Episode 43 Eggheads

These people are amongst the greatest quiz players in Britain.

Together they make up the Eggheads,

arguably the most formidable quiz team in the country.

The question is, can they be beaten?

Welcome to Eggheads, the show where a team of five quiz challengers

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

They are the Eggheads.

And taking on the awesome might of our quiz Goliaths today

are The Barrow Independents from Barrow-in-Furness.

This team are all independent custody visitors who work to ensure

that the rights of people held in police custody are being met.

Let's meet them.

Hello, my name's Lynne.

I'm 58 years old and I'm a retired NHS director.

Hi, I'm Les, I'm 56 and I'm an engineer.

Hello, my name is Sheila. I am 64 years of age

and I am a retired NHS worker.

Hello, my name's Geoff, I'm 67 years old.

I'm a retired driving instructor.

Hi, I'm Amanda, I'm 21 and I'm a revenues officer.

Welcome to you, Barrow Independents. Tell me about the work first of all.

A lot of people don't really know about the very important role

that people like you play and, just in a nutshell, how does it work?

Well, we all make unannounced visits to the police station,

in our case in Barrow-in-Furness.

There are a panel of 12 of us and we go in pairs

and our role is to visit people who are detained in police custody

to ensure that they're being detained appropriately and that

their welfare needs and their legal needs and so on are being met.

Fascinating. I mean, how do you get the job?

Do you have to have legal training?

No, not legal training

but we were appointed on behalf of the Home Office

by the police and crime commissioner

and we've got right of access any time of day or night,

365 days a year.

Tell me about the quizzing though, this is what we're here to do today.

THEY LAUGH

You must be a formidable quiz team, I hope.

Well, not exactly.

But we're very willing.

That'll do!

Right, the willing Barrow Independents

taking on the Eggheads today.

Now, every day there's £1,000 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, Barrow Independents, the Eggheads have won the last 11 games,

it means £12,000 says you can't beat them today.

Let's play, shall we?

Our opening round is Geography.

Who'd like to take this one on?

-Erm, Geoff?

-Geoff, I think.

Well, I think that's me.

I like... When they all looked down to you, Geoff, you went that way.

But it's you. OK, Geoff, who will it be from the Eggheads

that you're going to challenge?

-CJ, you think?

-CJ.

CJ loves geography.

Yes, I don't know.

The one in the middle over there, he looks quite good on geography

but I think we want English geography, please, I think.

You've got it, yes, you know that is his prowess.

It's CJ and Geoff on this one.

You both have to go to the Question Room, please.

Geoff, would you like to go first or second?

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

OK, good luck, Geoff. Here's your first question then.

The small seaside resort of Dawlish Warren is in which English county?

Dawlish Warren...

Well, I've never heard of it. Erm...

Right, well, I hope that this is logical.

It doesn't sound North Yorkshire

and it doesn't sound Suffolk hopefully

so I think I'll go for Devon.

OK, sounds like it's in the West Country

and it is, yes, Devon is correct.

CJ, Castletown and Ramsey are towns on which British Crown dependency?

I'm sorry, are you talking to me?

I... I've got no idea!

Erm...

Well, there's not much on Lindisfarne, is there?

There is something tiny ringing away that's telling me

that Ramsey's on the Isle of Man.

Erm...

I'm glad I didn't get the last question

because I didn't know that one either.

Erm...

I hope Ramsey's on the Isle of Man so I'll try Isle of Man.

All right.

Well, Geoff, there's hope for you here, isn't there?

With this kind of confusion. I mean, there's another way of doing this

because I asked on which British Crown dependency and clearly

Lindisfarne and Anglesey are part of the United Kingdom itself.

The Isle of Man is the only Crown dependency there

and also contains Castletown and Ramsey.

Right, Geoff, well,

you did well with Dawlish there. Your second question.

Which of these Egyptian cities lies on the Mediterranean cost?

Right. Erm...

Well, I'm pretty certain it's not Aswan.

Erm, cos I'm thinking Aswan down, further up.

Erm...

So I think it's Cairo or Alexandria

and I'll go for Alexandria, please, Dermot.

Oh, thank goodness,

it's the right answer, yes.

Yep, not Cairo and certainly not Aswan.

OK, CJ, which Scottish industrial village became

a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001?

OK, I'm just going to have to go on again the very faintest of bells.

There's something very, very small inkling about New Lanark

so I'll try New Lanark.

You've inkled it again,

it's the right answer. Yes, New Lanark.

OK, New Lanark there identified by CJ

and both going well,

if a little tentatively, certainly on CJ's part.

Right, Geoff, third question.

The city of Fargo stands just within North Dakota's border

with which other state?

Right. Erm...

Well, I think Mississippi is too far south.

Montana I think is too far west.

Yeah, I'll...

I think I'll go for Minnesota, I think, please, Dermot,

-and hope for the best.

-OK.

You've got the right answer.

Minnesota bordering North Dakota there.

And CJ,

St Asaph, awarded city status in 2012, is in which county of Wales?

EGGHEADS LAUGH

Really hoping that you were asking which country of the UK it was in!

OK.

Pembrokeshire is in the...

..southwest.

Caerphilly's in the south

and I think Denbighshire is in the north.

Oh, dear. I don't think it's Denbighshire.

I don't think it's in the north.

I just don't know how... Assuming it is in the south,

I just don't know how far across it is, whereabouts it is.

I will try Caerphilly.

OK, Caerphilly for St Asaph.

-Other Eggheads?

-Denbighshire.

-Denbighshire.

-It's in the north.

-Oh.

-Denbighshire.

OK, well, CJ, I thought...

As you probably know CJ has much publicised, kind of, blind spots

about British geography.

Wales is normally a stronger suit for him but look,

it's let him down there and it means,

Geoff, you are in the final round.

Congratulations and no place for CJ.

Could you both, please, come back and join your teams?

As it stands,

The Barrow Independents are off to a flying start.

They've knocked one Egghead out of the final round,

they're all there because we've only played one round.

Let's play our next subject then and this one's Music.

Who'd like to take this one on from the Independents?

-Yep, OK.

-Good luck, dear.

-I'll do Music.

-Amanda.

OK, Amanda, now choose an Egghead.

It can't be CJ but any of the other four...

Who do you think?

Well, not Dave, I don't think.

-No, he's too good on Music.

-Erm...

-Chris?

Barry's good on Music as well cos even some of the stuff you think

-he doesn't know...

-Go for Chris.

-Go for Chris then, please.

Somebody taking my name in vain?

That totally passed him by.

-You're playing, Chris.

-Right-oh.

It's Music. Would you both go to the Question Room, please?

So what type of music do you like to listen to, Amanda?

Erm, just anything really. I like variation.

OK, well, that's what you're going to get in this round.

-Just for later stuff though, not the older stuff.

-Oh, right.

I'm not sure I can guarantee that.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-I will go first, please.

And here's your first question then.

In which year was Madonna's Like A Virgin

first released in the UK as a single?

Erm, I don't think it was 1994.

I'm going to take a guess out of the other two.

And I'll go for...

..'84. 1984.

It's the right answer, Amanda. Good start. Well done.

Chris, which spoof girl band formed by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders

and Kathy Burke had a charity single with Bananarama in 1989?

Erm...

Yes, well, erm...

It's the first one, however you pronounce that.

Lalaneeneenoonoo.

-Lalaneeneenoonoo?

-Mm-hm.

Is the right answer having cleared that one up, well done.

OK, Amanda, your second question.

"I know a whoopee spot where the gin is cold but the piano's hot,"

are lines from which song in the musical Chicago?

I have not... I don't really watch musicals.

No, I've not watched Chicago so I'm not sure on this question.

Just going to have to be a stab in the dark.

I will go for...

When You're Good To Mama.

OK, When You're Good To Mama for, "Whoopee spot where the gin is cold

"and the piano's hot."

It's not. Do you know, Chris?

# And all that jazz! #

-All That Jazz.

-It is, yes, All That Jazz.

Which means nothing there for you, Amanda.

Chris, who released an album in 2013 entitled The Diving Board?

Er...

Not heard of anything new from Tom Jones.

Or Elton John but Elvis Costello's been making a bit of a comeback

lately, I think, so I'll have to go with Elvis Costello.

Elvis Costello for The Diving Board.

-Other Eggheads?

-Elton John.

-It's Elton John.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

So no damage done, third question.

The Italian song Con Te Partiro

popularised by Andrea Bocelli with Sarah Brightman

is known by what title in English?

Again, I have no idea on this one.

Erm...

There's no logic behind this answer.

I'm going to go for the middle one again and say Time To Say Goodbye.

If you didn't know it, were you thinking,

-"Right, I'm just going to go down the middle?"

-Yeah, down the middle.

Well, you've got two out of three because it's correct. Well done.

Which means you need this, Chris.

Human Racing is the title of the 1980s debut album

by which British musician?

Human Racing...

Heard one from three.

Nik Kershaw.

You've got it, Chris.

OK, well, some good guessing going on here

from both participants. Means it's all square and, Amanda, I'm going

to take us into Sudden Death and remove the options

because you're both clearly so good at this

but guessing's a lot harder in Sudden Death as you can imagine

because we're not going to show you any options. Here you go.

The B-side of Lee Marvin's hit single Wand'rin' Star

was Clint Eastwood singing which song?

I don't even think I can take a guess at this one.

I'm not sure, my mind is blank.

So I'm going to have pass, I think.

All right, yeah.

I mean, yeah, you could guess any combination of words

and it's a really tough one but Chris might know it,

I mean cos he sings in the style of Wand'rin' Star.

It's not They Call The Wind Maria, is it?

-No.

-I Talk To The Trees.

-It is! Yeah.

That's why they put me away.

-Yeah, it's all from the film, isn't it, Chris?

-Yeah, Paint Your Wagon.

Paint Your Wagon, that's it.

OK, well,

Amanda couldn't have a guess at that, no-one would blame her

but, Chris, here's your question.

India is the setting for which Delibes opera

that had its premiere in 1883?

It's not The Pearl Fishers, that's Bizet. Erm...

Lakme.

Lakme is the right answer, Chris,

you have just got through to the final round,

but well-played, Amanda.

It'll be fine...

No place in the final round I am afraid

so would you both, please, come back and join your teams?

Two rounds gone, it's all square.

Both teams have lost one brain from the final round

and let's see our next subject.

It's History

so who'd like to play this one from The Barrow Independents? History.

-Do you want me to...?

-Do you want to try and save Les for the end?

-Or Science, yeah.

-Yeah.

-Do you want me to go for it?

I mean, I'm useless at history but I'll go for it.

-Erm, yeah, OK, if you don't mind.

-Go on, then.

-Sheila.

Oh, stay with us, please, stay with us, Sheila.

Wait a minute, do wait a minute

because you need someone to quiz against.

Might make it a bit more interesting.

Sheila, who would you like to play?

-Erm...

-History.

Just CJ and Chris have played so you can have Barry, Kevin or Dave.

-What about Dave?

-Dave.

-I think...

-I would think Dave.

-Dave.

-I'll go with Dave.

I don't like the way Barry smiles. He's...

Smile on the face of a shark.

Sort of sucking us in!

So it's going to be Sheila and Dave, OK.

And, Sheila, I know you're keen to get started.

-I'm going to send you both...

-I don't know why!

..to the Question Room, please.

So, Sheila, you're a poet?

-Well, I try, yes.

-Yes, good.

But I mean you'd prefer then Arts & Books

-or something like that, would you?

-Certainly, yes.

OK, but taking it for the team then, I guess.

-Would you like to first or second?

-First, please.

Off we go then. First History question is this.

Which of these names often used to mean the leader

of a country's entire armed forces

was used by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco?

Well, I don't have a clue really.

Erm...

I don't think it's privatisimo.

My thought keeps going to captainisimo.

I think I will go with that.

All right, captainisimo.

No, it was the entire armed forces

so right at the top there as generalisimo, I'm afraid,

for Franco.

Dave, besides the UK, which country switched to decimalised currency

on the 15th February 1971?

I've got to presume that's Ireland.

Yeah, the other two got there a little bit before that.

It is the right answer, yes.

OK, Sheila, let's get one on the board, I hope, here.

The short-lived I'm Backing Britain productivity campaign

began in 1968 when a group of secretaries in Surbiton

decided to do how much extra work each day for no pay?

This is a tough one again cos history is not the subject.

Erm...

I don't think it's two hours.

I don't think they'd do perhaps 30 minutes without any pay.

I'll go for 10 minutes.

OK, 10 minutes to kick off the I'm Backing Britain campaign.

It's not, it's not ten minutes, sorry, Sheila.

Dave, I mean, it's a bit of a guess all round, isn't it?

-I'd go half an hour.

-Yeah, it's half an hour, 30 minutes, OK.

Dave's second question.

In which year was the Imperial War Museum first open to the public?

I think it's on the extremities.

Don't think they'd open it during a war.

-MUMBLES:

-Well, how long...? How long would it be open?

I'll go 1920.

So after the horrors of the First World War.

It's the right answer, yep, well worked out, Dave. 1920.

Got that, Dave, which means, I'm sorry, Sheila,

as you said it wasn't really your subject, we end the round there.

Dave's in the final round and we won't be seeing you there,

-sorry, Sheila.

-Fine, thank you.

Would you both come back and join your teams?

Well, the Eggheads inching back and inching into the lead as it stands.

The Barrow Independents have lost two brains from the final round,

the Eggheads have lost one. Will it be all square in the final round?

Let's find out, shall we? And, ooh, it's Arts & Books, sorry, Sheila.

Arts & Books. The last head-to-head

but Lynne or Les are the only two who can play this one.

OK, well, that'll be me.

All right, and who would you like to play from the Eggheads?

You've got Kevin or Barry there.

Barry's not smiling on this one so I don't know, is that...?

-That could be good.

-It could be the shark sucking us in, I don't know.

It could.

Yes, I think I'll take on Barry, please.

You'll go for the shark. What kind of shark are you then, Barry?

Are you a great white or a basking shark?

-No, I'm gentle, I'm a nurse shark.

-OK.

Lynne and Barry, into the Question Room then, please.

Lynne, I hear you're very, very sporty.

Was it you broke the world record at the Great North Run?

Yes, I almost broke the three hour barrier in my first half marathon.

That's a fantastic achievement. How did you feel after?

Euphoric, I think, and really quite surprised

that I actually trotted virtually all the way round.

I had been thinking I'd be walking it most of the way

-but I actually kept going and it was great.

-Well done, you.

Are you going to give it another go? Or maybe step up to a marathon?

I think a marathon's probably beyond me

but certainly I'm going to do it again.

OK, Arts & Books. Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

Good luck, Lynne. Here you go.

Faster Than Lightning published in 2013

is the autobiography of which runner?

I don't think it's Paula Radcliffe.

In fact I'm fairly sure it isn't.

Erm...

Now Mo Farah has had an autobiography recently

but I don't recall it being called Faster Than Lightning.

Erm...

I think I'll go for Usain Bolt.

Probably just as well,

it's the right answer, yes. And after...

And after the discussion we just had, maybe it should be yours,

for your next time in the Great North Run.

Maybe just slightly less, little less faster than Usain.

All right, Barry, in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy,

which character steals the spaceship Heart Of Gold?

Now I like this character because he has two heads

and that would come in very useful for an Egghead.

It was Zaphod Beeblebrox.

Yes, well, you mean you can get around the no conferring rule

-in the Question Room.

-Yes, indeed.

-Mind you, you do it anyway.

You just talk to yourself.

Zaphod Beeblebrox is the right answer, yes.

The lovely thing about that is

he was able to steal the Heart Of Gold

because its owner was spending a year dead for tax purposes.

OK, yeah, great book.

OK, Lynne, second question.

What is the occupation of Mark Darcy in Helen Fielding's novel

Bridget Jones's Diary?

Well, I haven't read this book

so it's going to have to be somewhat of a guess.

I'd be surprised if it's a barrister.

Well, apologies to people who are computer programmers,

I think that might be the occupation

that's more in keeping with Bridget Jones

so I'll go computer programmer.

OK, computer programmer. Yeah, because Mark Darcy's seen as what?

He's seen as a bit of a square, isn't he?

Bit uptight.

Just trying to wind Barry up there.

But it's not computer programmer.

-Barry?

-He was a barrister.

-Oh!

-A barrister.

-Was he?

-Yeah, he was.

Right, nothing there for Lynne.

Barry, you try this one then on your second question.

A woman called Susan and her daughter are sold to a sailor

called Newson in which novel by Thomas Hardy?

In this novel, Susan was led to the fair

where she was sold wearing a halter

and she was sold for the princely sum of £5

and it was in The Mayor Of Casterbridge.

Yes, it was, Barry. You have a lead.

The Mayor Of Casterbridge is correct so, Lynne,

let's get this one on the board and stay in the game.

What is the title of the play by Tracy Letts

which won the 2008 Tony award for Best Play?

Well, I haven't got a clue on this one

so it is going to be a complete guess.

I'm not sure I can apply any logic to eliminating any

of the potential answers so...

I think I'll go August: Osage County.

Is the right answer, well done, Lynne!

Let's hope Barry doesn't get this then.

Barry, who painted the 1560 oil panting Children's Games

which depicts approximately 200 children

playing around 80 different games?

Now this artist was very fond of painting pictures

with lots of characters in.

Another one of his famous ones on this sort of idiom was called

Netherlandish Proverbs where he tried to illustrate

all the common proverbs in the Netherlands at that time

and the painter was Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

I think you can tell, Lynne, that he knows this inside out.

It is the right answer. Barry, well done.

Which means, Lynne, no place for you in the final round.

Sorry, just one wrong there

but it means Barry will be there in the final round.

Would you both come back and join your teams, please?

And this is what we've been playing towards then,

it's time for the final round which, as always, is General Knowledge.

I'm afraid those of you who lost your head-to-heads won't be allowed

to take part in this round.

So Lynne, Sheila and Amanda from The Barrow Independents

and CJ from the Eggheads, would you leave the studio now, please?

So, Les and Geoff,

you are playing to win The Barrow Independents £12,000.

Dave, Kevin, Barry and Chris, you are playing for something

which money cannot buy - the Eggheads' reputation.

And, as usual, I'm going to ask each team three questions in turn,

this time the questions are all General Knowledge

and you are allowed to confer.

So, Barrow Independents, the question is, as always,

are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four?

And Les and Geoff, would you like to go first or second?

-We'll go first.

-First, yes.

-We'll go first, Dermot.

Well, good luck, Geoff. Good luck, Les. First question.

The US Army officer Edward Uhl is credited with co-designing

which weapon introduced in 1942?

-Grenades are much, much older than that.

-Mm.

-So are Howitzers

-and I'm pretty certain the bazooka was developed then.

-Yeah.

That'll be bazooka.

OK, bazooka is the right answer, yes.

Well done.

Eggheads,

at the 2013 Labour Party Conference,

Ed Miliband pledged to freeze the price of what?

-Fuel.

-Fuel.

-Fuel, yeah.

Freeze, I think going to be the appropriate word here, fuel.

Fuel is correct, Eggheads.

One each.

Barrow Independents, second question.

72 names, principally scientists,

are inscribed on the side of which Parisian landmark?

Well, I don't know.

-I mean... Eiffel Tower...

-It doesn't sound...

-No, it doesn't.

I've been to the Eiffel Tower and I can't remember anything like that.

I've been to Moulin Rouge and I don't remember that there.

I can't imagine it on the Moulin Rouge, no, so Pont Neuf?

-Go Pont Neuf?

-Yeah.

-We'll go for Pont Neuf.

OK, Pont Neuf. 72 names, principally scientists on the...

Is it Point Neuf, Eggheads?

No, I think it's the Eiffel Tower.

It is the Eiffel Tower.

-It's the Eiffel Tower.

-I should've taken more notice.

OK, well, Eggheads,

your second question.

In 1948, the military organisation known as the Haganah

became the official army of which country?

-Israel.

-My uncle was the fourth highest ranking officer

in the Haganah at one point

and it's the military army 1948 of Israel.

Yes, can't really dispute that with you, can we?

After that kind of family background. It is the right answer.

Israel. Yeah.

OK, well, it means you need this.

Good luck, Les and Geoff.

What was the first name of the title character played by Peter Gilmore

in the TV period drama series from the 1970s The Onedin Line?

I have to confess to having watched this

-and I'm pretty certain it's James.

-Yep, yeah.

-James Onedin,

it's the right answer. Well done, back on track

but a blot on the copy book there

which means the Eggheads have an opportunity.

Veronica is the name of a particular manoeuvre

in which of these activities?

-All happy with bullfighting?

-Bullfighting.

-Yeah.

That is bullfighting.

Bullfighting, it's the correct answer. Eggheads, you've won.

Well, Barrow Independents, well-played there, bad luck.

It's been that story in a lot of those head-to-heads,

just the case of the Eggheads have managed to

nudge you out of it in the end.

-We hope you've enjoyed playing them today though.

-Oh, yes.

It's been a great day, really.

It's been great having you here and thank you very much indeed for

telling us about the great work that you do as well voluntarily there.

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 £12,000

and that means the money rolls over to the next show.

So, Eggheads, congratulations. Who will beat you?

And join us next time to see if

a new team of challengers have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£13,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.