Episode 24 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 challenging our resident quiz champions today

are Where Egales Dare.

Now this team of colleagues all work for the same car finance company

and take their name from the building where they're based.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Andy, I'm 50 and I'm a brand manager.

Hi, I'm Marcus, I'm 54 and a national sales manager.

Hello, I'm Mark, I'm 46 and I'm a national training manager.

Hi, I'm Mike, I'm 38 and I'm an account manager.

Hi, I'm Nick, I'm 49, I'm also an account manager.

Welcome to you, Where Egales Dare.

I must say when I first saw your team name,

I thought this lot are illiterate, they'll never do any good!

But that'll be the name of the building then?

Very much so, Dermot. Yes, it's actually means "equal" in French

which I'm sure Judith knows. And working for a French company,

it's very appropriate.

I suppose thinking about it, it should be "egal", Where "Egals" Dare

if we're going for the French pronunciation.

We'll stay with Egales there though, much preferable.

And the quizzing, any go on at work or socially?

Yes, we all quiz at work.

In actual fact, our HR director is threatening to ban us!

Which isn't boastful.

Whether it's a comment on our colleagues I'm not sure

but yes, we do quiz regularly in work.

OK, well, maybe when they see how well you do against the Eggheads...

-Indeed.

-..they'll let it continue. Best of luck, Where Egales Dare.

Every day, there's £1,000 worth of cash up for grabs

for our challengers. However if they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize-money rolls over to the next show.

So, Where Egales Dare, the Eggheads have won just the last game

so that means £2,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

We'll play our first head-to-head then and this will be Science.

And who wants to play this,

and which Egghead would you like to take on?

-OK.

-Any suggestions?

-That's going to be me, isn't it?

-Got to be Andy.

-Wide topic.

-Definitely me? Yep?

-Got to be him.

-That'll be me, Dermot.

-Oh all right, Andy. All the way up to you

and any Egghead awaits.

-I'll take on Judith, please.

-OK, Judith on Science.

It's going to be Andy and Judy... Judy! I quite like calling you that.

-Well, don't do it twice.

-OK...

Oh, hoo hoo hoo!

We have been warned, that's never happening ever again!

OK, Jud-ITH and Andrew,

would you like to play this round from the Question Room, please,

just to make sure you can't confer with your teammates.

Well, team captain Andy kicking off for Where Egales Dare.

-Do you want to go first or second?

-I'll go first, please, Dermot.

OK first and it's Science and this is your question then.

What is the chemical symbol for calcium? Is it...?

Well, chemistry was always my worst subject in school

-so not a good start for me.

-Oh, right.

Um, I think C is carbon, I could be wrong.

I'm not sure what Cm is but I'll plump for the middle one, Ca.

Ca, calcium...

..is correct, yes, well done.

-Can you Eggheads enlighten Andy about Cm then?

-Curium.

Curium, there we are. OK, Judith.

What name is given to the branch of physics that deals with the forces

acting upon or exerted by liquids in motion?

Is it...?

Well, I think hydrostatics would be the liquids staying still,

wouldn't it? Hydrotherapies, that's curing... Hydrodynamics.

Hydrodynamics is your choice. It's the right answer, yes, Judith.

One each and back to Andy.

What does an odometer measure?

I don't think it's time.

I think it'd have some chronological reference to it on that.

Light - again, I'm not sure about.

I'll go down the middle again and I'll go for distance.

Rather appropriate given the company you work for.

You may be in the finance side of things working for a car firm.

It is distance. Yes, well done. Judith, your question.

Where on a bird at its barbules located?

Barbules...

I don't think it's claws and I immediately thought beak

but then I thought about feathers as well.

Um...

There's a part of me which thinks

it's what makes the feathers sort of stick together.

On the other hand...barbels on fish are on their faces, more or less.

Oh, dear. Barbules... I think I'm going to say feathers, actually.

-Feathers?

-Mm.

-Pleasing your teammates, it's the right answer.

Yes, feathers. Judith's right there.

What function do they perform on the wing?

I think Judith was right, I think they're tiny little hooks

on the feathers that keep them together.

OK, right, barbules there identified by Judith.

So both going tremendously well here.

Andy, what type of creatures belong to the Orthoptera order?

-I have to say, I haven't the faintest idea on this one, Dermot.

-OK!

"Ortho" to me sounds more dentistry which quite clearly doesn't help.

Thinking about it, "ortho", I don't think marsupials and insects

are known for their teeth

but I think rodents are so I'm going to take a stab at rodents.

OK, yeah. Well, going down the teeth route,

I can see what you're doing there, Orthoptera.

It's not right though. We'll get the Eggheads to explain.

-Do you know of the other two, Judith?

-Is it insects?

It is insects. So why was Andy wrong there, Eggheads?

-"Optera" - wings.

-"Optera"?

-They're dragonflies.

Dragonflies, OK. What about the "ortho" bit, is that teeth?

-No. It's to do with...

-It misled Andy.

I think it means that the wings go out at right angles to the body.

Ah, OK. A chance to win the round then. Judith,

which mathematician established much of graph theory and topology

by finding the solution to a puzzle

called the Konigsberg bridge problem? Is it...?

Oh, um...

I'm just thinking, Konigsberg bridge.

I'm just wondering if that was...

Didn't Kepler...? Wasn't he in Prague or something?

Maybe there was a bridge there. Oh, dear. I don't know.

I really don't know. I wish I knew. I'm going to go for Kepler.

It's not Johannes Kepler, no, it's not.

-The other two, Eggheads?

-It's Euler.

-Mm-hmm.

-Euler?

-Euler.

-What was the Konigsberg bridge problem?

There were seven bridges in Konigsberg and the question was,

is it possible to go through all of them only once

crossing over the river?

I can't even begin... Right, all right, yeah. Is it?

-It's not possible.

-No, so that was the answer.

Have you lot done this? Do you sit around in the pub together going,

"Let's do the Konigsberg bridge problem cos it's so much fun"?

I'm not sure they survive today.

It's now called Kaliningrad, it's on the Baltic, the city.

-Right.

-But people used to have goes on their feet, they had a walk.

You could just draw it?

-Yes, you can draw it and that's easier.

-Yeah.

There wasn't much going on at night-time!

Right! Why do I ask, why do I ask? Oh!

OK, well, it's all square. That's great news.

You're still in it, Andy. We go to Sudden Death.

We're taking away the choices there.

How many plain faces does an octahedron have?

Well, the name implies eight, is an eight-sided shape.

It sounds a bit obvious to me. I'll take a guess at 80.

-80?

-8-0.

-8-0.

Oh, dear. No, it was the obvious, it was eight. Eight, not 80.

And Judith,

which part of the human body takes its name

from the Italian anatomist Gabriel Fallopius?

I suppose it's your Fallopian tubes so...

Well, it's either your ovaries or your...

-Well, it's your Fallopian tubes. Must be.

-Is that the answer?

-Yes.

Fallopian tubes is correct.

Yes, well, the other one was obvious but Andy thought it was too obvious

to his detriment, I'm afraid.

Andy, you're not playing in the final round. Judith, you are,

would you both please come back and join your teams?

Well, first round to the Eggheads.

It means Where Egales Dare have lost one brain from the final round.

And let's play another round here then

and this head-to-head is going to be on Film & Television.

Who'd like to play? It can't be Andy.

-OK.

-It's me.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Nick.

-Who do you reckon I should play with?

-Who do you think?

-I think take on Chris.

-Chris?

-Yeah, OK.

Dermot, I'm playing and I would like to play against Chris, please.

Well, your wish will be granted.

Nick and Chris, into the Question Room, please.

All right, Nick. Andy got very close there.

Let's see if you can just go the odd question further

and get into the final round, knock Chris out.

-Do you want to go first or second?

-I will go first, please, Dermot.

Best of luck, Nick. Here's your first question then

on Film & Television. Who played Fletcher in the TV sitcom, Porridge?

One of my favourite comedy series and one of my favourite comedy actors

although all three of them I notice were in the series.

It is...Ronnie Barker.

Yeah, Ronnie Barker, in the lead role there, I suppose.

It's the right answer, yes. And Chris your first question.

The Mad Max series of films are set in which country?

They are set in a post-apocalyptic version of Australia.

It's the right answer, yes. Australia.

OK, your second question, Nick.

What relation is Jane Fonda to the actress Bridget Fonda?

Oh, so many Fondas. Um...

Jane Fonda is definitely not Bridget's mother.

She's considerably older...

so I'm ruling out cousin and plumping for aunt, Dermot.

Aunt, tricky one to negotiate. Successfully, it must be said.

It's correct.

Jane and Bridget Fonda - aunt and niece.

Chris, in 2011, Marcus du Sautoy

presented which television documentary series?

Well, it's not Coast, cos that's Nick Crane and various other people.

It's not How Do They Do It? So it's The Code.

It is The Code, that's correct. It's 2-2 again

and will it become 3-3?

Nick, who directed the 1944 film, Meet Me In St Louis?

Ooh. Before my time, even though I look fairly ancient, Dermot.

Not Vincente Minnelli.

Billy Wilder or Frank Capra... I'm going to plump for Frank Capra.

Frank Capra, with Meet Me In St Louis.

It's not Frank Capra. It is... Chris?

It is Vincente Minnelli where he met Judy Garland,

and they got married and produced Liza Minnelli,

-Liza with a Z.

-Liza, with a Z. Yeah, I remember.

Vincente Minnelli, the one you ruled out, Nick.

So a chance then for Chris to win the round. Chris,

who played Sherman McCoy

in the 1990 film adaptation of The Bonfire Of The Vanities?

Yeah, Bonfire... Well, it wasn't Morgan Freeman.

Er... That would've been Tom Hanks, surely?

-Tom Hanks?

-Mm.

Just looking down the ranks of the other Eggheads.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Nodding along.

It is the right answer, yes, Tom Hanks in Bonfire Of The Vanities

as Sherman McCoy. Oh, bad luck, Nick.

Just slipped up there on Vincente Minnelli.

It means, Chris, you're playing in the final round at Nick's expense.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Well, as it stands,

Where Egales Dare have lost two brains from the final round.

The Eggheads are all there at this point.

And our third head-to-head coming up now...is Politics.

-CHALLENGERS BREATHE HEAVILY

-Who'd like to play?

I see, very, very eager there(!) Five heads hitting the desk!

-What do you reckon?

-Got to be Marcus, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

It's got to be you. Sorry, mate!

-OK.

-Take on Barry.

I've been proposed as being the political scapegoat

and I'd like to take on Barry, please.

OK, well, Marcus the scapegoat! Playing Barry.

Let's hope he's the scapegoat for the Eggheads.

Let's see you get through, Marcus.

Would you both please go to the Question Room?

Well, Nick and Andy have been unlucky in the last two rounds.

Marcus, let's hope the luck they didn't have comes your way.

Would you like to go first or second?

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

It's Politics then and this is your first question.

Which term is said to have been coined by Theodore Roosevelt

to describe extreme members of an organisation?

I'll dispense with the Barmy Army immediately,

I think that is more to do with cricket or football

and the people who follow.

Flash mob, I'm not inclined to go towards there so I would...

I'll say lunatic fringe, please.

Lunatic fringe.

Do you think they had a version of Eggheads around in those days?

-LAUGHTER

-It's perfect, isn't it?

Just thinking!

It's the right answer, yes. Lunatic fringe.

OK, Barry.

What is Ed Miliband's full first name?

Ooh, this is one of those questions that the moment you hear it

you think, "Oh, that's easy,"

and then you start thinking about the three names that are up there.

It has to be Edward.

-Is that your answer?

-Yes.

-Edward is right, yes.

There you are, one each. And Marcus, second question.

In which year did Dick Whittington

begin his third and last term as Lord Mayor of London?

Hmm. Politics isn't one of my greatest inspirations

and history is probably my second least inspiration.

Um...

I would... I'll go for 1519, please, Dermot.

OK, 1519.

Dates are what the Eggheads enjoy. 1519 for Dick Whittington?

-14.

-14.

-14, 14 from Judith down the end.

1419, I'm afraid, Marcus. So not correct.

1419. Chance for the lead, Barry.

Number One Observatory Circle is the official residence

of the holder of which American political office? Is it...?

I believe that's the Vice President.

-The VP?

-Mm-hmm.

-Is the right answer.

Yes, the Vice President resides officially

at Number One Observatory Circle.

OK, you have a lead and Marcus needs this then.

Marcus, Nigel West is a name used by which

former Conservative MP for writing books about espionage?

The answer doesn't come to my mind immediately. Um...

Neil Hamilton I would probably dispel in terms of espionage. I would...

I'll be proposing Virginia Bottomley, please, Dermot.

