Episode 86 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 quiz shows. They are the Eggheads.

And taking on the might of our quiz Goliaths today are

the Glamorgan Poppies, a team made up of members

of various Women's Institute groups in the county of Glamorgan.

Let's meet them.

Hello, I'm Sally.

I'm 68 and I'm Secretary of Culverhouse Cross WI.

Hello, I'm Mary, I'm 69 years old and President of Coity WI.

Hello, I'm Gwerfyl.

I'm 69 years old and I'm a member of Merthyr Mawr WI.

Hello, I'm Jean, I'm 65 and I'm President of Llanblethian WI.

Hello, I'm Liz, I'm 62 and I'm the former President of Pentyrch WI.

Sally and team, welcome.

Good to see you've got the poppies on, which is fantastic.

And Women's Institute connection?

-Yes.

-Have you made one of those calendars yet?

-Do you know the sort I mean?

-I know the sort you mean.

-It has crossed our minds.

-It has crossed your mind?

Do you think they Eggheads should do one of those?

Definitely, definitely!

Great to see you. Good luck. You know that every day

there is £1,000 up for grabs for our challengers.

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

So, Glamorgan Poppies, the Eggheads have won the last 10 games,

which means £11,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

-Ooh!

-That would be nice to take back to Glamorgan.

-It would be a boost

-to the funds, yes.

-The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Music.

I was thinking this is a good subject for you.

Cultured people.

-Shall I give it a go?

-Will you?

Not holding out much hope.

Thank you.

-Gwerfyl will take on music.

-OK.

Gwerfyl against...?

-Who do you think?

-I'll say Chris.

Right. Gwerfyl will take on Chris, please.

Gwerfyl from the Glamorgan Poppies against Chris from the Eggheads.

Take your positions in the question room.

So , Gwerfyl, I know you've retired. What were you doing before that?

I was teaching modern languages, mainly German and some French.

All right, good luck in this round.

I'll ask each of you three multiple-choice questions on Music in turn.

Whoever answers the most questions correctly is the winner.

Gwerfyl, would you like the first or second set of questions?

I'll go first, please.

Here we go, good luck.

In a traditional music hall song,

what phrase is usually sung after the opening chorus line of

Let's All Go Down The Strand?

Well, I think that's "have a banana".

That's good. "Have a banana" is correct. Well done.

Chris, can you give us a burst?

# Let's all go down the Strand, have a banana... #

That's the one. Your question, Chris.

Who had a UK hit single in 1984 with the song, Agadoo,

-featuring the lines, "Aga-doo-doo-doo, push pineapple..."

-Hold it there. Painful.

That was Black Lace.

Yes it was, you're right.

Something about this contest this afternoon,

I can tell it's going to be unusual!

OK, Gwerfyl, back to you.

Somewhere and A Boy Like That, I Have A Love

are songs from which musical?

Well, I've seen all three, but I've got a feeling

that it's West Side Story.

You've got a feeling, and your feeling is correct.

It's West Side Story.

Well done. You're ahead of Chris. Let's see if he can come back.

Chris, which group had four of their remastered albums

in the UK top 10 simultaneously, in 2009?

Well, they got back together, didn't they? So it was Take That!

You always say it with such conviction,

-but you're not always right. It was the Beatles.

-Was it?

They obviously put the whole lot back together again.

You're wrong. This gives you

a chance, Gwerfyl, to come through for the Glamorgan Poppies.

What are the first names of the two members

of the group known as the White Stripes?

Well, it's not anything I know very much about.

I'm going to go for Will and Jess.

Will and Jess it is not.

Jack and Meg is the answer.

Chris, you need this to stay in.

The jazz musician Oscar Peterson

became famous for playing which instrument?

Oscar Peterson was a brilliant pianist. He played the piano.

Quite right. And you're level.

After three questions, we move to sudden death.

Gwerfyl, it gets a little bit harder.

I don't give you alternative answers now. Here we go.

A recording of which singer's 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall won Grammys

for Best Album and Best Solo Female Vocal Performance

and stayed in the Billboard Chart for 95 weeks?

