Episode 26 Eggheads

These people are among 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 the show where a team of five quiz challengers pit their wits

against possibly the greatest quiz team in Britain.

They are the Eggheads.

Taking on our awesome quiz champions are...

This team of friends are members of the same Scrabble club based in Whitefield. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Paul. I'm 43 and I'm a chartered surveyor.

Hi, I'm Pat. I'm 63 and I'm an accountant.

Hi. I'm Adrienne. I'm 65 and I'm a retired medical secretary.

Hello. I'm Syd. I'm 72. I'm a retired consultant anaesthetist and now a university student.

Hi. I'm Wayne. I'm 38 and I'm a finance advisor.

Welcome, Whitefield Wizards. Tell me about the Scrabbling. Do you quiz as well?

We don't quiz collectively, but we have quizzed individually.

We've all been playing Scrabble for far too long!

-Is it a Scrabble club?

-It is a Scrabble club founded by Adrienne about 15 years ago.

We'll talk about winning hands, longest words and high-scoring words.

Do any Eggheads play Scrabble?

JUDITH: Sometimes. KEVIN AND DAVE: Very occasionally.

Is there any overlap, any quizzers who are top Scrabble players?

Some. There are a couple, yeah.

So, depending how it pans out, maybe we can have a Scrabble contest at the end of this?

-I suspect we may do better at Scrabble.

-Let's see if you do better at quizzing.

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

If they fail to defeat the Eggheads the money rolls over to the next show.

Whitefield Wizards, the Eggheads have won the last three games.

£4,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

The first head-to-head battle is on Politics.

Who would like to start us off?

-It sounds like it's going to be me.

-I think it's you, Syd.

-I'll take it.

-Who do you want to play?

-Who do you think?

-Dave?

-Yeah.

-I'll take Dave, please.

OK, to open us up, it's going to be Syd and Dave playing Politics.

Both of you need, therefore, to go into the Question Room, please.

OK, Syd, going to kick us off with Politics.

What's your favourite Scrabble word? Not necessarily high-scoring.

It can be a sneaky one that wins you a game.

Actually, I think my favourite one is the one that gave me my highest score - "moresque".

It's a form of Moorish architecture and I got 194 for that.

Phew! Moresque - and got the Q out there!

-Was it towards the end of the game?

-No, it was in the middle, but I did win the game.

There's one to store away for the Eggheads to use against future teams.

-Syd, do you want to go first or second in Politics?

-I'll go first please, Dermot.

OK, good luck, and here's your question.

The Liberal Democrat Party was formed from a merger of the Liberals and the SDP in which year?

I'm not totally confident on this. I can eliminate 1948.

I think it's between the other two.

I think I'll go for 1988.

The late one there. And that's correct. Well done, Syd.

Point on the board.

Dave, which office is held by the head of the Swedish government?

Right, um...

Sweden's a monarchy, so it will be Prime Minister.

Indeed. Prime Minister is the right answer. Well done, Dave.

Syd, the Deuxieme Bureau was an early version of which arm of the French government?

I'm pretty sure - should never say that - but I'm pretty sure

that it's the Intelligence Service.

The Deuxieme Bureau, Intelligence Service is the correct answer.

Which Conservative MP was first elected for the Nottinghamshire constituency of Rushcliffe in 1970?

Not sure about Theresa May's constituency.

William Hague's Richmond.

He couldn't have been 1970. He would have been about nine.

It's Kenneth Clarke in Rushcliffe.

I think he's a big Nottingham Forest and Nottinghamshire cricket fan.

-Kenneth Clarke.

-That's the correct answer. Yes.

Straight back to Syd, then. Third question.

Which Prime Minister paid for the controversial statue of Oliver Cromwell at Westminster,

after funding had been voted down in Parliament?

I really don't know this one. I'm going to have to make a guess.

David Lloyd George was Prime Minister during the First World War.

In view of the militant nature of Oliver Cromwell,

I will go for David Lloyd George.

David Lloyd George paying for the statue of Oliver Cromwell

right outside Westminster?

-What do you think, Dave?

-I'd have gone David Lloyd George.

All right. Well, it's incorrect. What do the other Eggheads think?

I think the most likely there is Rosebery.

It's Lord Rosebery, Syd, not David Lloyd George.

Chance for Dave, then.

Former Presidential candidate Segolene Royal had a long-term relationship and four children

with which other French politician?

CHUCKLING: It's a bit of a house of cards, this one.

I think they stood against each other for the nomination

for the French Presidency in 2006.

Or was it 2007? It's Francois Hollande.

Also went on to become President, Francois Hollande.

-It's the right answer, Dave.

-I'm sorry, Syd.

- Well done, Dave. - Thank you, Syd.

Generous praise across the Question Room!

Dave's in the final round. Syd, no place for you.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

After the first round, one brain missing from the Whitefield Wizards.

All the Eggheads there.

We move on to our next subject, Film & Television.

Who wants to play this one?

Me, I think.

OK, Wayne, choose an Egghead. Can't be Dave, of course.

We're going to choose...Barry.

Let's have Wayne and Barry into the Question Room, please.

Wayne, as we all know, we've got a lot of quiz champions here,

but we're honoured, I believe, to have a Scrabble champion

in your own form - the National Scrabble Champion of 2011.

Yes. It was, maybe, a little bit of a shock to people.

I wasn't, certainly, the favourite to win the whole thing, but I was very, very pleased.

I'm sure you were. Any memorable words from that contest?

I think the one that got picked up in a lot of reports about it was "caromel" - C-A-R-O-M-E-L.

-What's that?

-It's the American term "to turn into caramel".

-So a bit like "caramelise".

-Right, let's play the round.

-Do you want to go first or second?

-I'll go first, please.

Good luck on Film & Television, Wayne. Here's your question.

In the 1994 film Muriel's Wedding, Muriel is obsessed with which pop group?

I have seen this film and it was very, very good.

It was set in Australia and Abba were massive in Australia.

So I'm going to go for Abba.

Is the right answer. Well done. Muriel obsessed with Abba.

Barry, which American singer starred as Mike Windgren in the 1963 film Fun In Acapulco?

For some reason, "fun" doesn't associate itself with Johnny Cash!

He was of a much more sombre nature. I believe this was Elvis Presley.

One of his many films, Elvis Presley, yes.

Back to Wayne.

Which of these actors was nominated nine times for the Oscar for Best Actor?

Oooh. Not really into Oscars and these are really quite old actors.

Um... I think I'm going to go for Cary Grant.

Cary Grant, nine nominations?

It's not the right answer, Wayne. It's Spencer Tracy.

In 2010, which reality television series featured Ivana Trump, Vinnie Jones and Stephen Baldwin?

Now, my wife loves watching all these celebrity reality series.

I make a point of coming out the room the moment they come on.

I must have stayed in the room long enough to have caught a glimpse.

I believe this was Celebrity Big Brother.

Celebrity Big Brother's the right answer.

Wayne, you need this one. The British actor Ed Westwick

plays Chuck Bass in which US television series?

I've never seen any of the programmes.

My gut instinct says True Blood so I'm going to go with that one.

Your instinct's let you down. It's not the right answer, Wayne.

It's Gossip Girl. Ed Westwick in Gossip Girl.

Barry's done enough already. No place for you in the final round.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Whitefield Wizards, you've been out-foxed by the Eggheads.

Not out-smarted, for sure, but lost both those head-to-heads.

Two brains missing from the final round. The Eggheads all there.

Let's do our third category. This one is Geography.

Who'd like to play this one?

I think it's Adrienne for that.

-I'm going for Geography, aren't I?

-Who do you want? Do Pat.

-Pat?

-Yeah.

-I'll take Pat, please.

So it's going to be you, Adrienne, and Pat from the Eggheads.

Once again, could I ask you both please to go to the Question Room?

-Adrienne, do you want to go first or second?

-I'll go first, please.

First question is this, then.

The city of Brest is in which part of France?

I'm not totally sure.

I'm trying to picture a map of France.

I'm going to go for...

north-west.

North-west is correct. Well pictured.

Pat, Blue Mountain Peak is the highest point on which island?

There's a very famous coffee from the Blue Mountains.

So I'm very tempted by Jamaica.

I don't think it's Madagascar or Anglesey so I'll go for Jamaica.

It is Jamaica. It's the right answer. Well done, Pat.

Adrienne, Ostrobothnia is a region of which European country?

I'll spell it for you. It's all one word. O-S-T-R-O-B-O-T-H-N-I-A.

Ostrobothnia.

It's not an area I have heard of.

But...by process of elimination,

and considering the way it's been spelled,

I will go for Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic for Ostrobothnia?

It's incorrect, Adrienne. It's not.

-Do you know, Pat?

-I suspect it's Finland.

It is Finland. It's the answer we were looking for.

Over to Pat, staying in Scandinavia.

What is the approximate population of Denmark?

Well, in area, it's a reasonable size,

but it's dwarfed by the likes of Germany.

I think I'll go with 5.5 million.

The lower end there. It's correct.

5.5 million, the approximate population of Denmark.

Which means, Adrienne, you need this.

Fitzroy Gardens and Federation Square are landmarks in which Australian city?

Um... It should be a good question for me.

I have lived in Australia. We lived in Melbourne.

I'm going to go for Melbourne because "Fitzroy" rings a bell.

-I will say Melbourne.

-How long ago was it?

-How long have you been out of Australia?

-40 years!

So a fair amount of time. Ringing a bell, that's fair enough.

But it is the right answer. Well done.

-Would have been a bit embarrassing if you didn't get that.

-Yes.

Lucky that stayed with you, Fitzroy.

Keeps you in it, but Pat has a chance to administer the coup de grace.

Pat, where is the Marloes Peninsula?

Where is the Marloes - M-A-R-L-O-E-S?

The ending, O-E-S, there's something faintly Welsh about that.

I could be deluding myself.

Argyll and Bute is on the jagged side of Scotland.

There are lots of islands and peninsulas.

I think the O-E-S sounds faintly Welsh so I'll go for Pembrokeshire.

OK...

A little logic. A faint linguistic link, you think.

And it is the right answer.

You're in the final round, and Adrienne we bid you farewell.

Would you both please come and join your teams?

Whitefield Wizards, not too much magic about the performance so far.

Three brains down, as you head into the final round. The Eggheads are all there.

We've got a head-to-head before that final round.

This one is Sport.

LAUGHTER

-It's Paul or Pat.

-That's me, Dermot.

-Paul, who would you like to play from the Eggheads - Kevin or Judith?

-I think Judith.

Let's have Paul and Judith into the Question Room, please.

Paul, tell me about your Scrabbling.

You all must know, what is the maximum score in Scrabble?

What's the most you could score?

I think you can get what's called a 27-timer,

-which goes across three triple word scores for about 3,500 points.

-Wow!

So you use someone else's letter and you get all the way across.

-OK, what's your highest score?

-"Vizirate".

-V-I-Z-I-R-A-T-E for 239.

-Right, and what does that mean?

-It's like a King's kingdom. It's a Vizir's realm.

-Got that.

-You also like Trivial Pursuit?

-I do. I'm the current Mensa Trivial Pursuit champion.

Wow! OK.

Let's play the round.

-Paul, it's Sport. Would you like to go first or second?

-I'll go second, please, Dermot.

Judith, first question goes to you. It's one of your favourite sports.

Which position is most associated with the footballer Petr Cech?

I think he IS a goalkeeper.

Any idea who he played for?

-Chelsea?

-Very good! It's the right answer.

-Where did that come from?

-I'm impressed.

So am I!

Impressed yourself! That has to be a good answer! OK, Paul...

In the name of the Formula 1 team that competed in Grand Prix until the 1970s,

for what did the letter B in BRM stand?

I think that's British, Dermot.

It is. I'll confirm that. Any ideas about the RM? British...?

-No idea.

-Doesn't matter. You've given me the right answer.

Judith, tell me.

-British Racing Motors.

-That's right.

-Wow! You're on fire!

-SHE CHUCKLES

Second question for you, Judith.

Which golfer qualified for the European Ryder Cup team in 2012,

13 years after his first appearance in the event?

I think that Paul Lawrie is quite old.

I think it might be him.

-Paul Lawrie?

-Yeah.

The victorious European Ryder Cup team. What a victory it was in 2012.

Paul Lawrie had a really big part in it. It's the right answer.

Paul, following a controversy regarding a Twitter account and provocative texts,

which cricketer was dropped from the England team in August 2012?

I think they were texts to the South African team.

That's Kevin Pietersen.

Kevin Pietersen is correct. It's all-square.

Judith, the NBA basketball star Tony Parker played for which country at the 2012 Olympics?

FRENCH ACCENT: Tony Parker?

Why on Earth would he be playing for Russia?

Ugh! Or Spain? I... I don't know.

France.

France. Your lovely pronunciation of how they must say his name.

-It's the right answer.

-FRENCH ACCENT:

-Tony Parker.

France is correct.

If it stays that way after this answer, you're through, as you know. You need this, Paul.

Outside hitter, middle blocker and setter are playing positions in which sport?

Don't know this one for certain, but...

a set is something you do before you spike a ball in volleyball.

Doesn't ring any bells in hockey.

I've no idea of any positions in water polo. I'll go for volleyball.

It's the right answer, Paul. Well worked out.

Into Sudden Death, then.

That means, Paul, we remove the options you've had in the first three questions you faced.

Just to sort out a winner. It's a lot harder.

Judith, your first question.

In June 2012, which racehorse was provisionally awarded the highest Timeform rating of all time?

That's Frankel - the wonder horse.

It is! Following on from Champion The Wonder Horse.

Frankel it is. Well done.

Paul, which English Premiership rugby union club

is nicknamed The Saints?

Again, not entirely certain of this, Dermot,

but I THINK it's Northampton.

OK. It's the right answer. Well done, Paul.

Northampton Saints.

On we go, Judith.

The tennis player Jimmy Connors won the Men's Singles title at Wimbledon on how many occasions?

I think he only won it once.

OK. Once...

-N-no. Incorrect. Not once.

-How many times?

-Other Eggheads?

-Two.

-1974 and 1982.

It's twice, and Dave tells me 1974 and 1982, which are the correct years.

Big gap between them.

Bad luck, but an opportunity for Paul.

Winky Wright from Florida first became a World Champion in which sport in 1996?

Something tells me, Dermot, he's a boxer, so we'll go for boxing.

That is the knockout blow. It's the right answer, boxing.

He won the WBO light middleweight title in that year.

You're through to the final round. Look at Pat!

-LAUGHING:

-Boy! That is relief!

-That is relief.

-Written all over your face.

Bad luck, Judith. Some really good quizzing from you on that Sport round.

She's becoming a formidable player on Sport, it must be said.

But no place in the final round.

Paul and Judith, could you come back and join your teams, please?

So this is what we've been playing towards, 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,

so Adrienne, Syd and Wayne from Whitefield Wizards

and Judith from the Eggheads, would you leave the studio, please?

So, Paul and Pat, you're playing to win the Whitefield Wizards £4,000.

Barry, Pat, Kevin and Dave, you're playing for something which money can't buy, the Eggheads' reputation.

I'll ask each team three questions in turn, all General Knowledge, and you are allowed to confer.

So Whitefield Wizards, the question is, are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four?

Paul and Pat, would you like to go first or second?

Second? We'll go second, please, Dermot.

Eggheads, you're starting, then.

What colour is the beret of the Parachute Regiment in the British Army?

What colour is the beret of the Parachute Regiment

in the British Army?

-Red beret, isn't it?

-ALL AGREE

It's the nearest thing.

It's maroon.

Maroon is the right answer, yes.

Now, for the Whitefield Wizards.

What is the meaning of "mendacity"?

What is the meaning of "mendacity"? To Scrabble players!

How hard can this be?

That's "untruthfulness".

Have any of you ever used it? I suppose you can't remember.

Perfect. "Mendacity", what a great start. Is the right answer, yes.

Eggheads...

Which novel starts with the line, "There was no possibility of taking a walk that day"?

Which novel starts with the line,

"There was no possibility of taking a walk that day"?

Jane Eyre, isn't it? OK? Happy with it?

We think that's Jane Eyre.

You all know the opening line to Pride And Prejudice.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged..." et cetera!

Animal Farm, any of you know?

-No.

-No.

Well, Jane Eyre it is. And Whitefield Wizards...

Which of these patriotic songs is sung to music composed by Elgar with words written by AC Benson?

Which of these patriotic songs is sung to music composed by Elgar

with words written by AC Benson?

It's Land Of Hope And Glory.

-Land Of Hope And Glory.

-Land Of Hope And Glory, you think?

It's the right answer.

Of course, Rule Britannia not identified by David Cameron?

-On an American talk show?

-That's right. Yeah.

So, all-square. And Eggheads...

Santiago Calatrava, born in Spain in 1951,

became one of the world's leading practitioners in which profession?

Santiago Calatrava, born in Spain in 1951,

became one of the world's leading practitioners in which profession?

Architect, wasn't he?

Yeah, he's done, particularly, lots and lots of bridges.

He's got quite a distinctive way of designing bridges.

So he's an architect.

An architect is the right answer, Eggheads.

Mainly in Spain? Any in the UK?

-All over.

-Any you can see in the UK?

Just trying to think. He's done one of the millennium bridges somewhere.

-Can't think which one, though.

-Santiago Calatrava an architect.

Which means, you can see it for yourself,

Whitefield Wizards, Paul and Pat, you need to get this.

The ballistic missile early warning station at RAF Fylingdales

is in which national park in England?

The ballistic missile early warning station at RAF Fylingdales

is in which national park in England?

-It's not Dartmoor.

-No. I think the fact it's...

The Peak District's inland, you assume it's got to be on the coast.

-It goes up to Harrogate.

-And the fact it's got "dale" in it,

-it's more likely to be North Yorkshire Moors.

-Yeah.

North Yorkshire Moors, Dermot.

After that Jane Eyre question, back on the moors. It's the right answer.

Barry containing himself there, I noticed,

as I asked that question.

We go to Sudden Death, then.

The animal called the quokka is native to which continent?

The animal called the quokka - Q-U-O-K-K-A - is native to which continent?

-Australia?

-PAT: It's on Rottnest Island.

It's like the wallaby, isn't it? Australia.

Well, the continent... It's IN Australia so you could say Australia or Australasia.

Covering yourself. We've got Australia here. It's a type of what?

-Wallaby.

-It's the right answer, Eggheads.

Whitefield Wizards,

your first Sudden Death question.

Which chemical element has the symbol Xe?

-Which chemical element has the symbol Xe?

-PAUL MOUTHS ANSWER

-That's xenon.

-It is. I'm sure these are words that are very useful in Scrabble!

X-E-N-O-N!

This is tailor-made, some of these questions.

Well done. On we go.

Which stately home in Hampshire was the home of Lord Palmerston

and later of Earl Mountbatten of Burma?

Which stately home in Hampshire was the home of Lord Palmerston

and later of Earl Mountbatten of Burma?

-Broadlands.

-Broadlands?

-Yeah.

Not so very far from me, only about ten miles away.

-It's Broadlands.

-Broadlands is correct. Can you visit it?

Oh, yes, you can. I have done a few times.

Broadlands, right answer.

Back to Whitefield Wizards.

Archie Weir is the central character of which unfinished novel by Robert Louis Stevenson?

Archie Weir is the central character

of which unfinished novel by Robert Louis Stevenson?

I don't have a clue. I can't think of an unfinished one.

No. The only ones I can think of are Treasure Island, which it's not,

Kidnapped...

Jekyll And Hyde.

Smugglers? Something like that?

Shall we go with something like that?

I can't think of anything else.

It's a guess because we really don't know.

We think it might be something like The Smugglers.

OK, The Smugglers by Robert Louis Stevenson.

It's Weir Of Hermiston, so that's incorrect.

It's Weir Of Hermiston.

Which means, Eggheads, you've won.

Out of interest, did you know Weir Of Hermiston?

-ALL: Yes.

-Archie Weir the central character.

As I was saying during the course of that final round, my goodness me!

It took a difficult question to sort out a winner.

A great performance from the Whitefield Wizards as we got deep into Sudden Death.

It just wasn't to be on the day. Thank you very much for taking on the Eggheads.

Perhaps you can take them on at Scrabble and sort them out!

Best of luck with the Scrabbling in the future.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally and they reign supreme over quizland.

You won't be going home with the £4,000, which rolls over to the next show.

So, Eggheads, congratulations. Who will beat you?

Join us to see if a new team of challengers have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£5,000 says they don't. Until then, goodbye.

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