Episode 78 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 awesome might of our quiz goliaths today

are Between The Rock And A Hard Place.

This team of friends all quiz together every Thursday

in The Rock pub in Glasgow. Let's meet them.

Hi there, my name's Craig, I'm 25 years old

and I'm a junior doctor training to become a GP.

Hello, my name's William, I'm 25 years old

and I'm training to be a surgeon.

Hello, my name's Michael, I'm 24 and I'm a junior doctor

currently working in obstetrics and gynaecology.

Hello, my name's Gordon, I'm 25, I'm a junior doctor

and I'm about to start specialty training in medicine.

Hello, I'm Andrew, I'm 25

and I'm studying towards a PhD in mechanical engineering.

-So, Craig and team, welcome. Good to see you.

-Hi there.

-So, Between The Rock And A Hard Place, The Rock is a place?

-Yeah.

The Rock's the name of the pub which we regularly quiz at every Thursday,

and we've been doing that for the past year and a half together.

They take their quizzing seriously. They've got about 20 teams?

Yeah, there's usually about 20 teams and it's a pretty tough quiz.

It's well renowned. There's been features in the Herald

documenting how tough it is, so it's good preparation for today.

Do I dare ask where you are in the 20?

We have variable levels of success.

We're usually in the middle, but a lot of the teams are older

and more experienced, and I think for our age, we do quite well.

-So we're talking top five?

-We have been know to be in the top five.

-Not quite Man United, but Man City?

-Yeah, probably.

-Or Chelsea.

-Yep.

-Every day there is £1,000 worth of cash up for grabs

for our challengers. However, if they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, I can tell you, Between The Rock And A Hard Place, love your name,

the Eggheads have won the last 28 games,

which means £29,000 says you can't beat them today.

The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Politics.

Who would like Politics?

We've had a discussion beforehand.

-We've decided on Gordon.

-Yeah, I'll take this one.

-Gordon's going to step up for this one.

-OK. Impressive immediately,

cos normally when I say politics, the team goes, "Oh, no!"

You didn't flinch. Gordon against which Egghead?

-Er, shall I play Daphne?

-OK.

-Daphne, please.

-Lovely. OK.

Gordon from Between The Rock And A Hard Place

and Daphne from the Eggheads,

would you please take your positions in the question room

and you'll have your questions on politics.

So, Politics, Gordon. Your choice.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-I'll go first, please.

Good luck. Here we go. For what does the letter F stand

in the European Union policy known as the CFP?

Er, the CFP is the Common Fisheries Policy,

so I'll go with fisheries.

Fisheries is the right answer, well done.

THEY CLAP

Daphne, your question. Who directly preceded Neville Chamberlain

as prime minister of the UK?

That was Stanley Baldwin.

Stanley Baldwin is correct.

Back to you, Gordon. Who was the only US president

for whom English was not his first language?

I don't really have any idea for this question. Erm....

I wouldn't have thought it would be Theodore Roosevelt.

Erm, I think I'll go for James K Polk.

James K Polk is your answer. It's an interesting question. Daphne?

It's Martin Van Buren.

I think it was Dutch he originally spoke.

Martin Van Buren is the answer, Gordon. Sorry.

OK, Daphne, your question to take the lead.

Which Oscar-winning actor caused controversy in February 2012

by speaking out about the political status of the Falkland Islands?

Yes, what does he know? Sean Penn.

-HE LAUGHS

-Sean Penn is the right answer.

Well done. So, she's ahead, Gordon, and you need to get this right

or you've been knocked out. In 2010, Dominic Grieve was appointed

to which position in the coalition government?

Er, I'm not sure about this.

I think I'll go for Leader of the Commons.

Yeah, it's funny, I opened my newspaper just the other day

and saw a big picture of him wearing one of those wigs,

those judicial wigs. Attorney General is the answer, Gordon.

So with one out of three, no way back for you.

Daphne has booked her place in the final round.

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

As it stands, this team, Between The Rock And A Hard Place,

have lost one brain, this team have lost no brains.

The next subject is Music.

Who's listening the whole time to music when they're not operating?

None of us, I don't think.

-Music's not great for us.

-Really?

-Unfortunately not, no.

But we'd selected William beforehand.

William, you're already nominated on this one, are you?

-Apparently.

-OK.

-THEY LAUGH

So, which Egghead would you like? It can't be Daphne cos she's gone.

-I think I'll take on Chris.

-So, William from the challengers

versus Chris from the Eggheads. And to ensure there's no conferring,

take your positions in the question room.

-So, William, you have been asked to do Music.

-Unfortunately, yes.

It's unusual to have a team of young men

and no-one really passionate about music.

-We're all more sporting-inclined people, really.

-OK. Good luck.

-You can choose the first or second set of questions.

-First, please.

Here we go. All the best. For what is the word Met short

in the nickname of the famous opera venue in New York?

OK, I haven't been there.

Really not sure. I think it's unlikely to be Methodist.

I think I'll go for Metropolitan.

Metropolitan is the right answer.

THEY CLAP

Chris, your music question. Which precious stones

form the title of a UK number one single for Rihanna in 2012?

Er, what's the most precious of those three? Presumably Diamonds.

Diamonds is the right answer.

OK, your question, William.

What is the title of the album released by the Rolling Stones

to mark their 50th anniversary?

OK, er, no idea here,

so it's going to have to be a complete guess.

I think I'll go for Whey.

Whey? We've got YAYY! WAHHH! or GRRR!

-Yeah, WAHHH! with a W.

-Oh, WAHHH!, OK.

No. It's wrong. GRRR! is the right answer.

Chris, your question. Blues musician John Lee Hooker

became famous for his ability to play which instrument?

John Lee Hooker sings blues and plays a guitar.

You're right, he does. You take the lead.

So you're in the same pickle that Gordon was in in the last round.

You need this question or you'll be knocked out like Gordon.

Ira Gershwin once praised a singer by saying,

"I never knew how good our songs were until I heard..."

who sing them?

Well, this seems like something that was just a little before my time.

Erm...

It's going to have to be a guess here.

I think I'll go for Ella Fitzgerald.

-Eggheads, is he right?

-Yeah.

-Yes, you are right.

-Well done. You've got two points.

-THEY CLAP

So, you now need Chris to get this one wrong and we go to sudden death.

If he gets it right, he's in the final round. Here we go.

Who composed the opera Anna Nicole,

staged by the Royal Opera House in 2011?

Hm. That's about Anna Nicole Smith, isn't it?

Er, I don't think it was Harrison Birtwistle.

I don't think it was Judith Weir. I think it was Mark-Anthony Turnage.

Yeah, you've got it absolutely right, Chris. Well done.

Mark-Anthony Turnage it is. So you're in the final,

three out of three. The Eggheads are playing well, not an answer wrong.

Sorry, William, you have been knocked out.

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

As it stands, Between The Rock And A Hard Place have lost two brains

from the final round, the Eggheads have lost no brains so far.

The next subject is Sport and I know you're more comfortable with this.

-So who is this?

-That's better for us.

-That's going to be Michael.

-I think that one's me.

-Michael, OK.

-Against which Egghead?

-Shall we go for Dave?

-Go for it.

-Let's go for Dave.

OK, Michael versus tremendous knowledge Dave.

The doctor against the genius.

-HE LAUGHS

-I wouldn't say that at all!

Against the very knowledgeable person.

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

So we've got two people who love sport here, Michael,

but I know you may be under-par today cos you've had a busy night.

-Not quite under-par, but I have had a busy night.

-Tell us why.

Well, to get here this morning, I just finished night shift

about two hours before our arrival time at the studio.

During the night, I would've got a bit of sleep,

but I had to assist in three emergency caesarean sections.

That's incredible.

So you delivered three... There's three different mums involved.

Three different mums and a lot of running about.

-And then you come straight here.

-Then I came straight here.

-No chance to nap in between?

-Erm, no, not quite.

-HE LAUGHS

-But the main thing is,

-all three mums and babies doing all right?

-Everybody's all right, yeah.

I think we need a round of applause for that.

-APPLAUSE

-After that, this will be a doddle.

-Hopefully.

-So you're on sport.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-I'd like to go first.

Here we go, Michael. Good luck.

The World Series in US baseball is contested over how many games?

Erm, I'm not a big baseball fan myself.

Erm...

I've just maybe seen it on some kind of US TV programmes

that I might watch. I think it's more than three.

I'm not sure it's as much as 11. Down the middle, best of seven.

The sleepless night has not put you off your stroke.

-Best of seven is correct.

-THEY CLAP

OK, Dave, your question.

During 2012, Yorkshiremen James Willstrop and Nick Matthew

both held the position of world number one in which racquet sport?

-That's squash.

-Yeah, it's squash.

OK, Michael, your question.

In the 1993 to 1994 Premier League season,

who formed a partnership with Andy Cole

that scored 55 goals for Newcastle United?

OK, so, 93-94,

Alan Shearer would've been at Blackburn at that point.

Moved for a world record transfer fee in 1996

from Blackburn to Newcastle, so it's not him.

Chris Waddle was more of a winger, not really a goal-scorer.

I think that one's Peter Beardsley.

-It is Peter Beardsley. Well done.

-THEY CLAP

Dave, here is your question to catch up with our challenger.

In 2012, who finished second to Sebastian Vettel

in the Formula 1 driver's championship?

Right, erm...

I don't think it's Lewis Hamilton or Kimi Raikkonen,

I think it's Fernando Alonso.

Fernando Alonso is the right answer. Well done. Two points each.

Michael, get this one right, put a bit of pressure on our Egghead.

Which West Indies cricketer took 14 wickets

for 149 runs at the Oval in 1976 against England?

Erm, I'm afraid I'm not a big cricket fan

and I've not really heard of any of these guys.

Erm...

I'm going to go for Michael Holding.

-Who's the cricket fan on the Eggheads?

-Me.

-Oh, it's you, Dave, is it? Is he right?

-Of course he's right.

Well done, Michael. You got three out of three.

THEY CLAP

Dave, which British boxer fought Marcos Maidana

in a contest awarded the 2010 Fight Of The Year

by the Boxing Writers Association of America?

Marcos Maidana. I'm not sure at all

but I'm going to rule out Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe

and go for Amir Khan.

Well, I know you love your boxing and you've got it right. Amir Khan.

So after three questions, the scores are level. We go to sudden death.

Michael, it gets a little bit harder cos I don't give you alternatives.

The International Sailing Federation

replaced which sport with kiteboarding

for the 2016 Rio Olympics,

only to reverse their decision several months later?

Oh, erm, I'm not sure on this one at all.

Erm...

I'm going to go with kayaking. I'm not sure at all, I'm afraid.

-Anyone else on your team know?

-I think it's windsurfing.

Yeah, you're quite right, it's windsurfing. Windsurfing.

So, Dave, if you get this right, you've got the round.

In November 2012, Harry Redknapp was appointed

to manage which London football club?

Queens Park Rangers.

QPR is the right answer, so you have taken the round.

On a good run at the moment.

Michael, sorry, you've been knocked out.

As a result, Michael, you won't be in the final round and Dave will.

Please rejoin your teams.

So, as it stands, Between The Rock And A Hard Place

have lost three brains from the final round.

Craig, any change in tactics?

Or will you need to now resort to using medical equipment on them?

I think that may be an option, yeah.

I don't know if anything else will work.

-Bring out the scalpels.

-Yeah.

-The next subject is Geography.

It's not too late, guys. Believe me,

with one or two in the final, you can take them apart.

-Geography. Who wants it?

-I'll be up for that one.

-OK, Craig.

And which Egghead would you like? It can be Kevin or Barry, the bookends.

It's a tough choice. They're both very strong.

I think we'll go on the attack and take on Kevin.

All right, so Craig from Between The Rock And A Hard Place

versus Kevin from the Eggheads. Please take your positions.

OK, so it is Geography, Craig. Would you like to go first or second?

The temptation's there to go second, but we discussed the strategy,

we'll go first and try and put some pressure on Kevin.

Craig, good luck getting to the final round against Kevin.

Skelmersdale, designated a new town in 1961,

is located 13 miles to the northeast of which city?

I'm not 100 percent certain on this one,

but when you read the question,

the first thing that came into my mind was Liverpool. I'll go for that.

And Liverpool is the right answer, well done.

-THEY CLAP

-I'm assuming 13 miles northeast

-of Sunderland is the sea!

-It is, yeah.

That wouldn't be a good place to put a new town.

Kevin, which term refers to a line on a map of the ocean

that connects points of equal depth?

Yes. Somebody's been looking at the sanitary ware there.

It's isobath.

Isobath is the right answer.

OK, Craig, your question.

What is the standard crossing time from Penzance to Hugh Town

in the Isles of Scilly by the seasonal ferry?

I'm not really sure on this one.

I'm going to rule out 30 minutes. I think that's a bit short.

I think the Scilly Isles are a bit further away.

By the same token, six hours probably sounds a bit too much,

so I'll go two hours 40 minutes.

Two hours 40 minutes is absolutely right.

THEY CLAP

-There's a politician who used to holiday there.

-Harold Wilson.

-Yeah.

Kevin, where are the headquarters

of the international airline Cathay Pacific?

Er, Cathay Pacific is the one that's based in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is the right answer. He is difficult to shake off, Craig,

with this sort of methodical approach that he takes.

-Got to hope for something to just surprise him.

-Hopefully.

-Hopefully.

English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour

are features of which Caribbean island?

Again, that's a tough one.

I'm not really sure at all.

Erm...

I'd probably tend to say Jamaica more with English-sounding names,

so I'm going to punt for Jamaica.

I could see why you chose that but it's wrong. It's Antigua.

So Kevin has a chance to take the round here

and reduce the brilliant Rock And Hard Place team to one player.

The Forest of Bowland

is considered to be part of which chain of hills?

Well, the Forest of Bowland, if I remember it correctly,

is in Lancashire,

and the Chilterns and the Mendips are both too far south for that.

So it must be considered as part of the Pennines.

Never heard of it myself. Pennines, though, is the right answer.

Kevin, three out of three. Sorry, Craig, just slipping up on one

lets him in, I'm afraid. It is the way with Kevin.

-Yeah, it's always tough to beat him.

-It is. But I hope you enjoyed it.

-Yep.

-You won't be in the final round.

You can still win, though, challengers.

Both come back to us. Let's play that final.

It is time for the final now. As always, it is General Knowledge.

It does mean those of you who lost your head-to-heads

won't be allowed to take part, so I have to ask Craig, William,

Michael and Gordon from Between The Rock And A Hard Place,

would you please leave us now.

That does just leave you, Andrew. I'm sorry about that.

But they're watching you from behind and willing you on.

You're playing to win £29,000.

We haven't been up at this kind of level of jackpot for quite a while.

Kevin, Dave, Daphne, Chris, Barry,

you're playing for something money can't buy, the Eggheads' reputation.

As usual, I will ask each team three questions in turn.

This time the questions are all General Knowledge.

You are allowed to confer. You've got no-one to confer with.

But as I keep saying, you can still win.

The question is, is your one brain better than the Eggheads' five?

-And would you like to go first or second?

-First, please.

So, the engineer against the quizzers.

Good luck. Here's your first question.

Apart from the white spots and stem,

what is the usual colour of a fly agaric mushroom?

I'm not entirely sure about this one,

but I have an inkling that it might be red, so I'll go with that.

Excellent. You're right. Red is correct.

OK, Eggheads, your first question.

What name is given to a machine commonly used to pump oil

to the surface at land-based oil wells?

ALL: Nodding donkey.

We see a lot of these, especially in places like Texas,

and they go up and down all the time

and that's why they're called nodding donkeys.

Nodding donkey is the right answer, Eggheads.

OK, over to you, Andrew.

RTVE is the state broadcaster of which European country?

I've been to Spain before

and I don't remember RTVE.

Erm...

Having said that, it could be for Espanol,

so I'm going to go with Spain.

OK, Spain is your answer. You're right.

Really good. OK.

Eggheads, at the 2012 British Fashion Awards,

Cara Delevingne was a winner in which category?

-Model of the Year. She's a model.

-Oh. OK. She's a model.

I'm glad some of my colleagues know this cos I didn't have a clue,

but I'm very reliably informed that she was Model of the Year.

Model of the Year is... correct.

So if you know that one, Barry, you get in trouble at home, do you?

-Something like that.

-OK, we've seen the pattern of this game so far.

You've caught them on a good day. That can happen.

They have not got an answer wrong,

not just in this round, at all. So that's been particularly difficult.

But we know from what's happened before that this third question

for the challengers is very important. Get this one right

and they just have to get theirs wrong and you've got £29,000.

How many Scottish banks

are permitted to issue bank notes in their own name?

I think it's Royal Bank of Scotland,

Clydesdale and the Bank of Scotland, so I'm going to go with three.

I can't think of any more than that, so I'll go with three.

I guess it helps that you're from Glasgow.

The right answer is three.

So let's see. If the Eggheads get this answer wrong,

your team has £29,000. You were beginning to give up there.

You see how close you can get to the prize with three correct answers?

Which writer, Eggheads,

created the semi-autobiographical character Nick Adams?

-Hemingway.

-Yes.

-Yeah, he did various short stories.

-Hemingway.

He did various short stories that involved the character.

-So, Ernest Hemingway?

-Hemingway.

If he was semi-autobiographical, he must've been quite interesting,

but he was created by Ernest Hemingway.

Ernest Hemingway is the correct answer.

So the tension continues to build. We go to sudden death, Andrew.

It gets harder cos I don't give you alternatives.

I know that not being able to confer when you're facing all five

is tricky, but take your time.

For what does the letter K stand

in the acronym DINKY

that describes a currently childless couple?

I know the acronym, but I cannot remember

what the letters actually stand for.

I'll read it again. For what does the letter K stand

in the acronym DINKY, D-I-N-K-Y,

that describes a currently childless couple?

Because it's an N and a K,

I'm going to go with "no kids" so I'm going to go with kids, Jeremy.

Yeah, it means Double Income No Kids Yet. Well done.

-Kids is the right answer.

-JEREMY LAUGHS

You got the first sudden death question. You're back with them.

If they get this wrong, it's £29,000 to our doctors, The Rock team.

Which songbird, known for its bright red plumage,

shares its name with an ecclesiastical rank

and is the official bird of seven US states?

-Cardinal.

-Yeah. Cardinal.

-Cardinal.

I think one of the states it's the official bird of is Louisiana,

but that is a cardinal.

Ah, the certainty is so annoying.

Cardinal is correct.

OK, back to you, Andrew.

What is the name of the fictional Scottish character

who skippers the small cargo boat, or puffer, called Vital Spark

in stories by Neil Munro?

I'm afraid I really don't know this one. Erm...

I've never read the stories myself.

I'm just going to have to pass on that one. I don't know.

Do you want to just try a guess?

Somewhere in the recesses, you've seen it or heard something?

I've completely drawn a blank.

-I've completely drawn a blank with this.

-OK. Eggs?

-ALL: Para Handy.

-The name is Para Handy.

The real name is Peter Macfarlane. So the tables are turned

and Andrew is now between the rock and the hard place.

And if you get this one right, the contest is over, Eggheads.

Here is your question. The songwriter Burt Bacharach

was married to which actress between 1965 and 1980?

-Hm. I should know it.

-I should know it.

I'll go through them. Cos I've got, erm...

..Jill Clayburgh on my mind, Katharine Ross.

-I have a suspicion she was in a detective series.

-What?

I've got a suspicion she was in a detective series.

-Not Angie Dickinson?

-Pepper, that was Angie Dickinson.

Ah, that's what I was trying to think of. It wasn't her, was it?

Could be.

-Could be.

-Angie Dickinson seems to ring a bit of a bell.

-I think it might be Angie Dickinson.

-Yeah.

-I think that just...

-It sounds all right.

We're uncertain about this one, but I have a suspicion

that she was in an American TV drama as Pepper Anderson

and I think the actress might be Angie Dickinson.

The answer is Angie Dickinson. So Eggheads, you've taken

not just the round with every question correct, the whole contest.

Andrew, sorry. Congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

Yeah, you know, I thought that they were just nowhere on that!

-I was really hoping.

-They were truffling

and then Barry got it and everyone went "ping!" with Angie Dickinson.

It's a fair result. No questions wrong. You can't argue with that.

All right, thank you for playing and being such a great team.

Commiserations to Between The Rock And A Hard Place.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

Your winning streak continues. I'm afraid that means you won't go home

with the £29,000, so the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, congratulations.

Perfect contest for you. Who will beat you?

Join us next time to see if a new team of challengers

have to brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£30,000 says they don't. We're up to £30,000.

Until then, goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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