Episode 107 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 Comm Artists.

This team all work in communications for the RSPCA, and they regularly

test their quizzing prowess at The Bear pub in Horsham.

Let's meet them.

Hello, my name's Simon, I'm 39, and I'm a media manager.

Hi, I'm Alan, I'm 28, and I'm a media producer.

Hi, I'm Sophie, I'm 36, and I'm a regional media manager.

Hi, I'm Tony, I'm 39, I'm a communications officer.

Hi, I'm Andy, I'm 31, and I'm a press officer.

-So, Simon and team, welcome.

-Thank you.

-And you all work getting the RSPCA's message out, do you?

Yes, we try to get the RSPCA's name into print, or online,

television, radio, wherever possible, really.

And the RSPCA make certain warnings, they give out information

and, for example, weren't they saying recently

you shouldn't put a jacket on your dog?

Well, yeah, that particular story just makes sense because most dogs

already have a coat, so it's needless going out and spending your money,

and it can restrict their movement.

But it's just about education for the RSPCA, really.

And primates as pets. What was that story that you did?

You shouldn't keep a monkey as a pet, or..?

Well, I think that's fairly obvious that keeping a monkey as a pet

is probably not on your to-do list. A puppy or a kitten, that's fine,

but a primate takes a bit more thought.

-Would you keep this lot as pets?

-Erm, not for all the tea in China!

Well, what about the quiz? You quiz together in the pub in Horsham?

-Yes, we do.

-And you've got, what, you're all the same side,

do you do different subjects? A good spread?

Yeah, we're all on a team and we all have particular specialist subjects.

Mine being knitting,

and the others have specialist subjects as well.

OK, so, you ready for this?

-Absolutely.

-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.

So, the Comm Artists, the Eggheads have won the last nine games,

which means £10,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

You can start now with the first head-to-head battle

on the subject of Sport.

-What do you think?

-It's either you or Simon, yeah?

-Yeah, absolutely.

I'd rather go for Sport than any others.

-If you're happy with it?

-We'll go for that.

-Andy on Sport.

-I'll take that one on, Jeremy.

-Very brave. Against which Egghead?

-THEY DEBATE

You can have any of them.

We've had a pre-match chat, and I think it's going to be CJ.

OK, so it's Andy from the Comm Artists,

versus CJ from the Eggheads.

And to ensure there's no conferring,

would you take your positions in the Question Room?

Andy, I thought you were going to go forwards on Music?

I had a thought about it, and whilst I'm a huge music fan,

I might not be so good on things like classical and opera,

so I took a diversion for Sport.

And you like your sport?

I do. I used to play cricket and hockey, keen fan of Wolverhampton Wanderers as well.

CJ, you know about sports, but you don't play them?

If it's quiz knowledge or lists, I've got a chance.

If it requires watching it or caring about it, I'm not.

Have you ever gone skiing? Even just a sport for pleasure?

-I can ski, yeah.

-Any ice skating?

-I can ice skate.

-Tobogganing?

Er, no, I've not done that sort of winter sport.

I can roller blade, I can play tennis.

I can play a few sports, but very much the dilettante level.

You wouldn't be going into team sports, for example?

-No, that would involve other people.

-I thought you'd rule that out.

-Rugby, football, you wouldn't play that?

-No, thank you.

-Cos you couldn't play all the positions at once?

-No.

-Me, me, me, me, me!

-OK, Andy,

you can see what you're up against, and good luck.

Three multiple choice questions.

It's Sport, and you can say whether you get the first or second set.

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

Here we go. Emlyn Hughes made 665 appearances

and scored 49 goals for which football team between 1967 and 1979?

I remember Emlyn Hughes on A Question of Sport rather than in his heyday,

but I am quite confident, and I will say the answer is Liverpool.

Liverpool is correct, well done.

CJ, Luca di Montezemolo became president

of which Formula 1 constructor in 1991?

I do actually watch a bit of Formula 1, and I think Luca is with Ferrari.

Ferrari is the right answer, well done. Over to you, Andy.

In 1997, Jan Ullrich became the first cyclist of which nationality

to win the Tour de France?

Ooh, and I do know the name, Jan Ullrich, but which nationality is he?

It's a tricky one.

