Episode 80 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 awesome quiz champions today

are The Volunteers. This team all met at their local,

The Volunteer in Yealmpton, a village they describe as Devon's best kept secret. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Pete, I'm 50 and I'm an independent financial adviser.

Hi, I'm Nigel, I'm 59 years old and I'm a veterinary surgeon.

Hi, I'm Jon, I'm 49 and I'm a pub manager.

Hi, I'm Gareth, I'm 42 and I'm the licensee of The Volunteer.

Hi, I'm Phil, I'm 59 and I'm a software developer.

-Pete and team, welcome.

-Hi.

-We've now revealed the best kept secret.

-That's the trouble with this.

-My fault. We shouldn't have come.

-Tell us about the beautiful village.

-It's about two or three miles away from the coast

between Plymouth and Kingsbridge.

We don't get too many tourists at the moment, which is...great,

but we've got a lovely village pub that's run by Gareth here

and it's just a lovely place to live.

I hope you do really well today.

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

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

So, Volunteers, the Eggheads have won the last 14 games,

which means £15,000 says you can't beat them today.

It's looking handy, this jackpot now.

The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Film & Television.

Who would like this?

-Shall we start with the leader?

-Gareth?

-Lamb to the slaughter.

-Go for it, Gareth.

-Gareth, OK.

-We've got to choose somebody.

-What do you reckon?

-Shall we take Chris?

Possibly Chris?

-Yeah?

-You reckon Chris?

-I'll take Chris. I'll give it a go.

OK, Gareth from The Volunteers versus Chris from the Eggheads.

To ensure no conferring, take your positions in the question room.

-So, Gareth, you're involved in the pub in Yealmpton?

-Yeah, I'm the licensee there.

-And also a farmer?

-Yeah, a farmer by trade.

-So which is the hardest job? The pub or the farm?

Pulling pints or pulling milk? I wouldn't like to say.

Probably the pub, by the people next to you.

-LAUGHTER

-They're harder to herd than cattle, are they?

Very much so, especially at one in the morning.

I'll ask you each three questions on Film & Television in turn.

Whoever answers the most correctly is the winner.

-Gareth, would you like the first or second set of questions?

-First, please.

Here we go. Good luck. What is the name of the character played by Tom Cruise in the 1986 film Top Gun?

I'm fairly certain on this. It was one of my favourite films growing up.

I'm going to go with Maverick.

Maverick is the answer. Well done. Over to you, Chris.

What is the title of the David Walliams and Matt Lucas 2010 spoof documentary series about an airport?

That is Come Fly With Me.

-It is Come Fly With Me. Anyone see that?

-Caught a couple of episodes.

-It was quite funny.

-It was, actually, in its own wacky way.

Back to you, Gareth.

Monica Galetti found TV fame appearing regularly on which show?

Well, I haven't got a clue, to be fair.

I'll go for...

DIY SOS.

-Chris?

-I'd go for Flog It myself.

Actually, you'd both be wrong. It's MasterChef.

Chris, your chance for the lead.

Which Oscar did Robert Towne win for his work on the 1974 film Chinatown?

He wasn't the director, was he?

It doesn't ring any bells as Supporting Actor,

so it's... Original Screenplay?

Chinatown... Yeah, Original Screenplay.

Original Screenplay is it. Well done, Chris.

They know stuff, but they are all good guessers too.

OK, Gareth,

you need to get this one right or you're out. In which year was the TV show Holby City first broadcast?

This would be one for the wife.

1994.

1994, you say.

Actually, it was '99. It was '99.

So, Chris has taken the round.

You've been knocked out, Gareth, I'm afraid. Chris will be in the final and you won't.

Please, both of you, return to your teams.

The challengers have lost one brain from the final round. The Eggheads have lost no brains so far.

The next subject is Sport. Somebody's going to want this.

-Yeah, Phil.

-That will be me.

-Phil...

-Who do you want to take then, Phil?

-I think Daphne.

-Ooh!

-Where are you going to take her(?)

Phil from The Volunteers against Daphne from the Eggheads on Sport. Please go to the question room now.

So they all went for you, Phil, when I said Sport. You organise the village sports day?

I'm part of a team. Most of the guys on the team help to organise that.

It's a lovely day when the whole village gets together.

We organise five-a-side and whatever for the older kids,

but the big thing is the athletic races for the younger kids.

And at the other end of the year, you dress as Father Christmas, but maybe I shouldn't say that!

-It gives it all away!

-It does give it all away.

I even get to do a sleigh ride through the village in a horse-drawn cart which is lovely.

-This village sounds better and better. We'll all move down there!

-That'll push property prices up!

So, three questions, the subject is Sport. Whoever answers the most goes through to the final.

-Phil, the first or second set?

-First set, please.

Good luck. Here we go. How many goals did Gary Lineker score for the England football team?

I think there's only a couple of people who have scored over 100.

I'm not sure about this,

but I think I'm going to go for 78, Jeremy.

-Do you know, Daphne?

-48.

-48 is the answer, Phil.

-Oh!

-48. OK, here's your question, Daphne.

In which year did the tennis player Ivan Lendl win his first Grand Slam singles title?

Oh...

I'm not sure about this.

It's not '94.

1984.

Well done. '84 is correct, Daphne. Phil, your question.

Which England rugby union player was fined £3,000

for jumping off a ferry in Auckland during the 2011 World Cup?

Well, they were all involved in incidents of various sorts,

including the infamous Queenstown nightclub event,

but this particular one was Manu Tuilagi.

And you're absolutely right, Phil. Manu Tuilagi, it was. Well done.

Right, Daphne,

see if you can hold your lead.

Which cricketer scored a world record 219

in a one-day international against the West Indies in December 2011?

I don't know why, but...

..I think it's Virender Sehwag.

You've got amazing retentive memory.

-Sometimes you can't even remember why you remember things.

-No.

You're right. It is Virender Sehwag. Well done.

Phil, your question.

You need to get this question right or she's knocked you out.

Jaime Alguersuari, who in 2009 became the youngest ever driver to start a Formula One Grand Prix,

was born in which country?

Motor-racing is not really my strong point.

I'm going to rule out Spain

because I think I would know if it was Spain.

Um, Colombia?

No, I don't think they've produced many Formula One drivers.

I'm going to go for Brazil, Jeremy.

Brazil is your answer. Do you know, Daphne?

It sounds as if Brazil is wrong,

so I think I might have gone for Colombia.

That's a relief. You were wrong as well.

It's Spain. Spain is the answer, Phil.

So, after three questions,

no way back. You were beaten by our Egghead and you won't be in the final. Please rejoin your teams.

The challengers have lost two brains. The Eggheads have lost no brains from the final round.

The next subject is Arts & Books.

Not good?

-Jon, sorry, mate. Jon.

-Jon in the middle, you've been volunteered by The Volunteers.

Against whom?

-I'll try Judith if that's all right.

-I think that's a good choice.

We call her "Judith the Library".

Yes, I do love books, actually. And arts.

-We chose well there(!)

-Jon from The Volunteers versus Judith

from the Eggheads and to ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions in the question room.

So, three questions on Arts & Books in turn.

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

-I'll go first, please.

Here is your first question, Jon.

The young lawyer Theodore Boone is a character created by which novelist?

Hmm...

I'm not sure. I don't think it's John Grisham.

I'm not sure about Patricia Cornwell. It doesn't sound like her.

-I'll try for Dan Brown.

-It's not Dan Brown.

It's John. John Grisham is the answer.

Judith, you can take the lead.

Joan Lindsay's 1967 novel Picnic At Hanging Rock is set in which country?

There was also a film, a really good film. It's Australia.

It is Australia. You're quite right. Back to you, Jon.

The Life Of Lee is a 2011 autobiography by which comedian?

I could have done with the last question really.

Lee Evans... Could it be Lee Evans?

Yeah, I think I'll go for Lee Evans, Jeremy.

You're quite right. It is Lee Evans. Well done.

Off the starting blocks.

Judith, what is Shakespeare's shortest play?

Oh... I don't think it's Comedy Of Errors.

I think it's Timon Of Athens.

-I think Daphne knows.

-Comedy Of Errors.

-Comedy Of Errors.

-Oh, no.

-You got it wrong. You're level.

-Oh, dear.

-Jon, she's let you back in.

Try and get this one right, put some pressure on.

The Madonna With The Family Of Mayor Meyer, which was purchased for over 70 million in 2011,

is a 16th century painting by which artist?

16th century, so going back quite a long way.

Again I'm not at all sure about this.

But I think I'll go for Hans Holbein the Younger.

Hans Holbein the Younger is correct. Very good. Very, very good.

OK, Judith, see if you can stay in

-on your favourite subject, Arts & Books. You're looking a bit shaky.

-I'm vulnerable.

-You are vulnerable.

To whom is Allen Ginsberg's poem Howl dedicated?

The trouble is, I don't know who Carl Solomon is,

but I can't think that it would be Irwin Shaw.

And I can't think it would be Truman Capote. He'd be too young then.

So I'll have to go for the unknown Carl Solomon and hope that's right.

-The unknown Carl Solomon is your answer.

-Unknown to me.

-If you've got it wrong, you are out of the competition.

-I know, I know.

The correct answer is Carl Solomon, so well done.

-Have a moment of self-congratulation.

-Thank you.

So we go to Sudden Death, Jon.

-It gets harder because I don't give you alternative answers.

-OK.

The Sacrament Of The Last Supper is a 1955 painting by which Spanish surrealist artist?

Crikey, um...

1955...

I'm just trying to think who was still alive at that point.

Spanish surrealist...

Again I'm not at all sure.

I'm thinking maybe if Picasso was still alive, then possibly?

I'll go for Pablo Picasso.

-It's not Picasso. It's Salvador Dali.

-Dali, yeah.

OK, Judith, if you get this right,

you're in the final.

Who wrote the 2011 novel 11/22/63

in which the main character travels back in time

to try to prevent the assassination of John F Kennedy?

I have no idea. I can't even hazard a guess.

Jonathan Franzen.

No, Stephen King is the answer. Jon, you're still in it.

This is quite a tight contest here.

Hold your ground.

CS Forester, the writer best known for his Horatio Hornblower novels, was born in which country?

You would think that he would be English, wouldn't you?

But English sounds very obvious, doesn't it?

Yeah, I think I'd go for English. Yeah, sorry.

-Your answer is England?

-England.

Egypt is the answer. OK, Judith, back to you.

"Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs,

"about the lilting house and happy as the grass was green"

are the opening lines to which Dylan Thomas poem?

Oh, gosh, I thought you were going to say, "Who wrote it?" Dylan Thomas.

Fern Hill.

Yes!

Yes, indeed. It is Fern Hill.

You've taken the round, Judith.

You've won on Arts & Books after looking a tiny bit shaky.

Jon, I'm sorry, Sudden Death and you died there, so you won't be in the final round and Judith will.

Do come back and rejoin your team-mates.

So, as it stands, the challengers have lost three brains. The Eggheads have lost no brains so far.

The last subject is Politics. Who would like this?

-We need to keep our powder dry, so it's going to be me.

-Pete, OK.

-Against which Egghead?

-Who have we got left?

-It can be Pat or Barry.

-Pat or Barry?

-Barry, I think.

-All agreed with that?

-Yeah.

-Pete from The Volunteers versus Barry from the Eggheads.

Please take your positions in the question room.

-Pete, good luck.

-Thank you.

-Barry, you love your politics, don't you?

-Possibly.

-I'll ask each of you three questions on Politics in turn. Pete, you choose the first or second set.

I think I'll try and keep to the losing streak so far and go first.

Pete, the British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin was a member of which political party?

OK, I'm pretty certain he wasn't Liberal Democrat.

I've got a feeling he was Labour.

He was actually Conservative.

-Oh, no.

-Back to you, Barry.

Who was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1983 to 1989?

1983 to 1989...

That was still the Thatcher years.

Norman Lamont was the Chancellor for John Major

and I think John Major was Chancellor

right at the end of Margaret Thatcher's tenure,

so I think I will go for Nigel Lawson for this one.

Nigel Lawson is quite right. The father of...?

-The great Nigella.

-The great Nigella.

She makes rich puddings and he writes books on how not to eat them.

Pete, back to you.

Andrew Feldman and which other politician became Co-Chairs

of the Conservative Party in May 2010?

Oh, dear! I think I might be continuing the losing streak.

I don't think it was Malik.

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

Sayeeda Warsi is absolutely right. Well done. Baroness Warsi.

Good, good. I'm glad you got that.

Barry, see if you can keep the lead.

In December 2011, Elio Di Rupo became the Prime Minister of which country?

Could you spell that name, please?

E-L-I-O, D-I, R-U-P-O.

Elio Di Rupo...

Now, Belgium have had a lot of interesting politics of late

because they haven't managed to form a government for a long time

and they finally formed one this year,

so I'm wondering if it could be him, finally?

-So I shall go for Belgium.

-Belgium is the right answer, Barry.

You've got two points now,

so, Pete, you need this answer correct or he's knocked you out.

Edward Heath became an MP for which constituency in 1950?

I've got a feeling that might be Woodford.

Woodford. Is that the right answer, Eggheads?

-No.

-Bexley.

-Bexley.

-Bexley is the answer.

Oh, well...

So I'm sorry, Pete.

-No worries.

-You've lost to Barry and Barry will be in the final.

Come back to us now and we will play that final round.

It's time for the final round which, as always, is General Knowledge.

I'm afraid those of you who lost your head-to-heads can't take part,

so, Pete, Jon, Gareth and Phil from The Volunteers, would you please leave the studio?

-I'm sorry about this, Nigel.

-It's the way it goes, Jeremy.

-You can remonstrate with them later on in The Volunteer pub.

-I might have a few words.

-You are a vet?

-Practising veterinary surgeon, yeah.

-I assumed vets in the country do cows, but not so much now?

-No.

We're not really James Herriot any more.

We've moved over to what you might call "paediatrics with fur".

We tend to do a lot of pets. Dogs and cats are our main occupation.

There still are a lot of farm vets, but not as many as there were five or ten years ago.

If you have a knock-out drop for these five, administer it now.

-Now's the time.

-You're playing to win The Volunteers £15,000. There's quite a big jackpot today.

Daphne, Chris, Barry, Pat and Judith, you're playing for something

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

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

They are all General Knowledge and you are allowed to confer.

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

-Would you like to go first or second?

-I think I'd like to go first, really.

Nigel, good luck. They're egging you on behind you.

What was the name of the character regularly played by Nigel Planer in the TV comedy series The Young Ones?

Funnily enough, we've got a regular in The Volunteer

who we tend to, uh...

He reminds us a lot of the character in The Young Ones

and his name is Neil, so I'll go for Neil.

Neil is the right answer. You got the first question right.

Eggheads, according to the proverb based on a Biblical quotation, which cat cannot change its spots?

-Leopard.

-Do you agree?

-Yeah, leopard.

That's the leopard, Jeremy.

The leopard is the right answer.

They may get harder.

Your question, Nigel. On which date did Captain Scott and his team arrive at the South Pole,

only to discover that Roald Amundsen had preceded them by about four weeks?

I actually work, Jeremy, about maybe 300 to 400 yards

from where Robert Falcon Scott was born in Plymouth.

He was born in Outland Road just near the Plymouth Argyle football stadium.

And it's about 100 years ago that Captain Scott went to the South Pole,

so I would say that he arrived at the South Pole

and found that Amundsen had already got there

on the 17th of January, 1912.

1912 is your answer...

You're right. That's handy having that round the corner!

They've got a big monument too called the Scott Monument.

If you win, you can kiss it next time you see it.

OK, Eggheads,

which station is the Belgian terminus for Eurostar trains?

Midi. Brussels South.

-Bruxelles-Midi.

-Yeah.

-Brussels South to us.

It's Brussels South, also known as Bruxelles-Midi.

Bruxelles-Midi is the right answer.

A train question with Chris on board. Agh! OK...

Your question, Nigel. Get this one right and you've got three in a row.

Then if they trip up, you get the money. It's that simple.

In Greek mythology, what type of creature was Chiron?

Well, I know he wasn't a Gorgon. I know he wasn't a Hydra.

And in surgery, Chiron is a very important person

and certainly to veterinary surgeons.

We probably all know that Chiron was a Centaur - half man, half horse.

You've got it right, with the background as well.

Now I see why you saved him up to the end, you four.

It was all just a cover to play Nigel in the final round.

OK, we've got a contest here.

£15,000 up for grabs. They have not taken any lumps out of you yet because you're all still sat there.

But if you get this one question wrong, they have won the money.

Which opera was written by Benjamin Britten

as a result of a BBC commission in 1966?

-Gloriana...

-Gloriana was for the Queen's wedding.

-That was a little early.

-That was earlier than '66.

I think it's Owen Wingrave.

Who is Owen Wingrave?

- I don't know. - I don't know.

-But that would be my guess.

-Yeah.

-And mine.

-The other two just don't make any sense to me.

-What do you think? Do we...?

-Yeah.

-We've nothing else to go on. Yeah.

We don't know, Jeremy, but we're going for Owen Wingrave.

You're going for Owen Wingrave, a person of whom you've never heard.

-Yes.

-With £15,000 in the balance.

-Yes.

And that came from Daphne via Barry and spread.

And it was Judith who held out, wasn't it, Judith?

I kept saying, "Who is Owen Wingrave?" That's the clue.

It's lucky nobody listened to you. It was Owen Wingrave. Well done.

Owen Wingrave is the answer. OK, three questions each.

Three right each. Couldn't be tenser. £15,000 the jackpot, which is big. We go to Sudden Death.

It gets a bit harder because I don't give you alternatives, Nigel.

Gennaio is the Italian word for which month of the year?

It's spelt G-E-N-N-A-I-O.

Gennaio.

I don't think it's January, so I'll take that one out straight away.

Um...

And it's the Italian, not the Latin.

So...

I don't know why, but for some reason, I think it might be November.

-So I'll say November.

-November is your answer.

-Eggheads, do you know?

-I'd have gone for January.

-Just on the basis of how it sounds?

-Yeah.

Gennaio, January... January is the answer, Nigel.

-January, Gennaio, too obvious?

-I thought it was too obvious.

OK, we haven't lost yet.

Eggheads, if you get this one right, you've won the contest. What is the official language of Tunisia?

-Arabic.

-Arabic.

-Or French.

-What else could it be?

-What other options?

-French.

-Arabic or French?

-That can't be their official language.

-It's got to be Arabic.

-Arabic.

-It could be Berber, but I don't think so.

-The French were there once, but I think they're long gone.

-They removed French as an official language when they became independent.

-Are we resolved on that?

-Yeah.

-We're going to go for Arabic, Jeremy.

If you've got this right, the contest is over after brilliant play by Nigel.

Eggheads, the answer is Arabic,

so we say congratulations, you have won.

You fought so well. Often three right is enough.

You do stumble sometimes on the third question.

-Well done, Nigel. You really brought out the big guns at the end. My goodness!

-Thank you.

Commiserations. The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them and their winning streak continues.

The Volunteers won't be going home with the £15,000, so the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, congratulations. Who will beat you? We'll see next time

if a new team of challengers have the brains to defeat them. £16,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.

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