Episode 10 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 might of our quiz Goliaths today are

the Tea Tasters from North Yorkshire.

Now, this team of colleagues

all work for the same tea company based in Harrogate

and regularly quiz together at their local pub, Christies.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Frank, I'm 23 and I'm a tea buyer.

Hi, I'm Suzy, I'm 30 and I'm a tea taster.

Hi, I'm Will, I'm 31 and I've been a tea buyer for 18 months.

Hi, I'm Becky, I'm 28 and I'm a trainee tea buyer.

Hi, I'm Simon, I'm 34 and I've been buying tea for seven years.

Well, welcome to you, Tea Tasters.

So, I want to talk a lot about tasting tea, but what about

tasting whatever it is you drink at Christies

and the quiz you do there, Frank?

Oh, that's normally a pint of real ale.

Since I've moved over to Yorkshire, I've become

quite fond of that as well as tea.

OK! It doesn't spoil the palate for the tea then, does it?

Um, no, I don't think so, not when we all have it, so.

THEY LAUGH

And there's a good pub quiz there, is there?

Yeah, it's pretty good.

We have our ups and downs, but, normally ups, so...

Oh, good, OK. So, let's hope you're on an up here.

Let me tell you about the money. Every day,

there's £1,000's worth of cash up for grabs for all our challengers.

However, if they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to the next show,

so, Tea Tasters, the Eggheads have won the last ten games.

That means £11,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads today.

Shall we play it? Let's start with our opening round.

First head-to-head, it's Sport.

Who'd like to play this? Sport.

-That needs to be you, Will.

-Yeah, um...

I think that you would be the most strong.

I think Will will play at this category.

OK, Will, and who are you playing from the Eggheads?

I'm going to play Chris today.

Ah-hah! What a turn-up for the books that is!

OK, let's have Will and Chris into the Question Room, please,

to make sure you both can't confer with your teams.

Well, Will, we'll talk about tea first, shall we?

Sport in a minute, tea first. How did you get into tea buying then?

Pure chance, really.

I've always been a big tea drinker,

but I saw an advert on the local news looking for a tea buyer to come

and drink tea and travel the world, and I thought I fancy trying that

and, fortunately, a year or so later, I got a job tasting tea.

That doesn't sound bad, does it?

I mean, do they have to test out your tongue and your palate?

Is there a certain type of person who probably can't do it?

The taste buds aren't developed enough or something?

They reckon you can train about 95% of people to do it,

but it is a long process, it takes about five years, probably,

and still, even after that, you're still learning new things every day.

So, it is a long process, so...

Well, let's play this sport round, shall we?

-Do you want to go first or second, Will?

-I'll go first, please.

Best of luck.

First question, which golf course hosted the 2013 Open Championship?

Which golf course hosted the 2013 Open Championship?

Um, I'm not a big golfer. I've started playing again recently,

trying to, uh...

..run through a few certain ones in my head.

It's not a certainty,

but I think I'm going to go with Muirfield for this one.

Muirfield. OK, something is sticking in the memory.

Do you think you watched one of the...?

I've got a feeling I remember it being in Scotland,

but, obviously, if it's not Muirfield, that's a bit of a...

-falsity.

-You've got it, it's right. Yes, Muirfield is correct.

And your first question, Chris.

Which football team won the 2012-13 Premier League title?

Which football team won the 2012-13 Premier League title?

Dave will kill me if I get this wrong.

Um...

Well, it must have been Man U, Manchester United.

Yeah, of those three, yeah!

THEY LAUGH

It is Manchester United. Yes, you're right.

OK, Will, in which weight category does the boxer Tyson Fury

usually compete?

In which weight category does the boxer Tyson Fury usually compete?

Again, I'm not 100% on this. I don't watch a lot of boxing,

but I can picture him being a fairly big guy,

so I'm going to rule out featherweight and go for

heavyweight.

OK, "fairly big guy." I thought

you might have gone middleweight having said that,

but you've gone for the right one, it's heavyweight.

It's correct, well done.

Chris, which six-time Olympic gold medal winner

announced their retirement from cycling in 2013?

Which six-time Olympic gold medal winner

announced their retirement from cycling in 2013?

I think that was Bradley Wiggins.

EGGHEADS GASP

OK, Bradley Wiggins.

No, it's incorrect. Do you know, Will?

-Sir Chris Hoy.

-Sir Chris Hoy.

-Oh...

-Yeah.

It's Chris Hoy.

So...

real opportunity here then.

Will, this gives you a place in the final round.

Can you tell me which role is most associated with

the England cricketer Joe Root?

Um...I think he's been opening the batting, so I'm going to go batsman.

You're convinced Joe Root is one of the top batsmen,

and you're right! You're in!

APPLAUSE

Knocked Chris for six and you're straight into the final round.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Well, the Tea Tasters spat out one of the Eggheads there.

Chris won't be appearing in the final round.

Tea Tasters are all there. Second round coming up right now.

It's Film & Television.

Who'd like to play this?

-What are you thinking?

-Shall we go with Frank?

-I think go for it.

-Yeah?

I think I'm going to play this round, Dermot.

OK, Frank, who'd you like to play from the Eggheads?

It can't be Chris. Any of the two either side of him.

-I think go for Pat.

-Go for Pat? Go for Pat.

-Speak up.

-We're happy with Pat.

-Yeah, we're going to go with Pat, please.

OK, right, well, Pat you like your film, don't you?

-I do, yes.

-OK, it should be a good round then.

Let's have Frank and Pat into the Question Room, please.

So, Frank, on a good day, how many teas could you taste?

Oh, during the peak season, around 1,000 a day.

I didn't even know there was 1,000.

I mean, well, how do you change the palate?

I know with wine you spit it out

and have a bit of a cracker or something.

Yeah, it is similar.

We slurp the tea,

we try to take in some oxygen with it as well, cos

it's better for being able to analyse what flavours you're detecting.

And, in terms of developing your palate,

it's all just about experience and practice

and being able to associate different sensations and different flavours

with any qualities of the tea or issues that they might have.

That's fascinating and there are, well, at least 1,000 varieties,

many more, I guess, are there, of tea?

Yes, I mean, each different garden

can have its own special characteristics and, over time,

you begin to recognise a tea garden or, when you're just starting out,

just a country, whichever country the tea's come from.

But, has it ruined you?

When you go into a cafe for a bacon butty and they plonk down

the old cup of tea, do you think,

"I'm not drinking that! That's rubbish?!"

Yeah, definitely. I've become something of a tea snob, I'm afraid.

-Oh, dear!

-But...yeah!

All right, we're playing Film & Television here.

We don't have a tea round. We have a Food & Drink round,

don't know if that's coming up, but you're playing Film & TV.

Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

OK, good luck. Frank, first question, in 2013,

the panel of the television show, The Voice UK featured

how many coaches looking for a new artist?

In 2013, the panel of the television show,

The Voice UK featured how many coaches looking for a new artist?

Now, I'm not very big on my reality TV or talent shows,

but I have seen it, every now and then, and I can...

think of certainly more than two, but I don't think it was

quite as many as six, so I'm going to go with four.

OK. Thinking of all those swivelling chairs.

It is four, the right answer. Well done, Frank.

APPLAUSE

Pat, which English actor

plays the main villain in the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness?

Which English actor plays the main villain in the 2013 film

Star Trek Into Darkness?

Well, Tom Hiddleston was a baddie in Avengers Assemble.

But a man who had loads of big roles around that time was

Benedict Cumberbatch.

Benedict Cumberbatch...

as the main baddie.

Yes, that's the right answer. Who does he play?

Khan Noonien Singh, it ties in with Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan.

-Thank you, CJ.

-CJ LAUGHS

All right, second question, Frank.

In which decade did Michael Caine first play the spy Harry Palmer?

Oh...

..it's a tough one for me.

I would say I wouldn't really be doing Mr Caine justice

if it was the 1950s, I'd hope!

Between the '60s and the '70s for me.

Yeah, I'm going to go with 1970s.

1970s, Michael Caine as Harry Palmer.

'50s would have been wrong, but so was the '70s,

it's the '60s.

OK, so it was 1965, right in the middle of the '60s there.

Nothing there for Frank.

Pat, in which city is the US TV series Entourage primarily set?

I have never seen it, but I think I've read about it,

and I think the entourage in the title, I think

it relates to people like agents and hairdressers,

it's all the people surrounding either television or film

and, for that reason, I think I'll have to go for Los Angeles.

OK, how big is your entourage, Pat?

Uh, I've got quite a few people and,

if you want a detailed answers, you should speak to my people.

Yeah, I did, but I know whenever I try and talk to you off-set,

I always have to talk to someone else and they say,

"Well, we'll take a message to him."

That's the way it has to be, Dermot.

And the way I'm not allowed to look you in the eye if I do try and...

It would be impertinent, you must concede.

But I have to look at your feet.

It's not fair, Pat.

Uh, Los Angeles is the right answer, so you've got two.

You need this then, Frank.

For which of these films did Steven Spielberg receive

a best director Oscar nomination?

I've seen all three of those, um...

They're certainly all good films.

I would have to say, we were talking about it earlier today,

Jurassic Park.

Jurassic Park, did he receive an Oscar nomination?

No! Pat, do you know which of the other two did?

I'd guess at Jaws, but I don't know.

No! It was Raiders of the Lost Ark.

It is Raiders of the Lost Ark, not Jurassic Park, which means, Frank,

it's over, I'm afraid.

You've got those two wrong and Pat already has two correct,

which means he's won the round.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Well, that's evened it up.

As it stands, both the Tea Tasters

and the Eggheads have lost one brain from the final round.

Round three, our next subject, it's Science.

There's quite a lot of Science, I know, in what you do,

but who'd like to take this one on?

-I'll give it a try.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Who's playing?

-Becky.

-Becky.

OK, Becky, and remember that Pat and Chris have

played from the Eggheads, so it can Judith, Barry or CJ.

-Shall we go with CJ?

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

I'll go against CJ, please.

OK, Becky and CJ, we are smiling, CJ.

He's putting together quite a streak on Science at the moment,

and which way is the streak going? Up or down, CJ?

Well, I've been consistent in losing all three I've played.

THEY LAUGH

Let's see if you can make it four. Let's hope so, Becky.

OK, Becky and CJ into the Question Room, please.

Now, Becky, it's like the secret to life.

What is the best way of making a cup of tea?

Um, well, it's very important to always use freshly boiled water.

-Right.

-And a teapot if you can.

Um, which has been warmed and you need to brew it for between three

and five minutes, that is what we recommend.

Well, there we have it from the expert!

All right, well, do you want to let the Eggheads start,

-or do you want to start?

-I'll go first, I think, please.

Good luck, Becky. First question on Science.

What colour is the chemical element chromium in its natural state?

What colour is the chemical element chromium in its natural state?

Um, something is telling me...um...

..yellow, I'm not quite sure why, I've just got that feeling connection

with it somewhere, so I'm going to take a punt and go with yellow.

OK, yellow for chromium.

In its natural state, chromium is...

it's actually grey.

So, quite close to what it turns out,

if it is chrome like you find on old-style bumpers.

CJ, which of these big cats is native to Asia?

CJ, which of these big cats is native to Asia?

Um, the tiger is from Asia.

Yes, it is. Can't really say more than that.

It's the right answer. OK, Becky,

Charles Conrad, usually known as Pete Conrad, became the third man

to walk on the moon when he was the commander of which Apollo mission?

Charles Conrad, usually known as Pete Conrad, became the third man

to walk on the moon when he was the commander of which Apollo mission?

Hmm...um...

Well, I know the famous film Apollo 13 was about

when they didn't make it to the moon

and I think that happened after the original landings.

