Episode 79 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 quiz goliaths today are The Golfing Girls.

Now, this team are all members of Ellesmere Golf Club in Salford.

So let's meet them.

My name is Pam. I'm 64, and I'm a retired GP.

Hello. My name's Shiela. I'm 74

and I'm a retired French teacher.

Hello. My name's Sue. I'm 53 and I have a children's nursery.

Hi. I'm Anne. I'm 67

and I'm a retired teacher.

Hi. I'm Eileen. I'm 57 and I'm a beauty therapist.

-Pam and team, welcome.

-Hello.

-And more golfers than quizzers, I gather.

-Yes.

So you play golf, what, once a week? Or how often?

-At least.

-More often than that.

-Really? More often?

-Oh, yes.

-I only play once a week as a rule.

We had some golfers in the other day, or one at least,

who said once a week is not enough.

-No, we play several times.

-We play three or four times.

-Three or four?

-In the summer, yeah.

-Some people become addicted to it.

-We play every day if we can.

And some people just enjoy it as a sport.

-And you're a retired GP?

-I am.

-You've all got different backgrounds.

-Yes, very much.

All right. Well, good luck in the game today.

Every day there is £1,000 up for grabs for our challengers.

However, if they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, Golfing Girls. The Eggheads have won the last 13 games.

Which means £14,000 says you can't beat them today.

-Shall we get cracking? Shall we tee off?

-Oh, yes.

OK, first head-to-head battle is on the subject of music.

Who would like this? Music.

-Eileen?

-Eileen?

-Film and TV.

-You can do that.

-I think so.

You're doing music.

All right. Eileen.

-Eileen?

-Yes.

-Down the end. OK. Against which Egghead?

Daphne? Do we do Daphne?

-Daphne?

-I don't know.

-We don't know anything about Dave.

-Try Dave.

-Try Dave.

I love the way the answer's just gradually emerging here.

-OK, Eileen.

-Daphne.

-Oh, OK. You've changed track.

Eileen from the Golfing Girls against Daphne

on music, from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring,

would you please both take your positions in the question room.

So what's your main job outside the golf, Eileen?

I'm a beauty therapist.

And that's been a passion for you?

Well, I've only be doing it, actually, for two years.

But previous to that, you studied and everything else?

I went to college in 2009 for 12 months and studied it,

and then I have a salon, well it's a room, in my hairdresser's.

Prior to that, I've actually worked in HR and personnel.

So complete change of career.

-So are you enjoying it?

-Yeah, it's lovely.

Do you ever do that, Daphne, go to the beauty therapist?

Yes. It's just so relaxing.

You just lie back and get pampered.

Your nails and toes. No, not nails, no.

You don't want to look at my nails. I type a lot.

So if they don't do nails, what do they do?

Well, you have beauty massages, face massages,

get your eyebrows done.

She could be a customer, Eileen.

-Yeah, brilliant.

-Bring it on.

-Thank you.

OK, so three multiple choice questions on music in turn.

Eileen, you can choose the first or the second set.

I'd like to go first, please.

Here we go and good luck to you.

In which year did Rihanna have her first top ten single in the UK?

Eileen, was it...

Oh, well, she's not very old, is she?

So I don't think '95.

Let's see. I would say, probably 2005.

Well done, it is 2005. Good stuff.

Daphne, your question. What name is given to the rubber-tipped sticks

that are used to play vibraphones?

Oh...

Bit like a xylophone, isn't it?

So I assume it's mallets.

Mallet is the right answer.

Eileen, your question.

Nat King Cole started his career purely as a player

of which musical instrument?

Ah, well this is a question that we actually...

..talked about when we on our way up here today, funnily enough.

And I think it's piano.

You're right. That's a bit spooky.

You talked about this very subject on the train?

Well, we were talking about music and asking music questions,

and we mentioned Nat King Cole.

And what he played before he became very, very famous.

What was his instrument? Yeah.

That's good. Maybe you're going to be a lucky team.

Piano's the right answer.

Daphne. The American musician, song-writer and producer,

Joseph Henry Burnett, is better known by what name?

Well, the only one I've heard of is T-Bone.

So T-Bone.

T-Bone Burnett is right.

OK, see if you can make three now, Eileen.

Put some pressure on our Daphne.

Who had a UK top ten single in 1982

with the Theme From Harry's Game.

Was it..

Well, again,

it was a brilliant song, tune.

And it was actually Clannad.

Clannad is quite right. Well done.

You got all three right, that's great.

Daphne, here we go with your third question.

Verdi's opera, La Traviata, is set in which city? Is it...

It's set in Paris.

Paris is correct. A perfect round for you both.

Which means we go to sudden death, Eileen. It gets a tiny bit harder,

cos I'm not going to give you alternative answers, OK?

-Yeah.

-Here we go.

Which female British artist released albums

called I Speak Because I Can in 2010,

and A Creature I Don't Know in 2011?

Rihanna.

No, it is Laura... Do you know this, Daphne?

-Laura Marling.

-Laura Marling is the answer.

Daphne, if you get this right, you are in the final.

Which British pop star published a book of poetry

called The Warlock Of Love in 1969?

A British pop star.

Tommy Steele.

No, Mark Bolan is the answer.

Eileen, back to you. Sudden death.

Which Danish composer wrote the 1927 rhapsodic overture,

An Imaginary Journey To The Faroe Islands?

Sorry, pass.

-I'll have to pass, I'm afraid.

-OK, Carl Nielsen is the answer.

Daphne. Cox And Box was an early comic operetta

by FC Burnand and which composer?

Arthur Sullivan?

-Where did that come from?

-Out of the ether.

Arthur Sullivan is the right answer, Daphne.

Well done, you've taken that round.

-Tough round, Eileen.

-Yes, definitely.

Well done. Fought her toe-to-toe

but Daphne will be in the final.

Please come back and rejoin your teams.

As it stands, the challengers have lost one brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost no brains so far.

Don't worry, very early days.

Next subject is geography. Who wants this?

-I think that might be me.

-It's going to be you, Sue.

Sue? OK. Against?

Who do you fancy?

-Barry, please.

-All right.

So Sue from The Golfing Girls versus Barry from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring, take your positions.

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

And whoever answers the most goes through to our final.

And would you like, Sue, the first or the second set?

The first, please.

Here we go. Good luck.

The districts of Santa Monica and Burbank are within the boundaries

of which Californian city? Is it...

I don't think it's San Diego.

And I don't think it's San Francisco.

So I'm going to go for Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is correct. Well done.

OK, Barry. Your question.

The Shropshire town of Clun

takes its name from which type of geographical landmark?

Clun. That sounds Welsh

and my knowledge of Welsh is sadly limited.

But I know llyn is the Welsh for lake.

So I'm wondering if we can get from that to Clun and Shropshire.

Is that the Cotswolds in Shropshire? So it could be mountain or hill.

Then again, there's a few rivers that rise in Shropshire,

so I'm really not sure on this at all.

Clun. Well, towns are most likely to be by rivers,

rather than mountains or lakes, so I shall go for river.

You've got it right. Well done. River is the answer.

If it's in Shropshire but it came from Wales,

maybe it would be a river. I don't know.

I was going with your logic there. Sue, your question.

Heaton Park, one of the largest urban parks in the UK,

is in which city? Is it...

None of us live far from Heaton Park, actually,

and it's a great place for walking the dogs. It's in Manchester.

It would have been so worrying if you'd got that wrong.

-It would.

-Manchester is the right answer. Well done.

-Round the corner from you.

-Yep.

These questions are all randomly generated, I promise.

Barry, your question.

The Phiphi Islands are a tourist destination in which country?

-Phiphi.

-P-H-I-P-H-I.

Ah, that gives the game away, that must be Thailand.

Thailand is the right answer.

OK, so you've both got two.

So if you get this one right, you just give Barry a little nudge.

-Maybe he'll fall off his chair.

-OK.

What name is given to a light, porous rock

consisting of compacted ash and dust from volcanoes? Is it...

I don't think it's buff.

I'm going to do a Daphne and go for luff.

Why is that "doing a Daphne"?

Because when Daphne doesn't know the answer,

she does a guess. And so I've just done a guess, really.

Would you have guessed luff, Daphne?

No, it's, I've always heard it pronounced as toof.

-Tuff.

-It's a tuff.

-OK.

Barry, get this one right, you're in the final.

Which island is home to the Rothera base

of the British Antarctic Survey? Is it...

Oh, gosh. I haven't a clue on that.

I knew the answer to the tuff question.

British base.

Well, we'll go for our current queen.

And we'll go for Elizabeth Island.

Elizabeth Island is the wrong answer, Barry.

It's actually Adelaide Island

where we have the Rothera base of the British Antarctic Survey.

So two out of three for you both. We go to sudden death again, Sue.

How about that? Obviously tight play here from The Golfing Girls.

-Yeah, very tight.

-So, again, it's a bit harder.

-I don't give you alternatives, OK?

-OK.

Which South American country is bordered by Brazil,

Suriname and Venezuela?

Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela.

I'm going to go for Ecuador.

-It's Guyana.

-Oh.

OK, Barry. Over to you. This for the round.

The airport recently named Liszt Ferenc International Airport

-serves which city?

-Could you spell?

-Sure, L-I-S-Z-T,

and then Ferenc is F-E-R-E-N-C.

Well, that sounds remarkably Hungarian to me,

so I shall go for Budapest.

Very good. It is Budapest. After the composer, Liszt.

Barry, you've got the round. You got it on sudden death.

You're in the final, so we've got two Eggheads

going to the final who've just pipped you at the post.

-This must stop!

-It must stop.

-I'm sorry.

-The intelligent one's next.

-No pressure.

-Do come back both of you and rejoin your teams.

So, as it stands, the challengers have lost two brains.

The Eggheads have not lost a brain yet from that final round.

And our next subject is arts and books.

So which challenger would like this?

-Anne or Shiela.

-Well, it's up to you.

-I think you're better at the end.

-OK.

-Who is it going to be? Anne?

-Yeah.

-Anne against?

-Pat.

What about Dave? We don't know anything about Dave.

-We don't know what Dave does.

-Try Dave.

We don't know anything about Dave. So Dave.

-OK, brilliant.

-So Anne from The Golfing Girls

versus Tremendous Knowledge Dave from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring... You didn't know the nickname?

It had slipped my mind.

So there's no conferring, take your positions in the question room.

Anne, you're looking forward to being the captain of the golf club?

Yes, I am, Jeremy.

The ex-lady captain's invited me to take it on for the centenary year.

So that's very exciting and I'm looking forward to it.

-A great honour.

-So you have a, what, 100-year celebration?

-You've got some things planned?

-There are things planned.

I'm not sure quite what will be happening yet,

but there will be lots of exciting things going on, I'm sure.

OK, and you're against Dave, and, as you say, unknown quantity here.

-Yes.

-Let's see how we go. Dave, arts and books.

-First time I've done this subject.

-Is it?

I hadn't clocked that. OK, so we really don't know.

-No, we don't know.

-We'll all find out together.

I'll ask each of you three questions on arts and books in turn.

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

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

Here we go. Good luck to you.

Carol Ann Duffy's 46-line poem, Rings,

was written for which wedding in 2011? Was it...

Well, I would imagine, as a poet laureate,

it must have been for Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

-And that's my answer.

-And it is the right answer.

Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Well done.

OK, Dave your question, your first question on arts and books

in the history of Eggheads. It's a bit of a programme moment.

The children's book, The Gruffalo, tells the story

of what type of creature taking a walk through a deep, dark wood?

Is it...

You know what, I don't... I know of the book.

But I didn't pay any attention to what it was about.

I'll go pig.

Oh, Dave!

Any parent of young children knows that it's a mouse.

-Fair enough.

-OK, over to you. Anne.

The painter Frank Auerbach

settled in which country in 1939? Is it...

1939.

Just before the outbreak of war.

Or at the outbreak of war.

I'm going to rule out Austria.

I think I'll go for Sweden, Jeremy.

Actually, it's the UK, funnily enough.

OK. Dave, Tremendous Knowledge, your second question.

The Olivier Award-winning play, Dancing At Lughnasa,

is a work by which writer? Is it...

And Lughnasa is spelt L-U-G-H-N-A-S-A. Lughnasa.

I'm going to go for Brian Friel.

Brian Friel is exactly the right answer, Dave. Well done.

So one point each and over to you, Anne.

The Newbery Prize winning 1994 novel, Walk Two Moons,

was the work of which author? Was it...

I've read a couple of Anne Fine's. I don't know the other two.

It's a guess. Robert Swindells.

Is wrong, it's Sharon Creech.

I should have gone down the middle.

OK. Dave, your question.

Get this right, you take the round.

What was the name of the avant-garde movement

founded in the early 1960s

of which Yoko Ono was a member? Was it...

Again, I've not heard of this at all.

So the arts and books needs work. I'll go for Fluxus.

You have got it right, actually.

-I know that seems terribly unfair.

-It's totally unfair.

I feel fraudulent.

Well done, Dave, you've won.

You're being pipped at every post here, ladies, golfing ladies.

Anne, sorry, you won't be in the final round.

Please, both of you come back, and we'll play on.

As it stands, the challengers have lost three brains.

The Eggheads have lost none. So unless you knock one out now,

you're going to be facing all five in the final round.

So this is a big one. Science.

-This is mine.

-Pam?

-Unfortunately.

OK, against which Egghead? Chris or Pat?

-I think so, yeah.

-Chris?

-Chris.

So it is Pam from The Golfing Girls versus Chris.

It's a while since you've had science, Chris.

It has been a stoat's age, yeah.

Chris from the Eggheads. To ensure there's no conferring,

please take your seats in the question room.

OK, I'm going to ask each of you three questions on science in turn.

-Pam, would you like the first or second set?

-The first set, please.

OK, let's see if we can get you in the final here.

What type of motors powered the lunar-roving vehicles

used on the moon by the Apollo missions?

Well, I can't imagine them taking enough diesel fuel up to the moon.

Electric, they might have been able to create some electricity somehow.

And again, steam would mean that they'd have to take water.

So I'm going to go with electric.

And electric is the correct answer. Well done.

Chris, your question. Atrial fibrillation is a condition

that directly affects which organ of the human body? Is it...

That affects the heart, Jeremy.

You are right, it does. Something you don't want.

Pam, here's your question.

Quickbeam is another term for which tree found in the UK? Is it...

Quick as in fast beam?

Sorry, Q-U-I-C-K-B-E-A-M. Quickbeam, all one word.

I don't think it's yew.

I don't think it's mountain ash.

So I'm going to go with blackthorn.

It's actually mountain ash. I'm sorry to say.

Chris, your question. What is the informal classification of the sun?

Is it...

Well, if it was a red giant, we'd be done to a crisp by now.

It's not a brown dwarf, so it's a yellow dwarf.

Yellow dwarf is the right answer. Well done.

I sense you enjoy science more than arts and books.

I enjoy...I like science.

-I like nuts and bolts and solid facts.

-Yeah.

Pam, your question. Roughly how many genes are there in the human genome?

Well, I should know this.

But...

I don't.

It's a lot.

I'm going to go down the middle, 420,000.

I can hear a sigh from the Eggheads. Why are you sighing, Eggheads?

-It's only 24,000.

-It's 24,000.

And they've all been mapped now, haven't they?

I think there's actually more in a daffodil, to be honest.

-There's more in a daffodil? Are you serious?

-Yes.

24,000 is the answer. Pam, you've been knocked out by Chris.

I'm sorry. So Chris will be in the final.

And if you both come back to us, we will play that final round.

This is what we've been playing towards.

It's the final round which, as always, is general knowledge.

Those of you who lost your head-to-heads

can't take part in this round.

So Pam, Sue and Eileen,

would you all please leave the studio.

Well, Shiela, take a bow.

You're playing to win The Golfing Girls £14,000.

-And on your own, as well.

-On my own.

-There will have to be an inquiry about this...

-There will.

-..at the club.

-They've just let me down.

JEREMY LAUGHS

We saw it all happen in slow motion.

-Every time it was just the one answer.

-Yeah.

-anyway, here we are. Good luck.

-Thank you very much.

Dave, Daphne, Chris, Barry and Pat, 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. I know that doesn't help much.

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

Would you like to go first or second?

I think I'll go first, please.

Your first question, Shiela.

In Toulouse-Lautrec's famous 1891 work,

what type of entertainer is La Goulue?

Well, I don't think she was a unicyclist, although...

..she worked in a club in Paris, that's for sure.

So I'll go for dancer.

You're quite right. Dancer is the right answer. Well done.

OK, Eggheads.

Weihnachten is the German word for what?

-Christmas.

-Yeah.

-That's Christmas, Jeremy.

-Christmas is the right answer.

Shiela.

The Vietnamese city of Hanoi is on which major river?

I have absolutely no idea.

White doesn't sound right.

It could be Red, could be Yellow.

There's a Yellow River in China.

I don't know. I'll go for red.

-Is she right, Eggheads?

-Yes.

-Yeah, you're right.

-Two out of two.

-Good.

-Well done.

Eggheads. I'm suddenly feeling this could go against you.

What type of farm animal is a hogget?

-It's a sheep.

-I think it's definitely a sheep, yeah.

-Sheep.

-Sheep.

-It's a sheep, Jeremy.

-A sheep.

-Yeah.

It is indeed a sheep. All right, here we are, two points each.

You've done as well as can be expected.

-The girls are rooting for you.

-Thank you.

I would say, for any advice, try and get this one right.

-Cos then it puts pressure on them. OK?

-OK.

-And they could just get confused.

-Yeah.

Here's your question. Who directed the 1969 film

Hannibal Brooks,

about a prisoner of war escaping Germany with an elephant? Is it...

I know absolutely nothing about films.

Obviously I've heard about Michael Winner.

I said before I came that I wouldn't say I've never heard of them,

because that sounds...not too good.

But I honestly have not heard of the other two.

So I'm going to do a Judith,

I think, goes down the right-hand side.

So I'm going to go down the right- hand side and say Gerald Thomas.

She does. She hasn't done it recently.

And it's a shame you did that. Cos it's not Gerald Thomas.

Funnily enough, it's Michael Winner.

It's almost the most best-known, most obvious one.

Can anyone tell us about that film?

It's quite good fun. John Alderton as a POW.

He's sent to do fatigues at Vienna Zoo.

And one of the elephants gets quite badly hurt in an air raid.

Her name's Lucy, by the way.

And they take off into the countryside and head for Switzerland.

-I gather Oliver..

-Meets up with Michael J Pollard.

-It's Oliver Reed.

-Oliver Reed! Of course, John Alderton's his mate.

-Yeah.

It's Oliver Reed, not John Alderton.

Eggheads, your question. If you get this right, the contest is over.

Charles Upham, who was twice awarded the Victoria Cross

in the Second World War, was born in which country?

Was he a New Zealander? I thought he was Antipodean of some description.

I had Australian in my head.

-I don't know why.

-It's not there.

-No. So what do you think?

-New Zealand.

-New Zealand sounds...

I don't think I've ever heard of an American...

-And there weren't that many Canadians.

-New Zealand.

I would have gone New Zealand. What do you think?

I would have guessed at New Zealand.

I can't think of any Americans.

I was thinking Australia.

I don't know why I had that in my head.

With that inkling, it would be New Zealand rather than Australia.

Go for New Zealand.

We're not entirely sure, Jeremy. But we think it's New Zealand.

So Charles Upham, twice awarded the Victoria Cross

in the Second World War was born in which country, was my question.

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

It's not Canada, you were right about that.

And it's not the USA. It is New Zealand.

Eggheads, very well done. You have won the contest.

-Well, you fought them, Shiela.

-We did, yes.

-You fought them.

It's hard when there's five. Commiserations to our challengers.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them

and their winning streak continues.

I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £14,000,

so the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, congratulations. Who will ever beat you?

Join us next time to see if a new team of challengers

have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£15,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.

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