I would've thought there may have been a German that would've won

the Tour de France previously but, then again, I'm not sure about Dutch.

It's a flat country to cycle in!

I'll have to take a punt. I'll say Dutch.

It's not Dutch, actually. Let's see if an Egghead knows.

-EGGHEADS: German.

-German, they all chorus.

German is the answer, so CJ, your chance to go ahead.

In 1853, Peter Simple became the oldest horse

to be victorious in which race when he won at the age of 15?

I'm not sure, but I vaguely know the name.

Simply because I recognise the name, I'm going to rule out

the 2,000 Guineas, because that's the one I know least about.

St Leger is the oldest of the classics.

The Grand National would have been in its infancy then,

and St Leger was well established.

I'm not sure on this, but simply cos the St Leger's got quite

a bit longer history, therefore, more chance of horses to win it,

and because I recognise the name, I'll try the Grand National.

Grand National is the right answer.

So you're in the lead, and Andy, it means you need this question.

At which cricket ground did the English bowler, Jim Laker,

take 19 Australian wickets during a 1956 Test match?

Well, I said before I played cricket,

but I certainly didn't play it in 1956!

Erm, I've heard all about it but, again, it's one of those.

Looking at the list of grounds, I know them all.

I think Headingley is traditionally quite bowler-friendly.

I'll go for Headingley.

Headingley is the wrong answer. It's Old Trafford.

Andy, you've been knocked out by CJ.

CJ will be in the final and I'm sorry to say, you won't.

Please, both of you, come back and rejoin your team-mates.

So as it stands the challengers have lost one brain from the final round,

whilst the Eggheads have lost no brains.

Our next subject is Film and TV. Who would like this?

THEY DEBATE

-Yeah, I'll go for that.

-OK, Simon, against which Egghead?

-Yeah, we'll challenge Chris on this.

-Very decisive, this team.

Simon from the Comm Artists,

against Chris from the Eggheads on Film and TV.

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

So I'll ask each of you three questions on Film and TV,

whoever answers the most questions correctly wins.

And Simon, you can choose the first or the second set.

Erm, I'll go for the second set, please, Jeremy.

Here we go. Chris, who played William Burke opposite

Andy Serkis as William Hare in the 2010 film Burke and Hare?

Hmm, good question. It wasn't Ricky Gervais.

Don't think it was Simon Pegg, either. It was Ben Miller.

No, it wasn't, it was Simon Pegg, actually.

How about that, Simon? You're ahead!

-You haven't even answered a question yet.

-Lovin' it!

Here's your question.

Double or Drop was a quiz game that formed part of which

long-running children's TV show?

Er, well, Play Away was not a quiz show, of sorts,

hosted by Brian Cant, so I don't think it was that.

Rainbow was obviously with the George, Zippy,

and Bungle, which also didn't have a quiz element.

So I think I'd have to go for Crackerjack.

Crackerjack's a bit before your time, I'm thinking?

Erm, I look older than I am!

Crackerjack is the right answer.

Chris, which TV detective used a radio phone-in show

to advertise for new cases to work on?

Oh, very seedy, round the backstreets of Swindon and Bristol.

It was Eddie Shoestring.

Eddie Shoestring is correct, played by Trevor Eve.

OK, Simon.

The Complete and Utter History of Britain, a spoof television

history series, was created by two of the members of which comedy team?

Yeah, that's a tricky one, cos this is all a certain period of time

to which I was probably more interested in Action Man

than I was in television programmes.

I don't think it was Three of a Kind, the series that spawned

Tracey Ullman, Lenny Henry and David Copperfield.

Erm, I'm split between Monty Python's Flying Circus and The Goodies.

I don't remember Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor, or Bill Oddie

doing anything as a separate project, apart from they did solo programmes,

so I think I'd have to go for Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Good quizzing, you're completely right.

Well done, he's playing well.

So Chris, this is your third question.

If you get this one wrong, you are out. You'll be knocked out!

Here we go.

Jane Fonda starred in a 1973 film version of which Ibsen play?

Well, Doll's House was filmed way back in the silent era.

Don't think it's been done since.

Don't think it was An Enemy of the People, either.

Used to go for snappy titles, so it's Ghosts.

