Episode 134 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

try to beat possibly the greatest quiz team in Britain.

They have won some of the country's toughest quiz shows. They are the Eggheads.

And taking on the awesome might of our quiz Goliaths today

are the Victores.

They have known one another since their school days in Buckinghamshire

and despite being spread across the country at university, they meet up when they go home. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Rachel, I'm 21. I'm a Sports Science student.

Hi, I'm Olivia, I'm 21 and I'm studying History.

Hi, I'm Nina, I'm 21 and I'm a Politics student.

Hi, I'm Stephanie, I'm 20 and I'm a Music student.

Hi, I'm Alexa, I'm 21 and I'm a Politics student.

-Rachel and team, welcome.

-Thank you.

-So friends from a long way back?

Yeah, we all went to Chesham High School in Buckinghamshire.

We started at the age of 11 and have been friends ever since.

Victores is Latin, is that correct?

Yeah, but I didn't come up with the name. Stephanie came up with that.

Stephanie, you can tell us. Victores, is that because you are five women

or would it be the same for men?

To be honest, I'm not sure. LAUGHTER

It was meant to sound confident.

-Chris?

-I think "victor" is actually masculine.

-And "victores" is the plural of that.

-So essentially, they are feeling gladiatorial?

-Yeah, that's what we were going for.

-It's a big, threatening word.

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

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

So, Victores, the Eggheads have won the last nine games,

so £10,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads today.

-Shall we start?

-Yes.

-The first head-to-head battle is on Geography. Who would like this?

-I think that's you, Nina.

-It'll be me.

-Nina?

-Yeah, that'll be me.

And which Egghead would you like to take on? Such a choice!

-I know!

-Think about what other categories are going to come up.

-Yeah, think about other categories... Barry?

-Just go for Barry.

-I think I'm going to take on Barry, please.

Nina from Victores against Barry from the Eggheads. How are we feeling on Geography?

I like Geography.

Don't worry. It can still go wrong. To ensure no conferring, please take your positions in the question room.

So where are you studying, Nina?

-I'm studying at Leeds.

-And Politics, I gather?

-Yes.

-But there's geography thrown in because your dissertation is on Thailand?

That's true. I'm doing it on the 2006 coup in Thailand.

-Have you discovered anything?

-Lots of things. I've discovered it's very complicated!

But you're the first person we've ever had through the studio who has some kind of certificate in mime.

Oh, I knew this would come up!

So how would you mime the coup in Thailand, for example?

I have no clue.

I mainly stick to the wall and picking up a cup and things like that.

Can you pick up a cup for us in mime language?

-Go on.

-You keep a flat hand.

That's great. You can do the answers in mime if you like. We'll give you that leeway.

Three multiple choice questions on Geography in turn. Nina, you can choose the first or the second set.

I'll go first, please.

Good luck. Here we go.

Tripoli, the capital of Libya, is located on which body of water?

OK.

Um...

Initially, what springs to mind is the Mediterranean Sea,

but I'm not sure whether it's next to another branch of water.

I'm not sure, but, um...

You know what? I'm going to go for Mediterranean Sea.

I'm glad you did. You're right, Nina. Well done.

Barry..

What is the monetary unit of Belize?

This could be embarrassing because I was in Belize not so long ago.

It's certainly not the peso.

Belize was an ex-British colony. I think it was the Belize pound.

Your answer is Belize pound.

-When you're on holiday, you don't carry cash?

-No, my wife carries it.

She was carrying Belize dollars.

LAUGHS LOUDLY

I'm never going to live this down when she hears this one.

Nina, this is going well.

-So far.

-Here's your question. The Wolverine State is a nickname of which US state? You can mime it.

The Wolverine State.

OK, so...

In my mind, I'm thinking "wolverine", something to do with the forest?

I don't really know, to be honest.

I don't think Massachusetts because I think I would have heard of that.

Um, Michigan is sort of by a lake and things.

Would it have anything to do with that? Um...

I'm going to go for Michigan.

-Your answer is Michigan as it's by a lake?

-It's not a good rationale.

It's a great rationale. You're right. Michigan is correct.

Barry, you need to get this.

What term is used to describe the urban backbone of Europe,

an area which stretches from London to northern Italy?

Goodness me! I've never heard of this at all.

Let's see if we can apply any logic.

Why would they call it any of these?

London to northern Italy,

so maybe the shape is a clue.

That is a sort of gentle curve.

Cucumbers and bananas are curved,

but bananas are more curved, so I'll say the Blue Banana.

The Blue Banana is the right answer, Barry. Well done.

-How did I get that answer?

-I haven't met any geographers who use it.

Nina, if you get this right, that's three out of three and he's a goner.

In which county is the village of Tyneham which has been deserted

since it was evacuated to be used for troop training in World War Two?

OK, um...

An answer doesn't spring to mind.

So it's somewhere that's been deserted.

This is really going to have to be a guess, I'm afraid.

I'm going to go for Dorset.

-I heard an Egghead groan in pain.

-Oh, no.

-Because you've got it right.

-Oh, yes!

So three out of three. Barry, no point in asking your third question.

You've been knocked out by a Victores, or a Victor. Nina, you'll be in the final. Barry will not be.

Come back here and rejoin your team-mates.

-Rachel and team, good start.

-Thank you.

Suddenly, he was just bundled out of the contest.

So the challengers have lost no brains from the final round while the Eggheads have lost Barry.

The next subject is Music. Which of you would like Music?

-She's doing the degree, so...

-Don't say that.

-Who's that?

-Stephanie.

-Stephanie, OK.

-Against which Egghead, Stephanie?

-Who do you think you can take?

-I don't think CJ.

-Shall we go for Chris?

-OK, Chris, please.

-So Steph from Victores against Chris on Music.

To ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions.

This really is your round, isn't it?

-I hope so.

-You're actually studying Music and Record Production?

-Yes, Popular Music and Record Production.

-They call it Record Production?

-Yes.

I do more the business side over performance and things like that, but I do produce as well.

-The word "record", I thought, had gone, but not so?

-No.

Hopefully, not too soon or I might be out of a job.

-Chris, the word "record" is still there.

-The record is the record. The format's immaterial.

OK, Music, three questions. You can choose the first or second set.

I'd like to go first, please.

Good luck to you, Stephanie.

Huey Morgan found fame as the lead singer with which group

who had seven UK Top 40 hit singles in the 1990s?

OK, um...

Let me think about this. I don't think it's Fine Young Cannibals.

I'm swaying towards Fun Lovin' Criminals, but I'm not sure why.

I think this will have to be an educated guess.

I'm going to go Fun Lovin' Criminals, please.

-Chris, do you know?

-I'd go for Super Furry Animals, but that's just me.

Fun Lovin' Criminals is the right answer, Stephanie. Good.

Chris, your question.

The musical Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert is set in which country?

It's three drag queens crossing the desert in a bus in Australia.

Australia is right. Well done.

Stephanie...

Who had a UK hit single in the late 1960s with Everybody's Talkin'

which was used as the theme song for the film Midnight Cowboy?

OK, this one... I have no idea on this one.

A bit of a wild guess, I think.

I'm just going to go for Donovan and hope for the best.

It's not Donovan. It's Nilsson.

OK, Chris.

Which band released the 2010 album, The Suburbs?

Well, AC/DC are a heavy metal band.

I don't think they'd call an album The Suburbs.

I don't think it's Arcade Fire either.

Yeah, I'll go with the Arctic Monkeys.

-Victores, you'll know this. Go on.

-Arcade Fire.

-It's Arcade Fire.

-Is it? Oh.

-Arcade Fire is the right answer. Sorry, Chris.

Stephanie, your chance to take the lead. Here we go.

Leon Goossens, for whom Arnold Bax, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten all wrote works,

was a distinguished player of which instrument?

My A-level Music teacher is probably going to kill me now,

but I think I'm going to go for "oboe".

-Is she right?

-Yes.

-You're right.

Oboe, it is. Stephanie, well done.

Chris, you need to get this one right or you are out as well.

Which character in a song had dogs called Ranter, Ringwood and Bellman?

Those are part of the pack of hounds run by John Peel.

-John Peel is...

-Not the late DJ, the Cumbrian folk hero.

John Peel is right. That stops me asking the question I wanted to ask.

So you're equal after three questions. We go to Sudden Death.

-I need the answer from you.

-Yeah.

-I don't give you multiple choice.

Which female singer collaborated with Eminem on the 2010 single, Love The Way You Lie?

-That would be Rihanna.

-Rihanna is quite right. Well done.

Chris, you've got to get this.

In which decade did the song Teacher, Teacher give Johnny Mathis his first UK hit single?

Johnny Mathis, he's been around a long time.

It must have been...

It must have been the '50s, 1950s.

Yeah, it was 1958. Well done. Sorry, Stephanie.

You couldn't shake him off that easily. Here we go.

Come Together and Here Comes The Sun

are songs from which 1969 Beatles album?

Oh, um...

1969...

I can't even think of any.

I'm just going to have to have a guess at the Blue Album.

The Blue Album, no, it was not.

-It was Abbey Road.

-OK.

Chris...

Ian Anderson found fame as a founder member and singer with which English prog rock group?

If you get this right, you're in the final.

-Prog rock? Fairport Convention.

-No, Jethro Tull.

-Oh, well...

Stephanie, you're saved.

Which Gilbert and Sullivan opera features a song telling how the secrecy of a group of conspirators

is preserved by the eating of sausage rolls?

I have absolutely no idea, I'm afraid.

I couldn't even...

I couldn't even guess.

I'm sorry, I don't know. I don't think I can think of any Gilbert and Sullivan musicals.

-You're passing?

-Yes, I'm afraid so.

The words are: "By the mystic regulation of our dark association,

"ere you open conversation with another kindred soul, you must eat a sausage roll." Who was that?

-Not Ruddigore?

-The Grand Duke.

Chris, if you get this right, you're in the final.

Which American rock band, sometimes simply referred to as CCR,

released the albums Green River, Willy And The Poor Boys and Bayou Country in 1969?

Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Creedence Clearwater Revival is the correct answer. Chris, you've won through.

Sorry, Stephanie, you've been knocked out by our Egghead.

You won't be in the final round. Chris, you will. Please, both of you, come back to us in the studio.

The challengers have lost one brain from the final round and the Eggheads have lost one brain.

The next subject is Film And Television. Who would like this?

-I think we've already agreed.

-Rachel?

-I'll take that one.

-Rachel, OK.

The team captain steps forward. Which Egghead? You can't have Chris or Barry.

-Daphne or Kevin?

-Kevin?

-But Kevin knows quite a lot.

-I think I'll go for Daphne.

-Yeah.

-I'll take on Daphne.

Rachel from Victores against Daphne on Film & TV. She likes black-and-white movies.

-Yes.

-So please take your positions in the question room now.

-Daphne, I didn't mean it when I said you liked black-and-white movies, but you do, actually.

-I do, yes.

-What about you, Rachel?

-I don't watch many black-and-white films, so I don't have much to say about that,

but I go to the cinema as often as possible, so more up-to-date films.

Three questions on Film & Television.

-Rachel, you can choose the first or second set of questions.

-I'll go first, please.

Good luck. Nora Batty, played by Kathy Staff, was a character in which TV comedy series?

I've heard of all of these

and I think One Foot In The Grave is just based around Victor Meldrew

and his wife and I don't think her name is Nora.

I know Are You Being Served is about a clothes shop

or something along those lines,

but I think she's from Last Of The Summer Wine. I'll go with that.

-Is she right, team?

-Yes.

-Well done. Last Of The Summer Wine is correct.

Daphne, your question.

Edmund Gwenn and Richard Attenborough both played a character called Kris Kringle

in 1947 and 1994 versions of which film?

That was Miracle On 34th Street.

I guess the black-and-white version is the superior one?

Actually, I haven't seen it, but I'm sure it is.

Correct answer. Miracle On 34th Street.

Back to you, Rachel.

Which war film, starring Clint Eastwood and Donald Sutherland,

sees a group of World War Two Allied soldiers go behind enemy lines to rob a bank?

I don't really have much of a clue on this question.

I've heard of The Dirty Dozen,

but for some reason, something is drawing me to Kelly's Heroes,

so I'll just go for Kelly's Heroes.

That's impressive play, isn't it, Eggheads?

-Yeah.

-Just drawn by instinct to the right answer.

Kelly's Heroes is correct.

The use of instinct is one of the key elements of quizzing.

The way they can find an answer when they don't know it is amazing.

Daphne...

What was the name of the character played by Claire Sweeney in the TV soap, Brookside?

Oh, dear. Sorry! I never watch Brookside.

She sounds like a Beth to me.

That's how instinct sometimes doesn't work.

-Lindsey is the right answer.

-Oh, right, OK.

So, get this one right and you're in the final, Rachel.

Which comedian and TV personality was a presenter

on the Irish and English language programme, Echo Island?

I've heard of all three of them.

I know Dylan Moran and Ardal O'Hanlon are in sitcoms,

but I've never seen them present anything.

I've only seen Dara present something. I'll say Dara O'Briain.

Dara O'Briain is the right answer. You have won the round.

-Well done, Rachel. Daphne, you've been knocked out.

-Again!

The same thing happened to Barry. You won't be in the final round. Please rejoin your teams.

So the challengers have lost one brain. The Eggheads have lost two brains.

The last subject before the final is History.

Is this a good one for you?

-It is for Olivia.

-Olivia?

-Yeah.

-OK.

Yes, um... I'm not taking on Kevin.

-I'd say CJ.

-Yeah.

-I'm going to have to go for CJ.

The reluctant CJ. So, Olivia from Victores against CJ from the Eggheads.

To ensure no conferring, please take your positions in the question room.

I'll ask you each three questions on History and, Olivia, you can choose the first or second set.

I think I'm going to keep with what everyone's doing and go first, please.

Here we go, your first question.

The Satsuma Rebellion occurred in the 19th century in which country?

I have no idea.

I don't know. I've got no logic behind it.

But I'm going to go for China.

China is wrong.

-The correct answer is Japan.

-OK.

OK, CJ,

which type of transport discovered under a mound at Sutton Hoo in 1939

formed part of a spectacular Anglo-Saxon burial?

That is the Sutton Hoo ship.

"Ship" is the right answer. Back to you, Olivia, to catch up...

The politician Giorgio Borg Olivier was instrumental

in helping which country gain independence from the United Kingdom in 1964?

Um...

I'm trying to think of dates

and which country would have gained independence back then.

I'm going to go for the Sudan.

Not Sudan.

-Eggheads, anyone know?

-Malta.

Malta, Olivia. CJ, this one will give you the round.

What caused the death of TE Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia?

I believe he was killed in a motorcycle accident.

I could see you in that role, CJ.

It's very dashing. Just me, isn't it?

Motorcycle accident is the right answer. You have taken the round.

-Sorry, Olivia.

-That's OK.

-You got knocked out.

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

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

I'm afraid those of you who lost your head-to-heads can't take part,

so Olivia and Stephanie from the Victores and Daphne and Barry from the Eggheads,

would you please leave the studio?

So, Rachel, Nina and Alexa, you're playing to win the Victores £10,000.

Kevin, CJ and Chris, you're playing for something that money can't buy which is the Eggheads' reputation.

I'll ask each team three questions on General Knowledge and you are allowed to confer.

Victores, are your three brains better than the Eggheads' three?

-And would you like to go first or second?

-We'd like to go first, please.

Good luck. Here we go.

In 2010, a consortium called the Red Knights was set up

in an attempt to take control of which football club?

I've got a feeling it was Liverpool.

I'm not sure who the manager was,

but I think somebody took over and no-one liked him.

-I don't remember his name.

-I had that gut feeling, but I don't know.

-That's what I'd go for.

-OK.

-We'll go with Liverpool.

-Your answer is Liverpool.

-It's the wrong answer. The answer is Manchester United.

-Oh, no.

Eggheads, to take the lead, which comedy character returned in 2010

in a series of internet programmes entitled Mid Morning Matters?

Uh...

-My immediate instinct is Alan Partridge.

-Yeah.

I think he did something else and also Mid Morning Matters...

He has revived Alan Partridge.

I think it came back on an internet basis.

The other two don't mean anything to me in that context.

-But Alan Partridge has been revived.

-OK?

-Yeah.

I don't think we're 100% sure on this one,

but we know Steve Coogan has revived Alan Partridge.

-So we'll go for Alan Partridge.

-Alan Partridge is the right answer.

Back to you, Victores.

For what did the letter C stand in the name of actor George C Scott?

-Why don't we say it? Say George Campbell...

-George Campbell Scott.

George Campbell Scott.

Calvin or Campbell?

-Is that the way we're going?

-Yeah, they sound nice.

-I reckon Campbell.

What's your intuition, Rach?

-You were good before.

-Yeah, go with your instinct.

-Campbell.

-I think we're going to go with Campbell.

-It's a guess.

-Campbell is the right answer.

-Wow!

-Lucky one.

OK, Eggheads, your question.

In 2008, a statue of a famously raucous fan called Yabba was erected in a stand

in the area from which he used to watch at which Australian cricket venue?

-Are we assuming Yabba is Y-A-B-B-A?

-That is the correct spelling.

-Well, there's always the Gabba to go with it.

-Yeah.

-It makes sense.

-The "Gabba Yabba".

"Yabby" is a crayfish. And that's a wicket-keeper.

We have to go for the Gabba.

-I think we have to.

-Yeah, Yabba of the Gabba.

I mean...

-Yeah.

-You have to go for it.

-I think we have to.

We don't... We don't know this.

All of these grounds have got ends where the ockers gather

and sledge and do various other things.

It could be the Hill in Sydney, it could be at the MCG,

but the Brisbane Cricket Ground is known as the Gabba,

so Yabba from the Gabba?

Just on that basis. It could be any of them, but we'll go for Brisbane.

-Brisbane is known as the Gabba?

-Yeah.

-But the Yabba is in Sydney, Eggheads.

-OK.

All right, well, they've let you back in.

They don't normally do that.

If you get the third question right, they just have to get their question wrong and you've got £10,000.

Here's your question.

The Swiss-born designer Adrian Frutiger is a major name in the design of what?

Spelt F-R-U-T-I-G-E-R. Frutiger.

-Frutiger.

-Frutiger.

-Chairs?

-I thought "chairs", but that was a complete guess.

-You were drawn to chairs?

-Yes.

I'm not really sure what typeface is.

Frutiger...

It could be like...

You know, like...chairs, like...

-Yeah.

-Fancy, elaborate chairs.

Do we want to go with "chairs"?

-That's fine.

-I think we're going to go with "chairs".

Let's just see if the Eggheads know.

-It's typefaces.

-Typefaces is the right answer. Univers is one of his.

I guess he does fonts now?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

OK, Eggheads, if you get this one right, you've taken the contest.

Which American artist produced the Cremaster Cycle,

an art project that consists of five films and other related works?

-It's Matthew Barney.

-Fair enough.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure on this one.

Shepard Fairey has become very famous

for having produced the iconic image of Barack Obama.

Richard Hambleton, well, he's a name,

but it's Matthew Barney who did Cremaster.

If you've got this one right, the contest is over.

The correct answer is Matthew Barney.

Congratulations, Eggheads. You have won.

Sorry to your team. Great to see you. And the world beckons now, doesn't it?

-Your studies will finish and you'll all go out and get jobs.

-Hopefully.

-Good luck.

Sorry you didn't win today.

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

The Victores don't go home with the £10,000, so that 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.

£11,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2012