Virginia Bottomley, OK.

Going for a male name. Nigel West, do you think?

It's not though, it's not Virginia Bottomley. It is...

It is male, it is Rupert Allason Rupert Allason is Nigel West.

I'm afraid we end our proceedings there then

because Barry has already got two, it's a score

you can't attempt to match. Only got one out of three,

you won't be in the final round. Barry, you will.

Would you please come back and join your teams?

Well no Egghead gone yet, Where Egales Dare.

You've lost three brains from the final round

so we have our last head-to-head today. This one is Sport.

So who'd like to play, Mark or Mike?

I think Mike.

-I'll play that one, please.

-All right, Mark.

-Judith, glad she's already played, I think!

-Who are we going for?

Who do you want to play from the Eggheads, from Pat or Daphne?

-Just go with Pat.

-I'd like to play Pat, please.

OK, Pat it is then. Let's have

Mark and Pat into the Question Room, both of you please.

Well, Mark, I know you like your sport.

Used to be a professional footballer, didn't you?

Yeah, a long time ago, Dermot, yes.

OK, but still obviously keeping fit there.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-First, please, Dermot.

OK, good luck, Mark. Here you go.

Which golfer won the 2011 Open Championship?

Shame Marcus didn't get this question

cos he's quite friendly with him, I think.

It's not Tiger Woods. I don't think it's Sergio Garcia,

I'll go for Darren Clarke.

Another of those fantastic golfers, Darren from Northern Ireland.

It's the right answer. Yes, Darren Clarke

Pat, which sport forms the middle leg of an Olympic triathlon? Is it...?

I watched a mini-triathlon recently on telly.

I'm hoping the Olympics follows the same arrangement.

They swim, they cycle and they run so the middle section is cycling.

Cycling is correct, yes, well done. Your next question, Mark.

In which decade did Ayrton Senna begin his Formula One career? Is it...?

It's not the 60's, I think.

Was it late 70's or 80's?

I'm going to go with the 70's.

OK, the 1970's for the Formula One career. No,

that didn't start until the 80's. The mid-1980's to be precise.

1984, I think he started out as a kid with go-karts

which gives Pat a chance for the lead here.

Pat, the former England footballer Tony Adams

usually played in which position?

I think he now manages a team in Azerbaijan

but he was a very resolute defender.

Defender.

Yes, is the right answer. Well done, Pat. I'm sure Mark knew that as well

but it didn't come your way, Mark. This is to try and stay in the game.

In 2008, which England spin bowler became only the second player

in Test history to take two wickets in his first Test over? Is it...?

Well, Ryan Sidebottom's not a spinner so it discounts him.

James Tredwell, I don't think so.

I'll go with Graeme Swann, please, Dermot.

Graeme Swann is correct. You are still in it.

And Pat, the England rugby player Manu Tuilagi

was born in which country?

My first thought is I think he's Samoan but that might not be enough

to sort it out for me because a large number of people

born in New Zealand actually regard themselves as Polynesians but...

I don't think he's Fijian.

I think I've heard of him described as Samoan

-so I'll keep it simple and go for Samoa.

-Samoa.

Of course, came to notoriety during England's failed World Cup bid

in 2011, didn't he?

Where he jumped off a ferry as it was coming into dock in New Zealand.

Jumped off a ferry, swam ashore.

I remember the headlines the next day, "Manu Overboard."

-Ooh!

-Oh!

-Oh, how we laughed(!)

Yes, though, Pat. It IS Samoa,

Manu Tuilagi was born there. Plays for England now, of course.

Which means...well, you're overboard too,

Mark, you won't be in the final round.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Well, now, this is what we've been playing towards.

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 Andy, Marcus, Mark and Nick

from Where Egales Dare, leave the studio now, please.

So Mike, you are playing to win Where Egales Dare £2,000.

Daphne, Chris, Barry, Pat and Judith - a lot of Eggheads,

you're playing for something money can't buy -

the Eggheads' reputation.

As usual I'll ask each team three questions in turn

and this time, Mike, the questions are all General Knowledge

and although you can't benefit from it, you are allowed to confer!

So Mike, the question is,

is your one brain better than the Eggheads' five?

Mike, do you want to go first or second?

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

OK, good luck, Mike. Your first question.

Able Rate is a rank in which of the armed forces? Is it...?

