Episode 132 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 have won some of the country's toughest quiz shows.

They are the Eggheads.

And taking on the might of our quiz Goliaths today

are Insted. This team of colleagues

all teach together at Easingwold School in North Yorkshire.

Let's meet them.

I'm Bob, I'm 64 year old, and I'm a cover supervisor.

Hi, I'm Liz, I'm 45 years old.

I'm a teacher, a mother and a housewife.

Hi, I'm Dave. I'm 44 and I'm a physics teacher.

Hi, I'm Graham. I'm 32 years old, and a chemistry teacher.

I'm Dan, I'm 31, and I teach French and Spanish.

So, Bob and team, welcome.

I'm just trying to work out, you're teachers,

and your subjects are basically, science, Bob?

Science, mainly.

-And?

-I'm chemistry. So science, yeah.

-Another science teacher. Physics, this time.

-Chemistry, myself.

-But you do languages at the end?

-I do, French and Spanish.

-Was this a good tactic?

-LAUGHTER

To bring everyone in on the same subject?

-Are you quizzers?

-We did a quiz last Friday.

We came second, and there were more than two teams.

-LAUGHTER

-Well, that sounds promising.

Good luck, I hope you don't come second today.

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.

So, instead, I can tell you that the Eggheads have won

the last seven games,

which means £8,000 says you can't beat them today.

Ready to start?

OK. First head-to-head is on the subject of Film And Television.

Film And TV. Who would like this?

-Graham, I think that's you.

-Yeah.

-Graham?

-Yeah, I'm happy with that.

You've got a strategy here, I can tell. Discussed it.

Who would you like to take on, Graham? Which Egghead?

-Erm, was it Daphne?

-Daphne.

-Yes, please.

-OK, so Graham from Insted

versus our Daphne from the Eggheads.

And to ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions in the Question Room.

-Well, good luck in this round, Graham.

-Thank you.

And, just remind me - Insted. Why "Insted"?

-Just a bit different to Ofsted.

-I see, of course, the teachers' inspectorate.

-That's exactly right. So we're doing that INSTED.

-All right, good.

Film And TV, Daphne. Is that a good one?

I'll let you know! SHE LAUGHS

What are you watching at the moment?

-Holby City, Casualty, CSI.

-Got it.

-So you like your real life drama, emergency room type things?

-Yes.

Yes, learn all my science from there.

Well, you're lucky to escape the Science round on this contest,

cos that's going to be a fearsome contest.

So, I'll ask each of you

three multiple-choice questions on film and television in turn.

Whoever answers the most questions correctly is the winner and goes through to the final.

Graham, you can choose the first or second set.

I'll take the first, Jeremy.

Here we go.

Good luck. Which 1979 science fiction film

features a computer known as Mother?

I've seen Alien quite recently, and I can't remember a...

anything called Mother.

I think it was Logan's Run.

I vaguely remember something.

It's an old film I've seen quite a long time ago,

and I remember something called Mother in there.

So I'm going to go Logan's Run, Jeremy.

Logan's Run is your answer.

I'll ask CJ this, cos he's never seen a film,

but he knows a lot about them.

-CJ?

-I have seen the Alien quadrilogy, and it is Alien.

Alien is correct, Graham.

Were you hiding behind the sofa when Mother was mentioned?

I was, yeah.

-HE LAUGHS

-It is a scary film.

It's very early on in the film, when they're brought out of sleep,

the captain, Tom Skerrit,

goes into this little room lined with lights, and he talks to Mother.

How do you remember that?

Here's your question, Daphne.

In which 1998 film did John Hannah star opposite Gwyneth Paltrow?

Haven't seen any of them.

Isn't that awful?

Erm.

Emma.

-Oh, Daphne!

-Sliding Doors?

-You can't go through them one at a time.

-LAUGHTER

-The answer is Sliding Doors.

Yes. Oh.

Graham, your question.

Who starred as Danny Spencer in the TV comedy series Happiness,

first shown in 2001?

I haven't seen that particular programme, Jeremy, but...

I'm going to opt for Paul Whitehouse.

Something in there rings a bell, somewhere.

-Well done, Graham. Paul Whitehouse is the right answer.

-Thank you.

So, a point has been scored.

Daphne, your question.

In 1956, which Hollywood actor

sustained serious injuries in a car accident

on his way home from a party during the making of the film Raintree County?

That was Montgomery Clift.

My era. I loved him.

Montgomery Clift is the right answer, Daphne. One point each.

Third question to you, Graham.

For which 1963 film did Patricia Neil

and Melvyn Douglas win Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor Oscars?

I think it was Hud.

Not definitely sure. Haven't seen any of them, to be honest,

but going to go Hud.

You're coming into your own, now.

-You're right. Hud it is.

-Thank you, Jeremy.

OK, so pressure on you, Daphne.

If you get this wrong, you are not in the final.

Who played Tom Builder in the 2010 television adaptation

of Ken Follett's novel The Pillars Of The Earth?

SHE SIGHS Haven't seen it.

Pure guess, again. And I think I'm on the way out.

Matthew Macfadyen.

-Matthew Macfadyen is... Any Eggheads know?

-Rufus Sewell.

Rufus Sewell is the right answer. Macfadyen is wrong.

Sorry, Daphne, you're out. Well done, Graham. How about that?

-Yeah, I'm delighted!

-Taken her apart on Film And TV,

and it means, Daphne, you won't be in the final round.

-Rubbish!

-And Graham, you will.

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

So, you've started well. Feeling confident?

Feeling better. LAUGHTER

As it stands, the challengers have lost no brains from the final round,

whilst the Eggheads have lost one brain. The next subject is History.

Now, which of you wants this?

Which science teacher wants this?

It's either you or...

-Mr Pale.

-I think it was you.

-You feeling confident, Dan?

History's not my... No, I have to say. No.

It's me. I did say I'd have a go if it came up.

You did say you'd have a go, Liz.

OK. Against which Egghead? Obviously can't be Daphne.

-Oh, yeah.

-CJ?

-Yeah.

My son said, "Don't go up against CJ, you'll lose."

-You won't.

-Your son isn't here.

LAUGHTER

-Yes.

-Go on, then.

-Shall we try CJ?

We'll try CJ. Come on. CJ.

CJ only recognises history after he was born. You'll be OK. Nothing happened before then, did it?

That's why it's called HIS-story.

LAUGHTER

OK, it is Liz from Insted versus CJ from the Eggheads on History,

and to ensure there's no conferring, please go to the Question Rooms now.

-So Liz, you're a chemistry teacher.

-That's correct, yes.

-And since when?

I started training in 2002, 2003.

-So only for about seven years.

-Well, good luck to you both.

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

I'll have the first set, please.

Here we go, Liz. Good luck. First question.

Cleopatra committed suicide shortly after the death of which of her partners?

Oh. She was some woman, Cleopatra. She had lots and lots of lovers.

Erm. I'm going towards either Julius Caesar or Mark Antony.

But I've a feeling it was Mark Antony that was her real passion,

so I think I'm going to go

for Mark Antony.

Let's see if the Eggheads know. Is she right?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-And all three of them were Cleopatra's lovers?

-Wasn't Ptolemy her brother?

-You're quite right, Liz, anyway.

Mark Antony is the answer.

APPLAUSE

CJ, your question.

In British history, how many of Charles I's children

also became English monarchs?

Oh!

Charles I. 1649, he died.

Charles II.

Was there anybody else?

After Charles II you had James II, but don't think he was.

I can't think of anybody else, so I'll try one.

The answer is Charles II

-and James II.

-Oh, it was James.

So two is the answer, so you're ahead, Liz, after one question.

This is an unusual contest, we're in.

It's going well for you.

Which Russian prime minister was assassinated in September 1911?

Pre-revolutionary Russia, not really my field of expertise.

This is going to be a pure guess.

I'll go for Stolypin.

-I think Kevin will know this.

-Yeah, it is.

-It is Stolypin.

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

-That was a guess.

-Was it really a guess?

-It really was a guess.

After the Revolution, better, but before the Revolution,

not a lot of knowledge, so that is a pure guess.

So, CJ, if you get this one wrong, you are gone!

Sigismund The Old, who died in 1548 was king of which country?

I think you might have to spell "Sigismund" for me, then, please.

S-I-G-I-S-M-U-N-D.

-"Si-gis-mund."

-Erm.

Was Poland a full country by then,

or was it just a city-state, still, then?

Sweden was a country, I think.

Don't know about Hungary, but I'm going to try Sweden.

-No, Sweden is wrong, it's Poland.

-It is Poland.

CJ, so you've been knocked out. Liz, well done!

