Episode 35 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 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 quiz Goliaths today

are the Sutton Leprechauns. This team of friends

are very much charity-minded and can often be found in the Sutton Coldfield area,

fund-raising and, presumably, looking for rainbows. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Jonathan, I'm 36 years old and I'm a project manager.

Hi, I'm James, I'm 34 and I'm a principal engineer.

Hi, I'm Darren, I'm 36 and I'm a design engineer.

Hi, I'm Rob, I'm 37 years old and I'm a telecoms consultant.

Hi, I'm Matt, I'm 32 and I'm a chartered accountant.

Welcome to you, Sutton Leprechauns.

You don't look like leprechauns to me, but you dress up and raise a lot of money for charity.

Yes, we try to bring a different angle to fund-raising in our local area.

How did you get the idea of dressing up as leprechauns?

It was actually one year when some of our friends, not myself included,

but some of them here dressed up in costumes -

a monk, a king, and they were a bit heavy and very hot,

so we decided on something a bit lighter. But it's not any cooler.

It's still just as hot inside our leprechaun costumes.

-Any Irish links amongst you?

-No.

-Not really.

-A little.

Did you have to get the suits specially made?

-No. One of us is a bit bigger than the rest of us.

-Is there anything more different from a leprechaun?

Let's hope a pot of gold is waiting for you at the end of this game against the Eggheads.

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

If they fail to defeat the Eggheads, the prize money rolls over,

so the Eggheads have won just the last game,

which means £2,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

Our first head-to-head is on Food & Drink.

So, which of our little leprechauns there likes his food and drink?

-You fancy this, don't you, Darren?

-I watch a lot of cookery programmes.

-I think you're probably best placed.

-I'll have a go.

Darren's going to go for it.

And which Egghead would you like to play, Darren?

I think I'll take Kevin out straight away.

OK, it's going to be Darren against Kevin on Food & Drink. Into the question room, please.

OK, Darren, I understand you all have your own patch as leprechauns.

Which area do you represent?

-I'm a Boldmere leprechaun.

-Boldmere leprechaun, I see.

Do you dress up on your own as well when you fancy it?

Well, you know, you've got to do these things sometimes, yes.

And juggling, what's that all about, most people juggling at once?

When I was younger and a bit thinner, my first time to Glastonbury,

about 800 people all got together and got into the Guinness Book of Records for the most people juggling.

Try and make a bit of a record here and knock Kevin out. Would you like to go first or second?

I'll put the pressure on and go first.

Darren, here's your first question. Good luck.

Which drink is made from equal quantities of gin and sweet vermouth?

Which drink is made from equal quantities of gin and sweet vermouth?

Gin and sweet vermouth...

I don't think it's a mojito.

I've not heard of a Black Velvet.

Gin and IT or Black Velvet...

I think I'll go for a Black Velvet.

OK, Black Velvet...

We gave you gin in the question and it is Gin and IT.

Black Velvet, a leprechaun should know that!

It's Guinness. Guinness and champagne.

Two good drinks wasted, if you ask me. OK, well, nothing there.

Kevin, which basic food is called "fromage" in French?

Which basic food is called "fromage" in French?

-That would be cheese.

-It is cheese, yes.

Darren, second question.

For what does the V stand in "AVA", the name for US wine districts?

Vineyard...

Viticultural...

I don't know the answer to this one.

I think I'm going to go for Viticultural.

It's the right answer. Well done, yes.

AVA is American Viticultural Area. Well identified, Darren.

Kevin, what name is given to a cold dessert made from rich custard set with gelatine in a mould?

That would seem to...

I'm sure it's not a bavarois.

Pithiviers, I'm not certain.

But the gelatine bit would seem to indicate to me that it's the compote,

so, compote.

OK, compote...

It's the looks of consternation on the faces of the other Eggheads!

-Oh, Kevin, Kevin, Kevin!

-Really?

-Oh, miles off.

-Oh, right.

-Judith, you tell me.

-It's a bavarois.

-It's a bavarois that you ruled out to start with.

-I was thinking of something else.

-You certainly were.

Well, that makes it all square.

One each. Everything to play for.

Darren, Springerle are a German type of what?

Springerle.

I don't know the answer to this.

Biscuits, dumplings

or doughnuts.

I'm going to go for a guess.

I think Germany like their dumplings, so I'm going for dumplings.

They probably like their biscuits as well which is what it is.

Springerle are types of biscuits.

A chance for Kevin in spite of that slip on the second one.

Kevin, the Macon appellation covers a wide area of which French wine region?

-M-A-C-O-N?

-Yeah.

-Yes, it's in Burgundy.

-Oh, you know that one?

-Oh, yeah.

"Oh, yeah, of course I do!"

-Kevin, it's Food & Drink. You're not fooling anyone here.

-That's wine.

Wine, of course. That's why it is "oh, yeah".

It's right, Kevin. You're in the final round. Bad luck, Darren.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

One round gone, one Leprechaun gone, all the Eggheads there. Let's move on to our next head-to-head - Music.

Who'd like to play this one from the Leprechauns?

-Rob, are you going to take this?

-I'll take this one.

-You're the man in the band.

-Yeah, I'll take this one.

-I'll take this one, Dermot.

-OK, Rob, which Egghead would you like to play? It can't be Kevin.

-I'll try Chris, please.

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

OK, Rob, so you're in a band, right?

-Yes, Dermot.

-You all dress as leprechauns in that band and play diddly-diddly music?

No, we don't. I'm in several bands at the moment.

-Yes, playing different sorts of music in different bands.

-What kinds?

I'm in a corporate-cum-wedding band, so we play all normal stuff that DJs might play at a wedding.

-I'm in a rock band and a sort of indie band as well.

-Wow!

-That might cover you well for this category. Do you want to go first or second?

-First, please.

OK, Rob, good luck. What was the title of LeAnn Rimes' first UK hit single in 1998?

What was the title of LeAnn Rimes' first UK hit single in 1998?

Well, I know the name and I can remember 1998,

but I'm not exactly sure.

How Do I Live is jumping out at me a little bit,

so I'm going to go for How Do I Live, please.

Right answer. Well done. Good start.

Chris, the group Lordi won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006 with the song Hard Rock what?

The group Lordi won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006

with the song Hard Rock what?

It's Hard Rock Hallelujah, brother!

-LAUGHTER

-Yes, thank you.

Hallelujah is correct. OK, back to Rob.

What is the title of the song popularised by Johnny Mathis

that begins with the lines, "Look at me, I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree"?

Once again, I know Johnny Mathis.

I'm not familiar with some of the song names.

I can envisage some of those album covers that my dad had,

so it's a complete guess,

-but I'm going to go for Misty, please.

-Misty?

-Yes.

Thinking of the music you play, this would be more for the wedding band?

-Possibly.

-Or maybe the indie band. You could do a different version.

"Look at me, I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree" in Misty, yes.

Well done.

Chris, which Manchester band sold out their three 2012 reunion concerts at Heaton Park

in just over an hour?

I seem to remember reading somewhere

The Stone Roses were getting back together, so it's The Stone Roses.

Yes, that's correct.

Lovely, evenly balanced quizzing so far.

Which British composer described himself

as having been born with a very small silver spoon in his mouth?

Once again, I can remember the quote

and I've certainly read it or heard it somewhere.

Quite recently maybe.

I'm not a large fan of classical music.

I do follow some Frank Zappa classical, but that's about it.

I'm going to take a complete guess, I'm afraid,

and I'm going to go for Edward Elgar.

Elgar, a small silver spoon in his mouth at birth.

It's your first incorrect answer. Chris, do you know it?

It sounds like Benjamin Britten.

Other Eggheads, have you any idea(?)

Even I can get it now! It's Ralph Vaughan Williams.

OK, Chris, the gravikord, developed in the late 20th century,

is usually described as what type of musical instrument?

You can't really develop a harp because a harp's a harp.

There's not much you can do with a xylophone,

but there's all sorts of technical possibilities in the organ,

-so I'll go with organ.

-Organ, OK...

Apparently, they've done it with a harp, the answer we're looking for.

It's all square. We go, for the first time, to Sudden Death, Rob,

and take away those options.

Here's your question. Who was the first British female solo artist

to have an album enter the UK chart at number one?

Who was the first British female solo artist

to have an album enter the UK chart at number one?

Well, I've got a few ideas.

But I think it was about... about my youth,

so I'm going to go for a lady called Gabrielle.

-Gabrielle?

-Yes.

No, it's not. Any idea, Chris?

-If it's recently, it must be Adele.

-No. Other Eggheads?

-I'd have gone for Kate Bush. I think it's further back.

-Dave, you have it. Say it again.

-Kate Bush.

Kate Bush, yeah, with... Do you know the album?

-It's a tough one.

-It's a tough one. It's either Kick Inside or Lionheart.

-No, Never For Ever.

-Never For Ever.

-1979, you were right about that.

Well done, Dave, but it counts for nothing.

It means Rob didn't get a point there. Chris, a chance then to go through again.

Which 20th century classical conductor was born in 1912 in Budapest as Gyorgy Stern?

Gyorgy Stern. Which 20th century classical conductor was born in 1912 in Budapest as Gyorgy Stern?

1912, Budapest, he's Hungarian, so it must be Sir Georg Solti.

It's the right answer. Well done, Chris.

Bad luck, Rob. No place for you in the final round.

Would you both come back and join your teams?

The Sutton Leprechauns have lost two brains now from the final round. The Eggheads haven't lost any.

And our third head-to-head today is Science.

Who from the Leprechauns would like to play this?

-Jonathan, James or Matt?

-Who's going to go for Science?

-I don't mind going for it.

-Do you think? We're two down, only a couple more to go.

-Do you want to have a go?

-I'll go for it.

-OK.

-I'll go for it.

-OK, Jonathan?

-Yeah.

-OK, Jonathan. And who would you choose from the Eggheads?

Kevin and Chris have played, so you have Daphne, Judith or Dave.

Can I go with...? I'll go with Judith, please.

LAUGHTER

-You've been invited to play, Judith. Would you like to?

-I... Yes.

It's Jonathan from the Sutton Leprechauns versus Judith from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions in the question room.

Jonathan, you choose, as always. Would you like to go first or second?

Can I go second this time?

Judith, you start. Here you go.

Much used in smartphone terminology, the term "app" is a shortened form of which word?

I think that might be application.

Yes, indeed. Application.

Which, of course, is what you all show in abundance to your quizzing tasks, Eggheads.

Your first question, Jonathan.

What name is given to the type of bumblebee that forces its way into a hive

and kills or evicts the resident queen?

OK, I've never heard that before,

but I can only assume that it follows the same principle

of what a cuckoo would do.

A cuckoo obviously nests in other people's nests,

so I'd go with cuckoo probably.

It's the right answer, yes. Well done.

Judith, in the television broadcast acronym PAL,

for what does the letter L stand?

I'm trying to think what the letters P and A stand for too.

PAL, oh, what is it?

I can't remember what it is!

I think it's either Location or Line.

It's a question of making up my mind between the two.

I think I'm going to go for Line.

OK, Line for the L in PAL...

-It's the right answer, Judith. Well done.

-What's the P and A?

You're absolutely anticipating me putting this very question

to your colleagues in the studio.

Phase Alternation.

-Phase...?

-Alternation.

-Phase Alternation Line.

-I don't think I ever knew that.

-No. I don't think I did.

We're familiar with PAL... Line will do, right.

Your second question, Jonathan.

What are ossicles, found in the middle ear?

Ossicles... I don't know the answer straight out to this one.

Obviously, I know the ear has got a lot of small bones within it.

Membranes...

Nerves...

I'm going to have to go with my gut feeling

which is going to be small bones.

Well done. It's the right answer, yes.

Ossicles - got a bone root there in the "os".

-Yeah.

-So, well done.

It's all square.

Judith, to which island country is the klinki pine tree native?

There isn't a northern island there.

I always think of pine trees as being rather a northern thing.

But they're all kind of tropical.

Percentages would say Madagascar

because it's got so many different things in it -

animals and vegetation and whatnot.

So, I'm going to have a bet on Madagascar.

OK, a bet on Madagascar... Well, you've lost your bet.

-It's Papua New Guinea.

-Oh.

-Papua New Guinea for the klinki pine tree.

Jonathan, a chance to get into the final round. Valhalla, one of the largest impact craters

in the Solar System, is on a moon of which planet?

Valhalla...

I know Jupiter has got a lot of storms,

but I'm not sure if it's got craters.

Mercury, Saturn...

I'm not by any means certain on exactly which one it is,

but I'm going to go with...

I'm going to go with Jupiter.

OK, Jupiter you think for Valhalla...

It's the right answer.

Brilliant. Well done.

Which moon, to be specific, Eggheads?

-The biggest is Ganymede.

-No.

-Io?

-No.

-No, that's volcanic. Europa?

-No.

-LAUGHTER

-I'd have loved this...

-Callisto?

-Callisto, yes. That doesn't matter.

What does matter, Jonathan, is you're in the final round.

You took on an Egghead and emerged triumphant which means you will play in today's final round.

Jonathan and Judith, please come back and join your teams.

Sutton Leprechauns have lost two brains from the final round while the Eggheads have lost one.

The next subject is Politics. Who will be playing in this round?

-Who would you like to take on?

-Shall I have a go on this one and leave you for the final?

-Yeah, go on.

-The sacrificial lamb.

-You'll do it.

-Dermot, I'll have a go.

-OK, and who would you like to play from the Eggheads, James?

-Dave might be the best bet.

-Yeah.

-I think Dave.

-I'll try my luck with Dave, please, Dermot.

Trying your luck with Dave... Let's have you both into the question room, please.

-James, it's your choice. Do you want to go first or second?

-I'll go first, please, Dermot.

It's James versus Dave. Here is your first question on Politics, James.

During the 2012 Olympic Games,

which politician described himself as "a prat who gets stuck in a zip wire"?

During the 2012 Olympic Games, which politician described himself

as "a prat who gets stuck in a zip wire"?

I think John Prescott was a bit of a boxer.

I don't think it was Jeremy Hunt. It was the man waving the flag.

-I think the answer was Boris Johnson.

-Yeah, well done.

Which politician has acquired the unfortunate nickname Jabba the Cut?

Which politician has acquired the unfortunate nickname Jabba the Cut?

Of those three, the one it resonates most with,

not for appearance reasons, I won't be saying that,

but the Communities Minister Eric Pickles has been involved

in a lot of town hall things, so I'll have to go with Eric Pickles.

It is the right answer. And, James,

Federico Franco became President of which South American country in 2012?

Hmm... I think this is going to have to be a complete guess

because I've not heard of this.

Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela...

I think I'm going to guess with Venezuela.

No, it's not. Do you know, Dave?

-I'd have gone Colombia.

-No, it's Paraguay.

-All right.

OK, Dave, your question.

Who was quoted in 1995 as saying,

"If I want to knock a story off the front page, I just change my hairstyle"?

Right, I don't think it's something that Thatcher would say.

It doesn't resonate with Hillary Clinton

as her husband would be more in the news then.

Now, what's bugging me

is that Cherie Blair was famously pictured in 1997,

coming out of 10 Downing Street

with her, um...night clothes on,

obviously not looking well after her husband's election victory.

I'll go with Cherie Blair, but it's not with a great deal of confidence.

No, not Cherie Blair. It is Hillary Clinton.

No, I wouldn't have got that.

This is your question, James.

In the early 20th century, the Relugas Compact was the name given

to a failed attempt to oust which politician?

I've never heard of that before in my life.

This is going to have to be another guess.

I think I'll have to guess with Arthur Balfour.

Arthur Balfour... It's incorrect.

-Eggheads?

-Probably Lloyd George.

-No.

-OK.

-It's Henry Campbell-Bannerman.

-How is that spelt?

-It's Relu... R-E-L-U-G-A-S.

-Anyone heard of it?

-No.

-No, no-one heard of it.

Well, it's a new one on the Eggheads.

No disgrace getting that one wrong, James.

But, Dave, if you get this, you win.

Launched in 2011, the 2020 Group is made up of MPs from which party?

I don't know the answer to this, but all I can go on

is that around that time,

there was a lot of backbench discontent within the Conservatives,

so that's going to be my answer.

Conservative...

It's the right answer. You are through, Dave. Well done.

James, our Egghead beat you, so you won't be in the final round.

James and Dave, please come back and join your teams.

This is what we've been playing towards - the final round which is General Knowledge.

Those of you who lost your head-to-heads

won't be allowed to take part in this round, so James, Darren and Rob from Sutton Leprechauns

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

OK, Jonathan and Matt, you're playing to win the Sutton Leprechauns £2,000.

Kevin, Dave, Daphne and Chris, you're playing for something 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 as well.

So, Sutton Leprechauns, the question is, are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four?

-Jonathan and Matt, do you want to go first or second?

-First, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, we'll go first.

OK, first question coming right up.

What is the name of the gang to which John Travolta's character belongs in the 1978 film Grease?

What is the name of the gang

to which John Travolta's character belongs in the 1978 film Grease?

OK, we're pretty comfortable with this one. It's the T-Birds.

T-Birds is the right answer, yeah. Eggheads,

according to the saying, the road to hell is paved with what?

According to the saying, the road to hell is paved with what?

It's paved with good intentions.

It's the right answer.

Sutton Leprechauns,

the island of Elba, famously once the home of Napoleon Bonaparte, is a part of which European country?

-I think...

-I don't know the answer to that one.

I think it's in the Mediterranean which isn't much help,

-but I think it might be Italy.

-It's the Mediterranean.

-I'm not certain.

-I can imagine it being an Italian-type place.

-Happy with that?

-I'm happy to go with that.

-We're not certain on this one,

but we're going to go for Italy.

OK, Italy for Elba... It's the right answer.

Eggheads, who plays the role of baddie Jean Vilain in the 2012 action film The Expendables 2?

-Jean-Claude Van Damme?

-Van Damme.

A French speaker playing a French-speaking villain.

Dolph Lundgren's in it, but he's one of Stallone's...

-I haven't seen it, but he's one of Stallone's crew.

-Yeah.

I don't know if Steven Seagal is part of it,

-but I'm sure it's Jean-Claude Van Damme.

-Van Damme, yeah.

-Yeah.

That is Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Jean-Claude Van Damme. It's the right answer, Eggheads. Two apiece.

And Leprechauns...

Who wrote the novel The Bridge Over The River Kwai on which the Oscar-winning 1957 film was based?

-Any ideas?

-No idea whatsoever.

-Nor me.

It's something I feel I should know, but I don't think I do.

Wouk, Landon or Boulle.

I've got an inkling about Landon, but...

Yeah?

It would be a complete guess.

-Shall we go with that?

-Straight down the middle.

We're guessing, Dermot. We'll guess for Christopher Landon.

OK, Christopher Landon.

Rather stumped by this one, having a guess at Landon.

-Eggheads, what do you think?

-Pierre Boulle.

-Boulle.

-Boulle.

It is Pierre Boulle. So, nothing there and a chance for the Eggheads.

Eggheads, shortly before dying in 211 AD,

which Roman emperor is said to have instructed his sons

to rule together, enrich the soldiers and forget about everybody else?

Septimius Severus.

It's Septimius Severus.

Daphne, you have such a lovely smile. So cruel!

It's the right answer. You've won.

Great quizzing. It just came down to the last question for each of you

and they know their Roman history pretty well.

Thanks very much for coming along to play the Eggheads and that goes

for those of you that didn't win the head-to-heads, sitting quietly in the question room.

I know you won't stay quiet for long. Get those leprechaun costumes back on and keep raising the money.

Those Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them and they still reign supreme over quizland.

I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £2,000 and 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.

£3,000 says they don't. Until then, goodbye.

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