Episode 63 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 quiz champions today are the Durham Debaucherers.

They have been firm friends since they lived on the same corridor

during their first year at Durham University. Let's meet them.

Hi. I'm Rob. I'm 20, and I study biology.

Hi. I'm Dean. I'm 19, and I'm a modern-languages student.

Hi. I'm Jonny. I'm 19, and I'm a biology student.

Hi. I'm Josh. I'm 20 years old, and I study chemistry.

Hi. I'm Harry. I'm 19 years old, and I'm a modern-languages student.

So, Rob and team, welcome to you. And Durham University, right?

Yeah, that's right. Grey College.

All at different... All at Grey? Yeah. All at Grey.

If I sound interested in that, it's because I was at Durham myself,

so I'm jealous of the fact that you're there,

and you're 20 years younger than me, and all of that.

It is beautiful, isn't it? Yeah. Nice.

Anyone there know Durham, any of you guys? I've been there.

Wonderful cathedral. Yeah, the zigzagged arches.

Wherever you go, you can't get away from that cathedral, can you? No.

Although you are doing quite a lot of partying...

THEY LAUGH ..judging by the team name.

It's, um, semi-ironic, I think, er...

You describe yourselves as a drinking team with a quiz problem.

Yeah. THEY LAUGH

OK. I hope you don't have to drown your sorrows after this game.

We will start. There's £1,000 of cash every day up for grabs

for our challengers, but if they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, Durham Debauchers, the Eggheads have won the last 13,

which means that £14,000 says you can't beat them today,

and you can throw a massive party in Grey College bar if you win.

The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Food and Drink.

That's rather convenient. That would be Jonny, wouldn't it?

I will do it, yeah. Jonny? OK. Against which Egghead?

Who looks as if they don't eat much? THEY LAUGH

I know that's difficult. I think I'll take on Chris.

Very decisive about that. Yeah.

OK. Jonny from the Durham Debaucherers versus Chris.

Food and Drink! Indeed.

To ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions

in the Question Room.

So, food and drink is your subject, Jonny, is it?

Yeah. Out of those ones I'm going to have to take that, yeah.

Students, usually we think of Pot Noodles and all that, but...

Yeah, baked beans. Exactly. But you do something more extensive

in your college rooms? Well, I've travelled a bit,

so I like to think I know a bit of cuisine, but we'll see, won't we?

OK. Chris, what's your diet these days?

Oh, fish and chips, pie and chips,

the odd takeaway curry, the odd takeaway Chinese.

I will occasionally put something in the oven to roast,

but it's all good belly timber, basically. None of your fancy stuff.

I think that's known as the Durham-student diet. Well done.

Pretty much. OK. Well, good luck to you both.

Food and Drink. Jonny, you can choose the first or second set of questions.

Could I go first, please?

Good luck to you. Here we go. Winkles are what type of food?

Winkles are what type of food?

I don't think they're chicken drumsticks,

and I'm pretty sure they're not savoury pancakes.

I'm going to go with shellfish. Shellfish is right. Well done.

What is a winkle? Is it a mussel or a cockle, or...

It's a little cockle thing. A little cockle thing. OK.

Chris, which of these terms refers to the process

of cooking sugar until it turns brown?

HE LAUGHS

That's caramelisation, Jeremy.

Caramelisation is the right answer.

Here's your question, Jonny. What is found at the centre of a damson?

Hmm...

I don't think it's going to be a large stone. Could be...

A damson. I'm going to have to guess between the other two, I think.

I'm going to go with edible nut.

Let's just see if the Eggheads... Judith, you'll know.

Is a damson a cherry? It's a little plum-like thing.

Very sour. If you ate the whole thing,

would you have any teeth? You would choke,

because of the large stone in the middle.

There is a large stone, Jonny. I'm sorry. Large stone, not edible nut.

Do not make that mistake. It would not be good.

Chris, your question. What is atta,

used in the making of flatbreads in South Asia?

Atta is, er, flour.

Straight there. You're right. Flour is correct.

So Chris is ahead, and that means you must get this right, Jonny,

or it's going to be all too short. Mm-hm.

The Spanish wine Rioja traditionally derives some its flavour

from being stored in barrels made of what material, Jonny?

Rioja... Never sampled that beverage myself.

It's going to have to be a complete guess once again.

I'm going to go with oak.

Chris, what do you think? Yeah, he's right.

Nice oaky taste in Rioja. Yes. Oak is the right answer.

The barrels are oak, but Chris can still take it

if he gets this right. Dillisk, from the west coast of Ireland,

is what form of food? Dillisk - that's spelled D-I-L-L-I-S-K -

is what form of food?

Er, well, I think we know it as dulse elsewhere, and it's seaweed.

Seaweed is the right answer,

so you have triumphed on Food and Drink, Chris. Sorry, Jonny.

He's knocked you out. You won't be in the final round, and Chris will.

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

Jonny, bad luck. Yeah, I know.

But I'm still rooting for my old university here, OK?

No question about it at all.

The Durham Debaucherers have lost one brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost no brains. The next subject is Film and TV,

so who would like this?

Um, any ideas? Rob? Has it got to be me?

I think I'll take that, Jeremy. So, Rob? Yeah.

OK, Rob. Against anyone but Chris.

Oh, I think I'm going to be brave,

and I'm going to try and take on Kevin.

Ooh, intake of breath there! So, Rob on Film and Television,

and I'm guessing you watch a bit, do you? Yeah.

OK. Against Kevin from the Eggheads, who watches quite a lot.

To ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions

in the Question Room.

Rob, I don't mean to do the whole student-caricature thing,

but I'm thinking you sit in your room and you watch a lot of TV.

But that may not be the case these days.

Um, not as much as I'd like.

Eggheads is pretty much the only thing

we get round to watching these days. OK. Whatever happens,

don't stop watching that programme. It's very, very good, you know.

That's reassuring, Kevin. It is, yes.

It's nice to hear the ratings being kept up by masses of students.

Yes, very good. You'll be mobbed next time you're on a campus.

HE CHUCKLES You never know. Yes.

So... It depends.

As long as it's for a good reason. THEY LAUGH

OK, Rob. Film and TV. Let's see how you fare against the big man here.

Would you like to go first or second?

I think I'd like to go second, actually.

I sense a strategy in play here from the Durham Debaucherers.

OK, Kevin. Your question. In 2011,

Matt Baker became a regular host of which TV show?

Well, it's not Mastermind. That's, er...John Humphrys.

I don't think he's a new face on Newsnight.

I'll try The One Show. The One Show is correct,

unless I'm very much mistaken. OK, Rob, your question.

Which TV series starred Lee Majors as Colt Seavers?

Um, I've never heard of this.

I think possibly it's a bit before my time.

Um, Lee Majors sounds like he could have been on The A-Team.

I know that was Mr T and...

Yeah, I think I'm going to have to go for The A-Team.

That's a shame. It's not The A-Team. He was the Six Million Dollar Man.

That was what made him famous. The answer to this is The Fall Guy,

which was about a stunt man. Stunt man-cum-bounty hunter. Yeah.

OK. So, you're ahead, Kevin. Here's your question.

For what does the letter N stand

in the name of the TV show NCIS?

Yes. It's a fairly unusual one, I suppose,

but they're actually a criminal-investigation unit

based within the US Navy, so it's Naval.

I think this one's a particular favourite of Daphne's.

That's correct. It's Naval Criminal Investigation Service.

Is that right, Daphne? Yeah? Yes. Yes. We always watch it.

I thought it was on your list, actually.

You really enjoy it, do you? Yes. It's American, is it, or British?

It's American. American. OK.

Rob, you really need this question,

otherwise curtains.

In the sitcom Cheers, Ted Danson's character Sam Malone

was a former relief pitcher for which baseball team?

Um, I have watched this.

I'm starting to really regret going second, actually,

cos I think I could've done those ones that Kevin's just had.

Again, this is going to have to just be a guess.

Um...

SIGHS Is it set in New York?

Er...

I think most American sitcoms seem to be set in New York,

so I'm going to go down the middle. New York Yankees.

See if your teammates know. I knew it was set in Boston,

but whether that means he played for the Red Sox or not, I'm not sure.

Yeah. That's exactly the way to go with it.

Boston Red Sox. It was set in Boston.

Sorry, Rob! You got it wrong.

At least you can say it's because you only watch Eggheads.

That's the reason. Kevin has triumphed in this second round,

and Rob, you won't be in the final.

Please, both of you, rejoin your teams.