It only took you two questions!

-How about that?

-That is pretty amazing.

My mum would be proud of me,

-LAUGHTER

-cos she always said my history was useless.

You made light work of CJ. So if you both come back to us, we'll play the next round.

Oh, it's getting interesting, here.

And I can tell you that Sigismund The Old, when he died in 1548, was 81.

He was old.

By today's standards, he would've been Sigismund Not Very Old.

-Well, getting on.

-Sigismund The Getting On.

-LAUGHTER

-Anyway, they are winning at the moment.

They are winning, Eggheads. The panic can start now.

The challengers have lost no brains from the final round,

the Eggheads have lost two. Only got one answer right, so far.

Let's see what happens with Arts And Books.

Who wants this? I know you're waiting for Science.

-Dan, do you want to?

-This is the one I didn't want,

but I'll do it in the absence of anyone else doing it.

-Dan?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Who do you want to take on? Not CJ or Daphne.

-Kevin?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-I'll go for Kevin.

OK. So, Dan on Arts And Books against Kevin from the Eggheads.

Let's see if he can turn it around single-handedly.

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

All right, so it's Arts And Books, three questions,

and you can choose, Dan, the first or second set?

I'll go first, please.

Here we go. The writer Madeleine Wickham

has also published novels under what name?

Can't say it's an answer I know.

So it is going to have to be a bit of a guess.

Erm.

Helen Fielding, I think that's who wrote Bridget Jones.

I've not heard of her writing anything else.

I'll go for Marian Keyes.

It's not Marian Keyes, actually. Sophie Kinsella is the right answer.

-I guess Marian Keyes really is Marian Keyes, is she?

-Yes. Yes.

OK, Kevin. Your question.

In the books by PD James,

Adam Dalgliesh is well known for doing what apart from policing?

Like so many of our senior policemen, it's writing poetry.

Writing poetry's the right answer, so you're ahead. Back to you, Dan.

In the early days of Penguin paperbacks, mystery and crime novels

were associated with what sleeve colour?

Yeah, I know that Penguin have...

I'm sure I've seen some re-releases of their classic novels.

Just trying to think which titles I've seen

on which coloured background.

Don't think it's orange.

I don't really have anything to base that on.

I'll go for brown.

It's not brown, actually. But it's not orange, either. Which is it?

-Green.

-It's green. Now, I can remember

a lot of Agatha Christie in green. Is that right?

-Yup.

-Yeah.

-She was published by them?

-Yes.

-Cos I read a whole load

when I was about 11.

Kevin, your question. If you get this right,

you've taken the round.

Edward Murdstone is the stepfather of which Dickens character?

Well, he is David Copperfield's.

David Copperfield is indeed stepson of Edward Murdstone.

Well done, Kevin, you've taken the round.

Dan, sorry. You've been knocked out.

So the first setback for your team. You won't be in the final.

Please, both of you, come back to us now.

So, is the tide turning for the Eggheads?

The challengers have now lost a brain from that final round, the Eggheads have lost two.

And the last subject is Sport.

So, Science never came up.

How about that? Luck of the draw.

-You take it.

-Want me to have a go?

-Dave?

-Yeah.

-Try that one.

-Said with conviction.

-Against which Egghead? You can have, let me see, Pat or Judith.

-Judith.

Seems like it's going to be Judith.

-What a surprise!

-Was that your Don't-pick-me-for-sport face, Judith?

Well, it was an attempt, a try. I thought if I smiled.

-LAUGHTER

-Don't be put off by a smile.

-My eyesight isn't that good, unfortunately.

-All right.

So it is Dave from Insted versus Judith from the Eggheads on Sport,

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

So, three questions on Sport. Dave, you can choose the first or second set.

I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

Here's your first question.

Around 1911, the French rugby union team adopted which emblem?

Now, I now that they've used the Fleur-de-lis

for a lot of the sports in France.

Erm.

But I'm sort of drawn towards a rooster,

so I'm going to say rooster, Jeremy.

Rooster is correct. Not an easy question.

Judith, the 400 metres hurdler, Dai Greene,

represented which team at the 2010 Commonwealth Games?

Dai Greene. Oh, Dai - Wales.

D-A-I. Did you say "Dai"?

Dai is spelt D-A-I, Greene is spelt G-R-E-E-N-E.

Wales.

-You sure about that?

-Well, "Dai" is Welsh.

Well done. Wales is the right answer.

Brilliant use of logic.

Dave. Which former England football international was removed by Chelsea

from his position as assistant first team coach in November 2010?

Right. OK. Erm.

I don't think Teddy Sheringham's ever been at Chelsea,

I think he was at Tottenham for a while.

And also, similarly, I don't think Stuart Pearce

has been that involved with them,

but I do know Ray Wilkins was a first team coach there,

so I'll say Ray Wilkins.

Ray Wilkins is the right answer.

Judith.

The tennis player David Nalbandian was born in which country?

I think that's Argentina.

-Let's check with CJ. He knows.

-Yes, he lost the 2002 Wimbledon final.

Argentina is the right answer. Well done.

So it's two each. Tight round. Back to you, Dave.

Which Formula 1 racing team had its first Grand Prix win

in 1951 at Silverstone?

Oh, this is a tough one.

1951 indicates it's going to be one of the older teams.

And I think out of those three, only one of them goes back that far.

I know Williams is quite a new one.

McLaren, likewise, again.

Unless they changed their name. So I'm going to say Ferrari, Jeremy.

Nice work, you've got it right. Ferrari it is.

-JEREMY LAUGHS

-Good play!

So, Judith, what's going to happen now?

Does it go to Sudden Death, or do you get knocked out? Here is your question.

At the 1972 Olympic Games, the gymnast Olga Korbut

won gold medals in the team, floor and which other event?

I can't remember. But I have a sort of vision of her on a beam.

So I'm going to say balance beam.

-You've got a vision of Olga Korbut on a beam?

-Mm.

Well, it's won you the point. Balance beam is correct.

So, three each, we go to Sudden Death, Dave.

Gets a bit harder, I don't give you alternatives.

I'm looking to you for the answer. Here's your question.

In 1969, Seymour Nurse scored 258 runs

in the final test match innings of his career

for which international cricket team?

I don't think that was England,

and I'm drawn towards the West Indies, for some reason.

I don't actually know the name at all.

But something tells me... I'm going to say West Indies.

West Indies is the right answer.

Pressure on you, Judith, now. Here we go.

Which football team plays Coventry City

in the match known as the M69 Derby?

Oh, dear. I really don't know.

The M69. Erm.

I'm trying to look at a map in my mind, but...

Stoke. I don't know. Stoke.

-Leicester City is the answer.

-Oh.

-So you've been knocked out. Another Egghead is gone!

Well done, Dave, you won on Sport.

And even though you didn't get your precious Science subject,

it didn't seem to matter very much.

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

So this is what we've been playing towards.

It's time for our final round, which is General Knowledge.

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

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

So, Dan from Insted and Judith, CJ and Daphne from the Eggheads,

would you please now leave the studio.

So, Bob, Liz, Dave and Graham, you're playing to win Insted £8,000.

Pat and Kevin, you're playing for something money can't buy -

the Eggheads' reputation.

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

The questions are all general knowledge, and you are allowed to confer.

So, Insted, the question is, are your four brains better than the Eggheads' two?

Don't answer that. You don't have to. Do you want to go first or second?

First, please.

Bob and team, good luck. Here is your fist question.

In the United States, the song Take Me Out To The Ball Game

is particularly associated with which sport?

-Baseball.

-I'd say baseball.

-Baseball's my...

We're going for baseball, Jeremy.

Baseball is the right answer.

Eggheads.

In classical ballet, what name is given

to the position in which the dancer stands upright on one leg

with the other leg raised in front or behind with the knee bent?

Battement is when the leg beats backwards and forwards,

it's not that.

Plie is a type of deep bend, I think.

So I think it's attitude, cos attitude can mean

either with the leg one way or the other.

Can we have it again, Jeremy?

In classical ballet, what name is given to the position

in which the dancer stands upright on one leg

with the other leg raised in front or behind with the knee bent?

-What's plie?

-I think a plie is a deep bend that involves both knees.

I may be... I may be wrong on that.

Battement is certainly as it sounds, it's the leg batting

backwards and forwards.

-I think it's attitude.

-OK.

-I may be wrong.

-It might be plie, but I don't...

-No, I don't really know.

-I think it's attitude.

-OK, we'll go with that.

-OK?

We're a little uncertain, but we're going with attitude.

-Attitude is the right answer.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

Second question.

Which is the southernmost state capital of mainland Australia?

-Perth's on the west.

-Yeah.

-Sydney, Melbourne.

-It's top right, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Melbourne's definitely further south than Sydney, but Perth...

-Perth or Melbourne, isn't it?

-Perth or Melbourne.

-I'd say Perth was more northwest.

-Yes, I would.

-Than Melbourne?

-Well, Perth is in the southwest.

-Is it?

But I don't know, if you had it on a line of latitude,

where Melbourne and Perth.

I think Melbourne.

I think Melbourne. Think about the shape of Australia.

-I think Melbourne.

-But Melbourne's in a bay, so it's a bit... It's not.

So what do you reckon?

-I think Melbourne.

-Melbourne?

-That would be my first.

-Melbourne.

-All right.

-We're going with Melbourne, Jeremy.

The correct answer is Melbourne.

You guys are good. You're good.

This is quite a contest. Eggheads.

The Michelin Guide was first published in which year?

The Michelin Guide was first published in which year?

Which Michelin Guide is that?

I presume it's the restaurant guide, as opposed to the standard,

green tourist guidebooks.

It must be the restaurant guide. Was it originally about restaurants?

Or was it about something else?

I mean, they started off by publishing, essentially,

tourist guides, because it's a driving-related organisation.

First impressions, it's quite old, so I don't like 1970.

No. No.

No, I mean, they've done various things over time, of course.

And diversified into all kinds of guide books

for one thing and another.

I don't know, I'm inclined to 1900, but I don't know about you.

I mean, that is a danger, because of the...

Mm. Did they have automobiles in 1900?

Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

My feeling was that it's quite an old, quite an established,

-venerable outfit.

-Yeah.

1935's just in the middle, it's just ambiguous.

It's quite a long time ago, but...

Yeah. Any fancy?

Erm.

A slight fancy for 1900, but nothing substantial.

-Yeah, I think we'll have to...

-It's almost a guess.

-Yeah, it is.

We're a bit stumped, here.

We're going to have to guess, and we're going to go

all the way back to 1900.

OK, you obviously were struggling with that one.

-Do you know the answer? No?

-No.

Daphne looks like she's happy with that. 1900 is the right answer.

Ooh, how lovely would it have been

if they'd just stumbled, there?

OK. Get this one right, keep the pressure on them.

Kaare Klint

born in Copenhagen in 1888, was best known as a designer of what?

Now, the name is spelt K-A-A-R-E, and then K-L-I-N-T.

Kaare Klint, born in Copenhagen in 1888,

was best known as a designer of what?

What do you think?

Ring any bells with you, Liz?

Jewellery. Is that too obvious?

1880. Cars.

1880. There doesn't...

Cos you think when she'd have been 20, it would've been the 1900s.

-Yeah.

-So, logically, cars doesn't work, does it? No.

-No.

Could be furniture, but I've never heard furniture...

Her initials, KK, did she use those...

..as a sort of monogram on stuff?

I mean, I can't think of anything with KK on.

I think we're going to have to plump for jewellery.

I don't know.

-We could just go round in circles.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

We're going to plump for jewellery, Jeremy.

Your answer is jewellery.

"She" was actually a man.

Kaare Klint.

Don't know if that helps at all.

-Probably furniture.

-Do you know, Eggheads?

I'm inclined to jewellery, myself.

Were you? Correct answer is furniture.

THEY GROAN

So if you get this right, Eggheads,

you've taken the contest.

Here is your question, your third question.

What name is given to Cambridge mathematic undergraduates

who pass their third year exams with first class honours?

-First and second wrangler. Senior wranglers.

-The wranglers, yeah.

They're in pecking order, aren't they?

Yeah, there's senior wranglers and various other wranglers.

Erm. It's a very distinguished qualification for a maths student.

They're wranglers, and I think they're actually ranked

first wrangler, second wrangler, third wrangler.

Several of the great mathematicians

have been senior wranglers at Cambridge.

Your answer is wranglers.

The top maths undergraduates

at Cambridge are indeed called wranglers.

You got it right, Eggheads, so we say congratulations, you have won.

APPLAUSE

It's like you were bearing down on the money

-and it was snatched away.

-Well...

-You really were, I thought,

methodically going to take the prize, but...

-Yeah.

-Very enjoyable.

-Commiserations.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

Their winning streak continues.

I'm afraid that does mean you won't be going home with the £8,000.

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.

£9,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.

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