Episode 88 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 Eggheads, where a team of five quiz challengers

pit their wits against possibly the greatest quiz team in Britain.

They are the Eggheads.

Challenging our resident champions...

These friends share a passion for stand-up comedy

and quiz at the Fentiman Arms in Oval, so let's meet them.

My name is Tyrone. I'm 37 years of age and I am a marketing and communications officer.

Hi. I'm Bertie. I'm 26 years old and I work in HR.

Hello. I'm Gareth. I'm 37 years old and I'm an accountant.

Hello. I'm Mark. I'm 39 and I'm a comedian.

Hello. I'm Paul. I'm 40 years old and I'm an insight manager.

Tyrone and friends, welcome.

You've got serious jobs, but the comedy's mainly a side line?

Yes. I guess you could call it a sideline or a semi-serious hobby, perhaps.

-Sometimes, the comedy gets more serious?

-In terms of passion, obviously.

It's something we all share and enjoy doing.

You've got HR and accountancy and marketing, but you're not here for that.

No. We're here to beat these guys. That's the plan.

They take everything seriously, I have to say.

Very difficult to get a laugh out of them.

They've been on an incredible run.

There is £1,000 up for grabs for our challengers every day.

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

I can tell you, Comedy Heat - you'll love this -

-the Eggheads have won the last 38 games.

-Wow!

-No joke.

£39,000 says you can't beat them today.

-Has it been worth the trip?

-Yeah. I'm super-confident.

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

Which one of you would like Science?

I think it's going to be Gareth.

-Is it me?

-You all right with that?

-Yeah.

You can choose an Egghead, Gareth, to go up against.

Can I choose Barry, please?

-You've done a bit of Science recently, Barry.

-More than I normally get.

Gareth from Comedy Heat versus Barry from the uncomedic Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions in the Question Room.

Gareth, you're the accountant but you also, crucially, do comedy?

I write jokes and I try to write sitcoms,

but not dreadfully funny, so that's why I'm an accountant.

At some point, I guess, you'll write THE sitcom.

-I plan to write a sitcom about accountancy. I think it'd be hilarious.

-Yeah, it's time.

-I know. It's definitely a field that's missing.

-OK!

-Barry and Gareth on Science. Gareth, you can choose the first or second set of questions.

-The first, please.

Good luck.

What is the general term for pain in a nerve?

Neurosis, I don't think is actual pain.

Neurology, I think is to do with the brain.

I'm going to go with neurology.

-The right answer is neuralgia.

-Ooh. I should have gone for neuralgia.

Neurology is general brain stuff.

-Judith?

-Anything with "logy" at the end is always "knowledge of" or "study of", isn't it?

-That would be a person who... A neurologist knows about the brain, generally?

-Yeah.

Barry, your first question.

Caffeine is a compound of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and which other element?

Caffeine. How can we ever live without it? It's oxygen.

It is oxygen. Just those four, is it, Barry, those four elements?

Mm-hm. Yeah. Lots of them. CHUCKLES

Gareth, your question.

The Herschel Museum of Astronomy is in which city?

I don't think it's Norwich.

I think it's between Bath and Edinburgh.

I'm going to take a guess and go with Bath.

-Do your teammates know?

-No. I would guess Bath, too.

-You said, "Good man."

-I thought he read my mind in guessing that one.

He's right. You're right. Bath it is. You're off the blocks.

Obelus is the name given to the symbol used for which mathematical operation?

I think an obelus is a symbol used for division.

-Right up your street, that question.

-Just a bit.

Division is the right answer. Barry loves his maths!

You need to get this one right, Gareth, or Barry will have knocked you out.

Which foreign head of state and expert on the goby fish

was awarded a Royal Society medal for his contribution to scientific research?

Purely on... Just because in my brain it sounds right,

I'm going with Emperor Akihito of Japan.

-It is, indeed, Emperor Akihito.

-God! The man!

It was just your neurology and neuralgia, a bit of confusion,

-you would have got three out of three.

-Er, thank you.

Two out of three might be enough

to give Barry a problem.

Dr Harvey Fletcher is associated with the development of which device?

Hm. Harvey Fletcher?

Hearing aid, I think many people might have been involved with that.

The iron lung, I believe, was invented by a chap called Drinker.

But I can't really recall a name Fletcher with pacemaker.

I'm not certain. I'm pretty certain iron lung was Drinker.

-I'll go for pacemaker.

-You're wrong, Barry. It's hearing aid.

-Ah!

-Back in the game!

-Back in the game, Gareth!

-How about that?

-It's a surprise to me, too.

We go to Sudden Death. You can get tipped out of this round very quickly.

-A bit harder cos I don't give you alternative answers.

-OK.

Carborundum, used as an abrasive, is a compound of carbon and which other element?

Aluminium.

It's not aluminium. How do we get to the answer?

It's a trademarked name for Silicon carbide.

-The answer is Silicon, Gareth.

-Oh, right. Thank you.

Barry, for the round.

Referring to a telescope in Arizona, for what does the letter B in the abbreviation LBT stand?

LBT?

Ooh.

Large something telescope.

I'm not sure. I don't think I've ever heard of this.

Large bandwidth telescope, it could be?

If it was something that didn't look in the visual spectrum, but looked in the infrared or ultraviolet.

CONVERSATION INAUDIBLE

I'll go for bandwidth, but I'm not sure on this at all.

You'll be so cross when you hear the answer. Large Binocular Telescope.

-Which means, I guess, you're looking through two things at once?

-I didn't know that.

Gareth, you're still in it.

Spheniscus mendiculus is the scientific name for which penguin,

named after the island group to which it is endemic?

I've been watching the programme with David Tennant as well!

Falkland Islands.

I think you're in the right territory, but it's not the answer. It's Galapagos penguin.

Yeah. Sorry.

OK, Barry.

Which radioactive element is named after the Norse god of thunder?

Norse god of thunder? That would be Thor, so the element would be thorium.

Thorium is correct.

You've taken the round.

-Gareth, you hung on well.

-Thank you.

-Let's see if that augurs well for the team. Do come back, rejoin us.

A little knock there, Tyrone, but nothing that can't be overcome.

Yeah, no. We're not dead yet, as they say.

That was the one subject that none of us were really confident on.

Hopefully, that's out the way. Perhaps we can press on.

And we've seen people win with only one brain left.

-We've seen it happen.

-Yeah.

-So there's no point in this game at which you give up hope.

-We WERE going to leave.

-No, don't leave!

But now we're going to stick it out and continue.

Comedy Heat have lost one brain. The Eggheads have not lost a brain.

Early days, and the next subject for you is Sport.

Who's good on this?

It's going to have to be Bertie.

Bertie on Sport. Which Egghead?

-Who do you fancy?

-I think I would like to go against Judith.

What a surprise(!)

-Oh, dear. Are we getting into one of those Sport runs?

-Yeah.

That's encouraging! Bertie from Comedy Heat versus Judith from the Eggheads.

Please take your positions.

-Bertie, Sport.

-Yes.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-I will go second, please.

OK, Judith, your question.

What name is given to a golf club that is a cross between a wood and an iron?

I should think it's probably a hybrid.

Hybrid is the correct answer. Well done.

Bertie, the footballer Vincent Kompany, who joined Manchester City in 2008,

made his full international debut for which country in 2004?

Purely because I went to the game at Wembley, I know it is Belgium.

Belgium is correct.

Judith, your question.

Which male tennis player reached the final of three Grand Slam tournaments in 2012?

Rafael Nadal had a difficult year, I think,

with injury.

It's got to be Novak Djokovic. He won practically everything.

He didn't win the US Open, but he was in the final of that

and the French and the Australian, so Djokovic it is.

OK, Bertie.

The International Hurdle is a horse race that usually takes place in December at which racecourse?

Um...

Purely because I think I've seen hurdle races there before...

Um...I'm pretty sure it's...

I was going to say it's not Kempton,

but now that I say Kempton, it makes me feel that it might be Kempton.

I think I've heard it somewhere.

I used to work at a betting company,

so I should have seen some of this and I want to say it's Aintree.

You're slaloming around all over there.

Cheltenham is the answer, Bertie. Sorry.

Judith, if you get this one right,

you've knocked him out.

In 1954, Juan Manuel Fangio won the Formula 1 World Championship

driving for Mercedes and which other team during the season?

Oh, Jeremy! I don't think it's Maserati.

I think it's between Ferrari and Alfa Romeo.

Alfa Romeo, in those days, was quite a big thing.

But...

I think I'm going to plump for Ferrari.

-It's Maserati.

-Oh!

Sometimes the one you really think it's not can be the answer.

Bertie, if you get this one right,

we go to Sudden Death, just like Gareth did.

How many stages of the 2012 Tour de France were won by Bradley Wiggins?

Purely going to come down to...

I can't even remember how many stages there are.

I'm going to go with the middle. I'm going to have to say three.

I'm sorry, it's two. It's two.

So, you've been knocked out.

Judith will be in the final after a hard-fought Sport round.

Please both of you come back and rejoin your teams.

So Comedy Heat have taken another slight dent. They've lost two brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have not lost any. Let's see if we can turn it around now, guys.

The next subject is Film & TV.

-That will be me, Jeremy.

-Tyrone against which Egghead?

-Not Judith or Barry.

-I'll take on big Chris.

-OK.

Tyrone from Comedy Heat versus Chris from the Eggheads.

Please take your positions.

Tyrone, would you like to go first or second?

I'm happy to go first, thanks.

Here is your first question.

Which character has been played on film by Peter Sellers, Alan Arkin and Steve Martin?

I know the answer to this. It's not Mr Magoo.

It's certainly not Dr Dolittle. It is Inspector Clouseau.

Inspector Clouseau is the right answer.

Chris, which former MP took part in the 2013 series of Dancing On Ice?

Whoa! Ann Widdecombe, the mind boggles.

She's a good sport, but I don't see her skating.

Matthew Parris, no. Oona King.

Oona King.

Oona King is correct. Matthew Parris now a journalist.

He was an MP. I'm not sure it would be his thing.

Tyrone, here's your question.

Who was the Bob referred to in the TV gameshow Bob's Full House?

Again, I know this one. It's not the very funny Bob Mills.

It's not the equally funny Bob Carolgees.

It was the late, great Bob Monkhouse.

Bob Monkhouse is correct.

-He who had a joke book, famously.

-His most famous joke was,

"I told my family I wanted to be a comedian. They didn't stop laughing.

"Well, they're not laughing now." LAUGHTER

You're right. Remembering Bob Monkhouse. That's nice, isn't it?

Summerdown Comprehensive was the main setting for which TV programme?

Whoa!

Summerdown Comprehensive?

I don't know.

Don't think it was Press Gang.

That was too long ago with Julia Sawalha and various people.

Don't think it's The Inbetweeners. I'll have to go with Teachers.

Teachers is right. We're just waiting for a moment

-where they show you a bit of daylight, aren't we, Tyrone?

-Yep.

The 1965 film Ship Of Fools was the last film of which actress?

Ooh, dear me. I do not know the answer to this.

-1965.

-TYRONE SIGHS

Garson? Leigh?

I'm going to have to take a complete guess at this point.

I'm going to go down the middle. I'm going to say Vivien Leigh.

-Vivien Leigh is quite right.

-Ooh! Goodness me!

-Lucky.

-A long time ago. The year I was born - a very long time ago.

Chris, if you get this wrong you've been knocked out by Tyrone.

In the 1987 film Dirty Dancing,

Baby, played by Jennifer Grey, has what real first name?

Well, it's not a diminutive form of Frances. That would be Fanny.

There's no diminutive form from Alice.

Because it starts with B and ends in Y, I'll say Betsey.

Frances is the answer. You're in the final round, Tyrone. Well done!

-Brilliant!

-Victory for the skipper!

Frances was in Dirty Dancing.

Chris has been knocked out and Tyrone is in the final.

Please come back and we'll play on.

Things are turning around, are they, for comedy heat?

They've lost two brains, but well done, Tyrone, he knocked out an Egghead. They've lost one.

The next subject is Politics.

TYRONE GROANS

-No. No chance.

-It's not what you wanted?

-Gareth was our Politics guy.

-LAUGHTER

PAUL: Shall I take the bullet? MARK: You'd better.

I think we're going to go with Paul. Choose your poison, Pat or Kevin?

Yeah, Pat or Kevin?

Pat, please.

Paul from Comedy Heat against Pat from the Eggheads on Politics.

Please go to the Question Room.

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

-I may as well go first.

Let's see if you can join Tyrone in the final.

Describing someone who works in a supporting role to the Government,

"spad" is an abbreviation of which two-word term?

The most logical sounding answer of those would be special adviser.

Special adviser is spad, you're right. Pat, your question.

In July 2009, which politician caused a stir

when he described the £250,000 he earned from part-time journalism as "chicken feed"?

I'm sure all of those have written in their time.

Most regular writer would be Boris Johnson. He's had a career.

He's been an editor and a journalist.

The least guarded would also be Boris Johnson.

I can't see Tony Blair or Peter Mandelson being so casual

as to use the words "chicken feed".

Hm.

I'll have to go for Boris Johnson.

Boris Johnson is the right answer.

A column in the Telegraph I guess they're talking about.

The Mayor of London. OK, Paul, your question.

Selwyn Lloyd was Chancellor of the Exchequer under which British Prime Minister?

It's going to have to be an educated guess.

Selwyn sounds like an earlier 20th-century name.

I'll go Anthony Eden.

Selwyn Lloyd was Harold Macmillan's Chancellor, Paul.

Sorry about that.

Pat has a chance to take the lead if he gets this right.

What is the privilege granted by the United Nations General Assembly

which allows non-members to participate?

Of those three, I think I've heard of observer status.

I'm not certain it's in the United Nations context.

I think I'll go for observer status.

Observer status is the right answer.

You need to get this right, Paul.

-Come on, Paul! Come on!

-Here's your third question. Good luck.

VV Giri, whose involvement in the politics of Ireland saw him expelled from there in 1916,

later became President of which Commonwealth country?

I've got a gut feeling it might be Trinidad.

Let's see if your colleagues know. Is it Trinidad?

I don't believe it is Trinidad. I would take a stab at Ghana.

Uh-huh? What about you, Pat?

I don't know, but there are some points here.

One is that having initials VV is very Indian.

Secondly, India became a state in '47, so it was in a position

to have a leader earlier than the others, so I'd have gone for India.

-He's good, isn't he?

-He's good.

-He's won the round.

The answer is India. Sorry, Paul. Pat is going to be in the final.

If you come back to us we will play that final round with an awfully big jackpot.

This is what we have 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.

So, Bertie, Gareth and Paul from Comedy Heat,

and Chris from the Eggheads, please leave the studio.

Tyrone and Mark, you're playing to win Comedy Heat £39,000.

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

I will ask each team three questions in turn.

The questions are all General Knowledge and you ARE allowed to confer.

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

-Would you like to go first or second?

-First, please.

Here we go. Good luck. £39,000!

In which year in the 1950s did the plane crash

that killed Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens occur?

It's out of '56 or '59.

-Course(!)

-I'm trying to think, was my mother a baby when it happened

-or was it before she was born?

-How would you...?

-I don't know.

-I don't know why I'm saying that.

-I reckon go with the middle man.

I don't know, mate. I'm thinking 1959.

-But there you go.

-If we lose this, mate.

Mm. Grim.

-I reckon '56.

-I think...

-If I reckon, it's probably wrong.

-It'll be a long journey back for you if you're wrong.

-'53.

-We'll go with '59, then.

-Shall we? If it's '53...

-It's definitely not '53.

-I think it's '53.

I assure you, it's not '53.

Best go with what I reckon, then.

We made a decision.

1959.

Your answer is 1959? This is the famous day the music died.

Gosh! Interesting process of logic you go through.

-It was to do with where your mum was?

-My mother was born in '58.

I don't remember in conversation whether she said she was a baby

or if it was before she was born.

-That would be helpful!

-I can't explain the logic.

-She was one when it happened. 1959.

-Wonderful!

-Well done.

-Well done!

-JEREMY LAUGHS

Comedy routine, my goodness!

OK, Eggheads, the Waterloo Hotel,

home to prestigious tournaments in crown green bowling, is in which English resort?

Blackpool, isn't it?

I think it's Blackpool.

Yeah, crown green bowling is more prominent in the north of England

and it's in Blackpool.

Blackpool is correct. OK, so it's equal. £39,000.

You're on an uphill battle, you think,

but you're literally two questions away from all that money.

Hold focus, guys.

The American comic book artist Jerry Robinson

is credited with the creation of which of these characters?

-Well, it's not Judge Dredd.

-How do you know?

-Because I used to read it.

Pat Mills or someone created him, I think.

Jerry's quite an old name, so I reckon Tarzan.

I don't know if Bob Kane, who created Batman, created the Joker.

-I'm not sure.

-Course he did.

Through a process of elimination, I would go with Tarzan.

-Shall we go with Tarzan?

-I think so.

Tarzan.

It's wrong.

-It's the Joker.

-Ugh!

Tyrone, you had a lot of information there.

-Yeah. Wrong.

-No, but you were on the trail.

-Yeah.

-Sorry about that.

You had more information for that than for the first one.

The Eggheads have a chance to go ahead.

The supernatural thriller The Secret Of Crickley Hall

was written by which author?

-JUDITH: No idea.

-James Herbert.

It was... Was it 2012 or early 2013, it was serialised on TV?

I'm sure it's James Herbert. Clive Barker is primarily a horror writer.

Neil Gaiman, various things.

-It's James Herbert.

-JUDITH: We'll go with you.

Fairly sure, but not absolutely sure that it's James Herbert.

James Herbert is the right answer.

You must get this one right to stay in.

-If you do, they may get theirs wrong.

-Give us an easy one, then.

I'll give you what's written here.

Panama proclaimed its independence from which country in 1903?

-What is that near?

-I don't know. Is it Central America?

My geography's poor.

So, you've got Panama. Cuba's an island.

-Costa Rica's the skinny one.

-That's an island as well!

-Is it?

-I don't know.

I say Colombia. Down the middle, mate.

-Colombia...

-They know what it is.

-They know what it is.

-They know what it is. They're good.

Shall we just say Colombia?

No. Look what happened last time.

All right, then. This is on you.

This is on you, buddy.

Right, er...

We're going to take Costa Rica and £39,000. Thank you.

If you've got it wrong, the contest is over.

-You should have gone down the middle.

-What?

-Colombia!

-Oh, no!

-Is the answer.

-I was right.

We say congratulations, Eggheads. You have won.

-Thanks for playing, guys.

-We really enjoyed it.

It was brilliant listening to you at the end. You were zeroing in on the correct answer, then having doubts.

Doubt was the trouble!

38 teams have been this way and had the same outcome.

They are on fire at the moment and they didn't, unfortunately,

give way to Comedy Heat, so we say commiserations to you.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them. This incredible winning streak continues.

I've never seen a jackpot this high. You won't be going home with the £39,000.

Don't mean to rub it in. The money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, congratulations! You're playing so well!

I think this is going to go on for ever.

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

£40,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.

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