Let's see if anyone... Anyone know on this side?

-Is it A Doll's House?

-Comm Artists? Er, it is A Doll's House.

It is A Doll's House. Very good.

Chris, you're wrong, it's Doll's House, so you've been knocked out.

Well done to our Comm Artists! We're turning the corner now.

Do, both of you, come back and rejoin your teams.

-Simon, well done.

-Thank you.

-I could see the quizzer there.

-The gleam in your eye.

-Dog with a bone!

-Yeah. Brilliant.

So you're turning the corner, the challengers have now lost one brain

from the final round, the Eggheads have lost a brain, too. Let's go to the next subject, it's Geography.

-Will we say Tony?

-THEY DEBATE

-You can avoid Politics that way!

-I can avoid Politics!

You found your way here, so I think you'll be OK.

-Yes, I think Tony's on this, yeah.

-Tony, OK. Against?

-Probably Pat.

-I really don't know.

-It's up to you, Tony.

-Very tough. Yeah, well, go Pat.

-Which one looks like he gets lost?

-They all got here.

-Let's go for Pat.

-Let's go for Pat.

-Yeah, we'll go for Pat.

So Tony from the Comm Artists, against Pat, the Egghead,

on Geography.

Please go to the Question Rooms now.

-So Tony, you're RSPCA as well?

-That's right.

-And people get in touch and say, "Something's happened and can you deal with it?"

-Yeah.

I do remember a call where someone called us

about a dog they were worried about, they said was really thin,

all hunched up, desperately ill,

and when I went and knocked on the door and asked

if the person had a dog, turned out they had a whippet,

and it was a very well whippet, so I said we were just doing some

door-to-door enquiries in the area, thanked her and left.

OK, not likely to have a whippet question in the Geography round,

but you never know. It's Geography our subject, and you're against Pat,

and it's multiple choice questions, at least, to start off with.

And you can choose, Tony, the first or second set.

We'll go with the second.

Pat, your first question. Which two colours appear on the Greek flag?

Um, I think it's sort of stripy and the stripes match the phrase

"eleftheria i thanatos," which is, I think, liberty or death,

something like that. And they are blue and white stripes.

Blue and white is correct, Pat, so Tony, here is your question.

Marble Arch is at one end of which London street?

Don't go up to London too often. Pretty sure it's not Knightsbridge.

The last time I was up there I did drive round it in a taxi,

but didn't really take notice of exactly where it was.

I'm going to go with Oxford Street.

Oxford Street is correct.

Well done. Pat, your question.

What name is given to a wet mist or haze coming inland from the sea?

Well, my late, sort of,

father-in-law used to talk about sea frets.

He was from the north-east of England.

I thought it was a dialect word, but it could be a general word.

He certainly talked about sea frets being mists coming in.

It's not guaranteed to be right, but I don't think I have any reason

to stray to the other two, so I'll go for fret.

Fret is correct.

Well done.

On to you, Tony.

On which arm of the Mediterranean Sea does the volcanic island

of Stromboli lie?

That is a tough one.

Yes, that is a tough one.

I'm afraid my geography of that area doesn't seem to be too good.

Try and work out which ones it isn't.

Don't think it's the Tyrrhenian Sea.

I'm drawn towards the Adriatic Sea,

but that makes me think it might not be.

But I'll try not to talk myself out of it and go with Adriatic Sea.

-Adriatic is the wrong answer. Anyone?

-EGGHEADS: Tyrrhenian.

-Tyrrhenian. That's just one of the things you know.

-Yeah.

Here's your question, Pat.

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

Which Mediterranean island lies 60 miles west of Syria?

Well, Sicily must be several hundred miles from Syria.

Malta is almost, well not quite, directly below Syria... Sicily.

It's got to be Cyprus.

Three out of three, Pat, Cyprus is correct, you are in the final.

Sorry, Tony, you've been knocked out.

He's a very good player on almost all subjects, is Pat.

Please, both of you, come back and rejoin your team.

As it stands the challengers have lost two brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost one brain.

See if you can level it up with our last head-to-head, which is Food And Drink.

Sophie or Alan?

-What about you?

-I don't mind doing it, if you want me to.

Much as I don't want to be the last one, I don't think I'd...

You won't be on your own, you've got Simon.

It's not my favourite subject, but I don't mind doing it.

You tend to eat and drink every day, don't you?

Yeah, it's a regular occurrence.

I think I'll take Food And Drink, please.

Alan, from the Comm Artists versus?

Daphne or Barry?

-Daphne's not saying much.

-We need to avoid Daphne.

-Quiet confidence.

-Mmm.

-Barry, as well, looks quite confident.

If something comes up about Mediterranean food Barry'll get it.

Shall I take Daphne just to...?

OK, I'll go up against Daphne, please.

So, you're really thinking about it.

So it's Alan from the Comm Artists, against Daphne from the Eggheads, please take your positions now.

OK, Food and Drink is the subject. Three questions and, Alan, you can choose the first or second set.

I think I'll go first, please.

Good luck to you, here we go.

What type of food, a traditional accompaniment for fish and chips,

has been nicknamed Yorkshire Caviar?

Right, erm...

Food And Drink isn't my first option for subjects.

I'm just working through the answers.

I guess, if it's related to caviar, er...

it wouldn't be onion rings, I wouldn't have thought.

Pickled beetroot seems unlikely, so I'd have to go for mushy peas.

Well done, mushy peas is the right answer.

Daphne, your question.

Jalfrezi is a type of which foodstuff?

Sounds like curry to me.

-Curry?

-Curry is right, Daphne.

Here's your question, Alan.

The addition of the liqueur Galliano

turns a Screwdriver into which other cocktail?

Right, erm...

For some reason, before the answers came up, I had Harvey Wallbanger

in my mind as answer.

Erm...

It seems to be the one that makes sense,

you know, a Screwdriver and Wallbanger could perhaps be related.

I'm not sure there's any relation in the names,

Between the Sheets and Cosmopolitan.

I'll go with my first instinct and say, Harvey Wallbanger.

Harvey Wallbanger is the right answer.

Who's the expert on cocktails?

You pour the Galliano gently over the top

and it floats and slowly trickles down the glass.

-Have you had a lot of them, CJ?

-I'm teetotal, you know that, Jeremy.

Sorry...

Daphne, in Italian cuisine the term Alla Pizzaiola

describes a dish served in what way?

Spelt P-I-Z-Z-A-I-O-L-A, one word.

I don't know.

Erm...

I thought Al Forno was baked in an oven.

I'll try on bread?

On bread is the wrong answer, it's with a tomato sauce.

So, Alan, if you get this right you're in the final round.

Things start to look more interesting.

What type of fruit is an anjou?

A-N-J-O-U.

Right... Erm...

It sounds citrusey.

I don't know if that makes any sense.

The spelling didn't help very much.

It kind of rings a bell, and I'm not sure

looking at raspberry, that's doing it.

Erm...

I know there's lots of different varieties of grapefruits.

It sounds like one of those.

I'll go with my first thought and say, grapefruit.

Sorry, it's not. It's pear.

THEY GROAN

Daphne, it's over to you. If you get this right we go to sudden death.

Lautering is a process in the production of which beverage?

-If you get this wrong, you're out.

-Yes.

-Completely and utterly out.

-Absolutely.

-Totally.

Oh, dear.

It's probably a trick question.

But...lautering...

Erm... I don't think it's cider.

It sounds as if...

It sounds as if it ought to be beer, but...lautering.

OK, complete guess... Champagne.

Ha! What happened there?

You were going to beer and swerved.

-Yes.

-Does that happen a lot?

SHE LAUGHS

Tell me whether I'm wrong?

-You were right and now you're wrong.

-Oh...

-It's beer.

-Oh, dear.

Anyway, you're out. Well done, Comm Artists,

you've got another person in the final. Well done, Alan.

Both of you, please, return to your teams now.

So, we're maybe on the edge of something exciting here.

This is what we've been playing towards. It's time for our final round, which is general knowledge.

I'm afraid those of you who lost your head-to-heads won't be allowed to take part in this round.

Tony and Andy from the Comm Artists

and Daphne and Chris from the Eggheads,

would you please leave the studio.

Simon, Alan and Sophie, you're playing to win the Comm Artists £10,000.

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

the Eggheads' reputation.

I will ask each team three questions in turn. This time the questions are general knowledge.

You are allowed to confer. Simon, Alan and Sophie,

the question is are your three brains better than the Eggheads' three?

-Would you like to go first or second?

-What do you think. Shall we go first?

-We'll go first.

-Let's go first.

-We'll go first.

Here we go, best of luck to you.

Ralph Lauren is a famous name in which field?

-We should know this.

-It's certainly not dance, we know that.

-It would be an interesting game!

-Exactly.

-It's dance, not darts.

-He's maybe a scientist, part-time, but we'll have to say, fashion.

-Yes.

He's a fashion designer, Jeremy, so it's fashion.

Fashion is the right, you're off the blocks. Eggheads, your question,

in which South American country were miners trapped underground for more than two months in 2010?

-Chile?

-I think it might be.

They were trapped in the San Jose mine, which is in Chile.

Chile is the right answer.

Your question, Comm Artists.

"The rest is silence" is the last line spoken by which Shakespeare character?

-It's not Romeo.

-No, he died first.

-Juliet kissed his lips to get the poison.

-Yeah.

It's either Hamlet or Macbeth.

Erm...

I'd go for Macbeth, but I don't know if that's right.

It would have been my gut instinct.

I would have said that as well.

-I think we'll go for it, then.

-Yeah, well, we have to, don't we?

Erm, we don't really know, we know it's not Romeo.

We're torn between Hamlet and Macbeth.

We're going for Macbeth.

It's not Romeo.

It's Hamlet.

THEY GROAN

OK, Eggheads,

the Haflinger is a South Tyrolean breed of which creature?

First thought is horse, it's a type of pony.

That was my first thought. I don't think it's a goat.

I'd be surprised if it was a goat, especially if it's South Tyrolean.

-Haflinger, it just rang a bell.

-I know the names of most cows.

It just sounds like a horse, doesn't it?

Mmm, there's a lot of horses from around there that end in "a".

-South Tyrol, it could be any of the three, couldn't it?

-Yeah.

-Well, Haflins are...

-Well, Haflin means a small version, doesn't it?

So, pony fits.

It's probably a little, hardy breed from the Tyrolean Alps.

-Why not?

-We're totally unsure on this one

but all three of us have a feeling that it's a horse.

I don't know if three feelings equate to a right answer,

but we'll try it anyway.

The right answer is horse.

You need to get this right, Comm Artists.

Soul singer, Cee Lo Green who had a UK number one single in 2010 with Forget You

was a member of which pop duo?

-Royksopp, Scandinavian...

-Dance chill band.

It certainly wouldn't have been that.

-Massive Attack are mercurial Bristolians, aren't they?

-Yeah.

I think it was because there was a trailer for Radio 1 a few years back

-and they used a Gnarls Barkley track which exploded them on.

-Yeah.

-I'd probably go with Gnarls Barkley.

-Yeah.

We're all reasonably sure that's Gnarls Barkley.

Gnarls Barkley is the right answer, well done.

Over to you, Eggheads,

if you get this right, you have won the contest

because they got one wrong earlier. If you get it wrong, we go to sudden death.

In Bill Bryson's book, Notes From A Small Island,

he unhesitatingly gave his vote for best cathedral on planet earth

to which building?

-I think it was Durham.

-That's the one I think it is.

I've read the book, I think it's Durham.

I'm pretty sure it's Durham.

They are all great cathedrals, but of those three

the one that is probably the most architecturally beautiful

is Durham Cathedral.

That's the one we think Bill Bryson gave his vote to.

Durham Cathedral. I spent three years as a student near it.

Do you think they're right?

-They do look right.

-Yeah.

Eggheads, the correct answer is Durham Cathedral. You've won.

Commiserations, you Comm Artists.

-It's just the tiny little movement in a question.

-Yeah.

-And it goes.

-Yeah.

Hamlet, well... I think it's fair to say you would have struggled with the Hamlet question?

-No.

-Not at all.

No, you wouldn't have done.

They're obviously, as always, modest in victory.

Commiserations to you. The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them

and they reign supreme over quiz land.

I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £10,000. The money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, many congratulations, who will beat you? You're putting a good run together now.

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

have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£11,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.

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