Episode 112 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 Underworld.

This friends and family team all associated with

The Orpheus Choir, based in Hertfordshire.

Let's meet them.

I'm Martin, I'm 67 and a retired fingerprint expert

and crime scene examiner.

Hi, I'm Robert, I'm 66 and I'm a retired tax inspector.

My name's Barbara, I'm 60 years old and I'm a retired civil servant.

I'm Kathy, I'm 66 and I'm a retired deputy head teacher.

I'm Phil, I'm 63 and I'm a retired railwayman.

-Martin and team, welcome.

-ALL: Thank you.

So, Orpheus Choir, just tell us about the history there.

Yes, were a choir which is based in Hitchin in Hertfordshire

and we sing performances mainly in East Anglia and the south east.

And we take our name, The Underworld, from Orpheus In The Underworld,

which is a famous Greek legend and opera by Offenbach.

Orpheus was...

Well, he was a musician and poet and he went to rescue his wife.

Is that right?

Yes, and he reputedly played the harp, or some say it was a lute.

Anyone know any more about Orpheus here?

The legend was that he was leading his wife up from the underworld,

but then she looked back, or rather he looked back at her

so that caused her to go back into the underworld.

-He never got her back?

-No.

That's a bit tragic.

Well, some would welcome it.

LAUGHTER

All right, well, I wish you well in this exciting contest.

How does it feel,

looking straight down the barrel of the Eggheads here?

A privilege.

A privilege and daunting.

We've got a railwayman at the end, we've got another one there,

so you'll catch up in due course, I'm sure.

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, The Underworld, the Eggheads have won the last three games

which means £4,000 says you can't beat them today.

-Would you like to start?

-Of course.

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

Who'd like this?

Good luck, Barbara!

I think we have a designated candidate.

OK, Barbara, you can pick an Egghead now -

any one of them, actually.

-I'll have Dave, please.

-All right.

"Tremendous Knowledge" Dave from the Eggheads

versus Barbara from The Underworld.

Please, go to our Question Room now.

How are you on Film & Television, Barbara?

Well, I watch a fair bit and I've hopefully got a good memory,

so just got to get the right questions, I suppose.

Film & Television against Tremendous Knowledge Dave.

Would you like to go first or second?

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

Here we go.

Ruth Madoc played a character called Gladys Pugh in which TV sitcom?

Erm...

Yeah, she's the receptionist in Hi-de-Hi!

You've got it right. Brilliant. Hi-de-Hi!

Here we go, Dave.

The 1953 film Niagara gave which actress

one of her first leading roles?

That's Marilyn Monroe.

Marilyn Monroe is the right answer, Dave.

So one each.

Back to you, Barbara.

Who plays the wife of Woody Allen's character Larry Lipton in

the 1993 comedy Manhattan Murder Mystery?

Ooh.

I was expecting a different name there.

I think Diane Keaton.

I think.

You've got it. Well done. Diane Keaton is correct.

Well done.

Dave, your question.

Which TV series first shown in 1959, often began with the words,

"You are travelling through another dimension,

"a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind."?

Right, erm...

I think it's a bit too early for Lost In Space.

Erm...

I'm going to go with The Twilight Zone.

The Twilight Zone is correct.

Barbara, your question.

Going for three out of three here.

What did Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin

call their company that created classic

children's television programmes, such as Bagpuss and The Clangers?

I think it's Smallfilms.

Hope.

Smallfilms is the correct answer.

What excellent play, well done.

Three out of three - you know your film and television.

Tremendous Knowledge Dave,

who directed the films Cronos, Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth?

I've got to go Guillermo del Toro.

Yeah, you've got it right, Dave. Well done. Guillermo del Toro.

So, good play on Film & Television from both of you.

-He hasn't made it easy there, has he, Barbara?

-No.

It goes to Sudden Death - no alternatives, here we go.

The 1998 film US Marshalls is a follow-up to which film

starring Harrison Ford?

Oh, Lord.

Brain's gone completely.

I can't think of it at all. I haven't got a clue.

It's gone...

-Guess at it?

-Um...

I don't know.

I'm going to say The Fugitive.

I know that's not...

-Your answer is The Fugitive?

-Yeah.

-It's correct.

You're kidding!

JEREMY LAUGHS

Where the hell did that come from?

Where did that come from?

You're a quizzer - that's the answer.

OK. Dave, Adam Chance, played by Tony Adams,

was a character in which long-running soap,

that was first broadcast in 1964?

Crossroads.

Crossroads is correct.

Back to you, Barbara.

Which actor played the roles of Perry Mason and Ironside on TV?

Raymond Burr.

Raymond Burr is correct. Very good.

OK, Dave.

Which journalist and broadcaster, born in 1919,

presented the television review programme Did You See...?

in the 1980s?

1919 born?

Born 1919.

Ludovic Kennedy.

Ludovic Kennedy is the right answer.

Tremendous Knowledge is named that for a good reason.

Yes, he won't let you go.

OK, Barbara.

Robert Reid and Florence Henderson were the stars of which US TV

sitcom, first broadcast in 1969?

Erm...

Mr Ed.

-Which one?

-Mr Ed.

No, The Brady Bunch.

OK.

Dave, if you get this one right you will have beaten Barbara.

Which 1954 film sees William Holden

and Humphrey Bogart competing

for the affections of Audrey Hepburn?

It's a good question.

Got something coming into my head...

Is it totally wrong?

What's the answer?

Oh, I'm under pressure!

Sabrina.

Sabrina is the right answer.

Dave, you played very well. Barbara, sorry,

you very rarely get someone go that far through Sudden Death

without getting a wrong answer on the Eggheads' side,

so bad luck to you. He played well, you've been knocked out,

but you did well.

Please, both of you, come back, rejoin your teams.

As it stands, The Underworld have lost one brain from the Final Round,

whilst the Eggheads have not lost any.

The next subject is History.

Who would like this?

Why don't you take History?

I know Robert's good at history...

Not desperately.

Not desperately. Robert. Robert.

I've been volunteered.

OK, Robert, it's you against which Egghead?

Kevin, I think.

-THEY OOH

-Oh, very good.

He did... Am I allowed to say this?

Yeah, go on. You might as well.

-It's two, isn't it?

-Two.

He's been beaten in History twice recently.

The significance of that is that up until those defeats

he hadn't ever...

He'll be trying harder, won't he?

Oh, yeah, he's still as good as ever.

It'll be fun to see you take him on.

Robert from The Underworld versus Kevin from the Eggheads

on History, and to ensure there's no conferring, please,

go to the Question Room.

Robert, we're seeing quite a bit of this -

teams taking on the Eggheads on subjects on which they're

strongest, you've just done that with Kevin.

It might be a good decision, it might not,

we'll find out in a couple of minutes.

We're calling it the frontal assault technique

-It's worked a couple of times, hasn't it?

-It has, yes.

You dislodge Kevin on History,

you create complete panic on the Eggheads' side.

That's the desired effect.

Robert, would you like to go first or second?

I will try second, please.

Here we go, Kevin, with your first question.

What nickname was given to the women's

branch of the Royal Navy, set up in 1917?

That was the origin of the Wrens.

Wrens is correct. Over to you, Robert.

In the English examination system,

what replaced the Higher School Certificate in 1951?

I was a bit young in those days, so it's not memory.

My thoughts are, in Scotland, the Lowers are the GCSEs

and the Highers are A-Levels equivalent.

I'm going to go for A-Levels.

A-Levels is correct.

Kevin, in 865AD, the Viking leader Ivar The Boneless

and his army invaded which part of Britain?

They came in through East Anglia.

East Anglia is correct.

Here's your question, Robert.

Thoth was one of the more important deities

in which ancient civilisation's religion?

Many years ago, I floated down the Nile on a holiday

and I think that sounds familiar as one of the gods

we heard about in Egypt, so I'll go for the Egyptians.

Egyptian is correct.

We've got some very good quizzers on the challengers' side here.

Kevin, who was the only monarch whose birth

and death both took place at Buckingham Palace?

Right, I'll be a little bit careful with this, just in case.

Effectively, as the royal residence, Buckingham Palace was taken...

It's really with Victoria's reign that that begins.

I'm just thinking...

Edward VII certainly died at Buckingham Palace,

was he born there?

The other two were too early for Buckingham Palace.

Edward VII.

Edward VII is correct.

Robert, he's got three cos you let him go first.

You need to get this one or you are out.

The First Kandyan War which began in 1803,

saw British forces fighting in which modern-day country?

Could you spell Kandyan?

Of course - K-a-n-d-y-a-n.

Kandyan.

I'm pretty sure Kandy is a town in Sri Lanka, so I'll go for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is correct.

Very, very good.

OK, Sudden Death. We start with Kevin.

I don't give you alternative answers, Kevin,

here's your question.

What was the first name of Lord Allenby,

the soldier who led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in World War I?

His first name was Edmund.

Edmund is correct.

Over to you, Robert.

What is the name of the dynasty of rulers

of the Magadha state in northeastern India,

who maintained an empire over the north and parts of central

and western India from the early 4th to the late 6th century?

Are we looking at the Mughals?

I think that's what I'd go for - the Mughal Empire.

The Mughals. OK.

See if Kevin knows this one.

-Gupta.

-Gupta is the answer.

So, they produced, apparently, the decimal system of notation

and lots of Hindu art.

4th-6th century, the Gupta, Robert.

I'm sorry, you took on a very doughty player, though, in Kevin

and you have been knocked out - Kevin will be in the final.

Please, both of you, rejoin your teams.

As it stands, The Underworld have lost two brains

from the Final Round,

whilst the Eggheads have not lost any.

Bit of a sense of Orpheus's wife slipping away here.

Need to turn it round.

The next subject is Arts & Books.

Who would like this?

-Do you want me to?

-I don't fancy it.

-OK. I'll try.

-Go for it.

I hope Sport and Food & Drink don't come up.

Um...

Arts & Books.

Which Egghead would you like, Judith, Daphne or Chris?

Daphne, please.

Kathy versus Daphne - The Underworld versus the overlord.

-Over-lady!

-Over-lady, I'm so sorry.

And to be sure there's no conferring,

would you please take your positions in the Question Room?

Arts & Books, Kathy, would you like to go first or second?

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

Which of these artists did Salvador Dali meet in Paris in 1926?

Don't think it was El Greco.

I think it's Pablo Picasso.

It is indeed Pablo Picasso. Well done.

Daphne, you well today?

Yes, thank you.

OK. Here we go with your question.

What is the name of the main character in Thomas Hardy's

novel The Mayor Of Casterbridge?

It is Michael Henchard.

Michael Henchard is correct.

OK.

Kathy, "the scent and smoke and sweat

"of a casino, nauseating at three in the morning,"

is the opening sentence of a 1953 novel by which writer?

I'm thinking of the word casino...

which makes me think about James Bond.

I think I'll go with Ian Fleming.

-Is this Casino Royale?

-Yeah.

It is Casino Royale and it is Ian Fleming.

Daphne, in which decade was Arthur Miller's play

Death Of A Salesman first performed on stage?

I think it was the 1940s.

1940s is right.

Well done. Would have been easy to go '60s there, wouldn't it?

Two each, Kathy, your third question.

What is the title of Haruki Murakami's novel

published in English in 2011?

2011.

I have no idea.

This is going to be the worst sort of guess.

I think I'll go for IQ84.

It's 1Q84, but you've got it right!

Well done, that was a good guess.

That's a Daphne-sized guess.

She's very good at her guessing.

Daphne, your question - if you get this wrong, you'll be out.

Which member of The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood painted

the mid-1850s work The Scapegoat?

Oh...

I think it's Holman Hunt.

William Holman Hunt is the right answer.

Three points each.

Very tight these rounds.

OK, Kathy, let's see if you can be the first one through.

Sudden Death, I don't give you alternatives, so it's a bit harder.

What is the English title of the Italian novel

Il Gattopardo by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa?

Gatto's something to do with cat in Italian.

I think.

Don't know, cant make even a guess.

See if Daphne knows.

Um, The Leopard.

The Leopard is the right answer.

Your cat thing was very...

You were getting into the right zone there.

Daphne, if you get this right you've taken the round.

The subject of which of Keats's odes is addressed as,

"Thou still unravished bride of quietness.

"Thou foster-child of silence and slow time."?

A Grecian Urn.

Grecian Urn is correct.

Kathy, sorry, she has beaten you there again.

You're talking on these very good fighters

and you won't be in the Final Round.

Both of you, come back, rejoin your team mates and we'll play on.

As it stands,

The Underworld have lost three brains from the Final Round,

the Eggheads have still not lost a brain,

although you've been run close, haven't you?

-Very good games.

-Very good game.

The next subject is Geography.

Who would like this?

I think Phil.

Do you prefer that to General Knowledge?

Yeah.

OK, Phil the railwayman against which Egghead?

I think I can guess.

-Yes. Chris.

-I'll take Chris.

OK, so the two train spotters.

Railwaymen!

Phil from The Underworld versus Chris from the Eggheads -

the two railwaymen.

To ensure there's no conferring, please, take your positions.

Phil, you did 35 years on the railway.

I did, yes.

Started at King's Cross, ended up in King's Cross.

Was that near where you were, Chris?

I was a fireman at Hornsey in the very early days, yeah.

And then on the Tubes?

Yeah. '70, I went on the I went on the Tube,

'83, I packed the Tube in, managed to get back on the Main Line,

wound up driving out of Paddington of all places.

You've got a deep love of the railways, I know, Chris.

-What about you, Phil?

-Oh, yes, I'm an enthusiast.

Phil, would you like to go first or second?

I think I'll go first, please.

Here is your question.

What appears in the centre of the Japanese flag?

Well, I went to Japan and travelled all over

the country by train not long ago and I think I remember a red disc.

Red disc is the right answer.

One of the most recognisable flags in the world, isn't it?

Chris, Portugal has a coastline on which ocean?

That's the Atlantic, Jeremy.

Atlantic is the right answer. Well done.

Back to you, Phil.

Quoddy Head State Park,

containing the easternmost point of mainland USA, is in which state?

Well, I don't think it's Florida.

I don't know the place, I'm just imagining the map

in my head at the moment.

I think I'll go for Maine.

You've got it right. Well done.

Maine it is.

Chris, onto you.

Fort-de-France is the capital of which Caribbean island?

That's Martinique, Jeremy.

-No doubt?

-Mm.

Martinique is right.

Here we go, back with The Underworld.

The French village of Carnac in Brittany is

renowned for having one of the world's most notable sites for what?

I have an idea it's standing stones.

-You seen them?

-No.

You've got it right though, well done.

Three out of three again.

Back on Chris - Geography.

The Kip is the official currency of which Asian country?

-Mm.

-K-i-p.

Well, Thailand's the Baht.

It's down to Laos or Cambodia.

Cambodia.

-Eggheads...?

-Laos.

Laos they all say, Chris, you've got it wrong.

Hey, Phil, you're in the Final Round...

..on a question to which the answer was Laos.

You played very well indeed.

Come back to us, both of you, and we will play that final.

So this is what we've 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 Robert, Barbara and Kathy from The Underworld

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

Martin and Phil, you are playing to win The Underworld £4,000.

Judith, Kevin, Dave and Daphne, 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 and you are allowed to confer.

So, Martin and Phil, the question is,

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

Would you like to go first or second?

We'll go second.

Here we go with your first question.

Which actor had a number two single in the UK with Under The Boardwalk?

-ALL:

-Bruce Willis.

That was Bruce Willis.

Bruce Willis is correct.

Wow! Couldn't have got that. Would you have got that?

-I wouldn't.

-No.

In which country did the brothers Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca

open their Michelin-starred restaurant in 1986?

Belgium, Spain or Italy.

I wouldn't say Italy.

No.

I don't fancy Spain somehow.

-I'd go for Spain.

-You'd go for Spain?

-Mm.

Right, we're going to go for Spain.

Spain is the right answer. Well done.

Eggheads, ypsilon is the German name for which letter of the alphabet?

Ypsilon - that's Y-P-S-I-L-O-N.

Could you spell it again, Jeremy?

Ypsilon - Y-P-S-I-L-O-N,

is the German name for which letter of the alphabet?

It must be Y, mustn't it?

Ypsilon is Y.

Yes, it's Y.

Y is correct.

That's an interesting one, wasn't it?

Did you think you were being tricked there?

There's a letter of the Greek alphabet, which is epsilon,

which actually is an E and so you have to be careful.

Ay-ay.

That shows a low cunning.

OK. Your question, Underworld.

Which member of the England 1966 World Cup football squad

was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Northumberland in 1997?

-Northumberland.

-Got to be Jack Charlton.

Got to be Jack Charlton, surely.

We're going on the basis that it's Northumberland - Jackie Charlton.

Jack Charlton is quite right.

Well done - two each.

Tight contest this, all the way through as well.

OK, Eggheads, your third question, which can be crucial.

In the Medieval verse relating to falconry, which begins,

"An eagle for an emperor,"

which bird of prey was suitable for a lady?

Merlins traditionally are ladies...

Kestrel is for a knave.

Merlin is traditionally women, ladies.

-Yes.

-Falcon.

Merlin?

-Yeah.

-That's a Merlin.

Merlin is the right answer.

Playing in a very sure-footed way, aren't they?

Because you let them go first, you must get this one,

otherwise the contest is over.

Which lawyer wrote the book Reversal Of Fortune about the

successful appeal and subsequent acquittal of Claus von Bulow?

I haven't the foggiest idea.

I think we're struggling on this one.

Erm...

I just don't know.

I'd go for Robert Kardashian, but I don't know.

-Would you?

-I really don't know.

Robert Kardashian.

I fancy Dershowitz.

You want to go for Robert Kardashian?

-Go on.

-We'll go for Robert Kardashian.

I'm afraid to say the answer is Alan Dershowitz.

Ah!

It was there but then you moved away.

Congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

Back luck to you. Commiserations to The Underworld.

-Hope you enjoyed playing.

-We had a great time.

The three customers at the back there ran very tight rounds,

it's a shame you didn't get more in the final.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them

and they still reign supreme over quiz land.

It does mean you won't be going home with the £4,000,

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 - £5,000 says they don't.

Till then, goodbye.