Episode 49 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 our awesome quiz champions today

are the Bingley Bright Sparks from Leeds.

This team are all associated with Bingley Grammar School

and regularly meet up to play five aside football together as well.

-Let's meet them.

-Hello, I'm Neil, I'm 43 and I'm a maths teacher.

Hello, I'm Paul, 29 and I'm a geography teacher.

Hi, I'm Ben, I'm 26. I'm a behaviour support unit manager.

Hi, I'm Andy, I'm 26 and I'm a history teacher.

Hi, I'm Chris, I'm 23 and I'm a student teacher.

Welcome to you, Bingley Bright Sparks. How bright are you, then?

-Very.

-Immense.

-We are absolutely, we try. Try.

-You're on fire.

-Slightly rusty.

-You do do a quiz, don't you?

-We do.

-I do, I write it every week, yes.

You write it, so who takes part in it? You write it for the rest of...

The whole school writes it. The whole school do it.

And it's eagerly anticipated, does everyone talk about it?

Itching feet all, all day.

-When that e-mail comes through, it's beautiful.

-I make people's day.

THEY LAUGH

How long have you spent putting it together?

How much research do you do?

Um, well, mainly, I am a fountain of rubbish facts,

so I find it quite easy to put it together, actually.

Well, that's what we need here, fountains of rubbish facts.

Just described the Eggheads there.

LAUGHTER

Shall we play the game?

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.

Bingley Bright Sparks, the Eggheads have won the last four games,

which means £5,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

And our first head-to-head battle is on Politics.

So, who'd like to take this one on to start us off?

-Andy...

-THEY CONFER

-Andy.

-You go and I'll take history if it comes up.

-Yes, you go.

I'll take Politics, Dermot.

OK, well, Andy there. History teacher, of course. Kind of related.

And who would you like to play from the Eggheads, Andy?

Er, can I play CJ, please?

Yes, OK. To kick us off then, it's Andy and CJ.

Both to the Question Room, please.

OK, it's Politics.

-Do you want to go first or second?

-Can I go first, please?

OK, good luck, Andy. First question to you, then, on Politics.

In 2013, Nawaz Sharif

was elected for a third term as Prime Minister of which country?

Erm...I am a bit sketchy on this,

but Nawaz Sharif sounds very much like a Pakistani name.

I doubt that someone

with that name would be from Peru, as...

I would expect more of

a Hispanic name, as with Panama, as well.

So, I think I'm going to pick Pakistan, please, Dermot.

Pakistan for Nawaz Sharif is the right answer.

Good start, Andy.

CJ, which publication was established

in 1937 by the Labour MPs Stafford Cripps and George Strauss?

Well, Stafford Cripps was fairly...

uh, left-wing in his thinking, wasn't he?

The Big Issue is, of course, much later.

I think Tribune is American, so I'll go for The Spectator.

-BARRY:

-No, no, no.

OK, all the analysis done there, CJ, but picked the wrong answer.

-It's Tribune.

-Thought it was American.

-No.

OK.

Well, it's good news, potentially, Andy.

Let's see if you can make it a 2-0 lead.

The United Australia Party was dissolved in the mid-1940s

and re-emerged under what name?

I don't think it would be the National Party,

just mainly because it sounds more right, does that.

I think the Unite sounds a bit left,

so I'm torn between Labour and Liberal.

I would say that if it's dissolved

in the 1940s, it may not have been doing very well.

I think that many liberal parties around the world were not doing well

-at that time, so I think I'll go for the Liberal Party, please.

-OK.

Good analysis, again, but have you got the right answer?

Yes, you have! Correct.

OK, CJ, you must get this one, then.

In a minor reshuffle in October 2013,

Alastair Carmichael replaced Michael Moore in which Cabinet post?

He became the Scottish Secretary.

Correct. OK. Still in it, but Andy, you go

into the final round with a correct answer here.

Which senior police officer

was appointed as Director General of the National Crime Agency,

which replaced the Serious Organised Crime Agency, in October 2013?

For some reason, Keith Bristow

has come in focus.

I don't know, I just think that a name...a double-barrelled name

or a name like Trotter - having a name like Pickles myself -

would have struck me,

so I'm going to go for Keith Bristow, please.

Impressive quizzing. You're in the final round.

THEY CHEER

Well, a lot of that knowledge from quizzes past

I think have stuck there. As I say, you are in the final round.

CJ won't be there. Come back and join your teams.

A flying start for the Bright Sparks.

The Eggheads will be missing at least one brain from the final.

We move on to round two, then. It's Film and Television.

Who would like to play, from the Bright Sparks?

THEY CONFER

-I fancy it. Fancy it. Yep.

-Got you, then, Ben.

And which Egghead would you like to choose? Anyone apart from CJ.

I know Barry is very good at Film and Television, so avoid him.

-Kevin?

-I think Kevin. OK.

-Take a big gun out of the way.

-I'll take Kevin, Dermot, please.

An attempt, as you are saying there, to take a big gun out of the game.

It's Ben and Kevin playing this one.

Into the question room, please.

Would you like to go first or second, Ben?

I'll go first, please, Dermot.

Good luck, Ben. First question... The TV programme

Andy Pandy was regularly broadcast as part of what?

Well, I mean, I do... I recognise two of the answers.

Er, I mean, obviously... I wouldn't have thought it would be

Watch with Mother.

Time to Rest...

Storytime...

I'm going to with

Storytime, Dermot.

Storytime, for Andy Pandy.

It's not the right answer, Ben. It isn't. Kevin will know, I'm sure.

I'm not sure why you say that!

It's Watch with Mother. I don't remember really watching this

-when I was a kid. It was on, but... Anyway, Watch with Mother.

-It is.

OK, your first question, Kevin. In the Star Wars films,

what type of creature is Chewbacca?

I'm sure some people probably think of bookies in that way,

but, no, it's a Wookiee.

It's a Wookiee. That's correct.

OK, Ben, to get on the board,

which actress joined the cast of Coronation Street

in 1989, to play the character Liz McDonald?

I think - I really shouldn't admit to this - but I'm pretty sure

Denise Welch played Natalie Horrocks, I think,

on Natalie Barnes, whichever you want to go.

Erm...Vicky Entwistle plays Janice Battersby,

so the answer I'm going to go for is Beverley Callard.

Very full and the correct answer. Well done. Beverley Callard.

Kevin, in September, 2013, it was announced that which member

of the BBC News team was leaving to join the banking and finance company

JP Morgan?

I think it was the Economics Editor, appropriately enough,

Stephanie Flanders.

Stephanie Flanders is the right answer.

So, you have got two. And Ben,

the title character

in the 1980 Western,

Tom Horn was one of the last roles played by which actor?

Right, OK, Steve McQueen, famous for The Great Escape.

Charles Bronson, I know he's a famous prisoner,

but that's nothing to do with films. William Holden, I'm not sure of.

Erm...I'm going to go with Charles Bronson, please, Dermot.

OK, Charles Bronson,

as Tom Horn, in one of his last roles.

It's not the right answer. Kevin.

It's Steve McQueen. Same year he died.

Steve McQueen, OK, the same year,

as Kevin is telling us, that he died, in 1980,

as Tom Horn.

The round is over. I'm afraid

it means you can't beat Kevin's score of two,

which he has already, so no place for you in the final round, Ben.

Come back and join your teams.

Very much all to play for, still. Both teams have now lost one brain

from the final round.

We move on to our third round. This one is Music.

So, who from the Bright Sparks

would like to take this one on?

-That's you, mate, yeah?

-Yep.

-Guitarist.

-Yeah. I'll take Music on, Dermot.

Who would you like to play? Kevin and CJ have played,

so you can have Barry, Dave or Pat.

-Pat?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, all right.

-What do you reckon with Pat?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, we'll take Pat, please.

-OK.

Paul and Pat, into the question room, please.

Paul, let's play the round.

-Are you going first or second?

-I'll go first, please, Dermot.

Good luck, Paul. Here you go. What was the title

of Nelly Furtado's first UK hit single?

It was a great song. It was very catchy.

It wasn't I'm Like a Horse.

LAUGHTER

It wasn't I'm Like a Snail.

It's I'm Like a Bird.

I'm Like a Bird, yes. We were just thinking, I'm Like a Horse!

LAUGHTER

Whoever just thought up the choices to put there, they are brilliant.

They are good, aren't they? Gave us all a good chuckle.

I'm Like a Bird, of course.

Pat, which rock 'n' roll song begins

with the line, "You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain"?

Singing this is a job for Chris.

I won't attempt it.

It sounds very much like Great Balls of Fire.

It is the right answer.

Rock 'n' roll fan Paul, there, nodding along. He knows it.

OK, your second question, then, Paul.

On the cover of which of these albums

does David Bowie appear with his eyes closed?

I'm actually a big fan of David Bowie.

Since everything has gone digital, I've bought none of his albums,

so I've never bought

or looked at the album cover.

Out of the three on there...

..the one I've heard of, the one I'm familiar with,

would be Hunky Dory.

OK, Hunky Dory, for David Bowie with his eyes closed.

It's incorrect. No, it's one of the other two. Pat?

I think it's Aladdin Sane. He's got a fancy make-up job,

like a bolt of coloured lightning going across his eyes.

That is it, yep. Aladdin Sane.

That was just out of interest.

This is your second question, Pat. Which French singer's

only hit single in the UK was a cover version

of Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, in 1970?

I think - one of my mother's favourites -

I think this was Sacha Distel.

It is correct. Sacha Distel, with that in the charts.

OK, you need to get this, Paul.

In 1942, the singer-songwriter

Johnny Mercer was a co-founder of which record label,

whose early signings included Peggy Lee, Stan Kenton and Nat King Cole?

Difficult one, this one, Dermot.

At a guess, I'd go Decca.

No reason behind it. I don't know what

RCA stands for. Capitol Records, I've heard that.

Earlier than Capitol, I seem to think of Decca.

I seem to think it started before Capitol.

I'll go Decca.

OK, Decca, for one of the founders being Johnny Mercer.

It's not the right answer, sorry. Pat?

-I'd have gone for Capitol.

-It is Capitol,

which means, once again, the round is over at this stage.

Pat's going through to the final round.

No place for you, Paul, sorry. Come back and join your teams.

That flying start by the Bright Sparks has got rather bogged down.

They have lost two brains from the final round, to the Eggheads' one.

So, what will be the configuration in the final round?

The outcome of this head-to-head will decide it. It's Arts and Books.

And it is Neil or Chris to play it

-from the Bright Sparks.

-Do you want to take it?

Arts or books - no idea.

THEY CONFER

Do you want to go for it?

-All right. Yeah, I'll take it.

-OK, Chris, you can choose

from Barry or Dave on the Eggheads' side.

What do we reckon?

I'd go Dave. Barry is superb at this.

Let's go Dave. We'll try Dave, please.

OK, it's going to be Chris and Dave playing this one.

Into the question room, please.

Chris, it's Arts and Books. Would you like to go first or second?

First, please.

Good luck, Chris. Here is your first question. The American writer

Noah Webster is best known for his 1828 publication,

which was what type of book?

Initially, I'd rule out Dictionary.

Just got the Oxford Dictionary in my head,

so I don't think it would be that.

Erm, I'm, kind of, torn between the other two.

Because of a primary school teacher, I'm going to go for fairytale.

OK, fairytale for Noah Webster.

I'm afraid there is also a Webster's dictionary.

It's what we're looking for there, dictionary.

There's an interesting thing about Noah Webster.

He wanted to make a unique identity for the American language,

so he was the man who actually took out the U in words like "color".

-Just to make American different from English.

-Color, labor...

That's right, all down to Noah Webster.

A very interesting fact. OK, Dave, first question.

Which of these photographers was born in Peru in 1954

and came to live in London in his early 20s?

I think dates with 1954, rule out both Patrick Lichfield

and David Bailey. I'll go for Mario Testino.

Is the right answer, Dave. So you're on the board.

Let's get Chris registering.

Chris, the 2002 book Taking On The World is

an autobiography of which sportswoman?

Initially I would rule Jayne Torvill out.

I know Tanni Grey-Thompson is a Paralympian.

But because Ellen MacArthur, I believe, is a sailor, and I

believe she sailed around the world, I'm going to go for Ellen MacArthur.

OK, and looking at that title would fit, wouldn't it?

It's the right answer. Ellen MacArthur, Taking On The World.

Dave, the 1954 book Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck is a sequel

to which of his other novels?

I don't know this, but I've got a leaning towards

East of Eden for some reason, so I'll go East of Eden.

OK, East of Eden for Sweet Thursday.

Barry, you're getting very agitated there.

I'm agitated because my favourite novel of all time is Cannery Row,

and Sweet Thursday is the sequel to Cannery Row.

As a very agitated Barry here said

it's one of his favourite books, Cannery Row.

I wouldn't have got that.

So, well, it's all square then.

Chris, third question.

The stage play, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

by Berthold Brecht,

which was revived in the West End in 2013, is set in which US city?

Again, I'm not sure...

I think I'm just going to have a take a punt on this one.

I'm just going to go for New York, please.

OK, New York for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.

It's not!

-Dave, do you know?

-I'd have gone New York myself.

But I'll go, in that case, I'll go for Los Angeles.

LAUGHTER Oh, dear!

That's interesting again.

And so the other Eggheads would tell me it is...

-Chicago.

-Chicago.

The Rise of Arturo Ui based around, illustrating the rise of...?

Of Hitler, essentially, but it's done in a Chicago gangster

setting with a kind of Al Capone figure.

OK, well, it wasn't Dave's question.

And this would get you into the final round.

In 1969, a museum dedicated to which artist was

opened in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he lived

and painted for the last 25 years of his life?

I'm going to rule out Jackson Pollock.

Rockwell or Hopper.

I will go...

..Norman Rockwell.

OK, Norman Rockwell.

A museum there in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, you think.

It's correct, Dave.

You've identified it,

which means you have deprived Chris of a place in the final round.

You're going to be in it.

Would you both please come back and join your teams.

And 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 Paul, Ben and Chris from the Bingley Bright Sparks,

and CJ from the Eggheads, would you leave the studio, please.

So, Neil and Andy, you're playing

to win the Bingley Bright Sparks £5,000.

Pat, Dave, Kevin and Barry, you're playing for something

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

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

This time the questions are all General Knowledge

and you're allowed to confer.

So, Bingley Bright Sparks, the question is,

are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four?

And, Neil and Andy, would you like to go first or second?

We'll go first, please, Dermot.

OK, your first question coming right up, then.

The name of which animal is often used to describe someone who

is the subject of an experiment?

Well I've met a few weasels in my time.

But I don't think it's weasel.

-Chipmunk, that's an aircraft.

-Absolutely.

-I think we are being used as guinea pigs.

-I think we are.

We are the Bingley guinea pigs.

Well, I think we are the Bingley Grammar School guinea pigs.

And we'll go for guinea pig, Dermot.

Well, you've got the right answer.

So it means you are in the lead at the moment.

Of course, I've not put any questions to the Eggheads yet.

Here you go, your first question.

What two colours are the horizontal stripes on the top usually

worn by Dennis the Menace in The Beano?

-Surely red and black, isn't it?

-Red and black, yeah.

Yes, Dennis the Menace is always seen in a very tight-fitting

jumper and it is red and black stripes.

You didn't have those stripes. There's a white stripe on yours.

Could be Dennis the Menace. When I was a lot younger.

DERMOT LAUGHS

OK, it is the right answer, red and black.

And Bingley Bright Sparks, second question.

In most states of the USA, Columbus Day is observed on the second

Monday of which month?

-Columbus Day.

-I've got no idea.

Christopher Columbus. I hope it's Christopher.

It is, yes.

Um, well, February would be wintertime. June, summer.

Going into fall in October.

There's an image in my head of whenever I've seen it on film,

they're always wearing quite thick coats.

-So it could be October or February.

-October or February.

I'd say, because he is the discoverer of America,

he wouldn't set sail in winter.

So I think, if you set sail in summer,

he would reach America by October.

Either February or October.

-Yeah.

-I'd go for October.

That's as good a logic as I can muster.

-So, you think October?

-I think October.

We're going to go to the right.

We're not sure about this, Dermot.

We've reasoned, probably incorrectly, that

if you're going to hit landfall and discover a new country,

you're going to set off in decent weather,

and maybe get there when it's not so...

when it's not so clever.

So we're going to plump for October.

OK, October.

Working on that voyage by Columbus.

Sounds good to me. It's the right answer anyway.

Well done!

I like that reasoning, don't know whether it's right or not.

But certainly got the right answer. Very good. Two to you, then.

Eggheads, on a road sign in Germany,

what is meant by the word MAUT, M-A-U-T?

I've never driven in Germany.

-I don't know.

-M-A-U-T.

-M-A-U-T.

Any thoughts, Pat?

We've got the place name, Mauthausen.

That would suggest a toll settlement, I don't know.

If that were relevant, no parking wouldn't...

And give way wouldn't really make sense.

-No.

-But that's only a tenuous thing. That's not proper evidence.

-And if that were in any way linked...

-It's a concentration camp.

Yes, but it's still a place that which the camp was built.

And you might have, historically back hundreds of years, tolls...

-..were relevant.

-Tollhouse.

-It's possible.

There's no evidence behind it.

-It's the only thing that we've got any logic.

-It is, yeah.

-OK?

-I think we will have to try it.

-We have to try it.

As you've gathered, we're really at sixes and sevens on this one.

But on the principle that there is a place called Mauthausen,

which just might mean tollhouse, it wouldn't mean give way house

or no parking house, we think the answer might be toll.

OK, toll.

Well, it is the right answer, yes.

-Mauthausen, it's in Austria.

-Yes.

Yeah, Mauthausen, Austria. Yeah.

So it is all square, both teams going really well

and third question for the Bingley Bright Sparks,

the prestigious architecture award, the Stirling Prize, was awarded

in 2013 to a restoration project of which 12th century English building?

I'm thinking Framlingham, but...

Framlingham. I was erring towards Pevensey.

But for absolutely no reason.

-The Bingley reputation is resting on our...

-On our big shoulders.

THEY LAUGH

-I think we go with Pevensey.

-Pevensey.

Let's give it one more thought. Pevensey, Framlingham, or Astley.

I don't know.

If it's the 11th century, you've got to think of where the

Normans are trying to secure when they first come into England.

And most of the castles that are built are mainly in the South first,

-and then they move North after that.

-Yes.

So I would say Pevensey is...

It sounds almost Cornish, doesn't it?

-It does, actually.

-Let's go Pevensey, then.

-Come on.

-Shall we do it?

-Yeah.

-For Bingley.

Dermot, we're really not sure about this at all.

There's no method in the madness, but we are going to...

..err on the side of Pevensey Castle.

OK, Pevensey Castle for the restoration project that

won the Stirling Prize.

When you were tossing up between Pevensey and Framlingham,

let's see what the Eggheads think.

I think Astley.

It's Astley Castle.

The first one you got wrong in the final round,

but the Eggheads have to face their third question.

You have to grit your teeth and hope they don't get it.

So, Eggheads, in Greek mythology,

Leto was the daughter of Coeus and which other Titan?

I have something vaguely ringing

at the back of my mind that says Phoebe.

-It's Kronos and Rhea, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Rhea is out.

-Rhea's out.

Probably.

DERMOT LAUGHS

Phoebe is beginning to ring a bell.

I'm starting to favour Phoebe. What do you think?

-Just to check, who's Achilles' mother?

-Thetis.

Thetis. OK, different person.

It could be. I think Rhea is out.

But it could be Tethys.

But she's particularly associated with the ocean and water.

-And there's nothing, it doesn't seem to lead on.

-No.

-Those two names, Coeus and Phoebe ring...

-That's fair enough.

-What do you think?

-Yes. OK, we will go with that.

OK, Dermot, well once again we are not totally sure of this one.

We're certain it's not Rhea, because Rhea was married to Kronos.

So that discounts Rhea.

And Tethys is the goddess of the ocean,

the early ocean was called Tethys and we don't believe that

Leto or Leto's children had anything to do with the ocean.

But I have a bell ringing with me for Phoebe. And so has...

Kevin a little bit.

So on that basis, we're going to go for Phoebe.

Let me introduce you, that's Kevin there, Kevin, Barry, Barry, Kevin.

BARRY LAUGHS

OK, going for Phoebe there.

Leto was the daughter of...

..Phoebe, it's correct. You have won.

APPLAUSE

Listen, Andy and Neil, you were saying at one stage

that you felt the reputation of Bingley Grammar

was resting on your shoulders.

I think it's safe and secure after the way you two quizzed today.

A really good performance from you two there.

It took a lot of reasoning by the Eggheads to beat you in the end

there, so congratulations to you, Bright Sparks.

Thank you very much indeed for playing the Eggheads today.

And best of luck with the teaching and the school.

APPLAUSE Well done.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them and still reign supreme over Quizland.

I'm afraid you will not be going home with the £5,000,

which 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.

£6,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.