a spin.

I'm not absolutely sure what an arabesque is, but I'll go for jete.

Correct. Yep. One to you.

And back to Will.

Girls On A Bridge, which was sold for 30.8 million

at Sotheby's New York in May 2008,

is a painting by which Norwegian artist?

It seems like a lot of money, so you would think that it would be

by a famous artist.

Munch painted The Scream, obviously, which I think is on a kind of a pier

or a bridge kind of structure.

And I think he also painted

the philosopher Nietzsche on a similar structure.

So I know that he has used those kinds of structures.

So, although I'm not particularly confident,

I'm going to guess for Edvard Munch.

And you've got it, it's the right answer.

So, CJ,

which poet was buried in Roquebrune in France

but was later exhumed and his coffin moved to the churchyard

at Drumcliffe in County Sligo?

Why would Eliot be buried in Ireland? He's American.

I could go from that angle.

Yeats is Irish, Auden was English and Eliot American.

I'll go for WB Yeats.

And it is the right answer, yes.

OK, right, well, it's all square,

and third questions each.

Here you go, Will.

The Innocents Abroad and Roughing It, published in 1869 and 1872 respectively,

are pieces of travel writing by which author?

I don't have

a really good idea about this question, so I'm going to have

to try and think about this.

Something is telling me that it's not Mark Twain.

From what I understand of Henry James, I don't think he

would go in for travel writing.

I'm going to guess Edith Wharton.

OK, Edith Wharton. The Innocents Abroad and Roughing It are by...

Mark Twain.

Well, a chance for CJ to take this round.

CJ, in 1616 which painter became the first woman to be admitted to Florence's Academy of Design?

Oh, good(!)

Not heard of Sirani.

I don't think I've heard of Gentileschi.

Which means it's undoubtedly going to be one of those two. But I think

I've heard the name Lavinia Fontana, so that's what I'll try.

Poor Daphne!

-Oh, dear.

-CJ!

Gentileschi.

Yeah, it's not Fontana, it's Artemisia Gentileschi.

So, yes, both failing on the third,

and we go to sudden death.

Four out of four now for sudden death.

And this is your question, Will.

Meggie Cleary is the central character of which 1977 novel,

primarily set in the Australian outback?

I don't know the answer to this question.

I can't think of a novel that I've read set in the Australian outback.

It's a guess, but I'm going to guess Hideous Kinky.

OK, Hideous Kinky.

It's not that, Will.

-Do you know, CJ?

-Thorn Birds?

-It is The Thorn Birds.

So, CJ has a chance now to win the round.

CJ, The Kraken Wakes is a 1953 novel by which British author?

John Wyndham.

John Wyndham. So keen are you to give me the answer, and get the agony over with!

It is the right answer, John Wyndham, writer of The Kraken Wakes,

means you're in the final round, CJ. Bad luck, Will,

valiant effort but not to be. Would you both please come back and join your teams?

So, this is what we've been playing towards.

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

But those of you who lost your head-to-heads won't be allowed

to take part in this round, so Will and Mark from Quiz Akabusi,

and Judith and Chris from the Eggheads,

would you leave the studio, please?

So, Grant, Dan and Michael, you're playing to win Quiz Akabusi £3,000.

Kevin, CJ and Daphne, you're playing for something which money can't buy,

the Eggheads' reputation.

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

this time they're all General Knowledge and you are allowed to confer. The question is,

Quiz Akabusi, are your three brains better than the Eggheads' three?

Grant, Dan and Michael, would you like to go first or second?

I think we'll go first, please.

Good luck, guys. Let's see

if you can beat the Eggheads. First question.

What name is informally given to the workers subordinate to the driller in an oil-drilling operation?

Pretty sure it's roughnecks.

Yeah. Grant's from Aberdeen, so we're pretty confident!

Roughnecks.

Is the right answer, well done. OK, well, roughnecks gives you the lead.

Eggheads' first question. What is the name of Robert "Kool" Bell's band?

Oh. Kool And The Gang. Oh, I see...

Yep, so, Robert Bell, nicknamed Kool.

-Fine.

-That's Kool And The Gang.

It is, yes, that's the right answer. The Gang.

Back to Quiz Akabusi. Second question.

The CFA franc is the official unit of currency of several countries

in which part of the world?

-CFA.

-Oh, yeah.

-I don't think it's South America.

Africa. French colonies...

But then again, well, Vietnam and...

-Could be. No...

-But that's not...

No. I'm sure they use, especially since independence,

they would have changed to new currencies.

-I say Africa.

-Yeah.

-Africa.

-Africa?

-Yeah.

-The CFA franc?

It's the right answer, well done.

OK, and your second question,

Eggheads. In Greek mythology, the goddess Demeter

is most commonly associated with which sphere of influence?

Sometimes described in earliest incarnations as a corn goddess.

-So, it's agriculture.

-Agriculture.

And it is the right answer.

So you're all square at 2-2.

And a third question,

could be crucial for Quiz Akabusi.

American engineer Glenn Curtiss was a leading pioneer in which field?

-I've never heard of him.

-I think aviation, because I'm pretty sure

from my model plane building days.

Some made by Curtiss.

That sounds good. OK. Based on

-Michael's experience of making models when he was a kid...

-A long time ago.

Yeah, a long time ago! We're hoping it's going to be aviation.

OK, pinning their hopes on you, the other members of the team.

It's the right answer. Aviation.

Your question, Eggheads,

and this is a crucial question, you need to get this to start building up that reputation again.

In both heraldry and vexillology, a horizontal Y-shaped motif,

such as that on the South African flag, is known as a what?

I don't think it's either a fesse or a chevron. Which leaves pall.

A chevron is just an arrow, isn't it?

Yeah. Well, a chevron is like a V shape.

Yes, just a V, there's no step.

And a fesse, it's... Which way round is it?

Fesse is just a horizontal bar.

So that just leaves pall.

I'm sure it's not the other two.

Sure it's not fesse or chevron, which leaves pall.

OK, elimination technique, and got the right answer.

Yes, pall. Takes us to sudden death again.

Five out of five.

So close, this round, whoever wins. It's so close, this whole quiz.

Now, Quiz Akabusi, you've been this through this, two of you, before. It's sudden death.

According to American folklore, which mythical lumberjack created the Grand Canyon?

There's the guy who's in the film Fargo.

There's the big, erm, statue.

He's a lumberjack.

There's an episode of The Simpsons where they do these tall tales,

-and one of them, Homer...

-It's the same guy.

And, like, they make pancakes.

Yeah, it's the same guy.

I think he's called Paul.

Yeah, he is.

-Paul something...

-Yep.

Oh, goodness me.

No.

I think... Almost had it there.

No, we're not going to get it, I'm afraid.

-So that's a pass, then?

-Yeah.

You were so close. And I think you mentioned The Simpsons, you mentioned Fargo...

The Simpsons therefore turns us to CJ, who gets a lot of his knowledge from there. And it is...?

The episode where they're telling the tall tales,

-Homer Simpson plays Paul Bunyan.

-Paul Bunyan.

It just wouldn't come to you.

So very, very close, but it might not be over.

The Eggheads need to get this. Eggheads which island country's flag features an outline map

of the island above two crossed olive branches?

-Cyprus.

-It's Cyprus.

It is Cyprus, Eggheads. You've won!

Well, Quiz Akabusi, bad luck. We've had close games on Eggheads before

but none I think quite as close as that.

You matched them in those head-to-heads, it was all square in the final round.

Each of those head-to-heads went to sudden death, so did the final round, and it came down

to that one question, where you got half of it - the Paul but not the Bunyan.

It really was that tight, so heads held very high here.

Great performance. So thank you very much for coming along to give

the Eggheads a really good workout. But the Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them,

and they still reign supreme over quizland.

I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £3,000, 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.

£4,000 says they don't. Until then, goodbye.

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