Episode 107 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

The Silverdalians from Lancashire.

Now, this team of friends all attend

a weekly quiz in their home village of Silverdale.

They are usually on separate teams but they've put aside their

rivalries today to tackle the Eggheads, let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Dave, I'm 70-years-old

and I'm a retired teacher.

Hi, I'm Nigel, I'm 48-years-old and I'm an IT company director.

Hi, I'm David, I'm 57-years-old

and a retired retail manager.

Hi, I'm Steve, I'm 48, I'm a solutions manager.

Hi, I'm Steve, I'm 51, I'm a database administrator.

Dave and team, welcome. Good to see you.

So, same quiz, different teams normally, is that right?

-That's right, yes.

-How did you choose each other?

We meet on a Thursday with our respective teams and

we put a team together to challenge the Eggheads.

Fantastic, and you all come from Silverdale.

-Yes, it's a fabulous village.

-Tell us about Silverdale.

Well, we have our church, our school, our Post Office,

our butcher, baker, candlestick maker.

It's just a unique place to live.

OK, let's see if it's a unique place to quiz, as well,

and see what you do to the Eggheads today.

Good luck to you.

Every day there is £1,000 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, Silverdalians, the Challengers actually won the last game which

at least proves it can be done.

And that means £1,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads today.

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

-Who would like this?

-I think we're generally agreed on...

-I guess it's going to be me.

-Yes.

-That'll be me, Jeremy.

-OK, Steve against which Egghead?

-Um...

-Any one of them.

-I think Daphne.

Oh, God!

SHE CHUCKLES

That's not bad, is it? You're good at sport.

I keep getting the killer question, like Japanese women wrestlers.

CHUCKLING

OK, Steve from The Silverdalians versus Daphne from the Eggheads

on Sport and to ensure there's no conferring please

take your positions in the Question Room.

So, Steve, I'm assuming you've chosen Sport

because you are one of the team captains of

Silverdale's cricket teams?

Yeah, I've always been interested in sport.

I love my cricket, I'm only captain of the second team,

unfortunately I'm getting a bit too old now.

OK, let's see how you do, Steve.

Your choice on Sport, first or second?

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

OK, the first set of questions, for you, Steve, here we go.

What coloured top has been customarily worn by

Tiger Woods during the final round of major golf tournaments?

Um, I also watch a lot of golf, actually, and I know

that in the final round he does like to wear the same colour.

Um, he also gets a little bit annoyed when other players

playing with him wear that colour, he always wears a red top, Jeremy.

He does always wear a red top, you're right.

Daphne, in which US state is the Arthur Ashe Stadium

the venue for tennis's US Open Finals?

Well, the finals are always held in New York so it must be New York.

New York is quite right.

Back to you, Steve.

Which diver competed with Tom Daley to come fourth

in the ten-metre synchronised platform

event at the 2012 Olympic Games?

Um, oh, diving's not really my sport, um...

I'm not too sure on this one.

Scott Brash doesn't really sound right, um...

I think... the name Peter Waterfield, I think...

so, I'm going to go for that one.

Peter Waterfield is correct.

Yeah!

I wondered if it was the presence of water in the surname

that drew you there.

-Yeah! Could be.

-Sort of subconsciously, maybe, yeah?

Anyway, it was handy, if so.

Daphne, which contact sport is known as the science or art

of eight limbs?

SHE CHUCKLES

Um...

Well, I know that in Thai boxing they can use their feet

so maybe it's Thai boxing.

I don't know.

-Thai boxing is your answer?

-Mm.

You made a comment earlier about the problem with sport

-is Japanese wrestling.

-Yes!

-It's come up in various forms.

-Oh, it's not Vietnamese wrestling?!

No, I thought that might lead you astray,

it is, actually, Thai boxing.

-Oh!

-You've yet again played in a very Daphne-like way.

SHE CHUCKLES

A little bit of Miss Marple coming out.

You followed the clue. OK, Steve, your question -

Which footballer made his debut in 1982 and won a record 92 Welsh caps?

Erm...

1982, that's a bit late for Terry Yorath and for Mike England.

Um, and that sounds about right, to me, for Neville Southall.

-What position did he play.

-He was a goalkeeper.

Absolutely, Neville Southall is right.

And was he... Tremendous Knowledge Dave, you'll know this,

-was it Everton?

-Everton.

-For a long time.

-Came over here in 1985.

Very good. Now, Daphne, if you get this wrong you're out.

The Brownlow Medal is awarded every year to the fairest and best player

in the league in which sport?

I do know this. It's Australian Rules Football.

-AUSTRALIAN ACCENT:

-Australian Rules Football is right. Well done!

Three out of three. So...

Well, you did as well as you possibly could and it still

wasn't quite good enough at this stage

to knock her out but maybe you'll be lucky

-in Sudden Death. You know what happens now.

-Yes.

I don't give you alternative answers, here we go...

Which tennis player, winner of eight Grand Slam singles titles

was appointed as Andy Murray's coach in 2011?

Um, well I know Andy Murray had a lot of problems with...

the mental side of winning Grand Slams

and the player in question, or the ex-player in question

is very strong mentally, it's Ivan Lendl.

Ivan Lendl is quite right.

Brilliant tennis player as well.

OK, Daphne, to stay in. Which European golfer won the

PGA of America's Player of the Year award in 2012?

Rory McIlroy?

Rory McIlroy is quite right.

-Oh!

-Doing very well!

She's hard to shake off, Steve, isn't she?

Yes, she is, yes.

Here's your question. Before New Zealand in 2011

which was the last country to win the Rugby Union World Cup

as the host or co-host nation?

I would have to say...

that would probably be South Africa.

-Yeah. Do you know which year it was?

-Erm, 1997?

-'95.

-'95.

-But you're right, South Africa's the right answer.

Sudden Death continues, Daphne, you have to get this one right.

Which English football club is nicknamed the Bantams?

Oh, I can't remember.

I know it's a northern club.

Oh, but, no...

I'm going to have a guess but I'm sure it's not right.

Um...

Barnsley.

-Oh! You're so close. Barry...?

-Bradford City.

Bradford City... Do you know why, Barry?

Is a bantam chicken the same colour as Bradford's strip?

Yeah, the claret and amber strip,

apparently the same colour as the plumage of a bantam.

-Bradford City, Daphne.

-I knew it it would come...

Just jumbled up in your brain, yeah.

I was certain you were going to get it cos you normally scoop it

out of somewhere.

But you haven't and that means you've been knocked out I'm afraid,

-Daphne. Well done, Steve, you're in the final round.

-Thank you.

Please both of you rejoin your team-mates.

So, really good start for The Silverdalians because they have

not lost a brain from the final round yet and the Eggheads

have lost Daphne, who's a very, very good player, as we know.

The next subject is...

Who would like this?

THEY CONFER

-Nigel.

-That's going to be me.

-Nigel. OK. Against which Egghead, Nigel?

Can't be Daphne.

-Chris?

-Yes. Get rid of another good one.

LAUGHTER

-Against Chris, please.

-OK, so Nigel from The Silverdalians versus Chris

on Film & TV, please go to the Question Room now.

So, we are on Film & Television. Nigel, you can choose the first

-or the second set of questions.

-I'll take the first questions, please.

Here we go, good luck. Who did the EastEnders' character Dot Cotton

marry in 2002?

I haven't watched EastEnders for years.

But, I think the name Jim Branning's leaping out at me

so I'm going with Jim Branning.

Well, hopefully, if you were watching it 11 years ago

you will have seen the right episode because you're right.

Jim Branning is correct. Impressive play.

Judith would have been onto that like a shot,

she loves her EastEnders.

Chris, your question, which TV quiz show was hosted by Bamber Gascoigne

between 1962 and 1987?

It still feels all wrong not to see him still doing it.

It was University Challenge, Jeremy.

It was University Challenge. And he does look the actual image

-of the guy who looks like he knows all the answers.

-Hmm.

OK, Nigel, your question...

Darrin Stephens played by Dick York and then Dick Sargent

was a central character in which US TV series?

I'm, actually, old enough to remember the change or

at least perhaps on some of the repeats. It was Bewitched.

Impressive. It was indeed.

Bewitched.

Chris, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn and Josh Brolin

starred in which film released in the UK in January 2013?

That is Gangster Squad, Jeremy.

Gangster Squad is correct, you're doing well.

Third question to you, Nigel. Impressive play on both sides here.

Who starred as Mark Rutland in the 1964 Hitchcock film, Marnie?

Oh...

I can't say I've ever seen the film.

Nothing's leaping out at me on this one.

Erm...

I'm going to go for George Lazenby

but there's no logic behind the answer.

-Any Eggheads know?

-ALL: Sean Connery.

Sean Connery is the answer.

Chris, your question. This for the round.

Timmy Time is a spin off from which children's TV series?

Yeah... Don't ask me how I know this, but it's Shaun the Sheep.

It is indeed Shaun the Sheep.

Chris, well done, you got all three out of three so, I'm sorry,

the last answer has cost you your place in the final,

Chris will be in it and you won't.

Please both of you rejoin your teams and we'll play on.

So, you've lost one each. How are we feeling, Dave?

-Reasonably confident.

-That's good, very good. Silverdale is confident,

we can report. The next subject is...

Which Silverdalian would like this?

THEY CONFER

-It's David.

-That's me.

-David.

-Yep.

-OK.

Which Egghead would you like to take on? Can't be Chris or Daphne, of course.

I think I'll take Tremendous Knowledge Dave.

OK, so two Daves. This often happens, we have Kevins

and Barrys and now we've got two Davids in the Question Room together.

David from the Silverdalians, Dave from the Eggheads,

please take your positions.

So, David, I'm wondering

if we've reached the key moment in the game here.

You've lost one, the Eggheads have lost one.

-What's going to happen now?

-I don't know.

-The boys have done good.

-They've done well.

-And you like geography?

-I do, yes, indeed. I travel.

Yeah, I was going to say - where have you been?

Oh, I've been fortunate enough to go to quite a lot of places.

I've been to many countries in Africa. I've been to Antarctica,

Southeast Asia a fair bit, so, yeah, I've been around.

OK, against Tremendous Knowledge Dave on Geography, David,

would you like to go first or second?

Erm, I'll go first also.

Here is your first question - which island of Japan is regarded

as the mainland?

Hm. Erm...

I know all three islands, I can't say I've ever known any of them

being known as the mainland.

Erm, but certainly, the main island

is not Kyushu or Shikoku.

I think the answer is Honshu.

Honshu is correct.

OK, Dave, your question.

The Thelwall Viaduct

carries which motorway across the Manchester Ship Canal?

HE CHUCKLES

Yeah. M6.

HE CHUCKLES

M6 is the right answer.

Dave, you won't be surprised to know you got it right.

-Oh, thank you for that one.

-Your friends and family

would have been very amused if you got that...

-Oh, dearie me, million hits on YouTube.

-Yeah.

David, your question - which of these is the name given to

the southern part of the Aegean Sea?

Well, they're all islands and they're all fairly south,

I think Crete is more south than Corfu.

Cephalonia is next to Zante where I have been so I should know.

I think I'm going to go for Crete.

Yes, you're right, Sea of Crete it is.

Very good play. Sensing an impressive team here.

Tremendous Knowledge Dave, the Strait of Messina

separates the mainland of Italy from which island?

-Sicily.

-Sicily is correct.

Two points each. David, the flag of Burkina Faso

features a five pointed yellow star on a background of two

horizontal stripes of what colour?

As you were reading it out I was thinking green was one of them.

Erm...

So, simply cos that came into my head first I'll discount

black and red, probably wrongly.

I think I'm going to go down the middle for red and green.

Brilliant play, you're right.

Red and green.

OK, Dave, this to stay in.

What is the capital of the Chiriqui province of Panama?

I've got no idea.

It would be ironic if Dave knocked me out and it was David!

But I'm not going to...I'll resist that temptation.

Erm, I'll go Martin.

On the basis that that's not your name?

Yeah.

The answer is David.

HE LAUGHS LOUDLY

Well done!

The questions were put together before you two chose each other

so... it's pure coincidence but well done to David.

You've knocked Dave out on a question to which the answer

was David. It couldn't be more fitting, never happened before.

-You're in the final round, David.

-Thank you.

-And, Dave, you're not.

-I know!

Please, both of you return to your teams.

So, Dave was just knocked out by David on a question to which

the answer was David.

HE CHUCKLES

-That... that hasn't happened before, has it?

-No.

Daphne, one day a Daphne will knock you out on a question to which

-the answer is Daphne.

-No, I think I know all the answers to Daphne.

-Yes, where Daphne is there you will choose it.

-Yes.

-Yes, OK.

As it stands, the Silverdalians have lost one brain from the

final round but they're now playing very, very well.

The Eggheads have lost two.

So, you're just beginning to assert dominance here,

and remember, they're coming off the back of a loss.

So, they may be feeling fragile.

The next subject is...

Which Silverdalian would like this?

Do you want to do that one, David, cos you're nearest to it!

LAUGHTER

I know nothing about history.

In that event it looks like it's going to be me.

-ALL: Yeah.

-That will be me, I'm afraid.

-OK.

Steve from The Silverdalians against... which Egghead?

-Who do you recommend? You've done the study...

-Barry, maybe? A good one to lose.

-Would you say that?

-Come on, Steve, there are only three of them left!

Yeah, in that case we shall try Barry.

OK, it's going to be Steve against Barry.

And the subject is History, let's see how you do.

Please, both of you, to avoid any conferring go to the Question Room.

So, Steve, I'm trying to work out how you've ended up doing History

when your hobby is to read science fiction novels?

I'm kind of wondering the same thing myself, to be honest,

-but here we are.

-So, you're reading about the future

-and you need to read about the past!

-Yeah, I obviously got

the wrong book for the train, I think, but there we go.

JEREMY LAUGHS

Barry, are you more of a science fiction man or more of a

-Henry VIII man?

-Oh, both, actually.

I enjoy both genres.

What have you read in science fiction that you've loved?

I tend to like the Hugo and Nebula winners.

They are the ones who win the main prizes in science fiction

and they are always cracking good reads.

-Steve, how about you?

-I'm a fairly massive fan of Isaac Asimov

who's a very prolific author in terms of fiction

and nonfiction work and, more recently, Greg Bear,

is a tremendous author, I think.

OK, I feel bad we're talking about the year 3000 and we're probably

-going to go back to 1540.

-Yeah.

-Let's see how we do on history.

Here we go...

you versus Barry, Steve, do you want to go first or second?

I think I shall go second, if that's OK?

OK, let's see if your team can keep up the pressure on the Eggs.

See if they crack.

In which US city did

the St Valentine's Day Massacre take place in 1929?

Er... I think the famous comment on this one was by one of the

reporters who came there, who said there were more brains

on the floor than in his head and it took place in Chicago.

Chicago is the right answer.

Steve, your question - which year of the 20th century

is sometimes referred to as The Year of Three Popes?

Heavens, there was a very short-lived papacy of

John Paul I. That was certainly within my time

so I would go '78.

Yep, you're bang on, '78 is correct.

-Well done.

-Well done.

Your question, Barry -

In Russian history False Dmitry is the name given to three men who

challenged the leadership of Boris Godunov,

claiming to be the son of which former ruler?

I do know this one because my daughter had the great privilege

of singing in Mussorgsky's opera, Boris Godunov at the Albert Hall.

So, I knew quite a bit about this history and

the False Dmitry claimed to be the son of Ivan the Terrible.

Nicholas I and Catherine the Great are much too late.

Ivan the Terrible is quite right. Well done, Barry, good answer.

Always good to bring the music back.

Here we go with your question, Steve.

Which Scottish king came to the throne at the age of 17 months

in 1513?

Oh, heavens. I'll have to eliminate James V on the basis that...

..there was a James VI much later so I'm hoping it's not that.

Erm, Malcolm and David...

I can't really toss a coin on this one but we had a David in the

previous answer so I'm going to go for the middle one in this

instance, purely as a guess, Malcolm III.

-See if Barry knows, Barry?

-No.

1513 is a terrible date in Scottish history because it was the date of

the Battle of Flodden where the cream of the Scottish aristocracy were

killed and James IV was the king who was killed then...

-Oh!

-..so it would be his son, James V who came to the throne at

that early age.

-There we are, James V is the answer.

-I reasoned it wrongly.

A very, very small king - cried a lot.

Your question, Barry,

if you get this one right you are in the final round...

Who was British Prime Minister when the Crimean War ended?

Earl Grey was Prime Minister around the 1830s and the Crimean War

was around the 1850s.

I think the Duke of Wellington died in 1852 so the answer would be

Viscount Palmerston.

Very exact logic and you're quite right, Barry, Viscount Palmerston

is the answer. You've taken the round. They are playing...

you're doing well, Challengers

but the Eggheads are not letting up here.

So, Steve, I'm sorry, you've been knocked out,

you won't be in the final round, Barry will.

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

So, this is what we have been playing towards, it is time

for the final round, which, as always, is General Knowledge.

But, I'm afraid, those of you who lost your head-to-heads won't be

allowed to take part in this round so that's Nigel

and Steve L from The Silverdalians and also Dave and Daphne,

the two Ds from the Eggheads.

Would you please leave the studio?

So, here we are, Dave, David and Steve W,

you're playing to win £1,000.

And a lot of attention for Silverdale.

Which is overdue.

You are up against three Eggheads here who are playing for something

far more precious, which is their reputation.

As usual, I'm going to ask each team three questions in turn.

This time the questions are all General Knowledge.

You are allowed to confer. So, Silverdalians, the question is -

are you able, with your three brains,

to defeat the Egghead's three, over here?

And would you like to go first or second?

We'll go first.

Dave and team, good luck to you.

What number does the prefix milli represent in words

such as millipede?

ALL: Thousand.

Are you sure about this? Absolutely sure? OK.

We think it's a thousand.

-You were checking forcibly there.

-Yes.

I understand why. Thousand is right, well done.

Eggheads, the acronym, GATT, for an economic agreement originally

signed in the 1940s stood for...

General Agreement on Tariffs and what...?

-Trade.

-Is it...?

-Trade, definitely.

-That's trade, Jeremy.

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, you're right.

OK, second question to you...

Which Conservative politician delivered a report known as

No Stone Unturned in Pursuit of Growth in 2012?

-It was Heseltine.

-It was.

Heseltine, absolutely sure.

-He was commissioned for it.

-Yeah.

It was Michael Heseltine.

Michael Heseltine is the right answer.

Eggheads, which American actress is one half of the recording duo

She & Him?

I can't believe it's Anne Hathaway.

SIGHING

Of those three, for no particular reason,

Zooey Deschanel occurred to me.

And to me, as well but I don't know why.

Greta Gerwig...

I've never heard of Greta Gerwig.

Heard nothing about Anne Hathaway being a singer?

Well, she was a singer in Les Mis

but I don't think she's in any group or anything.

-For no reason at all I'm inclined to think Deschanel.

-So am I.

A bit concerned, though. We don't actually know it.

-What do you think, should we go for that?

-Yeah.

We're very unclear about this one

but on balance we're going to go for Zooey Deschanel.

And Zooey Deschanel is correct.

Oh...

They're playing for their pride here, the Eggheads.

As far as they're concerned they've got to put a bit of a run together,

having been defeated in the last game. If you get this one right you put some pressure on.

The Augrabies Falls are a feature of which African river?

THEY CONFER

-The Victoria Falls is on the Zambezi.

-Yes.

But they might also be on there.

The Zambezi's quite shallow until it hits...

There's not a big break on it until it hits the...

THEY CONFER

-The Orange River's further south, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Gold, it's spelt AU, the gold reference.

-Yeah.

But, Limpopo...

It's higher up, certainly.

-Gold is actually mined in the southern part.

-Exactly.

-That's our logic?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Go for it.

We're going to go for Orange, Jeremy.

Yes, you got it right.

Thought we might.

On the basis of it being...

-AU - gold. Gold mined in the southern part.

-I see.

Great quizzing, great quizzing, well done.

Oh, they're strong Challengers, aren't they?

Here we go, Eggheads,

if you get this wrong, you've been beaten again.

Annabel Lee is a poem by which American writer?

ALL: Edgar Allan Poe.

That's Edgar Allan Poe.

Edgar Allan Poe is the right answer, Eggheads, so it's three points each,

we go to Sudden Death.

-You know how it works.

-Yeah.

-I don't give you alternative answers.

Here we go, Silverdalians, everyone in the village is watching...

The novelist Margaret Drabble, the businessman Peter Stringfellow,

and the actor Dominic West were all born in which Yorkshire city?

THEY CONFER

-I think it's Leeds.

-Leeds, Sheffield...

Drabble... she's Michael Holroyd's wife, I think.

I would say Leeds.

We're going for Leeds.

As soon as I saw this question I had the immediate thought Leeds

and I'm nearly always wrong. The answer is Sheffield.

LAUGHTER

And that was my first answer...

Sheffield.

Ah!

You're running them close but you've given them a chance on Sudden Death.

If the Eggheads get this right the contest is over.

Members of the Red Hat sect are followers of which religion?

Eggheads...?

-They are Tibetan Buddhists.

-Yeah.

-So...

-Definitely, Buddhism.

That's Buddhism.

Well, credit to Barry for giving us extra information which was correct.

It's Tibetan Buddhism so on Sudden Death we have to say,

"Congratulations, Eggheads." You have won.

-You played really well.

-Yes, we did.

Bad luck but a great quizzing team.

HE CHUCKLES

-Thank you.

-Seriously...

You came close there, Eggheads, didn't you?

-Very strong team.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

Commiserations, Silverdalians,

the Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

They reign supreme over quizland once again.

I'm afraid that means you won't be going home

with the £1,000 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,

£2,000 says they don't, till then, goodbye.