Episode 128 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 Challengers

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

They are the Eggheads.

And hoping to beat our quiz Goliaths today are the Wye's Guys.

This team of friends and family

all live near the River Wye

and have been quizzing together for the best part of 20 years.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Jane, I'm 64 and I'm a health and relationships writer.

Hello, I'm Brian, I'm 62 and I'm a property manager.

Hello, I'm Sheila, I'm 68 and I'm a semi-retired company director.

Hi, I'm Jon, I'm 61 and I'm a children's entertainer.

Hi, I'm Viv, I'm 65 and I'm a manager of a charity.

-Jane and team, welcome. Good to see you.

-Thank you.

-So you've been quizzing for a long time.

-Well, on and off. I wouldn't say that we're anoraks.

We're more friends. But enjoy quizzing.

-Where do you quiz?

-We usually quiz round and about

or at our local, The New Harp.

And the atmosphere there is good?

-It's pretty laidback.

-There's no fighting?

-Goodness, no!

When somebody loses the quiz, there's no violence breaking out?

As long as they take me outside, you know?!

Everyday there's £1,000 up for grabs for our Challengers.

If they fail to defeat the Eggheads, the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, Wye's Guys, the Eggheads have won the last seven games,

which means £8,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads today.

Would you like to start? Let's go for it.

The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Arts & Books.

-Who would like this?

-It's a tricky one.

-That's you, isn't it?

-Unless we have Music...

I think I'm going to have to offer myself as a sacrificial lamb.

Against which Egghead?

Erm...

OK. Dave. Let's go for it.

-Dave?

-Yes.

-All right, so Jane from Wye's Guys

versus Tremendous Knowledge Dave, as we call him, from the Eggheads.

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

You're answering questions on Books,

-and you've written some books, Jane. Sounds ideal.

-Let's hope so.

Tell us about your writing.

I've mainly written books on health and relationships.

Actually, I was on your show once, talking about one of my books.

-On Radio 2?

-But I was down the line, so you didn't actually see me.

Do we remember what our conversation was about?

-A hysterectomy.

-OK! I knew I shouldn't have asked that!

I'll ask three questions on Arts & Books in turn.

Whoever answers the most questions correctly goes through to the final.

Would you like to go first or second?

I'd like to go first, please.

Good luck. Brian Sewell became the art critic

of which newspaper in 1984?

Well, now,

Brian Sewell, a great character,

I think, unless my memory is playing great tricks on me,

has always worked, as long as I can remember, for The Evening Standard.

The Evening Standard is the right answer. Well done.

Dave, here's your question.

What is the name of the annual arts, music and performance festival

held at London's Southbank Centre,

which has been directed by the likes of

David Bowie and Jarvis Cocker?

I've never heard of it. Erm...

I'll go for Meltdown, but I've not heard of this one at all.

-It's Meltdown. You've got it right.

-Oh, right!

OK, Jane.

Which playwright and Oscar-winning screenwriter wrote the children's play

"The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew"?

Ooh. Now then...

It doesn't sound like the sort of thing Ronald Harwood would write,

but I'm probably totally wrong and it is.

Peter Shaffer...

Could it be him?

But since Robert Bolt has written historical plays,

I'm going to stick my neck on the line and say Robert Bolt.

I think you're good at quizzing. Robert Bolt is the right answer.

A little fragment of knowledge and you got there. Well done, Jane.

It's what the Eggheads do all the time.

Tremendous Knowledge Dave, who won the Man Booker Prize in 2005

for his novel The Sea?

I think, I could be very wrong, but I think it's John Banville.

John Banville is the right answer.

All right, Jane, your question...

In the 1990s, who was dubbed the "Million Pound Poet"

when he signed a reported one-million-pound deal with EMI?

Oh, crikey!

Well, now, let's see. Let's go through it.

Modern poetry, I have to say, isn't my thing.

I'm going to take a wild stab, without any great optimism at all,

and say Linton Kwesi Johnson.

It's actually Murray Lachlan Young.

OK, Dave, if you get this one right, you've taken the round.

For what does the letter "H" stand in the name of the American author HP Lovecraft?

I should know this but I don't, and I'm going to go Hamilton.

-No, it's Howard.

-Fair enough.

So we go to Sudden Death, Jane.

That means it gets a bit harder because I don't give you alternative answers.

The works of which artist were the subject of the 2012 Royal Academy exhibition

"A Bigger Picture",

which included pictures created using an iPad?

Oh, crikey... This is so not my sort of subject.

Erm...

Damien Hirst.

No. And I think you'll kick yourself when I tell you it's David Hockney.

It probably is your kind of art, actually.

OK, Dave, this for the round...

To which American-born painter did the artist Lord Leighton say

"You leave your pictures in such a sketchy, unfinished state.

"Why don't you ever finish them?"

Hm... I've never heard the quote. I'll go James Whistler.

James Whistler is the right answer!

Dave, well done, you're in the final.

Jane, you've been knocked out by Mr Whistler.

If you both come back, we will play the next round.

As it stands, the Challengers have lost one brain from the Final Round. The Eggheads have not lost a brain.

The next subject is Food & Drink. Who would like Food & Drink?

-How about Viv?

-Oh, yes, I'll do it.

OK, Viv, select an Egghead. Who looks least like the foodie?

A bit difficult... But I think I'll go for Pat.

OK. So Viv from Wye's Guys against Pat from the Eggheads on Food & Drink.

Please go to the Question Room now.

-Good luck in this round.

-Thank you.

I'll ask you three questions on Food & Drink. Viv, first or second?

I'll go first.

The leaves of the chard vegetable are typically which colour?

I grow them at home and they've got a white stalk and green leaves,

so I presume green.

I think that's a very good answer. If you grow them in your kitchen,

it must be right.

Green is the right answer. Well done.

Pat, what type of table service traditionally involves

transferring food from the left to a diner's plate

using a service dish?

Silver service is the more familiar term of those three. Erm...

I'm sure if you paid enough, perhaps you could be upgraded to gold,

but I've heard of silver service so I'll go with that.

Silver service is the right answer. Well done.

OK, one each.

Viv, what is the main ingredient of the street dish takoyaki?

Erm...

It sounds Asian.

Erm...

My first impression would be tuna,

but I'm not sure. Erm...

Eel.

You've gone tuna, then eel. I'm afraid it's the other one.

-Octopus.

-Yes.

-Sorry.

OK, Mr Egghead,

what type of food is a Cumberland Rum Nicky?

Well, there's the famous Cumberland sausage,

but the "Rum" and "Nicky" part seems to rule that out.

A Rum Nicky...

It could be a cheese.

Although rum is quite a strong flavour. Hm...

A fruit tart, I think you could definitely have rum in a fruit tart.

Various liqueurs and spirits can be added.

I've no idea, but fruit tart seems to make more sense than the other two.

Yes, you've done well there. Fruit tart is the right answer.

-A tricky one, Viv, wasn't it? Did you know that one?

-No, I didn't.

-Anyone had a Rum Nicky?

-No. I fancy one, though, now!

-It sounds good, doesn't it?

-Yes.

Viv. Asian black rice,

which is renowned for its health benefits,

is also known by which name?

You need to get this one right, Viv.

Erm...

It's known for its health benefits

so it shouldn't be forbidden, should it?

It's one of those questions I have no idea of the answer.

Devil's rice.

Jane, I wondered whether you'd come across this.

No, but I'd go for devil's rice.

-It's actually forbidden rice.

-Oh, really?

Forbidden rice is the answer.

There's no way back for you. Pat will be in the Final Round.

You've been knocked out. Please, both of you, rejoin your teams.

The Challengers have lost two brains from the Final Round.

The Eggheads have lost no brains.

This is the time, Wye's Guys, to turn it around and take an Egghead out.

The next subject is History.

There's only one person to do that, and that's Sheila.

-Sheila.

-I think, if it's all right with Jane,

I think I'd like to choose Chris, please.

