Episode 119 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, where five quiz challengers pit their wits

against possibly the greatest quiz team in Britain. They are the Eggheads.

Taking on our quiz Goliaths today are the Central Belters.

They share a passion for the arts

and take their name from the Central Belt of Scotland. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Sam, I'm 36 and an event manager.

Hello, I'm Rob, I'm 47 and an art dealer.

Hello, I'm Jude, I'm 39 and an English teacher.

Hi, I'm Baz, I'm 37 and also an English teacher.

Hi, my name's Rohan, I'm 31 and I'm a digital producer.

-Sam and team, welcome.

-Hi.

-So you love the arts and reading and galleries and everything.

Yeah, I work on the Fringe and Rob runs an art gallery.

-The Edinburgh Fringe.

-Yes.

-OK.

-I run a venue on there during the Fringe Festival in August.

So when Arts and Books comes up, there's a huge scrum, is there?

-Who's going to play it?

-It could be embarrassing if we get it all wrong, so one of the others.

-Are you covered on science, sport?

-I think we're covered on everything.

-Oh, really? OK, good. That's fighting talk!

-Hubris!

We like a bit of hubris here.

Every day there is £1,000 up for grabs, but if they fail to win that rolls over to the next show.

Now the challengers won the last game so it shows at least that it can be done.

It means £1,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads today. Ready?

-Absolutely.

-OK, the first Head to Head is on Politics.

How are we on politics?

-That might be me.

-Rob will take on politics.

-OK. Against any of these five.

-What do we think?

I think we should take on Dave.

-The unknown quantity.

-Yes, OK.

-Let's take on Dave.

-Let's do it.

-We'd like to take on Dave.

Tremendous Knowledge Dave still bedding in here. So Rob against Dave.

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

-How are you on politics, Tremendous Knowledge Dave?

-Em, I've got a pretty poor record here,

but I'd like to think I know quite a bit about politics.

It's just whatever comes up.

Three multiple choice questions. Whoever gets the most correct wins and goes through to the final.

-Rob, the first or second set?

-I'd like to go first, please.

Here we go. Good luck. The song A Man's A Man For A' That,

sung at the opening ceremony of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, has words by which poet?

Well, I'm pretty sure that it's not Dylan Thomas.

So I think... I'm pretty sure it's Robert Burns.

Robert Burns is correct.

OK, Dave, your question.

Britain began the 1960s with which politician as Prime Minister?

Right, Edward Heath I think was Prime Minister in 1970-74, so I'd rule him out.

Harold Wilson was... Well, he first became Prime Minister in '64.

I'm pretty sure that Alec Douglas-Home succeeded Macmillan, so Harold Macmillan's my answer.

Harold Macmillan is quite right.

Rob, your question.

Which politician, who went on to become US President, was appointed their Ambassador to the UN in 1971?

Hm, I'm not sure about this.

They probably wouldn't have made Ronald Reagan an ambassador to the UN.

And maybe it's a little early for Bill Clinton,

so I'm going to guess that it's George HW Bush.

George Herbert Walker Bush is the right answer. Well done.

OK, your question, Dave.

What is the name of the public space in New York in which the Occupy Wall Street protests began in 2011?

I knew about the protests, but not the name of the park.

Pretty poor, eh? I'll go for Sakura Park.

-No, it's Zuccotti Park.

-Fair enough.

-So get this one, Rob, and you've gone through.

During the French Revolution, what name was given to the members

of the political group which sat on the highest benches in the National Convention?

It's not my area of politics. I'm not totally sure.

I'm going to go, I think, for the Montagnards, but it's a guess, to be honest.

Montagnards is your answer. Eggheads, is he right?

-Yes.

-They all agree, you're right. So you're in the final.

Montagnards is right.

-Well played. Sorry, Dave. You won't be in the final.

-Fair enough.

Do both of you come back and we'll play on.

Well done, Central Belters. That's a good start.

The challengers have lost no brains from the final round and the Eggheads have lost a brain.

The next subject is Music.

This is good, you artistic types.

-You like your music.

-We like to think so.

-Hope it's not classical!

-Baz, you happy to take on Music?

-No.

- Jude? - I'll give it a try.

-OK. And Jude against which Egghead?

-What do we think?

-Anyone but Dave.

-Fancy taking on Kevin?

-Yeah, why not?

-OK.

-Go for it.

-Kevin.

-You sound a bit reluctant, Jude.

No, I'm going to do it for the team.

So Jude from the Central Belters versus Kevin from the Eggheads. Please go to the Question Room now.

OK, so it's Music. Kevin against Jude. Three questions. First or second set, Jude?

I'd like to go first, please.

OK. According to an Elton John song, what seems to be the hardest word?

OK, I'm pretty sure that it's, "Sorry seems to be the hardest word".

It is indeed. Sorry seems to be the hardest word.

Kevin, in which decade was Deeper Underground a UK number one single for Jamiroquai?

I don't remember that.

It's not going to be the '70s.

I wouldn't have thought the '80s. The '90s.

You're right. Towards the end of the '90s. '98 is the answer.

One each. Back to Jude.

See if you can knock Kevin out. Elaine Paige took the role of Grizabella in the musical Cats

when which actress had to withdraw due to injury?

OK...

I don't think it was Judi Dench

because she's more of an actress than a musical theatre person, I think.

I think Julia McKenzie is more... known for musical theatre,

so I'm going to go with Julia McKenzie.

Judi Dench is the answer. Another Jude.

Kevin,

which song contains the lines, "Left a good job in the city, working for the man every night and day"?

Hmm, I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

But I'll try Proud Mary.

What a shame. He takes a stab and you're there. It's right.

-By Creedence Clearwater?

-Yes.

-OK.

It's now two to the Eggheads

and one to the challengers. You've got to get this, Jude.

Rod Stewart's UK number one single Sailing featured on which album?

OK, I know the song,

but I think when it came out I was a small person so it's going to have to be a guess.

I don't think it's Vagabond Heart. I think that's slightly more recent.

It's one of the other two. Sailing, Atlantic Crossing seems to make sense.

That could be too obvious, but I think it could be Atlantic Crossing.

Nicely done. It is Atlantic Crossing.

I guess a reference to him becoming big in the States.

Kevin, get this and you're in the final round.

Who composed the music for the opera The Death of Klinghoffer, first performed in 1991?

Well, the other two composers are both British, but this was a controversial one

by an American composer. That was John Adams.

-And what was it about?

-The Achille Lauro, the cruise ship,

that was hijacked by a group of Palestinian terrorists.

One of the passengers was an elderly Jewish man, Leon Klinghoffer,

who was in a wheelchair, but they killed him anyway.

He was thrown overboard. It was a controversial incident

and it became a controversial opera.

John Adams is the right answer. Well done.

Sorry, Jude. He's knocked you out.

He does tend to do that quite a bit. But your team's got a great chance. Do both of you come back to us.

So, as it stands, the challengers have lost one brain and the Eggheads have also lost a brain.

The next subject is Science, as we feared!

- I think that's a shoe in. - Shall I take that one?

-I think Rohan.

-Rohan, OK.

-Against?

-Would you like to choose who you'd like to take on, Rohan?

-Yeah, why not?

-Judith or Chris.

Judith would be fine.

Oh, look at that bewitching expression. Rohan from the Central Belters against Judith

on Science. To make sure there's no conferring, please go to our Question Room.

-Rohan, you do the science on this artsy team.

-It looks like it.

-Was that decided before?

-Or just suddenly at the table here?

-It was before. I did do a science degree, but I haven't used it.

-What science was that?

-Chemistry.

-We find, Judith, that sometimes flora and fauna come up in Science.

-Mercifully, yes.

-That's your kind of science.

-My kind.

-Botany.

-Yes, and animals.

-So we'll see how it goes.

-Good luck, Rohan.

-Thank you.

-First or second set?

-I'll go first, please.

Here we go. In computing, what is the term for the communication exchange

between two devices by which they tell each other that data is ready to be sent and received?

I think computer scientists like to be quite jokey.

It's either... It's not handshaking. It'll be nodding or hat-tipping.

I'd say nodding. They like quick, short words.

Nodding. I've never heard of this.

-Has anybody heard of this?

-Yes!

-Oh, Daphne has.

-Handshaking.

-Handshaking is the answer, Rohan.

Judith,

who was the third person to walk on the Moon?

Well, Neil Armstrong was the first and someone was with him. I feel that was Buzz Aldrin.

-I think it's James Lovell.

-James Lovell is your answer.

-Yeah.

It's wrong. It's Charles Conrad.

So, Rohan, the good news is

you are equal with Judith. A 2012 advertising campaign featuring Vinnie Jones recommended

giving chest compressions following a heart attack to the rhythm of which song?

I like this campaign because of the way they used the hard man image for the campaign.

It was very striking and it was that Bee Gees classic Stayin' Alive, I think.

It was indeed. Well done.

OK, Judith, your question.

The process of producing the final shaping of optical services such as lenses and mirrors

is known by what name?

