Episode 14 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 might of our quiz Goliaths today

are Wakefield 125.

Now, this team all work in various capacities for Wakefield Cathedral,

which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.

Let's meet them.

Hello, I'm Jonathan, I'm 51 and I'm the Dean of Wakefield.

Hello, I'm Pamela, I'm 52 and I'm chair of the Friends of Wakefield Cathedral.

I'm Terry, 70 years of age, and I'm the cathedral fund-raiser.

Hello, I'm Roz, I'm 48 and I'm the events coordinator.

Hello, I'm Tony, I'm 56, I'm the canon missioner,

one of the clergy team.

Welcome to you, Wakefield 125.

Before I saw you I thought this was some kind of train or something,

a fast train that takes you up to Wakefield.

It is all, of course, about the cathedral

and it's its 125th anniversary in its current incarnation.

That's right.

In 1888, the diocese of Wakefield was created,

so the parish church of All Saints became Wakefield Cathedral

and 2013 is our chance to celebrate our 125th birthday.

-And a very tall spire.

-247 feet, 20 feet taller than York Minster.

-Well! So tallest in Yorkshire?

-Absolutely.

OK. Unfortunately, you've just given some information to the Eggheads that they may use in the future.

They just locked it away. Absorbing it like a sponge.

Best of luck, Wakefield 125.

Let me tell you what's been happening.

Every day there's £1,000 up for grabs for our challengers.

However, if they fail to defeat the Eggheads

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, Wakefield 125, the Eggheads have won the last 17 games,

meaning £18,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

-That would be nice.

-It would be very nice, wouldn't it?

But, as you can imagine, it's not an easy task

and let's start it now with our first head to head.

This is a Science round. Who'd like to play this?

-Well...

-A-ha! The dreaded science.

-Do we put Tony as the lamb at this stage?

-I think so.

-I'm the sacrificial lamb.

-I think you are.

-No-one wanted to do science but I bow to their wisdom.

-And against who?

-I'm in awe of them all, so...

-Daphne?

-Daphne.

-Daphne?

-Daphne.

-Don't be lulled into a false sense of security.

I'm not.

Daphne.

Yes, a false sense of security would be a very foolish error against Daphne,

I think as you probably know.

OK, let's have Tony and Daphne into the question room, please.

Well, Tony, didn't really fancy this round, did you?

It's not really your speciality, is it?

No, we were all pretty weak on science

and somehow over a few drinks they persuaded me I should be the expert.

OK, well, hopefully you won't need divine intervention or inspiration

to beat Daphne.

Would you like to go first or second?

I think I'll go first.

And off we go and best of luck, Tony.

Where on the body might someone have a feature informally called a Cupid's bow?

I think... I think I'll go for the lips.

I'm not sure but I'll give it a go.

OK. It is the right answer, of course. Well done.

And, Daphne, osteoporosis affects which parts of the body?

That is bones.

Yes, bones is the right answer.

OK, Tony, in 2009, Michael Green became the 18th scientist

to hold the Lucasian Professorship of Mathematics at Cambridge University

since the post was created in which century?

Well, I'm pretty sure it's not the 19th century.

Some of them would have been very short-lived.

But my mental arithmetic's not really up to doing the division.

I think I'll go... I'll go for the longest tradition,

-the 17th century.

-OK, 17th century.

We've been talking history, haven't we, about Wakefield Cathedral?

This is going back before that to the 17th century.

It's correct. Well done, Tony. You have two.

And, Daphne, phytogeography is the branch of science

dealing with the geographical distribution of what?

Well, it sounds like the Latin for leaves, so plants.

Plants it is. Well done, Daphne.

And, Tony, third question. All square.

Braxy, BRA-X-Y, braxy is a disease that affects which creatures?

I'm not at all sure on this one.

I don't think it's cats. I don't have a cat

but I've never known a cat with braxy, at least not knowingly.

I'm think I'm going to go... I'll go for sheep.

OK. Have you got a sheep?

-I've gone for sheep. I haven't got a sheep, no.

-You haven't got one.

It is the right answer. Well done.

And means Daphne goes out

if she doesn't furnish a correct answer here.

The Fischer-Saller scale is used to record what aspect of the human body?

Oh, dear.

I don't know.

So it's probably bye-bye, Daph.

Erm...

Hmm. Eye colour.

Eye colour. I like that.

-Daph.

-Well, that's what people call me.

-Yeah?

-Well, it is bye-bye, Daph!

-Oh!

-It is.

-Because it's hair colour.

-Oh, dear!

Which means, Tony, you're in the final round.

Well, well, well. What a great start.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Well done, Tony.

I think it was rather appropriate that you felt like a lamb to the slaughter

-and it was a sheep question that clinched it.

-It was!

Saved by the sheep.

OK, well, as it stands, Wakefield 125 are all there.

The Eggheads have lost one brain.

And our second category is geography.

And who from Wakefield 125 would like to play this?

-You?

-Shall I? I don't know much geography but...

-I think it should be you.

-I think you're our best bet.

-Give it a whirl.

-Right. And who shall I play at Geography?

-Dave?

-Dave?

-Yeah.

-I'll play Dave at this, I think.

OK, Jonathan's decided to take Dave on over Geography

and could you please make your way to the question room?

Well, Jonathan, let's try and get you through to the final round.

Let's try and find some nice questions.

Would you like the first set or the second set?

I'll have the first set, please, Dermot.

It's Geography and off we go.

The Mozambique Channel is a section of which ocean?

Well, I have to assume it's not the Indian Ocean.

Not the Atlantic, so I'm going to say... Pacific.

Though, just a minute...

Sounds odd to me. It's not... I'm going to say the Pacific Ocean.

OK, the Mozambique Channel is a section of the Indian Ocean.

-Oh. Right.

-OK, let's see how Dave does with his first one.

For what does the letter E stand in EST,

the abbreviation used to represent one of the time zones

in the continental United States?

I think during the 2012 Ryder Cup,

Rory McIlroy had a few problems with this one

but it's eastern time.

It is the right answer.

Just remind us of that. He said he was on Eastern Standard Time.

What had happened was that he's got a phone app

but it was giving the wrong time, so he was late for his tea time.

It was giving him eastern time,

when it should have given him, I think, central time.

OK, well, that's some extra information.

OK, well, that's one up to you

and, Jonathan, let's see if this question is more to your suiting.

The low-lying flat area of land called the Vale of Pickering

is in which English county?

I think this one is a little closer to home for me.

So North Yorkshire.

-DERMOT LAUGHS

-It is the way they fall.

There we are.

It is the right answer, of course. The Vale of Pickering.

And, Dave, in which part of the world is the snow-covered Rockefeller Plateau?

Erm, right. I'm not entirely sure

but I wouldn't go Himalayas or the Arctic Circle.

I've got an inkling for Antarctica.

OK, your inkling inkles correctly. It is the right answer.

So it means, Jonathan, you need to get this.

Which of these Welsh towns is the site of an electric cliff railway,

alternatively known as a funicular?

I don't have any idea.

I've only been to Aberystwyth and I didn't go on a funicular.

Erm... I'm going to say Aberystwyth.

I'm going to say Aberystwyth, though it's a guess.

OK, I thought you would have changed your mind

when you came back on yourself.

It's the right answer!

Aberystwyth. Let's turn it green.

Yes, OK, well, you have a chance but you need Dave to slip up here.

Dave, Barton Aerodrome was an early airfield serving which city?

Well, I was beginning to think, when he got North Yorkshire,

that things weren't with me

but I'm sorry to say I'm not far away from this.

It's Manchester, Barton Aerodrome.

And the answer is, as Dave well knows,

is Manchester.

Yeah, Dave, and as you say

that evens it up for that Vale of Pickering question, I suppose,

but just that one slip by Jonathan on his first question

means you won't be in the final, Jonathan. Dave, you will be.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Well, a very close head to head but Dave just squeaked through.

It means both teams now have lost one brain from the final round.

And we move on to our next category, Film and Television.

Who'd like to play this one?

Now, are we better putting Roz or Terry in at this point?

Erm, well, we've still got Pamela to do sport if sport comes up

so I can...

-Shall we put Terry in?

-Go with Terry.

-Put Terry in.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Right, Terry, who do you want to play?

Dave and Daphne have played, so it's Chris, Kevin or Judith.

-Judith, please.

-Judith. So Terry against Judith, please.

All right. Terry and Judith, into the question room, please.

Terry, the category is Film and Television

and you were on television last year, weren't you,

as an Olympic torch bearer?

-Yes. I've got it here.

-Let's have a look.

Wow! Magnificent.

You can't light them still? Don't they take the gas bit out?

They take the canister out, yes, when you've been given your torch.

But you can treasure that forever.

Yes, I was nominated for the charity work I'd done in Wakefield

for the last 20 years.

And then I was given the honour of handing it to the injured soldier in Doncaster, Ben Parkinson,

and I'm sure most people saw him and what an amazing guy he was

for the injuries he received in Afghanistan.

And according to the Lord Mayor of Doncaster,

-100,000 people turned out to see him.

-Yeah.

Amazing crowds, weren't there, to see that torch being carried around the UK.

Well, what an honour for you that was, as you've told us.

OK, Terry, best of luck. Let's play the round.

Now, would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please, Dermot.

OK, good luck, Terry, and your first question is this.

For what does the letter N stand in the title of the TV panel show

often abbreviated to HIGNFY?

I'm not quite sure. I'm not sure it's naughtiness.

I will go with news.

It is very famous. Have I Got News For You. HIGNFY.

News is the one we wanted.

And, Judith, what colour swimsuits were particularly associated

with the TV programme Baywatch?

You mean the girls' or the boys'?

Did they all wear the same?

Well, I should think they probably wore red.

OK, going for red. Chris?

Yeah. LAUGHTER

Have you got yours on?

No.

OK, it is red, Judith, yes.

Right, all square, and over to you, Terry.

The Blue Meanies feature in which Beatles film?

Well, I'm a Beatles fan but I've only seen one of those films.

-Erm...

-Which one?

A Hard Day's Night. Erm...

But I think I will go for...

Yellow Submarine.

Phew! Well done, yes.

Because they're not in A Hard Day's Night.

And Judith, then.

The 1980s American TV series Tour Of Duty was set during which conflict?

Well, it would have been more topical

if it had been the Vietnam War and it was just after the end of it.

I should think it's Vietnam. I don't know. I never saw it.

So that's a sort of guess.

OK, well, an educated guess and it's the right one.

It's the Vietnam War.

OK, Terry, number three.

In the 1950s, Barry Bucknell became well-known on British television

for presenting programmes about what subject?

Barry Bucknell. I'm not sure it would be cooking.

The only cook I can think of in the '50s is Fanny Craddock.

Erm... It would be a guess

and I will guess fishing.

-Eggheads, is it fishing?

-No, it's DIY.

-DIY.

DIY. DIY. So Terry didn't get it,

so a chance for Judith to win the round.

Judith, what is the first name of Sean Connery's younger brother,

who played the title role in the 1967 spoof film, O.K. Connery?

Well, again, I don't know but they are Scottish, the Connerys,

so not Derek.

If I was his mother, what would I call him?

Alan? Sean, Alan...

I think I'm going to guess at Neil.

So putting yourself in the position of Sean Connery's mother

or Sean Connery's younger brother's mother

and looking at him saying, "What would go alongside Sean?"...

-Yes.

-..you come up with Neil. I like your method.

And do you know what? It's yielded the correct answer.

-Oh, goodness!

-Neil Connery.

Well done, Judith. Well worked out.

Well, again, a very, very close round

but the Egghead just squeezing through again, that's Judith,

which means you're deprived of a place in the final, Terry.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Well, Wakefield 125 have lost two brains from the final round,

the Eggheads are one down.

So will it be all square in that final round?

That depends on our last head to head. This one's Sport.

And two players available, Pamela or Roz.

-It's over to you.

-Oh, thank you very much.

I think it's going to be me.

I can give it to you, then. This ought to be against Chris?

-Yes.

-Yes, Pamela will play Chris, we think.

-All right, then.

Let's have Pamela and Chris into the question room, please.

OK, Pamela, into the question room, there, to play Sport.

And do you want to go first or second?

I think I'll go first, please.

OK, good luck. Here's your first question.

Which female tennis player completed a career Grand Slam

when she won the 2012 French singles title?

I don't think it's Li Na.

But I could be wrong.

I think Serena Williams will have won all the Grand Slams before 2012,

so I'm going to go with Maria Sharapova.

Maria Sharapova. Well worked out. The point is yours, Pamela.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

Chris, the brothers Michael and Brian Laudrup play international football for which country?

Well, Laudrup sounds like a Danish name to me,

so I'll have to go with Denmark.

Is the correct answer.

One each. Pamela.

What is the first name of the horse-racing trainer Aiden O'Brien's son?

He won the Epsom Derby in 2012 at the age of 19.

I'm afraid I have no idea. Erm...

I think I'm going to go for Joseph

because I've got a funny feeling he was Joe O'Brien

but I might be completely wrong, so I'm going to go for Joseph, please.

OK, Joseph O'Brien, now, let's see the Derby winner in 2012,

is the right answer. Well done!

And, Chris, the letters ILY, meaning "I love you",

were drawn in the air by which athlete

after his successful 800m heats at the 1980 summer Olympics?

Sebastian Coe is a bit too much of an uptight character

to do something like that.

Steve Cram's a bit...

How can I put it? A bit staid, a bit lumpen, if you like.

It's the sort of thing Steve Ovett would have done, so Steve Ovett.

I'm sure Lord Coe and Steve Cram will appreciate

your character assessments of them.

It is Steve Ovett! Yes, with the ILY.

And back to business with Pamela, who's quizzing incredibly well.

Pamela, in which sport was the English competitor Alan Cook

European champion in 2010 and 2012?

Now, this is another one I don't think I know.

Erm...

I think we had somebody who was successful in taekwondo

but from my memory, I thought she was a lady.

So I'm not sure about that.

Fencing I am not well up on at all, or shooting, for that matter,

so I'm going to have to go with somebody.

I'm going to double back on myself and go for taekwondo

because I think we did have somebody who was successful in that sport.

I apologise to the fencers and the shooters if I'm wrong

but I'm going for taekwondo.

OK, taekwondo for Alan Cook, a European champion in 2010 and 2012

and it is the right answer.

And, right, well, you have three and Chris needs this, then.

In 2012, the gold medal awarded to the winner of the US Open golf tournament

was renamed in honour of which golfer?

Well, Ben Hogan was long ago, wasn't he?

Erm...

Of those three, I'd say

the one that would have the most elder statesman status

as a golfer

and would get a medal named after him is Arnold Palmer,

so that's the one I have to go with.

Arnold Palmer you're going with,

the renaming of the gold medal at the US Open golf tournament.

I'm afraid it's a double bogey for you. It's Jack Nicklaus.

Which means, we turn our attention to Pamela,

-you're in the final round. Well done.

-Thank you.

Please come back and join your teams.

So this is what we've been playing towards.

It's time for the final round which, as always, is General Knowledge.

But I'm afraid those of you who lost your head to heads can't take part in this round,

so Jonathan and Terry from Wakefield 125

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

So, Pamela, Roz and Tony, you're playing to win Wakefield 125 £18,000.

Judith, Kevin and Dave, you're playing for something which money cannot buy -

the Eggheads' reputation.

As usual, I'll ask each team three questions in turn

and this time the questions are all General Knowledge

and you, obviously, are allowed to confer.

The question is, Wakefield 125, are your three brains better than the Eggheads' three?

So it's evenly balanced and, Wakefield 125, as the challengers,

you choose - would you like to go first or second?

We'll go first, please, Dermot.

OK, good luck to you all. The first question is this.

Britt Ekland had a highly publicised romance

with which music star in the 1970s?

Britt Ekland had a highly publicised romance

with which music star in the 1970s?

Well, thankfully, Dermot, we all agree on this one. It's Rod Stewart.

Rod Stewart in the leopard print.

Yes, it's the right answer.

-In fact, having a look at that, is that a green version?

-Yeah!

OK, well done. And a nice steady start.

Eggheads, Antonis Samaras was sworn in as Prime Minister

of which European country in 2012?

Antonis Samaras was sworn in as Prime Minister

of which European country in 2012?

That's a very Greek-sounding name. It's Greece.

Greece, yeah. Correct answer.

OK, back to Wakefield 125. Second question.

The period of relative peace known as Pax Britannica occurred

in which century?

-Anybody got any ideas?

-I don't think it's the 7th

because it...

-No.

-Was it after...? Was it after we won the Battle of Waterloo?

-I think 19th.

-19th.

-19th. Because that was 1815, wasn't it?

And then nothing until Crimea.

In the 13th century, they were...

-We weren't important enough.

-Well, that was...

-It must be the 19th.

-I think it's the 19th.

-Must be the 19th.

-OK, shall we go for that?

-Go for that.

-OK.

After some discussion,

we've concluded, we hope, it's the 19th century.

Hope it's the 19th. I can confirm it is.

-It's the correct answer.

-Good.

Eggheads, Billy Corgan was a founding member

of which American band

who had ten UK top 40 hits between 1993 and 2000?

Smashing Pumpkins, definitely, yeah.

That is the Smashing Pumpkins.

The Smashing Pumpkins for Billy Corgan.

Correct, Eggheads.

Back to Wakefield 125.

In which Jane Austen novel does Maria Bertram marry Mr Rushworth?

In which Jane Austen novel does Maria Bertram marry Mr Rushworth?

I'm fairly sure it's not Persuasion because I did that for O level.

-Did you?

-Yeah.

-Did you pass the O level?

-Yes!

-Right.

-I'd have guessed Mansfield Park but I'm not sure.

I have no idea.

Apart from Northanger Abbey being like Wakefield Cathedral,

that's the only thing I can contribute to the discussion,

but I haven't read either of them.

What do you think, Tony?

I'm guessing Mansfield Park but it's only a guess.

It's a 50:50. Flip a coin?

It could be either of them, couldn't it?

Is it anything to do with a marriage in the Abbey?

It's a guess.

-We could go for the Abbey if we're agreed on it.

-Well, yeah.

An abbey and a cathedral - we're close.

Shall we go for it, seeing as we're guessing anyway?

Yeah, OK. We're going to go with Northanger Abbey.

OK. You had the feeling it wasn't Persuasion,

so guessing between Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey

and it's Mansfield Park.

-Sorry!

-OK.

-Mansfield Park.

OK, well, Tony had a thought it might have been that

but got to sit and listen while the Eggheads deal with this one.

Hope they don't get it.

Eggheads, in which country were the important fossilised remains

known as Tabon Man discovered in the 1960s?

I don't know.

It could be, with that name,

it could be either the Philippines or Indonesia.

-My...

-Percentages?

-I would probably go for Indonesia but that's just me...

-Yeah.

..with not really any sufficient basis to do that.

I thought they've had several finds in Indonesia, weren't there?

They have but there's just something about that name

that is making me think more Philippines.

-I don't know.

-A Filipino word.

-Yeah.

-There are...

-Well, there are finds in the Philippines.

I don't know. I...

Well, this is nerve-racking for Wakefield 125.

-I need an answer.

-What do you think, Judith?

I don't want to enter into it.

-I don't want to sully Kevin's...

-I'll go for...

-Go for the captain's.

-On my head this one.

With that name, it could be either the Philippines or Indonesia

but we'll go for the Philippines.

We've seen real debates on both sides over these questions.

There was Mansfield Park against Northanger Abbey.

We've had Philippines versus Indonesia

and in the end the Eggheads going for the Philippines

on Kevin's head.

-It's the right answer, Eggheads. You've won.

-Well done.

Amazing how it just turned on two questions, effectively.

Because it was all square in those head to heads.

Really well played today, Wakefield 125.

Thanks for coming along and telling us about so many things

but Wakefield Cathedral at the heart of it.

Once again, our congratulations and thanks for taking on the Eggheads.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally and their winning streak continues.

You won't be going home with the £18,000

and that means, of course, 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.

£19,000 says they don't. Until then, goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd