Episode 15 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.

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 the Eggheads today

are The Mild Bunch from Sheffield.

Now, three of this friends and family team are associated with

the homeless charity Shelter and to complete the line-up team captain

Liz has recruited her brother John and nephew Joe.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Liz, I'm 53 and I'm a charity team leader.

Hi, I'm John, I'm 52 and I'm a mental health services manager.

Hi, I'm Joe, I'm 20 and I'm an English literature student.

Hi, I'm Karl, I'm 39 and I'm a charity team leader.

Hello, I'm Dan, I'm 32 and I'm a charity helpline advisor.

Well, welcome to you. You're called The Mild Bunch.

I hope you're a bit fiercer when it comes to quizzing, though.

Well, hopefully, yes.

We're quite unassuming but maybe

-there's hidden...

-That's what...

-..depths.

-..we like to hear.

And you are...

let's work out the relationships - you're brother and sister then?

Yes, we're brother and sister and then Joe is my nephew, John's son,

and Dan and Karl are my team... workmates.

-Workmates at Shelter.

-Yes, that's right.

-Some good work there, I'm sure.

-Yeah.

I'm going to tell what's been going on with Eggheads so far.

Every day there's £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, Mild Bunch, the Eggheads have won the last two games

and that means £3,000 says you can't beat them today.

So, shall we play? Let's get started, shall we?

With our first head-to-head battle, trying to knock an Egghead

out of the final round - it's Geography.

Who are you going to put up

to play this one?

-It's probably...

-I think it was...

-..Karl.

THEY DISCUSS

-Dan?

-Are you OK with that?

-I'll have a go.

OK, Dan. Now choose an Egghead, any of those five.

-CJ?

-I'm quite happy. Yes, CJ.

DERMOT LAUGHS

We kind of thought it might be, didn't we, CJ?

Leave me alone!

LAUGHTER

You can't hide in that shirt.

OK, let's have Dan and CJ into the Question Room, please,

to make sure you can't confer with your team-mates.

So, Dan, you've chosen to play Geography for The Mild Bunch.

You get to choose, do you want to go first or second?

First, please, thank you.

Here's your question - in German, Osterreich is the name for

which country?

Really I'm not sure I have that much of an idea

but I have a sense that Austrian and German are similar languages

and Ost and Aust are probably the same noise

so let's go with Austria.

Yeah, well, German they speak in Austria. It's the right answer,

yes, well done.

Good start, well negotiated. CJ, which of these follows

Clacton and Frinton to make the full names of two English resorts?

I've been in panto in ClactonOn-Sea.

DERMOT LAUGHS

So, I think it might be On-Sea.

Clacton and FrintonOnSea, it's the right answer, CJ.

OK, it's all square at 1-1.

Dan, your second question. Oxenholme railway station serves as a base

to explore which British national park?

Goodness me, I don't think I know.

Erm, let's try Dartmoor.

I think that's a bit of a rough guess, though.

OK, Oxenholme, serving Dartmoor?

-It's the Lake District, Dan.

-Oh.

-So, quite a few miles out there!

-Just a bit!

-Chance for CJ to take the lead.

CJ, what colour is the top stripe of the flag of Venezuela?

I don't think there's green in the flag.

I think it's yellow, blue and red are the stripes.

I think the top stripe is yellow.

Yellow.

You're right, yes, you've got it. Well done, CJ, right...

A bit of pressure for you, Dan, you need this.

What is the main unit of currency in Haiti?

Manat, the gourde or the kip?

Oh, goodness me...

I think I will go with gourde.

Gone for gourde.

And you've got it! It's the right answer, kept your hopes alive.

CHUCKLES

That really is... I suspect they take the mighty dollar as well

but the gourde in Haiti and that was identified by Dan.

As I say, keeping his hopes alive, but is CJ about to extinguish them?

Kalgoorlie and Rockingham are in which state of Australia?

I've heard of Rockingham in Australia.

Rockingham sounds like an explorer who went along.

So, I suppose it could be Western Australia but I'm going to try,

I don't know this, try Queensland.

Kalgoorlie and Rockingham are not in Queensland. It's incorrect.

-Other Eggheads?

-Western Australia.

-They are in WA, Western Australia.

OK, that's great news for you, Dan, sitting there hoping against hope

CJ went the wrong direction and he did

so we go into Sudden Death and remove the options you've seen

so far so you can't have a guess.

Well, you can have a guess, of course,

but you have to conjure up any options from your own brain.

So, Dan, Bodo, a town within the Arctic Circle, is in which country?

Um, I genuinely don't know but...

Norway's got quite a lot up in the Arctic Circle, so Norway?

-Is the correct answer.

-Well done.

Right, it means you need to get this, then, CJ.

Which major river flows through Belfast and into Belfast Lough?

Which major river flows through Belfast and into Belfast Lough?

Liffey.

No. It's not the Liffey.

HE CLEARS THROAT

Yes.

HE LAUGHS

Yeah, on the same island but not in the same country there, it is...

-other Eggheads?

-The Lagan.

-The Lagan.

-The Lagan. The Liffey is of course in Dublin.

-Oh, is it?

The River Lagan. Well, you flow out of the game, CJ,

you won't be in the final round, Dan, you've booked your place.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

Well, a measured performance as you might expect from a

member of The Mild Bunch. Dan through to the final round.

That means the Eggheads have lost one brain

and The Mild Bunch are all still there.

Let's play our second round today. It's...

Who'd like to play this one?

-I'll do that.

-Go for it.

That's seems preordained, Karl, who would you like to play?

-Can't be CJ.

-Kevin.

Kevin, OK, it's one of his favourite subjects.

-You especially like film?

-More the film than the television.

OK, well, let's see if Karl can find a chink in your armour.

Karl and Kevin, into the Question Room, please.

OK, Karl, taken on Kevin and you choose for us,

would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first.

First question - "Oh, my God, they killed Kenny"

was a frequently heard phrase in which TV comedy?

I would say this is definitely South Park.

Are you a fan?

-I've seen a few episodes.

-Yeah, it's the right answer, of course,

South Park. Particular favourite of CJ and many of the Eggheads.

OK, Kevin, who co-presented the first two series of The Voice UK

with Holly Willoughby?

Right, not something I, erm...

watched, of course. The other two names aren't ringing any...

any bells at all with me so, I'll say Reggie Yates.

Reggie Yates? Other Eggheads?

-Yes.

-Right answer. You got it, Kevin.

Karl, second question - who plays Brian's mother Mandy

in the film Monty Python's Life Of Brian?

I've seen this and it's a great film and it's Terry Jones?

It is Terry Jones, you've got it, well done, great film.

And, Kevin, the costumes for the 2013 film The Great Gatsby

were based on designs from which fashion house?

-Did you see it?

-I've seen the film but I didn't pay attention to...

..where the costumes came from.

I'll try Prada.

It is the right answer. You've got it.

So, all square again. And, Karl.

Third question, the TV series The Americans starring

Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys is set during which era?

It's set in Washington during the Cold War, that's the 1980s.

You know it, you've got it, well done!

OK, Kevin needs this - who became the first regular presenter

of Panorama in 1953?

They were all involved in current affairs TV and journalism

around that time.

I'm...

..going to... oh...

take a punt on the one I know the least about which is Max Robertson.

It is the right answer, Kevin, you worked it out, Max Robertson.

Well, Karl, I think you knew you'd have a fight on your hands.

Even when he's not sure he's pretty good at working them out.

So, we're going to make it a lot harder to work them out

if you're not sure

by removing those options, taking you into Sudden Death, Karl.

Paul Michael Glaser, best known as Starsky in Starsky And Hutch,

was the director of which 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film?

I'm going to go with Commando.

OK, Commando, Paul Michael Glaser directing...

..Arnie starring...

It's not. Anyone tell me in the studio?

-For '87 I'd guess Red Heat.

-No.

-Not True Lies?

-No, it is The Running Man.

-Oh, right.

-Did he? Paul Michael Glaser...?

-Wow!

-More knowledge for the Eggheads.

But a real tricky one, stumped everyone in the studio.

Bad luck, Karl.

OK, we'll see how Kevin does.

In which 1958 film do characters played by John Mills

and Sylvia Syms cross the African desert in an ambulance called Katy?

It's one of those traditionally trotted out British war films

for many years on TV - Ice Cold In Alex.

Does that have anything to do with them drinking beer at the end of it?

-Yes.

-Or did they just use that in an ad?

No, no, they actually do want to get to a particular bar in Alexandria

and have a nice beer, which they do at the end.

Which confirms it is the right answer, as Karl well knows.

Ice Cold In Alex is correct

and Kevin has scraped into the final round.

Bad luck, Karl, would you both please come back

and join your teams?

Well, what a round that was. As it stands now both teams

have lost one brain from the final round and round three is...

Who'd like to play this one?

THEY DISCUSS

-ALL: Joe...

-I'll have a go.

-I'll take that.

-Right. Which Egghead?

Remember, Kevin and CJ have played so you can choose from

Dave, Barry or Chris.

-All right.

-Chris.

-Chris?

-Yeah.

-OK, it's going to be Joe from The Mild Bunch

and Chris from the Eggheads playing Politics

and you know where to go, it's the Question Room for you both.

-Joe, would you like to go first or second?

-Erm, I think I'll go first.

OK, first for you, Joe, and here you go -

what is the usual name

given to someone who exposes alleged misconduct,

often within a political or business organisation?

I know that's been in the news a lot...related to the Guardian

and newspapers like that, I think it's whistleblower.

-Yes, it is. Not pipeblower?

-No!

Whistleblower is correct and to you, Chris.

Which journalist referred to Boris Johnson as a

"nasty piece of work" in a 2013 interview?

Well, Kate Silverton and George Alagiah are both more telly

journalists than print journalists.

So, it's Eddie Mair.

He does write occasionally

but he is more of a radio and television journalist

but I see your rationale - you've got the right answer.

OK, it's 1-1. And, Joe...

In 2010 Zac Goldsmith was elected MP for which constituency?

I'm afraid the name doesn't mean anything to me.

Erm, so it's going to have to be a guess.

Let's say Richmond Park. It's a random guess.

A random guess.

Well, you've landed it, Joe, well done.

So, Chris, in 2001, Joseph Kabila succeeded his father as president

of which country?

Not Cameroon, not Uganda, yeah, it is the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It is the right answer, yes...

Joseph Kabila. OK, so it's 2-2. Both going really well, Joe.

Third question - in 2009, Christine Blower became General Secretary

of which trade union?

Erm...

Again, that's another name that's just drawing blanks for me, erm...

And I'll say...

..the NUT. Go right again.

OK, National Union of Teachers...

is the right answer!

You need this, Chris.

Katharine Stewart-Murray, the first woman to

serve in a Conservative government, was Duchess of where?

Er... she was...

Don't think Duchess of Atholl or Montrose were politically active,

I think she was Duchess of Hamilton.

-Er, Katharine Stewart-Murray was the Duchess of...Atholl.

-Oh.

Which means you're through, Joe!

DERMOT CHUCKLES

-Can't believe it.

-I love that sigh of relief.

-Massive sigh of relief.

-You don't have to face another question

on your own, you will be facing plenty more in the final round

but you'll have company then. OK, Joe, would you and Chris

both come back and join your teams, please?

Well, The Mild Bunch could easily have knocked three Eggheads

out by now but they're still doing pretty well,

they've knocked two of them out

but one member of The Mild Bunch missing from the final round so far.

And our concluding head-to-head before the final round is...

And two of you are there and you know who you are,

Liz or John, who wants to play it?

-Liz, I think it should be you.

-I'll give it a go.

-OK.

Stay with us, Liz, don't go yet before you choose your Egghead,

you can choose from either Dave or Barry.

-I'll go for Barry, please.

-All right, Liz and Barry then, into

the Question Room, please, to play the Music round.

Let's see how you do on Music. Do you want to go first or second?

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

Here's your first question - which Liverpool group

took You'll Never Walk Alone to the top of the charts in 1963?

Erm, I know it's not The Beatles.

I think it's Gerry & the Pacemakers.

Gerry & the Pacemakers with You'll Never Walk Alone...

it is the right answer, yeah, well done.

OK, Barry.

What was the title of Daft Punk's 2013 UK number-one single

featuring Pharrell Williams?

I think this was a wonderful song by that French group Daft Punk

and it was Get Lucky.

Yeah, Get Lucky is the right answer.

OK, Liz, your question - which song by Malvina Reynolds

features the lines,

"..made of ticky-tacky And they all look just the same"?

Right, I've never heard of the singer but I do know

the song, it's Little Boxes.

It's the right answer, well done.

Barry, which veteran entertainer made his Glastonbury Festival debut

in 2013?

Goodness me, that's a great question!

-Thank you.

-I shall discount Bruce Forsyth.

I think he was still much too busy doing Strictly and other things.

Well, I see Lionel Blair almost every other day on the screen so it's

the sort of thing I think he'd probably love to do

so I shall go for Lionel Blair.

It's not him! Brucie!

-Sorry, Bruce!

-Yeah, it's Brucie. Sir Bruce, of course.

Well, don't be sorry because Liz is very happy about that.

OK, Liz. Get this and you are through to the final round as well.

In which decade was the National Youth Orchestra

of Great Britain founded?

-Erm...

-Anything to work with? Any inklings?

-Erm...

Gosh. I have no idea. I was wondering whether perhaps

in the 1940s it was something that would have cheered people up,

young people up, in the war?

I don't know.

Perhaps in the war they would have been too busy.

-I'm going to go for the 1920s. Don't really know why.

-OK, 1920s.

-It is the 1940s.

-Oh!

-I asked you about your inklings

and that was right on it.

It wasn't during the war, it was in the post-war period,

-1948 to be precise.

-Right.

Perhaps not too much harm done,

you might not have to answer another question.

SHE CHUCKLES

Barry might give us a couple of duck eggs there...

after his last one!

BARRY CHUCKLES

OK, Barry, well, you need to get this still.

The magician Klingsor and the sorceress Kundry are characters

in which opera by Wagner?

Ah...

Lohengrin's about the search for the Holy Grail so I don't think

that would have had a magician in but I'm reasonably

certain there was a magician in Parsifal so I'll go for Parsifal.

You've conjured it up, it's the right answer

and you're back in it. OK. And we go to Sudden Death.

You know what that means. What nationality

was Witold Lutoslawski, one of the major composers of the 20th century?

Well... it's going to be a guess... I'm assuming it's...

..he's Eastern European.

I keep thinking Polish but I don't know why.

Maybe he's Hungarian, who knows? I'm going to say Polish.

-OK.

-SHE SIGHS

-You had the '40s in your head...

-Oh, don't!

..the last time and ended up with the '20s.

-You had Hungarian and you've gone for Polish!

-Oh!

-Yeah, it's the right answer.

-Oh!

SHE CHUCKLES

OK, let's hope Barry doesn't get this.

Which American rock band's final live performance was at Terminal One

in Munich on March the 1st 1994?

Oh, goodness me!

I'll try The Band.

It's not The Band. Other Eggheads?

-ALL: Nirvana.

-It's Nirvana.

Ah!

-Kurt Cobain died on the 5th of April 1994.

-Yeah.

Nirvana, which means nirvana for you, you're in the final round, Liz,

-you made it.

-Wow!

-You made it and deservedly so.

-Amazing.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

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 the head-to-heads

won't be allowed to take part in this round, so Karl from

The Mild Bunch and CJ, Barry and Chris from the Eggheads,

would you leave the studio, please?

Well, Liz, John, Joe and Dan,

you're playing to win The Mild Bunch £3,000.

Dave and Kevin, you're playing for something which money can't buy,

the Eggheads' reputation.

And, as usual, I ask each team three questions in turn,

the same as those head-to-heads

but two differences, this time the questions are all

General Knowledge and you are allowed to confer

in the final round. So, Mild Bunch, the question is -

are your four brains better than the Eggheads' two?

And, Mild Bunch, would you like

-to go first or second in this round?

-We'll go first.

First question - Linden Dollars are the main currency

in which virtual-reality website launched in 2003?

THEY DISCUSS

Sadly, I knew this even before...

-You do know it?

-It is Second Life.

-I think it's Linden Studios that...

-OK.

-It is Second Life.

-You look pretty certain.

It was in my head before so...

We're going to go with Dan's recommendation, it's going to be

-Second Life.

-Second Life. Dan a bit embarrassed to know that!

Well...it's not the coolest of products! There you go.

Don't be sorry, it's got you a tick, it's the right answer.

1-0 to you. Eggheads, first question.

Which magazine has a column called Dumb Britain which features

amusing wrong answers given in quiz shows?

It would be nice if it was Cosmopolitan but it's Private Eye.

Private Eye. We believe the answer is Private Eye, Dermot.

OK, Private Eye. It's the right answer, Eggheads,

yes, it's all square, we go into a second pair of questions

for each team. The Mild Bunch first.

What is the name for each individual wooden slat used to make a barrel?

Anyone any ideas? It's a good job this is not a solo round...

LAUGHTER

I'm not convinced it is that good a job!

So, our four brains...

Has anyone got a...?

-A stave...

-A stave is a thing...

-..could be...

-A stave is musical.

-It would go...

THEY DISCUSS

I'm leaning towards stave because of musical staves.

There's a logic to what you're saying...

Why would musical stave...?

Cos they're a set of lines.

It's not good logic.

-A stave can also mean to baulk or to hinder.

-Yeah.

-Right, it's your choice, John.

-It is my choice

and since I have no idea and Dan is very persuasive.

DAN SCOFFS

We're going to go for stave if you're still here?

I am!

I was just listening with interest to a good old conversation there,

really worked that question

and in the end the team captain decided it will be stave

with some solid advice from Dan, again.

It's the right answer, stave.

OK, Eggheads, second question -

the Ballet Rambert company was founded in which city?

-London.

-London.

-Marie Rambert.

-Yeah, 1920s.

We believe the answer to be London.

OK...

London. It's the right answer, Eggheads.

Straight back to you, then, Mild Bunch.

They're pinging them back at you

-quite quickly, aren't they?

-They are.

The requiem is a type of which fish?

Does anyone have any idea?

No!

Shall we just say them?

THEY DISCUSS

Requiem sole, requiem sturgeon or requiem shark?

Sharks seem to have quite exciting names, don't they?

-Maybe that's a misleading...

-Yes.

-But, you know...

It's not a descriptive name like hammerhead or white...

THEY DISCUSS

When do you get a requiem? When you die. So...

LAUGHTER

-Fish get named.

-Requiem sole sounds interesting but...

it would put you off eating it if it was called requiem

and sole is a particularly edible fish.

Yeah, and...

I don't know, I think you are going to have to decide, I'm afraid.

I'm going to decide and I'm going to decide on requiem shark.

Requiem shark? OK, another good old debate there!

On all these questions.

And you've got it right again!

LAUGHTER

It seems you've developed a good technique there.

OK, Eggheads, well... if you don't get this you've lost.

In food processing, potassium benzoate

is added for what purpose?

-I don't know.

-No, nor do I.

Potassium benzoate.

I don't know... If I have a...

-Go on.

-If I have a slight preference it's for preservation.

-I really don't know.

-Go on, we'll go for preservation.

We've got nothing,

we could go on...for ad infinitum with this.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-That's true.

-Right, let's go for that.

-Yeah.

We haven't got the faintest idea, to be perfectly honest...

-Evidently.

-Yeah.

-But we're going to try...huh...

self-preservation.

Ah, I see, I like what you're doing there.

Potassium benzoate is added to...

-..preserve food, it's the right answer.

-Well done, Kevin.

All right. Oh, close there, nearly got it, nearly got the Eggheads

but...still everything to play for but in Sudden Death.

Leo Colston is the narrator of which 20th-century novel?

Leo Colston?

C-O-L-S-T-O-N.

Leo Colston is the narrator of which 20th-century novel?

It wouldn't be...so, it's not a Fitzgerald.

Erm, unless it's...Tender Is The Night?

That's the sort of thing I'm tending towards...

It sounds American, don't you think?

Leo Colston?

OK, we're going to say Tender Is The Night.

OK, Tender Is The Night for Leo Colston.

It's incorrect. I wonder if the Eggheads know.

-It's The Go-Between.

-The Go-Between.

THEY GROAN

We were completely wrong.

OK, well, I go to the Eggheads now.

Which Royal Navy ship was imprisoned for three

months in the Yangtze river by Chinese communists in 1949?

-Say HMS Amethyst?

-HMS Amethyst, yeah.

We're going for HMS Amethyst.

Got to be careful to get that out,

-haven't you?

-Yeah, absolutely, rrr-mmm.

HMS Amethyst.

Kevin there on surer ground... historical question.

It's the right answer, Eggheads, you've won.

Well, you gave them a real run for their money there, that was

-a great performance.

-Dragged it out.

-No, I loved the way you

were working with those final-round questions when you all got together.

You were great in the head-to-heads when you have to play individually,

look at the balance of power there with those

three mighty Eggheads confined to the Question Room in silence.

But bad luck in the end and thank you very much indeed for giving the

Eggheads a good old quiz - that's what they like!

But the Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them

and they still reign supreme over quiz land.

I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £3,000

but your heads held high, I can tell you that.

That means the money rolls over to the next show.

And join us next time to see

if a new team of Challengers have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£4,000 says they don't. Until then, goodbye.