Episode 57 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.

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 quiz champions today are The Crash Test Brummies.

This team of friends regularly quiz together

at their local pub, the Great Stone Inn in Birmingham.

Let's meet them.

Hello, I'm Bob. I'm 67, and I'm a retired sales director.

Hi, my name's Graham. I'm 67, and I'm a retired social worker.

Hi, I'm Elaine. I'm 58, and I'm an information services manager.

Hello, I'm Rob. I'm 53, and I'm a university lecturer.

Hi, I'm Jon. I'm 61, and I'm a retired estates manager.

Welcome to you, Crash Test Brummies.

Is that the team name when you're in the pub quiz, as well?

No, we usually go as The Full House, but we thought we'd get

a rather unusual name, and Graham came up with the Crash Test Brummies.

It's a classic. Certainly not dummies,

cos you do well in that pub quiz, don't you, Bob?

Yes, we win lots of beer vouchers.

Let's see if you can win some beer vouchers in the form of cash today.

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

up for grabs for our challengers.

If they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

Crash Test Brummies, the Eggheads have won the last three games,

which means £4,000 says you can't beat them.

Let's play our first round, then, shall we?

And the first head-to-head is Music.

Who wants to play this round? Music.

-We'll go with you.

-You've got to go.

Seems like I'm going first!

I noticed that you turned round slowly there, Bob,

"It has to be me, but I'll just look and see if

"someone else wants to have a go."

Who would you like to play?

Any one from those five there.

-I think I'll take Chris on.

-OK.

Are you OK with that pick?

-IN BIRMINGHAM ACCENT:

-I'm all right wit' that, nah bother.

Please excuse him. Can he be an honorary Brummie?

He can, as long as he doesn't break into Meatloaf.

-LAUGHTER

-Ah, yes. We know that about him.

Let's have Bob and Chris into the Question Room, please.

Well, Bob, here's hoping you can get the Crash Test Brummies

off to a good start.

No crashing here. Do you want to go first or second?

I'll go first, please, Dermot.

Off we go. The first question, then.

A fiddlestick is used to play which musical instrument?

Well, it would be rather difficult playing the piano with a fiddlestick.

I would suggest that's violin.

Violin, the fiddle in question.

It's the right answer. Well done.

And your first question, Chris.

In 1967, Engelbert Humperdinck had his second

UK number one single with which song?

It wasn't The Last Tango In Paris.

And it wasn't The Last Quickstep. It was The Last Waltz!

The Last Waltz, it certainly was!

It was a nice easy pair to ease you both in.

OK, Bob, second question.

What are the first four words of the hit song by The Proclaimers,

entitled I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)?

I love The Proclaimers.

I think that's "When I wake up."

You're right, yes. "When I wake up."

The Proclaimers there.

And Bob loving it, and your team loving the answer. Two to you.

And Chris.

June Tabor found fame as a leading exponent of what type of music?

I've heard the name. She's not a rapper.

I don't think she sang opera. I think she's a folk singer. Folk.

Yes, that's right. Both going well. Two all. Third question for Bob.

The music for the opera Faust, that was first performed in 1859,

was written by which composer?

I'm in trouble here! Er...

-I am going to go for Bizet.

-Bizet.

The music from Faust.

It's incorrect, Bob.

-Chris, of the other two, do you know?

-Yes, Gounod.

It's Gounod. OK.

Chance then for you to take the round, Chris.

Which name, taken from

an 18th-century school of music in Germany,

refers to a rapid upward arpeggio over a large range?

Well, 18th century...

Well, rockets were known in China.

Was there a school of music at Mannheim? Don't think so.

Meteor's not a metaphor that would occur to anyone

in the 18th century, but they were familiar with fountains.

So I'll go with Freiburg Fountain.

Freiburg Fountain.

Shaking of heads from the other Eggheads.

And familiar with rockets, as you said. Mannheim Rocket.

-All right, OK.

-OK, well, both failing on your third.

So, we're into Sudden Death.

All square after three, and removing the options.

-Bob.

-Yes.

-Here you go.

Which song famously recorded by Frank Sinatra includes the line,

"Love was just a glance away, a warm, embracing dance away"?

# Strangers In The Night... #

OK. Well, you know what? You're right.

Chris, what is the full name of the band usually abbreviated to

the letters PiL, fronted by punk-rock star John Lydon?

