Episode 92 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 possible the greatest quiz team in Britain.

Their quiz pedigree is well known as they've 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 Kevin Appreciation Society from Chester.

This team of old school friends share one passion in life

and he's sitting over there. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Ben, I'm 19 and I'm a medical student from Chester.

Hi, I'm Dan, I'm 19 and I'm a sixth-form student from Chester.

Hi, My name's Luke. I'm 18 and I'm a drama student from Chester.

Hi, I'm Jack, I'm 18 and I'm also a drama student from Chester.

Hi, I'm Andy, I'm 19 and I'm a maths student from Chester.

-Ben and team, welcome.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-Hiya.

-The Kevin Appreciation Society.

So not only do you watch Eggheads, but you watch this man here.

We feel it's apt to appreciate - no offence to you or the rest of the Eggheads -

the star of the show. His intelligence shines through.

Did you all get together and think, "OK, we need to have a team name and it's just obviously this one?"

Yeah, at the pub quiz we always appreciate something else apt.

-We thought it would be apt to appreciate Kevin.

-So you quiz together?

-Every week.

-Where do you quiz?

-At a pub, with very limited success.

If you're called the Kevin Appreciation Society,

what's your tactic going to be? You could try

and get him out of the game early,

but then there's nothing left to appreciate, but if he plays well

and you lose, that's backfired.

That's certainly a tough decision.

-I don't think any tactics work with Kevin. You just look.

-I thought you were ingratiating yourself

-with him.

-Maybe if we flatter him so much, he'll be put off and fail.

It's not worked yet, but give it a go. Every day there's

£1,000 worth of cash up for grabs for our challengers.

But if they fail to beat the Eggheads, the prize rolls over to the next show.

So, the Kevin Appreciation Society,

the challengers actually won the last game,

so £1,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads. First head-to-head battle

is on the subject of history.

Is there a history student here?

No, there's not at all.

ALL TALK AT ONCE

-With major reluctance, I think I'll have to take this one.

-OK.

Sure thing. Against which Egghead?

Not Chris or Kevin.

Definitely not Kevin.

-I reckon Barry.

-Is it going to make a difference?

Yeah, it's just inevitable.

-I'll go Barry, I think.

-So, Ben,

from... This is going to get complicated.

Ben from the Kevin Appreciation Society is not taking Kevin,

he's taking Barry from the Eggheads.

Please go to the question rooms now.

-Good luck here, Ben.

-Cheers.

-I have to tell you that Barry

has won 19 out of 19 of his History rounds.

You could have told me that before, I'd have appreciated that.

Now you've said that Kevin is the star,

-he's also mean and angry.

-No, no, that's not Barry.

-That's never me.

-That is not Barry. I'll ask each of you

three multiple choice questions on history.

Whoever answers the most questions correctly is the winner.

Ben, what do you want - the first or second set of questions?

I think I'll go second.

Barry, here we go. Which suburb was built by the Cadbury brothers to house their factory workers?

My niece is a great chocolate lover and every time she goes here,

she buys me some chocolate from Bournville.

Bourneville is correct.

Ben, over to you.

In Anglo-Saxon England, which city was the capital of Wessex?

I have no idea on this one and I knew the last one,

so I wish I'd chosen first.

Um, Wessex, I don't know where that is, where it was,

but cos it begins with W, I'll go with Winchester.

Winchester is the right answer. Well done.

Kevin's home town. OK.

Barry, which Roman emperor is said to have had a horse named Incitatus?

There's a famous story that he wanted to make him a consul,

which was the highest position in ancient Rome.

Incitatus, by the way, means galloper, and the emperor with a horse called Incitatus was Caligula.

Caligula is the right answer.

They are worryingly good, Ben, aren't they?

Here we go. What was the name of the ship commanded by Lord Effingham

when he led the attack against the Spanish Armada?

Well, again, this doesn't come up in GCSE history, unfortunately.

Victory and Triumph would be very apt, what with winning, and all.

But... In fact, I'm going to go for Triumph.

You were veering away and you went back to Triumph.

-Barry would know this, what was it?

-It's the Ark Royal.

Ark Royal, I'm afraid, Ben. Bad luck.

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

Henry Yevele is regarded as

the most prominent member of which profession in 14th-century England?

-I've not heard the name.

-Spelt Y-E-V-E-L-E.

A lot of masons were very prominent at that time.

It was a great time for cathedral building.

I don't think there were that many mercenaries in England at that time.

Mercenaries tended to be foreign soldiers then

and I can't think of any alchemists who'd be well thought of at all,

so I will go for Master Mason.

20 out of 20. Well done, Master Mason is correct.

You've got an unblemished record in History. Sorry, Ben.

-There's no way back from there.

-Yeah, well, I saw it coming.

You're knocked out, Barry will be in the final.

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

As it stands, the Challengers have lost one brain

and the Eggheads have not lost anything yet.

The next subject is Music.

Which of you wants to take Music?

-I'll go with Music.

-Jack? OK.

-Against which Egghead?

-I'll take...

Yeah, I'll go with Daphne.

OK, Jack from the Kevin Appreciation Society

against Daphne from the Eggheads. I feel you're building up

to inviting Kevin into the booth. Someone is going to do it.

To be sure there's no conferring, please go to the question rooms.

-You've got good taste in music, Jack?

-Well, I like to think so.

Give us some bands you like.

A favourite would probably be Oasis, The Beatles,

and a bit of Bruce Springsteen as well. Just reasonably mixed.

-And yet you were born in what year?

-1992.

Goodness. That's even...

I'm thinking Oasis' first album was out before you were born?

It was similar time, yes.

My dad's always liked that sort of music and my brothers

and it just came down. I just like a bit of Oasis really.

-Have you seen Springsteen live?

-No. I wanted to see him on his last tour,

but I couldn't get tickets. Fingers crossed he comes back again.

-Have you ever seen Springsteen live, Daphne?

-No.

-Would you like to?

-No.

I mean, our taste in music at home,

we're buying quite a lot of Andrew Rieu DVDs and CDs.

-Andrew Rieu?

-Yes.

Jack, I'm thinking Andrew Rieu isn't big in the student halls just now?

Not particularly. I can't say I've heard too much of him.

That was very, very tactfully put.

I'll ask each of you three questions on music in turn.

Let's see who comes out on top.

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

I think I'll go first.

Good luck.

What is the smallest instrument in the string section of an orchestra?

To be honest, I'm having a bit of a blank picturing them now.

Obviously, I know a violin isn't particularly large.

I can't quite place a viola.

Just through the process of elimination,

I'm going to have to go with violin.

It's actually a very tricky question this.

-Any Eggheads? Is he right?

-He is.

Oh, well.

Can anyone describe a viola?

-It's about half as big again as a violin.

-The same but just bigger.

Now we know. Daphne, according to a song in the musical My Fair Lady,

the rain in Spain stays mainly in the what?

I'm tempted to sing, but I would clear the studio.

It's Spain...plain!

-The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain.

-OK. Plain is correct.

I thought the quote was "on the", but it says "in the".

Obviously, one of those often misquoted things.

You got plain right.

Here's your question, Jack. Benjamin Britten's War Requiem

had its premiere at the consecration of which cathedral?

Not even the faintest idea to be honest.

It's going to have to be a stab in the dark.

Let's go with...

Coventry.

It's a very good stab because you're absolutely right.

OK, Daphne, here's your question. Here Comes The Sun

is a track featured on which Beatles album?

I bet Jack wishes he'd got this. Would you like it, Jack?

I wouldn't mind...

A Hard Day's Night.

Jack, is she right or not?

I think you're leafing through your dad's record collection now.

I really am. I don't think it's Abbey Road.

I could be mistaken, I'm rubbish on album tracks. I'd say, maybe, yes.

No, it's maybe no, it is Abbey Road.

OK, she's given you a chance here.

You can knock out an Egghead

and maybe someone will have the courage to challenge Kevin.

You third question. If you get it right, you've won it.

Which band was the winner of the first Mercury Prize in 1992?

I can't say I'm particularly familiar with Saint Etienne.

I know Primal Scream were big, they still are big now.

Just trying to think around '92 who was big at the time.

I'm going to go with, um... I'm going to avoid Primal Scream

and go with Simply Red.

