Episode 71 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 how are you feeling today, Eggs? Very good.

Very good. Confident voices. Let's see how they do.

Hoping to get one over on our quiz champions are

the Scattered Brains.

This friends-and-family team used to quiz together fairly regularly.

However, job opportunities now mean that they are scattered

all over the country.

But for today, they are reunited and ready to test their brains once more.

So, let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Ivor and I'm an IT consultant.

Hi, I'm Debbie and I'm a freelance book-keeper.

I'm Karl. I'm a mechanical design engineer.

Hi, I'm Craig. I'm a PhD student in computer science.

Hi, I'm Alex. I'm an IT consultant.

So, Ivor, team, welcome. Good to see you.

Thank you. So, scattered how widely, Ivor? Fairly scattered.

I think it's about 15,000 square miles we cover.

So we are probably anchored around Weston-super-Mare,

where Alex still lives.

We have a history with that because, of course, our lovely Daphne

is, I think, Weston-super-Mare's most famous resident.

Second to John Cleese, probably.

THEY LAUGH

That's a very close second. Fairly close.

So Weston, Loughborough...

Yes, Karl and Craig were brought up in Weston.

Craig now studies in Bristol, which is not so far away.

Karl lives in Loughborough

and Debbie and I live in Devizes in Wiltshire.

All right. So we are scattered.

But back together today for the big challenge. I wish you well.

Thank you. Every day, there is

?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 our next show. I know you know that.

So, Scattered Brains, the Eggheads have won the last 11,

which means ?12,000 says you can't beat them today.

And I'm thinking you want to probably go ahead.

Shall we give it a go? Give it a go.

Right, the first head-to-head battle is on the subject

of Film Television. Who would like it?

ALEX LAUGHS

I guess, judging by all the looks towards me, that would be me.

There is a plan here, is there, Alex? OK. Alex against which Egghead?

You can choose any one of the five.

Come on, Ivor, you're the captain - you tell me.

I've just got to run through it in my head again.

Pat. OK. Pat.

You have sensed weakness in Pat, have you? I wouldn't quite call it that.

All right. So Alex from Scattered Brains versus Pat from the Eggheads.

To ensure there is no conferring,

would you please take your positions in the Question Room?

So they chose you for this, Alex, did they? Yes.

And is that because when you were a child you wanted to be a superhero?

Yes, more than likely. What was the name of your superhero?

Captain Cretin.

And you were wearing what sort of outfit?

Pretty much all green.

It was green socks, shorts, T-shirt, green cloak and a hat.

It is a real shame you didn't dress up like that today.

I was told by the team captain not to.

It would have put you off a bit, Pat, I think. It sounds deeply unsettling.

All right. Well, for the purpose of this game, not Captain Cretin

but Alex on Film TV, and would you like to go first or second?

I will go first, please.

Good luck. Here is your first question.

Alex, in which decade did Lee Marvin, Rex Harrison

and Sidney Poitier all win the Academy Award for Best Actor?

Right...

I'm 95% certain that I don't know this one.

But I don't think it was in the 2000s.

It's between the other two.

I would have to say the 1960s.

Yes, spot on. It is quite some time ago.

Over to you, Pat.

Perez Hilton, Keith Chegwin

and Katie Hopkins appeared on which reality TV programme in 2015?

I think they were all memorably cooped up together...

..in the Celebrity Big Brother house.

They were indeed. OK.

On to you, Alex.

The three actresses and sisters Niamh,

Sorcha and Sinead were born with which of these family names?

OK. Another one I'm not certain of,

but I'm definitely leaning towards Cusack, I believe.

I seem to remember Niamh Cusack.

Yes, I'll go for Cusack, please.

Cusack is correct. Yeah.

Pat, your question.

Bert Cooper, Joan Harris

and Roger Sterling are characters in which US television drama?

I think the company the programme is based about is Sterling, Cooper

and somebody else. It's an advertising agency.

So I think the Sterling there suggests it is Mad Men.

Mad Men is right. Two each. Playing well. Hang on in there, Alex.

Get this right, put some pressure on the Egghead there.

Brad Pitt plays the manager of which type of sports team

in the 2011 film Moneyball, which is based on true events?

OK, I didn't actually see this film, I only saw a couple of adverts.

But I believe it is baseball.

Baseball is correct.

Three out of three. He's doing well, isn't he? OK. Pat, your question.

Which British actress was married to the director

Tony Richardson from 1962 to 1967?

I have a feeling that he is connected with one of the big

acting dynasties.

And although Sarah Miles obviously has sisters who

were actresses as well,

I think Redgrave fits the dynasty description best,

so I will go for Vanessa Redgrave.

Yeah, you got three out of three as well. Vanessa Redgrave it is.

So, locked equally.

Well, I guess it was never going to be easy, Alex.

We go to Sudden Death. It gets a bit harder now

because I don't give you alternative answers.

Are you ready? As ready as I'll ever be, yes.

Alex, in which TV series does Rebecca Front play DOSAC

Minister Nicola Murray, MP?

I believe it is in The Thick Of It.

It is indeed, and DOSAC is Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship.

Pat, pressure on you now.

In 2010, which actress played the Red Queen in Alice In Wonderland

and Queen Elizabeth, the future Queen Mother, in The King's Speech?

I think she was slightly altered by computers

for the Alice In Wonderland film. It was Helena Bonham Carter.

Helena Bonham Carter is also correct.

Sudden Death. Back to Alex we go.

Anna Paquin won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar

at the age of 11 for her role in which 1993 film?

Oh, I have to admit...

I know she has recently been in True Blood, I believe.

But it's trying to imagine her face as... Quite younger.

I'm going to kick myself when I find out.

No, I'm going to have to say My Girl.

No, it was The Piano.

She was the second-youngest Oscar winner, actually.

Who was the youngest? Tatum O'Neal.

Tatum O'Neal, they all chorus, for Paper Moon at the age of ten.

OK, Pat, you can get it with this.

Galloping Home was the theme tune of which popular 1970s TV programme?

Galloping... There's a very horsey sound to that.

What are the obvious horsey TV programmes? We've got Follyfoot.

I think its theme song was The Lightning Tree.

We've got Black Beauty, which was certainly horsey enough.

I will have to go with Black Beauty.

The Adventures Of Black Beauty.

Challengers, is he right?

Anyone know? Yes. He is right. Black Beauty is the right answer, Pat.

There we are, Sudden Death. Well, you played well, Alex, I must say.

I'm sorry, you have been knocked out.

Pat is in the final round, but it is early days here.

Please both return to your teams and we will play on.

So, a brain has been scattered, I'm afraid to say.

Scattered Brains have lost a brain.

The Eggheads are still intact over there. Let's see what happens now.

And the next round for you is Science,

so who would like this? Me?

We've got our scientist onboard. Karl, OK. Against which Egghead?

Anyone but Pat.

So, top of the list on the magic spreadsheet was Dave.

It was. So, yeah. Dave. Dave, yeah.

OK. Dave, Science. All right.

So it's going to be Karl from Scattered Brains versus

Tremendous Knowledge Dave. To ensure there is no conferring,

please go to the Question Room.

You're on Science against Tremendous Knowledge Dave.

Would you like to go first or second? I'll go first, please.

And here we go. What is the technical term for the thigh bone?

I think it's the femur.

Femur is the right answer. Well done. Well done.

OK, Dave, your question.

Which method do most TV remote controls use to send a signal?

I think that's infrared.

Infrared is the right answer.

You would have known that, Karl, wouldn't you? Yes.

Here's your question.

An elephant's tusks are an elongated form of which type of tooth?

OK. Erm...

It's not molar, because I know those are the flat ones.

I think it's canine. Which are... Where are the canines?

I'm trying to remember. Front? Not the front ones.

The ones just outside of that, I think. Yeah.

It's the incisor, though.

I know, because mechanical design,

maybe not necessarily overlapping with elephant knowledge. No(!)

Quite understandably. Bad luck.

Dave, in the SI system,

the hertz is the unit of what?

I believe pascal's pressure.

Conductance... Is that siemens? Probably.

Frequency is hertz.

Frequency is hertz. So you are ahead, Dave.

And, Karl, you need this one to stay in.

India's first satellite, called Aryabhata,

was launched in which year?

It's not a piece of knowledge that I know, so I'm going to go with 1995.

Do you know this, Dave? I would have gone 1975.

Yeah, it's that early.

It is '75, actually, Aryabhata. No way back for you, Karl, I'm afraid.

You've been knocked out by Dave

on Science, and that's two to the Eggheads now.

Dave will be in the final.

Please both of you return to your team-mates.

OK. As it stands, Scattered Brains have lost two brains.

So, Ivor, any change of plan now? No, no. We'll stick with it.

It's just the questions are probably outside our frame of reference.

And they're doing well. These Eggs have not got a question wrong,

which even at this early stage is a bit unusual.

Usually they have tripped. Especially if I have been one of them, yeah.

So you have lost two, the Eggheads have not lost any,

but we have plenty of time and you can still win.

And the next subject for you is Arts Books.

So who would like this?

Right... I think it's me, isn't it?

THEY LAUGH

There's an answer. I hear laughter.

Well, it's probably not the subject we would have most wanted.

And, yeah, I'm going to take one for the team, I think. Are you sure?

So the skipper goes in against which Egghead? Not Dave, not Pat.

I think I'd like to take on CJ, please. Fine.

CJ GASPS

Oh, an intake of breath. You are looking mean at the moment, CJ.

I quite like this subject. Do you? OK.

Because you read a lot of books if they're about you.

As most should be, frankly.

Ivor from Scattered Brains versus CJ from the Eggheads.

Please take your positions, gentlemen, now.

So, Ivor, not necessarily the subject you wanted, is that right?

No, not really my chosen subject, but...here we are. Let's have a go.

And you are a member of Mensa? I am. Yes. So remind me how that works.

They score you somehow. Basically, it is broken down into three parts.

So they test three different parts of your intelligence, so to speak.

And a few weeks later you get a score

and an invitation to join or not.

And what was your score? 148. 148.

That's high. CJ, have you done it?

I have been a member of Mensa in the past, yeah.

And did you resign for some reason, or did you get thrown out?

I won the Chess Championships and that was my aspiration,

so after that I let my membership lapse.

So did you have a score as well?

I did. Are you going to tell us what it is?

158. 158!

Yes, that's bound to happen, Ivor. Absolutely.

Anyway, good luck to you. See if 148 can beat 158 here.

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

I think I'd like to go second, please, Jeremy.

OK, so here we go with CJ's first question.

And it is...

Where was the artist Tracey Emin born?

I don't actually know this,

but she does speak with a London accent, I would have thought.

She's not Scottish.

I don't think she's got a Northern accent, I think she's just...

London. So I'll try Croydon.

Yeah, Croydon is right. Well done.

I didn't know that. OK. Ivor.

A doctor called Dick Diver

is a central character in which novel?

OK. Pretty sure it's not To Kill A Mockingbird

or Animal Farm. I've read both of those

and I don't remember that character in either of those,

so my answer will be Tender Is The Night.

You are absolutely right. Well done. Tender Is The Night.

CJ. In Turner's painting The Fighting Temeraire,

the old warship is depicted at which time of day?

It's not midnight. It's set in the day. Erm...

I seem to picture this with a lot of orange in the sky,

as Turner was wont to do and, because it is the Temeraire

being dragged to its retirement to be broken up, it would

make sense that it was sunset at the end of the day.

I think the sky is more orange. There may be a sun on the horizon

at the back so I will try sunset.

Sunset is quite right.

I don't know whether it was featured in that film, the Turner film.

There is kind of a glancing reference to it.

There's a scene where he's out on the water in a boat

with a couple of other people

and they see his ship being towed and they said, "That would make

"a nice subject for a painting," and he said, "I'll work on that."

Something to that effect. Yeah, sunset is correct, CJ. Well done.

OK, which literary device can be described as a figure of speech

in which the name of a part is used to stand for the whole or vice versa?

OK, um...

The only word I recognise in there, I have to admit,

is onomatopoeia and I think it's got a meaning in terms

of representing something else, if I can put it as vaguely as that.

So, that's going to be my answer. Onomatopoeia.

OK, it is actually not onomatopoeia.

Onomatopoeia is a word like gush, where...

Where the sound of the word... The word sounds like the meaning.

So, what is the answer, Eggs, do you know?

Synecdoche. Right, Eggheads on two, Challengers on one.

Third question to you, CJ. Get this right, you are in the final.

What was the real first name of the playwright

known as Tennessee Williams?

I knew it began with T!

Oh, dear.

I don't think it's Tracey. I think I...

I have seen it and I remember there being an M in it.

Simply because on the way it sounds for me, and I wonder if I have said

this to myself when I saw it for the first time, I will try Thomas.

Thomas is correct, CJ. Well done.

It didn't help you much that it was M

because there is an M in Timothy as well. You've done it.

Three out of three. Well done. You are in the final. Sorry, Ivor.

Both Mensa level. We can agree on that.

Come back to us and we will play the last round before the final.

Right, so we are...

Whatever happens, we mustn't give up at this stage.

Many have won from here and Eggheads can attest to that.

Unfortunately so!

Yeah. Scattered Brains have lost three brains.

They are being thrown to the four winds a little bit.

The Eggheads have lost none - so far. I stress those last two words.

The next subject is History. Who would like this?

I'll take it. OK, Craig. Very decisive.

Against which Egghead, Lisa or Kevin?

Lisa. Is that all right?

Yes. It is going to be Lisa. OK, you swerved Kevin there!

All right, Craig from Scattered Brains

and Lisa from the Eggheads on History.

Please go to the Question Room and we will see how we do.

OK, History, Craig. Would you like to go first or second? First, please.

Here we go and good luck to you. Pull it back now for the Scattered Brains.

Unscatter those brains.

A medieval tilt yard was a location intended for which occasions?

That is a new term to me. Um...

A yard suggests it isn't particularly pretty

so I am ruling out weddings and coronations at this point.

Er... So I am...

Yeah, I will go with jousts.

Nicely done. Absolutely right. Impeccable logic. Well done.

OK, Lisa. Onto you.

The Staffordshire town of Tamworth is believed to have been

the capital of which Anglo-Saxon kingdom?

Well, Tamworth... Even my geography would get me to Tamworth being

in the middle of the country and Northumbria was at the top

and Wessex was at the bottom, so I think we will go with Mercia.

Mercia is right, which is a word that crops up in the Midlands -

Mercia Sound, the radio station.

Yeah, they still use it quite a bit for various designations, yeah.

Yeah. Back to you, Craig.

Which city was the birthplace of Eliot Ness in 1903,

where he would later become famous for his work as a Prohibition agent?

Um... OK, I will go with my instinct which says Chicago.

Chicago is correct. Lisa, you know anything about Eliot Ness?

What do you know about him? Er...

Not a great deal except that he is

the protagonist of The Untouchables, isn't he? So he was

Al Capone's main nemesis, so that would have led me to Chicago.

OK, Lisa. Your question.

Which naval battle was the first between opposing aircraft carriers

and the first at which the opposing fleets never sighted each other?

Do you know, you could have said that in any language, Jeremy,

including English, and I still wouldn't know which way to jump.

I don't think there's even any point in me reasoning

because frankly I don't think logic will get me very far.

I will go for the Battle of Jutland.

Eggheads, do you know? Coral Sea.

Coral Sea is the answer, Battle of the Coral Sea.

Chris would have loved this one, wouldn't he? Yep. Big Chris.

OK, so you are in the lead, Craig. This is a good moment for your team.

Is the tide is turning for the Scattered Brains?

Get this question right and Lisa will be a goner

and then you go into the final with two players, not one.

What was the name of the Anglo-Saxon prince who was proclaimed

King of England after the death of Harold Godwinson in 1066,

although he was never crowned?

Um...

1066 is quite a famous year.

There is definitely a Harold associated with it.

Harold Harefoot doesn't sound particularly...

memorable, to me.

Edgar the... I'm not sure how to say it... Aetheling...

is jumping out at the moment.

Edmund Ironside is not giving me anything, really.

OK, I will go with Edgar the Aetheling.

Edgar the Aetheling is the right answer.

Well done, you are in the final round. Well done!

It was really William the Conqueror's moment.

That's what went wrong there. Sorry, Lisa.

Knocked out on your specialist subject.

So, it had to turn your way at some point and it has done at the perfect

moment, and if you come back to us we will play the final round.

So, this is what we have been playing towards.

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

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

allowed to take part in this round. So that is Ivor, Carl and Alex

from Scattered Brains but also Lisa from the Eggheads.

Would you please now leave the studio?

So, Debbie and Craig, you are playing to win Scattered Brains ?12,000.

Good jackpot today.

Kevin, Dave, Pat and CJ, you are playing for something that we

think money can't really buy, which is the Eggheads' reputation.

And you are on a bit of a roll, so you want to keep it in place.

As usual, I am going to ask each team three questions in turn.

This time, the questions are all General Knowledge. You can confer.

So, Scattered Brains, the question is,

can your two brains defeat these four over here?

Would you like to go first or second? We are going to go first, please.

OK, and here is your first question. General Knowledge.

At which sporting event did the TV commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme

famously say, "They think it's all over, it is now"?

Let me just check, "They think it's all over, it is now"? Yes.

The middle one. Yeah, the 1966 World Cup final.

Is the correct answer.

Debbie, you're from Canada, is that right? Yes, I am.

I'm glad you didn't get that wrong! Yes.

Because England won it. I understand they did, yes.

And they say, what is it?

40 years of hurt, but it is more than that now.

More like 50. We are getting on for 60 years of hurt.

You got it right, that's the main thing. OK, Eggheads.

What was the title of the International Herald Tribune

changed to in 2013?

It makes sense it's New York Times.

There is an International New York Times. I don't see why...

There is an international edition of the Guardian...

And there is no international News Of The World.

The international version of the Guardian predates that.

I didn't realise this is what had happened but there certainly

is the International New York Times, which the font looks similar.

The Herald Tribune is American.

So, yeah. It's not International News Of The World.

We think it's the International New York Times.

Yes, International New York Times it is. One each. Back to you.

Nick Knight, born in London in 1958, achieved fame in the fashion world

in which role?

I don't think it is a designer. No, I don't.

I wouldn't have a clue if it was a model.

International famous model, male model?

I would plump for photographer.

So, are we happy to rule out model and designer?

I think we can rule out model and I...

I've never heard of him as a designer, not that I'm all

that tuned into the design world.

However, are we happy with photographer?

Yes. Photographer.

I love the logic. It is actually right. Good!

You went through that brilliantly.

Photographer is the right answer.

OK, they are ahead, Eggheads.

With ?12,000 that we are playing for, it is getting a bit exciting here.

The hamlet of Flatford,

famous from the paintings of John Constable, is in which county?

Suffolk, isn't it? I assume it's Suffolk for Constable.

It is sort of on the Suffolk/Essex border

but the other two don't come into play.

That is Suffolk, Jeremy.

Suffolk is the right answer. OK, Scattered Brains. Two each.

Get this right, you may not have to do any more work today.

The musical form of God Save The Queen follows the rhythm

and style of which type of dance?

OK, this might involve a bit of singing. Go for it. Um...

Or tapping. Tap. So, duh-duh-duh-duh-duh.

Do you know any minuets?

Not to tap out, no. I only know one

and it goes duh-duh-duh-duh, duh-duh.

That is different, isn't it? Yeah. OK.

Galliard seems a bit more upbeat

and sarabande has the same rhythm. Galliard has the same rhythm too.

I'm a bit stumped on that.

Right, I think I will have to make a decision then.

I'm going for sarabande. Yes. Sarabande, please.

Oh, no! It was probably minuet.

You're wrong. It was galliard. Oh, no!

And you ruled out minuet brilliantly. You were so close. Oh, dear.

Gosh, within a whisker.

So, Eggheads, if you get this one right, the contest is over.

Which American special effects make-up artist has won seven Oscars,

including one for An American Werewolf In London?

American Werewolf In London is Rick Baker.

By far the most famous. Fine.

Yeah, that was... American Werewolf In London was probably one

of the first ones where he really came to notice. It is Rick Baker.

You say Rick Baker.

You didn't allow us much suspense there while you discussed it.

You were straight to the answer. The correct answer is Rick Baker.

We say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

The only, maybe, consolation is that had they got that one wrong

then galliard would have won you ?12,000,

so at least you don't have that to think about on the way home. Quite.

There we are, we mustn't listen to the national anthem for a while.

Thank you for playing.

Thank you. And you definitely weren't scattered at the end,

you were very together. Commiserations to our Challengers.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them

and this rather impressive winning streak continues.

I'm afraid it means you won't be going home with the ?12,000.

We take the money, we roll it over to our next show.

Eggheads, well done. You are never going to be beaten. Never!

Join us next time to see

if a new team of Challengers have the brains to do it.

?13,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye!