Episode 48 Eggheads

These people are among 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 the show where a team of five quiz challengers

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

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

Taking on the awesome might of our quiz Goliaths are...

This team all work for the Royal Meteorological Society,

an organisation made up of weather enthusiasts, practitioners, students

and scientists from around the world. Let's meet them.

Hi. My name's Sarah. I'm 36 and I'm head of communications.

My name's Kathy, I'm 52 and I'm head of IT.

I'm Paul. I'm 43 and I'm a meteorologist.

I'm Rachael. I'm 23 and I'm a public engagement manager.

I'm Liz. I'm 42 and I'm also a meteorologist.

Welcome to you, Weather Club.

Tell me about the Royal Meteorological Society.

-Anyone interested in weather can join, you don't have to be a specialist?

-That's right.

We have lots of professionals in the field, but also lots of amateurs

who like to observe the weather, so it's a mix of people.

You look up and go, "Yeah, it's wet." In you come?

-Exactly. You're more than welcome!

-If you pay the subscription fee.

Tell me about quizzing. Do you do any weather-based quizzes?

We've been doing a lot of quizzes at work, testing each other

while we do certain combined tasks and things like that.

We have a few little quizzes to pass the time.

I'm expecting a shining performance in science, if that comes up.

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

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

So, Weather Club, the Eggheads have won the last nine games.

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

Our first head-to-head today and this one is Film & Television.

-Who'd like to play this?

-I think that's Rachael!

It has to be Rachael, definitely.

Are you OK with that? Yeah. That's fine. Yeah.

Rachael, and who would you like to play from the Eggheads?

-Do you want to take on Daphne?

-OK.

-Daphne, please.

It's going to be Rachael and Daphne for our opening round.

Both please take your positions in the question room.

-Rachael, do you want to go first or second?

-First please, Dermot.

Your first question, Rachael.

Louis Walsh became a judge on which TV talent show in 2004?

I'm a bit of a fan of reality TV.

So I would say that was The X Factor.

That's the right answer, of course. Louis Walsh.

A round of applause!

With which comedian did Dean Martin make a series of films during the early 1950s?

That was my era! Jerry Lewis.

Jerry Lewis is the correct answer. Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

And Rachael.

What was the first cinematic collaboration between actor Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton?

Um...

I'm not sure on this. I'm pretty sure it's not Edward Scissorhands.

I think I'm going to go with Sleepy Hollow.

Sleepy Hollow for the first cinematic collaboration.

-It is Edward Scissorhands.

-OK.

-When they first got together.

A chance for the lead for Daphne.

In the 2006 film The Prestige, Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale played two opposing what?

They were magicians.

-Yes, they were.

-And David Bowie as Nikola Tesla in the film!

He does a bit of acting, doesn't he? It gives you the lead.

Rachael, you need this to keep your hopes alive.

In the Oscar nominated 2009 film The Last Station, Helen Mirren plays Sophia, the wife of which writer?

I've never seen this.

I'm going to have to go for a complete guess at...

Anton Chekov?

Chekov for The Last Station and Helen Mirren the wife.

It's not. It's Leo Tolstoy.

Which means, Daphne,

you've won the round and, Rachael, you won't be in the final round.

Please come back and join your teams.

A bolt of quiz lightning from Daphne has struck the Weather Club.

Rachael will be missing from the final round.

We'll play another round now.

And guess what! The subject is Science.

ALL GROAN

Can we all go?

You can fight over it yourselves.

-Shall I go?

-Yeah. That sounds good.

-I'll take Science.

And which Egghead would you like to play?

Gosh, what do you think, guys? >

Maybe Judith, do you think?

Yeah. We'll go for Judith, please.

Liz and Judith in this battle royal, I suspect. The subject is Science.

Could I ask you please to take your positions in the question room?

-Liz, would you like to go first or second?

-I'll go first, Dermot.

Best of luck, Liz.

What is the name of the galaxy in which Earth is located?

OK. I'm not certain on this one,

but I'm going to go...

with the Milky Way.

Yes, it is the right answer.

Judith,

what name is given to an organism, such as an earthworm, that has both male and female reproductive organs?

Herpetological must be something to do with snakes.

Hermetic is something else. It's a hermaphrodite.

Hermaphrodite is the correct answer. Straight back to Liz, then.

What is the name of the white crystalline compound

with the chemical symbol C3N6H6

used to make thermo-setting resins widely used for laminated coatings?

I have absolutely no idea on this. Chemistry's not really my forte.

If it's crystalline,

I'm tended to go for the melanite.

-I'll take that one.

-Melanite. It is...

melamine!