Simply Red is not right.

-Ben knows the answer.

-I'd go with Primal Scream.

Primal Scream is the answer.

You had a chance there. But you may still have a chance.

Let's see how Daphne does here.

Which composer spent most of his career as musical director

at the court of the aristocratic Esterhazy family?

Haydn.

Daphne, Haydn is correct. We are now on Sudden Death on Music.

Jack, it gets a bit harder. I'm not going to give you the alternatives.

You've got to give me the answer. Here we go.

"Ever since I was a young boy, I've played the silver ball,

"from Soho down to Brighton, I must have played them all,"

are the opening lines from which song by The Who?

Pinball Wizard by The Who.

Brilliant. Pinball Wizard.

Not many 18-year-olds know that

as quickly as you know it. You can thank your dad's record collection.

-Yeah. I will do.

-If you get this wrong, Daphne, you're out.

Greatest Love Of All, How Will I Know and I'm Every Woman

were UK top 10 singles for which singer born in 1963?

Oh, I ought to know this!

Oh, dear!

I'm stuck on a name, which I'm quite sure is wrong.

But I can't get it out of my head.

No, I can't remember. Sorry.

Barbra Streisand. I know it's wrong.

When you do this and you come out with the name,

it's always the right name.

-In this case, it's not. It's Whitney Houston.

-Oh!

So it is bye-bye, Daphne. You're not in the final.

But well done, Jack! How about that!

-I'm made up with that.

-Starting to roll -

the Kevin Appreciation Society have two people in the final.

Please come back and rejoin your teammates.

Will the Kevin Appreciation Society pick Kevin?

The Challengers have lost one brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have also lost one brain.

The next subject is Food & Drink.

Is it meant to be?

-Who wants this?

-ALL TALK AT ONCE

If sports, Andy... So I will take food and drink.

-You get Kevin.

-You lucky man.

-Yes.

-Is it you, Luke?

-Yes.

-Against?

-Kevin.

This is the moment.

I'm the lucky one.

OK, Luke from the Kevin Appreciation Society versus Kevin from the...

-Luke Appreciation Society.

-Yes, you beat me to it!

-I anticipated.

See you in the Question Room.

This is the big moment - the Kevin Appreciation Society takes on Kevin.

I don't want to be the one to knock him out, but I will if I have to.

Is Food & Drink your ideal terrain for this battle?

No, even though I do eat a lot, it's not my speciality.

Kevin, it's interesting this.

You've actually got a fan club, or maybe more than one, we don't know.

Well, it's very nice of people to be that supportive, shall we say.

Do you get stopped in the street and fawned on?

I get stopped in the street, but the degree of fawning can vary.

OK, there we are. Good luck in this round.

I'll ask each of you three questions on Food & Drink in turn.

Luke, you can choose the first or second set.

I'd like to go first, please.

Your first question. What type of meat is usually served

at a traditional Thanksgiving dinner?

This is a good question

because even I know what's served at a Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey.

Turkey is the right answer, well done.

Kevin, which cocktail was invented at the famous Raffles Hotel?

The Raffles Hotel is in Singapore

and I believe this is the Singapore Sling.

It is the Singapore Sling. One each.

Luke, your second question. Marfona and Russet Burbank

are varieties of which food?

Um...I'm well aware that there's quite a few types of potato.

And being a student,

I'm not familiar with many types of cabbage, obviously.

So I think I'll go with potato.

That's a good decision, it is potato, you're right. Well done.

It's a bit like that famous Eggheads' rule -

if in doubt, choose cheese.

The same goes a bit for potato. I've noticed potato varieties come up.

There are an awful lot.

In 1987, Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers opened which London restaurant?

Well, I hope they didn't have any involvement with the other two,

but they famously established and ran the River Cafe together.

River Cafe is the right answer.

Luke, third question.

You're doing well and if you take Kevin out here,

you will be a legend. In Chester and beyond.

-That'll end the Appreciation Society.

-Well, that's true.

What name is given to the Scottish beverage

that is typically made from oatmeal, honey, whisky and sometimes cream?

Well, not familiar with the drink at all.

If I was going to make something like that, though,

I'd probably call it the Edinburgh Fog.

Edinburgh Fog is the wrong answer. It's Atholl Brose.

Atholl Brose. If you don't know it, it's impossible to guess that one.

Kevin, your question for the round.

To be even more appreciated.

In Indian cookery, haldi is another name for which spice?

Amazingly, I think I've heard this one. I think it's turmeric.

That is amazing and you're quite right. It is turmeric, Kevin,

and you have won the round.

Luke, you are going to have to continue appreciating him,

but you're also not in the final.

Well done, come back and rejoin your teammates.

Bad luck, Luke. Feeling all right?

Yeah, I was unlucky. That question came up and I had no idea.

-But Kevin did very well to get them all right.

-As it stands,

the Challengers have lost two brains now from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost just one brain.

Our last subject before the final is Arts & Books.

That was going to be your one, Ben, wasn't it?

Yeah, I'd have taken it.

Who do you take, then?

-Andy or Dan?

-ALL TALK AT ONCE

You're better at general knowledge...

Andy's not an arts and... We're going to have to go with Andy.

-OK, but I can't promise anything.

-Just guesswork.

Because we haven't done that so far.

Andy against which Egghead? CJ or Chris?

-I think CJ reads a lot of books.

-You think?

-Yeah, go on, it's up to you.

-Chris.

I'm going to pick Chris, please.

OK, Andy from the Kevin Appreciation Society versus

Chris from the Eggheads. Please go to the question rooms now.

-So Andy, your subject at university is...?

-Maths.

-And you've been chosen for Arts & Books?

-Yeah.

-How has that happened?

Er, well, we sort of agreed beforehand

that Dan will go on General Knowledge, so...

I was hoping for a sport round, really.

But I've just been left with this.

Shall we see how you do against Chris? You like your maths, Chris?

I got Maths O-level, back in the good old days.

I can put two and two together and come up with about 19, yeah.

This being Arts & Books, it may not be useful. Let's see.

I will ask each of you three questions on Arts & Books in turn.

Andy, would you like the first set of questions, or the second?

I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

Good luck. Here's your question.

What type of creature is Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

in the story by Rudyard Kipling?

Well, not a good start. I've no idea.

I haven't read a lot of Kipling's things. Um...

Well, it's a long word, so I'll go for a long animal. Snake.

We were thinking you would go for the longest word, which is mongoose.

-Mongoose is the right answer.

-Ah!

-Snake is wrong, I'm sorry.

Chris, your question.

In the Harry Potter books,

what is the surname of Harry's schoolmate Neville. Is it:

Ah. Well, Dumbledore and Malfoy are all the...seniors at Hogwarts,

so it's got to be Neville Longbottom.

It is indeed Neville Longbottom. But you're not a big fan of them?

I've never read one in me life! Nor have I seen any of the films.

So you just happened to know the other stuff.

That's why they're extraordinary.

Knowing things that you're not interested in is a great skill.

Not many of us have it. I don't.

Andy, your question.

Whose memoir, published in 2010,

was called The Third Man: Life At The Heart Of New Labour?

Er...not very good at politics either, so...

I know that David Miliband is to do with Labour,

so I'm going to go for David Miliband.

It wasn't David Miliband.

He's probably not at the heart of new Labour now anyway,

cos he's exiled slightly.

Peter Mandelson is the answer.

Peter Mandelson

describes himself as The Third Man.

OK, Chris. "Barkis is willing"

is an often repeated phrase in which Charles Dickens novel?

That's in answer to an offer of marriage in David Copperfield.

David Copperfield is correct. Chris. Sorry, Andy.

There's no way back for you from there.

Chris, you're in the final,

Andy, you're not. If you both come back, we'll play the final round.

This is what we've been playing towards.

It is time for the final round,

which, as always, is General Knowledge.

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

won't take part in this round.

So Ben, Luke and Andy from the Kevin Appreciation Society

and Daphne from the Eggheads, would you please now leave the studio.

Dan and Jack,

you are playing to win £1,000 for the Kevin Appreciation Society.

CJ, Kevin, Chris and Barry,

you are playing for something money can't buy -

the Eggheads' precious reputation.

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

The questions are all general knowledge

and you are allowed to confer with each other.

So Dan and Jack, the question is,

are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four?

Kevin Appreciation Society, do you want to go first or second?

We need to put the pressure on. We'll go first.

Dan and Jack, all the best. Hope this goes well.

Who became manager of Aston Villa FC in September 2010?

Um, well, thankfully, this is one we know. Gerard Houllier is our answer.

Gerard Houllier is correct. Eggheads,

which London Underground line serves the terminals of Heathrow Airport?

Stamping ground, the Piccadilly.

On the west end of the line,

it goes into a little loop on the Piccadilly line.

Piccadilly is the right answer. Well done. OK, Dan and Jack.

In 2003, a college at Durham University

was renamed in honour of which actor?

-All three are very famous actors.

-Yeah. Um...a Durham college.

-I assume they'd rename it as they went to the college.

-Yeah.

I haven't particularly... I haven't heard of Peter Ustinov as a college.

Um...slight shot in the dark,

but I'd be tempted to go with John Mills.

-What do you think?

-I'd go for Peter Ustinov. Mainly because...

I bow to your superior wisdom. Go for it.

-You can't blame me.

-No, I won't.

-We're going to say Peter Ustinov.

It's a very good answer. You're right. Well done.

Peter Ustinov it is. OK, Eggheads. Running to catch up now.

What was the middle name of the Greek shipping magnate

Aristotle Onassis?

-Do you think it was Socrates?

-That was my first thought.

If you both thought Socrates...

-Plato and Diogenes aren't ringing any bells.

-I think it was.

-Socrates Onassis.

-Yes.

-You happy with that?

-Yes, I'm happy with that.

Not 100% sure, but we think it's Socrates.

Socrates is 100% the right answer. Well done. So the third question.

Get this one right and there's just a chance.

The Yenisei river empties into which ocean? It's spelled Y-E-N-I-S-E-I.

As soon as the question was read, I thought Indian.

I don't know what is telling me that,

but it sounds like an Indian-ish word.

-Is that the logic we're going with?

-What else have you got?

Absolutely nothing. Um...

It's sprung to Dan's mind, so...

And the Arctic - would there be many rivers flowing?

It would be ice and it wouldn't flow.

-I get... Go with it.

-OK. We're going to guess Indian.

You do make your minds up swiftly, I must say. And you're wrong.

-It's not, it's the Arctic. The Arctic Ocean.

-There are three major

river systems of Russia - the Ob,

the Yenisei and the Lena - and they all flow north into the Arctic.

We don't hear much about the Arctic Ocean.

Siberia is a huge, wide land mass,

and these are the major rivers draining...

If you see a list of top ten rivers of the world in terms of length,

-they're there.

-Could you do the top ten for us, Kevin?

-Not now.

-And be appreciated a bit more?

-No.

-Is your appreciation waning?

-Um...no comment.

They may be about to switch allegiance.

You haven't lost yet. If they get this one wrong, we go to

sudden death. If they get it right, the contest is over.

Eggheads, your question.

With only 21 verses, which is the shortest book of the Old Testament?

-I think it's Obadiah.

-I think it's Obadiah.

-That's the first one that occurred to me.

-Yeah.

Nothing rings a bell distinctly in that sense. Isaiah is quite long.

And I think I've seen that Obadiah is

the shortest in the Old Testament.

-Isaiah's actually the longest after Psalms.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Obadiah.

We think that's Obadiah.

If you're right - IF you're right, the contest is over.

-Do you think they're right?

-I'd hazard a guess at yes!

They do sound right, they are right. Congratulations, Eggheads.

It's Obadiah and you've won the contest!

Well, you came here to appreciate Kevin

and the team have done what we feared they might.

He's definitely lived up to his reputation.

It would have been disappointing to win, if Kevin had crumbled?

-Not really.

-No.

-I don't think it would be.

-Great to see you

and good luck with your studies and all that follows.

Commiserations to our challengers.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

They do reign supreme over quizland once again.

I'm afraid that means you won't be going home with

the £1,000 which means that the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, well done. Who will beat you?

Join us next time to see if a new team of challengers

have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£2,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.

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