Episode 73 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 challenging our resident quiz champions today

are the Yospreys. Now, this team all work

for Swansea's Youth Offending Service, YOS, and each Christmas,

they take part in an away day quiz. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Phil, I'm 65 and I'm an ASB case manager.

Hi, I'm Colin, I'm 59 and I'm a social worker.

Hi, I'm Jordan, I'm 27 and I'm a project worker.

Hi, I'm Joan, I'm 61 and I'm an admin clerk.

Hi, I'm Mat, I'm 53 and I'm a social worker.

-Phil and team, welcome.

-Thank you.

-I understand YOS, but where does the "osprey" bit of your name come from?

The "osprey" comes from the regional rugby team that we have playing out of Swansea called the Ospreys.

Put the "YOS" in front of it, it seemed to work fine and represent the culture in Wales for rugby.

-And you quiz together sometimes?

-Yes, we do, usually around Christmas time.

We've done a couple of other quizzes during the year too.

-You've got a bit of a plan?

-Definitely.

-That's encouraging.

Every day, there is £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.

Yospreys, the Eggheads have won the last 23 games.

They're on a great run, which cuts both ways. They're in good form,

but there's a lot of money to win. £24,000 says you can't beat them.

-Would you like to start?

-Yes.

-The first head-to-head battle

is on Arts & Books. Who wants this?

-Oh, dear.

-It's you, Mat.

I'm afraid that looks like me, doesn't it?

-Who do you want to go for?

-Mat will take this one.

-Against an Egghead, they're all there waiting.

-Shall we have Barry or Chris?

-Have Barry.

-Do you reckon?

-Barry.

-OK.

-Barry.

-Barry.

You've very decisively chosen Barry.

We won't ask why.

Mat from the Yospreys against Barry from the Eggheads, please take your positions in the question room.

-Arts & Books we're on. Mat, you can choose the first or second set of questions.

-I'll go first, please.

Here is your first question. Good luck.

Mockingjay is the third part of which trilogy of novels?

Oh...

Mockingjay...

I don't think it's The Bourne Trilogy.

I'm pretty sure...

..it's not Fifty Shades,

although I'm not certain in any sense.

I'll go for The Hunger Games.

Good elimination. The Hunger Games may not be the obvious answer,

but it is the right answer.

OK, Barry...

In Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures In Wonderland,

who is the first character seen by Alice?

As she goes down a rabbit hole,

I would presume it's The White Rabbit.

I guess it's been a while since you read this book to your kids.

I keep on going into it occasionally because it's a wonderful book,

full of fascinating characters.

The answer is correct, Barry. The White Rabbit, well done.

OK, Mat, which member of the Royal Family was the subject of a 1989 painting by Alison Watt,

commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery?

Again I'm going to have to admit not to having a great idea about this.

I remember a painting of the Queen Mother,

but I can't remember the artist.

I'll discount the other two and say the Queen Mother.

-The Queen Mother is the right answer.

-Well done!

You see, the Yospreys are going like a train. Well done.

Barry, in the 2004 London run of Alan Bennett's play The History Boys,

what was the name of the character played by James Corden?

Oh, goodness me! I never saw the stage play.

I saw the film adaptation and I can't remember the names of the characters.

This, I'm afraid, is going to have to be a guess.

Topper just doesn't seem right,

so I'm toying up with the other two.

I'll trust... I, too, will go down the left. I'll try Tyler.

No, you're wrong. The answer... Let's see if we know here.

-Topper?

-Topper?

-Oh...

-No, it's not Topper.

-Timms.

Oh, Eggheads, brilliant. Absolutely brilliant(!)

-How do you do that?

-It's a skill, isn't it?

Incredible, isn't it?

Timms is the answer. You knock two of them out, that's what you get.

This is good, Mat. It would be really good if you could knock dear old Barry out

on what is one of his favourite subjects.

Uncle Ebenezer, who lives in the House of Shaws,

is a character in which Robert Louis Stevenson novel?

Get this right and you're in the final.

Oh...

This is one I should know and my mind's gone a little blank.

Oh, something's drawing me towards The Black Arrow.

But...

I think Kidnapped.

I'm not sure.

-Kidnapped is your answer. Is he right?

-We think it's Kidnapped.

-I bet Barry knows.

-Bye-bye, Barry!

-Bye-bye, Barry!

CHEERING

Well put. Kidnapped is the right answer. Well done, Mat.

That's a very good start for the Yospreys. Nicely done.

You've booked your place in the final. Barry has been knocked out. Come back and rejoin your teams.

-Good start to the Yospreys. Confidence building?

-Yes.

Well done, Mat. Brilliant. So the Yospreys have not lost a brain.

Their first action in this contest has been to take out an Egghead.

The next subject is Geography. Who would like this?

-Shall I have a go?

-I think that's you, Phil.

-I'm going to do that, Jeremy.

-Phil, OK.

-Against which Egghead? Obviously, it can't be Barry.

-Who should we go with?

-Geography.

-Geography.

-Who do you think?

-Chris, please.

-Chris, please.

Phil from the Yospreys against Chris... Is Geography a good subject for you?

Pretty good, yeah. Engine sheds in the Swansea Valley if that comes up.

To ensure no conferring, please go to the question room now.

-Geography is the subject. Phil, would you like to go first or second?

-First, please, Jeremy.

Here we go. Good luck. Waltham Forest is a borough on the outskirts of which city?

Waltham Forest... It sounds like Nottingham, doesn't it?

I've got a funny feeling that that's probably...

I think it's in London.

I thought you were going to go for Nottingham.

You were like a class skier there. You slalomed suddenly.

London is right.

Very good. OK, Chris,

what name is given to a series of small waterfalls over steep rocks?

A lot of those in North Wales. It's a cascade.

Cascade is the right answer.

Back to you, Phil.

On the Beaufort scale, a wind speed of between 39 and 46 miles per hour is classified as what?

It's not a breeze. It's more than that.

I'm going between a gale and a hurricane.

I think I'm going to go down the middle with a gale for this one.

Gale is correct.

I don't think your team has got a question wrong so far.

Chris, pressure on you.

Which Welsh national park stretches from Llandeilo in the west

to Hay-on-Wye in the north-east and Pontypool in the south-east?

Hmm...

Brecon Beacons, Jeremy.

-Is he right, Phil?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, you're right.

OK, third question.

Keep up the pressure.

The Penghu Islands, also known as Pescadores,

are an archipelago off the coast of where?

Oh...

I was looking at the atlas, but I didn't really notice that.

I don't think... I haven't heard it associated with New Zealand.

Taiwan?

I think I'm going to go with Malaysia.

Malaysia's wrong. First wrong question for the Yospreys.

-It's Taiwan.

-Unlucky, Phil.

A hard one to guess.

Chris, you get this right, you're in the final.

The Philippines is usually divided into three island groups - Luzon, Mindanao and which other?

Oh...

I've never heard of any of those.

Luzon's the main island, Mindanao...

And you've got islands like Negros and what have you, haven't you?

Um...

I'll do a Judith, the magic right - Visayas.

Visayas is correct.

Oh, that's so cruel!

That's only supposed to work for Judith. It wouldn't make sense if it worked for everyone.

Phil, I'm sorry. He's taken you on the bend there at the very end.

You won't be in the final round. Chris will be. Please come back here and rejoin your team-mates.

The Yospreys have lost one brain from the final round whilst the Eggheads have also lost one.

The next subject is Food & Drink.

Who from the Yospreys wants this?

- Do you want me to do that? - Yeah.

-Jordan?

-You're going to do it?

-Yeah.

-It's going to be Jordan.

-Jordan, OK. Against...?

-Who do you think?

-Not Barry or Chris.

-Daphne?

-Or Judith?

-Judith?

-Patrick?

-Pat.

-Pat, please.

-We'll take Pat, please.

I can see that you are the strategist here, Joan.

I'm the avid Egghead watcher, yes.

-You watch every one?

-Yes.

-If Kevin was here, you would have gone for Kevin?

-Yes.

OK, it's Jordan against Pat from the Eggheads on Food & Drink. Please go to the question room.

-You're on Food & Drink, Jordan. Would you like to go first or second?

-Second, please.

Pat, your question. What is usually served with a steak in the dish known as surf and turf?

I think surf and turf antagonises some people.

It became very popular in the '90s and I think it's seafood.

Seafood is correct.

Your question, Jordan.

Shropshire Blue is a type of what?

Well, "cheese" stands out straight away, just with blue cheese.

I don't know if it's that obvious,

but I'll go with my first instinct and say "cheese".

Great stuff. It is cheese, yes.

It's Jordan against Pat on Food & Drink. Crucial point in the contest.

Pat, in Spanish cuisine, a dish described as "al horno"

will most likely have been cooked how?

Al horno.

I think it sounds similar to the Italian, "lasagne al forno".

I think it refers to an oven.

I think it's been cooked in an oven.

I was sure you would get that wrong.

In an oven is the right answer.

OK, keep it up, Jordan.

It's always difficult going second.

Which of these foodstuffs was the last to have its World War Two rationing lifted in the UK?

I'd say bread is a bit too obvious

because I would have thought there was a lot of ingredients around

for stuff like that. Milk, um...

I'm not 100% sure, but I'm going to go down...

..to the right for "meat", please.

-And you're right.

-Well done, Jordan.

The logic, I guess... Help us here.

-That's the right logic that it was the least available thing?

-A lot of it was imported in those days.

You hadn't the shipping tonnage to import it or the foreign exchange to pay for it, so it was on ration.

Third question to you, Pat. What type of food is referred to in Ireland as a "one and one"?

I've never heard of this. Never heard of it.

A one and one...

"One and one" sounds like almost a colloquial term.

You do buy fish and chips in a takeaway,

so people might come in and ask for a one and one.

It sounds almost that sort of a phrase.

You don't buy trifle late at night like that.

Maybe that's a gap in the market.

Cheese and onion sandwich is a bit obscure.

It's just a cheese and onion sandwich.

In a chippy, you could ask for a one and one, meaning fish and chips.

It's just a guess. I've never heard the phrase.

Your antecedents are from Ireland. I assumed you'd be straight there.

But whoever is saying "one and one" are not saying it in your presence.

But fish and chips is the right answer. Well done.

OK, he's got three out of three which doesn't help you. Keep it up.

Monastrell and Mataro are alternative names for which wine grape?

I'm not much of a wine guy, personally. I've heard of Merlot.

Is it going to be the obvious one?

I'm just going to have to go with the one I know and that's Merlot.

-I'm afraid you've been knocked out. It's Mourvedre.

-Unlucky, Jordan.

Not a well-known type of wine.

Anyone? Who's good on their wines here, Eggs?

No? They would have drawn a blank as well, Jordan. Tough question.

Pat, you're in the final round. Please come back to us here and we'll play on.

-Oh, Phil, we started so strongly and then...

-Never mind. We're going to save the best till last.

-We hit a dip, but that's OK. Just pace yourselves. Come through strong in the final round.

-Yes.

OK, one more round before the final.

The Yospreys have lost two and the Eggheads have just lost one, Barry at the beginning.

-The next subject is Sport.

-Oh, no!

-No?

-I thought this would be great for you.

-I've got to take it.

-I see. OK.

-How did that happen?

-Do you want me to take it?

-Do you think we should send Colin?

We need you for the end, Colin.

I'll take one for the team and I'll do Sport.

Joan's going to do Sport.

-Joan is going to do Sport because you don't want to lose Colin?

-No, we don't.

-She is in charge of tactics.

Against which Egghead? Who looks like they're wobbly on the sports field?

-Judith.

-Judith.

-Yes.

We put a lot of thought into that decision.

Joan from the Yospreys versus Judith from the Eggheads, the two Js, on Sport.

To ensure there's no conferring, please go to the question room.

-Joan, choose the first or second set of questions.

-I'll go first.

In which decade did Mike Gatting make his final Test appearance for the England cricket team?

Oh, dear.

Mike Gatting...

I'd say the 1990s.

1990s is the right answer.

Judith, your question.

The Copa Libertadores is a football competition predominantly between teams on which continent?

Well, the language tells me it is South America.

I will take that as a compliment to my pronunciation.

South America is the right answer.

One each.

Joan, which country dominated the athletics events

at the 1976 Olympic Games with 11 gold medals in total?

I'm torn between East Germany and the Soviet Union.

Taking into account the gymnastics, I'll go for the Soviet Union.

-What do your team think?

-I think it's right.

-Colin thinks it's right.

You're both wrong. It's East Germany. East Germany is the answer.

All those strapping athletes.

Judith, your question. In which sport might one execute a tsukahara?

Can you spell "tsukahara"?

T-S-U-K-A-H-A-R-A.

T-S-U-K-A-H-A-R-A.

Tsukahara - it sounds sort of Japanesey.

So I don't think it's gymnastics.

I'm not sure there are many moves in table tennis.

You just bat it backwards and forwards, don't you?

I think I'm going to go for weightlifting.

Weightlifting is your answer?

I hope it's Japanese weightlifters.

When you said "Japanese", I was thinking your next thing would be,

"It must be gymnastics," because it's a sport at which Japan excels.

-They're also good at weightlifting.

-They're good at weightlifting?

Sumo... Oh, no, sumo wrestlers! Bother!

OK, now we see what I was discussing earlier.

I was thinking of sumo wrestlers.

-Oh, can I start again?

-No, you can't.

-The whole of your life or just this round?

-Yes, the whole of my life!

-The answer is gymnastics.

-Oh!

-Joan, that's good, isn't it?

-That's good.

If you just get this one right, you can put the pressure on and we're on thin ice over there!

Which jockey won the Grand National twice,

first in 1955 on Quare Times and then in 1970 on Gay Trip?

I've never heard of any of them.

So it's going to be a guess.

I'm going to go for Pat Taaffe.

It's worked for you. Pat Taaffe is the right answer.

Well done.

OK, so, Judith, you're under a spot of pressure here.

You need to get this one right or you've been knocked out.

We're looking at a historic three back-to-back victories on Sport for you if you pull off this round.

In the Asian game of sepak takraw,

which parts of the body are not allowed to come into contact with the ball?

I think I know the game, actually.

God, how do you play it?

I think I've seen it in India or something.

I think it might be arms and hands.

I think you do the whole thing with feet.

-Arms and hands is correct.

-Oh, golly!

So it's two each. Sorry, Joan.

We go to Sudden Death and it gets harder because I don't give you alternative answers.

Here is your question. Which Grand Slam tennis tournament did Bill Tilden win six times in succession

between 1920 and 1925?

The only one I can think of is the US Open.

-The US Open is correct.

-Oh, yes!

-How important might that answer be!

-I think she's a dark horse. She knows all about sport.

She's not made many mistakes. Yes, she's hidden her sporting knowledge very well.

Perhaps the same could be said of you, Judith.

Here's your question. Get this wrong and you're not in the final round.

In which country was the snooker player James Wattana born?

Wattana, snooker players...

I really don't know.

There are Canadian ones and...

Well, let's try Canada.

You'd won two sporting rounds in a row.

-But not a third?

-Not a third. It's Thailand.

How about that?

Brilliant strategic play.

-Joan in charge of the strategy, made the right move, squeaked through on Sport. Well done.

-Thank you.

You'll be in the final. Come back to us, both of you, and we'll play that final round.

So this is what we've been playing towards - the final round, which, as always, is General Knowledge.

Those of you who lost your head-to-heads

won't be allowed to take part in this round, so Phil and Jordan from the Yospreys

and Barry and Judith from the Eggheads, please leave the studio.

So, Colin, Joan and Mat, you are playing to win the Yospreys £24,000.

Daphne, Chris and Pat, you are playing for something money can't buy - the Eggheads' reputation.

I will ask each team three questions in turn. This time, they are all General Knowledge.

You are allowed to confer. Yospreys, the question is,

can your three brains defeat the three brains that we see over here?

-Would you like to go first or second?

-First, please, Jeremy.

Here's your question. Good luck to you all.

In the Roman Catholic Church, a novena is a series of prayers or services

that extends over how many days?

-Nine.

-"Novem" is Latin for "nine".

-Is it?

-So it's nine days.

-I would say nine on the basis of that.

-Yes.

On the basis that we think "novem" is the number nine,

we're going for nine days.

-Nine is spot-on.

-Well done, Mat.

-Nine is the right answer. Well done.

Eggheads, your first question.

What does an apiologist study?

-Well, bees live in an apiary, so that's bees.

-Yeah.

That's bees.

Bees is correct. Here's your second question to you, Yospreys.

Keep it up. Warmblood and coldblood are groups of which creature?

I thought I knew the answer, but I don't now.

Warmblood and coldblood...

Horse... I think it's horse, isn't it?

Warmblood and coldblood are types of which creature?

Sheep, horse and cat.

-What do you think?

-Well, they're all...

I thought the question was going to be about reptiles.

It's completely thrown me.

They're all mammals.

Yes.

So it mustn't be anything to do with that.

Coldblooded horse, coldblooded sheep or coldblooded cat.

I don't think it's cat, do you?

A coldblooded sheep or a coldblooded horse?

-I haven't got a clue.

-I think it's horse.

-I have no idea, but I don't think it's horse.

-Oh, dear.

It's probably sheep.

LAUGHTER Come on, we have to make a decision.

Shall we do the famous "let's go down the middle" cos we don't know?

-No.

-Well, he's going for cat anyway.

-Go on then. Go for you.

It'll be my fault then.

We really don't know

and we've decided to go down the middle with "cat".

-OK...

-It's wrong.

-You ignored the lady who pulled off...

-Joan, I'm sorry!

..an amazing victory on Sport. Her instincts are incredible.

Horse is the answer.

-Never mind.

-Never mind.

-You can still win.

OK, Eggheads, the People's Daily is a large circulation newspaper in which country?

-It's China.

-The Communist Party paper in China.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-That's China.

-China is the right answer.

You need this one, guys, otherwise the contest is over.

The Greek mathematician Euclid reputedly warned that there is no royal road to geometry

when which historical figure asked if there was an easier way to learn the subject?

-Right, Mark Antony is Roman.

-Yeah.

Ptolemy is Egyptian.

Ptolemy took over Egypt after Alexander the Great,

so it's Alexander the Great.

We reckon it's Alexander the Great

because Mark Antony was Roman

and Ptolemy was the Egyptian king

that took over Egypt after Alexander died.

-That's our logic.

-So your answer is Alexander the Great?

-Yes.

No, the logic is right maybe, but the answer is wrong.

-Ptolemy?

-Ptolemy is the answer.

-Sorry.

Ptolemy is the answer. Congratulations, Eggheads.

You have won.

Commiserations on the final result, Yospreys. The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them

and 20 or more teams have gone before you in sequence and lost, so there's no shame in losing.

You won't be going home with the £24,000, so the money rolls over to our next show.

They're getting more exciting. 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.

£25,000 says they don't. Until then, goodbye.

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