Episode 118 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 our awesome quiz champions today

are the Educators.

This team are all trainee primary school teachers

studying at York St John University.

Let's meet them.

Hi, my name's Jim.

I'm 30 years old and I'm a trainee primary school teacher.

Hi, I'm Christian.

I'm 24 and I'm a trainee primary school teacher.

Hi, I'm Jamie.

I'm 30 years old and I'm a trainee primary teacher.

Hi, I'm Jess.

I'm 26 years old and I'm a trainee primary school teacher.

Hi, I'm Andy.

I'm 25 years old and I'm also a trainee primary school teacher.

-So Jim and team, welcome.

-ALL: Hi.

-Good to see you. You're all going to be teachers one day.

-Indeed, we are. Hopefully...

And enjoying your studies?

We are, indeed. It's quite a tough course,

but we're definitely enjoying it. We're nearly at the end now.

-And I know that you also quiz.

-We do indeed.

Tell us about that.

Well, most of our quizzing takes place at the university.

We like to spend our time in the canteen

quizzing away at each other, testing our knowledge.

We also go to a local pub, as well.

Is there a particular brain here, is there somebody you're hiding

who is superb or are you all brilliant?

I think, well... TEAM LAUGHS

I think as trainee teachers we need to have a general knowledge

-across the board.

-That's true.

I think Jamie's quite good at music so, hopefully...

OK, good luck.

Any bad subjects, any ones you don't want to come up?

Absolutely, I think Art & Books

if that comes up, that could be terrifying for us.

They're all in the system already. Let's see what happens.

Eggheads, are you ready to face some teachers?

-Is this going to throw you back to your school days?

-Oh, yes.

Your teachers must have all been terrified of you, actually.

-We were smaller then, Jeremy.

-You were smaller. That's right, I forgot.

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, Educators, I can tell you

the Eggheads have won the last four games

which means £5,000 says you can't beat them today.

-Shall we start the lesson?

-Let's give it a go.

-OK.

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

Who would like this?

I think it's probably one I'm quite OK at.

Do you think, Jim, yeah?

-I'll take it on. I'm happy to take it on.

-OK.

Jim, OK.

-Which Egghead, Jim?

-Shall we take on Dave?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, go on, Dave.

-Tremendous Knowledge Dave, I think.

Jim from the Educators against Tremendous Knowledge Dave on History.

To ensure there's no conferring,

would you please take your positions in the Question Room?

OK, History, Jim, your choice. Would you like to go first or second?

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

Here we go. Good luck to the team captain.

Try and stay in the contest.

Before his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot,

Guy Fawkes fought between 1593 and 1604

for which national army? Was it...

Guy Fawkes... Well, that obviously wasn't his given name.

I think I can eliminate Russia straight away.

So Spanish or Irish?

I think... Guido Fawkes... Guido.

I think possibly Irish, Jeremy. I'll go with Irish.

Dave, do you know this?

-I thought he was Spanish.

-Yes, Spanish is the answer, Jim.

Dave, over to you. Which group of people are thought to have used

a sunstone as a means of maritime navigation? Was it?

-Sunstone?

-Sunstone, maritime navigation.

I'll go the Egyptians.

Going around on ships with a stone.

-No, it's the Vikings.

-Oh, sorry. Oh, no, totally...

-The Vikings did it.

Jim, it's good he's let you off the hook there.

-He's given me a chance.

-He has, indeed.

In the 19th century, Edward Jones, who became known as the Boy Jones,

gained notoriety after entering Buckingham Palace and stealing

the underwear of which monarch?

Well, if it's 19th century, I'd say it's, obviously, Queen Victoria

was the monarch for a long time there.

George IV...

Georges, yeah. They were early in the 1800s.

I do believe there was... I think George III and IV then.

If I remember rightly, I think that George IV

oversaw quite a chaotic time in the Royal household.

It sounds like something that might happen. I'll go with George IV.

Oh, OK, I thought you were going Queen Victoria there

because of the date. It is Victoria, I'm sorry to say.

OK, Dave, see if we could go for a point here.

A naval dockyard was constructed in the 17th century

in which town on the River Medway on the suggestion of Samuel Pepys?

I'm trying to think.

I don't think it's Aylesford. I think it's either Sheerness or Tonbridge.

I'm just trying to think where Sheerness is.

Tonbridge is certainly in Kent on the Medway.

Oh, dear.

A bit of a nightmare, this. I'll go Sheerness

but I think it could be Tonbridge.

-Sheerness is right.

-Right, it's just because of the dockyard,

-not because of the confidence on the Medway.

-OK, there we are.

Eggheads have got a point there.

-That means, Jim, you have to get this one right.

-Indeed.

In World War II, a shade of colour named after Lord Mountbatten,

for use as camouflage, was known as Mountbatten what?

I don't the answer.

Erm...

Immediately when you were reading the question I thought red

but, obviously, that's not one of the options.

I think, looking at it, pink seems a strange one to have.

I don't think they would have pink.

So I'll have to go with blue, or orange.

Like I say, not sure of the answer. I'll go with orange, Jeremy.

It's pink.

So it's closest to your red idea.

I'm confused about this one, I must say. Who could help here? Anyone?

It's like a beige colour but they called it pink.

Oh, so it actually wasn't pink?

Well, it was, but it was more like pinky-beige.

Why would you wear anything like pink in a war?

They did have pink aircraft at one time using this sort of colour,

Spitfires and that sort of thing.

It's to do with the reflections on clouds

and so in certain weather conditions you could actually,

not become invisible,

but it would certainly help in terms of making you less visible.

-How interesting. I'm told ships...

-Ships, as well.

-Ships are a big part of it.

-Yeah.

OK, so, after three questions, Jim, sorry, no way back

because Dave has a point. Dave, you've won through to the final.

I know you won't be celebrating massively there.

-No, not at all.

-Well done, though.

Jim, sorry, you've been knocked out.

Let's see how you do when you come back to us.

As it stands, the Educators have lost a brain.

Jim, sorry to see you go.

The Eggheads have not lost a brain so far but early days.

The next subject for you is Arts & Books!

TEAM GROANS

How did that happen?

-Oh, no.

-So who would like this?

Well, this is definitely not our strongest one, Jeremy, that's for sure.

Erm, Jess, what you feel about this one?

-Or, how do you feel about it?

-I will be the lamb, Jeremy.

OK, the lamb against which lion?

-How would you feel about, possibly, Daphne?

-Yeah, OK.

SHE LAUGHS

-The lioness.

-We'll see what we can do.

You do sound reluctant. Let's see how you go.

Jess from the Educators versus Daphne from the Eggheads.

Educators, Eggheads, please go to the Question Room now.

Jess, why is everyone on the teachers team worried about Arts & Books?

I think it's because it's such a broad subject, you know,

you either kind of know it or you don't.

You know the author, or you don't.

If it's something that you've come across, but it's quite broad.

Good luck in this. You can choose whether you go first or second.

Erm, I'll go first, please.

Here we go with your first question.

It which year did the writer Charles Dickens die?

Oh, right, OK.

Obviously, I know of Charles Dickens.

I should probably know this.

Erm...

But I'm not entirely sure.

Erm, I'll go with 1900, Jeremy.

-It was actually earlier, 1870.

-Yeah.

Daphne...

The Dutch Golden Age of Art

roughly spanned which century?

17th, Jeremy.

17th century is correct, well done. OK, Jess...

The Widowing Of Mrs Holroyd

and The Daughter-In-Law, written in the early part of the 20th century,

are plays by which English writer?

OK.

Erm...

Plays, oh dear.

SHE LAUGHS

Erm...

Again, I'm not entirely sure with those.

I think...

I'll go with EM Forster.

-OK, let me see if anyone knows in your team. Is she right?

-I'm afraid not.

-Eggs?

-Lawrence.

-DH Lawrence is the answer.

-Oh...

So, Daphne, if you get this one right, you have taken the round.

Which British sculptor created the pieces called

Two Forms Divided Circle,

one version of which was believed to have been

stolen by scrap metal thieves from a London park in 2011.

Barbara Hepworth?

Oh, let's see into your mind a bit.

Why didn't you go with Henry Moore?

I remember a piece by Henry Moore being stolen

but that was from somewhere up in Yorkshire.

Erm...

I just thought it was Barbara Hepworth, sorry.

You are absolutely right Daphne, it is Barbara Hepworth.

It's funny because the Henry Moore theft confused me there, as well,

-but you're right, different theft.

-Yes.

More than one theft of a sculpture.

You're taken the round with those correct answers.

Sorry, Jess, you've been knocked out.

Your team can still win, no question about that at all.

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

As it stands, the Educators have lost two brains from the final round,

the Eggheads have not lost any brains and we've seen teams win

with just one player left, many times, have we not?

So do not lose heart.

But, I think, now's the time for the surge.

The next subject is Sport.

-Who would like this?

-Well...

I think I'll take that one, Jeremy.

Andy, brilliant. Now, which Egghead would you like?

The tide is turning, guys.

Pat's looking so resplendent in that chequered shirt.

-I think will take on Pat.

-Yeah. OK, yeah.

THEY CHUCKLE

OK, Andy from the Educators versus Pat, chosen for your shirt.

-That's not happened before, has it?

-No, I don't think so.

-I think that's a new one.

-Yes.

-Are you going to bring out the glasses again?

-I will.

-I look forward to that.

To ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions in the Question Room.

OK, Sport. Andy, would you like to go first, or second?

I'd like to go first.

Here we go with your first question.

Jade Jones won a gold medal for Team GB

in which event at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games?

I think I know the answer

because I remember watching it on the review show afterwards.

I'm pretty sure it was taekwondo.

That is not an easy question and you've got it right, well done.

Great, well done to you.

OK, Pat, which Spanish football team has the nickname Los Merengues?

Can I have a spelling, please?

Los, L-O-S and then

M-E-R-E-N-G-U-E-S, Los Merengues.

I don't think I've heard Barcelona described in those terms.

Er, and I don't think I've heard Real Madrid

and they're always in the news.

I don't think I've seen Los Merengues.

Well, I'm in the dark here, really.

I think I'm going to go for Valencia.

-Interesting... Is he right, Andy?

-He is.

No, you're not, it's Real Madrid.

LAUGHTER

How interesting.

OK, a very unusual game here.

OK, Eggheads are stuttering as well.

Andy, back to you. In which country was the second Formula 1 race

of 2013 held? Is it...

I do like to watch F1 and usually the second race of the season

and, I think, it's Malaysia.

Malaysia is the right answer. You're storming through.

Well done. OK, Pat, you get this one wrong, you're out.

Which boxer returned to the ring in 2012 after a three-year break

only to lose to the Ukrainian fighter

Viacheslav Senchenko and immediately retire from the sport? Was it...

Erm...

I think of those three

it's Ricky Hatton.

I think he lost to Pacquiao and retired.

Then, I think, he just had a taste, he wanted to get back into the ring

and get training and I think he came back

only to suffer a reverse.

I think it's Ricky Hatton.

Ricky Hatton is the right answer. Well done.

You're just still in the lead, Andy

and if you get this one right, you're in the final, as well.

In 1954, who was the recipient of the very first

Welsh Sports Personality Of The Year award?

I have absolutely no idea.

I've never heard any of those athletes before.

So it would really just be a wild guess

and I would guess Dai Rees.

It's not, actually, it's Ken Jones.

OK, so Pat, you are behind. You need this to go to Sudden Death.

Cecilia Colledge, who became Britain's youngest Olympian

when she participated in the 1932 Winter Olympics

at the age of 11, competed in which sport?

She rings a very faint bell for ice skating.

Erm...

Curling, skiing?

No, I think I have heard of her, fleetingly.

I think it's ice skating.

Ice skating is the right answer so you're level,

which means we go to Sudden Death, Andy.

It's a bit harder. I don't give you alternative answers, OK?

Stacy Lewis and Suzann Pettersen

found fame as leading names in which sport?

I've never heard of either of those athletes

and I've no idea when...

..they were around.

So again this will just be a total, wild guess.

I would guess rowing.

It's golf. Golf is the answer.

Pat, over to you.

The Swedish athlete Stefan Holm

won the gold medal in which track and field event

at the 2004 Athens Olympics?

If I remember rightly, I think, he had a wonder year.

I think he won every event he entered in the entire year

and I think he was a high jumper.

High jump is the right answer, Pat. Well done, you're in the final.

You ran him very close, Andy,

but you have been knocked out.

Both of you please come back to your teams and we'll play on.

As it stands, the Educators have lost three brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have not lost a brain.

You need to somehow do something.

Our options are dwindling.

Throw chalk at them or whatever it is teachers have to hand.

The next subject is Film & Television.

-Is this good?

-It's OK.

-Yeah, definitely. Jamie or Christian?

-I'll take it.

-Are you happy with this one, Jamie?

-Yeah, Jamie.

-I'll take it, yeah.

Jamie on Film & TV against which Egghead?

Judith or Kevin are the only two remaining.

-I think Judith.

-Do you think Judith ahead of Kevin?

-That leaves Kevin for general knowledge.

-I'll give it a whirl.

Judith, I think, Jeremy, will be our option.

OK, J and J, Jamie, Judith,

please go to the Question Room now.

-OK, Jamie, are we ready for this?

-Ready, Jeremy.

What are you watching at the moment film and TV-wise?

Er, I like a lot of films.

I've been watching a bit of Hitchcock recently.

He's one of my favourite directors.

There's a big Hitchcock reawakening, isn't there?

Yeah, yeah, there's been a couple of films out about his life recently.

So, yeah.

-Jamie, would you like to go first or second?

-I'd like to go first, please.

Here we go, good luck.

The special editions of which TV show have seen the presenters

driving the length of Vietnam on two-wheeled vehicles,

following the route of the Three Wise Men

and finding the source of the River Nile?

When you read the question I immediately thought of Top Gear,

so I'm going to go for that.

Top Gear is quite right.

Judith, what type of creature was the central character

in the TV show The Littlest Hobo?

I don't know. Erm, I didn't see it.

I don't know, maybe it's a dog.

-Maybe it's a dog. It is a dog, good.

-It is a dog, good.

That was lucky.

OK, Jamie, which landmark episode

did A Question Of Sport celebrate in 2013? Was it...

It's been going a long time.

I remember watching it in the days of Bill Beaumont and Ian Botham.

So...

And I think it was going quite a bit before then.

I'm going to go for 1,000th.

1,000th is quite right.

It's not the only show to have 1,000 episodes, is it?

We did it before them.

I think we did, although we are on every day, so...

Judith, what was the name of the character

played by Brenda Fricker in Casualty?

Oh, gosh. I remember her.

It's not Tess Bateman

because she's in it now and she's the kind of head nurse.

I think it's Maggie Coldwell.

-No, not Maggie Coldwell.

-It's Megan. Megan...

-Megan Roach.

How annoying.

You have fallen behind, which means

Jamie, get this one right and you're in the final round.

Who directed the 1950 film, All About Eve,

the 1955 film, Guys and Dolls

and the 1972 film, Sleuth?

Right...

I've seen a couple of Billy Wilder films, I don't think it's him.

If I'm honest, I've not heard of either of the other two.

I'm going to go for Joseph Mankiewicz.

-Kevin will know this.

-Yeah, it is.

It is right, Joseph Mankiewicz is right.

You've got three out of three.

APPLAUSE

Well done. No way back for you, Judith, I'm sorry.

Please, both of you come back to your teams.

So 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 Jim, Jess and Andy from the Educators and also Judith

from the Eggheads, would you please now leave the studio.

Christian and Jamie, you are playing to win the Educators £5,000.

Pat, Kevin, Dave and Daphne, you're playing for something that

money can't buy, which is 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 Christian and Jamie, the question is,

are your two brains able to overwhelm the Eggheads' four here?

-And Educators, would you like to go first or second?

-First, please.

Here we go. Good luck.

What name is often given to a secret message,

or hidden item in a video game, or DVD which rewards viewers,

or players, with extra content?

I definitely know this, Easter egg, definitely.

It shows my age. I didn't know that. Easter egg is the right answer.

Eggheads, For The Love Of Money

by the O'Jays is used as the theme

to which American reality TV programme?

I think it's The Apprentice because it's that one Money, Money, Money...

I haven't seen it.

The Apprentice has got something that's got money, money,

-that's all I could go on.

-Right.

-It sounds a bit soulish like an O'Jays one.

-OK.

-So The Apprentice is all...?

-I don't know.

-The Apprentice is...

I would go for that.

-In the theme tune it definitely says "money, money, money".

-OK.

I'd go with The Apprentice.

Right, Dave's the only one who's got any idea on this one at all.

We will go for The Apprentice.

The Apprentice is the right answer.

Your question...

Red, Whistling,

Mississippi and Snail are types of which bird?

-What you think?

-There's definitely a Red Kite.

I'd say woodpecker.

I've heard of a Red Kite.

I'm pretty sure I've heard of a Red Woodpecker, as well.

-Shall we go for woodpecker?

-We'll go for woodpecker.

We'll go for woodpecker, please, Jeremy.

Ah, that's a shame.

You were on kite and then you drifted. Kite is the answer.

HE GROANS

OK...

So to take the lead, Eggheads... In the British political system,

who holds the power known as the Prerogative Of Mercy? Is it...

Mmm, that's interesting.

-Your thoughts?

-I would have veered towards monarch.

-It's leaning towards home secretary, isn't it?

-Yeah, it is.

In terms of commuting somebody's sentence, or change.

I mean, not that many things would go to the monarch.

Having said that, the prerogative...

-Yes.

-The prerogative sounds...

-I think, yeah.

-You know.

-The home secretary tends to get...

My inclination is home secretary.

I don't think the prime minister would...

-that wouldn't make sense, particularly.

-No.

Erm, if it is in relation to commuting a sentence,

or something like that...

-The prime minister has got other things to do.

-Yeah. OK.

I have a slight preference for home secretary

but no evidence to back it up.

It could be either.

It's one of these. We've got to make some kind of decision, haven't we?

Yes, I think it's two, two, one, one.

Yeah, go with home secretary.

We don't know, Jeremy,

it depends exactly what this particular thing covers

but if it's relating to, for instance, commuting

a prison sentence, that sort of thing,

it seems to be the home secretary. We'll go for home secretary.

We listened very carefully,

you have a very strange democratic system on your panel

because you went two, two, one, one, or something - what was that?

-Two home secretaries?

-Two home secretaries.

-One prime minister?

-One prime minister.

-Right.

-Not us, personally.

-That makes perfect sense. I understand now.

Dave actually, at the start, came out with an interesting comment

-because you thought it was the monarch, Dave?

-Yeah.

Because the word prerogative doesn't seem to go

with the home secretary's function.

Dave was absolutely right, it is the monarch. You got it wrong.

-Sorry.

-No, no, there's nothing we can do about that.

Well, oh, how we'd wished you'd stayed with the Red Kite.

-Definitely.

-You could be turning the whole game around.

But, anyway, get this one right and the pressure's on them.

Robinette is the middle name of which American political figure?

-Robinette.

-Robinette, one word. Robin-e-t-t-e.

Robinette.

The middle name of which American political figure?

I've no idea. I've only ever heard of Mitt Romney.

I've heard of Joe Biden, as well.

I hate this.

You call the last one.

-I just immediately went to Mitt Romney for some reason.

-Yeah.

-Shall we go for that?

-Yeah. Can we go for Mitt Romney, please?

No, you're wrong. It's Joe Biden.

I don't know if there's any way of working to it

-other than just on the first instinct.

-Yeah.

Joe Biden is the answer.

Eggheads, if you get this one right, you've ended the contest.

Launched in 2011, the NASA satellite instrument, Aquarius,

measures which aspect of the Earth?

Is it...

-DAPHNE:

-I think it's ocean salinity.

-Ocean salinity, you think?

Have you come across this one?

I've seen the name...

I've got an inkle.

I mean, it makes sense that it would be ocean salinity.

Aquarius is the water carrier, but maybe that's...

You must have an inkle from somewhere.

-Are you OK?

-Yeah.

-We'll go with this one.

Again, we don't know this and it maybe...

We're maybe being suckered in

by the connection of Aquarius with water

but we, on balance,

we'll go for ocean salinity.

You read it somewhere, Daphne, did you?

I've read something about ocean salinity.

We know your inkles as well, don't we?

-You don't even have inklings, you have inkles.

-Yes.

You've got it right, well done.

Ocean salinity is the right answer.

We say, "Congratulations Eggheads, you have won!"

I thought the fight back was going to overpower them

but they timed it brilliantly at the end.

Then a couple of difficult questions. Bad luck.

Commiserations to the Educators.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them

and they still reign supreme over quizland.

I'm afraid that means 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?

You're playing really well.

Join us next time to see if a new team of challenges

have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

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