Was it Liza Minnelli?

No. The album was called Judy At Carnegie Hall,

and it was Judy Garland. Bad luck.

Chris, on to you.

Get this right, you're in the final.

Which award-winning song by Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster

was the love theme for the 1965 film, The Sandpiper?

Guantanamera?

No, it was The Shadow Of Your Smile.

Because Guantanamera was by The Sandpipers, wasn't it? Wake up, lad!

Gwerfyl, Chi Mai, the theme from the 1981 TV drama series

The Life and Times of David Lloyd George,

which reached number two in the UK singles chart,

was written by which movie composer?

John Williams?

No, it was Ennio Morricone.

Chris, on to you.

Which composer wrote the music to the hit musical, Funny Girl?

Get this right, you're in the final.

Alan J Lerner.

No, Jules Stein.

Gwerfyl, your question on sudden death.

What name, from the German words for "sing" and "play",

is given to the genre of 18th century opera in the German language,

typically containing spoken dialogue and usually comic in tone?

Well, it would be pretty awful if I got this wrong!

I think it's Singspiel.

Well done. Singspiel is correct, Sing and Play.

You need Chris to get this one wrong.

Chris, which Prince album,

released in 1988, features the singer naked on the cover?

Purple Rain?

No, the answer is LoveSexy.

Well done, Gwerfyl, you've done it.

Chris crashes out. And Gwerfyl, you've taken him on,

you've beaten him, so you will be supporting your team in the final.

Chris, you won't be. Both of you, please come back and rejoin your team-mates.

-Well done, Gwerfyl. You did it.

-Yes!

-I feel worn out!

-That's good.

As it stands, the challengers

lost no brains from the final round, but Chris has gone from the Eggheads

so they've lost a brain. Next subject is Science. Do we have a scientist

-on this side?

-We do, we have Liz.

Liz, and who would you like to go against?

Can I take on Daphne?

What about Daphne? Daphne.

Liz from the Glamorgan Poppies against Daphne from the Eggheads.

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

Liz, I feel I should ask you about the yellow poppies.

Well, the yellow poppy is the symbol of Glamorgan.

And Glamorgan WI.

We thought it would be appropriate to have that as our little symbol today.

Are there lots of them growing in Glamorgan?

-Yes, rather a lot of them, yes.

-They weren't hard to find?

-No, not really.

And on a separate note, you have a degree in

biochemistry, I understand?

Yes. Rather a long time ago, I hasten to add!

You didn't know that, Daphne, did you? OK, three questions,

-on Science, in turn. And Liz, would you like the first or second set of questions?

-I'll go first, please.

Good luck to you and the Glamorgan Poppies.

Your first question.

The term cygnet refers to the young of which creature?

Well, that's the swan.

Bang on. Well done. The swan.

Daphne, how many sides does a heptagon have?

H-E-P?

H-E-P-T-A-G-O-N.

Seven.

Seven is correct.

Liz, over to you.

Aeschylus Hippocastanum

is the scientific name for a variety of which tree?

Um, I think that's the horse chestnut.

Horse chestnut is correct.

I've got a feeling that she's rather good, Daphne.

Your question, Daphne. What name is given to the emission of light

and other radiation by an object after it has absorbed electrons or

radiation of a different wavelength, especially ultraviolet light?

Fluorescence?

Fluorescence is correct.

Your third question now, Liz. If you get this right, you put

the pressure on Daphne. She's already worried about your degree!

-She shouldn't be!

-The American scientist George Washington Carver

is particularly associated with the development of new products derived from what?

Ooh!

Don't think there's a clue in the name.

I really haven't got a clue from his name.

I haven't heard of him, unfortunately.

I don't know. I'll have to go for one. I'll go for peanuts.

Clutching at peanuts. But you're right. Well done.

Three out of three.

Here's your question, Daphne. If you get this wrong, you're not in the final. And I know you will mind!

In physics, Young's Modulus, named after the scientist Thomas Young,

is used to measure a substance's what?

I have no idea!

Barry, where are you?

Magnetic field.

Daphne, you're wrong.

-I thought I was.

-Barry?

-Elasticity.

-Elasticity, says Barry, and he's right.

Well done, Liz, you've beaten an Egghead.

two of you in a row winning now. Great stuff. Daphne, you won't be in the final.

Liz, you will. Please, come back to us here.

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

The next subject is Geography.

Does anybody want geography?

No?

-Well, you can't...

-Take one for the team?

-OK, Sally. Who do you want to play against?

-I think I'll take on Judith. Can I take on Judith?

-You certainly can.

Sally from the Glamorgan Poppies against Judith from the Eggheads.

Can you please both go to the question room, to ensure there's no conferring.

-Sally, you've got quite a standard to keep up here.

-I know. It's frightening, isn't it?

And you've got an amazing CV outside the WI.

You've got an advanced driving certificate.

Tell us about the cars.

I used to have a Mini, which was truly wonderful, best little car ever,

and then I went to Silverstone and drove a Formula Ford.

Which was fantastic, absolutely brilliant. I was hoarse when I got out of it from screaming.

Mingled exhilaration and terror!

And they do that a lot, that kind of thing, in the WI?

We do all sorts of things in the WI. You name it, we can do it!

You aren't a member, are you, Judith?

No, but I love the WI, it's become a sort of rebel organisation.

Shouting at Tony Blair and taking their clothes off, all that kind of thing.

It's not just jam making, which is the old image.

Not just jam and Jerusalem.

Definitely. Far, far from it.

OK, three questions on Geography in turn

and Sally, you can choose first or second set.

I'd like to go first and get it over with.

Here we go, Sally,

all the best to you.

Orographic, convectional and frontal are three main types of what?

Oh, crikey! I don't think they're volcanoes.

It doesn't sound like rain.

I think I'll go for tides.

Tide is wrong.

It's rain.

-Frontal rain.

-Sorry, girls!

Orographic, convectional and frontal -

I thought it was the three types of WI calendar!

THEY LAUGH

Judith, what is the approximate length of the River Thames?

410 is about London to Edinburgh, so I don't think it's that.

I think it's most likely to be 210.

-210 miles is your answer?

-Yeah.

It's correct. Well done.

Comeback by the Eggheads, maybe, here?

Over to you, Sally.

Conakry is the capital city of which West African country?

Conakry. I don't think it's Ghana.

I'm going to have to guess. I think it's Guinea.

Guinea is correct.

Not an easy question.

-It wasn't, was it?

-Well done.

Strangely, I've been there.

Judith, in which Scottish council area is Balmoral Castle located?

Well, it's not the Scottish Borders, it must be Aberdeenshire.

OK, you said that with conviction. That's your answer?

-Yes.

-You're right.

How did you alight on that with such certainty?

Well, it's not the Borders, is it?

And then it's not East Ayrshire.

And East Ayrshire must be quite near Glasgow.

So it's got to be further north in Aberdeenshire.

Very good, well done. You're there.

So you're ahead, and that means

you need this one, Sally, otherwise Judith has taken it.

The ski resort of Kitzbuhel

is located in which country?

Ooh, dear, dear, dear!

If in doubt, go straight down the middle. Switzerland.

Now, your colleagues have collapsed in a heap!

-Why is that? Have you been there?

-It's Austria.

-It's Austria, Sally.

-Oh, no! Sorry, girls.

We have visual evidence, one of your team-mates has been there.

So, sorry, you won't be following the other two into the final round.

Judith, you have taken the round, you will be there in the final.

Both of you, please come back and rejoin your teams.

The challengers have lost one brain from the final round, whilst the Eggheads have lost two brains.

The last subject is Food & Drink.

Who wants this?

-Mary?

-Mary.

-I'll try it.

-Very good.

Which Egghead, Pat or Barry?

Shall we go for Barry? Shall we? What do you think? Barry.

So it's Mary from the Glamorgan Poppies against Barry from the Eggheads.

Please take your positions in the question room.

-You do a bit of bell-ringing, I gather, Mary?

-I do indeed.

-I have a go.

-Do you do it with, what, three or four other people?

Five other people, six bells, there are.

-What is the classic quiz question, Barry on bell-ringing? There must be one.

-Ooh.

The length of the rope, or the size of bell, or...

I don't know, probably on terms like double bob or things like that, you tend to get asked occasionally.

So we are going to be doing Food & Drink. No bell-ringing!

I will ask you each three questions on Food & Drink in turn and Mary,

you can choose the first or second set of questions.

I'll go first, please.

Your first question.

What type of fish has a high grade variety known as blue fin?

It is tuna.

Said with great certainty.

And spot on. It is tuna.

Barry, over to you.

In culinary terms, with what is the name Chantilly particularly associated?

Well, if this was a music question, I would go for lace.

But as it is a culinary question, the answer must be cream.

Cream is the correct answer.

Back to you, Mary.

The term halal is used to refer to meat

that has been prepared according to the laws of which religion?

I think it's Judaism.

-Your colleagues disagree.

-Oh, dear.

-Ladies?

-Islam.

-Islam is the answer.

Barry, back to you.

Which grain is a main ingredient

in the popular Louisiana dish, jambalaya?

Well it certainly isn't oats, and between buckwheat and rice,

buckwheat, I think, is a much stronger type of grain than rice

and I don't think that would go well in jambalaya, so my answer is rice.

Logic brought you to rice. It's the right answer.

Well done.

Third question now, Mary, you need this one.

The spinach-like leaves known locally as callaloo

are used in which regional cuisine?

I don't think it's Catalan, because that's Spain.

I think it could be Caribbean.

Caribbean is right, Mary. Good stuff.

Now we need Barry to get this one wrong

and then we go to sudden death if that happens. Let's see.

Barry, on Food & Drink, here's your question.

In French cuisine, a daube is a type of what?

Ooh, I've read this term recently, but it hasn't stuck.

Daube? I don't think it's a stew,

I think it's either a pudding or a pastry.

Is it pudding or pastry? I can't remember.

I'm torn between pudding and pastry

and I really don't know which one it is.

Pastry.

Pastry is wrong.

-It's stew.

-Oh, after all that!

Sometimes, the one that's ruled out immediately is the one.

So, we are level

after three questions, we go now to sudden death

and it's a bit harder. You don't get alternatives here.

-Are you ready, Mary?

-Yes.

Which spice used extensively in Indian cuisine

is sometimes called Indian saffron?

Could be turmeric.

Not 100%, but I think it's turmeric.

Turmeric is correct, well done.

Barry, over to you.

If the outside of a loaf is called the crust, what term is used for the inside?

Gosh. That's another one I have heard in the way back realms of time.

I'm not sure. The only term I can think of at the moment is the hob. We will try the hob.

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

-I know.

-Will that hurt?

-Yes.

You're not in the final.

It's crumb.

-Crumb!

-The answer is crumb.

You offer me no crumbs of comfort.

-Nothing at all, no hobs of comfort for you.

-No.

Mary, well done, you took on an Egghead, you emerged triumphant.

Good news for our challengers, because it means that Mary plays in the final round

and bad luck, Barry. Please, both of you, come back and join your teams.

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

Those of you that lost your head-to-heads can't take part

in this round. So that is Sally from the Glamorgan Poppies,

but it's also Barry, Chris and Daphne from the Eggheads.

Would you please leave the studio?

Mary, Gwerfyl, Jean and Liz, you are playing to win the Glamorgan Poppies £11,000.

Judith and Pat, you are playing for something that money can't buy, the Eggheads' reputation.

I will ask each team three questions in turn. The questions are all General Knowledge,

and you are allowed to confer. Glamorgan Poppies, the question is, are your four brains

better than the Eggheads' two? And would you like the first or second set of questions?

First, please.

Best of luck to you, ladies of the Women's Institute.

Under what name did Michael Van Wijk compete

in the original British TV series, Gladiators?

-I've only heard of Wolf.

-I've only heard of Wolf.

-I've never watched it.

-I don't know.

-I think it's Wolf.

-There's that tall, dark one.

-You think it's Wolf?

-I don't know.

-He's the only one I've heard of. Yes?

We'll have a punt at Wolf, please.

A punt at Wolf. Well done. You're right.

Wolf is the correct answer.

That's brilliant.

Eggheads, which star sign is a person born on Valentine's Day?

-Aquarius. Aquarius.

-Capricorn is December and early January.

Well, Leo's August, because that's me.

Sagittarius is December, my father.

So it's got to be Aquarius. Can't be Leo, can't be Sagittarius.

OK, we're going for Aquarius, Jeremy.

Aquarius is the right answer.

One point each.

Over to you, Glamorgan Poppies.

How many pilgrims left Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620?

-Think of the size of the boat.

-Exactly. Mmm.

Can't be 10.

I would opt for the 102, I must admit.

-It's more than 10, obviously.

-102?

Yes, we'll go for that. 102.

Good stuff. You're right.

102 it was.

Whoa! You had me going there.

Well done. Pressure on the Eggheads.

Hey, you could beat two Millionaires. What about that?

-Oh, I know! It would be nice.

-About what was Barack Obama speaking when he told Congress in 2009,

"I'm not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last"?

It must be healthcare.

I mean, the healthcare is his great crusade, isn't it?

-He did sign equal-pay legislation, but that was pretty low-key.

-Yeah.

Space exploration, he's sort of left alone to some extent.

-Healthcare is at the heart of his political...

-And he got it through.

-At great political cost.

-Yes.

-We'll go for healthcare?

-Yep.

-Healthcare, Jeremy.

Healthcare is correct.

Now, you need this one,

because they could sneak it

if you don't get this one.

Which Roman emperor, on hearing news of a terrible military defeat,

is said to have cried out, "Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions"?

I've not heard of Vespasian, I'm afraid.

I've heard of Vespasian, but I don't know anything about him.

-Do you remember that film I, Claudius?

-I didn't see it.

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant film.

And I'm sure Brian Blessed played Augustus.

And I can see him now, raging

because something had happened, his Roman army had been defeated.

It's probably totally wrong, but I recommend Augustus.

-That's the one I thought.

-Yeah, so, if it's wrong, it's wrong.

If you get it right, you've taken the lead. If not,

you are in danger of defeat.

The answer was Augustus.

-Well done!

-And Brian Blessed did play Augustus,

so well done, Jean, well remembered.

Your question now, Eggheads.

If you get this wrong, they are taking £11,000 away.

Lucetta Templeman, also known as Lucette Le Sueur, is a character

in which 19th-century novel?

-You know for sure.

-I don't know.

Well, in Jane Eyre, there was a Frenchwoman

who I think has a go at trying to marry Mr Rochester.

Well, I've read Great Expectations, and it doesn't ring a bell.

-Erm, if you've got an idea...

-I just have the sort of

-memory of this Frenchwoman in Jane Eyre.

-Go for Jane Eyre, then?

-Yeah.

We're not at all sure. We're going to go for Jane Eyre.

Your answer is Jane Eyre.

OK.

If you've got it wrong, they take away £11,000, and they will also

have beaten two Millionaires sitting next to each other,

which is quite something, if you've got it wrong.

You have got it wrong. The answer is The Mayor of Casterbridge.

Congratulations, challengers. You've won!

There we are, the strategy masterminded by Sally back there has pulled through.

Did the other Eggheads know the answer?

-Daphne knew the answer. Who knocked out Daphne?

-Me! Me!

Who knocked out Daphne? Liz!

So there we are, Liz, a surgical strike on Daphne

and then you win in the final round.

-When you go back to Glamorgan, will people throw poppies in your path?

-Absolutely, now!

-We can only hope.

You've put the WI in Glamorgan on the map, that's for sure. Congratulations.

-£11,000 is yours. You are officially cleverer than the Eggheads.

-Oh, thank you!

And you've certainly proved they can be beaten

and two Millionaires sitting together can be beaten as well.

Join us next time on Eggheads to see - will it be as exciting as today's?

See if a new team of challengers will be just as successful. Until then, goodbye.

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