Episode 89 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 the awesome might of our quiz goliaths today

are Unos from Merseyside.

Now, this team of friends attend their local pub quiz

in Whiston every Thursday

and, after testing their brainpower,

they like nothing more than a trip next door to their favourite kebab shop

which is called Unos. Let's meet them.

Hi. I'm Phil. I'm 27 and I'm a trainee counsellor.

Hi. I'm Ian. I'm 41 and I'm into community radio.

Hi. I'm Alan. I'm 38 and I'm a complaints handler.

Hi. I'm Mark. I'm 46 and I'm a school network manager.

Hi. I'm Peter. I'm aged 50 and I'm a taxi driver.

Phil and team, welcome.

-Thank you.

-Great to see you. So you troop into Unos

-and what do you order?

-Personally, I'm partial to a chicken kebab.

We all vary, really.

-But the hotter, the better.

-Sounds like a very, very lively quiz night.

I mean, there's beer, there's kebabs.

-There is a bit of quizzing as well?

-Of course. Yeah.

It's a very British thing, quizzing.

-It's just something very particular to this country, isn't it?

-Yeah.

What is it that you love about it?

The banter with us, particularly, as a team.

But, as well as that, it's fun but it's competitive as well.

-We like to win.

-I hope you do really well here today.

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, Unos, the Eggheads have won the last three games,

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

-Would you like to start?

-Absolutely.

-Yes.

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

Who would like this?

Which person? Geography.

-What do you think, lads?

-I think Phil.

-It was Phil.

-Me?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Phil? OK, good.

Against who? You can have anyone there.

-Such a choice.

-It is a choice, isn't it? Look at them.

I' d like to try Barry, please, Jeremy.

OK. So Phil from Unos versus Barry from the Eggheads.

And, to ensure there's no conferring,

would you please take your positions in our Question Room.

-Are you up for this, Barry? Geography?

-Yes, I love geography.

And any particular part of the world?

Parts I don't know about. I like to learn new things.

Where would you go if I gave you a ticket anywhere?

I'd probably go to Jaipur and see the Taj Mahal.

Phil, where would you go?

Las Vegas I think, Jeremy.

-I've never been there. I've always wanted to go.

-Great stuff.

OK. Good luck here, Phil. Three multiple-choice questions

and you can choose the first or the second set.

Can I go first, please, Jeremy?

Here we go, Phil. The island of Vikingen,

V-I-K-I-N-G-E-N,

stands on which major line of latitude? Is it...

Viking of course is Scandinavian.

I'm going to say Arctic Circle, please, Jeremy.

Absolutely right, Phil. Well done. Arctic Circle it is.

Barry, the island of New Guinea is located in which ocean? Is it...

Ah, it's absolutely not the Atlantic.

Now, where does the Pacific and the Indian change?

This is quite tricky.

I think it's just in the Indian Ocean, so I'm going to go Indian.

Now, we've got a rule, haven't we? If in doubt, you say Pacific.

I do, but I thought it was just at the end of the Indian Ocean.

It's the Pacific.

OK, Phil. Back to you. Your second question.

-How about that? You're in the lead already.

-Brilliant start. Made up.

Lake Tanganyika's most southerly point is in which country? Is it...

I'm instantly drawn to Kenya, to be honest.

And I know, as a rule, and we've discussed this as a team,

if in doubt, go straight down the middle,

and that's what I'm going to do, Jeremy. Malawi, please.

-It's not Malawi, it's Zambia.

-Right.

Back to you, Barry.

Amersham and High Wycombe are towns in which range of hills? Is it...

Amersham and High Wycombe. The Quantocks are in Somerset.

I think the South Downs are probably in East or West Sussex.

And the Chilterns, I'm not quite sure where they are.

They're not in the Quantocks, they're not in Somerset.

I think I'm going to go for Chilterns out of those three.

Chilterns is the right answer.

So one each and back to you, Phil.

The Australian outback town of Coober Pedy

is a centre for the mining of which precious stone? Is it...

OK.

I think I've actually heard of this, Jeremy.

And I'll just be straight to the point

and say that I'm inclined towards topaz.

I think I read it somewhere. It is lodged in there somewhere.

So I'm going to go with topaz.

OK. Very difficult question. Topaz.

-Any Eggheads know the answer?

-Opals.

Opal is what they're saying here.

Opal is the answer.

Barry, your third question.

Hot Springs, the USA's only national park in an urban area,

is in which state? Is it...

Hot Springs.

Well, Hot Springs suggests volcanic activity.

Yellowstone National Park is mostly in Wyoming

and a bit of that goes into Montana.

I'm just wondering if those parks in Arkansas

have any hot springs in. I can't think of anything immediately,

so I shall try Montana.

Montana is wrong. It's Arkansas.

You're level after three questions.

We go to Sudden Death now, Phil.

So gets a bit harder, I don't give you multiple answers.

The French towns of Saumur and Tours are on which major river?

I've heard of Tours, and that's purely because I'm a football fan.

I'm a bit of an anorak when it comes to teams and regions.

The River Louvre.

It's Loire. It's Loire.

Barry, over to you. The Central American countries

of Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador

have similar flags consisting of three horizontal stripes

of which two colours?

They all have flags that contain blue and white stripes.

If it's right, you take the round.

-Do you think he's got this right, Phil?

-Yeah, I do.

Yeah, you are. Blue and white it is.

So, on Sudden Death, Barry nicks it and will be in the final round.

Well done, Barry. Well done, Phil. Come back and rejoin your teams.

The challengers have lost a brain,

the Eggheads haven't lost one yet.

The next subject is music. So who would like this?

-Shall I take that?

-Ian?

-Yep.

-I'll take that, please.

OK, Ian. And which Egghead?

What do you think?

I think I'd like to take Dave on, please.

OK, so it's going to be Ian from Unos versus Dave,

Tremendous Knowledge Dave, from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring, would you take your positions in the Question Room.

I'm thinking this is up your street, Ian, with your community radio work.

I'd like to think so but, for me,

community radio's more about the speech-based elements of things,

rather than the music.

The music's the filler.

The community side is the important part to us,

making sure that local charities,

local organisations get a voice.

-Yeah, and very valued once you get it going.

-Absolutely.

OK. Good luck against Tremendous Knowledge Dave.

It's music we're talking about. Three questions, multiple choice.

You can choose the first or the second set.

I'll take the first set, please.

Here we go and good luck. Who made the 1975 album,

Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy,

the first album to debut at number one

in the US pop albums chart? Was it...

Rod Stewart doesn't sound like the type of person

who would make an album with such a convoluted name.

So that leaves me with Bryan Ferry and Elton John.

I think Elton John was bigger in the United States,

so I'm going to go for Elton John.

And it's exactly right, well done. Elton John it was.

OK, Tremendous Knowledge Dave.

Rapunzel, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood

are characters in which musical? Is it...

Right. I've not heard of these characters at all

but just on the title of the musical, I'll go Into The Woods.

Into The Woods is the correct answer. Well done, you.

OK, Ian.

In 2002, Antonio Pappano

became music director of which opera house? Is it...

Well, opera's not my strongest suit.

I think I would rule out Covent Garden,

due to the fact that if it's British,

it's something I might have picked up on.

And, out of the other two, it's the final one, Bayreuth,

that I would plump for.

I understand, but it's not right.

It is Covent Garden. Covent Garden.

So, over to you, Dave.

Blur's first UK number one single, Country House,

came from which album? Is it...

Just having a quick think about it

because Parklife and The Great Escape were at similar times.

I'm ruling out Blur.

I don't think it was on Parklife,

so I'll go with The Great Escape

and live by the consequences.

The Great Escape is the right answer. Well done.

-Yeah.

-So Dave pulls into the lead. And that means, Ian,

you need to get this one right.

Which Oscar-nominated film actor had a UK top ten single

in 1968 with the song, MacArthur Park?

This is one of those songs, it sticks in my brain

for the pure, simple reason that it's got the immortal lyric,

"Who left the cake out in the rain?" I think it's Richard Harris.

Yeah, it's a very unusual rendition and an unusual song.

And it is Richard Harris. Well done. You've got two points.

Dave, if you get this right, you're in the final round.

What is the surname of the husband and wife song-writing team Alan and Marilyn

who, in 1982, had three songs nominated

for an Academy Award? Is it...

Right, well, 1982 would probably point to Fame.

No, that's 1980 actually, the film. The TV series '82.

I'm trying to think what films were around.

Possibly An Officer And A Gentleman.

It's a total guess, and I'll go Bergman.

-Is he right, Eggheads?

-Yeah.

Bergman is the right answer.

Dave, you've taken the round.

Sorry, Ian. You can't help your team in the final round.

And you will do, Dave.

Please, both of you come back here, rejoin your team mates.

The challengers have lost two brains,

the Eggheads have lost no brains so far from the all-important final.

The next subject is sport.

-I reckon you're going to love this.

-Yes.

There's going to be a fight.

Always going to be you.

-Peter?

-Yeah.

-Which Egghead? Judith, please.

So it's Peter from Unos versus Judith...

I'm not even going to comment. Not even going to make a remark.

..versus Judith from the Eggheads on sport.

To ensure there's no conferring, take your positions in the Question Room.

-So Peter, you're a cab driver?

-Yeah, that's right, yeah.

You describe yourself as the, "agony uncle of the road".

Yeah, yeah. We pick a lot of different kinds of people up all day long,

and it's just interesting, the amount of information

that a total stranger will willingly reveal to you.

I'm just wondering if you could help

with any of Judith's problems with sport.

I can't think of what to say to him.

OK.

-Shall we just play the round?

-Yes. Let's get it over with.

-But you might win.

-You never know.

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

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

I'll go for the first set, please, Jeremy.

OK, here we go, your first question.

In the UK, what is the maximum number of dogs

that can take part in a greyhound race? Is it...

Right. I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this one.

15 is far too many.

Ten just doesn't seem... It would be too wide a track for ten.

I'm pretty confident that there are six greyhounds.

Six is right. Well done.

Judith, which tennis tournament for mixed teams was founded in 1988,

and is played shortly before the Australian Open? Is it...

Oh, goodness.

Well, not the Davis Cup.

-I think it's the Hopman Cup.

-You're right. Well done.

Peter, where was the ICC Global Cricket Academy opened in 2010?

Well, initially,

I am drawn to China.

I don't really see Monaco

as being the type of place that has cricket.

Dubai the same.

I think China's the most obvious, so I'll go for China.

-It's actually Dubai.

-Oh, really?

-Funnily enough.

But I can see why you say China.

It's the obvious expansion place, isn't it?

Yeah, I mean, well, it's an Asian country,

-so you're thinking Indian and, you know, Pakistan.

-Yeah.

Judith, over to you. You could take the lead in sport.

And we have got ticker tape and balloons ready.

In 2009, West Ham United football club renamed their centenary stand

in honour of which of their former players? Was it...

Don't know. I don't know any football questions.

Billy Bonds. Trevor Brooking.

-OK, stand by everybody. It's the right answer.

-Amazing.

Now, Judith is now in the lead on sport.

Peter, you will definitely have helped her if you lose this round.

OK, the Dante Festival, featuring the Dante Stakes,

is a meeting at which race course. Is it...

Dante Stakes. I don't think it's Haydock. I've been to Haydock.

I don't remember going to a course with the Dante Stakes.

So it's York or Newbury. I'm drawn towards York.

So I'm going to rule out Newbury,

go with instinct and I'll go with York.

York is the right answer. Well done, you're still in it.

Judith, if you get this right, you're in the final round.

At the first modern Olympics in 1896,

the UK team won gold medals in tennis

and which other sport? Was it...

I was wondering whether they had

either weightlifting or equestrianism...

..cos 1896 is, sort of, very early on, isn't it?

I'm going to risk it and say athletics.

-Let's see if anyone knows in the Eggheads.

-Weightlifting.

Weightlifting is the answer.

So it's two points each after three questions.

We go to Sudden Death on sport,

which I know you're going to enjoy even more, Miss Keppel.

Peter. Here's your question.

In 1968, who became the first

Northern Irish European Footballer Of The Year?

The first Northern Irish Footballer Of The Year?

The first one that springs to mind,

and it is an obvious name for that era.

And I'm going to stick with it, I'm going to say George Best.

George Best is the right answer.

Judith, your question.

Which British athlete won a women's 400 metre hurdles gold medal

at the 1993 World Championships?

If you get this wrong, you'll be out.

I have no idea.

I don't know, I can't even think of a woman hurdler.

I don't know. I have no idea. I really don't know.

-Are you passing?

-Yep.

-Peter, do you know?

-'93.

-Sally Gunnell?

-Sally Gunnell is right, yeah.

Gosh. Don't remember her.

So I'm very sorry to say you have been knocked out on sport.

Peter, well done. You are in the final round.

Please come back and rejoin your teams.

The challengers have lost two brains

and the Eggheads have lost a brain.

Now, the last one for you before the final is history.

-Who would like this?

-It's got to be Mark, hasn't it?

-Got to be.

-OK. I'll do that.

Mark on history against which Egghead?

It could be Kevin or Pat.

Who would you like to take on?

-Pat.

-Go for Pat.

-Pat, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Do you know your history?

-Yeah. I'm not too bad on history.

Excellent. So Mark from Unos versus Pat from the Eggheads on history.

Please take your positions, gentlemen.

-So you like your history, Mark?

-I do, yes.

It's always been one of my favourite subjects, even from school,

-even to now, yes.

-And Pat, I know you love yours

cos you've done loads of history rounds successfully.

But what is it that turns a person on to history, Pat?

Well, it's the story of the past, isn't it?

All those people who were just as real as we are

but, unless you find out about what they did and how they lived,

you don't really appreciate that.

Right. OK. Three multiple-choice questions on history in turn.

Mark, you can choose the first or second set.

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

So here we go, good luck.

In ancient Egyptian art, a crook and which implement

were used to symbolise the office of Pharaoh. Was it...

Well, I went to Egypt about seven or eight years ago,

so I'm hoping that I do know this.

I'm positive that it's not a bucket

and also not a pitchfork.

I'm almost positive that it is a flail.

Flail is the right answer.

OK, first point to you. Over to Pat. Who was US president

at the time of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne? Was it...

Well, let's see. Roosevelt had his big, long spell in office,

but it ended in '45. '44, '45.

Lyndon B Johnson succeeded Kennedy after the assassination in '63.

So in the early '50s, that's Harry S Truman.

Harry S Truman is the right answer. One each. Back to you, Mark.

In the 19th century, the Dead Rabbits and the Shirt Tails

were notorious gangs in which US city?

Well, nothing springs to mind about rabbits or shirt tails

associated with any of them three cities.

I'll just go for San Francisco.

No, it is New York. Sorry to say.

Pat, your question on history.

Who succeeded Hitler

as German Head Of State in 1945? Was it...

Not the greatest gig in the world.

He only held office for a fairly short time.

And I think he was a big wheel from the navy.

I think it was Karl Donitz.

Karl Donitz is the right answer. Well done.

So see if you can get this one right, Mark.

Which part of Britain was the home of the Deceangli tribe

at the time of the Roman occupation? Was it...

Well, I'm almost sure that it's not Scotland.

I'm sure it's not Wales. Just because of the angli,

I'm going to for South East England.

Let me ask the Eggheads. Is it correct?

It's North Wales. Cos it's also Anglesey.

North Wales is the answer. So I'm sorry.

You have no way back there after your questions.

And Pat will be in the final. Well done, Pat.

Mark, you've been knocked out. If you come back to us, we will play the final round.

This is what we've been playing towards.

It is time for our final round, which is general knowledge.

But those of you who lost your head-to-heads

won't take part in this round.

So Phil, Ian and Mark from Unos and Judith from the Eggheads,

would you please now leave the studio.

-So, Alan and Peter, you are in the final.

-Yep.

And, Alan, you love computer games, is that right?

Yeah, yeah, all kinds.

Mainly puzzle games like Tetris, that kind of thing.

Cos we saw the other day in a pub, an Eggheads game.

So you play the Eggheads on a kind of fruit machine type thing.

And Barry played himself and lost!

OK, Alan and Peter, you are playing to win Unos £4,000.

Barry, Pat, Kevin and Dave, you're playing for something

that money can't buy, the Eggheads' very precious reputation.

I will ask each team three questions in turn.

This time the questions are all general knowledge

and you are allowed to confer.

So, Unos, the question is, are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four?

Would you like to go first or second?

Let's hope they are better than their four. We'd like to go first, please.

OK, all the best to you. Good luck.

In January 2012, it was announced that Alesha Dixon

was to become a judge on which TV show? Was it...

It was in all the papers.

-Do you know it?

-Which do you think?

-MasterChef?

-It's definitely not MasterChef.

I'd say it's definitely not Britain's Next Top Model.

I'm almost certain...

-I don't know.

-I think it's definitely Britain's Got Talent.

All right, we'll go with that. Britain's Got Talent.

Britain's Got Talent is the right answer. Nice one.

OK, over to you, Eggheads.

Which Yiddish word is used to refer to a person of honour or integrity? Is it...

-Mensch then?

-Yeah,

-OK.

-Mensch.

Are we happy with mensch? That's mensch.

Mensch, meaning "what a guy", is that right?

Yes. An honest guy

who's fair in his dealings with others and a man of respect.

Mensch is the answer. Describes you perfectly, all of you.

OK. Unos, here we go.

In 1987, the Yemeni-born politician, Keith Vaz,

became an MP for Leicester East,

representing which political party? Was it...

-I don't know.

-The name doesn't ring a bell.

-1987. I'd lean towards Labour myself.

-Yeah.

I just think at that time.

It just rings a bell, so maybe. I'm not saying, I'm no way 100%.

Well, not being that good on politics myself,

we'll go with Peter's answer and we'll go with Labour.

-Labour's right.

-Well done.

-Two out of two.

Eggheads, over to you.

"I was born in the year 1632 in the city of York,"

is the opening to which English novel? Is it...

-Robinson Crusoe?

-Yeah.

-Robinson Crusoe.

That's the opening of Robinson Crusoe.

Robinson Crusoe is correct.

OK. So it's two each.

Third question. This is often the key moment.

Get this right, they're under pressure, you may get the prize.

What is the common name for the cosmetics ingredient

with the scientific name Simmondsia chinensis? Is it...

-Any idea?

-No. I was supposed to do science. I'm glad I never with that.

Because of the name, I don't know, it's an unusual-sounding name.

And you sort of look at the unusual names in that

and maybe jojoba. But I don't know, again.

If you can come up with something. Do you know something?

-Don't shout at me.

-I won't shout at you.

Again, we'll go with Peter's answer on this one, jojoba oil.

Jojoba oil is correct.

Good work. Very good. Three out of three in the final round.

Can't ask for more than that. Excellent play.

OK, Eggheads. A bit of pressure on you now, guys.

What became the flagship of the Royal Navy fleet in 2011?

And, if you get this wrong, the contest is over.

What is the flagship, strictly speaking?

-A nominated premier ship.

-Yeah.

I don't know. I have the very faintest of inklings

that it might be Argyll, but it's as faint as faint could be.

Yeah. I have a feeling that Bulwark is a submarine.

Bulwark seems an unlikely name for a flagship, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-Is Clyde likely?

If it was Clyde and we were up in Glasgow,

we might have come across that, maybe.

I may be wrong, but I don't think Clyde is a major ship.

I don't know. I suppose I'd vote for Argyll.

-Yeah.

-I apologise if I'm wrong.

-No, there's nothing we can do.

-We don't know it.

-Seems the most likely.

-Yeah, Argyll would be...

I think it's a frigate or a destroyer or something.

Well, we don't know, Jeremy. We simply don't know.

So I think Bulwark is a submarine,

so that probably would rule that out.

So I think, on balance, we'll have to go for Argyll.

-We don't know it.

-Argyll is your answer.

-Do you know, Judith?

-No, I'm afraid I don't.

-No. You guys know?

-No idea.

I personally would go for Argyll myself, to be honest.

Yeah, there was a sort of familiarity about Argyll.

There is £4,000 resting on this.

The answer is not Argyll, it's HMS Bulwark.

-Yes! Yes!

-So congratulations. Challengers, you have won.

-How about that? Well done.

-Unbelievable.

-Well done, guys.

-Totally unreal.

-Well, you got three in a row

-and that does put them under pressure.

-That's amazing.

Yeah. Did you come along thinking you might win?

-No.

-Confident. Confident.

We don't need three options for that answer.

We've all got to get down to Unos, obviously, to celebrate.

-Double kebabs.

-Kebabs all round.

-Plenty of sauce.

-Really pleased for you.

Well done at the back as well. Good stuff.

Congratulations. You've just won £4,000.

-You are officially cleverer than the Eggheads, even better.

-Yeah.

Join us next time on Eggheads

to see if a new team of challengers will be just as successful.

Until then, what a game. Goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd