Episode 126 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

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

They are the Eggheads!

And taking on our general knowledge geniuses today

are Family Affair.

As their name suggests, this quiz-loving team are all related,

and when the whole clan comes together at Christmas,

team captain Gordon is on hand to set them a quiz.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Gordon, I'm 63 years of age and I'm a retired company director.

Hello, I'm John, I'm 60 years of age and I'm an accountant.

Hi, I'm Katy, I'm 29 and I'm an associate director.

Hi, I'm Linda, I'm 59 and I'm a customer service assistant.

Hi, I'm Lucy, I'm 30 and I'm a commissioning editor.

-Gordon and team, welcome.

-Thank you very much.

-Good to see you. So just the relationships...?

-Gordon and John are brothers.

-Yes.

-John is my younger brother.

-Right.

-And then my daughter Katy.

-Katy.

-My sister-in-law Linda.

-Linda is married to John?

-No, Linda is married to my wife...

is the sister of my wife!

-My wife's called Linda as well.

-Oh, I see!

-I do that every time.

-And then, Lucy, you're involved...?

-This is my mum.

-OK, so you have met before today,

you are definitely a family. And you set the questions, Gordon, when it comes to Christmas...?

Well, I download them off the web. I like taking part in quizzes as well,

so I don't look at the answers and we split into two teams,

-and my brother and I are very competitive and we try and beat each other every time.

-Excellent.

-And do you watch Eggheads?

-I watch them every night. I'm retired, so I enjoy it, it's like a second home!

We get quite a few teams in here who do watch every single one.

And they can sometimes remember better than we can, you know, rounds and questions and all that.

Do you find as you watch the programme you get better knowledge or...?

Very much so, but it's luck on the day. The questions are always easy if you know the answers!

Or in my case remember the answers!

Well, they know a lot of answers, this lot over here, so we'll see how you do. Good luck! Good luck!

Every day there is £1,000 worth of cash up for grabs.

However, if the challengers fail to defeat the Eggheads, the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, Family Affair, the Eggheads have won the last five games,

which means that £6,000 says you can't beat them today. Shall we try?

-We'll do our best.

-Good luck.

The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Geography.

-Who would like this?

-Geography?

-Didn't you say you would do Geography?

-Linda, did you want to do that?

-Oh, first!

-You've got to go first! I'm not going first!

-You did say you wanted to do Geography.

-I'll do Geography, yeah.

Linda, OK. Against which Egghead? Who looks lost?

-Who looks ungeographical?

-I think they're all very good.

-Dave is a total unknown to us.

Shall we go with Dave?

-Take on Dave, the new one.

-Take on Dave.

-Dave, yeah.

So Linda from Family Affair versus Tremendous Knowledge Dave, as we call him, from the Eggheads.

If you'd like to take your positions in the Question Room, we'll get cracking!

-Linda, you like to quiz?

-Yes, yes, we do.

-In pubs?

-It has been known to quiz in a pub, yes.

-It's all right, you don't have to deny it.

Most people do who come through this studio.

And do you have particular subjects you like?

Well, I know lots about... not lots about everything, but I know broad general knowledge,

-rather than any specialist subject.

-OK, good luck in Geography.

You're up against Tremendous Knowledge Dave. Three multiple-choice questions.

-You can choose the first or second set, Linda.

-I'll definitely go first.

Here we go. Good luck.

Ipswich is a town in which English county?

I know this one. Well, I hope I know it. It's in Suffolk.

Well done. You're quite right. Suffolk is correct.

Tremendous Knowledge Dave,

Gibraltar is situated off which of Spain's coasts?

I'll go south, but, er...

Yeah, south, I think.

Yeah, south!

It's just sometimes with geography questions,

I can't get maps in my head.

So sometimes you think something's too obvious...

Is that, what do you call it? Navigational blindness or whatever?

Do you have that when driving

-and you don't know if it's left or right?

-Yeah, that kind of thing.

-I have that.

-I don't drive so maybe that's the problem.

-Well, that would be, yeah.

-Yeah.

Linda, in terms of population, what is the largest city in the US state of Nevada?

Well, I would say...

it's either Las Vegas or Reno, so...

Go for the obvious, Las Vegas.

Las Vegas is the right answer. Well done. Well done.

So they're ahead.

Let's see what you can do here, Dave.

The Louvre Museum, Tuileries Gardens and the Palais-Royal

are all located in which of Paris's arrondissements?

Er...I've got no idea.

I'll go 5th.

No, 1st is the answer. So you're ahead, Linda. You can knock Dave out

if you get this right. Here we go.

Where is the popular tourist area, Tsim Sha Tsui located?

And I'll spell it for you - Tsim is T-S-I-M, Sha is S-H-A

and Tsui is T-S-U-I.

I've...I don't know. I've not been to Singapore, Hong Kong or Thailand.

And it sounds like it could be in any of them.

I'm going to say...

..Hong Kong.

Let's see if your team... Do you think she's right with Hong Kong?

-We're not sure.

-We're not really sure.

Any of you guys know?

-Yeah, Hong Kong.

-Yeah, Hong Kong is right!

-Well done!

-Well done, Linda.

Linda, you've knocked an Egghead out. Sorry, Dave.

That means, Linda, you will be in the final round. It's a good start for your team.

Fantastic quizzing! Come back here and rejoin us and we will play on.

-So a good start for the challengers.

-Absolutely! Very pleased.

-So pleased.

-The strategy is in place!

Well done, Linda. Let's see where it goes from here.

You've lost no brains. The Eggheads have lost a brain. And we play on. Your subject now is Science.

-Who would like this?

-Want to go again, Linda?(!)

-Up to you girls or guys.

-I don't know.

-I'm not very good with Science.

-John?

-Don't fancy it.

-You don't fancy Science?

-Well, one of us has got to do it, so...

-Lucy?

-I'll do it.

-You sure?

-Yeah.

-You're definitely sure?

-Yeah.

-Well, it's not my best...

-No, no, but...that's the way it's going to be.

Lucy, OK, on Science. And which Egghead? Can't be Dave.

-I'll try Daphne, I think.

-Oh!

-No?

-They're all clever!

-OK...I don't know...

-Daphne?

-Go on!

-Daphne?

-Maybe Daphne.

-Go with Daphne.

All right, so Lucy from Family Affair versus our Daphne from the Eggheads on Science.

And just to ensure there's no conferring, please, take your positions.

OK, good luck in this round. Three questions and Lucy, would you like the first or second set?

I think I'm going to go first, please.

Here's your first question. What is the chemical symbol for cadmium?

What is the chemical symbol for cadmium, Lucy?

Well, I think Ca is calcium...

But I'm not sure about the other two.

Cadmium?

Cadmium has a D.

I think I'm going to go for Cd.

Cd is correct.

Hooray!

Our periodic table is a constant source of trouble for us, isn't it?

-Chris, you any good on this?

-Yeah, well...

-Ca is...?

Ca is calcium, C's carbon, Cd's cadmium.

OK, any other Cs we should know?

Cu is copper.

-Cf, californium.

-Californium, yeah.

-Cf, californium.

-Cs, caesium.

-Cs, yes, it's caesium.

-Yeah.

They know a lot about the periodic table. It does come up a lot.

Well done, Lucy. Daphne, your question.

Emesis is the technical name for what?

Could you spell it, slowly?

-E...

-Yes.

-M...

-Mm-hm.

-E...

S-I-S.

Emesis.

Yes, sorry, I couldn't hear the M.

So I assume it's vomiting,

like an emetic.

You've got it right. Vomiting is the answer.

OK, Lucy...

The bonobo or pygmy chimpanzee is native to which continent?

Ooh...

I think I've got a few friends who are going to be shouting this...

at me if I get it wrong.

Ooh...

I haven't really spent much time in any of these places...

Asia, Africa...

I think it's going to be a complete guess...

bonobo...?

But something is telling me, I don't know what it is,

but Africa...

Africa is correct.

Well done!

They're playing well, they're playing well! OK, Daphne...

what name is given to the space between the bones of the skull in an infant

where ossification is not complete and the sutures not fully formed?

Oh, that's fontanelle.

Fontanelle is quite right. Well done.

OK, Lucy, your question, third one for you. Here we go.

The British scientist Sir Martin Evans was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize for Medicine

for his work on what?

Ooh...

Really not sure about this.

Could you repeat the question, please?

Sure. The British scientist Sir Martin Evans

was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize for Medicine for his work on what?

Well, I really know nothing about this particular subject,

but 2007...wasn't too long ago,

so I'm swinging between growth hormones and stem cells.

I'm going to go with growth hormones.

-No, it is stem cells.

-Oh!

Two out of three. Let's see if Daphne can take the round.

What type of creatures belong to the Ranidae family?

What type of creatures, Daphne, belong to the Ranidae family?

They're frogs.

-You're sure about that?

-Yes.

-How do you know that?

-Er...

-Somebody told you?

-I've read it somewhere.

-Whenever I ask you that, you say that.

-Yes.

Well, you got it right. It is frogs, so, Lucy, sorry...

she's knocked you out, but good quizzing there. Daphne, you will be in the final.

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

So as it stands the challengers have lost a brain now. The Eggheads have also lost a brain

from the all-important final round. And the next subject for you is Film & Television.

How about this one?

-You, Katy, I'm afraid.

-Go on, Katy.

-OK.

Katy? OK, which Egghead, Kevin or Judith or Chris?

-Er...

-Chris?

-Chris is good on... Chris is good.

-Yeah, Chris is good.

-Go with Judith, then.

-Judith.

Judith, please.

-Judith, you're smiling.

-I'm smiling, yes, in the face of adversity!

-This is a good one for you, isn't it?

-Well, sometimes.

Sometimes not.

All right. Let's see if it's a sometimes or a sometimes not.

Katy versus Judith. Please, go to the question room now.

So I'm going to ask each of you three questions on Film & Television in turn,

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

I think I'd like the first, please.

Here we go. Good luck.

The 1984 film Gremlins is set at what time of the year?

Oh, I haven't seen this film.

I think I'm going to go with Christmas.

-Bang on! Well done!

-Well done, Katy!

Not an easy question that, actually, if you haven't seen it.

I've seen it and I wouldn't know.

Judith, Suranne Jones played Karen McDonald in which TV soap?

Can you say all that again?

Suranne Jones - spelt S-U-R-A-N-N-E -

played Karen McDonald in which TV soap?

Well, I'm sure that's not EastEnders.

So I'll have to guess at one of the others

because I don't watch either of the others,

but I do watch EastEnders.

Suranne... I think Hollyoaks.

I think Dave will know the answer to this.

It's Corrie, Coronation Street, Steve McDonald's ex-wife.

And you love EastEnders, Judith, so you were able to rule that one out,

-but you don't watch Corrie.

-Well, I can't watch them all.

I mean, I'd never get off the telly, would I?

Coronation Street is the answer. Katy, you're in the lead

after one question. This is good news. Your second question.

Which British actor plays the role of Nicholas Brody in the US TV series Homeland?

My dad's going to kill me for this one

cos he's been watching it and I haven't!

Er... I think... For some reason, I'm going towards Damian Lewis.

So I'd like to go with that, please.

Damian Lewis is correct.

OK, your question, Judith.

See if you can get one right.

What is the profession of Jamie Foxx's character in the 2004 film Collateral?

Oh, dear!

Oh, dear!

Jamie Foxx...

..in Collateral.

I don't know, I don't know... God!

-A doctor.

-Nyah.

-Instead of saying no, I kind of made a noise, nyah!

-You did.

The answer is cab driver.

Judith, it's 2-0.

I can see that(!)

You've been knocked out. Katy, well done. You're in the final round.

-Good for your team!

-What a team!

And if you come back to us we shall play on.

-Good work, Katy.

-Thanks.

-You knocked out the Egghead.

-Not difficult in this case.

-No, it was a tough round.

-No, I should have known about the McDonalds.

-What, in Coronation Street?

Katy knew all about the McDonalds in Coronation Street.

You didn't get a question wrong. Good for your team. Are you feeling a bit confident now, Gordon?

We're never confident. We'll do our best. That's all we can do.

OK, so as it stands, the challengers have lost one brain, the Eggheads have lost two brains

-from the final round. And the last subject before the final is Music.

-Oh!

Who is the muso?

-Afraid it's me.

-OK. Gordon against which Egghead? It can be Kevin or Chris.

Er... Ooh...

What do you think?

I think I'll go against Chris, if I may, please.

OK, so it's Gordon from Family Affair versus Chris on Music.

-Music today, Chris, obviously not rap.

-Well...

-Ballet, you like?

Opera, ballet, classical stuff...

'50s, '60s, not so much '70s, '80s, '90s cos that's all rubbish!

-The stuff I grew up with, yeah.

-OK.

So, Gordon against Chris, and please go to the question rooms now.

-Gordon, you're retired now, I gather?

-I am, I retired about four years ago.

-And pursuing your passions?

-I'm still looking at odd things, yes.

-Go on, what is it? Supercars, I gather?

-Supercars is one of them. I belong to a car club.

And occasionally if the sun is out I shall go and get a nice drophead and go off around the country roads

-near Woking where I live.

-That's lovely. So you can get a car out for the weekend or something?

Absolutely, yes. A whole range of absolute supercars, Porsches, Ferraris, Lamborghinis...

-wonderful.

-Marvellous. What do they feel like when you get in one of those monsters?

Absolutely wonderful! I've always loved supercars, never been able to afford to buy one,

and I don't think I'd want to buy one even if I could.

It's just great fun to hire for a weekend.

Anyway, good luck in this round.

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

and, Gordon, you can choose the first or second set.

I'd like to go first, please, Jeremy.

Here we go. Which duo performed the comic song The Gnu

in which the animal describes itself as "the g-nicest work of g-nature in the zoo"?

Well, it's from my era.

Certainly before Chas and Dave.

Not Hinge and Bracket.

I'd have to go for Flanders and Swann.

Flanders and Swann is the right answer.

Do you know this song, Chris?

# I'm a gnu

# A g-nother gnu... # Yeah!

-Go on, do us a bit more.

-That's all I know of that one.

OK. Here's your question. How many songs are there on the Beatles album Let It Be?

It's double-sided vinyl with six each side so it's 12.

Well done. You're spot-on. 12 is the right answer.

I actually have it indoors.

Yes, I have it indoors. It's got Maggie Mae on it...

-One After 909.

-Dig My Pony, is it called?

-Long And Winding Road...

-Yeah.

-Across The Universe.

-Yes.

OK, your question, Gordon.

"You light the skies up above me, a star so bright you blind me",

are the opening lyrics to which Take That song?

That's one of the newer songs. I hear it on the radio all the time.

So I'll rule out Back For Good straightaway.

And I know it's not Patience, so it must be Rule The World.

Very good! It would have been easy to trip up on this one.

Rule The World is right!

Playing well, is Gordon.

-Come on, Dad!

-His team could do it here. OK, Chris, your question.

Which American country singer topped the 2012 Billboard Money Makers List

after earning 35.7 million?

Whoa!

Garth Brooks is the biggest earner of all time...

I'll have to go down the middle, Taylor Swift.

Yeah, you've got it, actually. Taylor Swift is right.

-Is she the one where there was that fuss with Kanye West?

-Yes.

-She was given an award for a video...

-And he got up...

And he got up and said, "My video's better!" or somebody else's video...

-Yeah.

-OK. Chris on 2

and Gordon on 2. Third question.

The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is based in which city?

It's one word this, Gordon. It's spelt concert and G-E-B-O-U-W.

OK?

Mmm... Er...

Well...

I think I'm going to rule out Berlin

which leaves me Brussels and Amsterdam.

Could you just repeat the spelling again, Jeremy, please?

Yeah. C-O-N-C-E-R-T-G-E-B-O-U-W.

O-U-W...?

I think I'm going to go for Amsterdam, then, from Holland.

-What leads you there?

-The spelling a little bit

and the rest is just guesswork!

-You've got it right.

-Fantastic!

Three out of three. Amsterdam is right. Couldn't ask for more.

OK, Chris, to stay in the round. The jazz musician Art Tatum,

who was virtually blind, was best known for his expertise on which instrument?

Art Tatum...?

Art Tatum...?

Not a trumpet player. And I don't think he was a pianist.

I think he was a saxophonist. Saxophone.

-Dave, do you know this one?

-Well, Daphne...

-tells me he's a pianist.

-Pianist.

-Pianist?

-Yes.

-Sorry, Chris.

-Mm-hm?

-He plays the piano.

So you're going to be playing the piano in the sin bin

during the final round. Gordon, well done.

-You're through to the final.

-Thank you.

-Nice work.

Well, this leaves it rather interestingly poised.

Please, both of you, come back to us and we will play that final round.

So this is what we have been playing towards and it's time for the final round,

which as always is General Knowledge,

but I'm afraid those of you who lost your head-to-heads won't be allowed to take part in this round.

So, Lucy from Family Affair, and Chris, Dave and Judith from the Eggheads,

would you please now leave the studio?

So, Gordon, John, Katy and Linda, you are playing to win Family Affair £6,000.

Daphne, and Kevin, you're playing for something that money can't buy...

the Eggheads' reputation.

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

This time, the questions are all General Knowledge. You are allowed to confer.

So, Gordon, John, Katy and Linda,

the question is, are your four brains capable of overwhelming the Eggheads' two?

Now, Katy, I know you were involved in the record-breaking world's tallest pancake tower.

-Yeah.

-You made the pancakes for it, did you?

Yeah, I worked with a number of colleagues to make 725 pancakes.

-And that broke the record?

-Yeah.

-Let's see if you can knock over this leaning tower of Eggheads now!

OK, to business. Would you like to go first or second?

-Well, I think we've gone first all the time, haven't we?

-Yeah.

-So...

-I'm happy with first. Happy?

-Yes, we'll go first.

-Yeah.

-First it is, please, Jeremy.

Good luck. Here we are in the final. £6,000 to play for.

Which football club did Graham Taylor manage from 1987 to 1990

and then again from 2002 to 2003?

Well, he started at Lincoln City as a manager,

then he went to Watford, then he went to Aston Villa.

Did he go back to Watford?

-Is he...? I don't know.

-I always relate Graham Taylor with Watford.

So he had two spells there...

I think that's it...

Mmm... I think you're right. I think it was Watford.

Shall we go with Watford?

Watford, yes?

Well, Matt never mentions him about Aston Villa, so...

Do you think Elton John got him back for another year?

What about the years?

When was he England...? That was '80s...? Early '80s?

No, I definitely think it's Watford.

-Yeah. I think we'll go for that.

-OK.

Yes, we'll go for Watford, Jeremy.

-Watford is wrong.

-Oh!

It's Aston Villa.

Oh, Matt's going to kill us.

He must have done... Let's just work that out.

He was manager when Watford got to the Cup final in '84

and lost to Everton. He was the manager then at Watford.

And then he moved on later to Aston Villa,

-went back to Aston Villa.

-I didn't know he went back.

-Was he at Watford twice?

-As far as I know, yeah...

-He was at Aston Villa twice.

-Yes, exactly.

Sorry, guys, the answer is Aston Villa.

OK, Eggheads, your first question.

Who became the Secretary of State for Defence in October 2011?

-Philip Hammond.

-Philip Hammond.

Yep, that is Philip Hammond.

Philip Hammond is the right answer.

OK, your question, Family Affair. Don't worry, you can still win.

In March 2012 who became the first person to attract 20 million followers on Twitter?

Justin Bieber.

-I don't know.

-I think it was Lady Gaga.

No, I think it was Justin Bieber.

Katy's going to know more than we know about celebrities.

-If I get it wrong...

-But I'm sure I read something about Lady Gaga

having 20 million...

I'd have thought Lady Gaga has a bigger following than Justin Bieber.

-No...

-I'm certain, I read this recently...

-No.

-I'm not a celebrity person,

but I'm sure I remember seeing something about Lady Gaga...

I'm positive it's Justin Bieber.

-Positive?

-Well...

-That's good enough for me.

If you're positive, then we'll go for it.

-If you're positive, Katy...

-No, because you're going to be cross.

-No, we're not.

-No, I think it's Justin Bieber.

Fine. Then, that's good enough for me.

-OK. We're all in this together.

-Oh, pressure!

Last chance to change your mind.

No, I'm sure it's Justin Bieber.

OK, there we are. We will go with Justin Bieber.

OK. Well, it is a Family Affair.

Let me just ask these two.

-Lady Gaga.

-Yeah, it's Lady Gaga.

Oh, no!

-It is Lady Gaga!

-I'm sorry!

It's lucky you're all family. You can all forgive each other.

-I was sure it was him.

-I know why Katy said that, actually.

Being on Twitter...there is a massive Justin Bieber thing.

-I don't understand it.

-Yeah.

Every other tweet seems to be about Justin Bieber.

I don't understand it. But no, the answer was Lady Gaga.

-Sorry.

-It's all right, darling.

Here is your question, Eggheads.

The writers Anthony Burgess, Leslie Charteris and William Golding

died in which year?

If you get this right, the contest is over.

Yeah, 1993.

-Yeah.

-Cos Golding won the Nobel Prize for Literature in '83.

-Yes.

I knew that rang a bell.

It rings bells with all of them. '93.

-Yeah.

-We think that's 1993.

1993 is the correct answer,

-So we say congratulations, Eggheads!

-Well done.

-You have won!

-You honestly played brilliantly.

-I feel like I lost it!

-No, you didn't.

The first answer wrong is very costly as well.

You know, often they get three right, so...

My future son-in-law is an Aston Villa supporter... OK?

-OK.

-And he's marrying my daughter in two months' time

-and I will never hear the end of this from Matt!

-It's going to be awkward.

But, listen, great to see you. Clearly prime quizzers, so thank you very much indeed

for giving them a run for their money.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them,

and they still reign supreme over quiz land.

It means you won't be going home with the £6,000 so 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. £7,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd