Episode 127 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.

Challenging the awesome might of our quiz champions

today are The Eggstinguishaires.

This team all work for the fire service

and are part of Green Watch, based at a fire station in Shipley.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Rob. I'm 46 and I'm a firefighter.

Hi, I'm Matt. I'm 33 and I'm a firefighter.

Hi, I'm Alan. I'm 41 and I'm the watch manager.

Hi, I'm Mick. I'm 48 and I'm a firefighter.

Hello, I'm Phil. I'm 41 years old and I'm the crew manager.

Good afternoon, guys. Welcome. Good to see you. Eggstinguishaires.

I need to break this name up, firstly.

Extinguishing is obviously the fire mention,

but they're going to Egg-stinguish today.

-Yes, Eggheads.

-CHRIS: No.

Then also you've got Aire at the end of the word because you are...

Jut cos of the River Aire, which is the valley that we work in.

It runs through Leeds, in from the Yorkshire Dales.

You've given this name a lot of thought.

Yes, you can tell.

Any tactics for dealing with this lot?

Yeah, just go for the jugular, I think.

Starting at this end.

Yeah, you've obviously watched the programme.

OK, good luck to you guys.

Every day there is £1,000 worth of cash

up for grabs for our Challengers.

However, if they fail to beat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over on to the next show.

So, Eggstinguishaires, the Eggheads have actually won the last

seven games, which means £8,000 says you can't beat them today.

Shall we start?

Yeah.

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

Who would like this?

Who's going to do that, then?

-I could do it.

-You do it. Go on.

OK, Matt's going to do it.

Matt's going to do it. Which Egghead is Matt going to take on?

-Go for Chris?

-Yeah, we'll take on Chris.

Matt from the Eggstinguishaires against Chris,

who's nodding cheerily.

Yeah, I don't mind. Film & Television, yeah.

You're in a very good mood these last few weeks.

-Yeah.

-Yeah? OK.

-It'll soon change.

-Somebody will say or do the wrong thing.

Hopefully not today, anyway.

To ensure there's no conferring,

would you please take your positions in our Question Room?

Well, Chris and Matt, here we go. Film & Television.

Your choice, Eggstinguishaire -

would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, thank you.

See if you can extinguish Chris now.

Christopher Timothy became well known for playing which role

in a popular TV series transmitted between 1978 and 1990?

I can remember Jonathan Creek.

Joey Boswell, I don't think it's that one.

I think I'll go with James Herriot.

James Herriot is the right answer.

Is that local, Eggheads, to Green Watch?

A little bit further north.

It was Yorkshire.

All right, Chris, your question.

In March 2013, Prince Charles was guest editor

of which television programme?

Well, he's not known for any particular love of soccer,

so it's unlikely to be Match Of The Day.

Don't think it would be Blue Peter, which is a kids' programme,

of course.

But he has got various interests in the country,

so it would have to be Countryfile.

Countryfile is quite right. OK, Matt, your question.

The film director Baz Luhrmann was born in which country?

I don't know this one.

But something's telling me Australia.

I think I'll go with Australia.

Well done, you're quite right. Australia it is.

Chris, who stars as a Floridian estate agent

opposite Jason Statham's character in the 2013 film Parker?

Mm, Floridian.

-Floridian.

-Yeah, as in Florida.

Don't think it's Jennifer Aniston.

I don't think it's Jennifer Garner, but a lot of Florida is

populated by Hispanic people, either from the US or Cuba.

The only Hispanic actress there is Jennifer Lopez,

so all things being equal,

a Floridian character would be played by Jennifer Lopez.

That's what I'll go for.

Let's see what your colleagues think. Is he right?

Yeah, he is right.

Yeah, you're 100% right, Chris.

Jennifer Lopez.

Matt, the short-lived TV soap Albion Market was set in which city?

Again, I don't know this.

But with the word Albion, I can only associate it with

football from Birmingham, so I'm going to go with Birmingham.

No.

-Anyone?

-No, we thought Birmingham as well.

-Manchester it is.

So a chance for Chris to take the round

if he gets this third question right. Here we go, Chris.

In the 1953 film comedy of the same name,

what is The Titfield Thunderbolt?

LAUGHTER

She was built in 1838 for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway

by Todd, Kitson & Laird, at Liverpool, named Lion.

It's a locomotive.

-You were never, ever going to get that wrong, were you?

-That is my...

Well, it's not my greatest film of all time,

but it's my comfort zone film.

The answer is locomotive, you're quite right.

Oh, Matt, I'm sorry.

It's sort of glorious to go out to Chris on a train question

when he's steaming along like that, isn't it?

Bit unfortunate, that, for him to come up with it at the end.

The one thing he will never, ever get wrong.

Matt, you've been knocked out. Chris, you're in the final round.

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

As it stands, the Eggstinguishaires have lost

a brain from the final round, the Eggheads have not lost one yet.

Very early days, though. It's Sport now.

-Alan, I think.

-Good luck, Al.

Alan?

Which Egghead? Can't be Chris.

Has to be Daphne.

Doesn't matter, does it? Nobody wins.

OK, well, Daphne, then.

Alan from the Eggstinguishaires against Daphne from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions in the Question Room.

Good luck in Sport.

Tell us, Alan, whether you want to go

with the first or second set of questions.

I'd like to go first, please.

Here we go. Good luck.

What does the letter L stand for in LTA,

the name of the British Tennis Organisation?

Yeah, I had the good fortune to go to Wimbledon in 2002.

It's Lawn.

Lawn is correct. Well done.

Daphne, who was named the World Sportswoman of the Year

at the 2013 Laureus Sports Awards?

That was Jessica Ennis.

Yes, I read it.

Jessica Ennis is correct.

OK, your question now, Alan.

Which horse won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2013?

Unfortunately I wasn't on it, on this occasion.

It was given a fantastic ride by Barry Geraghty

and it was Bobs Worth.

Oh, you know your racing. Well done. It was Bobs Worth.

Whenever people start an answer with the word "unfortunately",

I fear the worst.

But not in your case, clearly.

Daphne, in which year did McLaren first enter

the Formula One World Championship?

Do you know? I haven't got a clue.

I don't think it was '56.

I think they're named after Bruce McLaren, so 1966.

'66 is the right answer.

She does that, I'm afraid. It's less about luck than it looks.

Alan, which football club advertised for a new manager

in 1925, stating that,

"Gentlemen whose sole ability to build up a good side

"depends on the payment of heavy and exorbitant transfer fees

"need not apply."

Eh, I'm stuck, a little bit, on this one.

I am actually an Arsenal fan, so if it's them, I'll never live it down.

But that is my gut instinct.

I think I'm going to go for Arsenal.

Oh, Dave will know the answer.

Shall I check with Tremendous Knowledge Dave?

It is Arsenal.

It is Arsenal.

But that's... Is there a way of guessing that from the date?

Not really, but one thing you could say with Arsenal that's been...

Certainly before the war,

it was quite an esteemed establishment in terms of football.

The way that the board have directed,

the people who ran Arsenal, it would be the kind of thing that they'd do.

Right, well, well done to you on that answer, Alan.

Let's see what Daphne does now.

Daphne, if you get this wrong, you know what happens.

It's curtains or cardigans.

In which year did Roger Millward lead Hull Kingston Rovers to

victory over Hull FC in the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final

despite suffering a broken jaw in the early minutes?

Again, I really don't know.

1980.

Eggstinguishaires, has she been extinguished?

I would imagine that that is correct.

Yeah, with a heavy heart they're telling me that you're right,

and you are.

1980, so we go to Sudden Death, Alan.

Sudden Death, now, so I don't give you alternatives, OK?

In an Olympic individual medley swimming event,

which stroke is swum in the penultimate leg?

I think they start off in the pool doing backstroke.

I know they do fly last.

Crawl last.

So it's between butterfly and breaststroke.

I'll go for butterfly.

Well, you were right when you narrowed it down

and wrong when you chose.

Breaststroke is the answer.

OK, Daphne, your question now.

Sudden Death, so if you get this right, you're in the final round.

Here's the question.

The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome was opened in which city in 2012?

Glasgow.

Glasgow is the right answer. You're in the final round. Alan, sorry.

Knocked out on Sport by Daphne.

You won't be in the final.

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

As it stands, Eggstinguishaires have lost two brains from the final

round, the Eggheads have not lost a brain so far.

The next subject is Arts & Books.

Who would like Arts & Books, of our firemen here?

Thanks, lads. THEY LAUGH

-Phil.

-Yeah.

They've chosen you. Against anyone but Chris or Daphne.

Shall I take Dave on in a war of the roses?

-Yeah.

-A war of the roses, Dave?

-OK, Dave?

-Yeah. Yeah, it's all right.

I've lost my last two Arts & Books though.

-Oh, so you've chosen well.

-I don't think so.

Phil from the Eggstinguishaires against Dave from the Eggheads -

Arts & Books. Please go to the Question Room.

I'm glad you're here today, Phil,

cos you had a narrow brush with a tree recently, I gather.

Oh, blimey, Jeremy, I did, yes. Out dog-walking, myself and my wife.

We were walking up a steep track. A still day, cold, still day.

I went to investigate a noise of some crackling.

I thought it was fire so I went to look for the plume.

Would you believe, a 200-year-old tree fell towards us?

Starting falling towards us.

So we had to make a quick escape and a real sprint.

Both my wife and myself got clear, but only by about 3ft.

Out came the dog, tootling along with a big smile on his face.

Well, as I say, I'm glad you're here to play Arts & Books.

You're up against Dave. Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first.

Here we go with your first question, Phil.

Which book starts with the line, "I wish Giovanni would kiss me."?

"I wish Giovanni would kiss me."

I'm going to have to take a guess, Jeremy.

I'll guess with Eat, Pray, Love.

Eat, Pray, Love is the right answer.

OK, your question, Dave.

Henri Cartier-Bresson, who died in 2004,

was a leading figure in which field of the arts?

Yeah, I don't think he was a potter, I don't think he was a poet.

He was a photographer.

Photography.

Photography is the right answer. OK, Phil, here's your question.

Which of these characters appears in illustrations for various poems

in the 1927 book Now We Are Six?

Em...

I'm going to rule Scrooge out.

I don't think it'll be Winnie-the-Pooh.

I'll go with Bilbo Baggins.

It's actually Winnie-the-Pooh. It's one of those... Well, go on, Daphne.

-AA Milne.

-AA Milne classics.

Tremendous Knowledge Dave, here's your question to take the lead.

John Holman is the central character of the 1975 novel

The Fog, by which writer?

Right, the only Fog that I can remember is a film.

I think it was John Carpenter.

I think it was a horror or sci-fi type of thing.

So that would rule out Roald Dahl for me.

Ann Rice is more anything to do with a vampire.

I'm going to go for James Herbert.

James Herbert is right.

Phil, the Flemish artist Jan Gossaert

worked during which period?

I think mainly through the period of his life.

PHIL LAUGHS

Which was... I've not got a clue.

Again, it will be a guess, I'm afraid.

-I will go with 1500s.

-1500s is right.

-Oh, unbelievable.

Well done, I'm really glad.

It's like the same bit of luck you had with the tree, there. Well done.

OK, so it's equal.

You need to get this one right, Dave, to take the round.

Otherwise, we go to Sudden Death.

Which writer created the fictional underground world of Pellucidar?

Right, well, Zane Grey I'd associate with Westerns.

F Scott Fitzgerald more the classic, 1920s,

The Great Gatsby type of things.

With an underground world,

Edgar Rice Burroughs resonates for me.

So I'll go Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Edgar Rice Burroughs is the right answer.

Dave, well done, you've taken the round. You're in the final.

-Sorry, Phil. You've been knocked out.

-No, that's good.

Both of you, please come back. Rejoin your team-mates.

So as it stands, the Eggstinguishaires have lost

three brains from the final round,

the Eggheads have still not lost a brain.

This is the moment to just take one of them out.

Cause them a bit of damage.

The next subject is Politics. Who would like this?

Mick or Rob, isn't it?

-You take it.

-I'll take that one, Jeremy, please.

Mick against which Egghead? It can be Kevin or Barry.

One of the gentlemen on either end.

I'll take Kevin, please.

OK. A hush descends.

Mick from the Eggstinguishaires on Politics against Kevin.

Please go to the Question Room now.

OK, good luck in this Politics round. You're up against Kevin.

You can go with the first or second set of questions, Mick.

I would like to go with the rest of the team

and go with the first set of questions, please.

Here we go, Mick.

Which country's head of government has an official

residence at the Palace of Moncloa?

It doesn't sound particularly Hungarian or a name that

would be associated with Denmark, so I'm going to go with Spain, please.

Spain is the right answer.

Kevin, your question.

Which British politician stood down as the Shadow Olympics Minister

immediately after the 2012 Paralympic Games?

I think that was Tessa Jowell.

Tessa Jowell is correct.

Long involvement with the Olympics.

Your question, Mick.

The former employment lawyer Chuka Umunna

became an MP in 2010 for which Party?

I think I read something about him in the papers recently.

I think it was to do with the Conservative.

If I'm correct, he was linked with the next leadership...

of the Conservative Party, but I may be wrong.

It's actually not Conservative.

I think you may have confused him with a guy named Adam Afriyie.

That's it, yeah.

-Chuka Umunna is Labour.

-Oh.

-He is Labour.

Rising star.

OK, Kevin, here we go.

The term "leaderene" was invented for which political figure?

I'm just trying to remember who came up with it.

It's Margaret Thatcher.

Was it Norman St John-Stevas who came up with that?

I'm not entirely sure. Anyway, Margaret Thatcher.

Margaret Thatcher is the right answer, Kevin. Well done.

Mick, back with you. You need to get this one right.

Boyko Borisov has held the post of national karate coach

and prime minister of which country?

I don't know the name. It's not one that I associate with that sport.

Unfortunately I'm going to have to guess.

For that reason, I'm going to go with Bulgaria.

You've done well. It is Bulgaria.

It's a team of good guessers here.

Certainly scored more than the average right on your guessing,

this team. Well done.

It's very important in these quizzes.

Kevin, if you get this one right, you're in the final round.

In February 2013, Jack Lew was appointed to which

position in the government of the United States?

Jack Lew is L-E-W.

I think he replaced Timothy Geithner at the Treasury.

He's the new Treasury Secretary.

Treasury Secretary is the right answer.

Kevin, you've taken the round. Sorry, Mick.

-He's always quite unsparing, Kevin.

-Oh, he's very good.

He is very, very good. One wrong answer and it can be fatal.

You've been knocked out, I'm afraid, and Kevin will be in the final.

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

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 able to take part in this round.

Matt, Alan, Mick and Phil from the Eggstinguishaires,

would you please now leave the studio?

Good luck here, Rob. You're playing to win the Eggstinguishaires £8,000.

Kevin, Dave, Daphne, Chris and Barry, 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.

Obviously no-one available for that.

Rob, the question is,

is your one brain able to take apart the Eggheads' five, here?

Put them out, in firefighter speak.

Would you like to go first or second?

I think I'll stick with our format and go first, please, Jeremy.

Good luck to you.

Enola Gay, Joan Of Arc and Souvenir were UK top 40 hits

for which group in the 1980s?

Right, erm, well...

I'm old enough to remember all of these bands.

I don't think it was Bronski Beat.

Tears For Fears, I had a few of their tracks over the years,

but I don't think it's them. I think it's OMD.

OMD is the right answer.

Great to get that first one right, Rob. Well done.

Eggheads, for what does the letter F

stand in the abbreviation FDC?

-First Day Cover.

-First Day Cover.

FDC is First Day Cover, so it stands for First.

First is the right answer. First Day Cover.

Rob, your second question. Take your time.

A woman named Frances Nisbet married which historical figure

on the island of Nevis in 1787?

Well, I've heard of all of these names.

I don't think it's the Duke of Wellington.

I'm just going from basically the location.

Nevis, it sounds as though it should be in the Caribbean,

so I'm going to go for Nelson.

Horatio Nelson.

Horatio Nelson is the right answer.

Where is Nevis, then?

-Caribbean.

-It is the Caribbean.

St Kitts and Nevis.

Kitts and Nevis. I see. Yes, yes. OK.

I was having associations with Ben Nevis

and thinking it was up in Scotland somewhere.

Eggheads, which nautical term means to put a ship onto its side,

often to clean its bottom?

It's careen, isn't it?

-Definitely.

-We're all agreed on this one. That's careening.

Careen is the right answer.

Careen is correct.

2-2. When there are five of them, they do... They play strongly.

The chances of some cracking arguments,

but we haven't got there yet.

I just hope there's a bit of conflict and they talk each other out of it.

Yeah, you're so right. That's what we need. A small fire to start.

Which you then don't put out.

OK, your third question.

Which philosopher created the concept that this world is

the best of all possible worlds?

Well, I haven't heard of that phrase in relation to philosophy anyway.

It's just going to be a pure guess, I'm afraid.

I think I'm going to do what one of the Eggheads does

and go down the middle.

Descartes.

Let's see if the Eggheads know. Is it right?

Leibniz.

-Leibniz...

-It was famously parodied by Voltaire in the play Candide.

It's Leibniz.

No worries.

You're not out yet, but if the Eggheads get this one right,

they will have ended the contest.

Eggheads, in the final round, your third question.

Which country, which adopted a new constitution in 2009,

is officially known as a Plurinational State

to reflect its multiethnic nature?

I'm just wondering if Venezuela had a new constitution under Chavez.

I'm thinking this one... I don't know this, I have to say.

I'm thinking one of Chavez's pals is Evo Morales in Bolivia,

who is the first president that they've had

-from one of the indigenous groups.

-That's good thinking.

A lot of this sort of thing has been going on there,

to recognise the fact there's the Quechua, the Aymara.

The ethnic groups make up about a quarter, well, more - the majority.

In terms of multiethnic, I would think Bolivia actually fits the bill

better than Venezuela, but that's my offering on it.

I don't think it would be Ecuador.

That logic makes perfect sense to me.

Ecuador has also got another member of their little group as president -

Rafael Correa, who again is, you know,

very much towards the rights of the indigenous peoples.

But in terms of the sheer numbers of the population

that belong to ethnic groups, I would think Bolivia sounds best.

That's all we've got to go on, really. That's fine.

Well, we're not sure on this one,

but Kevin has put a very powerful argument together

to suggest that it should be Bolivia.

We all subscribe to that argument,

so we're going for Bolivia.

If you've got this right, you've taken the contest.

The country with the Plurinational Constitution...

is Bolivia.

We say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

Well...you did have a little demonstration of just

how much knowledge there is on that side.

Yep. Some seriously good knowledge in there.

How many Bolivian tribes did you list, Kevin, two?

I mentioned the two biggest indigenous groups of the Quechua

and the Aymara.

Right, you didn't go into all the others.

No, there's a few, but they're the big ones.

Good play by the man down the end, here,

and by you all for buying the argument of Bolivia.

-Commiserations to your team.

-Thank you, Jeremy.

-Sorry you couldn't extinguish the Eggs.

-Oh, no.

I think the water just ran out on us.

They were on fire today, as well.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

Their winning streak continues.

It does mean that you won't be going home with the £8,000,

so the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, congratulations.

Who will beat you? Putting a run together now.

Join us next time to see

if a new team of Challengers have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£9,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.