Um, so I think I'm going to go with Apollo 12. Again, that's just a punt.

OK. Thank goodness! Nice one.

It's a bit of a tricky one to negotiate

if you know that Apollo 11 was the first one to successfully do it.

Third man to walk on the moon, I thought you might count up

another two, but, of course, it's two from each mission.

So, anyway, it was the next mission,

which was Apollo 12 and Pete Conrad was the commander, so well done.

And CJ, second question.

The French chemist Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, a leading figure

in the Chemical Revolution, lived during which century?

The French chemist Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, a leading figure

in the Chemical Revolution, lived during which century?

I think he was one of the high-profile victims

of the terror in the French Revolution.

So, I think if he died in the 1790s, that would make it the 18th century.

18th century. Well done, CJ, it is correct.

So, you need this, Becky.

In the human body, which of these bones is located in the middle ear?

Um, it isn't something I've come across. Um, but...

..I don't know why I'm leaning towards it,

but I'm going to go with Stapes.

It's the right answer. It's what I wanted to hear...

in my middle ear. That keeps you in it, but CJ

has a chance to win the round here.

The Austrian-born scientist Lisa Meitner was

instrumental in which discovery?

Yes, on the Periodic Table one of the elements had its name changed to

honour her, so it's now Meitnerium, and I think she was nuclear fission.

And you've just exploded Becky's chances there.

It is the right answer.

Well, back on form on Science.

Although, I remember the last Science round you lost,

you were also playing really well. This time you've clinched the deal.

Bad luck, Becky, you really got going there with your second

and third question, but it was that stumble on the first that's

cost you a place in the final round.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Well, the Eggheads crept into the lead.

As it stands, the Tea Tasters have lost two brains from

the final round and the Eggheads have lost one.

Will it be all square in the final round?

This next head-to-head will decide that.

The next subject is Politics.

Who'd like to play this? We've got Suzy or Simon left?

-We want to save Simon...

-Yeah.

-..for the final round, don't we? So...

-You.

-Against Barry?

-Yeah.

-Against Barry?

-Yeah.

OK, it'll be me, please, Dermot, against Barry.

OK, well, you decided that in advance.

Suzy and Barry then playing politics.

Would you both go to the Question Room, please?

Now, Suzy, share the secrets of all your experience with tea with us.

Is there a type of tea that people like you lot keep to yourselves?

A special tea, a wonderful tea, that you don't let us know about.

It's not that we don't let you know about it,

cos it's usually in the tea that we make anyway,

but there's a very particular quality season in India called

the second flush season,

and that's an eight-week period where quality's at its absolute best.

Um, so the second flush Assam season is usually a tea taster's favourite.

-Second flush?

-Second flush.

It's like the second harvest cos the bushes lie dormant over winter,

wake up after sort of winter. The spring flush,

the spring harvest doesn't have all the enzymes in to make it

top quality, so it's the second flush when photosynthesis is,

like, at its best.

OK, that's the one to go for, and it's second flush.

Right, OK, you're playing Politics. Do you want to go first or second?

Um, I think I'm going to go first, actually,

keeping in tradition with the rest of my team.

All right, Suzy, good luck with this.

Which of these British political parties was founded at

the start of the 20th century?

Which of these British political parties was founded at

the start of the 20th century?

Uh, I know it wasn't Labour. I'm going to go for Liberal Democrats.

OK, Liberal, Liberal Democrats. It does...

it definitely says Liberal there, I'm afraid

-and it is the

-Labour Party. Oh, OK.

Yeah, Lib Dems obviously are a lot later, yes,

and there was mergers and things going on there with the Liberals.

OK, right, well, nothing there for Suzy.

Barry, what colour is the front door of Number 10,

Downing Street in London?

Uh, this is the most interesting door in the UK,

because it only opens from the inside,

you can't open it from the outside, and I do believe it is black.

OK, and that interests you, does it?

That it can only open from the inside?

-Well, anything that's out of the ordinary interests me.

-Yeah.

Black is the right answer, so you have won. Suzy,

second question.

On the 1st of October 2013, the national minimum wage

for people aged 21 and over was raised to how much per hour?

Minimum wage.

So, um...I think it's been a while since it's been in the £5 region.

-I think I'll go for £6.31.

-OK, top-end of the scale.

You're right. £6.31 is the right answer.

Barry,

your second question. Which political figure was given

occupation of the official residence Dorneywood in 2010?

Oh, I always get confused between...with Dorneywood.

One of them's given to the Chancellor

and one of them's given to the Foreign Secretary.

Dorneywood.

I think Dorneywood is given to the Chancellor,

so, on that basis, I'll go for George Osborne.

George Osborne and Dorneywood,

yeah, you've got it right.

Dorneywood was given to the Chancellor George Osborne in 2010.

OK, right, Suzy, concentrate on this very important question for you.

Who assassinated the British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval?

So, yeah, I'm struggling with this question, so it's going to be...

not too much of an educated guess.

I think it was John Bellingham.

Yes, it was, it's the right answer. Well done.

I hope you're not going to go the way of Becky there,

stumbled on the first question there,

and really going strongly on two and three.

You've got to hope Barry doesn't get this right.

Barry, William Pitt the Younger served as Prime Minister

of the UK under which monarch?

Well, William Pitt the Younger was our Prime Minister during most

of the Napoleonic Wars, which kind of rules out William IV and Victoria.

So, my answer is George III.

It has come to pass.

Barry, it is the right answer as you well know,

as we heard there from the way you analysed it.

Suzy, bad luck, you have gone exactly the way of Becky.

And you're really getting into your stride,

but we're cutting you off in your prime, I'm afraid.

You won't be in the final round.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

And so, this is what we've been playing towards, it's

time for the final round, which, as always, is General Knowledge,

but, I'm afraid those of you who lost your head-to-heads

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

So, Frank, Suzy and Becky from the Tea Tasters

and Chris from the Eggheads, would you leave the studio, please?

So, Will and Simon, you're playing to win the Tea Tasters £11,000.

CJ, Barry, Judith and Pat, you are playing for something that

money cannot buy, the Eggheads' reputation.

Now, as usual, I'll ask each team three questions in turn.

This time the questions are all General Knowledge

and you are allowed to confer, so, Tea Tasters, the question is,

are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four?

Will and Simon, do you want to go first or second in this final round?

Um, well, I think for the last few rounds, we don't seem to have

done too well going first, so I think we'll go second.

Change of tactics from the Challengers then,

hoping the Eggheads will slip up first and they can capitalise,

so the Eggheads face the first question in the final round

and it's this, Eggheads.

The Columbian city of Cartagena is located on the coastline

of which body of water?

The Columbian city of Cartagena is located on the coastline

of which body of water?

-Caribbean.

-Caribbean.

-Caribbean.

-That's the Caribbean.

-Caribbean Sea?

-Yeah.

You know it well, don't you, Judith?

CJ knew what was coming, didn't you?

Right, Caribbean Sea is correct.

Right, Tea Tasters, your first question.

The Eggheads have not slipped up yet.

Which Friends' character has sisters called Jill and Amy?

Which Friends' character has sisters called Jill and Amy?

Now, this is the kind of question that is very, very easy to

people who watch Friends and quite difficult if

you haven't watched it. I don't know. Simon, Will?

Monica and Ross are brother and sister, aren't they?

-I think Chandler's an only child.

-Yes, so, I'm pretty sure it's Rachel.

Um, we think that Monica's the sister of Ross, so it's not her,

Chandler, we think, is an only child, so we think it's Rachel.

OK, I was just wondering

if you had watched or were still watching Friends.

It's somewhere in the world, I mean, it's on all the time.

Somewhere in Britain, it's on all the time, it seems.

Um, Rachel is the right answer. Well done. You worked that out.

-CJ:

-Played by Christina Applegate and Reese Witherspoon.

