Episode 122 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 awesome quiz champions today are Larger Than Life.

These friends met whilst studying at Durham University.

Their team name comes from the fact that they are all tall.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Sean, I'm 22 and I'm an international sales rep.

Hi, I'm Pip, I'm 22 and I'm studying for a master's in criminology.

Hi, I'm Josh, I'm 22 and I'm studying sports science.

Hi, I'm Flo, I'm 23 and I'm a bartender.

Hi, I'm Fraser, I'm 27 and I'm a PhD student in physics.

Sean and team, welcome. I was also at Durham

and I'm also quite tall, so I relate completely.

-Is it a coincidence that you're all tall?

-Not really.

You met through tallness.

-We met through rowing.

-Through rowing.

So who are the main rowers?

The three of us.

I saw, in one of the great descriptions of a team we've had,

that the others met at a Smurf-themed party.

Yeah, that was my 21st party.

-You decided to have a Smurf theme.

-Well, Smurfs or fairies or a mix of both.

So I was a Smurf fairy.

Great to have some Durham University people. The most beautiful city

and I loved my student days there. I think I was there before you!

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

If they fail to beat the Eggheads, it rolls over to the next show.

So, Larger Than Life, the Eggheads have won the last game,

which means that £2,000 says you can't beat them today.

-Ready to give it a go?

-Yes.

First head-to-head battle is on Music.

-Which one of you would like this?

-Josh, that'd be you.

-Josh...

-Josh is quite up on his music.

OK. Which Egghead? You can have any of them.

-I reckon Barry.

-I'm thinking Barry. He looks quite nervous.

Barry looks nervous!

-He always looks like that!

-He's quaking at the sight of Josh!

OK, so Josh from Larger Than Life.

When Barry walks out from behind there, he is actually six foot nine.

Sideways!

Josh versus Barry from the Eggheads

and to ensure there's no conferring, please go to our question room.

Josh, what's the connection with music?

You wear headphones all the time?

Basically, yeah, I've been an avid listener of lots of genres of music

-since I was 10 or 11.

-So can you range wider than just the charts?

Well, I listen to the charts,

but when I was younger, it was punk rock and heavy metal

and I like to listen to opera now.

Oh, I'm glad you mention opera, cos sometimes it does catch people out.

I will ask each of you three questions on music.

Whoever answers the most correctly wins. Josh, first or second?

Can I go second, please?

Here we go. Good luck to you both.

Barry, who released her 12th studio album, entitled MDNA, in 2012?

MDNA.

That sounds like a pseudo-acronym.

If you add a couple of As, an O and an N, you get Madonna,

so I guess it's Madonna.

Madonna is quite right.

Josh, your question.

The title of a popular World War I song

by Harry Castling and Harry Carlton

is The Tanks That Broke The Ranks Out In... where?

No, I've not heard of this.

Erm, but, out of the three, the one that makes the most sense,

with tanks, would be Normandy. so I'll go for Normandy.

We've got Chris here. He'll know.

The Western Front didn't get as far west as Normandy or Brittany,

so it's the tanks in Picardy, as in "roses are blooming in Picardy".

The Tanks That Broke The Ranks Out In Picardy is the answer.

Sorry, Josh. Barry, over to you.

Which actor won a Tony award for best leading actor in a musical

in 1987

for his performance in the Broadway production of Me And My Girl?

I think I remember this. I think Robert Lindsay was in it,

so that's my answer.

You're right, it is Robert Lindsay.

Josh, which band's UK hit singles have included

Get Down On It, Joanna

and Cherish?

Again, I've no idea.

I've never heard of any of those bands.

I'll go down the middle and say The Commodores.

Josh, I'm sorry, it's Kool And The Gang,

who were before your time and not punk.

So no way back, that's it.

You've been knocked out by Barry.

Barry will be in the final. Please rejoin your teams.

So the challengers have lost one brain from the final round.

The next subject is Sport. That's got to be your subject.

-Who wants this?

-It would've been me, but...

Do we want to keep you for general knowledge?

Yeah, shall I try? I'll do Sport.

-Right, Fraser.

-Fraser on Sport.

-Against which Egghead? Can't be Barry.

-Judith?

-Yep?

-Yeah, Judith.

So Fraser from Larger Than Life against Judith from the Eggheads.

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

Here we go, three questions on Sport

and whoever answers the most goes through. Fraser, first or second?

Ladies first, so I'll go second.

Judith Keppel.

In 1892, Goodison Park became the home ground of which football team?

-Goodison Park.

-Yep.

Well, it's not Fulham, cos that's Craven Cottage.

Er, I think Everton's something else. I think it's Aston Villa.

-Er, it's wrong actually.

-It's Everton.

-It's a hard one.

It's Everton.

Fraser, you're in the lead without answering a question.

What name is given to the occasion in a tennis tie-break

when a player wins a point on an opponent's serve?

Er, yes, I've watched a fair amount of tennis,

so... I would... tend towards

-mini-break?

-Mini-break is the answer, Fraser.

OK. Judith, your question.

In cricket, the first ever one-day international

was contested in January 1971

between Australia and which country?

-England?

-England is right.

SHE LAUGHS Good.

We went into an area of knowledge there! OK.

Fraser, the boxer Mike Tyson was often known by which nickname?

Er...

I wouldn't know this from having actually heard it anywhere

that I could recall,

but for some reason, I'm tending towards Iron Mike

rather than Silver and Steel.

Iron Mike sounds a bit more like a boxer's nickname

than the other two, possibly, so I'm going to go with Iron Mike.

Iron Mike is correct, well done.

Iron Mike Tyson.

Judith, your question. If you get this one wrong, you're out.

The Targa Florio, first contested in Italy in 1906,

was an annual race in which sport?

Well, horses have been going for a long time,

so I don't think the first one would've been in 1906.

Targa. What does Targa mean?

Florio. Targa Florio.

-I think it's cars.

-So your answer is...

-Motor racing.

-Is correct.

-Is it?

-Well done.

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

At the 1920 Olympic Games, Oscar Swahn from Sweden

won a silver medal at the age of 72

in which sport?

His name is spelt Oscar and then Swahn - S-W-A-H-N.

Right, so this would have to be,...

er,... just a complete guess.

At the age of 72,

I would rule out maybe equestrianism and archery

just cos that would require, I think, a bit more... energy

and athleticism,

so I'm going to go with shooting with that respect.

Good logic. Shooting is right.

Well done, you take the round.

Judith has been knocked out and you will be in the final.

Please rejoin your teams and we'll play on.

The challengers have lost one brain, the Eggheads have lost one as well.

And we go to Arts & Books.

Arts & Books, who wants this?

-Flo, that's got to be you.

-I would reckon.

-I won't have a clue.

-Flo?

-Yeah.

Who would you like to take on? It can be Chris or Daphne or Pat.

Er...

-Pat?

-Any preference?

-Let's go for Pat.

-Pat.

-Pat. OK.

Flo from Larger Than Life versus Pat from the Eggheads.

Please take your positions.

Flo, Arts & Books, you are the English student here.

-That's right.

-What did you study?

All sorts - science fiction, bit of Shakespeare, Chaucer, romantics...

No-one ever believes me when I say I studied science fiction.

-They're still doing that?

-Yeah, as a module.

-I did that module.

-Did you?

-I wonder if it's got more old-fashioned -

-it was Doris Lessing and people like that...

-Yep.

-Wow.

We read the same books, incredible. OK, good luck.

Arts & Books against Pat. Flo, first or second set of questions?

Please can I go second?

Pat, serigraphy is another name for which art practice?

Well, I think sericulture is the breeding of silkworms to make silk,

so I think this is silkscreen printing.

It is silkscreen printing, you're right.

Flo, your question.

What name links a number of humorous books and plays

by writer Michael Green in which he pokes fun at the inadequacies

of amateur dramatics?

Erm... I think that the only one I've actually heard of

out of those three is Coarse Acting.

Erm, I really don't know the answer to this question.

Er...

I think I'm going to go with Coarse Acting.

You do know the answer. Coarse Acting it is. Good.

OK, Pat. In which year did Arthur C Clarke

set his final Space Odyssey novel?

Well, he started with the short story The Sentinel,

which, I think, became the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

I think he had a sequel

and then, I think the third part

was 3001.

3001 is correct.

-Is that on your reading list, Flo?

-Er, no.

I haven't read that either.

Your question. Whose painting, Portrait Of A Young Man,

was looted during World War II and has never been found?

Erm, again, I really don't know the answer to this question,

erm...

Portrait Of A Young Man.

I think I'm going to go with Raphael.

I'm not sure why, just a guess.

You must be the young Daphne, cos she's good at guessing.

-Raphael is correct.

-Phew...

Well done. OK.

So two points each. Third question.

Which author's long-lost story, L'Ingratitude,

written in French in the 1840s - excuse my accent -

was published for the first time in 2012?

I... You tend to hear of Jane Austen,

erm,... mostly her classic six... novels,

which are very definitely England-set.

I'm not sure about this.

The date, 1840s,

might be a bit late for Jane Austen, but I could be wrong.

It should be just about right for Charlotte Bronte, I think.

I don't know, I'm guessing here.

I'm going for Charlotte Bronte.

Charlotte Bronte

is the answer. Well done.

So a bit of tension here, Flo.

-Yeah.

-Got to get this right or you're knocked out.

-OK.

During his lifetime, which American dramatist

won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama three times

for the plays Anna Christie, Strange Interlude and Beyond the Horizon?

Erm, the only one of those I've actually read

is Eugene O'Neill,

but I've never read the three plays that you just mentioned.

For some reason, Strange Interlude

sounds like something O'Neill would entitle a play as.

I don't think it's Thornton Wilder.

Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill

are far more familiar names to me than Thornton Wilder,

which could mean that the three plays,

as I haven't heard of them, could be Thornton Wilder.

Erm, but...

I think I'm going to go with Tennessee Williams.

I'm not sure why.

Your guessing has been good so far. Let's see if the Eggheads know this.

-ALL: Eugene O'Neill.

-It's Eugene O'Neill.

I'm sorry, you're wrong.

That means Pat has knocked you out.

Pat, you're in the final round. Flo, you're not.

Please rejoin your team-mates.

The challengers have lost two brains, the Eggheads have lost one.

One more subject before the final round and it is Geography.

Who would like this?

It's got to be Pip or Sean.

Rock, paper, scissors?

-Yeah, OK.

-Yeah?

-Rock, paper, scissors, let's see this.

One, two...

-Oh, no.

-Me.

The rock blunts the scissors, that's right.

So, Pip, it's Geography for you.

Which Egghead? Or maybe they should do rock, paper, scissors.

-It could be Daphne or Chris.

-I'd rather Daphne.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I'll challenge Daphne.

So Pip from Larger Than Life against Daphne from the Eggheads.

And so there's no conferring, take your positions in the question room.

I will ask each of you three questions on Geography.

Pip - first or second set?

I'll go for the first one, please.

Pip, good luck. Which continent is sometimes referred to

as the Great White Continent?

Well, I would've thought,

from the name, it would be Antarctica.

But that seems a bit too easy.

I'm going to have to take a guess and say Antarctica.

Well done, you're right. That's good.

It was almost too obvious. You were looking for a catch.

Daphne, the European immigrant Jonas Bronck

gave his name to a river and borough

in which American city?

I didn't know there was a river,

but I assume it's New York.

New York, the Bronx, I guess, of course.

OK, one each. Pip,

Rangoon, also known as Yangon,

is a city in which country?

That doesn't sound Nigerian.

Yangon.

Again, it'll have to be a guess.

Burma?

Burma is correct. Very good.

Your question, Daphne.

Tyddewi is the Welsh name for which part of Wales?

Mmm.

I do not... I can't even get a handle on it.

Erm...

I've no idea.

I will guess at Gower Peninsula?

The answer is St Davids.

Pip, you're in the lead. Get this right, you're in the final round.

Here we go. Your team will go crazy.

What is the name of the Australian road

which links the cities of Perth and Kalgoorlie?

Uhh...

I've no idea.

Erm...

Great Eastern Highway sounds quite... a prestigious road.

Erm...

I'm going to rule out... Dampier Highway.

So I'm torn between the two.

For some reason, I'm now changing my mind to Dampier Highway.

So...

I'm going with Dampier Highway.

It's not, it's Great Eastern Highway.

-You ruled it out cos it looked like a boring name?

-Yeah.

-I thought so.

You're still in the lead and we'll see what Daphne does.

Daphne, Turku is the former capital of which country?

-Finland.

-Finland is correct.

You're equal. Well done, Daphne. We go to sudden death.

It gets harder because I don't give you alternatives.

The historical port of Jaffa became part of which city in 1950?

Mmm...

Erm,... I haven't got a clue,

I'm going to say the first thing that comes into my head

-and that's Berlin.

-Berlin, OK.

-Flo, you'll know this.

-I said Tel Aviv,

but that's only because there's a Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem.

I saw that you'd been to Israel. Yes, Tel Aviv is the answer.

It is in Israel, not Germany.

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

In which country is the Gulf of Ob?

-OP?

-O-B.

Russia.

-Eh?

-Russia.

-How did you do that?

-Is it right?

Yes! You looked so surprised, I thought you couldn't know it.

Sorry, Pip. She's done what Daphne does.

I don't know how, but she's right. Daphne, you're in the final.

Pip, you've been knocked out. Please rejoin us for the final round.

This is what we've been playing towards - the final round,

which is general knowledge.

But those of you who lost your head-to-heads won't be taking part.

Pip, Josh and Flo from Larger Than Life and Judith from the Eggheads,

please now leave the studio.

Sean and Fraser, you are playing to win Larger Than Life £2,000.

Pat, Barry, Chris and Daphne,

you are playing for something that money can't buy - your reputation.

I will ask each team three questions in turn.

The questions are all general knowledge and you can confer.

Sean and Fraser, are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four?

Can you overcome them? Would you like to go first or second?

Erm... I think we'll go second.

Here we go, Eggheads.

In 1983, who described Margaret Thatcher

as the "best man in England"?

-Think it's Reagan.

-Was it?

Well, Mitterand described her as "Caligula"...

-I think Reagan...

-It wasn't Kinnock.

-No, no. no.

-Gorbachev?

I'm sure it's Ronald Reagan.

'83. Glasnost and Perestroika hadn't started.

I have a feeling it's Reagan.

If it's '83, it must be Reagan. Must be Reagan.

Yeah, they had a mutual-admiration society going.

Yeah, I'm happy with that.

-It's Ronald Reagan, Jeremy.

-Is correct.

Over to you guys.

In 1995, who was appointed Brazil's Extraordinary Minister of Sport?

Well, obviously everyone in Brazil's going to love Pele.

Yeah. Do you know the other two?

I'm not sure... I've heard of them,

but just because Pele seems that sort. Yeah.

We'll go Pele.

Pele is right. One each. Well done.

Back to you, Eggheads. Final round.

Gertrude Jekyll, who died in 1932,

designed around 400 what in her lifetime?

Gardens. Gardens.

Garden designer. Gardens, Jeremy.

Gardens is correct.

OK. Your second question.

In which country did the Zapotec civilisation originate?

It's spelt Z-A-P-O-T-E-C.

Aztec sort of thing?

That's what I was thinking.

South American sort of area.

I would exclude... exclude maybe Japan.

Kenya and Mexico have got a lot of tribes.

Tribal names. But I think I would tend towards Mexico

just because it's a similar ending to Aztec.

We'll go with that, I think.

-Yeah, we'll go with Mexico.

-Mexico is right. Two out of two.

Your team-mates are really pleased. OK, third question now.

Let's see if you can get this, Eggheads.

Demoiselle is a species of which bird?

It's a crane. Crane, crane.

Demoiselle crane, yeah.

It's a crane, Jeremy.

You're not really hesitating on these. Crane is the right answer.

OK, let's see if you can take them to sudden death.

This is the disadvantage of going second - pressure comes back to you.

Get this one right - sudden death. Get it wrong, it's over.

Which opera singer is the main character in Terrence McNally's play

Master Class?

Heard of any of them? I'm not that much of an opera guy.

Neither of us are, really.

Leaning towards Enrico, but... Do you like the name Enrico?

Yeah. Erm...

No reason other than that, really.

Master Class...

Could go Maria Callas cos it's a bit like Master Class?

Maria Callas. That's about the only...

Can go with that. At least it's a reason.

We'll go with Maria Callas.

-What was the reason?

-It sounds like Master Class.

You're right.

Is that a connection that's real?

-No.

-No.

So it's sudden death. Three each in the final round. It's exciting.

Eggheads, it's a bit harder. I do not give you alternatives.

Which businesswoman, who died in 2007,

founded the Body Shop chain?

Anita Roddick. Yeah?

Yeah. That was Anita Roddick, Jeremy.

Anita Roddick is correct. Well done.

OK. Sudden death.

Which Irish actor played Roy in the TV show The IT Crowd

and Nathan Rhodes in the film Bridesmaids?

It's not the one with glasses, it's the other one.

Yes...

Erm...

Oh, no.

I can picture him in The IT Crowd,

but I don't know... I can't remember his name.

Erm...

Shall we go with an Irish name of some sort?

I don't know, the guess isn't going to be the right guess.

Oh, no.

We're going to have to guess or pass.

Erm... Any good Irish names that might come up?!

Our guesses have been pretty good so far.

Ooh...

Brian... Finnigan?

Brian Finnigan, if that's a person.

-HE LAUGHS

-Sort of Identikit Irish name!

Brian Finnigan.

-Let's see if the Eggheads know.

-I think it's Chris O'Dowd.

-It is!

I know you knew it

and it does mean we have to say congratulations, Eggheads,

you have won!

But thank you for playing, from Durham University, good to see you.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally.

They still reign supreme over quiz land. Building up a streak maybe.

That means you don't win the £2,000,

so the money rolls over to the next show. Eggheads, congratulations.

Who will beat you?

Join us next time to see if a new team can defeat the Eggheads.

£3,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd