Episode 122 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 Dalesmen Singers.

Now this team are all members of the same male voice choir

based in Danby in North Yorkshire.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm John. I'm 69 years old and a retired builder.

Hi, I'm Mark. I'm 43 and until recently was a university lecturer.

Hello, I'm Mike.

I'm 56 years old and I'm a business development consultant.

Hello, I'm John. I'm 71 and I'm a retired medical physicist.

Hi, I'm Phil. I'm 67. I'm a retired chemistry teacher.

-John and team, welcome to you. Good to see you.

-Thank you.

-Hello.

The green jackets are part of the choir outfit, are they?

Yes, this is our uniform.

Great and so, how many people in the choir, John?

-We're 50.

-50?

-Just over...just over now.

And I know you've raised a lot of money for charity.

We have, yes, and still doing. Yes.

Tell us why you love singing in the choir.

This last year or 18 months, it sort of got hold of me

and I've enjoyed it.

It's been good.

Mixing with these chaps and there's an awful lot of talent in the choir.

And we sing in any venue and all over really.

-And you were a builder for a long time?

-Quite a long time, yes.

And you've done building for most of the guys in the choir, I gather?

Quite a few and they're still my friends!

Their houses are all still up and all the building work is in place.

It's still in place.

-Well, I hope you can dismantle this lot.

-We'll do our best.

Everyday 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, Dalesmen Singers, I can tell you that the Eggheads have won the

last two games which means £3,000 says you can't beat them today.

Would you like to try?

-Yes.

-Yes, we would.

Good, the first head-to-head battle will be on the subject of Music.

How appropriate is that?

-Wow.

-Music.

-So, who would like this, John?

-I would like it.

I think we've got to go to our oldest member here.

-That's?

-John Haywood.

The other John? John, who would you like go up against?

-Erm...

-Choose an Egghead.

-Judith.

-Judith, on Music.

OK, John from the Dalesmen Singers versus Judith from the Eggheads.

And to ensure there's no conferring would you please

take your positions in the Question Room?

John, Music is the round. Your ideal subject, I know.

Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first.

Here we go. Good luck, John, and to your team.

Which female singer released the single Boomerang in March 2013?

Ah.

Well, this is an interesting question in a field that

probably is not my greatest strength.

But I will...vote for Nicole Scherzinger.

Bang on. Well done!

That's brilliant.

I'm assuming that was a guess but don't tell me that it was,

that would spoil the illusion.

-No, it was a calculation.

-OK, very good.

Judith, your question.

In August 1981, the UK album chart was topped

by an official BBC album for which event?

-81?

-In August 81.

Well, that was when Prince Charles married Princess Diana

so I imagine that it must be the Royal Wedding.

The Royal Wedding is the correct answer.

John, your question.

Shop Lifters of the World Unite was a UK top 20 single in 1987,

for which group?

I, er...

I favour The Fall.

It's The Smiths actually. The Smiths is the answer.

That was my second choice.

It could have easily been The Fall, if that's any consolation.

Judith, your question.

Marco and Giuseppe Palmieri are characters

in which Gilbert and Sullivan operetta?

-Marco and Giuseppe?

-Yeah.

Which sounds Italian. So, I think it might be The Gondoliers.

The Gondoliers is the correct answer. Well done.

OK, back to you, John.

The jazz musician Teddy Wilson was best known

for playing which instrument?

Er, I'll try the Double Bass.

-The correct answer is actually Piano.

-Oh, well.

-So, bad luck.

Judith has taken the round. Well played, John, anyway.

Thank you for playing. Judith will be in the final round.

But early days for the Challengers. Please both of you return to us now.

So as it stands,

the Dalesmen Singers have lost a brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have not lost a brain yet.

The next subject for you is Sport.

Who would like this?

I think...possibly me.

OK, the other John now, right.

-It'll be the only chance I have.

-OK, John.

Against which Egghead? Can't be Judith obviously.

I shall go for Chris.

-Yeah.

-That all right?

That's fine, he will look as if he's not enjoying that

-but he will be enjoying it.

-He will be.

-Definitely.

-Oh, we'll see he does.

-The word is schadenfreude, Jeremy.

-Exactly.

So, John from the Dalesmen Singers versus Chris from the Eggheads.

Please take your leave of us and go to the Question Room.

So, John. Would you like to go first or second?

I think I'll go first, Jeremy.

Here we go. Good luck, John.

Approximately how tall is the England fast bowler, Stuart Broad?

Well, 5ft 6 would be a little bit small for a fast bowler, I think.

6ft, you could be in with a shout

because Darren Gough was round about 6ft, just over.

I'm going to go for 6ft 6, I think.

And you're absolutely right. 6ft 6 it is.

He's very tall.

Chris, which Grand Slam singles title did the tennis player

Pete Sampras win on the most occasions?

Ooh.

He's not won Wimbledon all that often.

And...Antipodeans tend to win the Australian

so, it's got to be the French Open.

Ah. Who's our tennis correspondent? Judith, you know your tennis.

How often has he won Wimbledon?

-About six.

-He's won it seven times actually, Chris.

-Really?

Yeah, Wimbledon is the answer.

It means nothing in my young life,

it's the terminus of the district line is all Wimbledon means.

So, you'd rather watch a tube train arriving than a centre court match?

Well, I'd rather watch a sub-surface train arrive, yes.

The district line isn't a tube,

that's just journalistic lazy mindedness.

Oh, I do apologise. Never ever make Chris cross about trains.

John.

Which baseball player was nicknamed the Yankee Clipper?

I'm out of my depth here, I think, Jeremy.

Erm, Willie Mays and Ty Cobb I have never, ever heard of.

The only one I've heard of is Joe DiMaggio

and I think I'll have to go with Joe DiMaggio.

-Married to Marilyn Monroe, is that right?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

Joe DiMaggio's absolutely right.

OK, Chris.

If you get this wrong, Chris, you're gone!

Gone on the tube. Oh, I'm sorry, the sub-surface train.

Laura Trott won two gold medals for Great Britain in which

sport at the 2012 Olympics?

Well, we won a lot in cycling, didn't we?

I don't think she was one of them.

Er...didn't do much in swimming.

Was she a rower?

No, back to gut instincts. Cycling.

Ah, what a shame.

What a shame for our Challengers. Cycling it is.

You might remember her, she had an amazing buzzy personality.

-Absolutely amazing person...

-Oh, her!

-Yeah, blonde, short, lively.

Yeah.

OK, John.

I'm sorry he didn't crumple there, you swung the demolition ball

so brilliantly.

Get this right and you're in the final round.

Which Scottish football team play home matches at Stark's Park?

I can't bring anything to mind here, Jeremy.

I think I'm just going to have to go down the middle.

Er...for Dunfermline Athletic.

Chris, do you know?

Well, something's saying Hamilton Academicals to me

but, er, what do I know?

No, both are wrong. Raith Rovers.

So, Chris has a chance to come back in. Third question.

In the 1950s,

Raymond Constrastin was one of France's top players in which sport?

Well, the French don't play Rugby League much,

they tend to play Union.

Although there is a Rugby League...

in France. Frenchmen don't like Snooker,

they don't play Table Tennis.

Erm...

Yeah, we'll go with Rugby League.

Oh, you swerved away from it and now back to it. You've got it right.

Fantastic.

So, he's pulled off a bit of a comeback here, John.

It's level after three questions, we go to Sudden Death, OK?

Little bit harder as I don't give you alternative answers.

-Uh-huh.

-Are you ready?

-Yeah.

You're playing well.

Which British tennis player won

the Girls' Singles title at Wimbledon in 2008?

I have a...

I have a choice of two. Either Laura Robson or Heather Watson.

I'm not sure either of them are right

but I'm going to go for Laura Robson.

I'm so glad you did, she's right. Well done.

Very good play. Laura Robson it is. Born in Melbourne actually

but got a British passport in February 2008.

OK, Chris, if you get this wrong, you're out.

Who was appointed the interim manager of Chelsea football

club in November 2012?

Ooh.

That was after Mourinho went, wasn't it? Erm...

Oh, what's his name?

Paolo Di Canio.

I'm speaking here as a Chelsea fan so let me just fill you in.

It wasn't Mourinho, it was Di Matteo who was rather spectacularly fired.

-Then Rafael Benitez.

-Ah, Benitez. Yeah.

So Rafael Benitez came in, so you got it wrong,

it was not Di Canio.

-No.

-And that means, John, you've taken the round on Sudden Death.

Very well done.

How's that? You've beaten an Egghead.

The skipper stays in which is crucial.

Bit more building work to be done on the Eggheads

and you may just take the whole contest.

Please both of you come back and rejoin your teams.

As it stands, the Dalesmen Singers have lost one brain from the

final round but the Eggheads have now lost a brain,

thanks to John here.

The next subject is Arts & Books.

I'm thinking the Challenger's going to be strong on this.

-Who's taking this one?

-I think it's going to be Mark.

-That's me.

-Mark?

OK, against which Egghead?

Well, I've been wanting to say this all along, haven't I?

I'd like to go against Daphne, please.

Oh, right. You know we've had this a lot recently, Daphne.

A lot of people just...they want to try it.

So, Mark from the Dalesmen Singers versus Daphne from the Eggheads.

Please go to the Question Room.

Mark, this is a good subject for you, I'm thinking,

because you used to lecture in it.

I did used to lecture in literature for the last 20 years

but I had a real specialism

and my specialism was English renaissance literature.

So, as some of my friends joke,

I know about 3 years in about the 1580s.

So, who are the key renaissance figures then?

Well, Shakespeare's obviously the most well known of the writers

of that period but other people like Jonson, Webster,

a man called Lilly that I used to do a lot of work on.

So there's a whole range of them.

And I know in mitigation it's very tough when you go in on your

strongest subject because often it's so big, these categories that...

-Exactly.

-..if we're outside those 30 years I apologise in advance.

-3.

-3 years! OK. Oh, gosh.

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

I'll go first, please.

Which of these words can mean a brief literary

description of a person?

Well...

A Ventricle is a medical term related to the heart.

Can't remember exactly what Vicissitude is.

Erm, but I'm going for Vignette.

Vignette is the right answer.

Daphne, which phrase, attributed to

Gertrude Stein, describes the generation who came of age during

or immediately following World War I and more specifically,

a group of American writers of this era?

Oh, they were the Lost Generation.

Lost Generation is correct.

Mark, what was the UK title of the 1987 novel by Anne Fine that

inspired the 1993 Robin Williams' film Mrs Doubtfire?

They're not the choices I was expecting. Erm...

Anne Fine has an obsession with cross dressing characters,

she had one called Bill's New Frock for children.

Erm, but I'm going to go for Madame Doubtfire.

Absolutely right. Madame Doubtfire it is.

OK, Daphne.

Which poet was only 19 when his collection of poems entitled

Hours of Idleness was published in 1807?

Lord Byron.

Lord Byron is correct. Well done.

I don't think that was a guess, I think you knew.

OK, Mark.

Which artist acquired a run down studio in the Montparnasse area

of Paris in 1926 and worked there until his death 40 years later?

Erm...

I don't know at all for sure with this one.

Erm, but given the period, the '20s to the '60s...

I think Whistler's earlier.

Erm, I don't know Giacometti.

I'm going for Picasso.

It's not him. Alberto Giacometti is the answer.

-Picasso's death date, Ian?

-I think he died in 73.

Yeah, he died in the '70s, Picasso. This fellow died in 66.

Giacometti it is.

OK, we go to Daphne.

What colour are the backgrounds of the

Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion

in Frances Bacon's famous 1944 triptych of the same name?

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

Well...

A complete guess.

I always think his paintings are pretty vibrant,

so I will go for Orange.

I don't know.

-Let's see if the Eggheads know here. Barry?

-Grey.

-Yeah, Grey, I think.

-I think it's Violet.

-Judith says Violet. Pat, you're very quiet.

I'm unsure, I can think of various paintings

and he uses all those colours.

Yes, that's true.

Yeah, but you must never disagree with Daphne when she's guessing,

as she is always right. It is Orange, Daphne.

You've taken the round.

Mark, I'm sorry, you've been knocked out there by our Egghead,

that's what she does. That's what Daphne does.

I hope you enjoyed the experience of being quizzed against her though.

-Being Daphne'd.

-Being Daphne'd. Exactly.

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

So, as it stands the Dalesmen Singers have now lost two

brains from the final round, the Eggheads have lost just the one.

Lots of time to come back though.

The next subject for you is Geography.

Who's the traveller?

-It's going to be me.

-OK, Mike, against which Egghead?

You can have...

Barry or Pat...who are trying to look intelligent...

-Yeah, it's going to be...

-..and succeeding actually.

It's going to be Barry.

OK, so Mike from the Dalesmen Singers versus

Barry from the Eggheads and to ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions.

Right, I know you're familiar with

the geography of Scotland, Mike, anyway,

as you're what's known as a Munro bagger.

That's right, yeah. I've been doing it for about...three years now.

OK, before you say what it is, let me see if Barry knows.

Do you know, Barry?

-Munro is a mountain above 3000ft.

-Yeah, but what's a Munro bagger?

A Munro bagger is a man who attempts to climb every Munro.

That's right and do you know how many there are?

I don't know, 206?

-Is he right, Mike?

-Ooh, he's way out with that one, isn't he? Yeah.

Yeah, the answer is 283.

-Ooh!

-And how many have you done?

I've done 180 so far so, probably another, just under 2 years to go.

OK, this is the Geography round now, Mike,

so, would you like to go first or second?

I think I'll go first.

Here we go and good luck.

Rio Grande do Sul is one of the states of which country?

Well, it sounds a bit, erm...it sounds a bit South American to me

so, erm...I'll go for Brazil.

Brazil is right.

Barry, St Neots is the largest town in which county?

Erm, it's not Lancashire and I'm pretty certain it's not Dorset.

I believe St Neots is the largest town in Cambridgeshire.

And you are right as well. It is Cambridgeshire. Back to you, Mike.

The M57 motorway was designed as a bypass for which city?

The M57. Yeah, that's...that's north west, yeah.

Yeah, it's the north west. I think it's Liverpool, isn't it?

Liverpool is correct.

Playing well, Mike, well done. Back to Barry.

The coastline of Equatorial Guinea lies on which body of water?

Equatorial Guinea is on the Atlantic Ocean.

The Atlantic Ocean is quite right.

OK, your question, Mike. Third question can be crucial.

Leuven is the capital of which Belgian province?

Right.

Well, it's, erm...I know where it is. I've stayed there.

Erm...

I think it's Flemish Brabant.

Flemish Brabant is correct.

That's pretty handy to have stayed in Leuven.

I loved the way you slipped that in so casually.

So have I for that matter.

You've stayed in Leuven as well?

Yes, there's a big annual quiz that takes part in Leuven

every year that I go to.

Oh, blimey. Am I the only one that hasn't been to Leuven?

-Looks like it!

-It does look like it.

OK, Barry, your question.

You need this to stay in, Mike is playing very well.

The Ivan Vazov National Theatre is situated in which European capital?

Well, I've been to Prague and I don't recall it in there.

It doesn't sound Hungarian to me.

But a lot of Bulgarian names end in O-V

and Sofia is in Bulgaria so, I'll go for Sofia.

Sofia is the right answer. Very good.

OK, so equal after three questions.

And we go to Sudden Death, Mike, it gets a bit harder.

You're playing really well.

The Jaffa Gate and the Dung Gate are features of which

Middle Eastern city?

Erm...hmm.

Erm, this is a pure guess.

Erm...

Egypt.

Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the answer, I'm afraid.

Barry, over to you.

The US state of Washington has a border with which Canadian province?

Washington is up in the extreme north west of the US.

And the Canadian province that is in the extreme north west is

British Columbia.

British Columbia is the right answer, Barry.

You've taken it on Sudden Death. Well done.

Mike, you played very well there indeed

if I may say so, on Geography, but you've been beaten by our Egghead

and you won't be in the final.

If you come back to us, we will play that final round.

So, here we are and this is what we have been playing towards.

It's time for our 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, Mark, Mike and John from the Dalesmen Singers and also

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

So, John and Phil, you are playing to win the Dalesmen Singers £3,000.

Daphne, Barry, Pat and Judith,

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, John and Phil,

the question is are your two brains able to beat the Eggheads' four?

And would you like to go first or second, gentlemen?

We'll go first, Jeremy.

Phil and John, good luck. Here's your question.

What is one said to spill when disclosing something confidential?

-Ah, it's The Beans, isn't it?

-We've got to go for Beans, haven't we?

-We've got to go for Beans.

-We're not into Eggnog.

-Beans.

Spill the beans is quite right. Well done guys, you got it right.

First one.

Eggheads, the name Roxy,

nickname of the American entrepreneur Samuel Rothafel

became linked to what type of establishments

following Rothafel's involvement in their development?

-Roxy Cinemas.

-Cinemas, surely?

We're going for Cinemas.

Cinemas is the right answer.

Back to you, Dalesmen.

What was the name of the Queen of the Jungle

created by comic book artist Will Eisner?

-Right, I'm not sure.

-I don't think it's Martha.

No, I would rule Martha out.

-So, it's going to be Leela or Sheena.

-Yeah.

-Anything in your head?

-I have a leaning towards Leela.

-Why? I don't know.

-You're right.

-We'll go for Leela, I can't decide between the two.

-Right.

-Right, we'll go for Leela, did you say, John?

-Yes.

We'll go for Leela.

Sheena is the answer.

Not Leela, you just leant a fraction the wrong way.

Just a fraction. OK, Eggheads,

your second question to take the lead.

What name is given to the period of 20th century Japanese history

corresponding to the reign of Emperor Hirohito?

-Showa.

-Yeah.

-Hirohito was Showa.

-And Heisei followed it?

-Yeah.

And the Kamakura shogunate was in the 14th century.

-I think it was Showa.

-Definitely Showa.

-And who succeeded him?

-Akihito?

-Akihito.

-He was Heisei.

-I'm sure Hirohito was Showa.

-They only give the names after the Emperor dies.

-Yeah.

-I'm sure it was Showa.

-OK, we're going to go for Showa.

Showa is the right answer.

So, they've got two, you do need to get this one right to stay in.

Take your time.

The German concept of Torschlusspanik

describes a sense of alarm at which of the following?

-What are you leaning towards?

-Hmm. Diminishing Possibilities.

I would go along with you on that.

-Yeah, we both favour...

-Well, we're not sure.

-..Diminishing Possibilities

but we're not sure. It could be the final act.

Did you get the German word and sense of what that meant?

-Torschlusspanik?

-I didn't.

I think, only because I did German at school,

I think it means door shut panic.

So, without knowing that, you've done very well

because you've got the right answer.

-Well done.

-Not out!

-Diminishing Possibilities. Yes, I'm sorry.

-Great.

-I'll be quicker next time.

Anyway, if you get this right, Eggheads, you are the champions.

In 2011, John Cridland became Director-General of which body?

I think it might be...

-I think it's the Confederation of British Industry.

-CBI.

It certainly has a job called Director-General, I don't know

-whether the other two have...

-That's true. Good point.

..positions called Director-General.

I don't know.

He's been in the news quite a lot and I can't...although,

I can't imagine the Institute of Directors having

-someone in the news as much as the...

-Yeah.

..Director-General of the CBI.

-Yeah, I think it's more likely to be the CBI.

-Yes.

-So, do we...

-Yeah.

OK, so, we plan to go for CBI? We're not sure

but we're going for the Confederation of British Industry.

If you have this right, you've taken the contest as well as the round.

Confederation of British Industry is the correct answer, Eggheads.

We say congratulations. You have won.

Well, Dalesmen Singers, it has been such a pleasure for us

to meet you in your green jackets.

-Thank you.

-And see you play the game.

So, thanks to you all at the back as well.

Hope you enjoyed it. Lovely to see you.

Commiserations to the Dalesmen,

the Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

Their winning streak continues, they still reign supreme.

I'm afraid that means you won't be going home with the £3,000

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.

£4,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.