Episode 40 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 challengers

pit their wits against possibly the greatest quiz team in Britain.

They've won some of the country's toughest quiz shows.

They are the Eggheads.

Challenging our champions

are the Airheads from South Yorkshire.

Four of the members work for a company

which breaks down air into its component parts,

hence their team name.

To complete the quintet, Richard has recruited his brother Stuart.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Rich, I'm 44, and I'm a product compliance analyst.

I'm John, I'm 36, and I'm a laboratory analyst.

Hi, I'm Mike, I'm 43, and I'm a product compliance analyst.

Hi, I'm Richard, I'm 46, and I'm a product compliance analyst.

Hi, I'm Stuart, I'm 44, and I'm a chest physician.

Airheads, good to see you. Play on words, obviously.

Not to get too technical, what kind of process

breaks down air into parts and how do you sell it?

You cool it down to very low temperatures,

then distil the liquid at its various fractions.

-Flog it off.

-Indeed.

-Great canisters.

OK, and what about quizzing? No doubt the science round...

-You're a doctor, aren't you, Stuart?

-That's right.

OK, well, hope for a science round. Let's play the quiz.

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

If they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

The Eggheads won the last game,

so £2,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

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

Who'd like to play this? Any one of you.

We didn't really pick Music, did we?

-Who's well up?

-Any volunteers?

-I'll take it if you want.

-Go for it.

-Can do.

-John'll give it a try.

-OK.

-Who would you like to play from the Eggheads?

-Try Barry.

Sometimes he doesn't know his boy bands very well!

-Do you think?

-John against Barry.

-We'll take Barry.

OK, John and Barry. Could I ask you to ensure there's no conferring?

Take your positions in the Question Room.

John's hoping for a good start for the Airheads.

-Do you want to go first or second?

-I'll go first.

Good luck, John. The members of the musical group The Corrs

hail from which country?

Thankfully, quite an easy one to start. It's Republic of Ireland.

That's the right answer, yes.

OK, your go, Barry.

Parachute was a UK hit single in February, 2010, for which singer?

I think I would've preferred the Corrs question!

It wasn't Cheryl Cole. Was it Pixie or Diana?

I think it was Pixie Lott.

No, it wasn't.

-Cheryl Cole.

-Ooh!

-Yes.

-Gosh!

-"Ooh, gosh" indeed.

Great start potentially for you, John.

Let's see if you can go 2-0 up.

What is the name of Fat Sam's girlfriend in Bugsy Malone?

That's taking me back a way. Er...

The only name I really recognise, which I'll go for, is Tallulah.

-Tallulah.

-It's a young Jodie Foster, isn't it?

It is the right answer, yes.

OK, Barry.

Well, you're going to go out if you get this wrong.

In which decade did Mick Taylor replace Brian Jones

as one of the guitarists in The Rolling Stones?

I think that was in the '70s.

-Bye-bye.

-Oh!

-It's the 1960s.

-Oh, gosh!

I mean, late '60s. It was 1969 when Brian Jones died.

That's a great start. Didn't I say that before we started the round?

Fantastic stuff. Straight in to the Final Round.

Hardly been troubled. We've only asked four questions.

Bye-bye, Barry. Would you both please come and join your teams?

A flying start for the Airheads

and a rather leaden one for the Eggheads.

Barry ejected from the Final Round. Only played one subject.

This one is Science. We mentioned in the chat beforehand

it might suit many of you, given what you do.

-Who wants to play this? It can't be John.

-I'll do it.

-I'm happy doing that.

-Richard.

Who would you like to play from the Eggheads? It can't be Barry.

-I'll take Kevin.

-Kevin? OK.

You know how good Kevin is.

Richard and Kevin,

please take your positions in the Question Room.

Richard, let's see if you can despatch Kevin

as swiftly as John got rid of Barry.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-First, please.

Best of luck, Richard. Here's your question.

What type of creature is an oystercatcher?

It's a particular type of wading bird.