OK. So Chris from the Eggheads versus Sheila from the Wye's Guys on History.

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

You've had an interesting life. You started your own business.

Quite a long time ago. So long ago, I've practically forgotten.

-What kind of thing were you doing?

-I'm in recruitment.

And you now spend a lot of time reading history books.

Well, if you live in a county like Herefordshire,

which is predominantly a medieval county,

you can't help but be interested because you're surrounded by it.

OK, three questions, multiple choice.

Good luck getting through to the final and knocking out Chris!

-Would you like to go first or second?

-I'd like to go first, please.

Here we go, Sheila. In British history,

which future king married a German princess in 1795

in return for financial assistance to pay off his debts?

Well, I think it's a bit early for Richard and Henry. Erm...

He didn't like her very much, did he? It was George IV.

He locked the doors at his coronation

so that she couldn't get in. George IV.

Brilliant. George IV. I can see you know your stuff.

You have a point. Over to Chris...

Where did the series of political repressions -

known as the Great Purge - occur in the 1930s?

That was Stalin consolidating his power in the Soviet Union.

It was indeed Stalin in the Soviet Union. Well done.

One each. Back to you, Sheila.

Constantine I abdicated from the throne of which country in 1917,

only to be reinstated as king three years later?

Well, with a name like Constantine,

I don't think it would really fit into Mexico. It's Greece.

It is indeed Greece.

Chris, here's your question.

The Battle of Java Sea took place during which war?

That was an engagement between the US Navy and Japanese Navy in WWII.

WWII is the right answer.

We've got two good history people here, I can tell.

Your third question, Sheila.

In 1864, which British explorer became the first European to see Lake Albert

on the border of the modern-day countries of Uganda

and the Democratic Republic of Congo?

Ah...

Well, it wasn't Flinders.

And I had somebody else in mind as you asked the question.

So... I think...

..I'm going to have a stab at Thomas Cavendish.

-Let's see if Chris knows this. Is she right?

-Er...

I'd be more inclined to Samuel Baker myself.

Samuel Baker is the answer, Sheila.

OK, your question for the round, Chris...

Which of Queen Victoria's sons was a haemophiliac?

Hm...

I honestly don't know. I'm not going to pass on it.

Just let me have a think. Erm...

One of them was rather strange

and was suspected of being Jack the Ripper at one time.

I think that was Arthur.

So Arthur's the answer.

-Sheila, is he right?

-Well, I'm not sure.

I know I would've said Arthur for... if he was the Duke of Connaught

and he was thought to be Jack the Ripper.

I don't think she had a son called Alfred, did she?

She did have a son called Leopold. I'm not sure.

-It's Leopold, Chris.

-Is it?

-Yes. Leopold was the haemophiliac.

So we go to Sudden Death.

He let you off the hook there, Sheila.

You've got to give me the answer. I don't give you alternatives.

Which building in London, popularly known as "Ally Pally",

first opened in 1873?

-Alexandra Palace.

-Well done, you. Alexandra Palace is correct.

Chris, which of Henry VIII's wives

was born near Dusseldorf?

Near Dusseldorf? Well, that's Germany.

Just down the road from Dusseldorf is Kleve, so it was Anne of Cleves.

Anne of Cleves is the right answer. Well done.

Sudden Death - History.

This is a good round.

In 1915, which American industrialist chartered a ship called the Oscar II

to sail people to a peace conference in Europe

in an attempt to halt World War I?

So presumably, he had no interest in armaments.

Erm...

I don't know.

Industrialist... I should...

I can't even think of an industrialist from that period.

I'm going to say Henry Ford.

-EGGHEADS LAUGH

-Eggheads, why are you laughing?

-It's correct.

-You got it right, Sheila.

Henry Ford it is!

OK, Chris,

this to stay in...

John Quincy Adams and which other American president

were born in 1767?

John Quincy Adams... 1767...

It's got to be one of the early 19th-century ones.

Er...

James K Polk.

No, it wasn't James K Polk. It was Andrew Jackson.

Sheila, you're in the Final Round. Well done.

You've knocked Chris out on Sudden Death.

Both of you, please come back and rejoin your teammates here.

Is the tide starting to turn for the Wye's Guys?

The Challengers have lost two brains.

The Eggheads have lost Chris.

The final round before the Final Round is Sport.

So, who wants this?

-I can't think who!

-Hard luck, Jon.

-We're all looking at you, Jon.

-Short-straw time.

Jon. OK. Against which Egghead? It's got to be Daphne or Barry.

Daphne?

-She's pretty good.

-Daphne's good at everything.

-She's smiling.

-She always does that!

-I will take Daphne into the booth.

-OK!

Jon from Wye's Guys versus Daphne from the Eggheads on Sport.

Please go to the Question Room now.

Jon, good luck in Sport.

-You work as a children's entertainer.

-It is true.

-You've done it for a long time.

-Yes. Don't remind me.

-Under which name?

-Wizard Wonky.

-That's the hardest job there is, I reckon!

-People think so.

I was a maths teacher, so I've turned the corner as an entertainer.

Do you not get exasperated and think, "This is madness"?

I think so, but somehow children like me and I quite like children,

so for me, it's an easy job.

We've got something in common. I think being with the Eggheads

is like controlling a class of small children.

-I've seen it.

-You've noticed that, have you?

-Absolutely!

Good luck. Three questions on Sport.

You can choose the first or second set, Jon.

I will choose the first set, please.

Here we go. In middle-distance running,

what name is given to a runner who leads the first section of a race

to ensure a fast time?

Gosh!

I think the tension's going to mean I'll need a pacemaker soon,

so I'll go for pacemaker.

Pacemaker is the right answer. Well done.

It's easy to stare at those three and get confused.

Daphne, in which sport might a competitor

be most likely to attempt a masse shot?

I think...

I think it's snooker.

-When did you last play snooker?

-I don't play!

But I seem to recall it in connection with billiards,

so snooker's close.

Snooker is the right answer. What is a masse shot?

You hold the cue vertically and apply an enormous amount of spin on the ball

to make it go in a semi-circle.

It's an extreme form of side spin.

There we are. Have you had a wasted youth, Pat?

Some of it, yes.

Jon, in 2012, who became the first footballer

to score five goals in a single Champions League match?

We don't talk about Ronaldo because he left us.

Wayne Rooney should've done. LAUGHTER

I have to admit and bow to Lionel Messi.

-That's my answer.

-Yes.

Lionel Messi's the right answer. Well done.

Daphne, which golf caddy did Tiger Woods hire

to replace Steve Williams in September 2011?

It was Joe LaCava.

Joe LaCava is the right answer. Back to you, Jon.

Which horse became the longest-priced winner in the history of the Cheltenham Gold Cup

when he won in 1990 with betting odds of 100-1?

I can't stand gambling, being a mathematician,

and Brian knows all about racing,

so can I just go into wizard mode with a bit of telepathy here?

No, that's not working. I've not heard of any of those.

How could I possibly choose? I'm going to have to gamble.

See More Business.

I'd like to do that. LAUGHTER

See More Business is your answer. Let's see if Brian knows.

-Norton's Coin.

-Norton's Coin. He was telepathing,

trying to get his brainwaves to register with yours!

There must be something about these concrete corridors - they didn't pass down them.

Let's do that one again. LAUGHTER

Norton's Coin is the right answer. You've got two out of three.

Let's see if Daphne takes the round.

Daphne, in 2008, the cricketer Angelo Mathews

made his international debut for which team?

Sri Lanka.

-Is she right, Eggies?

-ALL: Yes.

You're right, Daphne! Well done. You looked so uncertain.

I didn't know!

I don't know how you do it. Jon, she does this all the time.

There's a fragment of knowledge in the massive cortex that is Daphne's brain

and she just plucks it out.

You've been knocked out, I'm afraid, and Daphne is in the final.

If you both come back to us, we will play that Final Round.

This is what we have been playing towards, the Final Round,

which, as always, is general knowledge.

Those who lost your head-to-heads won't be allowed to take part.

Jane, Jon and Viv from Wye's Guys,

and also Chris from the Eggheads,

would you please now leave the studio?

Brian and Sheila, you're playing to win Wye's Guys £8,000.

Pat, Barry, Daphne and Dave,

you're playing for something that money can't buy - the Eggheads' reputation.

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

The questions are general knowledge and you are allowed to confer.

Brian and Sheila, the question is, are you able, with your two brains,

to demolish these Eggheads with their four brains?

-Mm-hm.

-Oh, I'm sure!

-Of course we are!

-We shall see.

-Do you want to go first or second?

-First, please.

Good luck. In which board game might a player receive

a get-out-of-jail-free card?

-I think we're pretty sure it's Monopoly.

-We are, yes.

-Monopoly.

-Monopoly is the right answer.

Eggheads, in 1947, the Somerset Maugham Award

was awarded for the first time in which field?

ALL TALK AT ONCE

It would be very interesting if it was awarded in sport or physics

but it must be literature.

Literature is the correct answer.

Back to you. In the 1990s, Wye's Guys, which politician said,

"It depends upon what the meaning of the word 'is' is"?

-I think it was Bill Clinton.

-Yes.

-I think he had a bit of trouble defining things, didn't he?

-He did.

So, er, we think that was Bill Clinton.

Very good. It's the right answer.

In 2011, who sold 150,000 copies of her DVD Chatterbox,

a record for a solo female stand-up comedienne?

-I would go Sarah Millican.

-I think it was Sarah Millican.

If we just talk through it,

Jo Brand and Victoria Wood

are not as big stand-ups at the moment.

Jo Brand still does stand-up so...

I remember reading that Sarah Millican earned over £1 million in the last year.

-I would go Sarah Millican.

-Yes.

OK, we're all agreed.

We believe the answer is that wonderful comedienne Sarah Millican.

-Sarah Millican is the right answer. She is absolutely brilliant.

-Stunning.

You got it right.

OK, third question to you. Who directed the final four films in the Harry Potter series?

Have you got any idea at all?

Well, "no" is the answer to that question,

but...

-Films... Do you know?

-I recognise the names.

I've seen him interviewed recently

and I can't remember what he's called.

Erm...

I'm thinking either John Madden or David Yates.

But I've...

BRIAN STAMMERS

-It's going to have to be a guess, isn't it?

-It is, yes.

-What do you think?

-I've got nothing to go on.

Right. I keep looking at John Madden.

But I honestly, I...

It's a guess.

I don't know.

-But I do recognise those two names.

-All right. Er...

-There's four people over there who know the answer.

-They will know!

-All right.

-It might be Mike Newell.

-It could be.

-You choose.

Because it's not even an educated guess, Brian.

I'll try a bit of telepathy. Er...

We'll try John Madden.

I was wondering where you were going to go. Eggheads?

-It might be David Yates.

-You're not sure?

-I'd go David Yates.

-I think it is.

-David Yates is the answer.

-So you narrowed it down right and then just missed it.

-Yes.

Two out of three. Let's see if the Eggheads end the contest now.

If you get this one right, Eggheads, you've won.

Which economist published the highly influential book

"The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money" in 1936?

-It's Keynes.

-Keynes.

I believe Galbraith published "The Affluent Society"

Hayek was "The Road to Serfdom"

but "The General Theory" was Keynes.

-Keynes is your answer?

-Mm-hm.

Do you think they're right?

-I think they're guessing!

-It's a bluff!

They're always guessing!

You've got three out of three. Keynes is the right answer.

Congratulations. You have won.

Well done.

So the Harry Potter was the...

-But then, you could watch them and not know.

-I've never watched them.

-I have.

But I wouldn't know any director of any film unless it were David Lean.

Thank you very much for coming in.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

We're starting to build up to the bigger numbers now.

It does mean you won't be going home with the £8,000,

which also means the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, very well done. Who will beat you?

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

£9,000 says they don't. Until then, goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd