Episode 68 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. Taking on our quiz champions today

are The Hawks. This team of friends

all play for the same netball team in Harrogate and between them

they have over 55 years of playing experience.

Let's meet them.

Hello. I'm Sarah. I'm 42. I'm a GP.

Hi. I'm Ruth. I'm 27 and I'm a full-time mum.

Hi, I'm Tammy. I'm 31 and I'm a beauty therapist.

Hello. I'm Fran. I'm 34 and I'm an optometrist.

Hi, I'm Sue. I'm 34 and I'm a scientist.

Sarah and team, welcome.

-Hello.

-So you're all netball players and other things as well?

-Yes.

What's the difference between netball and basketball?

It's quite different. With basketball you can move with the ball

but with netball you have to stop once you've got possession.

-Do you play in different positions?

-Absolutely.

-Who's the attack here?

That would be us!

OK, three attackers! Are you ready for this, Eggheads?

-LAUGHTER

-Prepare to be attacked.

I know you're a GP and a number of you are mums and all that, so busy lives.

How do you fit this in?

We called in a lot of favours, I think.

A lot of nice husbands and partners.

I hope you make it worth their while and win today. Good luck.

Every day there's £1,000 of cash up for grabs for our challengers.

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

So, the Hawks, the Eggheads have won the last two games

which means £3,000 says you can't beat them today.

-Shall we start?

-Yes.

First head-to-head battle is on the subject of Geography.

Who would like this?

-Who's been places?

-Oh, dear!

-Fran?

-This is our worst nightmare.

-Is it?

-Yes.

-Absolutely.

-Poor Fran's been volunteered for it.

-Fran, it's you, OK.

You can choose an Egghead.

We have Tremendous Knowledge Dave at the end, our newest Egghead.

Then you recognise all the other faces, I'm sure. Which one?

The new one?

-Shall we go for it?

-What did we say?

-We didn't choose a particular one.

-Tremendous Dave?

-Yes, I think we'll go for Dave, please.

They shortened it to just Tremendous Dave. Isn't that perfect?

So it's Fran from The Hawks versus Dave from the Eggheads

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

Dave, I feel we should fill in a bit more of the background for the tremendous knowledge and all that.

Tell us, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? How much did you win?

-A quarter of a million pounds.

-Do you remember the question?

The £250,000 one was which of these was not born in 1899?

The options were Humphrey Bogart, Charlie Chaplin,

Duke Ellington and Ernest Hemingway.

I phoned a friend.

I had a hunch but he confirmed it was Charlie Chaplin.

Then on the half a million, Mungo Park, the explorer,

what did he do before he became an explorer?

Was he a surgeon, engineer, lawyer or priest?

I had an inkling it was a surgeon but engineer came in,

so we managed to get the house with that,

so I thought best to scarper off to the bar with a quarter of a million

and go home happy.

-You had a bit of history with Barry on Are You An Egghead?

-He took me out!

-It turned out not to matter.

-It didn't.

One of the questions I got wrong was a film. It was about Stardust, as it happens.

I think I got the wrong...

I got Susan Sarandon confused with Michelle Pfeiffer.

My daughter went to see the film with her uncle.

It was one of those that I didn't take her to to fall asleep in as I normally do!

So that cost me on Are You An Egghead? But Barry deserved to win.

You're all here and it's great to have you. OK. Three multiple-choice questions.

The subject is Geography

-and Fran, you can choose the first or the second set of questions.

-I'll go first, please.

I hope you're not regretting choosing Dave after that bit of his CV there.

-I think I might be just a little bit.

-Here's your first question.

On which body of water does the city of Shanghai stand?

Right. I'm going to discount the Sea of Japan.

I'm not 100% sure about this

but with the mention of Shanghai in the question,

I'll go for East China Sea.

Yup, straightforward. It is the East China Sea. Well done. No catch.

Dave, the holiday resorts of Alghero and Isola Rossa

are on which Mediterranean island?

A-L-G-H-E-R-O. And then I-S-O-L-A R-O-S-S-A. Two words.

Right, I've been to Corfu. I don't think it's there.

Unbelievably I haven't been partying in Ibiza either,

like everybody else does.