Rob, you once travelled round Europe on a motorbike.

Was that round even harder? Er, yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. It was tough, but don't worry. Your team is still in action,

even if you're not. Yep.

Yeah. We can just hope, I guess. Keep hoping.

The Durham Debaucherers have lost two brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost no brains so far, but there's plenty of time.

Next subject for you is Music. Which one of you would like this,

and against whom? I think it's going to have to be me, Jeremy,

and as there are only three Eggheads left,

I'll have to choose randomly, so I think I'll take on Judith, please.

Harry from the Durham Debaucherers versus Judith from the Eggheads.

Please go to the Question Room now.

I was looking at your CV, Harry. It's very impressive.

What grade at the piano? I was Grade 6 a long time ago,

so nowhere near that now. And the British Ski Championships?

Yeah. I used to do a bit of ski-racing,

but again, it was a long time ago. Don't be modest.

Top five at age 11. At one stage, yeah.

OK. You play hockey and cricket. You ski.

You've been the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. Mm-hm. That's true.

And you're still 19. Still 19, yeah.

OK. It's looking promising, isn't it?

I hope Judith doesn't stop your young life in its tracks here

with this Music round.

This'll be your first setback in your first two decades of living.

Do you want to go first or second? Can I go first, please?

OK. Here we go. Here's your first question.

What was the title

of Gary Barlow's first solo UK number-one single, Harry?

My little sister will probably kill me if I get this one wrong,

but I've heard of the song Let Me Entertain You.

I'm not sure if it's Gary Barlow or Take That.

I haven't heard of the other two,

so I'm going to have to go with Let Me Entertain you.

Yeah. It's wrong, actually. Logically I think you're right,

but Take That did that song, didn't they? No. Robbie Williams.

Oh, Robbie Williams! Getting my Take That members confused.

Forever Love is the answer. OK, Judith, your question.

What was the title of Calvin Harris's first UK top-40 single,

which reached number ten in 2007?

Well, I have absolutely no idea.

Um... What seems most plausible?

I can't believe a song would say "admirable in the '70s"

or "acceptable in the '80s".

I think it's Forgiveable In The 60s.

I think you're wrong. It is... Do you know?

ALL: Acceptable In The 80s. Acceptable In The 80s.

What a funny... Of course, Judith! Where was your head?

OK, Harry. And she's let you back in,

which is good. The record label Blue Note is best known

for releasing what type of music?

Um, Blue Note...

I can't say I've heard of it.

I don't think it sounds particularly heavy metal

or classical. I'm going to have to go straight down the middle

and have a guess with jazz.

Spot-on. Jazz is the right answer. Nice one, mate.

Oh, you got a smattering of applause there.

Sounds like after a very long night at the bar,

they've managed to put their hands together for you.

Judith, if you get this wrong you fall behind.

In the musical Les Miserables,

I Dreamed A Dream is a solo song for which character?

Well, it's not Javert,

so it's Fantine or Eponine.

Um...

I saw it on the stage when it first came out,

but, I mean, that was years ago.

Um...

I'm trying to think... just do the words in my head.

SHE WHISPERS

I think it's Eponine. Have they all hit the deck?

Well, yes. They have, really. It was Fantine.

Daphne, you know. Fantine.

Fantine, says Daphne. Yes.

Have you seen the film, Daphne?

Yes. Is it as good as the play?

I haven't seen the play. I've seen the film,

and I cried three times, so... SHE LAUGHS

Is that cos they threw you out? Yes.

Ticket prices. Ticket prices, yeah!

All her grandchildren.

This gets better and better for you. What are we on now?

Eggheads zero, challengers one.

If you get this one right, Harry, you're in the final round.

That's the key thing. Good luck.

Which song by The Who concludes with the lines,

"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss"?

Um, I am a big Who fan,

and I'm currently reading Pete Townshend's autobiography,

and the answer is Won't Get Fooled Again.

That's so funny. I thought, "You're 19. You won't get this."

Um, well done. You've got it bang-on.

Won't Get Fooled Again it is, Harry. What a brilliant question for you

if you're a Who fan. Excellent! You're in the final round!

Judith, what can I say? I'm not in the final round.

You're not. You've got that question right at least.

Do rejoin your teams.

Harry, well done. Thank you.

Maybe I can mention a Harry Styles thing.

I heard that One Direction were playing in town at some point.

He hasn't taken time off from his day job to do Eggheads.

It's just me. There we are, Kevin.

That's your question answered. It's not Harry Styles.

The Durham Debaucherers have lost two brains,

but Harry's pulled it back, and the Eggheads have lost a brain.

Judith, I won't mention who it was.

The next subject for you is Politics.

Who would like this?

I think that's my remit, so, um... OK, Dean.

Against... Tell us which Egghead.

I am going to take Tremendous Knowledge Dave.

Tremendous Knowledge Dave against Dean from the Durham Debaucherers.

Do go to the Question Room now.

Dean, I gather politics is your thing.

Well, I've dabbled in it before. I was in the UK Youth Parliament

for two years, representing Northern Ireland.

It's not party political, but at least gave me some insight

into how politics works and things like that.

And you get a chance to speak in a debate?

Well, I was very lucky that, er, in 2010,

I had the opportunity to speak in the House of Commons

on a debate about teenage pregnancy.

It was quite a privilege, because apart from the MPs,

the UKYP are the only group allowed to sit on the green benches.

So you actually went into the Chamber itself?

Yes. It was on the green benches, just like any sitting of Parliament,

with the Speaker and all the trimmings, really,

so it was quite a day, and certainly something I'll always remember.

And there's lots of politics where you come from.

Absolutely, and that would be my specialist area, Northern Ireland.

I follow it very closely, even though I'm over at Durham.

I still keep a close eye on Stormont and what's happening at home, so...

Let's see what comes up. Good luck in the Politics round.

You're against Tremendous Knowledge Dave.

Would you like to go first or second? I'll go first, please.

Here we go, Dean. Who resigned as Conservative Party Chief Whip

in 2012 over the so-called Plebgate scandal

concerning an altercation with police

at the gates of Downing Street?

OK. That got quite a lot of publicity in the press,

and I believe that was Andrew Mitchell.

Andrew Mitchell is the right answer.

A very interesting story, that one.

Tremendous Knowledge Dave, your question.

Which Spanish word, derived from the Latin for "joined",

is often used to refer to a group of military officers

holding power in a county, especially after a coup d'etat?

Er, junta. Junta is correct.

OK, over to you, Dean.

The foreign-policy think tank,

the Royal Institute of International Affairs,

is commonly known by which name?

I can't say I'm 100 percent certain,

but Chatham House does ring a bell.

I may have read it somewhere,

so I think I'm just going to have to go with Chatham House.

The others don't mean anything to me.

Chatham House is the right answer. Good stuff. You're going well.

OK, Dave.

For what does the letter E stand in EHRC,

the non-departmental public body

which came into being in October 2007?

Can you repeat the... the question, please?

For what does the letter E stand

in EHRC,

the non-departmental public body

which came into being in October 2007?

Got to hope it's the Equality and Human Rights Commission,

so it's Equality. You're absolutely right. It is.

OK. Two points each, so he's a tough contender, here, Dean,

but you knew that. Your third question.

Stanley Baldwin became an MP for which constituency in 1908?

I have a feeling Stanley Baldwin came from...

..County Durham, something tells me,

in which case I would lean towards Seaham.

However, I am nearly certain there was a Prime Minister

who did come from the Bewdley seat.

Um...

Baldwin.

I'm going to go with Seaham.

Oh, I'm so cross for you, because it's Bewdley.

I suspect your logic was right all the way through there,

in that he had the northeast connection. Is that right?

But the constituency not necessarily where he comes from. No.

Where is Bewdley? The Severn Valley,

between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth.

Sorry, Dean. You got it wrong. The reasoning was good.

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

Where in Europe are there twin heads of state

known as the Captains Regent?

Where in Europe are there twin heads of state

known as the Captains Regent?

Right. I'm not entirely sure.

Monaco's head of state, I would imagine, is Prince Albert.

Um, Vatican City doesn't ring a bell,

but San Marino is a republic, so I'll go with San Marino.

Eggheads, is he right? Yep. Yeah.

Yes, you are right. You've booked your place in the final.

Sorry, Dean. Played really well there.

We could tell you've got a love of politics,

but you're not in the final round.

Both of you come back, and we will play that final.

This is what we've been playing towards.