Hmm! OK, look at him!

Very good, CJ. A bit of extra information there.

OK, second question for the Eggheads.

Blurred Lines was a UK number one single for which singer?

It was Robin Thicke.

Blurred Lines was a UK number one single for which singer?

That was Robin Thicke.

Blurred Lines, yes, right answer.

Well done, Eggheads.

You have two.

I'm sure you would have been OK with those two as well

if you had gone first, but this is your second question, Tea Tasters.

Which boxer was the central character of

a 1970s cartoon show entitled, I Am The Greatest?

Which boxer was the central character of

a 1970s cartoon show entitled, I Am The Greatest?

I think we'll rule Henry Cooper out straightaway,

cos I don't think he won...

any world championships, and Muhammad Ali was...

you know, quite a big personality, always going on about how great

he was, so I think we'll go with Muhammad Ali.

It's got to be, really, hasn't it?

I Am The Greatest, Muhammad Ali is the right answer.

And we're onto the next pair of questions.

Third question for each team, Eggheads first.

Eggheads, And The Mountains Echoed is the third novel by which writer?

And The Mountains Echoed is the third novel by which writer?

Max Brooks wrote the book that became World War Z.

He is the son of the film director.

What, you mean like the zombie thing?

I'd say he's written three books, hasn't he?

Hosseini, is he the author of The Kite Runner?

Yes, the Kite Runner and another one.

-A Thousand Splendid Suns, was it?

-Yes.

-So, it could possibly be him.

-That's why I thought it was...

-What about Markus Zusak?

-He sounds Eastern European.

I know nothing at all about Markus. He's a...

I thought Hosseini had written a third book.

-I didn't know what the title was.

-Yes, he has,

but I think that he's written another one.

-And mountains, Afghanistan, hmm, hmm....

-Yes, exactly, it fits.

I think we're going to have to go for it. We don't know it.

We haven't enough information.

OK, well, it's a little bit of a guess,

but we think it's Khaled Hosseini.

And The Mountains Echoed is the third novel by...

-Khaled Hosseini, it's the right answer, Eggheads.

-Lucky!

Right, which means...

they didn't slip up in any of their first three,

it means you need to get this, Tea Tasters,

to take us into Sudden Death.

In the Old English poem Beowulf,

which of these opponents does the title character slay first?

In the Old English poem Beowulf,

which of these opponents does the title character slay first?

It sounds like he's killed them all.

He's probably killed them all, it's just what order.

Which order.

Would he...? I'd have thought with the dragon...

That could have been the final one,

-to sort of build it up.

-I don't know. Who is Grendel?

-I don't know.

But I'm thinking maybe, if it's a poem or a story,

you'd start low first and build up to someone on that ground.

I'd go Grendel's mother on that ground, but...

-OK.

-..I really don't know them that well.

Um...we're not too sure on this answer, but we're going to...

..take a guess and go for Grendel's mother.

OK, Grendel's mother slain first by Beowulf.

It is...

..just Grendel.

It's not Grendel's mother, it's Grendel, which means no chance for

another question to the Eggheads, you've put them in first.

Eggheads, you've won.

Bad luck, Tea Tasters, I don't think you got

the rub of the green during the course of this whole game. How would

you have been, out of interest, if you had gone first with those

questions? How would you have been with, And The Mountains Echoed?

Simon, I think, knew that...

We knew that he'd done the Kite Runner and he'd done

a second book which I'd read, I can't remember, and a third...

Well, we'll never know, but what we do know is we've learnt an awful lot

about tea here on Eggheads today,

so thank you very much indeed for all that advice

and thanks to all those who played

and I'd say you got a little bit unlucky in some of those

head-to-heads, but great to see you, Tea Tasters,

-thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you.

-But the Eggheads have done what

comes naturally to them and their winning streak continues.

I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £11,000.

That means the money rolls over to the next show.

So, Eggheads, congratulations. I ask again, who will beat you?

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

have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£12,000 now says they don't. Until then, goodbye.