Episode 100 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

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

They are the Eggheads.

And challenging our resident quiz champions today are the...

This team of friends are all avid supporters of Falkirk FC

and they take their name from the club's former home,

Brockville Park. Let's meet them.

Hi. My name is Grant. I am 50 years old and I am a Managing Director.

Hi. I'm John. I'm 55 and I am an Employee Development Advisor.

Hi. I'm David. I'm 52 and a planner for a petrochemical company.

Hi. My name is Stuart. I'm 52 years of age and a solicitor.

Hi. I'm Dougie, I'm 53 and I'm an accountant.

-So, Grant and team, welcome to you. Thanks for coming.

-Thank you.

-Not too far away from Glasgow, I'm thinking.

-No.

-Just 20 minutes along on the train.

-OK.

And tell us about Falkirk and why you love the team?

We've all supported the team since we were young lads

and we all played football together.

We moved grounds about five or six years ago and the old ground

was called Brockville and, if you come from Falkirk,

you are called a Bairn so hence the reason Brockville Bairns.

And the new ground, is it any better or do you feel

-nostalgic for the old one?

-We miss the old one. Yes.

They always do, these football fans, don't they?

-It is never the same.

-It is not the same, no.

Now I know you are a great salmon fisher, Grant, is that right?

-That's right.

-And the biggest salmon you caught was...?

-20 pounder.

-That's not bad, is it?

-That's a big fish.

-OK.

There are some bigger fish over there to catch.

-So, I want you to reel them in, one at a time.

-Much bigger.

-Yeah.

We wish you well, Brockville Bairns.

Every day there is £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, I can tell you the Eggheads have won the last four games

which means that £5,000 says you cannot beat them today.

-Would you like to have a go?

-Certainly would.

The first head-to-head battle will be on the subject of Politics.

Which Brockville Bairn would like Politics?

-Dougie, is that you?

-I think that's going to be me.

-Who are you going to take?

-Who do we think?

-Who do we think?

-Dougie against any one of them, actually.

-Who do we think?

-Daphne grinning away there.

-Tremendous Knowledge Dave maybe?

Tremendous Knowledge Dave, please.

OK, Dougie from the Brockville Bairns against

Tremendous Knowledge Dave. How are you on your politics, Dave?

-Pretty good actually.

-Pretty good, but I lost the last one!

-Did you?

-I lost the last one to a pirate!

-You did.

-So, I hope Dougie isn't a bandit!

-That's true.

A team dressed as pirates

and Dave struggled on his politics unusually. OK.

To ensure there is no conferring, please take your positions in the Question Room.

OK, so Dougie, Politics and your choice,

would you like to go first or second?

I think I'd like to go first.

Here's your first question. In February 2013,

David Cameron pledged to keep listening to the songs of which band

despite being barred from doing so by the group's guitarist?

Oh, right. I am not sure about that one, but...

I can't see it being the Smiths.

I can see them... I don't see it being the Smiths.

So, I'm going to put it between Queen and Bon Jovi.

But again, Bon Jovi being American, I don't think...

no, I'm going to go with Queen.

Dave'll know this because it's your city Dave, isn't it?

It is Johnny Marr of the Smiths.

Johnny Marr, the guitarist of The Smiths. Banned him.

I don't know whether that works,

whether you can actually extract your songs from somebody's

listening device once they are on there, but he'd certainly like to.

Here's your question, Dave.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into

United States law in 2010 is often referred to by which nickname?

Only because of Medicare, I'll have to go Obamacare, but it's a guess.

Obamacare is the right answer. OK, Dougie.

Which former Prime Minister wrote a book about his father

called My Old Man - A Personal History Of Music Hall?

Right.

Again I just don't see Gordon Brown's dad being a kind of...

that way inclined. So I'd go for either Tony or John Major.

I think I am going to plump for John Major.

Yeah, very much so. John Major.

OK, your question, Dave.

In 1979, which former Prime Minister hosted

episodes of the late-night TV chat show Friday Night Saturday Morning?

Well, I watched it. It wasn't very good.

I didn't think was that good, in my opinion. Harold Wilson.

Yes, Harold Wilson it was. So, you need to get this one right because

you got the early one wrong, Dougie. Here's your question. In 1975,

approximately what percentage of those who

voted in the referendum on European Community membership voted yes?

I vaguely remember that vote but, erm...

67 seems a bit high. I'm going to go

for the middle one. I think 56 sounds about right.

Voting yes to European Community membership. Eggheads know this?

67.

It's the highest one, yes. 67 is the right answer, Dougie, actually.

You've got it wrong, I'm afraid, which means that Dave is

through to the final and you have been knocked out.

Please both of you come back and rejoin your team-mates.

So, as it stands, Brockville Bairns have lost one brain from

the final round whilst the Eggheads have not lost any so far.

The next subject for you is...

What's the plan?

-Brockville Bairns?

-It was to be me but...

-Dougie, oh, dear!

I would rather have done that one.

THEY CONFER

Go on, you are an Arts and Books man!

-I have been forced into it, Jeremy.

-I can hear that happening!

Very quietly spoken and just gently pressing you to do it.

OK, Grant against anyone but Dave. Who would you like?

-Who will we go for?

-Go for Chris.

-Chris?

-Chris, please.

-All right,

so Grant from the Brockville Bairns against Chris on Arts and Books.

-Why not?

-To ensure there is no conferring, would you please

take your positions in the Question Room?

So, you're going to try and catch the big fish here, Grant?

I am going to give it a go, Jeremy!

Throw the line out and reel him in.

See how you do. Good luck. Arts and Books.

Would you like to go first or second?

I'd like to go first, please.

Here we go. According to the title of a book by John Gray,

Men are from Mars, Women are from where?

Well, this wasn't meant to be my category but I am glad

I took it now because I think I might know the answer to this.

Erm...

Women are, of course, as all us males know, from Venus!

Venus is the right answer. Well done.

Chris, your question.

Ruby Lennox is the central character of Kate Atkinson's novel

Behind The Scenes at the... what?

That's Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Jeremy.

It is indeed Behind the Scenes at the Museum. Well done.

Your question, Grant. Which novelist born in 1882

was the daughter of Sir Leslie Stephen,

the first editor of the Dictionary of National Biography?

Ah-ha...

A lot trickier than the first one.

It's not as easy as I thought, this fishing with Chris.

I think I'm going to...

plump for Virginia Woolf.

You've got it right. It is Virginia Woolf.

OK, Chris, your question.

In the 16th century, Ascanio Condivi

was the assistant to and wrote a book about which painter?

Eh... If he wrote a biography of him,

he must have been famous in his own lifetime

so that would suggest Michelangelo to me, so that's what I'll go with.

Let's check our own Giotto, Barry, that's your handle on Twitter.

-It is indeed.

-And is it Giotto or Michelangelo?

It can't be Giotto, because he was 13th century. It's Michelangelo.

Michelangelo is the right answer. Well done, Chris.

OK, your question, Grant.

The title of Audrey Niffenegger's novel Her Fearful Symmetry

was inspired by which poem?

Hmm...

Haven't heard of this one. Um...

Try and take an educated guess and say...

..The Great Lover.

Let's see if you're right. Chris, do you know this?

Yeah, it's "Tyger, tyger, burning bright, in the forest of the night,

"what immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?"

by Blake. It's The Tyger.

I see, yes, OK, I've got it. The Tyger it is.

Thanks to Chris for the tip-off. Which means, Chris, if you get

this third question right, you are in the final. Here we go.

Rupert of Hentzau is the sequel to which 19th-century adventure novel?

Lovely bit of 19th-century swashbuckling.

It's the sequel to The Prisoner of Zenda.

It is the sequel to The Prisoner of Zenda. You're right, Chris.

-Grant, sorry.

-Well done, Chris.

Just knocked you out with that third question there.

He's broken off the angler's tackle or whatever the phrase is.

-Sounds painful, Jeremy.

-It does sound painful,

it really does sound too painful to be considered!

You can tell I'm not a fisherman, can't you?

Please both of you return to your teams.

So as it stands, the Brockville Bairns, who are named

after Falkirk's old stadium, have let a couple of goals in,

but this is not even half-time, so you can turn it around.

The Eggheads have not lost any brains so far.

The next subject is Sport.

That has to be good, doesn't it?

-Yeah. Stuart? And who are you going to take?

-Stuart.

It's going to be Stuart, Jeremy.

-Stuart, OK. From the Brockvilles.

-And he's going to take...

I know Daphne's nephew played for Falkirk,

so we'll see how good she is at Eggheads.

I want to hear about this Falkirk connection.

Daphne and Stuart from the Brockville Bairns,

please go to the Question Rooms.

-So, Stuart, you're all Falkirk Football Club fans.

-Yes.

And here we have the most amazing connection with you, Daphne,

which is what?

My sister Meredith's boy Stevie played for Falkirk

when he was in his 20s, about ten years ago.

Any news on him, Stuart? Is he someone you follow on the pitch?

Yes, he actually played at the old Brockville ground,

-so I remember him well.

-Right, and at the time,

did you see any resemblance to Daphne?

No, she's much better looking!

THEY LAUGH

Put aside all emotion here, Stuart. You can beat her anyway.

Don't worry, she's trying to get a way into your affections.

Don't let her succeed. Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, Jeremy, if I may.

Here we go, Stuart. Your first question.

In 2013, which tennis player became the oldest

to top the women's world rankings, doing so at the age of 31?

Well, Serena is the eldest of all of those three,

so Serena Williams.

Serena Williams is right. Well done.

Playing with great certainty there.

OK, Daphne, your question.

A player in which sport is most likely to attempt a circus shot?

Never heard of it.

Blind guess coming up.

I can't even think.

Basketball?

-Basketball is the right answer.

-Oh!

OK, Stuart, your question.

The brothers Kolo and Yaya Toure

have both played for which country's international football team?

I know this one, but by another name,

the Ivory Coast, Cote d'Ivoire.

Cote d'Ivoire is the right answer.

Daphne, your question.

In 2012, the British athlete Adam Gemili came first

in which event at the World Junior Athletic Championships?

Oh. He's this new young sprinter, isn't he?

100m.

Well done. 100m is quite right.

So she is, as she always does,

running you very close here, Stuart. See if you can put one past her.

Angelo Mathews was announced

as the captain of which country's test cricket team in February 2013?

Cricket is not my strong point. I could've got one of my friends along

who'd have a better stab at this. I don't think it's Sri Lanka.

I think Smith is still the captain of South Africa,

so I'll plump for West Indies.

I think Dave knows this. Dave.

-It's Sri Lanka.

-Sri Lanka is the right answer.

Oh, I wonder if Daphne

will take this on Sport. Daphne.

The Japanese sportswoman Kaori Icho

achieved fame as a multiple world champion in which sport?

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

Oh...

Weightlifting.

-No, wrestling.

-Oh.

We go to Sudden Death, Stuart.

She's let you off the hook very slightly. Press your advantage.

Gets a bit harder because I don't give you alternative answers.

Here we go. In 2013,

Pankaj Advani became the first player from which country

to reach the quarterfinal of one of snooker's world ranking tournaments?

Snooker is starting to take off in Asia,

so I'll just have a guess at India.

Lovely answer. India is the right answer.

Happened at the Welsh Open, apparently.

Right, Daphne, if you get this wrong, you've been knocked out.

No stress, though. Don't worry.

The American Jason Dufner turned professional in 2000 in which sport?

Baseball?

-Anyone here?

-Golf.

-Golf. Stuart, you've won the round.

Well done. Daphne, sorry, you've been knocked out.

I bet your nephew will be

facing severe split loyalties watching this, won't he, Daphne?

He'll be cheering Falkirk on, though, I'm sure.

So Stuart, well done, you will be in the final, and Daphne won't.

Please both of you rejoin your teams.

As it stands, there is definitely more than a glimmer of hope now

for the Brockville Bairns because Stuart won through in that round.

Well done. And we can deal with Daphne's nephew later.

Next subject is Music.

Which of the Brockville Bairns wants Music?

-It's either me or David going to go.

-I think Dave is the man.

-Should we go for David?

-Get you for it?

-David.

-David.

David, OK, David, against which Egghead? It can be Barry or Pat.

-Barry?

-Barry or Pat? Barry?

-Definitely Barry.

Barry, please, Jeremy.

OK, it seems pretty certain, that,

so David from the Brockville Bairns versus Barry from the Eggheads.

To ensure there is no conferring, please go to the Question Room.

David, I think you're an interesting player on music

because you have a very, very broad taste in music.

Yeah, I like everything from probably classical

to Pink Floyd, the Beatles, maybe even some rap,

-so quite good.

-Some rap in there?

Not what you listen to in your hotel room, Barry, is it?

Oh, I listen to nothing else. A bit of Ice-T, a bit of Dr Dre.

-Love the stuff.

-I think Ice-T is the giveaway, to be honest.

I don't think he's been cool for a very long time.

OK, so David, good luck in Music

against Barry. Would you like to go first or second?

I'd like to go first, please.

Here's hoping for some rap for you.

"I hope I die before I get old" is a line from which song by The Who?

It's actually one of The Who's most famous songs,

and it's My Generation.

My Generation is right.

OK, Barry, your question.

Which British band won the Album of the Year Award

at the 2013 Grammys for their album Babel?

Babel was by Mumford and Sons.

It was indeed. Well done, Mumford and Sons.

OK, David,

what is the name of the posthumous greatest hits album by Bob Marley

which has become one of reggae's bestselling albums of all time?

Well, the one that really sticks out for me on this one, I think,

is Legend.

And you're completely right. Well done, Legend it is.

Here we go, Barry. To what does the word "beguine" refer

in the title of the Cole Porter song Begin the Beguine?

Oh, it's a lovely song, that. "When you begin the beguine."

The beguine is a dance.

Dance is the right answer.

We're cracking along here, two each, David.

See how you do in the third question. Hoping for some rap here. What have we got?

The International Tchaikovsky Competition,

held every four years in Russia,

is open to vocalists, pianists, violinists

and which other instrumentalists?

Well, I'm not really big on this particular composer.

I think it's probably...

I'd opt for string instruments here,

so I'm going to go for cellists.

Cellists is correct. Well played.

Very well played.

Here's your question, Barry, to stay in now.

Who wrote the set of piano pieces entitled Children's Corner?

This has one of my favourite pieces of music in.

It was by Claude Debussy.

Claude Debussy is correct.

So, three-three.

Sudden Death we go to. It gets a bit harder for you now, David,

because I don't give you alternative answers, OK?

Which Lerner and Loewe musical was described by Noel Coward as

"like Parsifal without the jokes?"

I'm just really probably guessing this one, Jeremy.

I think it's Oklahoma.

-Eggheads, do you know?

-Camelot?

Camelot, Dave, yes, you're right. Camelot is the answer, David,

so Barry has a chance now to take the round.

In 1971, Lynn Anderson had a UK top three single

with a song that includes the line

"I beg your pardon, I never promised you a..." what?

# I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden! #

THEY LAUGH

Even if it was wrong, I think I'd have to give you the point for that.

Rose garden is of course the answer. Well done, Barry,

on Music, you've just won against David. Sorry, David.

Well played, though. Tight round, but Barry is in the final,

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

So, here we go. This is what we have been playing towards.

It is time for the final round,

which, as always, is General Knowledge.

I'm afraid those of you who lost your head-to-heads

won't be allowed to take part in this round,

so Grant, David and Dougie from the Brockville Bairns,

and Daphne from the Eggheads, would you please now leave the studio?

Well, John and Stuart, here we are.

You are playing to win the Brockville Bairns £5,000.

Dave, 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.

So, John and Stuart, the question is,

are your two brains able to defeat the Eggheads' four brains?

And would you like to go first or second?

We'd like to go first, Jeremy.

Here we go with your first question. Good luck.

What is the name of the London-based members' club

which was founded in 1985

and has a particular affiliation with the arts and media?

I personally think it's The Groucho Club.

Yeah.

He was the most famous, I think, of the Marx Brothers. Yes.

Yeah. Want to go for Groucho?

-I think we should go for Groucho.

-Right, OK.

We'll go for The Groucho Club, Jeremy.

The Groucho Club is the right answer. Well done.

Eggheads, your first question, £5,000 we're playing for.

What does the internet search engine Google call the illustrations

it sometimes places on its front page

to commemorate an important event or anniversary?

ALL: Doodles.

They are Doodles.

They are Doodles, you're right.

OK, your question.

Stuart and John,

which private island in the Caribbean part of St Vincent

and the Grenadines was the location of the holiday home

built by Princess Margaret on land she was given as a wedding present?

I do recall this.

It's certainly not Tortola,

that sounds more like a Mexican dish than an island.

It's not Necker, I'm pretty sure.

I've certainly heard of Mustique,

that was the first one when it came up

that I thought it was.

I think we should go for Mustique.

We're in agreement, Jeremy, we'll go for Mystique.

Playing confidently. You've got it right as well.

Mustique is correct.

OK, Eggheads.

The flag of the African Union unveiled in 2010

is predominantly what colour?

African flags are generally green, yellow and red, aren't they?

-Yeah.

-I can't remember the flag, I'm afraid.

-I don't think it was black.

-No.

Green or Red.

Red is a bit socialist, green is more...

..sort of pan-Africa, if you like.

Hm-mm. I don't know.

I just have a feeling of green there.

What would you say, Pat?

I'd say green, but it's very, very speculative.

There's no evidence behind it at all.

-What are you thinking?

-I'm thinking green.

I'm thinking green now.

OK, we're going to add up several extremely tenuous feelings

and go for green.

Chris nailed it when he said that green was more of an African colour,

and there's a lot of green on African flags,

and green is the right answer.

Well done.

They seem nervous is because they've

been losing quite a bit recently.

So, your third question. You nearly had them there, my goodness.

In which field is a Zambretti Forecaster used?

Seems more like a motor scooter than any of those three.

Yeah.

-Motor scooter isn't there, though.

-No.

I don't think it's TV Ratings.

So I think it's either Economic forecasting or Weather forecasting.

I think it might be Economics on the basis that I haven't heard about it.

Yeah. If it was meteorology, I might have heard of it, yeah.

-Want to go for Economics?

-Yes, I think we'll go for Economics.

OK, Jeremy, we're not sure on this one, but we'll go for Economics.

Meteorology.

It's a hard question. OK, Eggheads,

you now have the advantage, the tables are turned.

If you get this one right, the contest is over.

Which magazine was founded in 1892 by Arthur Turner?

It's not Reader's Digest, cos that was DeWitt Wallace.

-So, it's Vogue or Harper's Bazaar. 1892.

-Was Harper's Bazaar earlier?

I'm just wondering, is Vogue...?

I would have thought Harper's Bazaar was earlier than Vogue.

-Yeah.

-1892 is about right for Harper's Bazaar.

I mean, Vogue was sort of post-First World War, wasn't it?

1921, '22.

I'm inclined to go for Harper's Bazaar.

Yeah. But that's a gut feeling, but nothing more.

No fact on it at all.

-We know it's not Reader's Digest, don't think it's Vogue.

-No.

Harper's Bazaar is sort of semi-jokey,

-'80s, '90s sort of feel to it.

-Yeah.

We're going to go for Harper's Bazaar.

You've gone for Harper's Bazaar.

That was 1867, it's Vogue.

Oh, we were wrong, then.

Well, if you got your weather forecaster,

you'd now be officially cleverer than them and £5,000 richer,

but it's never that simple, is it?

We go to Sudden Death.

Get's a bit harder, I don't give you alternative answers.

The Queen's house in Greenwich is the work of which English architect

who was born in 1573?

-Know any architects?

-Not of that vintage.

The Queen's house in Greenwich is the work of which English architect

who was born in 1573?

It's not Christopher Wren.

It's too early for Christopher Wren.

-I don't know any architects at all.

-Neither do I.

I just got a blank on that one.

I just can't think at all.

Grosvenor. Lord Grosvenor. Sir Grosvenor.

It's not, it's Inigo Jones.

Your question, Eggheads,

if you get this right, you have the contest.

Who plays Pope Alexander VI in the US TV series The Borgias

which began airing in 2011?

ALL: Jeremy Irons.

-Sure, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Is that the American production one?

Yes. The American production one is Jeremy Irons, isn't he?

We're going to go for Jeremy Irons.

The answer is Jeremy Irons.

So we say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

Well done. You played well.

You were a question away from taking them

and they've been, is it fair to say, a little bit rickety...

these last few days?

Commiserations to our Challengers, the Eggheads have done what comes

naturally to them and they reign supreme over quiz land.

Putting a bit of a run together, but it's not been easy.

It does mean you won't be going home with the £5,000,

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.

£6,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.