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

but those of you who lost your head-to-heads

won't be allowed to take part in this round.

So, Rob, Dean and Jonny from the Durham Debaucherers

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

So, Josh and Harry, it's the two of you.

Josh, how you feeling? Bit nervous now.

You've watched this whole thing unravel before your eyes,

in a good way as well as a slightly more difficult way.

You're planning to become a ski instructor professionally,

not when this quiz is over, but when you graduate.

Yeah, I'd love to. I just don't want to be bored,

and get a fun job where I can be outside. Great.

Would this get you on the path to... That would be pretty useful.

I was going to say, "If they let you win,"

but they're never in that frame of mind.

So, you're playing to win the Durham Debaucherers £14,000,

quite a lot of money, now. Chris, Daphne, Dave, Kevin,

you're playing for something that money really can't buy,

which is the Eggheads' precious reputation.

I'll ask each team three questions in turn.

The questions are all general knowledge,

and you are allowed to confer. So, Durham Debaucherers,

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

Can you pull this off? Would you like to go first or second?

We'll go first, please, Jeremy.

Harry, I notice you've got glasses on now.

This is getting serious now. That is how intense it's getting.

The Harry glasses have gone on. OK, here we go. Your first question.

Someone who bribes someone else is said to do what to their palm?

Grease.

Yeah. That's what you'd think, but I don't know what "to grot" is.

It is definitely grease. Yeah? Grease, please, Jeremy.

Grease is the right answer. Well done. The glasses are working.

Eggheads, according to the American patriotic song,

"Yankee Doodle came to town riding on a" what?

On a pony? Yeah.

He was riding on a pony.

Pony is the right answer. It's not an eagle... No.

in case you were wondering.

Durham Debaucherers,

in what field is the Cicero a unit of measure?

In what field is the Cicero a unit of measure?

Cicero. He was a Roman orator. Was he?

But that's got nothing to do with... I don't think it's baking.

Baking doesn't seem to have... No.

Audio recording's normally done in decibels.

Or that's the volume. Yeah.

So, typography, then, is our answer.

Typography. It's correct.

That's good. You could've been knocked off-course by that one.

Eggheads, in Greek mythology, who was the god of ridicule

who was driven out of heaven for his criticisms of the gods?

Momus. Momus. Yeah. It's not the other two.

Momus. Hypnos is sleep.

You know how we love Greek mythology. Momus.

Momus is the right answer. We get a word from that somewhere?

Is that "mocking", or...

Milton wrote a poem involving the character, yeah.

I'm not sure there's a word that's applied as an adjective or verb

or anything else that's derived from that. I can't think of anything.

But good to know that Milton wrote a poem about Momus.

That's the sort of thing they know. OK, your third question.

Do get this one right, cos if you don't,

they could suddenly take the contest, and we don't want that.

The journalist Nancy Banks-Smith

is best known as a writer on which subject?

I haven't heard of Nancy Banks-Smith.

I've got a feeling it's not television and radio. No.

But I don't know why. That sounds good.

What do you think? Is there an inkling?

I don't know. What do you reckon?

It's food and drink or travel and tourism. Yeah.

I think...

Shall we go down the middle? Shall we go straight... Yeah.

We're going to go for travel and tourism.

Travel and tourism is your answer in this all-important third question.

I've occasionally done programmes where she's written about them.

Oh, TV and radio! It is television and radio.

Sort of hope she's not watching. A lifetime in journalism,

and hope you don't go out on that question.

But that may happen if the Eggheads get this one right.

This is the third question in the final round, Eggheads.

The cassowary is a flightless bird native to Australia

and which of these islands?

It's New Guinea. New Guinea.

Propinquity, isn't it? Yeah.

Um, that is New Guinea. You all said it simultaneously.

Yeah. Are they right, Judith? New Guinea?

New Guinea, yeah. There we are. Judith confirms it.

The answer is correct. It is New Guinea.

So we have to say congratulations, Eggheads. You have won.

Commiserations. Great to see a team from Durham University,

and I hope you've enjoyed the day. Very much so. Thank you.

Will you gather everyone from the college round to watch? Probably.

In the bar. On the big screen.

If I see Nancy Banks-Smith, I'll keep her away from the television.

So the Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them,

and their winning streak continues. I'm afraid you won't be going back

with the £14,000, so that money now 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.

£15,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.

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