Um... Thinking about the possible options,

I haven't ever heard the term used within the RAF.

I have had family that have been in the RAF.

Again, the Army doesn't really spring to mind as a choice

but I have heard the rating described before as an Able Seaman

so I'm going to go Royal Navy.

On the "Able" bit... Yeah, it's the right answer.

The Royal Navy, well done and a good start.

Yeah Able Seaman but Able Rate.

-Well, they are naval ratings, aren't they?

-Ratings?

-Yeah.

OK, Eggheads, your first question. According to the proverb,

"If ifs and ands were pots and pans there'd be no work for..." who?

-Tinkers, Dermot.

-Tinkers?

-Yes.

Is the right answer, yes. No work for tinkers. And it's all square.

Mike's second question then. Which British composer of musicals

wrote the score for the 1974 film The Odessa File? Is it...?

Um... I think Richard O'Brien was something to do with writing

the score for The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Potentially it's a little bit early for Andrew Lloyd Webber

so I'm going to go with Lionel Bart.

OK, Lionel Bart noted for Oliver, I think.

And did he write the score for The Odessa File? He didn't.

It's not, it is... Well, you mentioned Andrew Lloyd Webber

but he was around then. That's who it was. Andrew Lloyd Webber

in 1974 writing the score for the film, The Odessa File.

Because, of course, what...Jesus Christ Superstar,

-they were all in the early 70's.

-They all predated that, yeah.

OK, your question though, Eggheads for the lead.

The Grand Army Of The Republic was an organisation of veterans

from which war?

The Republicans lost the Spanish Civil War.

It's not the English Civil War, it has to be the American Civil War.

Yes, I'd have thought the American Civil War

but I've never heard of the term.

-No, I haven't.

-Have you?

-Grand Army, I think it might be...

Well, I don't know.

-It sounds a bit American.

-Yes, I was going to say that.

Sounds bombastic enough.

The English Civil War was far too far back anyway.

-Must be the Americans.

-Right.

Um, we think it's the American Civil War.

After deliberation, you said you'd never heard of it but you

-didn't think it'd be the Spanish or the English?

-No.

So left then with that old technique, the Americans

and it's right.

The American Civil War, The Grand Army Of The Republic

means, Mike, you know what you've got to do here.

You've got to furnish me with a correct answer

so we can give you a nice tick there on the board.

The Roman historian Tacitus wrote a famous treatise on which people?

I'm trying to think back now to the Romans' conquest of Europe.

The, um... The only...race at the time I think

that springs to mind would be the Germans.

OK, the Germans obviously had dealings with the other two

in whatever form they were then.

And Germans is correct. Well done.

What did Tacitus say about the Germans? Presumably not nice things.

-The Nazis became very keen on this book.

-Oh.

People like Himmler got very excited about it.

-I think it's called Germania.

-Right.

It was a very influential tome.

They thought it laid the foundations for the history of the Germans.

Gave it some historical basis, but what did Tacitus say about them?

Based on my knowledge of Gladiator,

there were some pretty horrific battles in Germania.

But they never conquered the Germans, did they? The Romans.

You don't know what Tacitus actually said?

I think he said they had no sense of humour.

LAUGHTER

Right, Barry! I would've thought better of you there.

It's all square but the Eggheads, of course, have still got to face

their third question.

So Eggheads, in his later years, the French painter Degas

concentrated on his work in which medium?

-I've always seen him with pastels.

-Pastels, yes.

-Lots of pastels of horses and ballet dancers.

-Yep.

And it's lighter for when you get older too.

Yes, we all think it's probably pastels.

You all think it's PROBABLY pastels...

It's definitely pastels. It is the right answer, Eggheads.

You have won.

Well, thanks very much, Mike. Gallant attempt there.

Just beaten by one question in the final round on your own.

Never easy, I know, to face all the Eggheads

and the guys who went before you just...

As I said during the course of the game just needed a bit more luck

to get one or two of them through but it didn't come your way

on the day but thank you very much indeed for playing the Eggheads.

-Thank you.

-Where Egales Dare, what a great team name that is.

But those Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

They still reign supreme over Quizland.

I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £2,000

and that means the money rolls over to the next show.

Eggheads, congratulations. Who will beat you?

Well, join us next time to see if a new team of challengers

have the brains to defeat the Eggheads,

£3,000 says they do not. Until then, goodbye.

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