Yes, it is. Correct answer.

Kevin, what name is given

to a mound or tapering column rising from the floor of a cave,

formed of calcium salts, composited by dripping water?

Rising from the floor? Just to help us out...

Yes. Rising.

Well, it's the old joke - tights come down,

so it's mites that go up. It's stalagmite.

Yes. Schoolboy way of remembering!

Works for a quiz champion, too.

Stalagmite is correct.

OK, Richard, "Q" and which other letter of the alphabet

do not feature in the chemical symbols

that represent the first 100 elements of the periodic table?

I know G is represented by elements like germanium.

There is Y represented by elements such as yttrium.

So it's got to be J.

That was right up your street, wasn't it? J is correct.

Well worked out.

And, Kevin,

developed in the 20th century, the Myers-Briggs test

is used to assess what?

-Myers-Briggs?

-Yes.

Erm... Oh, dear. I think I've heard the names,

but I can't remember what they're for, unfortunately.

Myers-Briggs...

I honestly don't know this.

I've heard the names, but I can't remember what it's in relation to.

Erm... HE SIGHS

I'll go for eyesight.

-Other Eggheads?

-ALL: Personality.

-Personality.

-Yes.

-Not eyesight.

Wow. Not quite as quick,

but it will be if you get rid of him with this question.

A correct answer will get you into the Final Round.

The Vickers test, developed in the 1920s

as an alternative to the Brinell method,

is used to measure which particular quality of a material?

I don't really know this. Erm...

I don't think it's density.

Erm... Difficult one.

I think I'm going to plump for elasticity.

It's hardness. Which is what these questions are!

And, Kevin, a chance to take us into Sudden Death.

What is the anatomical term for the back of the head?

I don't think I'm familiar with the other two terms.

The occiput is certainly part of the skull,

so I think I would have to go with occiput.

Stuart, is he right? He is right!

Reluctantly there! It is the right answer, yes.

Which means we go to Sudden Death and we remove the choices.

I've got to hear an answer from you two.

This is your question.

"Common" and "Queensland hairy-nosed"

are two varieties of which burrow-dwelling marsupial?

That's a difficult one. Er...

There's only one type of marsupial I do know that lives in the ground,

and I think that's the duck-billed platypus.

But that's a real long shot, that.

I really haven't got a clue. Er, duck-billed platypus.

OK, duck-billed platypus.

Right continent, but it's not a duck-billed platypus.

-Do you know, Kevin?

-I'll try wombat.

-Wombat.

The Queensland hairy-nosed wombat and the common wombat. OK.

It's not over yet.

In the imperial system of measurement,

which standard unit of volume is equal to 20 fluid ounces?

That's an old one, isn't it? Erm...

20 fluid ounces...

A pint.

It is, yes!

20 fluid ounces, a pint.

Which means, Richard, it wasn't to be in the end.

Had a chance to knock Kevin out, but he's reversed it.

You won't be playing in the Final Round.

Please come back and join your teams.

A really tight round, that one. Richard just squeezed out by Kevin.

So, as it stands, both teams lost one brain from the Final Round.

Let's play our third head-to-head. This is Film & Television.

It can be Rich, Mike or Stuart playing it.

-Tricky one.

-What do you think?

It's me, you or Stuart. Do you want me to go for it?

What would you rather...?

I'm probably better on History and Geography, if they come up.

I'll go for it, see what I get.

-Mike's going to take the subject.

-All right, Mike.

Who would you like to play from CJ, Judith or Pat?

-Judith, maybe?

-Judith.

-Can we go for Judith?

-Course you can.

It's going to be Mike playing Judith and the subject is Film & TV.

Could I ask you both to take your positions in the Question Room?

OK, Mike, as I said, finely balanced,

both teams missing one brain at the moment.

You're playing Film & Television. Do you want to go first or second?

First, please.

Good luck, Mike. This is your first question.

Patrick Duffy played which character in the US TV soap Dallas?

JR Ewing was the main character in Dallas.

I remember watching it when I was a younger man.

Cliff Barnes was a distant relation. I'll go for Bobby Ewing.

Bobby Ewing...

..is the right answer.

Patrick Duffy, JR's brother - Larry Hagman.

Your first question, Judith.

Pauline Collins, Polly James, Nerys Hughes and Elizabeth Estensen

were the four actresses who played leading characters in which sitcom

between 1969 and 1979?

I think that's The Liver Birds. I hope it is.

That's the right answer. Back to you, Mike.

Which TV sitcom featured an episode in which the central characters

sing a song called "My Lovely Horse"

in an attempt to represent their country at the Eurosong Competition?

Right, the only one I've really seen is Father Ted.

And I'd imagine it'd be something that Father Ted did,

so I'll go for Father Ted.

Father Ted and Father Dougal, yes.

Of course, Pat, one of your specialist subjects in Mastermind.

Yes, I did it in the final.

This was while Ireland kept winning

-and they were trying it lose it, weren't they?

-Yes.

Right, well, Father Ted.

OK, your second question, Judith.

Who provided the voice for the green one-eyed monster Mike Wazowski

in the 2001 animated film Monsters Inc?

I have no idea.

But I shouldn't think it's Billy Crystal.

I'm not quite sure who Tim Allen is.

And Kelsey Grammer is Frasier, isn't he?

I'll go for the one that I don't know anything about, Tim Allen.

You said you didn't know anything about Billy Crystal either.

I do know a bit about Billy Crystal, but I don't think it's him.

-Well, it is.

-Oh.

-It's Billy Crystal!

OK, well, that's good news, potentially, for you, Mike.

Get this, you're in the final round.

Which actor, born in 1949, appeared in films

Shaun of the Dead, Notes On A Scandal and Valkyrie?

I think Joseph Fiennes is too young.

I'm not really aware of what Danny Huston has done.

-I'll go for Bill Nighy.

-Bill Nighy.

It's the right answer. Well done.

No need to put a question to Judith. That takes you into the Final Round

along with John and who knows who else?

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Nip and tuck, this one. Advantage Airheads.

Two Eggheads knocked out so far. One Airhead gone.

Our last subject before the Final Round comes up as Geography.

Two eligible players, they are Rich and Stuart.

-I'll do Geography.

-OK, Stuart.

From the Eggheads, you can play CJ or Pat.

CJ's good on American geography, but generally...

Well, he says he's weak elsewhere.

-Yes?

-I'll go for him.

-CJ.

-You've got him well sussed, Rich!

-I heard that!

He's going to play him anyway. Let's have Stuart and CJ

into the Question Room to play Geography.

Hoping to unbalance the Eggheads in the Final Round, Stuart,

it's Geography, do you want to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

Good luck, Stuart. Here you go.

Which three colours feature on the Italian national flag?

Erm, I went to Rome on my honeymoon

and I am fairly confident

that it's not red, white or black,

I don't think it's red, white or blue.

Red, white and green.

You are correct.

Red, white and green. It's the right answer.

CJ, your first question, the Great and Little St Bernard Passes

are located in which major mountain range?

Chris would know this

because there's a famous railway called the St Bernard Express,

which runs up and down the Alps.

-Have you been on it?

-I haven't.

-But you know of it!

Alps is correct. Well done.

Stuart, second question.

The tourist resort of Marbella is in which Spanish province?

Madrid's inland, so I don't think it's Madrid.

Er... Of the two, I would have to favour Malaga.

Malaga is correct, yes, Stuart. You've got two.

CJ, we heard Rich saying

perhaps you don't know too much about UK geography,

and it's been demonstrated once or twice, it must be said.

Which river flows through Carlisle before entering the Solway Firth?

-Oh, dear!

-Ahh.

Er, I really don't know. It's going to come down to pretty much a guess.

The Lune...

OK, apologies to the team, but I don't know this.

I will have a blind guess at...

..the Lune.

Sorry, wrong answer. It's the Eden that flows through Carlisle

before entering the Solway Firth. So not the Lune.

Which is very good news for you, Stuart. Your fate's in your hands.

A correct answer guarantees you a place in the Final Round,

playing for the £2,000.

In terms of geographical area,

what is the smallest of the seven emirates

that form the United Arab Emirates?

-Have you been to any of the emirates?

-No.

-I remember when I use to collect stamps as a kid...

-OK!

..and they used to have very colourful stamps

from what I think were called the Trucial States, something like that.

I...

..think that Sharjah is one of the larger ones.

I'm going to plump for the one in the middle that I can't pronounce.

-Ras al-Khaimah.

-Yes.

It's not, no. Opportunity missed. It is...

Do you know, Eggheads?

We think it might be Ajman.

Ajman. Yes. You were right about Sharjah.

So opportunity missed,

but CJ still needs to get this or he goes out.

The word "etang", featured in place names in the South of France,

such as Etang de Thau and Etang de Berre,

indicates which geographical feature?

Well, I know French words for all of those,

but none of them are etang, so...

Erm...

Without actually knowing what the literal translation of etang is,

this is pretty much a guess. I will try lake.

Lake. It's correct, CJ! Well done.

It's all square.

Well, is he going to do a Kevin and revive his fortunes?

Stuart's going to do his best to stop him. It's Sudden Death.

Stuart, this is your question.

Orissa is one of the states of which country?

Orissa. O-R-I-S-S-A?

It sounds sort of Eastern European.

Er, I'm really not sure at all. Nothing's coming to mind.

I've never heard of it before.

I'll take a wild stab in the dark at Poland.

Poland. Yes, I see, Odessa and places like that...

It's not. That is incorrect. CJ, any idea?

-No.

-OK.

-Other Eggheads?

-JUDITH: India.

-It's an Indian state.

You really weren't in the right neck of the woods!

Some comfort, I suppose.

But CJ now can win this round,

having been fighting for his place in it.

CJ, Stonecutters Island is part of which former British colony?

Stonecutters Island?

Huh. I haven't heard of it,

so let's try and think of some former British colonies.

Er... With a name like Stonecutters Island,

you think more towards the Americas,

but there aren't many colonies over there.

Hong Kong is a former British colony, with lots of islands.

I haven't heard of it. I'll guess at Hong Kong.

Guessing at Hong Kong. Stonecutters Island.

You've landed it, CJ!

Stonecutters Island.

Just working on former colonies really, and lots of islands.

That was enough. Well, he has done a Kevin.

He has come back from the quiz dead.

Stuart won't be in the Final Round. CJ will.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

This is what we've been playing towards, it's the Final Round,

which is General Knowledge.

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

won't be allowed to take part.

So Richard and Stuart,

Barry and Judith,

would you leave the studio now, please?

So, Rich, John and Mike, you're playing to win the Airheads £2,000.

Pat, Kevin and CJ,

you're playing for something which money can't buy,

the Eggheads' reputation.

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

The questions are General Knowledge. You are allowed to confer.

Rich, John and Mike, the question is, are your three brains

better than the Eggheads' three?

Airheads, would you like to go first or second?

-Continue the, er...

-Carry on?

-I think so. First, please, Dermot.

Good luck, Airheads. First question to you.

In international Morse code,

which vowel is represented by the pattern "dash, dash, dash"?

-That's from SOS, isn't it?

-That's the old SOS.

-Yes.

We think it comes from...

Well, our knowledge of Morse code is SOS, basically,

so we think it stands for the O.

"Dot, dot, dot, dash, dash, dash, dot, dot, dot"

is the right answer. Well done.

O - dash, dash, dash.

And, Eggheads, British Summer Time begins in the UK

on the last Sunday of which month?

March?

March, then?

-March 21st...

-OK.

-March.

-That's March, Dermot.

-Yes, it is. BST, or British Summer Time,

begins on the last Sunday of March in the UK.

One each.

Airheads, in which year were Jeffrey Archer,

Smokey Robinson and Raquel Welch born?

I would say Jeffrey Archer is 60-something, maybe?

He must be getting on for 60.

Smokey Robinson was a big noise in the '70s.

How old was he at the time? Was he a young fella or...?

He was in The Miracles, so I think that's late '60s, as well.

-Raquel Welch was around in '70s films.

-Yes.

Perhaps even maybe a touch earlier.

I don't think it'll be 1950. That's probably a bit too late.

Do you think?

-BOTH: I would say that's too late.

-So, 1940 or 1945?

-It's pointing towards '45.

-I think so.

We'll say... Shall we got for the middle one?

We don't know. We're trying to work it out.

Trying to work out the years

and the ages of those celebrities.

They all look younger than they actually are, but we'll go for 1945.

1945 for Jeffrey Archer, Smokey Robinson and Raquel Welch?

It is 19...

..40. 1940.

Bad luck, guys. Just missing out on that.

Eggheads' second question. Which architect was responsible

for the original exterior of Battersea Power Station

and for another London power station, Bankside,

which now houses Tate Modern art gallery?

I used to work directly opposite the Bankside Power Station.

It's Giles Gilbert Scott.

And you often used to think about the wonders of Giles Gilbert Scott?

It is the right answer, yes. Well done.

Which means, well, Airheads, you must get this one.

What name is given to the group of pre-World War One poets

of which Ezra Pound was a leading figure?

I think it's safe to say we don't know this!

Work it out from some of the words.

He was quite a modernist, wasn't he? He was a radical poet, so...

-Er...

-In which case, they wouldn't be the Imitators, would they?

-No.

Do you think Imagists or Imaginaries? Either ring a bell?

What sort of stuff did he write?

-What type of themes?

-Well, he was quite a...

-We don't know anything about...

-I've heard of him, but I can't...

-He was quite a controversial figure.

-Quite radical?

Quite ring-wing and, er...

I'd put controversial with realistic and go for Imagists, but that's...

..piecing together a handful of things that, you know...

-I think so.

-OK.

We don't know. We've vaguely heard of him.

He's got a reputation, not only in poetry but more widely.

We can't think of the name, so we'll plump for Imagists.

-Imagists?

-Yes.

-OK.

It's the right answer. Yes. Imagists.

-Going through agony there.

-I know.

Well, don't rest on your laurels. You got that middle one wrong,

so the Eggheads can win if they give me a correct answer here.

From 1990, until his retirement in 2006,

the goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Deayea

earned over 175 caps playing for which national football team?

-It's spelling time, I think.

-"Mohamed" you're all right with.

"Al" you're all right with.

The "Deayea" - D-E-A-Y-E-A.

D-E-A-Y-E-A.

When the choices came up, I thought I...

I THINK I've heard of him, but I may be wrong.

I think it's Saudi Arabia. But I...

I know Saudi Arabia have a record.

-They have a chap with an appearances record.

-Right.

And that's a huge number of caps.

It's the one I would pick.

I've not heard of anything in relation to Kuwait.

It doesn't...sound quite like an Egyptian name either.

If you've got different reasons for the same answer,

-that's the one we'll go for.

-Yes, Saudi Arabia.

We're pretty unsure, but we have a hunch it might be Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia, your hunch...

It's the right answer, Eggheads. You've won.

Bad luck, Airheads. We can only muse on what might've been

if a couple of head-to-heads had gone a different way,

particularly Richard, who was so close to knocking Kevin out.

And it was that inkling he had for Saudi Arabia,

put together with Pat's inkling, which, er...

CJ, who admits he doesn't like football, went along with that.

Who knows what might've been.

Muse upon that as you discuss what a great performance you put in today.

But not to be on the day. Thanks for taking on the Eggheads.

Those Eggheads have done what comes naturally. They still reign supreme.

You won't be going home with the £2,000.

The money 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. £3,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]