Well, I don't think it's casting because bronzes are cast

and lenses are made of glass, so... Well, hang on.

I don't think it's that anyhow.

So figuring or conforming. I think it's figuring.

-Figuring is right. Well done.

-Wow!

One each after two questions.

The rock steatite is more commonly known by what name?

I'm going to rule out sunstone. I think that's a made-up answer.

So it's a choice between sandstone and soapstone.

Sandstone... is used in buildings a lot,

but doesn't feel like a geological name,

so I'm going to go for soapstone.

-Is he correct, Eggheads?

-Yes.

-Well done. Soapstone it is.

This is an exciting game. This is a tight game.

Judith, can you stay in? What is the name of the apparatus consisting of three stacked chambers

designed to prepare volumes of gas?

I haven't the faintest idea.

Was there a Mr Repp and a Mr Kipp and a Mr Mapp?

I don't know. There's no clue in it.

Magic right. Mapp.

Mapp's Apparatus. OK. Mr Kipp made exceedingly good apparata.

-Oh, no, did he?

-Yeah, Mr Kipp did it.

Kipp's Apparatus.

-Oh, Judith. You've been knocked out on Science.

-Again.

Rohan, you came through. Please both of you come back here and rejoin your teammates.

-Sam, that's good work.

-Pretty good so far.

-That was Science.

Now we need Arts and Books to come up. The challengers have lost one brain, the Eggheads have lost two.

Will they lose two in a row?

The last subject is Sport.

I think that's going to be Baz.

That's my weakest, so I'm going to put Baz up for this one, please.

Against which Egghead? It can be Daphne or Chris, left-hand side.

What do you think, Baz? Up to you.

-Any idea?

-I personally would think maybe Chris is...stronger.

-Oh, I'll take him, then(!)

-I'll take Daphne, if that's possible.

-OK, so it's Baz

against Daphne on Sport. To ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions in the Question Room.

-Baz, how are you on sport?

-It's not my favourite subject,

but let's take one for the team. Hopefully, we can push another one off.

I see that your claim to fame is that you told Dannii Minogue to get her own drink at a party.

Yes, at the end of the '90s, Sam and his brother were theatre producers in Edinburgh.

Dannii Minogue was playing Lady Macbeth and was a bit of a prima donna.

We had an end of Festival party and she was saying, "I need a vodka Red Bull."

I said, "We've run out of Red Bull, but there's some down the shops." So she wasn't my best friend.

OK, let us see how you do in this round. Sport against Daphne. Three questions, Baz.

-First or second set?

-It's worked so far. First, please.

Which horse won the 2012 Grand National?

I didn't put money on this. I did put money on, er, the lady rider.

I can't remember the horse, but I've got a feeling by a nose - in one of the closest finishes -

it was Neptune Collonges.

Neptune Collonges is right. Well done.

Nice one.

-Would you have known it, Daphne?

-Yeah.

-You probably know them all.

Ridden by Daryl Jacob.

OK. What colour was his whip? You know all the details, don't you?

What does a basketball referee signal by holding his arms up in the air in front of him

with both his thumbs sticking up?

-Jump ball?

-Jump ball is right. How does she do that, Baz?

-I wish I had some of her skill.

-I see it again and again. It can't just be luck.

In 2011, to mark its 125th anniversary, Arsenal Football Club unveiled statues of Herbert Chapman,

Thierry Henry and who else?

I did know about Thierry Henry. I remember seeing him in the news looking very embarrassed about it.

Tony Adams was a stalwart in the defence for a long time,

Charlie George, I don't know much about David O'Leary. I'll go for Tony Adams as he was there so long.

You've got it. Tony Adams is right. Well done.

Daphne, what is the nationality of the former Formula 1 driver Keke Rosberg?

Oh, he's Finnish.

Oh.

-Obviously, is he?

-Yes.

-Finnish is right. Well done.

She's a hard lady to throw off, Baz.

-She is.

-You're doing your best.

Tiger Woods won the 2005 Masters when he beat which golfer in a play-off?

Golf isn't a strong one.

Phil Mickelson was at the top of his game then. I'm going to go for Phil Mickelson

because he's been there and thereabouts.

-Let's see of Daphne knows. Is he right?

-I think Chris DiMarco.

Yeah, Chris DiMarco is the answer. Can Daphne knock you out, Baz?

Here we go. Which baseball team won the 2011 World Series?

Oh, crumbs.

Should have looked this up. Um...

St Louis Cardinals.

How did you get to that answer?

-I just thought they were either in the final or they might have won it.

-Yeah.

-You're right.

-They did win it?

-St Louis Cardinals. Well done.

That is a classic Daphne round.

I don't know how she does it. Baz, you've been knocked out.

Both of you please come back and we'll play the final round.

This is what we've been playing towards - the final round on General Knowledge.

But those of you who lost

won't be allowed to take part. So Jude and Baz from Central Belters

and Dave and Judith from the Eggheads, please leave the studio.

So Sam, Rob and Rohan, you're playing to win £1,000.

Chris, Daphne and Kevin are playing for something money can't buy - the Eggheads' reputation.

I will ask each team three questions. They're all general knowledge and you can confer.

So Sam, Rob and Rohan, are your three brains capable of overwhelming the Eggheads' three here?

-And would you like first or second?

-I think we'll go first.

Here we go. Good luck. The name of which part of a house

is thought to derive from a word meaning the fat of a pig?

-It's got to be larder.

-That's where you'd store the food.

In a larder. A study obviously comes from studio.

-Or something like that.

-And attic is towards the top.

Are we all happy with that?

Jeremy, we'll go with larder.

Larder is the right answer.

I didn't know it was from that word.

-The same as lard.

-Of course. So obvious now.

What was the name of the dancing style associated with punk rock

that consisted of the dancer jumping up and down on one spot?

I remember watching them doing this. Boing! It's the pogo.

Pogo is the right answer. Well done.

Central Belters, which name for anti-aircraft fire comes from the abbreviation of the German word

meaning aviator defence gun?

-I think we're all happy with flak.

-I was there!

From endless war films we watched when we were younger,

I think we're fairly safely going to say flak, please.

Flak is the right answer. Anyone know what the German is?

-Fliegerabwehrkanone.

-Right!

Eggheads,

which character from an Arthur Miller play is the father of Biff and Happy?

It's Willy Loman, isn't it?

Yeah, that's from Death of a Salesman, so it's Willy Loman.

Willy Loman is the right answer. Third question. Going great guns.

What name is given to the group of languages which consists of Welsh, Cornish and Breton?

-It's got to be that part of...

-Brythonic sounds a little bit Welsh, but then...

-Yeah.

-Dacian.

-Sudovian doesn't sound right.

-No.

-It sounds more Eastern European.

-I'm kind of thinking Dacian.

Can we rule any of these out?

-Initially.

-No! I don't think so.

-Bryth sounds more Welsh.

-That might be made up.

-It's Welsh, though.

-"Onic" is not very French.

And we have Breton.

If I was going to stand by one,

-the one I'd stand by least is Sudovian.

-Yes.

-Is Bryth too Welsh and nothing else but Welsh?

-That's what I'm thinking.

The language of Cornish. Does that borrow heavily from...?

-They're all kind of Celtic languages.

-Dacian... Yeah.

-I think that we don't know.

-Let's go for it.

The only thing for Sudovian is the sort of south...

-Sudovian...south.

-And so Cornwall. But then...

-Are we talking ourselves out of it?

-But then Breton is northern France.

-That's true.

-So...

-So do we think we're happy enough going with Dacian?

-Yeah.

-We don't know, do we?

-We don't know the answer, Jeremy,

but we'll go with Dacian.

Dacian is your answer. Eggs?

-Brythonic.

-Brythonic! What is Dacian, Eggs?

-What's now Romania.

-OK. Wrong. It's not Dacian. Brythonic.

Eggheads, get this to win.

What is the nickname of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia?

Anyone have an inkle?

-I've heard all of those.

-Ah. Right.

They call Perth the City of Lights because they lit it up and went over.

It's one of the other two.

I can't honestly say they jumped out at me.

I was thinking City of Churches,

but I don't know why.

I think it might be...

-Why do I think flowers?

-Oh, OK.

-Why do I think flowers?

You reckon there's something there?

And yet I've heard of City of Churches.

-City of Churches...

-It was a pretty stuffy place.

Let's go for churches.

-You sure?

-I can't make up my mind.

It wouldn't be flowers. It's quite arid. And City of Lights is Perth.

So it used to be fairly religious. Go with City of Churches.

As long as you're happy.

I'm happy enough with that. It may well be.

Shall we go for it?

Yeah. We don't know, Jeremy,

but I've got an inkle for City of Churches.

-Do you know if they're right?

-We think they are.

The answer is City of Churches. Congratulations. You have won.

It is hard with just one question wrong.

They just know their stuff. But thank you very much for playing. Good to see you.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them. They reign again after blowing the jackpot last time.

So you won't be going home with the £1,000, so the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, many congratulations. Who will beat you?

Join us next time to see if a new team have the brains to defeat them. £2,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.

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