Episode 122 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've won

some of the toughest quiz shows. They are the Eggheads.

And taking on our awesome quiz champions today

are The Priory Professors.

This team of childhood friends take their name

from the band they formed in their teenage years,

which in turn was named after the street where brothers Joey

and Jimmy used to live in Carmarthen.

And where the guys used to practise. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Joey, I'm 22 and I'm a business student.

Hi, I'm Jimmy, I'm 24 and I'm a motor sport journalist.

Hi, I'm Rhodri, I'm 25 and I study music engineering.

Hi, I'm Dom, I'm 26 and I'm a furniture maker.

Hi, I'm Dan, I'm 22 and I'm a musician.

-Joey and team, a warm welcome to you.

-Nice to meet you, Jeremy.

I know life's moved on but can you, when you think about it,

take yourself back to that room where you used to play in the band?

Well, it's a garage but, yeah, I can still see it. It was great fun.

-Do you want to go through the instruments?

-Bass, guitar...

-Bass as well.

-Drums.

-And I was guitar as well.

-And you all played at once or...?

-We jammed together.

If someone was available or whatever we'd go in.

Rotating membership.

It is a key part of the teenage years -

I had this as well - being in a band.

And you look back and you think what fun it was.

Brilliant. I wouldn't change it for anything.

OK, so let's see how we do.

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

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

I can tell you, Priory Professors,

that the Eggheads have won the last 24 games,

which means £25,000 is on the table for you to play for today.

-Nice one.

-Shall we start?

-Yep.

-Yes.

-Yes.

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

How about that? There'll be a fight over this.

-Well, no.

-What do you think?

-I think I'll take this one.

-I can take this.

-Go for it.

-He's the pro.

Against which Egghead?

I'm not sure who's the best to go against. That's up to you really.

-Shall we go with Barry?

-OK.

-Yep.

So, Dan from the Priory Professors versus Barry,

the Egghead's very own professor.

The subject's Music and to make sure there's no conferring

please go to the question room now.

So, Music - three multiple choice questions.

-Dan, you can choose the first or second set.

-I think I'll go first.

Here we go and good luck to you and your team.

Which Christmas song features the lines,

"Where the treetops glisten

"and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow"?

Well, if I'm honest with you I'm not a massive fan of Christmas songs

so I don't know it.

I don't think it's White Christmas, for some reason.

I don't... Let It Snow? Er...

For some reason Winter Wonderland,

it's the two big Ws there is making me want to go for that

so I think I'll choose that one, please.

Winter Wonderland. Your band are laughing. Anyone? Band?

What do you think?

-I think it's White Christmas.

-White Christmas.

I'm sorry, Dan, it is White Christmas.

Barry,

Judy Teen was a UK hit single for which band led by Steve Harley?

Steve Harley was the Cockney Rebel... with Cockney Rebel.

Absolutely, Cockney Rebel is the right answer.

Your question, Dan.

What was the first UK number one single for the group Queen?

OK, I'm pretty sure it was in 1976 and it was Bohemian Rhapsody.

I hope.

Bohemian Rhapsody is the right answer. Well done.

-I think the date was '75, Dan...

-Oh, really?

..but absolutely the right answer.

Barry, your question -

which ballet dancer is mentioned in the lyrics

of the song Where Do You Go To, My Lovely?

Oh, this is one of my all-time favourite songs by Peter Sarstedt

and the ballet dancer mentioned is Zizi Jeanmaire.

Zizi Jeanmaire is correct.

It's funny - I've heard that lyric

so many times I didn't know what he was talking about.

Dan, if you get this question wrong, you've lost the head-to-head.

Cecil Sharp, who died in 1924,

is most associated with what type of music?

Cecil Sharp. OK. Er...

Thinking of the period,

it sounds like quite a British name to me - Cecil.

But, you know, that's just a guess, really.

And I'm not sure if there was that much jazz going on that era.

It doesn't really sound like it could be linked.

I'm going to go with folk, please. Just as a guess.

Nicely done, you're right. Well done. Folk is the answer.

Barry, if you get this right, you are in the final.