So, a chance for Judith.

The American Lewis Madison Terman is best known for developing

what kind of test during the first half of the 20th century?

-Is that T-E-R-M-A-N?

-Yes. Louis Madison Terman.

So it's called the Terman test? I don't think it's colour blindness.

That's someone else whose name I don't remember now.

I don't think it's the IQ test.

It therefore must be... I hope it's a hearing test.

Am I hearing correctly, Eggheads?

IQ test.

-An IQ test.

-Oh, is it?

-Which, clearly as an Egghead,

you haven't been through!

It's not the right answer, which is good news for Liz.

In the periodic table,

which element sits next to calcium and directly below sodium?

OK, another chemistry question.

I've got a son who's 13 who's been learning his periodic table.

He's probably at home telling me what the answer is.

I'm going to go for potassium.

You have got this one. Potassium is correct.

Means you must get this, Judith.

Which author won a Royal Society prize for science books in 2009

for The Age Of Wonder,

about how a fascination for science swept across Britain in the 18th century.

I think that's Richard Holmes.

-I was thinking of buying it.

-Richard Holmes. Other Eggheads?

-Yeah.

-Is the right answer. Yes.

We go to sudden death, Liz.

We make it a lot harder by taking away those choices.

-You're praying there are no more chemistry questions, I suspect.

-Yes.

This is your question, Liz.

In physics, for what does P stand

in the equation P equals F over A, where F is force and A is area?

So this is definitely in my field of expertise,

so hopefully I won't get this one wrong.

I'm going for "pressure".

High pressure. Low pressure. It's the right answer.

Not feeling it there, Liz.

The okapi, an elusive forest-dwelling animal

closely related to the giraffe, is native to which continent?

Well, I should think it's either South America or Africa.

I think it's Africa.

It is correct. Yes. Both going well.

Liz, how many pairs of ribs are normally found in a human body?

-OK. Can I sit here and count them?

-I suppose we can't disqualify that!

My recollection is there's 11 either side, so I'm going for 11 pairs.

11 pairs of ribs in the human body.

You're one out!

-12 pairs of ribs in a human body.

-Oh, floating one, of course.

Which scientist and his daughter were co-writers of the 2007 children's book

entitled George's Secret Key To The Universe?

I have absolutely no idea.

Stephen Hawking.

-Stephen Hawking?

-Hm.

-It's the right answer.

-No?

Well, that's pure luck!

You've somehow done it, Judith,

ejected a very good player.

You're through to the final round, and no place for you, Liz.

Please come back and join your teams.

The Eggheads raining on the Weather Club's parade!

Two members gone. No Eggheads ejected yet. Let's get one out.

Next subject, Food & Drink.

Who'd like to play this? Sarah, Kathy or Paul?

-You want me to go?

-What do you reckon?

Yeah, you should go for it.

OK. I'm going to give it a go.

Sarah and which Egghead would you like to play? CJ, Kevin or Pat?

I'm going to try Kevin.

-I believe he likes Food & Drink.

-It's Sarah and Kevin playing this.

Into the question room, please.

-Sarah, would you like to go first or second?

-I'll go first, please, Dermot.

Good luck, Sarah.

In Tex-Mex cuisine, what's the usual English name for the dish frijoles refritos?

I'm thinking that "refritos" might mean "refried".

Frijoles refritos. I'm going to stick with my first thought,

and go refried beans, please.

Thank goodness you did! Well done, it's the right answer.

Kevin,

potassium hydrogen tartrate, a component of baking powder,

is also sold separately as a grocery item under what name?

Well, logically, since tartar is there... It could be a bluff.

But there is cream of tartar.

-Yeah, cream of tartar.

-Yeah. It's the right answer, yes.

Not ignoring the obvious, and getting a tick in your column.

Second question, Sarah. Marenne is a French variety of what?

I don't know the answer to this,

but something is drawing me to peach.

I think I'm going to stick with peach, please, Dermot.

They're varieties of oyster.

Oysters there. So, a chance for Kevin.

What is the Scottish dish of mashed potatoes and swede or yellow turnip, which is usually served with haggis?

Something in the back of my mind is saying...

clapshot is...something else.

I'll go crappit heid.

-Other Eggheads?

-JUDITH: I thought it was clapshot.

-Judith thinks clapshot. She's right and you're wrong.

-OK.

Keeps it all square.

The pinot noir grape is particularly associated with which wine region of France?

Haven't been drinking much wine recently.

Um...

Oh, I really, really don't know. Pinot noir.

It's just going to be a wild stab in the dark of...

..Burgundy.

Wild stab in the dark.

One in three. You've landed it.

Oh, yes!

You need to get this, Kevin.

What name is given to the chemical reaction between a reducing sugar and an amino acid

that's responsible for the browning of toast, onions, coffee and other foodstuffs?

The one that I think I've heard of,

but I don't know if it's this particular activity,

is the Maillard.

I can't think of anything in relation to the other two.

I'll have to go for the Maillard. It's the only one I've heard of.

It's the right answer. Takes us to sudden death again.

Still very much in it, Sarah.

Which variety of orange, said to have been created in 1820

as a result of the mutation of a common sweet orange growing at a monastery in Brazil,

was named after the part of the human body it resembles?

I'm trying to think of some oranges.

I don't know if these are the right lines, like clementine or tangerine.

Neither of those sound particularly like parts of the body.

OK, so that doesn't really help me!

Well, clementines are pretty sweet.

So I think I'm just going to go for clementines. Sorry.

It's that part of the human body that's the problem.

-Yes.

-It's not the right answer.

-No.

-It's navel.

They have an opening at the bottom that resembles a belly button.

A chance, then, for Kevin.

Enokitaki or enoki is a type of which foodstuff?

I've heard of enoki. I'm trying to remember what it is.

The thing that popped immediately into my mind was mushroom.

I'm going to say mushroom because it popped into my mind.

It's a type of mushroom. He is a "fun guy" to be with, Kevin!

You are going to be in the final round and no place for you, Sarah.

Would you both please join your teams?

A dark cloud has descended upon you, Weather Club. Three members ejected.

Let's shed some light now and knock out an Egghead.

Our next subject is Sport.

Paul or Kathy?

You're not a sports fan, are you, Kathy?

Our best sports player's already gone,

so I might have to fill the breach, I think.

OK, Paul, and you can fill the breach against Pat or CJ.

It could be a double bluff, but I've got to go for CJ.

Yeah, why not?

That chess is a contact sport, isn't it?

Chess boxing is, certainly.

Fingers crossed that doesn't come up!

Let's have Paul and CJ into the question room, please.

-Paul, would you like to go first or second?

-First, please, Dermot.

Best of luck, Paul.

In which sport is the Russian Mikhail Youzhny a famous name?

Nice easy one to start with(!)

Well, I play a bit of tennis

and I haven't heard of him but...

Could be a tennis player.

I haven't seen him in the golf.

I've no idea, but I'm going to plump for athletics.

CJ's shaking his head.

-What is it, CJ?

-He's a tennis player.

He is a tennis player. CJ, first question.

Paul Gascoigne played for which Scottish football team between 1995 and 1998?

I don't know.

Simply because he would still have been able to command quite a fee,

I'll rule out Partick Thistle

because of the amount of money they may have needed to pay for him.

I just don't have any recollection of the other two.

Maybe if it was Rangers it may have been bigger news, so I'll try Hibs.

I thought you were reasoning yourself there to Rangers.

Which would have been the right answer.

It is Rangers. But no, that's good news for you, Paul. All square.

Second question. In which year did the rower Matthew Pinsent win his last Olympic gold medal?

Hm. 2000 seems too early.

Oh, dear.

And 2008 maybe seems too late.

I might regret this, but I'm going to plump for 2004.

The Goldilocks answer in the middle. It's the right one!

-Yes!

-Well done. 2004.

It was Sir Steve Redgrave

-who finished in 2000.

-2000, yeah.

-Your second question, CJ.

Hayley Turner, born in 1983, is a leading competitor in which sport?

Oh, dear. I've never heard of Miss Turner.

I only know of two female boxers and she's not one of them.

Horse RACING tends to be very much a male dominated activity.

The name does ring a very slight bell.

I know nothing about horse racing or boxing. I'll try for skiing.

Skiing for Hayley Turner.

-Daphne, pick your head up.

-Oh, dear!

Horse racing. She's a jockey.

That's great news, Paul. You are now in the lead.

Booking a place in the final round with a correct answer here!

The skiier Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, also known as Snowleopard,

represented which country at the 2010 Winter Olympics?

Oh, um...

I guess there's not a lot of snow in any of those three places.

Sounds a Ghanaian name.

So...

I'm going to go for Ghana.

It is Ghana. It's the right answer. Well done.

Which means

you're in the final round and playing for the £10,000, Paul.

Would you both please join your teams?

This is what we've been playing towards, 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 Sarah, Rachael and Liz from the Weather Club

and CJ from the Eggheads, would you leave the studio, please?

Kathy and Paul, you're playing to win the Weather Club £10,000.

Pat, Judith, Kevin and Daphne, you're playing for something which money can't buy.

It is the Eggheads' reputation.

I'll ask each team three questions in turn, all general knowledge and you are allowed to confer.

Kathy and Paul, the question is, are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four?

-Would you like to go first or second?

-We'll go first.

Let's see if you can win the £10,000.

The comedian Sandi Toksvig was born in which country?

What do you think?

My first instinct was that she's Danish.

-Doesn't sound Polish, does it?

-No, it doesn't sound Polish.

I remember listening to The News Quiz, a radio programme she was on,

talking about the Icelandic volcano

and pronouncing it for everybody.

Yeah. Could be. Do you want to go with that?

Denmark, yeah?

-OK. We'll go Denmark.

-Denmark, Sandi Toksvig.

Right answer. Well done. You mention Icelandic volcanoes, Paul.

-Can you say it?

-LAUGHS

In news, we called it "the volcano"

then referred to its "bigger sister, Katla", which was easier.

Sandi Toksvig from Denmark.

Eggheads, your first question.

Which artist released the 2009 solo album entitled 3 Words?

ALL: Cheryl Cole.

We think that's Cheryl Cole.

Cheryl Cole, 3 Words is correct. One each.

What's the name of the first private university to be set up in the UK?

It's got to be a guess for me. Do you have any idea?

My first instinct was University of Buckingham before it came up.

-Before it came up?

-Yeah. But when they all came up...!

I changed my mind!

I think we have to go with Buckingham.

-Sorry if I've got you down the wrong track.

-That's OK.

The University of Buckingham.

I heard Paul saying it was his first instinct.

I say that sudden death is more difficult than multiple choice.

If this was sudden death, you'd be straight in with Buckingham.

It muddied the waters giving you a couple of choices, but it's correct.

University of Buckingham, the first private university in the UK.

Which European capital city was largely destroyed by an earthquake

and the resultant tsunami and fire on November 1 1755?

Lisbon, yeah.

That's Lisbon, Dermot.

It's the right answer. It's two-all. Both teams quizzing well.

This could be the one that wins you the money, let's see.

Where were John Lennon and Yoko Ono married in 1969?

Where were John Lennon and Yoko Ono married in 1969?

-I thought that as well.

-Yeah. We don't think it's Monaco.

And we don't think it's Andorra.

We both think it's Gibraltar.

Gibraltar is the right answer.

If that had been a sudden death question I had Amsterdam in my head.

Why is that?

-The bed-in.

-That's where they stayed in bed for a week?

-Yeah.

Gibraltar is the right answer which means, if they get this wrong, you've won £10,000.

The song Under The Greenwood Tree features in which Shakespeare play?

As You Like It, definitely.

-That's As You Like It, Dermot.

-As You Like It?

It's the right answer. It's all square.

That's where Hardy got it from?

Yes.

We go to sudden death. That'll make it easier for you, Paul!

-None of that messing around with guessing!

-Oh, dear!

First question, Weather Club.

What is the highly subjective and personal school of journalism

said to have been invented by Hunter S Thompson?

-I should know this one.

-Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas.

-Go on, then!

-We feel we should know this one.

-Roads...? No.

-We know the name.

Highly subjective and personal?

-Can you think of any schools of journalism?

-No.

Journalistic... Hunter... Is there anything in the name?

Hunter Thompson?

Do you think there's something that is made up from the name?

-After the name of the person, perhaps?

-Um... Hunter journalism?

-HST.

-HST?

-Or we can make a wild guess.

-I don't think we're going to get it.

-Hunter journalism.

-It's not the right answer.

As you rather expected. Do you know, Eggheads? It could have been your question.

Gonzo.

-Gonzo journalism.

-Oh, OK!

Nothing there for you.

Eggheads, you can win if you give me a correct answer.

Which former British Foreign Secretary co-wrote the historical work Choose Your Weapons,

published in 2010?

I went to a talk about this. It's Douglas Hurd.

-Douglas Hurd.

-Kevin, you went to a talk?

-Douglas Hurd was talking about it.

-Can't tease you about this, then.

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

It's the way those questions fall, as Kevin would say.

They hoover up information, their thirst for knowledge!

But what a final round that was!

A proper head-to-head and just caught out with Gonzo journalism.

Thank you very much for letting a little light in on the sad lives of the Eggheads.

Good luck with the Weather Club. I hope you get plenty more recruits.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally. Their winning streak continues.

You won't be going home with the £10,000. That means the money rolls over to the next show.

Eggheads, congratulations. Who will beat you?

Join us to see if a new team of challengers has the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

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

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