I don't think it's there. I'm going to go for Sardinia.

You know, just because of the pronunciation

and having a think about it.

-Sardinia sounds right.

-OK, Sardinia is right. Well done.

Back to you, Fran.

The West Highland Way is a long-distance footpath

that runs from Milngavie, north of Glasgow

to which town in the Scottish Highlands?

Um...

I'm not 100% sure where Thurso is.

I know, rubbish of me.

I'm going to go for Fort William.

-Let's see if your team-mates know.

-What do you think?

-I don't know.

It's a good guess. You are right. Fort William is correct.

Two out of two. Well done.

Pressure on Tremendous Knowledge Dave.

Which US state is nicknamed the Beaver State?

Right, let's have a think through this. Um...

I don't think it's Alabama.

I'm trying to think what that is. The Cotton State?

No, the Cotton State's Louisiana, isn't it?

Iowa, that's the Hoosier state, isn't it?

So just by elimination I'm going to stick my neck out and go for Oregon.

Nicely done. You're right, Dave, it is Oregon.

Fran, your third question.

The deadliest avalanche on record in the United Kingdom

struck which Sussex town in 1836?

Just trying to think where those places are

in relation to if an avalanche could hit.

I'll discount Eastbourne because I don't think

there are any mountainous ranges near there.

I think I'm going to go for...

-I'm going to say Lewes.

-OK.

-Anyone know? Ask the Eggheads. They know everything.

-Yes, correct.

You're right! Well done.

-So your profession is optometrist, is that right?

-It is, absolutely.

You can also see the future and do brilliant guessing in Eggheads!

-Apparently so!

-That's part of the skill. I'm impressed.

Three out of three.

OK, Dave, your third question.

One of the world's first amusement parks, the Kursaal,

opened in which Essex seaside town at the start of the 20th century?

I don't know the answer, so could be one down here.

I've never heard of it but I'm going to go for Southend.

Some smart guessing from you both. Southend is right. Ha-ha-ha!

Oh, I thought you'd got it there, Fran.

I thought you'd got it.

I suppose that is karma though. His guessing worked as well.

OK, we go to sudden death. I don't give you multiple choice answers.

-OK.

-Are you ready?

-Um, yes.

The Great Bitter Lake is a feature of which canal?

Um...

I'm just trying to think of any canals to even mention. Um...

I just don't know at all. I'm just going to guess.

It's probably not a canal at all. I'll say the Great Western Canal.

I know it's not right at all but there we are.

No, it's not. It's not a UK one.

-It's the Suez Canal.

-OK.

Dave, yours for the round.

The National-Trust-owned headland of Brean Down is in which English county?

I haven't got a clue. Brean Down?

I'm just trying to think of where there are some downs.

Um...

-Hampshire.

-Hampshire is your answer?

-Now, headland, does that mean it's on the sea or not?

-Yes.

-OK.

Has Hampshire got a coastal part?

Yes, it's got the Isle of Wight off it.

The answer is Somerset.

-Fine.

-Still in it, Fran.

Here's your Geography question.

Which city is the capital of the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg?

Again I'm going to guess.

Berlin.

It's not Berlin. It's Stuttgart.

Dave, your question.

The Colca Canyon is a geological feature

and tourist attraction in which South American country?

Right, I'm going to...

..try and use my twisted logic on this.

It's a geological feature that's possibly been there for years.

I'm thinking to Inca times, so I'm going to go Peru.

-I know that Barry will know this. Is he right, Barry?

-Absolutely.

You are right, Dave. Well done.

Sorry, Fran.

You ran him very close there but you're not in the final round.

Dave, our newest Egghead, is.

Please come back and rejoin your teams.

-How's the mood on the team, Sarah?

-Good. Positive, thank you.

-In netball parlance, you've still got the ball?

-We've everything to play for!

The challengers have lost one brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost no brains so far. The next subject is Music.

Have you got a plan here?

-That was mine, wasn't it?

-Yes, I think it's Ruth.

OK, Ruth. And which Egghead? It can't be Dave.

-Who did we think? We might have said Barry.

-Did we say Barry?

-Yeah.

-I'm going to take on Barry.

Good stuff. On Music, Ruth from the Hawks against Barry from the Eggheads.

Please take your positions in the Question Room.

-Ruth, you're a full-time mum?

-Yes, I am.

-And who is your son or daughter?

-My little boy Jacob.

-Young? Very young?

-He's just over a year old.

-He's walking and causing a lot of havoc.

-OK!

-You fit in a bit of netball but he comes first?

-Yes, he does.

-You like your music?

-I do like my music.

Not so good on classical so I hope I don't get many of those questions.

All right, here we go. Three questions on Music, multiple choice.

Ruth, you choose which set.

It seemed to go quite well for Fran so I'll go first as well, please.

Good luck. Here we go.

Elphaba, originally played by Idina Menzel,

is one of the central characters in which musical?

It's not Grease. I'm going to rule that one out.

I've never seen Wicked.

I've seen Evita once but when I was about 10.

Um...

Oh! My gut instinct was to go for Evita

and I always scream at people that change their mind

when they've gone for their gut, so I'm going to go for Evita.

Funnily enough, I saw the musical the other day and it's Wicked.

-Oh!

-It is Wicked. Sorry.

Chance for Barry to take the lead.

"I get up in the evening and I ain't got nothing to say"

is the first line of which song by Bruce Springsteen?

Oh, I absolutely adore Bruce Springsteen

and this is one of my all-time favourite Springsteen songs.

It's Dancing In The Dark.

Can you sing it?

# I get up in the morning and I ain't got nothing to say. #

That's good, Barry. Dancing In The Dark is right.

Slightly different tune!

Ruth, who had a UK number one in 2011 with the album In Case You Didn't Know?

-I think you were probably quite busy in 2011, weren't you?

-Yes, I was!

Again I know that my friends are going to be screaming at the telly

going, "You should know this!" And I really don't.

I'm going to rule out Cee Lo Green. I'm not really sure why.

It's between Olly Murs and David Guetta.

I'm sorry, girls, I really don't know.

-I'm going to go for Olly Murs.

-I'm glad you did. You're quite right.

You've got a point. Well done. OK, Barry, over to you.

Which band was taken off the shortlist of the 2001 Mercury Music Prize

after the members announced that they were not interested in winning?

Oh, this one completely passed me by.

A band that's not interested in winning the Mercury prize?

There's a novelty for you.

Um...

I really don't know so this is an out-and-out guess.

I'll go for Gorillaz.

It's an out-and-out correct answer. Gorillaz is right.

-He's in the lead, which means you need this one, Ruth.

-No pressure.

No pressure. Which English comedian and writer had a number one hit in Finland in 1958

with his recording of the song The Purple People Eater?

Um...

Again I'm not entirely sure because I've never heard of any of them.

Sorry! Um...

Total guess, my first instinct again was Willie Rushton.

-Let's see if the Eggheads know. Do you know?

-I would go for that.

They would go for that but they would all be wrong. Barry Cryer.

-Oh, dear.

-I didn't know that. 1958!

More than half a century ago.

-I know Barry Cryer. Next time I see him, I'll ask him.

-Ask the story.

Well, I'm sorry, Ruth.

That means the other Barry is not crying but laughing because he's in the final

and you've been knocked out by an Egghead but no shame there. Please come back and rejoin your teams.

As it stands, the challengers have now lost two brains.

We'll see what happens next. It's Arts & Books.

Who would like this?

THEY CHUCKLE

-Which one?

-Neither of us!

-That's no good, is it?

-It's difficult.

-Go on, volunteer.

-I really don't know anything about Arts & Books.

-Go for it, then, Sue.

-I'll have to, won't I?

-Sue?

-Sue.

-Which Egghead?

-Not Barry or Dave.

-Pat?

I'll take on Pat, please.

OK, Sue from The Hawks against Pat from the Eggheads on Arts & Books.

Please go to the Question Room now.

-Sue, you're a scientist.

-That's right.

-How did you end up on Arts & Books?

-I'm not quite sure.

-It's not happened well.

-Are we going to get Science next?

-Probably, yes!

OK. I'll ask each of you three questions on Arts & Books in turn.

-Sue, the first or second set?

-The first set, please.

Here we go. Who made his Shakespearean debut in Othello in 2009

and subsequently starred in the National Theatre's production of A Comedy Of Errors in 2011?

Right.

I don't think it was Jim Davidson.

I don't think it's the sort of thing he'd do.

I know Lee Evans has done a bit of straight acting

rather than just comedy.

I'm not sure about Lenny Henry. I think I'll go with Lee Evans.

It is Lenny Henry.

-Oh!

-I think the Jim Davidson was somebody with a sense of humour

who would have him playing Othello!

OK.

Pat, your first question.

The steel structure known as ArcelorMittal Orbit

was co-designed for the London 2012 Olympic Park by Cecil Balmond and which artist?

They're all active, prominent artists.

I think Mark Wallinger's giant horse is currently in mothballs

but it was going to be built in Kent.

Gormley has art works all over the place.

But the big tower, I think funded by Lakshmi Mittal

and his steel empire, the big tower was by Anish Kapoor.

Anish Kapoor is the right answer. Well done.

Back to you, Sue.

Birdsong, Charlotte Gray and which other novel form Sebastian Faulks' French trilogy?

I'm drawn to The Girl At The Lion D'Or

because it's got a bit of a French word in it!

CHUCKLING

Um, I really don't know.

Birdsong's drawing me to The Blue Afternoon

because it's sort of being outside and...

I think I'm going to go with The Blue Afternoon.

The Blue Afternoon is your answer.

Judith will know because she lives in France.

-The Girl At The Lion D'Or.

-The Girl At The Lion D'Or!

-Oh, no!

-I thought you were unerringly going to get that one.

It means Pat can take around with this question.

Which actor made his ballet debut in 2011 when he danced the part of the Duchess

in the Royal Ballet's production of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland?

I think I know this.

He's a tremendous actor

and he did several series on classical music for BBC Four.

I think it was Simon Russell Beale.

Simon Russell Beale is the right answer, Pat. Well done.

Oh, I'm sorry, Sue.

-You've been knocked out by our Egghead.

-OK. Never mind.

And you won't be in the final and Pat will.

Please both of you come back to us here.

Sue, bad luck. I'm now worried that Science is going to come up

and double the annoyance. Anyway, as it stands you have lost three brains.

The Eggheads have lost no brains. We've still got one round before the final and it is Film & Television.

-TEAM LAUGH

-Who would like that?

I guess that's got to be me. THEY TALK AT ONCE

Tammy?

Um, I don't know, what do you think?

Judith or Kevin?

-If you want to get through to the final round.

-Judith. Judith, please.

OK, Tammy. So it's Tammy from the Hawks and Judith.

-Probably a netball player yourself in years gone past.

-I was.

-I was.

-I can imagine that.

-And I played attack, too.

-Did you?

-Yes.

-OK.

-Were you able to just throw it in the net with one go?

-Yes. Yup.

Right, anyway, to ensure there's no conferring,

please go to the question rooms now.

OK, I'll ask each of you questions on Film & Television in turn.

Tammy, you can choose the first or second set of questions.

First, definitely.

Good luck to you.

Which actress won her first Oscar for her performance

in the film The Accused?

OK, I've heard of this film.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with my gut instinct.

Meryl Streep.

No, it was Jodie Foster.

Jodie Foster. Judith, your question to take the lead.

Who played Hattie Jacques in the 2011 TV drama Hattie?

I saw it, too.

I mean, if you see things on the telly,

the cast list goes by so fast, you don't see anything.

It's definitely not Jennifer Ehle. I know exactly what she looks like.

I don't think it's Andrea Riseborough.

I think it's Ruth Jones.

-So you were watching it, were you?

-I was watching it.

You thought, "Who is that woman?"

The credits went so quickly, you couldn't tell?

It always happens on the telly, you can't see them.

Or they fade in some way. They go very small.

-The correct answer is Ruth Jones. Well done.

-It is right?

-Yes.

Oh, hurray. Thank goodness.

Maybe you should write in to Points Of View

-and say slow the credits.

-I might, actually.

I might start my emailing campaign.

OK, Tammy back to you.

Kate O'Mara played a character called Laura Wilde

in which TV series?

OK. Laura Wilde.

Hm. I'm not sure whether to go for my gut instinct here.

I'll probably kick myself.

Um, I'm going to go for The House Of Eliott.

-Any of your team colleagues know?

-We know it's not Ballykissangel.

It's not Ballykissangel.

-I had a feeling it was Howards' Way.

-It is Howards' Way.

-Sorry, Tammy.

-Sorry!

Which means Judith can take the round with this.

Which French actress starred with Johnny Depp in the 2009 film

Public Enemies?

I don't know.

Um, Marion Cotillard.

It wasn't another where the credits ran too fast for you?

-Obviously.

-SHE CHUCKLES

-You have got it right, though.

-Have I?!

Yeah, Marion Cotillard is the right answer. Eggheads playing well.

Not with great conviction, but, Tammy, sorry,

you've been knocked out after two questions.

I'm really sorry and you won't be in the final round and Judith will.

Please both of you come back and rejoin your teams.

So this is what we have been playing towards.

It is 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, Ruth and Tammy and Fran and Sue, from the Hawks,

would you please leave the studio.

OK, Sarah, here we are. In what position do you play?

-Goalkeeper.

-Which is exactly where you've ended up.

-Oh, yes.

-In the penalty shoot-out with the strikers here.

-Definitely under pressure now.

You are playing to win the Hawks the prize of £3,000.

Barry, Pat, Judith, Kevin and Dave, you are 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 and you are allowed to confer.

So the Hawks,

the question is - is your one brain better than the Eggheads' five?

-Do you want to go first or second?

-I think I'll go first, please.

Here is your question. Good luck.

Wentworth Golf Club is in which English county?

OK. I really need my father for this one.

He's not here.

Um...

I think it's not a million miles from where my brother lives.

I'm going to go with Surrey, Jeremy.

Well done. Surrey is the right answer.

Celebrations going on behind you, as well.

Eggheads, Newborough Forest on Anglesey

is an important conservation area for which creature?

INDISTINCT DISCUSSION

We don't have lynxes or wolves in England.

Anglesey is supposed to be one of the places

-where the red squirrel survives.

-Exactly.

-We don't have wolves or lynxes.

-So I think red. Yes. OK?

Er, we'll go for the red squirrel, Jeremy.

And red squirrel is quite right. One each. Back to you, Sarah.

In Greek mythology, who is the wife of Orpheus who's lost to him

for ever when he turns round to look at her in the Underworld?

Oh, gosh, my Greek teacher will be shouting at the screen.

I think I would go for Eurydice.

Just a clue or a guess, or a sense?

The two names seem to go together in my memory.

But, it's from a long time ago.

So it's a bit of both.

You got it right. Well done.

Eurydice is correct. Your Greek teacher can settle down.

What is the name, Eggheads,

of the now obsolete unit of measurement used in textiles

that was equal to 45 inches in England

and 37 inches in Scotland?

-An ell?

-Ell.

Does everybody agree with ell? That's an ell.

An ell. E-L-L? You've got it right. Ell is right. Well done.

Third question. You're doing well.

Get this one right, put them under pressure, who knows?

Which leading name in the world of cosmetics was born

Florence Nightingale Graham?

Florence Nightingale Graham.

I certainly don't immediately know the answer.

So I'm going to try and work it out.

I wonder whether I would go for

slightly French-sounding,

because it sounds maybe a little exotic.

I might go for Estee Lauder.

-But it is a guess.

-Estee Lauder is your answer.

It's wrong. It's Elizabeth Arden.

Not to worry, They can get this wrong.

They have done in the past. Your third question, Eggheads.

If you get this right, you've taken the contest.

On 10th December 1941, HMS Repulse and which other Royal Navy ship

was sunk by Japanese aircraft near Singapore?

-The Prince of Wales.

-ALL TALK AT ONCE

That was the Prince of Wales.

If you've got this right, Eggheads, the contest is over.

The answer is the HMS Prince of Wales.

We say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

-Commiserations, Sarah.

-Thank you.

Being there on your own is no fun. No-one to blame. But you did well.

-Two out of three.

-Thank you.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them and they still reign supreme over quiz land.

I'm afraid that means you won't be going home with the £3,000. Sorry.

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.

£4,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd