Episode 103 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 pedigree is well-known as they've won some of the country's toughest quiz shows.

They are the Eggheads.

And taking on the awesome might of our quiz Goliaths today

are the Magpies. This team are all students at Newcastle University,

and they shared a house next door to the home of their namesakes,

Newcastle United. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Olivia, I'm 21, and I'm a history and archaeology student.

Hi, I'm Charlie, I'm 23, and I'm a biomedical science student.

Hi, I'm Lucy, I'm 22, and I'm a student

of English literature and German.

Hi, my name's Callum, I'm 21, and I'm a student

of politics and sociology.

Hi, I'm Rory, I'm 21, and I'm a student of music technology.

So, Olivia and team, welcome.

-ALL: Thank you.

-And you're all living in the same house?

-Yes, we are all housemates.

-Does it not get problematic

with everyone fighting over the bathroom and all that?

-Constantly!

-The washing up, the bathroom, the TV.

-Pretty much everything!

-Do you quiz together?

We've done pub quizzes together and we watch Eggheads

-and programmes and challenge each other.

-Right.

And I notice from the subjects you study,

we have got quite a wide spread, actually.

Yeah. Hopefully!

-We just hope those subjects come up, cos if not, we're...

-Otherwise...

It could be embarrassing if the subjects come up

and we fail miserably at them.

-And are these guys legends in the halls?

-Oh, definitely!

-Legends in our house!

-Legends in their own lunchtime.

All right, every day there is £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.

So, Magpies, the Eggheads have won the last five games,

which means £6,000 says you can't beat them today.

-That would come in handy, I guess?

-Definitely, very nice!

Get a few Pot Noodles for that! That's our last student joke. Sorry!

The first head-to-head battle will be on the subject of Sport.

Which one of you wants this?

-THEY DEBATE

-I think we should stay at Callum.

I thought we said Callum?

-Callum will take Sport.

-Callum would go with Politics...

-We don't know what will come up.

-Callum?

-We've got to take Callum, here.

-OK.

And who do you want to take?

Um, I think I'll go for Judith, thanks.

-Is that OK?

-Poor Judith.

-Sorry!

It doesn't matter whether it's OK or not, you were going to go to Judith!

So Callum from the Magpies against Judith from the Eggheads,

and do, please, go to our Question Rooms now.

So, Callum, you have an ambition, I know.

Well, yeah, since I was a little boy I've watched the Olympics,

and my dream was to go to the Olympics and, sort of, any sport.

Obviously, I row for the university at the moment,

but I think going to the Olympics for rowing would be a pretty big dream

-rather than a reality.

-How would you get on to doing that?

Would you go and train in one of the great rowing teams, or what?

Yeah, well, Newcastle University has got a fairly good reputation.

A few of our guys are going for GB, like, Under-23s at the moment,

so it's a pretty good set up.

I only started rowing two years ago, so I'm still fairly new to it.

So you might not make it in time for London?

Unfortunately not, no,

but a nice trip to Rio and Brazil in 2016 would be quite nice, I think.

Good luck! Judith, what about this?

You're taking on very sporty young student on Sport.

-It's always my fate!

-You don't like sport much, do you?

-Not terribly, no!

-All right, let's see how you both do.

Three multiple choice questions on Sport, and Callum,

-you can choose the first or second set.

-Um, I think I'll go first.

Good luck to you. Here we go!

What was the top prize at the 2010 World Snooker Championship?

Em, well, I know that the bonus for getting 147 was quite low,

but I've got a feeling that it's 250,000, just because I think

25 is a bit too low, and 2.5 million just seems far too high.

-So I'll go down the middle.

-Down the middle.

250,000 is correct, well done.

First point for the Magpies!

The prize for a 147 would have been 20,000 for the high break,

and 147,000, so it would've been 167,000 if you got a 147.

Judith, here's your question.

The laws of badminton state there should be how many feathers

fixed in the base of a shuttlecock?

Well, I'm just trying to count.

I'm sure there are more than four, but it seems 16 is quite a crowd.

On the other hand, they're quite small. I should think it's 16.

Same logic for both questions, isn't it? 16 is the right answer.

Callum, over to you.

The trophy given to the ICC's Cricketer of the Year

is named after which cricketing great?

I'm actually not too sure on this.

I should know this as I'm quite a big cricket fan.

Erm, I'm not...

Donald Bradman was an absolutely incredible batsman.

I remember his last game. He only scored a duck

when he needed four to average 100 throughout his career.

Dennis Lillee and Garfield Sobers also incredible players.

I've got a feeling it's actually Dennis Lillee.

I don't know why, it just springs to mind.

I'm just going to have to go for Dennis Lillee, down the middle again.

Dennis Lillee is your answer. Anyone want to help here? Any Eggheads?

-CJ, you're shaking your head.

-It's not the one I would have gone for.

-Go on, sorry. I think it's Garfield Sobers.

-I think it's Bradman.

-I'd have gone for Bradman.

-You'd have gone for Bradman?

A split decision on the Eggheads. It is Garfield Sobers, Callum,

sorry to say.

So, Judith, you've got a chance to go into the lead, in Sport,

against a sportsman.

In what capacity did Sir Michael Stoute

become a famous sporting name?

He is, um, a very successful trainer.

Horse trainer.

He is a horse trainer, you're right. You've go it, you're in the lead.

-Over to you, Callum. You need this one!

-OK.

Apart from Jessica Ennis,

who was the only member of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team

at the 2009 World Athletic Championships to win a gold medal?

Um, I've got a feeling I know this.

I think Jenny Meadows got the bronze and I think it was the 1500m,

and Lisa Dobriskey, I think, also got a silver, I believe.

I don't know, it's between... I think Phillips Idowu got the gold,

cos he then followed it up with the European Championships later on.

I'm going to go with Phillips Idowu,

because I think he won it, beating the Swede.

You know a lot, and you've got the point, well done. Phillips Idowu.

It's very good sporting knowledge!

Judith, if you get this right, you will, incredibly, have won.

Who is the only player to have been defeated by Pete Sampras

twice in the final of the men's singles at Wimbledon?

I can never do this kind of thing.

I don't know why, but Ivanisevic is standing out for me.

So, Ivanisevic.

CJ is, as they say, our go-to man on tennis.

-Is she right?

-She is right.

-You are right, Judith. You take the round.

Goran Ivanisevic it is.

Callum, sorry! Garfield Sobers!

I'm gutted! Absolutely gutted!

Well, you know a lot, as I say,

so, do both of you, please, come back here and rejoin your teams.

So, early days. Are the tactics going to change now, or...?

What tactics?

Well, Callum, you played really well.

I just stumbled on that ICC question.

The upside is that Judith has a big boost from that,

cos the Sport thing, for her, is a nightmare.

We can't wait till it gets back to the boat club!

The challengers have lost one brain

from the final round, the Eggheads have lost no brains, so far.

The next subject is Geography. Is there a geographer here?

-No, no geographers!

-Erm, what are we going to do?

Lucy, I think we've got to start playing, like, general knowledge.

-Yeah, do you want to go?

-I think Geography, just go for it.

-OK, I'll take Geography.

-Lucy, OK.

-Who are you going to take on?

-Who should I take?

-Maybe, CJ, I think.

-CJ's good at Geography.

-He is, he's a Geography master!

-He struggles at British geography, though.

-Oh, does he?

Pat's good.

-No, no, I don't think so, take on someone else!

-OK, CJ.

THE MAGPIES LAUGH

Decisive. OK, Lucy from the Magpies, versus CJ from the Eggheads,

on Geography. And just to make sure there's no conferring,

please go to the Question Rooms now.

So Lucy, what do you hope to do beyond Newcastle University?

I think you know! I hope to be a TV presenter,

but it's quite a hard business to get into, so it's a dream!

What, doing this kind of show, or news, or sport?

News, actually.

I'd love to get into news, but I think you need a degree in journalism

to do that, but hopefully I'll get in another way.

-Lucy, you're well travelled as well?

-Kind of, yes.

Well, give us some idea of the range.

I've been to America, Canada, Honduras, Sweden, Austria,

Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, ooh, everywhere!

-Well, not everywhere!

-Anywhere else?

-Erm...

-That's amazing!

OK, and CJ, you've been abroad

but you haven't really been around this country at all?

Well, back in the mid '90s, I made an effort to spend about 18 months

travelling around Britain to try and get to know it,

and absolutely nothing that I saw, nothing that I learned, stuck.

There was a news story about a guy who tried to drive up to Scotland

from the south of England, accidentally got on the M25,

and had just been round it twice. Was that you?

That wasn't me, but if it was, I'd probably have gone in the wrong lane!

Geography now, it's multiple choice questions, and Lucy, you can choose the first or second set.

I think I'll go second, please, Jeremy.

CJ, here's your first question.

Which city is the capital of Croatia?

Well, this is one of the cities I've been to,

so hopefully I know it's Zagreb.

Zagreb is the right answer.

Any other capitals begin with Z?

Eggheads?

Have to think.

Look at their brains going there.

It's like when the computer programme hangs, you know,

at the time the beach ball comes up.

OK, Lucy, what is the western-most point of mainland England?

I've a feeling it's Land's End, but I'm hoping it isn't a trick question.

I've actually been to Land's End, so I'm just going to for Land's End.

Well done, it is Land's End, good stuff!

-Back to you, CJ.

-Go on, Lucy!

The Spanish city of Seville lies on which river?

I don't know this.

I only know a couple of the Spanish cities and their rivers.

I mean, the Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian peninsula,

so there are quite a few cities on that.

Er, I don't know this one.

Seville.

I'm going to go for the Ebro.

No, it's not the Ebro, it's the Guadalquivir.

So Lucy, your chance to take the lead against the Egghead here,

make CJ really, really cross, which is always fun.

Haneda Airport serves which city?

I have absolutely no idea.

Haneda.

Erm, it doesn't really sound like it would be Tokyo or Beijing.

Oh, I really don't know! I hope the other team-mates don't know!

I'm just gong to go for Seoul.

It's not Seoul. It's Tokyo.

OK, so you're level, and the third question for you, CJ.

Druridge Bay, a seven-mile stretch of beach running from Cresswell

to Amble, is located in which part of the UK?

I haven't got the first idea!

Oh, dear!

I did try to do some work on UK geography but, erm,

it was very basic and not much of it stuck, again.

I don't know why I have this blackspot on UK. I just can't do it.

I don't know. Amble sounds more Northumberland to me.

I'll guess at Northumberland.

Northumberland is the right answer.

-Ah, that's annoying, Lucy, isn't it?

-Yep!

See if you can get this one right,

then we go to Sudden Death if you do.

The Allegheny Mountains form part of which larger mountain range?

Again, I really don't know.

It doesn't really sound like it would be the Rockies,

so, erm, I know where the Andes are.

I have no idea where the Alla-pay-chians, Alla-pachians, are,

so I'm just going to go for the Andes.

It's not the Andes. Eggheads?

-EGGHEADS: The Appalachians.

-Yes. What is that, Virginia or...?

-Eastern America.

-Yeah.

It runs down, essentially,

behind the Eastern Seaboard of the USA.

So it runs all the way, depending on how you count it,

it runs all the way down from New York,

right down through the middle-Atlantic states.

Down as far as the north-end of Georgia, Alabama, that way.

Right, OK. Lucy, I'm sorry.

CJ has defeated you on Geography.

Amazingly, got a UK question right as well.

So, please, both of you, come back here and rejoin your teams.

-Lucy, bad luck.

-Thank you.

You put CJ in a good mood, though.

We were talking about Zagreb and capital cities beginning with Z,

and there are none, that's why.

So you were trying to think of one, and there isn't one.

There's only one letter in the alphabet which is not used

as the start of the name of a capital city.

-X.

-X is right.

There are only four which are used once and once alone.

-So, Z, you've got Zagreb.

-J?

-Three others.

-Q?

-Q is one.

-U?

-Quito.

-Quito, well done.

U is correct. Anyone?

What's the capital that begins with U?

-Ulaanbaatar.

-Ulaanbaatar.

-Ulaanbaatar, well done. What's the other one?

-With J?

-No, it's not J.

-I?

-I, well done.

You're going systemically through the alphabet, CJ.

I'm a Scrabble player!

-Anyone know the capital?

-Islamabad.

-Islamabad, well done!

-And I have one for you!

-Go on.

Which letter starts the names of most capital cities?

-I'll go L for London.

-No!

-Go on, you tell me.

-It's B.

-B?

They're very good on capitals and they're very good on flags.

Which most normal people aren't, you know, so don't worry!

As it stands, the challengers have lost two brains

from the final round, whilst the Eggheads have lost no brains.

So really up and at 'em now, OK?

The next subject is Film and TV, for our Magpies.

THEY CONFER

-Yes, I'll do it.

-Entirely up to you. You want to do it?

-I'll do it.

-OK.

-Um, against Barry.

Olivia of the Magpies against Barry of the Eggheads on Film and TV.

Please go to the Question Room now.

I'll ask each of you three questions on Film and TV in turn.

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

Um, I'll take the first set, please.

Good luck. Here we go. Which comic character,

who went on to have his own TV show,

was the sports correspondent on the TV series, The Day Today?

Um, I'm sorry to say I've never even heard of The Day Today.

I have absolutely no idea.

But Dennis Pennis is quite a nice name, so I'll go for that.

Dennis Pennis is incorrect. It's actually Alan Partridge.

Day Today was a kind of satirical thing with Chris Morris.

Barry, in the long-running US TV series,

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, who played the title role?

Ah, another question on vampires.

It was Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Sarah Michelle Gellar is the right answer, well done.

Back to you, Olivia.

In 2006, Milo Ventimiglia took on the role of which character

in the science fiction TV series Heroes?

Um...

I will make a guess at Isaac Mendez.

No, it's not Isaac Mendez, it's Peter Petrelli.

I'm trying, I'm struggling here, is he the politician?

-The brother.

-The brother of the politician.

He used to move very quickly and walk around, looking miserable.

Barry, your question. For which film did John Travolta

receive his first Academy Award nomination?

And if you get this right, Barry, you're in the final.

I can't recall John Travolta being in Carrie, the Stephen King horror.

He was in both the other two.

I think it was Saturday Night Fever.

You have got the question correct, Saturday night Fever it is, Barry.

You're in the final. Sorry, Olivia, he knocked out the captain.

Do both of you please come back and rejoin us here.

Bad luck, Olivia.

The challengers have lost three brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have now lost, well, no brains. They're playing well.

And the last subject is History.

Don't we have a history person here?

-That was our captain.

-It was you, and you're out, Olivia!

Plan B.

THEY CONFER

I'm doing the final round.

Charlie said he'd do it. We've discussed this. It's up to you.

-Rory, you're doing it.

-It looks like I'm doing it.

Charlie. What do you study?

I study biomedical science.

I actually detest history, so this should be interesting.

-The history of biomedical science.

-I might be OK, yes.

Who would you like to take on? Pat or Kevin? It's a tough choice.

-What do you reckon?

-Your choice.

-They're both very good.

-It's up to you.

-Just choose.

-I'm going to take on Kevin.

OK, Charlie from the Magpies, versus Kevin from the Eggheads,

on History. Please go to the Question Room now.

OK, Charlie. We're on History and I know that's not your field.

No, by no means my strongest field.

I was definitely waiting for the science round to come up,

but I'll be the scapegoat for history.

Do I gather it's been a difficult run up?

You were apparently buying some clothes and the, um...

and you got a T-shirt the wrong size or something?

I will kill my team for that! THEY LAUGH

Slipping you inside information.

It was a bit of a last-minute shop, really.

Rather than try on all various sizes,

I just picked up the nearest one that I could find, really.

-It was a little bit small.

-No, it looks fine, actually.

I admit they did give me the information. OK. Good luck.

I know you want to be a heart surgeon one day

so we'll try and stay in with you.

I'll ask each of you three questions on history in turn.

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

I think I'll go first please, Jeremy.

Good luck. Who was the last king of the 20th century

to directly succeed his father to the British throne?

Um, right, well, as I thought, I have no idea.

Um... Let me just think.

I'm absolutely terrible with monarchs.

I can never remember who came where.

I'm going to have a stab at Edward VII.

Close, but it's Edward VIII. Close in the sense of numbers.

Well, actually, and close in the sense of time as well.

-1910 to 1936. Two years they both became King.

-Kevin, your question.

Which King of England was born in Falaise and buried in Cannes,

both in Normandy?

That is William I, William the Conqueror.

Both in, he was born in Normandy

and that's where he wound up later as well.

William I, the Conqueror, is quite right.

Back to you, Charlie.

The destroyer, USS Maddox, was involved in an incident in 1964

which was seen as instrumental in starting which conflict?

OK, um...

Dates again, not particularly strong for me. Um...

And wars. Let me think.

OK, I'm going to stick with my theory

of, if I don't know, go down the middle,

so I'll go the Suez Crisis, please.

Suez Crisis is your answer.

I think that was a bit early.

It's the Vietnam war.

Kevin, help us out here, what was the incident?

The Tonkin Gulf incident...

..which later was claimed by many, and I think it's been proved now,

it was a manufactured incident with North Vietnamese patrol boats

firing on American ships

and this gave a justification for the Americans

to send more military personnel to help prop-up the South Vietnamese.

Your question, Kevin. If you get this right, you've taken the round.

What age did one have to be to receive the old-age pension

when it was introduced in Britain on January 1st, 1909?

I think it's actually come down since then.

I think, when it was first introduced, it was 70.

70 is the right answer. You've taken the round, on History.

Sorry, Charlie. Valiant effort to go up against Kevin,

in one of his strongest areas, but you haven't quite succeeded.

Both of you come back to us. We will now play the final.

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

Time for the final round, which, as always, is general knowledge.

Those of you who lost your head-to-heads

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

So, Olivia, Charlie, Lucy and Callum from the Magpies,

would you please now leave the studio?

-Well, they've left you on your own, Rory.

-Yes.

And they're all sitting behind you there, so hopes are pinned on you.

Very much so. Very much so. I am feeling the pressure,

I'm not going to lie, but I can only do my best.

And what's your subject at university?

I study music technology and media and journalism as well.

Music technology is what?

It's more the production side of things, recording, um...

all the backroom stuff, to be honest,

as opposed to playing instruments, which I've done.

Let's hope it comes in handy. You're playing to win the Magpies £6,000.

Barry, Pat, Judith, Kevin and CJ,

you're playing for something money can't buy, the Egghead's 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,

although that doesn't help you very much. Rory, the question is,

is your brain better than the Egghead's five put together?

-Do you want to go first or second?

-Um, I'll go first.

All the best, Rory, to you and the Magpies.

Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae starred in the film version

of Oklahoma and which other Rodgers and Hammerstein musical?

Now then,

musicals are not my strong point, when it comes to...

..theatrical displays. I am more...

I'm leaning towards the King and I,

purely because I don't really know the storyline of the other two,

and I'm going to go with my gut and I'm going to go with the King and I.

It's actually Carousel

that had Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae in.

OK, Eggheads, your question.

Les Gray was the lead singer of which 1970s Glam rock band?

-Mud.

-What is it?

-It's Mud.

That's Mud, Jeremy.

Mud is the answer.

-Would you have got that, Rory, out of interest?

-Yes.

Music is your thing.

-Should've gone second.

-I should have.

Well, we don't know. Here's your second question.

In service since 1961,

the USS Enterprise was the world's first nuclear-powered what?

When I heard submarine,

I was pretty confident that was the answer.

But when aircraft carrier came up,

Um...

I'm torn, I was torn.

Again, I'm going to go with my gut. I'll go with Submarine.

Yes, submarine.

Submarine is your answer. Eggheads, do you know?

It's aircraft carrier.

OK, submarine is wrong, Rory, sorry.

Aircraft carrier is right and that means the Eggheads

can take the whole contest if they get this question right.

Machicolations were often to be seen as part of what

in mediaeval times?

-Squiggly bits, weren't they?

-Castles. Castle fortifications, yes.

OK. That is castle fortifications.

Eggheads, the answer is castle fortifications.

Congratulations, you have won.

Bad luck, Rory.

-You had the glimmer on aircraft carrier.

-Definitely.

And also, I think, we hear the phrase

"nuclear submarine" a lot, which means you associate the two.

When you hear the answer, it all comes flooding back

and you think you should've got it.

You were on your own and look at them.

They're all, you know, stacked against you. Bad luck.

Commiserations to the challengers.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them,

their winning streak continues.

I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £6,000,

which means the money rolls over to our next show. Eggheads,

many congratulations, who will beat you?

Join us next time to see if a new team of challengers

have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£7,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.

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