Episode 131 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 challenging our resident quiz champions today are the GUGS.

This team all know one another through Glasgow University's

German Society and regularly test their quizzing knowledge

at their local pub, the Old Schoolhouse. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Geffen, I'm 23, and I study German and Spanish.

Hi, I'm Charlie, I'm 22, and I study French and German.

Hi, I'm Georgia, I'm 23, and I study German and Spanish.

Hi, I'm Paul, I'm 22, and I study French and Spanish.

Hi, I'm Natalie, I'm 22, and I study German and French.

-So, Geffen and team, welcome.

-Thank you.

-And all but one of you study German.

-Yes, that's right.

And why German?

I've always really liked German and I love Germany, so I thought

it would be nice to be able to speak to Germans in their own language.

-And you quiz together, of course.

-Yeah.

-And you quiz in English?

-Yes.

If you just slip into German, it'll throw this lot,

so you can use that as a tactic if you have to.

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

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

So GUGS, the Eggheads have won the last six games,

which means £7,000 says you can't beat them.

-Would you like to try?

-Yes!

So here we go, the first head-to-head battle is on Music.

Which of you would like this?

-I think it should be Georgia.

-I vote Georgia.

What do we do for Films and TV, though? Who will take it?

-I would be OK at that.

-Would you?

Does anyone else think they could do Music?

I think Georgia. Are you OK with it?

-Yeah, OK.

-Georgia? OK. Against which Egghead?

Um, I'm going to take Pat, please.

Pat? OK.

So Georgia from GUGS against Pat from the Eggheads on Music.

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

So Georgia, I should ask, GUGS, G-U-G-S, what does it stand for?

Glasgow University German Society.

I wanted to check it wasn't German University of Glasgow Society.

No, no, other way!

Cos it's always words in a different order in German.

That is true.

Do you get the hang of that, putting the verb at the end?

I'm getting there, I'm definitely getting there.

-I hope I'm getting there!

-Well, good luck in Music against Pat.

Three multiple choice questions on Music in turn,

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

I'd like to go second, please.

So here we go, Pat, your first question.

In 1986, the Austrian singer, Falco, had a UK Number One with which song?

I think Every Loser Wins is Nick Berry.

Well, the soap star from EastEnders.

Papa Don't Preach is a big early hit for Madonna,

and Falco, I think, he's the emergency Austrian pop star answer.

So it's Rock Me Amadeus.

The emergency Austrian?

If you're under pressure and have to say Falco.

OK! Rock Me Amadeus is quite right. Well done.

OK, your question, Georgia.

On which instrument would you normally play a rimshot?

A rimshot.

OK, I used to play the piano. I have never heard of that.

I would go with drum, because of the rim of the drum,

and shot sounds like a kind of hitting motion,

so I'm going to go with drum.

Great logic.

Drum is right. Well done.

OK, Pat, on to you.

The artist, Fela Kuti,

was born in and helped to develop the music of which continent?

I think he was a very major,

larger than life musician from Nigeria.

I think there's been a musical made about his life.

So I'll go for Africa.

Africa is the right answer.

Back to you Georgia. Got to get this right to keep up.

Which band reached Number One in the UK in 2000 with the single

The Masses Against The Class-ies?

Or Masses Against The Classes, you might say.

OK. I was feeling a bit confident at the start,

because 2000 was when I was buying a CD single every week,

but, at the age of 12 or 13, I wasn't super into any of these bands.

Manic Street Preachers I'm leaning towards.

I'm not sure why, but I think that it's the way I'm going to go.

Manic Street Preachers.

Manic Street Preachers is correct.

Well done, two points each, Third question, Pat.

Renee Fleming found worldwide fame in which role?

She's a highly acclaimed American soprano.

She's an operatic soprano.

Operatic soprano is the right answer, Pat.

He's very good, Georgia, I'm afraid.

See if you can get your third question right.

Which jazz and blues singer was born in 1924 as Ruth Lee Jones?

Again, I have no idea.

So it's just going to be a complete and utter guess.

I'm going to go with...

Pearl Bailey.

Eggheads?

-ALL:

-Dinah Washington.

Dinah Washington is the answer, Georgia.

So Pat, you've taken that round.

Georgia's knocked out, you won't be in the final round, but it's early days.

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

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

while the Eggheads have lost no brains.

The next subject is Science.

This could be a problem. You're linguists.

-Yeah, it's not really our area.

-So who would like Science?

I think it's designated to me cos I did a dentistry degree before,

so I'll see what I can remember from that.

OK, against which Egghead?

I would go CJ.

The clash of the purple shirts.

Yeah, OK, I'll go for a fashion faux pas and take on CJ.

"Clash of the purple shirts." Sounds great! Natalie from the GUGS,

against CJ from the Eggheads on Science. To ensure there's no conferring,

would you take your positions in the Question Room?

OK, each of you get three questions on Science in turn,

whoever answers the most correctly wins. Natalie can choose the first or second set.

I'll have the first set, please.

And here we go, good luck.

What term is used to refer to low volume electrical

or radio noise of equal intensity over a wide range of frequencies?

I should know about physics.

I did get the prize for physics at my school.

We didn't do this, but I think common sense would tell me

it was white noise.

Rather than physics!

Common sense is right. White noise is correct. Well done.

CJ, your first Science question.

What type of bird of prey is a hobby?

I think a hobby is a falcon.

Falcon is correct.

Natalie,

the prehistoric creatures called trilobites

that are often found as fossils lived in which environment?

Trilobites. Do they have three of something?

I think sea creatures are the one things that tend to look

the weirdest, so I'll go for sea, please.

Is she right, Eggheads?

-She is!

-You're right! Sea creatures.

You're a quizzer!

CJ, what was the code name of the first atomic bomb test

that was carried out in New Mexico in July 1945?

I think there was a test called Trinity,

but whether it was the first one or not, I don't know.

I've never heard of a nuclear test called Triad or Troika,

and I think Trinity is one, so I'll try Trinity.

Trinity is the right answer.

Here's your question, Natalie.

What term is given to any disease that can be passed

from non-human animals to humans?

Right, well, that's something we didn't do in dentistry!

Obviously, the clear one to go for is zoonosis.

It does sound a bit obvious, but if I didn't pick it and it was right,

obviously I'd feel pretty stupid, so I'm going to have to go with that.

Zoonosis is the right answer.

Three out of three. Let's see if CJ stays in here.

If you get this wrong CJ, you're a goner.

Where is the Gutenberg discontinuity?

I suppose it could be any of them, but, um...

I've not heard of a discontinuity

between Uranus and Neptune,

and there's an awful lot of space between the two of them.

Um, there is a discontinuity in the Earth.

Whether it's the Gutenberg one, I don't know.

And I've not heard of one inside the brain but,

because I have heard of one inside the Earth,

I'll try within the Earth.

Within the Earth is the right answer.

Can anyone help us? Barry.

There's actually two discontinuities between the Earth.

The first one is the Mohorovicic discontinuity,

which is between the crust and the mantle.

And the Gutenberg discontinuity is between the mantle and the core.

Right, OK. Well, it's right, CJ.

You've got three, Natalie, you've got three.

We go to Sudden Death, so it gets a bit harder. No alternatives.

OK? Here we go.

Which scientist was born in Woolsthorpe Manor, Lincolnshire,

in 1642?

I can't think of anyone.

Nothing springs to mind.

And whatever I say is going to sound ridiculous, cos I can't even think

who would be from that time.

I don't know.

I can't say nothing. I'll say Isaac Newton.

-CJ, is she right?

-Probably completely wrong!

-Unfortunately it is Sir Isaac Newton.

-Is it?!

-Sir Isaac Newton.

-No way!

Isaac Newton. Well done!

Well done. You're really good!

-Thank you!

-OK, are you going to knock CJ out? Let's see.

The porcupine, CJ, belongs to which order of mammals?

I assume it's a rodent, but let me just have a moment.

I don't know, but I'll just assume it's a rodent.

Your answer is...?

Rodent.

Rodent is the right answer, or rodentia.

Natalie,

tritium is an isotope of which gas?

T-R-I-T-I-U-M.

I don't know. Helium?

-No, it's hydrogen.

-Aww!

Bad luck.

CJ, for the round,

which pigment found in most plants takes its name

from the Greek meaning "yellow leaves?"

Chlorophyll?

-No, xanthophyll.

-Oh, xanthophyll!

Natalie, to take the lead, here's your question.

Which British scientist lead a 1919 expedition to Principe Island,

where his findings helped to confirm Einstein's

theory of relativity?

I don't know. I can't think of anything, sorry.

Nothing springs to mind at all.

OK, are you passing?

-Unfortunately.

-Eggheads?

-EGGHEADS:

-Arthur Stanley.

-Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington is the name.

-I've never heard of him, so...

Tough question. OK, CJ, get this right, you're in he final.

The name of the computer language ALGOL is an abbreviation

of which two-word phrase?

Ah, I know most of these.

And this isn't one of the ones I know.

OK, let's have a blind guess at algorithmic language.

Is the right answer! Algorithmic language.

Is it fair to say that was easier than the Eddington question?

You could work that out, you couldn't with Eddington.

Well, Natalie, bad luck.

You held in there, and gave him a run for his money, but you're not in the final, I'm afraid.

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

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

Are we changing the tactics now?

Maybe slipping into German?

We'll try it!

So Eggheads have lost no brains. The next subject is Geography.

Who would like this?

-Oh!

-Geffen.

It's you, isn't it?

Team captain?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-OK, I'll take it.

Against which Egghead, Geffen? Not CJ or Pat.

-Judith?

-Just whoever you'd like.

-Judith, please.

Geffen from the GUGS against Judith from the Eggheads on Geography.

And to ensure there's no conferring, please go to the Question Room.

OK.

I'll ask each of you three questions on Geography in turn,

and Geffen, would you like the first or the second set?

Could I have the second set, please?

Judith, your first question, here we go.

The Lyke Wake Walk

from Osmotherley to Ravenscar crosses which national park?

Well, it sounds sort of Yorkshire to me.

Um, North York Moors.

Let's ask CJ. He'll know the answer to this!

-I'd go for that.

-Brilliant geography knowledge!

North York Moors is correct.

OK, Geffen, your question.

The Bernese Oberland

is a section of the Alps that is located in which country?

Well, it sounds to me like it comes from Bern,

which is the capital of Switzerland.

Yes, I'm going to go for Switzerland.

Spot on, Geffen, Switzerland is the answer.

So, one point each, and back to Judith.

Theydon Bois is a village in which county?

That's in Essex.

Essex is correct.

OK, Geffen,

the wide coastal inlet known as the Canterbury Bight

is in which ocean?

I would think, being named after somewhere in England,

that it would be...

It would be, perhaps, a British explorer.

But it could be somewhere in America as well, so it could be...

I'm going to go for Arctic.

OK. The Eggheads have a rule,

I've noticed, observing them over many games,

that if Pacific is there, you choose it,

because there's just more stuff in it.

And it's a shame you didn't follow that rule,

cos Pacific is the right answer here.

It's very big and there's lots in it.

OK, Judith, if you get this right, you've taken the round.

Which mountain range rises just east of Adelaide in South Australia?

Ophthalmia Range just sounds so bizarre, frankly.

I can't believe it could be that, and it'll probably turn out to be.

I think it's the Great Dividing Range.

-Anyone?

-Mount Lofty.

-Mount Lofty is the right answer, Judith.

So, Geffen, your chance to draw level now.

If you get this wrong, though, you will be out.

King Shaka International Airport is the primary airport

for which African city?

This is going to have to be a guess again.

For some reason, I don't think it's Casablanca.

I'm trying to think which of these places might have a king

or have had a king.

Actually, I'm going to go for Casablanca.

You ruled it out and then you changed your mind.

Yeah, because I thought...

I thought that the other two places were unlikely to have a king

and that it sounded faintly Arabic.

Understood, understood. It's in South Africa.

It's Durban. Geffen, sorry. You didn't catch up with Judith,

that means she is in the final after those questions.

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

As it stands, the challengers have lost three brains

from the final round.

The Eggheads have so far lost no brains,

so we want someone on this side to take a lump out of them now.

The subject is Food and Drink. Who would like this now?

I'm quite good at it.

-Do you want to do it?

-Charlie?

Yeah, Charlie.

Against either Kevin or Barry?

I don't know, shall we go with the colour co-ordination again?

-I think Barry's got some grey on his...

-Yes, OK.

-That's quite tenuous!

-Oh, I might not.

-I don't know. Has anyone got...?

-I would go with it.

You want to go for Barry?

On the basis of the grey sweatshirt?

It's good logic, isn't it?

Charlie from the GUGS against Barry from the Eggheads,

please take your positions now.

So, I will ask each of you three questions on Food and Drink in turn, and Charlie,

you can choose the first or the second set of questions.

OK, um, I think I'll go first.

Good luck, Charlie. In British cuisine,

mince pies are most associated with which time of year?

Oh, that's a very nice one! Um, Christmas.

-Yeah.

-Christmas is the right answer, well done.

Barry, the three main ingredients of a typical Yorkshire pudding mix

are milk, flour and what else?

Oh, dear, if I get this one wrong I won't be able to go home!

But I believe the answer's eggs.

Eggs is the right answer, well done.

It's making me feel hungry, this round!

OK, Charlie, what type of fruit is an Allen's everlasting?

I-I-I...

Well, when you first said it, I thought, "Apple."

Um...

Yeah, I'm going to stick with apple.

Apple is your answer.

Apples is a real quizzy area, isn't it? Judith, is he right?

I think there are other everlasting apples, so maybe he is.

Charlie, you're right! You're right, it is apple.

Barry, your question.

In French cookery, what type of dish is a pithivier?

Could you spell that, please?

P-I-T-H-I-V-I-E-R.

P-I-T-H-I-V-I-E-R.

Pith.

Pithivier.

I've never heard of this!

Pithivier. I can't seem to get any clue from the word!

Pithivier.

Pithivier.

I don't know. It has a sound of pastry to it,

so I shall go for puff pastry tart.

Yeah, puff pastry tart is the right answer, Barry. Well done.

Charlie, the wine known as Brunello di Montalcino

is local to which region of Italy?

Ooh, no. Um...

Not great on wine locations.

I think I'm just going to have to go with Tuscany.

But...absolute guess.

Tuscany is your answer.

It's correct.

Nicely done. Three out of three, Charlie. Well done.

Barry, over to you. If you get this wrong,

you'll be knocked out and Charlie will be in the final.

Hadrawi is a variety of which foodstuff?

Yes, it sounds Arabic, so I will immediately rule out avocado.

I know both dates and mangos come from Arabic countries.

In fact, I was in Egypt once, and they told me they grew

39 different types of mango in Egypt,

but for some reason, hadrawi sounds more like a date to me

than a mango, so I shall choose date.

Nice logic, and you're right, date is correct.

OK, so we are locked at three points each.

You've done very well, Charlie. It's Sudden Death now, gets a bit harder.

Which nutty-flavoured paste is sometimes added to chickpeas,

olive oil, lemon juice and garlic to make the dish, hummus?

Nutty-flavoured paste.

Um... Oh.

A friend of mine made hummus in my flat a week or so ago,

but I don't remember any nutty-flavoured pastes.

Do you get a sort of peanut paste? Is that a thing?

I have no idea. I think...

Well, I may as well guess peanut.

-Peanut paste?

-Yeah.

OK.

You weren't looking over your friend's shoulder or showing

any interest at all in what he was cooking?

-As you lay there on the sofa waiting to be served.

-Exactly.

-OK.

I'll see if Kevin knows this, cos Kevin is famously erratic on Food and Drink.

-Tahini.

-Tahini is correct.

It's a hard question. OK, Barry.

In 2006, what type of pie was designated

the official steak pie of the state of Florida?

Right, now, I've eaten this and it was awful,

but I'm trying to remember the exact name of it.

I think it's key lime pie,

but just let me have a think about that.

Yes, I'm going to go for key lime pie.

Key lime pie is the right answer. Well done, you've taken the round.

Sorry, Charlie! Played well, but you did get knocked out.

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

So this is what we've been playing towards.

It is time for the final round which is General Knowledge.

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

can't take part in this round.

So, Geffin, Charlie, Georgia and Natalie from the GUGS,

would you please leave the studio?

Paul, what happened? They've left you on your own!

-They have, I know!

-You're the only one who doesn't study German.

-Yep.

-Was this a plot that they somehow hatched?

-A German plot against me.

-Exactly! In a language you didn't understand.

Good luck for a heroic performance. Take them on, beat them all.

It's been done before, and they get really upset,

which is an added bonus.

And you're playing to win the GUGS £7,000.

Barry, Pat, Judith, Kevin and CJ, you're playing for something

that 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 the question, GUGS, is whether your one brain

is better than the Eggheads' five?

-Do you want to go first or second?

-First, I think.

Good luck, Paul. Here we go.

What type of clothing was the tricorn that was popular

in the 18th-century?

It was a hat, I think.

Hat is quite right, well done. A kind of triangular thing, is it?

Yeah, three corners.

Three corners, of course.

Eggheads, your question.

What name is given to a small, ornamental pavilion-like structure,

usually found in a garden or park and often providing a splendid view?

THEY CONFER

That's a gazebo.

Gazebo is the right answer.

Paul, your question.

In 2005, the actor Ben Affleck married

which Hollywood actress?

I think it was Jennifer Garner.

I'm not completely sure, but when you mentioned Ben Affleck, I thought,

"I'm sure his wife's name is Jennifer something."

So that's what I would go with.

Jennifer Garner is the right answer. Well done! Pressing hard.

Eggheads, Salvatore Lombino,

who legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in the 1950s,

also used which literary pseudonym?

THEY CONFER

Yeah, he wrote a very long-running series of American police novels

called The 87th Precinct series.

It's Ed McBain.

Ed McBain is correct.

OK, if you get this right,

there's always a chance they can slip up on the third question.

I've seen this happen, so good luck to you.

Third question to you, Paul.

All the GUGS have their fingers crossed.

Corporal John Shore of the Lifeguards,

one of the most famous participants at the Battle of Waterloo,

was well-known as which type of sportsman?

That's a difficult one.

I have no idea.

Jockey is possible.

They're all possible but, I think, maybe not a boxer.

In those days, with boxing not, maybe, a bit too...

I don't know, a bit too rough, a bit too common, maybe, in those days.

I think I'm going to go with cricketer.

I don't really know why I would choose that over jockey,

but I'd just go with cricketer.

Your answer is cricketer. See if the Eggheads know. Do you know?

-I'd have gone for that.

-You would've?

-Yeah.

-It's wrong, actually.

-Really?

Yeah, boxer is the answer.

The answer is boxer.

Your question Eggheads. If you get this right, you take the contest.

The Barringer Meteorite Crater, one of the largest and best-known

of its type on Earth, is located in which US state?

-EGGHEADS:

-Arizona.

I think it's sometimes called Meteor Crater, isn't it?

I mean, it's in Arizona, anyway. Arizona.

Your answer is Arizona.

The correct answer is Arizona.

Congratulations, Eggheads. You have won!

Paul, bad luck. Bad luck, indeed.

I thought you were going like an express train there.

You were going to catch them on question three,

and you didn't have the support, that's the thing.

-They were mown down on the field of battle.

-Exactly.

Bad luck, nice to see you all, great to see you playing. Good luck with your studies and all that.

All the best to all of you. Commiserations, GUGS.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally, and their winning streak continues.

I'm afraid that means you won't be going home with the £7,000,

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.

£8,000 says they don't. Until then, goodbye.

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