Which musical was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize in 1944?

Ooh, that's a good question.

1944? I think Oklahoma was a little bit later than 1944

so I don't think it was that.

Carmen Jones, of course, was the musical version of Bizet's Carmen.

Would that be awarded a Pulitzer Prize?

I don't know but On The Town, I think, was a...

might have had a propaganda effort

so I think that might have been awarded a Pulitzer prize.

I'll go for On The Town.

Let's check with the Eggheads. Who likes their musicals? Judith?

I think that sounds reasonable.

I thought Carmen Jones was later than that.

The answer is actually Oklahoma.

-I thought that was later.

-Good news for you, Dan.

You've taken him to Sudden Death.

-I don't give you the options here, OK, so it's a bit harder.

-I know.

Who played the Mother Superior in the London production

of the musical Sister Act, when it opened in 2009?

Wow.

That is a hard question.

I actually know the guy who played bass in that production

but he never mentioned who was in the cast.

I really... Hmm.

Keira Knightley...isn't the answer but that's all I've got.

Keira Knightley?

-Sheila Hancock.

-Oh, Sheila. Big Sheils.

Barry,

get this right, you're in the final.

"But the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before,"

a line from a song in which musical?

HE SINGS: I have often walked down this street before

but the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before.

It's from My Fair Lady.

My Fair Lady is the right answer. You've taken the round.

Dan's knocked out by an Egghead.

No shame in that but you won't be in the final.

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

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

whilst the Eggheads have lost no brains. The next subject is Sport.

Is that good for you?

I think that'd good for us. I think I'm going to take it.

-Joey, all right, against...?

-Judith or Chris.

Chris, actually. I reckon Judith knows the tennis.

So, Chris then.

-I reckon Chris, yeah.

-Yeah?

In Judith's world, that's what laughter looks like.

She's laughing uproariously there.

Joey from The Priory Professors - Chris is not laughing -

versus Chris from the Eggheads on Sport.

Do take your positions, please, in the Question Room.

OK, Chris and Joey, it's Sport and it's three questions,

multiple choice and, Joey, you can choose the first or second set.

I'd like to go first, please.

Here we go.

Which Premier League manager has been known as the Professor?

Well, I think that's quite a good question for me

because I think I know it's Arsene Wenger.

-Arsene Wenger is right.

-Brilliant.

Chris, in which sport is the Irishman Eddie Jordan a famous name?

Hmm.

There's a Jordan motor racing team, isn't there, so it's motor racing.

Motor racing is the right answer.

Your question, Joey -

in the 2010 Tour De France, Lance Armstrong rode for which team?

Cycling's not a strong subject here, Jeremy.

Team RadioShack? Rabobank? Team Katusha?

Well, I'm going to rule out Team Katusha.

I have a feeling Team RadioShack seems like the most reasonable answer

so Team RadioShack.

Very good - Team RadioShack is correct. Two out of two so far.

Chris, which former tennis player

was Andy Murray's coach from 2005 to 2006?

Oh.

David Lloyd's got his whole train of gyms to look after, hasn't he,

so I doubt he'd have the time to coach one-on-one.

Er, I don't think it's Chris Bailey but the name Mark Petchey

rings a vague bell so I'll go with Mark Petchey.

Mark Petchey is the right answer, Chris.

Enjoying this sporting round, eh?

About as much as I enjoy root canal work, you know.

Sport not Chris' favourite.

Third question to you, Joey.

On which horse did Johnny Murtagh win the Epsom Derby,

the Irish Derby and the Prix De L'Arc De Triomphe in 2000?

Well...

I know absolutely nothing about horse racing

except there's horses in it.

So it's going to have to be a complete guess at Sinndar.

Sinndar is the right answer.

Chris, if you get this wrong,

you are out.

The skier Hanni Wenzel,

a gold medallist at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics

represented which country?

It's H-A-N-N-I and then W-E-N-Z-E-L.

Hmm.

HE CLEARS THROAT

Well, the E-L ending of his surname sounds a bit Flemish to me

so it could be Belgium.

Liechtenstein is basically a sinkhole for other people's money

so I don't think they produce many skiers

although they are alpine, basically.

Luxembourg... Well, just going on the population of those three,

the percentage possibilities of producing a skier,

it's got to be Belgium.

Well,

those viewers from Liechtenstein who are watching

may now dance a jig of joy

because their country has done more

that just act as a sinkhole for money,

it has produced Hanni Wenzel as well, the skier.

So, on that, you've been knocked out.

Well done, Joey, you're in the final round.

You've beaten an Egghead on Sport,

you've edged a bit closer to the jackpot.

If you both come back and rejoin your teams, we will play on.

-Nice work by the captain.

-Thanks.

Things are turning around, do you think?

Yeah, we're going to go on and win it.

OK, good. So the challengers have a lost one brain

but the Eggheads have now lost a brain, Chris, as well.

The next subject is Arts & Books.

THEY SIGH

So, who wants this? Is that a sigh of joy or pain?

That's pain. That's very big pain.

Do any of you want to do it?

Who doesn't want to be in the last round?

I can do it but...

You all right with art, Dom, at all?

I went to art college a little bit, my mum is an art college tutor

but I don't really take too much notice.

-It's still more than we've got.

-So I'll go for it.

Dom, all right, against...? Choose the Egghead.

I think this is a hard choice, to be honest.

Yeah, because you two stole the easier ones. No offence.

I'm going to go for Pat.

So, Dom from The Priory Professors against Pat from the Eggheads.

Please, if you can, go to the Question Rooms now.

Dom, tell us what you do.

-I make furniture.

-Great skill. You must be in demand.

A lot of people want me but not necessarily for my woodworking.

Good line.

I'll ask each of you three questions on Arts & Books in turn

and Dom, you can choose the first or second set of questions.

I'm going to go for the first, please.

Here we go with your first question, Dom. Good luck.

Which word describes the novels first popular in the late 18th

and early 19th centuries,

traditionally set in an atmosphere of mystery and horror?

Er, I don't think Celtic or Saxon sound particularly mysterious

or dark.

I'm going to go with Gothic.

Gothic is correct. Well done.

Pat, the Venus De Milo discovered in 1820 is made from which material?

I've always thought it was a stone-like material.

I'm not sure the Greeks were casting bronze

or had very advanced glass technology.

I've always thought of it as stone-like so I'll say marble.

Marble is the correct answer.

Missing an arm? Is that right?

Missing both arms, I think.

OK.

Dom, which English artist born 1877

was known for her scenes of circus and ballet life?

Er...I've got to admit I don't know a lot about female painters.

I'm going to say Vanessa Bell.

Let's just see if Pat knows this. Do you know this, Pat?

Sounds like Laura Knight.

Laura Knight is the answer, Dom. You may fall behind.

Was that just there in your mind somewhere but not coming?

-No.

-No. That's very honest. Pat,

Gervase Phinn's series of books set in the Yorkshire Dales

tell of his years spent in which job?

My first thought is schools inspector

but I haven't actually read any of these books.

Landscape gardener, district nurse...

..are possible.

I've a faint recollection that it might be schools inspector.

Schools inspector is the right answer.

It sounds interesting. Has anyone read them?

No? They're great books. Great books.

Have you read them?

No.

Dom, your question.

And you need to get this one right.

Which English author wrote the novel Room At The Top,

later made into an award-winning film starring Laurence Harvey

and Simone Signoret?

I'm not particularly sure. I recognise the name of the title

but I'm going to go for Keith Waterhouse.

It's not Keith Waterhouse. Eggheads?

ALL: John Braine.

John Braine is the answer. Dom, you've been knocked out. I'm sorry.

Pat has won through

on Arts & Books. What can I say?

Please both of you come back and rejoin your teams.

So, as it stands, the challengers have lost two brains from the final

while the Eggheads have lost one brain.

Our last subject before the final is Science.

-Which Priory Professor wants it?

-That's mine.

-That's yours, Rhodri.

-Rhodri?

-Yeah, I'll be taking that one.

-OK.

Daphne?

-Yeah, you reckon? On what basis?

-I've seen her lose on Science before.

Then, yeah, I think I'll take on Daphne, please.

Rhodri from The Priory Professors...

-They've seen you lose on Science, Daphne.

-You have.

..against Daphne from the Eggheads and so there's no conferring,

please go to the Question Rooms now.

Rhodri, you're a great musician, I understand.

Apparently so, yeah.

-Playing which instrument again?

-I play bass guitar.

And tell us what you're doing.

I'm a student. I study music engineering in Glamorgan.

With a view to going on and using that professionally?

Yeah, hopefully. I'd like to get a job in a recording studio

or do some live engineering and things like that.

I suppose there's a little bit of science in there. There's ohms...

Yeah, there's some technical science information there.

-Hopefully something will come up.

-There's plugs, sockets...

-What shape's the CD?

-Cabling. Yeah, good. Sounds encouraging.

Daphne, you're not doing much studio work at the moment, are you?

-SHE LAUGHS: No.

-Apart from this.

I'll ask each of you three questions Science in turn

and, Rhodri, you can choose the first or second set.

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

Here we go. How many legs does an ant have?

I think, obviously, an ant's an insect so I'm going to go for six.

Six is the right answer.

That is one of those stinker questions, isn't it?

You could've easily gone for eight. Well done.

Daphne, what is the name of the group of galaxies

to which the Milky Way belongs?

I like the idea of a neighbourhood group but it's the local group.

Local group is the right answer.

Back to you, Rhodri.

Which metal was historically produced

by a technique known as puddling?

I don't think it's iron to start off with.

Out of the other two, I'm going to go for zinc.

-Let's see if Daphne knows. Daphne?

-Iron.

-Iron is the right answer.

Oh, well.

Bad luck.

Daphne, to take the lead,

what type of drug is streptomycin?

It's an antibiotic and I believe it was produced to treat TB.

Antibiotic is the right answer. You've taken the lead.

Rhodri, you've got to get this one.

Which parts of the body may be affected by pyelitis?

-Could you spell pyelitis for me?

-Of course. P-Y-E-L-I-T-I-S.

I've never heard of that before so it's going to have to be a guess.

I'm going to go for kidneys.

Let's see if anyone on your teams knows. Anybody?

-Don't have a clue.

-We don't know.

-No, anyone here? Daphne?

-He's right.

-You're right, Rhodri. Well done. Kidneys it is.

So you've saved yourself. Let's see if Daphne dispatches you now.

What type of creature is the Australian Thorny Devil?

This for the round, Daphne.

I think...it's a lizard.

Lizard is the correct answer. You have taken the round on Science.

She does play very well.

-She did.

-Although you may well have seen her lose in the past

but it doesn't happen that much.

Bad luck, you won't be in the final.

If you both come back to us, we will play the final round.

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

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

But those of you who lost your head-to-heads

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

So, Rhodri, Dom and Dan from The Priory Professors

and Chris from the Eggheads, would you please now leave the studio?

Joey and Jimmy, you are playing to win The Priory Professors £25,000.

Daphne, Barry, Pat and Judith,

you're playing for something that money can't buy -

the Eggheads' reputation.

As usual, I will ask each team three question in turn.

This time the questions are all General Knowledge.

You can confer as well.

So, Priory Professors, the question is are your two brains

better than the Eggheads' four?

-Would you like to first or second?

-I think we'll go first.

Good luck to you both. Brothers as well, I should've said.

Joey and Jimmy.

The term Estuary English refers to a spoken variety of English

that originated in the area around the estuary of which river?

-You know this, Jim?

-I think it's the Thames.

What am I basing that on?

I just think it is.

-If you think it is.

-I've heard the term used, I live in London.

I hope I'm right. I think it's Thames, Jeremy.

Thames is the correct answer. Well done.

Eggheads,

in 2009, psychologists at a Philadelphia university

published research into the reasons why which bird

spends time standing on one leg when resting?

-Flamingo's the only one which stands on one leg.

-It's got to be flamingo.

Turkeys have to stand on two because they're too fat.

Penguins stand on two, don't they?

Penguins couldn't stand on one leg.

I wonder if it's won an Ig Nobel Prize. It has to be flamingo.

Flamingo.

We think it's got to be flamingo.

Flamingo is the correct answer.

-What was the reason. We need to know. Do you know?

-No.

They're contemplating the world.

OK. Your second question,

Joey and Jimmy.

The Aztec god Quetzal Coatl is usually depicted as what?

Guys, I'm going to spell it for you, OK?

Q-U-E-T-Z-A-L C-O-A-T-L.

What do you think?

The only Aztec thing... deity of any sort

I can think of involves The Simpsons and it's not any of those.

Feathered serpent? Aztecs?

Aztecs would've had... You have thought there'd be serpents about.

-Would there have been...?

-Feathered serpent?

-I'd rule out plumed horse.

-You don't think it's the horse?

-No.

See, I like horses.

I'm tempted to go with the serpent

just because the only sensible link is Aztec...sand...snake.

That doesn't even make a lot of sense.

-Let's just go for the serpent.

-Yeah.

I think we're just going to go for feathered serpent.

We really don't have a good idea.

-Feathered serpent is your answer?

-Yeah.

OK, you've got it right.

-Yes!

-Feathered serpent is the right answer.

Eggheads, in which city is the 1976 film Taxi Driver set?

-I assumed it was New York.

-I

-assumed it was New York.

And Scorsese is...

the quintessential New York director.

Pretty certain he drove a yellow taxi

-which I think would imply New York.

-Yeah, New York.

OK, we think it's New York.

Your answer is New York. From memory it is a yellow taxi, isn't it?

And it is New York. You're correct. So two each.

It would've been so good if they got that wrong.

-You're quite right.

-This one would be the one that the money rested on.

As it is, I would suggest you need to get this right.

-Indeed.

-You're not knocked out if you don't

but you know what they're like.

And you want the £25,000.

What type of entertainment is the Japanese Bunraku?

I'll spell it for you - B-U-N-R-A-K-U. All one word.

-Er...puppet theatre?

-Bunraku, a traditional dance?

-Bunraku dance.

-Well, they do like to dance.

Puppet theatre seems a bit... I mean, it could be any of them.

-We don't know, do we?

-No, we don't know.

If it was magic, it would be a specific kind of magic

-that separated it from normal magic.

-True. Shall we go?

Shall we just go for a traditional dance?

But it seems like the obvious one.

-You don't want to say, do you?

-No, I don't.

Nor do I, man.

Jeremy, we don't know.

We've tried to work it out and we've not really got anywhere.

So, we're going to go down the middle and say a traditional dance.

Traditional dance is your answer.

-Barry has connections with Japan. Barry?

-It's puppet theatre.

Puppet theatre. Bad luck.

Which means, Eggheads,

that if you get this right, the contest is over

and our brave challengers do not get the money.

The High Level Bridge

is a grade-one-listed road and rail bridge

that directly connects which two places?

Where's Chris when you need him?

He's probably gesticulating at the back.

-I know this.

-You know this?

-What is it?

-I don't have anything about Southend.

-Liverpool?

It's not. Liverpool and Birkenhead's about a mile.

You couldn't connect it with a bridge.

It's one of about five bridges over the Tyne

connecting Newcastle and Gateshead.

There's the Swing Bridge, Classic Arch Bridge,

Red Ruth bridge and High Level Bridge.

In fact the Arch Bridge may be the High Level Bridge.

-Wow.

-So it's Newcastle and Gateshead.

-OK.

Pat is very convincing. He says it's Newcastle and Gateshead.

You haven't deployed the Keppel technique of going down the right.

You've gone for Newcastle and Gateshead.

It's the correct answer.

Congratulations, Eggheads, you've won.

It's one of those across the Tyne.

I'm trying to search for consolation.

At least they knew bunraku. Did you know the high level bridge?

No.

That's probably the one we wouldn't have gone for, funnily enough.

OK, well, commiserations to you.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally

and their winning streak continues.

That means The Priory Professors won't be going home

with the £25,000 - I won't rub it in -

so the money now 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.

£26,000 says they don't. Until then, goodbye.

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