Well, John Lydon was Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols,

so what did he go on to do?

Erm...

People In Latex?

LAUGHTER

Is that your answer?

-It'll have to be, won't it?

-OK, People In Latex.

Right, you had a chance to win it on your last one,

and you've lost it on your Sudden Death one.

Not People In Latex. Other Eggheads?

Public Image Ltd.

-Public Image Ltd.

-Oh, right.

And your image doesn't suffer not knowing a punk band, does it?

-Or post-punk, in actual fact.

-Yeah.

But great turnaround for you, Bob.

You thought you may be going out there

when you didn't get the question, but you stormed back

with your Frank Sinatra - and lovely impersonation, too.

And you're storming into the final round.

Will you both please come back and join your teams.

Well, after that, the Eggheads one brain down.

All the Crash Test Brummies there.

And our second head-to-head comes up now. It's Geography.

Who'd like to play this? Geography.

-Robert?

-Yeah, Rob.

-It's our Robert.

-It's going to be me.

-Our Robert.

OK, Rob. Choose an Egghead. Anyone apart from Chris.

Who should I go for? Any one of them...

Well, I'll go for CJ.

Ah, OK. Imagined you might.

Let's have Rob and CJ into the Question Room, both of you, please.

Well, Rob, trying to make it worse for the Eggheads here.

Do you want to go first or second?

Hmm... First, please.

Well, Rob, you are going first. First question.

Asuncion is the capital of which South American country?

It's not Chile, cos Chile is Santiago, I think.

But Paraguay or Venezuela? Hmm.

I think Venezuela.

OK, Venezuela. Asuncion is...

not the capital of Venezuela. And it's not Chile.

-It's Paraguay. Capital of Venezuela, Eggheads?

-Caracas.

OK. CJ, your first question.

Which symbol is in the centre of the flag of Ghana?

I think this is a flag that has three horizontal stripes

of yellow, green and red, with a black star in the middle.

Yes, well done. Rob nodding there, he would have known that.

So, a black star gives you the lead,

and a chance to get you going, Rob.

Aarhus is the second largest city

and a principal port of which country?

Aarhus. A-A-R-H-U-S.

Given the spelling, I would go for the Netherlands.

It's not Estonia.

Denmark... Copenhagen, Aarhus?

OK, so definitely not Estonia.

It's got to be either the Netherlands or Denmark, purely by the spelling.

I don't know it, I'm going to go for the Netherlands.

OK, the Netherlands, on the spelling.

-CJ?

-It's Denmark.

It's Denmark. So, two city questions there, and two Xs on the board.

So, a chance for CJ to take the round.

CJ, Cheesehead is a nickname for a person from which US state?

If you watch Frasier as much as I do, you'll know that

Roz Doyle comes from the Cheese Belt, which is in Wisconsin.

Just how many questions do you get from watching TV, CJ?

It's only US sitcoms. It's Frasier, Friends, The Simpsons.

But there's so much information in there.

It's the right answer, CJ! You're in the final round.

And Rob generously applauding there.

Thanks very much for that, Rob.

But CJ's deprived you of a place in that final round.

Would you both please come back and join your teams.

The Eggheads not being made into dummies by the Brummies.

It's all square now, both teams have lost one brain from the final round.

Let's play our third head-to-head.

And this one is Film & Television.

So, of the three, we've got Graham, Elaine or Jon there able to play.

-It's got to be you, Jon.

-It has to be Jon.

All right, Jon. And choose an Egghead.

CJ and Chris have played there, so you have Barry, Daphne or Kevin.

Well, thank you for giving me the choice of those three.

-It's a doddle, isn't it?

-Take all three on, Jon.

Look, how I look at it is, if I lose,

I always get a nice smile from Daphne.

She always smiles as she sticks the stiletto up your ribs.

So, I'll go for Daphne.

How nicely put there, Jon. What an offer that is, Daphne.

Let's go and see if she's got the stiletto concealed.

Jon and Daphne, into the Question Room, please.

-Jon, let's see if you can wipe the smile off Daphne's face.

-I doubt it.

I doubt it too, in terms of the grin. But you might knock her out.

-Do you want to go first or second?

-I'll go first.

Let's get the pain over and done with.

Jon, first question on Film & Television.

The fictional town of Weatherfield is

the setting for which British TV soap?

That's a real hard one.

Erm, I think I'll have a bit of Daphne-guessing

and say Coronation Street.

OK.

Yes, a real guess, that one.

Coronation Street is correct.

Teasing us there, Jon.

You began to get me worried. OK, Daphne.

Which character in Neighbours was played by Anne Charleston?

Well, I have to tell you, my husband is a real Neighbours fan.

I used to sit and watch it with him. So, it was Madge.

Madge is right.

I never knew Madonna was in it!

She doesn't like that name!

Oh, no, of course. That's why she left the UK. OK.

It is the right answer. Madge is correct.

And back to you, Jon.

Which British actor appeared as Matthew Payne in the 2006 TV film

Sweeney Todd and as Eames in the 2010 film Inception?

I haven't got the foggiest.

At least you're honest.

I don't think it's Paul Bettany.

That's a nice name, Dominic Cooper.

I think I'll go for Dominic Cooper.

A nice lad, great actor, but not he!

And you're right about Paul Bettany, it's not him.

It's Tom Hardy!

Tom Hardy in Inception and the television film Sweeney Todd.

So, a chance for Daphne to take the lead.

In which year was the long-running fire-service drama

London's Burning first broadcast?

Hmm. I hate dates.

I can remember watching it, but...

-'88.

-'88. A guess, Daphne?

-A guess.

-You surprise me.

It's the right answer.

-You hate dates.

-I do.

They're all right at Christmas, I know.

You said "long-running", so I went for the earliest.

Long-running, OK.

You see, that's the Egghead in you,

picking up on any clues in the question.

Which means, Jon, you need to get this.

Which actress starred opposite Paul Newman in the 1966

Alfred Hitchcock thriller Torn Curtain?

Well, it was Julie somebody or other.

We'll give you that much.

I think I've got to go with a bit of Daphne-guessing,

cos she never seems to get a guess wrong.

-Oh, I do.

-No, I don't think she does.

-Julie Andrews.

-Julie Andrews?

So, you're calling down the power of Daphne to have a guess.

And is it right?

It is! It worked.

I did know, actually. ALL LAUGH

Well, at least you're honest with us.

This is the suspicion that we have about Daphne.

Some of her guesses perhaps may be fairly well informed.

But you still have the upper hand, Daphne.

This clinches the round if you get it.

In which 1956 film did Ava Gardner star

opposite Stewart Granger and Bill Travers?

I know Stewart Granger was in Bhowani Junction,

so I'll go for that.

Enough knowledge to win you the round.

It is the correct answer, Daphne. Bad luck, Jon. She's grinning now.

Glad to see you're still enjoying yourself, Jon.

Come back and watch the rest of the game with your friends in the studio,

but you'll not be in the final round.

Those Eggheads have really fought back since that opening round.

It means two of the Crash Test Brummies have gone.

One Egghead, of course.

We reach the last point to try and get rid of an Egghead here.

Our last head-to-head before the final round, and it is Politics.

Two of you available, Graham or Elaine.

It's going to be Graham, Dermot.

Stay with us, Graham, and choose an Egghead.

Remember, it's not much fun there playing on your own.

-I don't know, which one?

-How confident are you?

-Medium.

-They're both good on Politics.

Whatever, then.

-Go for Kevin. Go on, be brave.

-Kevin.

Yes, we're going to go for Kevin.

The choices were between Kevin and Barry,

and I heard Bob saying to Graham there, "Be brave." So, it's Kevin.

Let's have Kevin and Graham into the Question Room, please.

Graham, as the man behind the team title, The Crash Test Brummies,

I think we should give you an extra point to start. If only we could!

We can't, but we can give you the option of whether you want to go first or second.

I'll go first, please.

Good luck, Graham. First question on Politics.

The German politician Angela Merkel was born in which decade?

Well, I think she's a reasonably young woman,

which would rule out the '30s, and I'd have thought the '40s.

So I'll go for the 1950s, please.

The 1950s is the right answer. Well done.

-Precisely, Kevin, do you know?

-Um, no. '54?

-Yes!

-Oh, OK.

-1954.

And, I think, also very interestingly about her,

-she's from the East part of the country.

-Yes, yes.

So grew up under Communism.

Kevin, your first question.

Who led the Liberal Democrats at the 1997 UK General Election?

Right. That's got me thinking.

When did Charles Kennedy take over?

It's not David Steel.

At least, I don't think so.

When did Charles Kennedy take over as their...

as the leader?

-I'll have to go for Paddy Ashdown.

-Paddy Ashdown?

You've struggled in the past, Daphne, with questions about him.

Yes! Must you bring that up?!

I'll never forget. Couldn't remember his name.

Paddy Ashdown is the right answer, Kevin.

Remember at the time, he had long discussions

as he revealed afterwards, with Tony Blair about electoral reform

and felt that he'd been slightly led up the garden path about it all.

Lord Paddy Ashdown.

Doesn't like to be called Lord, so just Paddy Ashdown.

Got it in the end there, Kevin. So, Graham's second question.

Who was the last monarch to enter the chamber of the House of Commons?

Well, this was a very important point of principle, I believe.

The breaking of it led to the Civil War.

So, I've got a strong belief that it is Charles I.

OK, Charles I.

Civil War ending in the execution, of course, of Charles I.

It's the right answer, well done.

Hence, Eggheads, with the Queen's Speech.

Now, obviously, it's heard in the Lords, and Black Rod,

who's the Queen's representative, has to summon the MPs to attend.

He burst into the chamber, wanting to arrest five MPs,

one of them who was a predecessor of Francis Pym.

Got there, they'd been tipped off, they'd all gone and he said, "Ah, I see the birds have flown."

Ah, and that's where we get the phrase from.

OK, well, it's an interesting round, this.

See how Kevin goes with his second.

The United Nations Security Council has how many members in total?

Oh, it's the... I believe it's the five permanent members of the...

the Security...er, the...um...

Sorry, the United... Oh, never mind. Forget that. It's 15.

-15?

-Yeah.

So, permanent members...how many?

-Five.

-And then...?

And then there are ten who do two or three-year terms.

OK, right answer. 15 members of the UN Security Council.

So, all square, and back to you, Graham.

Up to and including that of 2010, how many UK General Elections

have there been since the start of the Second World War?

Um, it's going to be a guess, I'm afraid. I'll take 18.

It's the right answer! Yes, 18.

Tricky, that. 18. We won't name them all. Be here too long.

But it means Kevin needs to get this.

What name is given to the television screens

around the Houses of Parliament

that display information and live feeds of parliamentary proceedings?

Hmm. Never heard the term, never heard of this at all.

Annunciators seems a very...strange word.

I suppose that's in the sense of announcements.

I mean, it doesn't really sound as though it's...right.

If it's giving information, then it could be...

I wonder if this is a colloquial term or a proper term?

Expostulators just sounds a bit... grandiose, doesn't it?

I'll have to go for declarators.

I mean, it seems the most sensible of the three, but I can't...

I mean, they all seem awful. I'll go for declarators.

OK. Write to your MP. Tell them.

Declarators.

Well, I'm declaring that you're not playing in the final round.

They are annunciators.

-Never heard of them.

-Annunciators.

And let's announce this. Well done, Graham. You are in the final round.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Graham, a great achievement in Eggheads terms. Not just because

Kevin's won so many quiz championships, but in that subject -

that's one of your very strongest.

Before that round, played 22 times and lost only once,

-I'm sure you know.

-Well, I didn't know.

Well, now you do know. Now you've lost twice.

So quite a scalp, well done.

But 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

will not be allowed to take part in this round.

So, Rob and Jon from the Crash Test Brummies

and Kevin and Chris from the Eggheads, please leave the studio.

So, then. Bob, Graham and Elaine,

you are playing to win the Crash Test Brummies £4,000.

CJ, Daphne and Barry, you're playing for something

which money can't buy - the Eggheads' reputation.

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

The questions are all general knowledge, and you are allowed to confer in this round.

So, Bob, Graham and Elaine, the question is,

are your three brains better than the Eggheads' three?

Would you like to go first or second?

I think we'll go first please, Dermot.

Let's get on with it, then.

Crash Test Brummies,

in which city was the passenger liner Titanic launched in 1911?

In which city was the passenger liner Titanic launched in 1911?

-Definitely Belfast.

-It was definitely Belfast.

Err, we're pretty sure it was Belfast. So that's our answer.

-Pretty sure? You're definite, aren't you?

-Yeah.

Built and launched in Belfast, it's the right answer. Well done.

Origins of the Titanic.

Eggheads' first question. Which British model played

the role of Carly in the 2011 film Transformers: Dark Of The Moon?

Which British model played the role of Carly

in the 2011 film Transformers: Dark Of The Moon?

-Rosie...

-I've not seen it.

-I think she's in it. I don't think the other two are.

-No.

I haven't seen the film, but I think Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's in it.

-Yes.

-Rosie Huntington-Whiteley?

-Yes.

-All right.

Well, CJ believes it's Rosie Huntington-Whiteley,

and I'm not about to disagree with him.

-And you haven't got a clue, have you?

-No. None whatsoever.

Just as well he's there - it's the right answer.

Second questions apiece. Crash Test Brummies.

Emma Pooley has been an Olympic medal winner

and world champion in which sport?

Emma Pooley has been an Olympic medal winner

and world champion in which sport?

-Er, any ideas?

-No.

I don't recall..

-Well, what nationality is she?

-Well, I don't know.

-Polish...

-I have no idea what nationality.

But we haven't had a world champion gymnast for years, if she's British.

-Rowing?

-You see, it could be rowing.

-Because it could be in a team of two or three.

-Individual golds?

-Do they have world championships in rowing?

-Yeah!

I mean, I don't know.

-Do you...?

-I don't know either.

My inclination is rowing.

-I'd go for rowing, yeah.

-Look, well... Go on, then.

We don't know, Dermot.

But we are just going to take a guess - take a punt, if you like -

at rowing.

OK, punt at rowing for Emma Pooley.

Has been an Olympic medal winner and world champion in...

-cycling. The other one you were thinking of.

-Yeah, yeah.

Won a silver for Team GB. You were wondering about her nationality -

she's definitely British.

Silver medal in Beijing. So, chance for the Eggheads to take the lead.

The Headquarters of the SAS regiment is near which English city?

The Headquarters of the SAS regiment is near which English city?

I'm sure it's Hereford. Are we all happy?

I think it's fairly close to me, and that's Hereford, so...

-Yes, we're all agreed on this one.

-We believe it's Hereford.

-Hereford?

That much we know about the SAS. Not much more. It's the right answer.

Yes, Hereford.

So, you have a lead,

and that means the Crash Test Brummies need to get this.

The 1988 novel The Long Dark Tea Time Of The Soul

featured which detective?

The 1988 novel The Long Dark Tea Time Of The Soul

featured which detective?

-Right, that's down to you two.

-Rebus is a Glaswegian.

-Yeah.

Dirk Gently.

I've heard it, but I don't know who he is.

-John Rebus, I've heard of. But it doesn't sound like a Rebus.

-No.

-I doesn't sound like a Rebus.

-I just don't know about Dirk Gently.

-Dirk Gently?

-I don't know why, it just sounds like it.

I don't recall a John Rebus called that.

So, we're just going to have to take a guess on one of the other two,

so Dirk Gently.

OK, Dirk Gently. Long Dark Tea Time Of The Soul.

It's the right answer, you're still in.

Well, because of not knowing Emma Pooley,

the Eggheads have a chance here to win the game.

To the ancient Romans, what was posca?

To the ancient Romans, what was posca?

P-O-S-C-A.

To the ancient Romans, what was posca?

Well, it certainly wasn't fish sauce.

No, we know the word for fish sauce.

So, blood sausage or vinegar drink?

My personal thought was, if it was me, I'd go for vinegar drink.

Well, that's what I would think.

I know the Romans had both of those in their cuisine. Posca?

It just sounds more drink-like than a sausage.

-Mmm-hmm.

-What do you think, Daphne?

I have...

-If it was you, what would you go for?

-Um, probably vinegar drink.

Well, that's the decision made, then.

Well, we're not sure on this one, Dermot. We know it's not fish sauce,

cos that's garum,

and to us it sounds more like a drink that a sausage,

so we'll go for the vinegar drink.

Vinegar drink?

Do we go to Sudden Death or have the Eggheads won?

It's the right answer, Eggheads, you've won!

We'll make them all drink some posca after this,

see how much they like it.

Oh, bad luck. Did really well in those head-to-heads,

could have been even better there.

But not to be in the final round,

just missing out there with that middle one wrong.

Let the Eggheads in, and they've done it.

Bad luck, Crash Test Brummies. Loved having you here, loved the name.

But the Eggheads still reign supreme over quizland.

I'm afraid you're not going home with the £4,000, so the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, congratulations. Who will beat you?

Join us next time to see

if a new team of challengers have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£5,000 says they don't. Until then, goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd