Episode 2 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 our quiz Goliaths

today are Steve's Dummies.

Now, this team of friends are all performers who share

a background in comedy, entertainment and singing.

Let's meet them.

I'm Steve, I'm 38, and I'm a... "ventriloquist".

I'm Catherine, I'm 41 and I'm a magical entertainer.

Hello, my name's Drew, I'm 59, I'm a comedy impressionist.

Hi, I'm Neil, I'm 38 and I'm a singer.

Hi, I'm Micky, I'm 28 plus VAT and I'm a comedian.

Well, hello there, Steve's Dummies.

You are Steve. I know you're far from dummies.

I'm a dummy, yeah.

Only work one at a time, so...

And you look familiar, Steve. You been on any other programmes?

Yes, I was on the final of Britain's Got Talent 2013.

I remember it well.

Well, maybe a bit later in the show we might have a bit...

I have a friend who's walking around. So, you may meet him.

..a little bit of ventriloquism. OK, what about the quizzing?

-You've never quizzed together before?

-No, we haven't.

No, I've brought them together.

The only time I get to see my friends is if I put a show together,

so we put this together.

We had a good quiz team last night, actually, in the hotel.

So we were having a bit of fun, weren't we?

We'll be taking it very seriously.

-I can imagine.

-We are on top form.

Putting the fear of God into the Eggheads there.

Let's play the game, then.

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, Steve's Dummies, the Eggheads have won the last two games.

That means £3,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads today.

And our first head-to-head.

First round is on Film & Television.

Any one of you can play this. It is the opening round.

-My favourite subject.

-Film & Television...is me.

I'm going to go with Film & Television, please.

OK, Steve, got you in straight from the off.

Any Egghead is available, any of those five?

Christopher, please. Chris.

Now, why did I have an awful premonition

that you were going to say that?

I'm a ventriloquist.

-I thought you might be.

-I put words in your mouth.

Well, we'll see what goes on in the Question Room,

because that's where both of you are heading, please.

Steve and Chris.

Ah, so, Steve, I see you've got a little friend in there with you.

-What's his name?

-Two heads are better than one, aren't they?

-This is Arthur Lager.

-Arthur.

OK, what are your favourite films and television shows, Arthur?

Oh... "No, no, no. He's not talking to you.

"I like watching sitcoms and soaps."

Have you watched that recording of Britain's Got Talent

that your mate was in?

"I don't like looking at myself on telly,

"but I like to see Amanda Holden now and again. Mmmm!

"Yeah, yeah, I do.

"I'll take one from the top and a consonant."

It's not that show. "All right, OK." Sorry.

LAUGHTER

And do you know you bear an uncanny resemblance

to our Chris here, Egghead Chris?

Are you related?

"We're twins, yes.

"Twins.

"Except he's not sat on your knee, is he?"

-No, no, no.

-OK.

I don't know which one of you will answer.

We will accept an answer from either or both of you, of course.

We'll play the round now, it's Film & Television.

Steve and Arthur, would you like to go first or second?

We'd love to go first, please. "Me too."

OK, Steve. First question, Film & Television, here it is.

What is the title of the comedy film directed by Edgar Wright that

stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and was released in July 2013?

Is it...

I don't know it. "I do!"

"The World's End!" Is it? "Yeah." All right.

I'll go with Arthur. The World's End, please.

OK, The World's End.

And we've got history in the making here on Eggheads. Conferring!

In the head-to-head on Eggheads!

Maybe it helps, talking to yourself there.

OK, it's the right answer, as you both know.

"Thank you!" Thank God I've got Arthur.

OK, the first question for you, Chris.

What is the surname of the television medical expert

known as Dr Hilary? Is it...

It is Dr Hilary Jones MD.

That's one to you. OK, Steve.

First shown in June 2013,

the BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary series

The Call Centre was primarily set in a call centre near which city?

Really do need two heads for this one.

I didn't see the programme, unfortunately, so...

"I don't know it, either."

Well, I think we are going to go more central.

I'm going to go with Leeds.

OK, Leeds. Both having a guess there. Didn't see it.

It would probably have stuck in your mind if you had.

It's not Leeds. Do you know, Chris? Did you see it?

I think it's Swansea.

It is, Swansea. You obviously didn't see it either.

It's still all square.

But, of course, Steve and Arthur face one more question.

Chris, your second question.

Who replaced Angus Deayton as the host of the BBC panel show

"Would I Lie to You?" in 2009?

Is it...

Well, Robert Webb works with David Mitchell a lot,

David Mitchell is on it.

It's not Robert Webb.

And I don't think it is Jimmy Carr, either.

I think it's Rob Brydon.

And you've got the right answer.

It is correct.

All right, you need this, then, Steve.

Who played the title role in the Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown?

Is it...

I think we are going to go with...

"I like Halle Berry." Do you?

"I do." Is that the answer?

"No, I just like her. Mmm!"

I think we're going to go with Angela Bassett for this one, I think.

OK, Angela Bassett, Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown.

Who played Jackie Brown?

-Pam Grier.

-Pam Grier, say the Eggheads.

And they're right, I'm afraid.

You're wrong, Steve. Bad luck.

"I knew I shouldn't have brought him."

It means the round is over, I'm afraid.

No place for you in the final round.

Chris is through.

Would you both please come back and join your teams.

Well, the first exchange is over and, unusually for Eggheads,

Steve's Dummies, the Challengers' team,

have lost two brains from the final round.

Well, they did technically have six, I suppose.

So, actually, only really lost one.

And all the Eggheads are still there,

three head-to-heads still to come

and our next subject is Science.

Who'd like to play this one? Science.

That's my best subject. It's my best subject.

We're going to go with... Science, Catherine,

weren't you good at science?

-No.

-You're going to go with Science, no?

-I'm good at that.

-You good at Science?

-Sport for me.

Drew, Drew, can you go with Science?

I can go with that if you would like me to.

-Drew, please.

-It's going to be me.

Drew, OK. Micky, were you lying then?

-You said it's your favourite subject.

-Yes, yes.

-I've been outvoted.

-He says that to everything!

I've been outvoted. I've been outvoted again.

Never trust a comedian!

LAUGHTER

It's going to be Drew, then. Which Egghead would you like to play?

-It can't be Chris. Any of the other four.

-Yes.

They're all extremely good-looking.

But I'm going to go for Judith on this one, please.

OK, well, it's going to be Drew and Judith playing Science.

Would you both please go to the Question Room?

Right, Drew, a comedy impressionist.

What are your favourite characters to impersonate, then?

Things like, "You know, Del Boy.

"We all like him, don't we, you know what I mean?"

"And Joe Pasquale, he's something that people like,

"you know what I mean? La la la la?"

Things like that. And you, but I wouldn't have the nerve to do that today.

A comedy character. Very nice to be thought of.

OK, let's play the game.

Would you like to go first or second, Drew?

I would like to go first, please.

OK, Drew, first question for you on Science. Here you go.

The item of laboratory equipment, the Bunsen burner,

is typically powered by what?

Well, I don't want to appear as though I don't understand

the question, as though I'm "Mr Bean answering.

"Aw, very nice indeed. Oh!"

So, I'll answer as myself.

I don't think methylated spirits, that's a liquid.

Sunlight doesn't sound right.

I'm going to go from my memory from school and say gas.

Yeah. And a lot of school students watching that going,

"Yeah, of course! It's gas!"

It is the right answer.

All right. And Judith, your first question.

What word is often used to describe the effects of a

dramatic overheating at the core of a nuclear reactor?

I think that might be meltdown.

You would be right to think that, yes.

It's the right answer. OK, all square.

Drew, NASA's NEEMO project,

which provides participants with an experience similar to

space exploration, takes place

in a research station in what type of environment?

OK. Well, I think I may have to

put on my really Egghead.

"And do this as Homer Simpson.

"Ooh, I like eggs! Eggs and doughnuts."

I think Homer would probably

go up a tree, but I'm not going to go there.

And an igloo, nah, not so sure.

I'm going with the NEEMO as underwater.

Yeah, there's so many clues there, aren't there?

With Nemo, obviously.

And just damn logic!

I mean, up a tree!

If it was a very tall tree,

a redwood or something might be getting a bit closer to

a different atmosphere.

It is, of course, underwater. Well worked out, Drew.

I think even Homer would have got that one.

OK, Judith.

The Isaac Newton Medal is a prize awarded by

which scientific association?

Oh, goodness.

I'm trying to think of what Isaac Newton...

He wasn't a chemist, was he?

I think it must be the Institute of Physics.

That's the one. It's the right answer, yes.

And third question apiece, Drew.

The Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov Telescopes

commonly known as MAGIC,

are located on which island?

AS ALAN CARR: "Oh, I'm going to have to be a chatty man here,

"and talk my way through this one! Yeah!"

I'm looking at something quite high,

maybe where there's more open sky.

They're all very similar.

I... My gut feeling...

..is that this is La Palma.

OK, La Palma.

It's the right answer, Drew!

You worked it out. We'll get some more on this from the Eggheads.

Was Drew going the right way there,

-looking for a bit of height and some clear skies?

-Yeah.

There are quite a few major telescopes based in the Canaries.

OK. Judith, your third question to try to stay in it.

Bones in which area of the body

are affected by Blount's disease?

Oh, my goodness. I'm not sure.

I have heard of it.

I can't remember the symptoms, or anything.

So I'm going to have to guess.

I'm going to say wrist.

Wrist for Blount's disease.

Any of you other Eggheads heard of it?

Heard of it, yes. I think she's right.

OK, they're tending in your direction, Judith.

It's wrong. It would have been good if it was in the final round.

It's the lower leg.

That's the one that I'd have least gone for.

Oh, OK, that's honest of you to admit.

Even if I'd given you two goes, you would have been out.

LAUGHTER

So, Drew, congratulations, Drew

and your many personalities.

You're through to the final round.

Would you both please come back and join your teams.

That round's levelled it up.

As it stands, both teams have lost one brain from the final round.

Round three, our next subject, it's Arts & Books.

There are three of you left for this one.

Is it going to be Catherine, Neil or Micky?

-No, no, no.

-We want to get rid of...

-I'm good at Arts & Books.

I'm good at Arts & Books.

STEVE: What do you think? Arts & Books? Arts? Theatre?

NEIL: I'll do it.

STEVE: We'll go with Neil, please.

OK, Neil, right. We've got you from the Challengers.

Who do you want to take on from the Eggheads?

Barry, CJ or Kevin?

CJ?

We'll go CJ, please, Dermot.

OK. CJ.

Let's have Neil and CJ straight into the Question Room, please.

Neil, you're playing Arts & Books.

Do you want to go first or second?

First, please, Dermot.

Here we go, then, Neil. Best of luck.

Which journalist and presenter wrote A History of the World,

which was first published in 2012?

I don't think it will be Melvyn Bragg.

I'm not too sure of the answer.

I would say Andrew Marr.

Andrew Marr for A History of the World.

And you're right! Well done.

Great start.

CJ, which fictional literary detective lives and works

in the town of Ystad

in the region of Skane?

-Can you just spell the two names for me, please?

-Yeah.

Ystad is Y-S-T-A-D.

In the region of Skane

is S-K-A - with something weird above it - N-E.

They both sound suspiciously Scandinavian to me,

so I will try Kurt Wallander.

OK, Kurt Wallander.

Sarah Lund would fit that analysis, but you got it.

It's the right answer. Well done.

Arts & Books, Neil, here you go.

Second question.

Who directed the stage version of

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

which debuted in the West End in 2013?

I've not seen the show.

It's definitely not Trevor Nunn.

It's between Jonathan Miller and Sam Mendes.

And I'm going to go with Sam Mendes.

Sam Mendes is the right answer.

Very good work, Neil.

Two to you.

And CJ's second question.

The novel Lord Of The Flies takes place on an island in which ocean?

Do you know, I don't know.

I have read the book, a long time ago,

but I've no idea where it's set.

For some reason, I don't think it's Atlantic.

So, do we go with the quizzer's habitual answer of Pacific,

or do I plump for Indian?

-I've got no idea. I'll try Pacific.

-OK, Pacific.

Why is that the quizzer's go to? Because it's so big?

Because it's so massive.

OK. It is the right answer.

Let's not beat around the bush. Correct, then. Two-all.

The third question, Neil.

The American William Forsythe,

who was born in 1949,

is a leading figure in which area of the arts?

I haven't...

I've never heard of them.

I'm going to take a stab at photography.

OK, photography. William Forsythe a photographer. CJ, do you know?

I'm not sure, but I would have gone for dance.

OK, dance is the answer we were looking for.

Dance it is, Neil, not photography.

But questions aren't passed over, so that doesn't win CJ the round.

A correct answer here will, though.

CJ, in June 2013,

who succeeded Julia Donaldson as the Children's Laureate?

It was a woman.

I think it's Veronica Roth.

Veronica Roth, you think.

There's a bit of exhaling going on on the Eggheads' side here.

What do you think?

Malorie Blackman.

It's Malorie Blackman, CJ.

OK, well, it's all square still.

No-one getting anything there on their third question.

So we go to Sudden Death and, Neil, just to underline it,

I'm sure you know the rules, but it means you won't be seeing

any more options and your question is this.

In which country was the novelist Margaret Atwood born?

Um... I'll go for Belgium.

OK, Belgium.

No, it's not. CJ?

India.

-No.

-Canada.

-Canada!

OK. Right, CJ, the term polyptych

is normally used to describe

an altarpiece with a minimum of how many panels?

Well, I haven't heard the word, but you've got diptychs

and triptychs, which are two and three,

so let's assume a polyptych is more than three.

So four.

Ah, you've worked it out, you Egghead!

It's the right answer, CJ.

Just clinging to the wreckage of the round,

you've floated to safety. Bad luck, Neil.

It means you won't be in the final round.

Would you both please come back and join your teams.

Well, that round could have gone either way,

but it fell the Eggheads' way, which means Steve's Dummies have

now lost two brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost one.

And our next subject, fourth round, is Politics.

Who'd like to play this one?

There's only two of you eligible.

It's Catherine or Micky.

-Catherine, yeah.

-OK.

-Politics, yes?

We're going to go with Catherine, please.

OK, Catherine.

And choose from the remaining two Eggheads, Barry or Kevin.

I'm going to go with Barry.

OK, let's have Catherine and Barry

together into the Question Room, please.

So, Catherine, a magician with a comedic twist.

Is there anyone you model yourself on?

One of my heroes was Tommy Cooper.

Yeah, makes sense, doesn't it?

So, you're a comedian with rubbish jokes?

Something like that!

LAUGHTER

OK, let's see if you can make Barry disappear in the final round.

-I'll try!

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

I'd like to go first, please.

OK, best of luck. It is Politics, the first question.

Who directed the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI,

for several decades until 1972?

I don't know why, but I'm being drawn to J Edgar Hoover.

Thomas Edison looks also interesting,

but Benjamin Franklin...

No, I'm going to go with J Edgar Hoover.

J Edgar Hoover.

It's the right answer. Yes, indeed.

I suppose, Barry, could have been done another way,

in that the others were very dead.

-Indeed.

-OK, Barry.

Which creature is depicted on the flag of the President

of the United States?

Well, the elephant and the donkey

are the symbols of the two American parties,

the Republicans and the Democrats -

both drawn, incidentally, by the same cartoonist, Thomas Nast.

On the flag of the President of the United States

is the American symbol, which is the eagle.

The eagle is correct, and a very full answer,

very interesting answer - thank you, Barry.

All square. Catherine...

Which Labour MP co-wrote the book Dial M For Murdoch

about the relationship between News International

and British politicians and police?

OK. Um...

I remember looking at that book,

and I don't remember seeing Ed Balls.

Um...

And...um...

I can't see Tom Watson, no.

I'm going to go for Douglas Alexander.

Douglas Alexander, Dial M For Murdoch.

It's not, it's incorrect, Catherine.

Do you know, Barry?

It's Tom Watson.

-It is Tom Watson.

-Oh!

Long campaigned on issues surrounding phone hacking

and other issues.

OK - your second question, Barry.

Which Conservative MP became Secretary of State

for Northern Ireland in September 2012?

Oh, dear - I'm going to be in trouble over this,

because I'm shortly to be acquiring some Northern Irish family.

-And I don't know this.

-You going out to buy some, Barry?

No - my son's marrying into a Northern Irish family.

Who is it? Uh...

-I shall go for Theresa Villiers, with no confidence whatsoever.

-OK.

Why so? Because she's in the middle?

The name rings a vague bell at the back of my mind.

Oh, dear...you've got it right!

-Oh! Phew!

-The way of the Eggheads - a vague inkling.

OK, you've got two, which means you need to get this, Catherine.

Jose Mujica became the president

of which South American country in 2010?

Uh...I'm not entirely sure. Um...

I'm going to...I'm drawn towards Brazil.

I don't recall Uruguay or Ecuador. I'm going to go Brazil.

OK. Brazil.

Jose Mujica became president of...

..Uruguay.

I'm sorry, it's the wrong answer.

OK, it is Uruguay,

which means the round's over.

Bad luck, Catherine, you won't be in the final round.

Barry will be.

Will you both please come back and join your teams?

And so this is what we've been playing towards.

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.

Steve, Catherine and Neil from Steve's Dummies

and Judith from the Eggheads,

could you leave the studio now, please?

So, Drew and Micky, you're playing to win Steve's Dummies £3,000.

Kevin, CJ, Barry and Chris, you're playing for something

which money can't buy - the Eggheads' reputation.

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

This time, the questions are all general knowledge.

You're allowed to confer. So, Steve's Dummies,

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

Drew and Micky, would you like to go first or second?

-First.

-First, please, Dermot.

Right, unanimity over that decision.

Let's see if it stays that way as you go through the questions.

General knowledge, best of luck.

See if you can beat the Eggheads. Here's your first question.

In watercraft, what is the general term

for a vessel with two parallel hulls of similar shape and length?

-I'd say catamaran.

-Before it came out, I thought catamaran.

-Definitely.

-I wouldn't say anything else.

It's catamaran, Dermot.

OK, straight in with catamaran,

and the right answer.

One to Steve's Dummies, there.

Eggheads, your first question.

In 2002, which organisation took over the running

of Britain's railway infrastructure?

That would be Network Rail!

LAUGHTER

That was - maybe not surprisingly - Network Rail.

Yeah, toughie, that one, wasn't it(?)

Right answer, Eggheads.

Got you both off the mark, there.

Second question, then, for Steve's Dummies.

In the summer of 1999,

which musician hosted the first of his white tie and tiara balls?

-Any idea?

-I would go for Elton John.

I can't see Sting or Mick Jagger having tiaras.

MICKY LAUGHS

Basically, that's what I'd go for. What are you thinking?

Mick Jagger, I don't...

He wasn't changing what he was doing.

Sting has gone a little way away from the music, 1999...

-He's the tiara man.

-It's got to be Elton John.

-It's got to be Elton John, Dermot.

-OK - got to be Elton John?

It is, you're right - white tie and tiara balls.

OK, you've got two. Eggheads, your second question.

The Mark H McCormack medal is awarded annually

to the leading male and female amateurs in which sport?

-Golf?

-He was a sports agent, wasn't he?

He had a lot to do with tennis and golf.

I don't know for sure, but I think the logical answer is golf. OK?

Fine, yeah.

I think Mark McCormack, he was very big in sports agency,

he was involved with things like tennis, but also golf.

Not aware of him being involved with the other two,

so we'll go for golf.

It's correct, Eggheads, yes.

It is golf.

You're doing well, guys, you're edging closer,

potentially, to the money.

Third question, really crucial.

Let's see if you can get this and have a shot at the money.

In the UK, Armed Forces Day is usually observed

on the last Saturday in which month?

-Armed Forces Day...

-I don't know.

-I'm trying to...

D-day is June, I don't know if there's any relation to that, D-day.

I don't know.

-I...I can't...

-Armed Forces...

I can't put any logic into it, I'm just thinking it's October.

No, I can't put any logic to it. I just think...

-Gut feeling.

-My gut feeling. You take the call.

I... We'll go with your gut feeling.

We'll go with October.

OK, October for Armed Forces Day.

Usually observed on the last Saturday of...

It's not October. It's incorrect.

Eggheads, do you know?

June.

-It is June.

-You were right.

You were thinking June, D-day. I don't know if that is the link.

Um...I don't know if it's particularly to do with D-day, no.

OK, didn't get it. Listen, might be no damage done -

the Eggheads still need to get this one correct if they are to win.

Eggheads...

Roger Deakins has received several Oscar nominations for his work

in which aspect of film-making?

He's a cameraman. Cinematography.

He's a cameraman, basically - cinematographer.

Cinematography, you say, for Roger Deakins.

It is the correct answer - Eggheads, you've won.

Bad luck, Steve's Dummies.

Apart from the fact there were six of you here,

you still didn't manage to do it!

No, listen, thank you very much

for such an entertaining edition of Eggheads.

We've had a good few laughs along the way.

It wasn't to be on the day. Hope you've enjoyed yourselves

and I'm sure it's going to be chuckling all the way home.

-Thank you very much indeed for playing Eggheads today.

-Well done.

Those Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them

and they still reign supreme over Quizland.

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

That means the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, congratulations - who will beat you?

Join us next time to see

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

£4,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.