Episode 126 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 country's toughest quiz shows. They are the Eggheads.

Taking on our quiz champions today are...

This team are all studying at Leeds University

and they're also members of the university's student comedy group.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Annie.

I'm 21 and I'm studying English Literature and Theatre Studies.

Hi, I'm Jack.

I'm 22 and I'm studying Chinese and International Relations.

Hi, I'm Max. I'm 20 and I'm studying Biochemistry.

Hi, I'm Tom. I'm 20 and I'm studying History.

Hi, I'm Pete. I'm 22 and I study Broadcast Journalism.

So, Annie and team, welcome.

And Tealights is the name of the comedy group?

Yeah, it's the sketch comedy society at Leeds University, so we all

write or perform as part of it.

Do you perform just at university? Do you go to the Edinburgh Fringe?

Yeah, we go to the Fringe and we perform previews in London,

Sheffield and, yeah, Leeds mainly.

I notice that your ambition is to be an Egghead.

Er, well, that's the dream, but, er, I'm not sure.

-Follow your dream, Annie!

-Job's taken!

Yes, by the time you're ready to be an Egghead,

there may well be vacancies there.

Good luck to you. Every day, there's £1,000 of cash up for grabs for our challengers.

However, if they fail to defeat the Eggheads, the money rolls over to the next show.

So, Tealights, the Eggheads won just the last game,

so £2,000 says you can't beat them today.

I wish you well. First head-to-head battle

is on the subject of Geography. Who would like this?

-Shall I take it?

-Probably should. You are the strongest.

-I think Jack's going to take it.

-Jack on Geography?

OK, Jack, against which Egghead? You've got the classic line-up.

CJ in the middle.

-It's your choice.

-I... Shall I take CJ?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-CJ, please.

-Jack from the Tealights against CJ.

-I didn't mean to do that.

-Thanks, Jeremy(!)

-It wasn't a suggestion.

CJ on Geography. To ensure there's no conferring, would you take your positions in the Question Room?

-Jack, you're studying Chinese, I understand?

-That's true, yeah. Yeah.

And, er, are you speaking it yet?

I'm coming along. I'm in my fourth year now, so I should be speaking a little bit by now.

It's a lot of hard work. I know - I had a friend who studied Chinese. I never saw her.

It's true. Well, I think I do get out every now and then, like today.

They've let me out for a day!

And writing, speaking - what's the hardest thing?

-Oh, probably the writing.

-Is it as hard as it looks or is it even harder?

It's harder, it's harder, definitely. It's...

It's just a really silly language, really.

They don't have an alphabet, which seems logical, but it's not at all.

-I assume you draw a picture of what you're talking about.

-Pretty much.

But the pictures are more complicated than they should be. I'm not much of an artist,

-so it doesn't really help.

-So you've got it all mapped out -

-are you going to go and work there?

-Maybe. I haven't thought about it.

It depends on how my stardom goes after I'm on Eggheads.

-Probably be leaping from strength to strength.

-Well, look at CJ - look at where he's got to.

For a long time, he was unknown across Britain

and now he's unknown across the whole world.

OK, it's three multiple-choice questions,

and the subject is Geography. Jack, you can choose the first or second set.

Er, I'd like to go second, if that's all right.

CJ, here is your first question.

The three-fingered peninsula called Halkidiki is in which country?

-Halkidiki.

-I think Halkidiki is...

in the south of Greece.

Greece is the right answer. Back to you, Jack.

The horizontal stripes on the flag of India are orange, white and which colour?

Er, thankfully, I know this

and they are orange, white and green.

-Green is the right answer. Well done.

-OK.

CJ, which road is known as the North Wales Expressway,

running from the south of Chester to Bangor,

over the Britannia Bridge and across Anglesey to Holyhead?

Now, I've never... I live in Wales, but I've never driven in the north.

I've driven up the M5 a lot of times, which goes close to Chester,

which then leads into North Wales.

Geographically, it's not too far from the M55, which goes to Blackpool.

But I don't actually know if...

geography actually matters in that sense.

Er, A55.

Is the right answer.

-JEREMY CHUCKLES

-CJ, you and your British geography.

It is wonderful. Don't ever get good at it!

-I'll try not to.

-It'll spoil everything.

Jack, here's your question.

The Yangtze River is approximately how many miles long?

The Yangtze River.

I should know this, really, shouldn't I,

studying Chinese and everything?

I can write it in Chinese, but that doesn't help me with how long it is.

I'm not very good at...estimations.

But 14,000 and 40,000 sound far too long,

so I've got to guess 4,000 miles, I think.

4,000 miles. Well, Eggheads, do you know?

-Yes.

-Yep, you got it right.

Well done.

CJ, your question. Which French city

is the capital of the Bouches-du-Rhone departement in southern France?

I've no idea. I don't know the capitals of the departments.

Well, presumably, it's at the mouth of the Rhone river.

If I knew which city was on the Rhone, that's the one I'd go for.

I actually thought Marseille was on the Rhone.

It's not on the Seine, is it? Er...

I don't think it's on the Loire.

I'll go for Marseille.

-You said that in a quietly determined way.

-Er, I'm hoping.

You're right to hope - it is Marseille. Well done, CJ.

Every one's a struggle, but they're all coming out right.

Jack, here's your question.

-If you get this wrong, you're going to be out.

-Oh! OK.

Lourenco Marques is the former name of which African capital city?

Lourenco Marques.

Well, Lourenco Marques sounds...

I mean, I'm guessing it's French - some kind.

Er... So I'm trying to think

which of those are ex-French colonies.

It's going to have to be a stab in the dark.

I don't think it's Freetown,

cos I don't think it would've been renamed with an English name.

So...I think it's got to be Maputo or Luanda.

I'm going to guess Maputo.

OK, who's the expert on things African here?

-Yeah, it's...

-It IS Maputo.

-You're right - Maputo is correct.

-Mozambique, right?

-That's right - former Portuguese colony.

It was the French that almost took you off.

You've drawn level with CJ on Geography,

and we go to Sudden Death, so it gets a bit harder, CJ.

I don't give you alternatives.

The Republic of the Philippines, CJ, is located in which ocean?

It's in the Pacific.

You don't need to look as if you're in pain. It is in the Pacific.

I'm just looking for the trick!

There isn't one! There never is. Pacific is the right answer.

Jack, the Rio de la Plata is an estuary

formed by the junction of two rivers at the border of Argentina

and which other South American country?

Oh, God!

I knew the answer to the last one. Er...

I'm trying to think where it borders. It's...

at the mouth of two rivers, so I imagine that'll be by the sea, obviously, so...

Argentina has a sea border with Chile and Brazil, I think,

off the top of my head.

Er...but I might be completely wrong with this logic.

I would guess...

..Brazil.

It's the junction of the Parana and Uruguay Rivers,

and the answer is Uruguay, Jack, so you've been knocked out by CJ.

He will be in the final and you will not, but it's still early days.

Please, both of you, come back and rejoin us here.

So, as it stands, the challengers

have lost one brain from the final round.

How do we respond to that in Chinese?

-Er...

-HE SPEAKS CHINESE

What does that mean? It means, "I'm unhappy."

You may well get happier as the game goes on.

I can't guarantee anything, but it does sometimes happen.

The Eggheads have lost no brains.

We go to the second round and the subject is Science.

-Do we have a scientist here?

-Max.

-We do.

-Max. That's handy.

-Biochemist Max.

-Against which Egghead, Max?

Ooh. Who do we think?

-I don't know - who do you think?

-Who do you think for Science?

-Judith?

-We'll go with, er, Judith.

-Judith and Max, I think.

-OK.

Max from the Tealights, against Judith from the Eggheads.

-How about that - science?

-Well, I've been all right lately, I think.

-You have been.

-That's probably put the kiss of death on it.

-To ensure no conferring, please go to the Question Room.

Three questions on Science in turn and, Max, would you like the first or second set?

Er, could I go second, please?

Judith, what is the longest bone in the human body?

I think it's...

I think it's the femur.

JEREMY CHUCKLES

-Does that count as cheating, looking at your own bones?

-No!

-It's using your intelligence to do that.

-Femur is the right answer.

It's also the strongest bone.

-And the strongest bone, if you want to check that.

-Oh, thank you.

OK, Max, that's what you're up against.

It's that sort of interesting approach to science.

In the human body, Max, muscles are attached to bone by what?

Hmm. Now, I'm pretty sure it's not marrow,

cos that's inside the bone, and cartilage, I think, is something...

A bone-like substance. I'm pretty sure it's tendons.

I'm going to have to go with tendons.

Nicely done - you're right, tendons is correct.

Judith, your second question.

What name is given to the atmospheric phenomenon,

sometimes called a Sun Dog,

in which bright spots of light appear on either side of the sun?

I don't think it's parhelion.

Scintillation means, sort of, sparkling.

Irisation... An iris.

I think it probably is scintillation.

You think scintillation? Max, do you know this one?

Er, I do not, no.

You're wrong, Judith. It's par... I can see Daphne knows.

-Parhelion.

-Can you tell us how we could work that out, if at all?

-Well, the sun, isn't it?

-Helios.

-About the sun.

-By or about the sun.

By or about the sun - parhelion, Judith.

OK, on we go.

Max, brindled and white-tailed

are the two types of which African creature?

Now...I'm pretty sure it's not going to be gorilla.

Er...

But the other two, I'm very unsure about.

I'm not entirely sure what a gnu is, exactly. Er...

So it's between gazelle or gnu.

I think I'm going to have to go with gnu,

purely because I can't see gazelles being named by tails.

Brilliantly done. Gnu is the correct answer. So you've pulled ahead

and, er,

the biochemistry community's breathing just a little bit easier.

Judith, your question.

Whose law states that under the same conditions of temperature and pressure,

equal volumes of different gases contain an equal number of molecules?

Well, Celsius is to do with temperature.

God! Can you say it again?

Whose law states that under the same conditions

of temperature and pressure, equal volumes of different gases

contain an equal number of molecules?

Oh, well, temperature's in there, isn't it?

I don't know. As temperature is in there, Celsius.

It's not Celsius, Judith. It's Avo-gar-dro.

-Whoever he is.

-Or Avogadro.

Gadro? Anyone want to tell us about Avogadro?

-He was an Italian chemist...

-OK.

..who came up with this way of calculating

the relative amounts of substances.

Sorry, Judith. I don't think there's a way back for you.

-No, there isn't.

-You've been knocked out. Three questions and one point.

And, Max, well done - you're in the final round,

so things are looking up for your team.

Both please come back and rejoin us.

So, the challengers have lost one brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost one, as well, and the next subject is Film & TV.

-Who wants this?

-I don't watch very much TV - I'll be honest.

THEY CONFER

I think I'll go against Daphne.

Annie from the Tealights against Daphne from the Eggheads.

She's very good. She's very good, but good luck against her. She can fall apart.

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

So, Annie, you do your studies but you also do a bit of comedy, as well.

Yeah, a bit.

Probably takes up more time than my actual degree, but it's good fun.

And writing comedy sketches and...

-Being funny is a serious business, isn't it?

-Er, yeah, I think so.

You're constantly asking yourself whether you are funny, but, er...

And where do you best write? Do you write on your own, with your team-mates here, or...?

I think together, we're best, really.

We just get together and chat and then see what comes out of it.

We don't really have a strict format, as such.

Is there a sketch here, with these Eggheads, somehow?

Yeah, potentially.

There is a lot of potential. We've never quite tapped it, but we live in hope.

So, three questions on Film & TV in turn, multiple choice.

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

-Can I go first, please, Jeremy?

Here we go. All the best to you, Annie. What type of creature is the cartoon character Speedy Gonzales?

Er, Speedy Gonzales...

I think is a coyote.

Might be wrong.

Er, I don't think it's a mouse or a bear, so I'm going to go with cat.

Cat is wrong, actually, but I could see how you... Sort of a...

-Speedy Gonzales is a mouse, right?

-He's the fastest mouse in all Mexico!

-It was Wile E Coyote.

-Wile E Coyote.

-It's a different character.

-I was getting mixed up, sorry.

-He is a mouse.

-Fatal error!

-Daphne, in which city

is the 1967 film Barefoot In The Park set?

-SHE CHUCKLES

-My absolute favourite film!

New York.

New York is right. Who was in that? Robert Redford and...

-Jane Fonda.

-Jane Fonda. And what happens? They just go on honeymoon?

-No, they buy a flat, don't they?

-Oh, do they?

Yes, and have to go up miles of steps to get to it.

And there's a bit in there -

I can't quite remember where - but I always have fits of giggles.

-Love it!

-Great.

Back to you, Annie.

What is the title of the Mike Leigh film, released in 2010,

that stars Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen and Lesley Manville?

I think it's likely to be one of the two extremes.

I haven't heard of it at all, so, er...

I think Another Hour would sound a bit... Not very catchy.

I mean, a minute's quite a short amount of time.

A year's quite dramatic, as well.

I think I'm going to go for...

Another Minute, but based on nothing, really.

Let's see if Daphne knows. Daphne?

-It's Another Year.

-Another Year.

It is. So, Daphne, if you get this right, you've taken the round.

In which television series did David Jansen play a retired policeman

living and working as a private detective in San Diego?

Oh.

I'm sorry, Annie.

I used to watch this all the time,

and it's Harry O.

You have to forgive her when she's so nice, don't you, Annie?

Yeah. Harry O is correct. Daphne, you are in the final.

Sorry, Annie - you've been knocked out.

Both please come back here and rejoin your teams.

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

The Eggheads have lost a brain themselves. The last subject is Music.

Who's the musician?

-It's got to be Tom or Pete.

-It'd be suicide for me. It's got to be you.

-I'm going to step up to the plate, Jeremy.

-All right.

Pete from the Tealights against...

either Kevin or Chris.

-Who are you going to deal out a Pete-ing?

-Er, I forgot about that.

-What do you think?

-Kevin?

-I think try and...

-Try and have a go at Kevin.

-I don't know.

-Kevin.

General consensus - I'll take Kevin.

Pete from the Tealights, against Kevin from the Eggheads.

-Haven't done Music for a while, have we?

-Yeah, I often do.

-Recently?

-A few shows ago. Quite recently.

To ensure no conferring, take your positions in the Question Room.

Pete, what kind of music do you like, then?

Er, everything. Yeah, rock, dance, rap. Bit of everything.

-Opera?

-Er, no, there's a few black spots, I'm afraid, of knowledge - that being my main one.

-This round does include everything, so it goes...

-I'm aware of that.

I think we had a question about... What was the Japanese instrument, Kevin, with only one string?

-The fiddle.

-The Japanese fiddle. Yeah, so anything can come up.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-Can I go first, please, Jeremy?

You can, and here we go. "Some day I'll wish upon a star

"And wake up where the clouds are far behind me," are lines from a song used in which musical?

I don't think it's Mary Poppins.

I used to watch a lot of that. Er...

I've only seen West Side Story once.

But Wizard Of Oz - there's not much stars in it.

Er... Hmm.

I think I'm going to go Wizard Of Oz, please.

Wizard Of Oz is correct.

Kevin, who had UK hit singles in the 1980s with the songs Hot In The City, Rebel Yell and White Wedding?

I think that was Billy Idol.

Billy Idol is the right answer.

OK, Pete,

the song There's No Business Like Show Business

became a trademark song for which Broadway and Hollywood star, born in New York?

Hmm. This is a... Again, one my grandmother would love.

Er, I have no knowledge of any of these, I'm afraid.

Er...

Right.

I'm going to plump with Cyd Charisse.

Let's ask Kevin. Do you know?

-Ethel Merman.

-Ethel Merman is the right answer.

Kevin, who composed the 1888 symphonic suite Sheherazade?

Well, I think I know it anyway,

but the other two were dead by then, so that helps. It's Rimsky-Korsakov.

Rimsky-Korsakov is right. You're right.

They definitely had an alibi.

It doesn't stop them - they could dig them up and say, "What are you doing?" "Decomposing."

You need this one, Pete. You're up against Kevin. Your third question - if you get it wrong, you're out.

Which American Blues singer-songwriter received

three Grammy awards for her album Nick Of Time?

I know Alison Krauss plays that genre of music

and she was quite successful recently -

the last three or four years.

Er... Based on that, I'm going to have to say Alison Krauss.

No, it was Bonnie Raitt, Pete, I'm afraid. Nick Of Time.

So you've been knocked out. Kevin will be in the final.

And if you both come back to us now, we will play that final round.

This is what we've been playing towards. Time for the final round,

which, as always, is General Knowledge.

I'm afraid those who lost your head-to-heads

won't be allowed to take part.

So, Annie, Jack and Pete from the Tealights,

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

So, Max and Tom, you're playing to win the Tealights £2,000.

Kevin, CJ, Daphne and Chris,

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 all General Knowledge and you are allowed to confer.

So, Tealights, the question is,

are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four?

-Would you like to go first or second?

-Second, maybe?

-We're feeling second. We'll go second, thanks.

Good luck. Hope you come first. Here we go.

Eggheads, what type of vehicles take part in the Isle Of Man TT Races?

-Are we all agreed on motorbikes?

-It probably is.

Yeah, it probably is motorbikes, Jeremy.

Motorbikes is the right answer.

First question for Max and Tom.

Where on the body would a tam-o'-shanter normally be worn?

The tam-o'-shanter - that...

-To me, that says Highland regiments in the British Army, and...

-Hat?

Yes, and something worn as a hat because of that. And I think...

I think, yeah, we'll go with hat.

I'm picturing a hat worn by soldiers, so yes, we'll say the head.

Very good - head is the right answer. Well done.

Eggheads, in February 2010,

who launched a campaign called Let's Move

to tackle childhood obesity in America?

-Well...

-Tiger Woods was otherwise engaged.

Yeah. Although he was moving at the time, to give him his credit.

Well, yeah, you can't do that sort of thing standing still.

My instinct is Michelle Obama. Cos I know she's doing a lot, but...

February 2010?

In February 2010.

Yes, Oprah's obviously had her weight problems, so...

Michelle Obama does a lot of these sort of initiatives,

-doesn't she?

-Yes.

I'm just wondering, was Oprah too busy setting up OWN at the time?

-Sort of thing Michelle Obama WOULD do, isn't it?

-That was my....

Get out from her husband's shadow a bit.

But...I think it might be a bit controversial.

-Well, no, it's not controversial, is it?

-Well...

-Obesity?

-I know, but...

-It's hardly a party-political issue, is it?

Well...

My instinct is the same, but I have nothing to base that on.

-If it's Kevin's inkling, go with it.

-I have nothing to base that on.

We've got two instincts - what do you think?

I'll go with Michelle Obama, cos Oprah was otherwise engaged,

setting up her network. Tiger Woods, you know...

Yeah, we'll go with Michelle Obama, Jeremy.

Michelle Obama is the right answer!

Isn't that a shame? I thought they might

go for Oprah Winfrey there. OK, your question.

What was the name of the television station

that held the ITV franchise for the South West of England

from 1961 to 1981?

-I've heard of Wessex Television. Have you?

-I haven't heard of Westward.

I've never heard of Westward Television.

Westward implies it's going west, rather than broadcast from the West.

Er, and Westland, er...

Isn't it an aircraft company

that Michael Heseltine resigned over or something?

-There we are.

-So...

-It sounds like it's going to be Wessex.

Wessex makes sense - it's that geographical area, we think -

and... Yes, have we both heard of Wessex Television?

-I...think. May have heard.

-Er...

I'm... Yeah, I say... I say... Yeah.

-We'll say Wessex Television. Wessex, please.

-Wessex?

OK. Not sure there was a Wessex Television, but it's interesting

how - power of suggestion - you could almost both remember it.

Westward is the answer. Westward. Was there a Wessex TV?

-Never heard of it.

-I've just remembered where it was.

It was in a fictionalisation - or a modern update -

-of Much Ado About Nothing, broadcast on the BBC a few years ago.

-Ah!

There was a Wessex news thing in there. Yeah.

Well, that's... That's... That's an inkling, that, isn't it?

The sort of thing that lodges. Bad luck.

So, Eggheads, if you get this right,

you've taken the contest.

In 1999, Ruth Dreifuss became the first female president of which country?

"Rut" presumably being Ruth, R-U-T-H?

R-U-T-H, and then D-R-E-I-F-U-S-S.

-In 1999?

-In 1999.

-It's, er...

I think it's Switzerland.

Yeah, because, like, the first woman president

of Slovakia has been really recent.

-Yes.

-I'm sure it's Switzerland.

-It's got to be Switzerland.

-Even just the language.

-Yeah, it's Germanic, anyway.

Wouldn't be Sweden or Slovakia.

Yeah, she was first female president of Switzerland, Jeremy.

Switzerland is your answer. If it's right, you've taken the contest.

-They do sound right, don't they?

-It makes sense.

-Eggheads,

Switzerland is the answer. Congratulations. You have won.

Commiserations to you, challengers. It's like that - get one wrong and they're away.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them, and still reign supreme over quizland.

I'm afraid that means you won't be going home with the £2,000,

so the money rolls over to our 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.

£3,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd