Episode 9 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 with a team of five quiz challengers

pit their wits against possibly the greatest quiz team in Britain.

They are the Eggheads.

And challenging our resident quiz champions today are Team Surprise.

Quite simply, this team want to surprise the Eggheads

with their knowledge and their charm.

Whether that tactic works or not remains to be seen. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Matt, I'm 21 and I'm an English literature graduate.

Hi, I'm Rowena, I'm 21 and I'm a graphics student.

Hi, I'm Will, I'm 21 and I'm a film graduate.

Hi, I'm Amy, I'm 20 and I'm a music student.

Hi, I'm Sasha, I'm 23 and I'm an English literature graduate.

Welcome to you, Team Surprise. Simple name. I explained

why you call yourself Team Surprise.

What about your quizzing abilities and knowledge,

have you worked together as a team?

Of course, we're big on pub quizzes.

As students, the pub is pretty much the main place to be.

Whenever we're there, we like to test our knowledge.

The prize is very rarely more than a pack of nuts,

or, at best, a pint of stale beer!

But we like to keep on top of things, yeah.

You're based in the pub? This is where you do the studying?

I wouldn't put it that far, but yeah!

OK, as students, you'll be interested in the cash on offer 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 to the next show.

Team Surprise, the Eggheads have won the last 19 games.

That means £20,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

Our first head-to-head battle will be on the subject of geography.

Any of you geographers?

It's not great.

It's going to be a question of who's the most travelled.

I haven't been out of Europe, so...

-WILL:

-I've barely been out the country.

We did have a target for geography, didn't we?

-I thought it was Rowena.

-Rowena?

I'll do it, if you want me to. OK.

-Good girl.

-All right.

-Stay with us, Rowena, and choose an Egghead to play.

-Right, um...

Amy, her special topic is the Eggheads.

Right, we don't have that category!

I think we should go for CJ.

His British geography is a bit shaky.

-OK.

-As is mine!

-I think we'll take on CJ.

-You do know about the Eggheads.

-First I've heard of this!

-LAUGHTER

-Yeah.

It's going to be Rowena and CJ

playing our opening round and could I ask you to got to the question room

to make sure you can't confer with your team mates.

Rowena, I know you chat to our production team

before you come on Eggheads, and they tell me things about you all.

They told me that you have an interesting kind of hobby.

Um, dying my hair.

-That's the one!

-I have a slight obsession with that

and I wouldn't say I'm ever happy.

You and CJ are just the same then!

DERMOT LAUGHS

OK, I'm afraid we don't have a hair-dyeing category,

this is geography.

Would you like to go first or second?

I'd like to go first, please.

All right. You're going first and this is your question.

Senegal is bordered by which ocean?

OK, well, straight away, Indian is just flashing up.

I'm not quite sure why, but Senegal seems quite a hot country to me.

I'm not sure if it's Atlantic.

It could be Pacific, but I think I'm going for Indian.

OK, Indian Ocean. Senegal is a hot country

but it's West Africa.

So it's the Atlantic.

-Oh.

-Atlantic, unfortunately. OK, CJ.

What is the basic monetary unit of Sweden?

I think the forint is Hungary and the lev is Bulgaria,

which would make the krona Sweden.

Which you would have known, anyway,

I'm sure. OK, you've got a point.

We need to get you moving, Rowena.

What is the approximate population of New Zealand?

OK. New Zealand is quite a big country,

but I don't think it's over-populated.

I don't think it's 4 million.

-I'm going to go with 14 million.

-14, OK.

That might be its sheep population.

But in terms of people, it's only four.

-Oh.

-Approximately 4 million people in New Zealand.

Well, two questions that didn't suit Rowena, so, CJ,

a chance to take the round after two questions.

CJ, Port Elizabeth is a city in which South African province?

I knew it was South Africa!

Well, yeah, I can give you that, that's true.

Um... I really don't know which.

I'm trying to picture where it is.

You've got Cape Town near the bottom.

You've got Durban on the east.

It could be anywhere.

-A blind guess, I'll try the Western Cape.

-Western Cape.

It's not.

-Eastern.

-Eastern Cape.

It's good to see you both got the wrong side of Africa

in different questions. OK.

Good news for you, Rowena.

You're still in it, just, you need to get this, though.

The city of Buffalo in New York State is situated

on the eastern shore of which of the five Great Lakes?

OK. Um, I haven't got a clue, to be honest,

so I'm going to have to take a guess.

So I'm going to go for Huron, is that how you say it?

-Yes.

-I'm going for that.

Lake Huron? No, it isn't.

It's not Huron. CJ?

-Ontario.

-No.

-It's Erie!

-It's Erie.

-Is it? Oh.

-We'll take a point off him and keep going!

Unfortunately, we don't do that,

which means, Rowena, you're not in the final round.

It's incorrect.

Would you please come back and join your teams?

Well, unfortunately for Rowena, no questions on UK geography.

That was a shame, wasn't it(?)

So we didn't put that theory to the test.

Not very good at that side of it.

But won through in that round, which means Team Surprise are one brain down.

Maybe you'll enjoy our next category more. This is Music.

-Who'd like to play this?

-We've got a couple of contenders for this.

We are going for Amy.

-You are studying music.

-As our music student.

You can't really duck it, can you, Amy?

-You know about the Eggheads. Which one do you want to play?

-OK.

-I'm going to take on Barry, I think.

-Barry? OK.

What was the analysis there?

I don't know how much Barry knows about popular music.

Maybe...

I listen to nothing else(!)

It is your definition of popular, Barry, that's the problem. OK.

Let's have Amy and Barry into the question room, please.

Your friends tell us you study music.

Do you play any instruments?

Yes. I'm a saxophonist.

More classical, as opposed to...

People normally associate the saxophone with the jazz world,

but I trained as a flautist first, so I have a classical background.

-Yeah.

-It could come in useful in this round,

because a lot of people of your generation are strong on contemporary stuff,

but the classical background can be a bit weaker.

Let's hope you're not caught out by any from that direction.

Do you want to go first or second?

I think I'll go first, please.

Now, your first question.

Alice Cooper had a UK number-one single with Schools Out

in which decade?

OK, I don't think it was as late as the '90s. This isn't really my genre.

Something is screaming '80s at me,

so I'll go for that and hope for the best.

1980s. It's not.

-It's earlier.

-Is it?

-It's way back to our Bazzer's time.

-Thank you(!)

Were you swinging those long locks to the sound of Schools Out?

Probably not.

It is 1972, to be precise, so nothing there

and, Barry, which 1982 song begins with the lines,

"Rising up, back on the street, did my time, took my chances"?

I've been playing it through in my head

-and I think it's the Eye Of The Tiger.

-Yeah.

Don't sing any of it at all.

-I'll spare you that delight.

-We won't get Chris involved, either.

Why not, Chris? Is it a karaoke favourite?

# It's the eye of the tiger

-# And the dee da da dee... #

-No.

# ..To the challenge of our rival. #

It's not one of your favourites. Eye Of The Tiger is correct,

which is bad news for Amy. We need you to get one here, OK?

Amy, the jazz musician Charlie Parker was best known

for his expertise on which instrument?

I think it would be embarrassing if I got this wrong.

It's the saxophone.

I was trying to keep a straight face!

It is.

As Kevin, who's not with us today...

How the questions fall.

But that one couldn't have been more up your street.

Saxophone, Charlie Parker.

OK, good, that's steadied your ship and got you under sail.

Your second question, Barry.

In which century was the French composer Erik Satie born?

Very whimsical composer, who spent most of his life living

in a single room, which he wouldn't allow anybody to visit him in.

He always wore white.

But I believe he was born in the...in the 19th century.

19th century is correct.

Right. Amy, bad luck with that first one.

It means you've really got to get this.

What is the birth name of the singer Ozzy Osbourne?

I really don't know this one.

Um, stand in the dark, I'll go for, er, Peter.

Ozzy Osbourne was born as John.

-Oh!

-Oh, no.

It means you won't be in the final round.

And, Bazzer, mate, you're in it.

Would you both come back and join your teams?

Still waiting for you to spring that surprise. I know it will come,

but Team Surprise have lost two brains from the final round.

The Eggheads are all still there.

We move on to round three in the head to heads.

This is Film & Television.

Who would like to play this? We've got Matt, Will or Sasha.

Me.

-Will.

-You did a film degree.

I did a film degree, so I should know something about it.

-Should do, yes. OK.

-Aw!

Will, who would you like to play from the Eggheads?

Barry and CJ have played, so Daphne, Chris or Pat?

THEY TALK AT ONCE

I reckon we should take Chris on. I don't know how much TV he watches.

ALL: OK.

You'd be surprised.

Will and Chris into the question room, please.

Will, I've got to ask you,

is the jumper some kind of tribute to Gyles Brandreth?

I have no idea who that is.

LAUGHTER

-He's only been on Celebrity Eggheads a few times.

-OK.

-Famous jumper wearer.

-Right, OK.

-I believe it's a lucky jumper for you.

I've only had it a few months, I got it from Glastonbury.

Hopefully, it'll be a lucky jumper after today.

Let's hope it is a lucky jumper for you, Will.

Film & Television, as you say, a film studies graduate.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-First, please.

Right, good luck.

What is the profession of the main character in the TV series

Luther, starring Idris Elba?

I've not seen it.

But it has been recommended to me

and I've seen the adverts where he smashes everything up.

I think it must be detective. No doctor would go that crazy.

So I'm going for detective.

It's the right answer. Well worked out, Will.

Chris, Jai McDowell was the 2011 winner of which TV show?

All of those are recorded by you and watched and re-watched?

No, I don't watch any reality television.

Real reality is bad enough.

Real reality.

-Right, OK.

-McDowell.

How's about MasterChef?

LAUGHTER

That was the one there that you could have eliminated.

It's not the right answer, no, it's not. Other Eggheads?

Britain's Got Talent.

Britain's Got Talent. So...

-That's questionable.

-LAUGHTER

So, Will, for the first time in this game, Team Surprise have kicked off

with the correct answer to their first question

and a lead, which you can double if you get this right.

Who starred as Thor in the 2011 film of the same name?

I know this one, because I did see it in the cinema recently.

It was the first film I'd ever seen in 3D

and I wasn't really sure about it, but yeah, it's Chris Hemsworth.

Chris Hemsworth is the right answer. Well done.

Why not sure about 3D? You don't like the sensation?

I don't see the point. It makes everything fuzzy.

The glasses are a bit... It's just a hassle.

It must be difficult for you to see 3D films with specs, Chris?

I've never seen a 3D film in my life.

Not even that 1950s one with the old bats?

-Oh, what's it called? I don't know.

-A quiz question.

Never bothered with it.

All right. Well, you're 2-0 down and need to get this.

In which year did the TV series Rawhide, starring Clint Eastwood,

first air in the United States?

In 1949, the American TV networks were hardly going at all,

according to Bill Bryson, who I trust in these matters.

It was still dominated by radio.

I remember it being on the telly in this country in the early '60s,

so it would have premiered in the US in '59.

OK. '59. Doing it that way.

It's the right answer. Well done, Chris.

You're still in it, but, Will,

you go through to the final round if you give me a correct answer here.

How many Oscar nominations did Kate Winslet receive

between 2000 and 2010?

I can't imagine it's four.

I think it must be three,

because she seems to get nominated all the time,

but not enough for four.

OK, three, but not four.

Gets nominated all the time. She certainly does.

But she has been nominated four times. Four times.

OK, is this a let-off for Chris?

He was 2-0 down and can level and take us into sudden death if he gets this.

Chris, which actor has starred in the films JFK, Hollow Man

and Sleepers?

I think I'd remembered Kevin Bacon, with his peculiar nose. Um...

William H Macy.

William H Macy. What do you think, film studies student Will?

I would have gone the Billy Bob Thornton.

-Interesting, because it's Kevin Bacon.

-Oh.

It doesn't matter what you'd have gone for, Will, you're in the final.

You and your pullie.

Let's have you and Chris back into the studio to join your teams.

I knew that surprise was coming, didn't I?

Will with his Glastonbury secret weapon, the jumper.

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

Team Surprise have lost two.

Last head to head before the final round is History.

We have Matt or Sasha available.

Matt really wants to do the last round, so I will take History.

-Sasha, you can choose from Pat or Daphne.

-I think Pat.

Let's try and knock Pat out. Why not?

Let's have Sasha and Pat in the question room, please.

Sasha, would you like to go first or second?

I'd like to go first, please.

OK, good luck, Sasha. First question.

Edward VI was a member of which Royal house?

I know that Henry VIII had a son called Edward,

but I can't remember which one he was.

But just in case it is this, I am going to go with Tudor.

Yes, you got it right, you identified him.

Henry's son Edward became Edward VI and therefore is Tudor.

It's the right answer. Well done.

Pat, in which decade of the 20th century was Fidel Castro born?

I think his group overthrew Batista in '59 in Cuba.

Of course, he was there by '63 and the Bay of Pigs and all that.

A youngish man at the time.

If he was born in the 1940s, he'd have been 19 years old,

taking over a country, which seems precocious.

'30s means he could be up to 29 years old.

And 39 years old. So there we go. Er...

I'm a little concerned here this could go wrong,

but I going for 1930s.

OK, 1930s. The maximum age as you talked us through could be 29.

It's not the right answer, Pat, it is the '20s.

That's great news, Sasha.

You are 1-0 up against the world quiz champion.

Let's hope it stays that way by the end of three questions.

You're leading him at the moment. Your second question,

the Battle of Gate Fulford took place in which year?

1066 was the Battle of Hastings and that is all I know about these dates.

I'm going to go with 1415.

1415. A lot of battles around in all those years.

Um, and the Battle of Gate Fulford, Eggheads?

-It's 1066.

-1066.

-Oh.

-One of those other skirmishes I know Stamford Bridge at that time,

-but where was Gate Fulford?

-Just outside York.

-Really?

It was a Viking invasion that was defeated.

Nothing to do with Harold and co?

It was Harold who fought it, but it was a Viking invasion.

There were two invasions of England in 1066.

Interesting.

The Battle of Gate Fulford was in 1066,

which means it gives a chance to Pat to draw level.

How did the great Carthaginian military leader Hannibal die

in approximately 183 BC?

Well, he has numerous big victories against the Romans,

but I think, um,

they finally got the better of him.

I think his luck ran out and they had him surrounded

and I think he poisoned himself.

OK, so suicide through poison. It is the right answer.

You are back level.

OK, Sasha, still well in it.

And your third question.

Who was king of Denmark and Norway for 60 years between 1588 and 1648?

I am going to have a wild guess at...

..Eric II.

Eric II. I see, kind of Scandinavian -

talk about the Vikings in the last one -

type of name.

-Eric II it's not.

-Oh, dear.

Pat?

My reflex when I hear Denmark is to say Christian,

but it's a guess.

It is, yes, it's Christian IV.

OK, Pat, your question to take the round.

The notorious outlaw Ben Hall,

born in 1837, lived in which country?

You don't hear much about Canadian outlaws.

I'm not sure whether they are a particularly well-behaved people,

or not good cinema.

Australia certainly has a tradition of people

going a bit beyond the law,

and the USA has an entire mythology.

I think I'll go with Australia, but it's close to a guess, really.

Australia.

-What do you think, other Eggheads?

-He's right.

-Really?

It is the right answer. Australia. Bad luck, Sasha,

you led the world quiz champion for a while

but, in the end he has triumphed, which has cost you a place in the final round.

Will you both come back and join your teams?

OK, this is what we've been playing towards.

It's time for the final round,

which, as always, is General Knowledge.

Those of you who lost your head to heads will not be

allowed to take part in this round, so Rowena, Amy and Sasha

from Team Surprise, and Chris from the Eggheads,

would you leave the studio, please?

So, Matt and Will, you are playing to win Team Surprise £20,000.

CJ, Daphne, Barry and Pat, you are playing for something

which money cannot buy - the Eggheads' reputation.

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

This time, the questions are all general knowledge. You are allowed to confer in this final round.

Matt and Will, the question is,

are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four?

Matt and Will, first or second?

I think we'll go first.

OK, the first question is general knowledge. Here you go.

Where were Prince William and Kate Middleton married?

-Well, um...

-We watched it together, didn't we?

-Yeah.

A strange, romantic afternoon.

Do you remember out of those where it took place?

I actually don't, which is terrible, isn't it?

-What are you straining towards?

-Westminster Abbey.

Do you think St Paul's?

-Cathedral does sound grander.

-I think it is St Paul's Cathedral.

I don't know.

-You don't know?

-Yeah, St Paul's Cathedral.

-We're going for St Paul's Cathedral.

-St Paul's Cathedral.

What were you doing while you were watching?

The broadcast went on long time, I was working on it.

-What were you doing? Were you paying full attention?

-I was.

-Doing what?

-Maybe clearly not.

-I was eating cereal, I think.

-Um, you missed the fact it was in Westminster Abbey.

-Argh!

-See, I said... Ah.

-Well, Eggheads, the first question for you.

The American twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss

have been involved in legal campaigns over the ownership of which website?

The American twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss have been

involved in lengthy legal campaigns over the ownership which website?

-That's Facebook.

-Facebook?

Is the right answer, Eggheads, which I'm sure you would have got.

OK, right, you need to get this. I suspect you have a chance.

In which part of the UK is Edge Hill University primarily based?

In which part of the UK is Edge Hill University primarily based?

-Do you have any friends who go to either of those three?

-No.

I'm trying to think.

Norfolk. Is that on the edge?

"Let's go to Edge Hill in Sussex. Edge Hill in Lancashire. Let's go Edge Hill in Norfolk."

What do you know about Sussex? No. No.

No. I definitely know somebody who goes to Sussex.

-I think that is just Sussex University.

-It is, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Lancashire. Go for Lancashire.

-Yeah?

Because Norfolk... There's a Norfolk University?

-We are going to go Lancashire.

-OK, go Lancashire.

For no other reason than just...

-It's the right answer, anyway.

-Yes!

I can't explain that reasoning, neither can they.

Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg represented

which team during the 2011 season?

The Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg represented which team

during the 2011 season?

-CJ:

-He was Michael Schumacher's partner at Mercedes.

That's Mercedes.

Yeah, CJ very sure on his Formula 1. It's the right answer.

OK, it means you've got to get this, Matt and Will.

According to a saying usually attributed to Somerset Maugham,

to eat well in England you should have what three times a day?

-Let's think this logically. Do you know, by the way?

-No.

Right, it's obviously... We can establish it's an old saying.

Do you really think it would be "eat carrots three times a day"?

It could be, because carrots, you can have a carrot as a snack.

-No. Let's go for breakfast. I like the look of that answer.

-OK.

Will likes breakfast. He's been known to have breakfast three times a day,

-we're going for breakfast.

-OK, breakfast.

Breakfast three times a day, to eat well in England,

is he right answer.

You're doing well now.

After getting the first one wrong,

which, actually, breakfast cost you that one, didn't it?

You've got two out of three

and you have to hope the Eggheads don't get this.

Eggheads, the city of Paterson, New Jersey,

is the subject of a very long work by which poet?

I've heard of it, I've heard of the poem.

William Carlos Williams was a very famous American poet.

-Wasn't he?

-They're all American.

What I meant was, who lived around New York and New Jersey.

My instinct is it is not Longfellow.

Yeah.

With Whitman, you always hear of leaves of grass, things like that.

I haven't heard of Paterson, New Jersey.

-BARRY:

-I've heard of a lot of Whitman works, but...

Shall we go for Williams?

Something of a guess.

Well, none of us have ever heard of this poem,

but we are going to go for William Carlos Williams.

William Carlos Williams.

A poem about Paterson, New Jersey, very long.

Is the right answer, you've won.

Well, I normally say to losing contestants after

a game like that, "I hope you've enjoyed yourself." I know you have.

You've had a ball.

Thank you very much for entertaining us, especially Will and his sweater.

It means the Eggheads have done what comes naturally

and the winning streak continues. I'm afraid you won't be going home with a £20,000.

That means the money rolls over to the 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. £21,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.

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