Episode 72 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 they are right here looking nicely ferocious.

Oh, good, good.

Challenging the awesome might of our quiz Goliaths today

are The Chemical Brummers.

Now, everyone on this team is studying chemical engineering

at Birmingham University. Why don't we meet them?

Hi, I am Ross and I am from Chesterfield.

Hi, I am Jonny and I am from Nottingham.

Hi, I'm Kings. I'm from Royal Leamington Spa.

Hi, I'm Reece. I'm from the Isle of Wight.

Hi, I'm Matt and I am from Hemel Hempstead.

So, Ross and team, welcome. Good to see you. Hiya.

All students at the same place? Yes, we are. And studying the same thing?

Yes. Not to worry you, but have you got History covered?

Have you got Arts Books covered?

You're going to be good on Science, I know. Yes.

Well, we're hoping for Science,

but we think we can probably have a stab at some of the stuff -

33%, if nothing else.

Guess every question.

The other thing, we once had a rocket scientist come on and was beaten,

famously, by Judith on a question about kingfishers, wasn't it?

Because botany came up, or birds.

So, Science can include questions about plants.

Yeah, but, you know, Books could include

questions about Mr Men or something.

I don't know! We might stand a chance.

There's probably books about chemical engineering as well.

Could be. When you do your chemical engineering,

what are you actually making? All sorts.

I am starting in the automotive industry,

along with a couple of the lads.

A couple of the lads are hoping to start in FMCGs.

What is that?

Fast-moving consumer goods. Reece is making biscuits in September.

Is that some sort of joke? No, no.

You are actually making biscuits? Yeah.

You've got away with that, have you? That's Pat of your course?

That counts as chemical engineering?

Yeah, we do everything. That's what they tell us.

We make everything on a big scale. OK.

I hope you can make mincemeat out of this lot as well.

Every day, there is... LAUGHTER

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 the next show.

So, Chemical Brummers, I can tell you the Eggheads have won

the last dozen games, so they are doing well.

This is a great moment to stop them in their tracks.

?13,000 says you can't beat them. Shall we crack on?

Let's do it.

The first head-to-head battle is not Science, it is Geography.

Who would like this?

We know, don't we? You, Reece. Definitely?

Go for it, Reece.

Reece? Yes, I'm going to be doing this. OK.

Which Egghead would you like to take on? They do look fearsome today.

They look intense to me.

What are we thinking? Who do you fancy?

Cut the head off the snake? THEY LAUGH

Yeah, let's... Shall we go Pat?

Yeah, you only live once, man. Let's go Pat.

Yeah, let's do it. Go hard, then go home.

Let's do it. Pat.

So, Reece from The Chemical Brummers versus Pat from the Eggheads.

You up for this? I certainly am. To ensure there is no conferring,

would you please take your positions in the Question Room?

Reece, I gather at school you were voted...what?

I think you must be referring to the fact that I got voted at my prom

to be the student most likely to become a millionaire.

Well, that's good! It would be if I become a millionaire,

but I'm not sure that's going to happen.

Well, you're just 22 at the moment, so there's plenty of time. Yeah.

Well, hopefully some of the prize money from today will help that out.

Yep, indeed.

And Judith, of course, became a millionaire in a single instant.

As did Pat! Didn't you, Pat? I believe I did. What was that like?

You won... Come on, you know you did. What was that moment like for you?

Memorable, yeah. Very, very.

On the high side of satisfactory.

What was the question? It was about the American Triple Crown.

Which race is not part of the American Triple Crown?

And the answer was? The Arlington Million.

So, that is how easy it is, Reece. There we go.

I think I'd still get that wrong if you asked me right now,

and I just heard it.

Well, good luck in this round, Geography.

I know you're all scientists, but let's see how you do.

Would you like to go first or second, Reece?

I will go first, please, Jeremy.

Here is your first question. Good luck.

Which constituent country of the United Kingdom has

a population of just over three million people?

Well, I am going to rule out England as it must be the most populous.

My first thought was Wales, so I think that is what I'll go for.

Yes, glad you did. Wales is the answer.

OK, Pat, your question.

The two official languages of Cyprus are Greek and what?

Well, Cyprus has had long links with Turkey

and is actually partitioned, with the northern part...

I don't see any reason why they'd be speaking Spanish in Cyprus

and I don't think of them as speaking Italian.

I think it must be Turkish.

Turkish is correct. Back to you, Reece.

The Royal Albert Bridge, which spans the Tamar,

links which two English counties?

I have to be honest, I am very not sure.

I am trying to think.

I have visited Kent and Essex and it is not something that I've recalled.

But then I have also been to Devon and Cornwall. The Tamar...

I think I would say Devon and Cornwall.

Yes, you are...

I was going to say, unerringly lasering in on the correct answer,

but maybe slightly slower than that.

But getting there unerringly, for sure. Well done. Devon and Cornwall.

OK, Pat.

Which city is the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

Khartoum is the capital of Sudan.

And Kigali is the capital of...

..Rwanda. So, I think we need Kinshasa.

Kinshasa is the correct answer.

OK, Reece, your question.

The most easterly point on the Arabian Peninsula

is in which country?

Right. Most eastern point?

So, Yemen and Oman are at the bottom of the Arabian Peninsula,

with Kuwait a bit higher, I think.

Ah, I'm trying to think which side...

I feel like Yemen is the further west of the two.

It is just whether Kuwait is further east.

I am going to go with Oman.

You are playing very well. Oman is correct.

Well done, you got three out of three.

Pat, you're on the edge,

with the chemical engineer dominant here.

Folsom and Pelican Bay are prisons in which US state?

Ah, Folsom is included in the title of a memorable Jonny Cash album.

He had a concert in Folsom Prison.

I have always thought it was in California.

I think Folsom Prison is in California,

so I'll go for California.

Is he right, Eggheads? Yes. Yeah?

If you've got a Jonny Cash connection,

I would have thought probably Texas. But not so.

California is correct. Well played.

So, three each, no-one has put a foot wrong so far.

It gets a bit harder though, Reece. We go to Sudden Death, OK?

So, I don't give you alternatives here when I ask the question.

Which Japanese term is used for a huge sea wave

caused by underwater disturbance such as an earthquake?

That would be tsunami.

It is. Tsu is harbour and nami is waves.

Tsunami.

Pat, the Shona and Yoruba languages are chiefly spoken

on which continent?

I think Shona are a people of places like Zimbabwe

and Yoruba I think is northern Nigeria, so I will say Africa.

Yeah, bang on. Africa it is.

Back to you, Reece, Sudden Death.

What is the name of the world's largest inland body of saltwater?

The only one that is coming to mind, and probably the only one that

I could think of, would be the saltiest, the Dead Sea.

No, Caspian Sea is the answer, Reece.

OK, Pat, if you get this one right,

you are in the final round and Reece is knocked out.

Here is your question.

In an alphabetical list of the 50 US states, which state comes last?

Let's see. We can eliminate Z, Y...

Can eliminate X, so we are on W.

So, Wyoming is a decent shot. Washington is above it.

I think it is Wyoming.

Wyoming is the right answer. Sorry, Reece, he's knocked you out.

You played very, very well until we got to the Caspian.

You are out, Pat is in the final.

Come back to us, please, both of you, and we will play on.

An awkward start for The Chemical Brummers,

but good play from Reece.

He's been knocked out, though. They've lost a brain. The Eggheads

are still looking rather too pleased with themselves.

I hope you can change that. The next subject is Sport.

Again, not chemicals.

But hopefully we have got a sportsman. That'll be me.

You've got this, haven't you? That'll be me.

Jonny. Yeah. Against which Egghead, Jonny?

Who would you like to take on? Do we want to...?

Might as well do it, mate. Will I take on Kevin?

Yeah, why not? Go on. Yeah, I will take on Kevin, please.

Fine. Said with great conviction.

Jonny from The Chemical Brummers versus Kevin from the Eggheads

on Sport. Please go, both of you, to our Question Room now.

Good luck against Kevin. Thank you.

It is Sport, Jonny. Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

Here we go. Which tennis player

won his fifth Australian Open singles title in 2015?

Um...

Lleyton Hewitt isn't really around much any more.

Andy Murray, I think, has only won the one,

or maybe twice.

So, I'm going to go for Novak Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic is the right answer.

Kevin, the colours of the rings on the Olympic flag

are black, green, red, blue and which other colour?

I think in the order in which it is, you've got

three along the top, which is blue, black, red,

then at the bottom, you've got yellow and green.

So, it is yellow.

OK. It is yellow, but why is it yellow?

I think the colours for the rings were chosen on the basis

that one or the other of these colours appears in all the flags,

all the national flags.

That was the theory, I think, behind it all.

So, you can't have a flag without having one of those colours?

I'm not sure it is actually true any more, necessarily,

but it might still be.

That would be a great quiz question in the future. Yeah.

So, we go back to you. Jonny, your question.

The England rugby union international Danny Care

usually plays in which position?

Rugby is probably my weakest sport, sadly.

I am going to say...hooker.

Kevin, do you know? I don't think he's an outside centre.

I've got an idea he's a scrum-half.

Yeah. Scrum-half is the answer, Jonny.

Kevin has a chance to take the lead here.

Which American football team defeated the defending champions

the Seattle Seahawks in the 2015 Super Bowl?

It is the New England Patriots.

The New England Patriots, quite right. You are ahead.

You need to get this one right now, Jonny.

Yep. To stay in the contest.

In 2003, the cricketer Alastair Cook made his first-class debut

playing for which county side?

Um...

I believe that is Essex that Alastair Cook played for.

You like cricket? Yes. You are spot on.

I could sense the confidence when you answered it. Essex is right.

Two out of three, let's see if it's enough. Back to Kevin.

The Welsh goalkeeper Neville Southall made over 500 league appearances

for which football club from 1981 to 1988?

He was...very much associated with Everton. So, Everton.

Nearly 20 years - amazing - at Everton. You're quite right.

You got three out of three, Kevin. Sorry, Jonny.

Just that one wrong answer. Yes.

Still plenty of time and hope for your team, though.

Let's get some chemical engineering going here, guys.

Change the chemistry of the tournament.

Come back to us. We will play on.

So, as it stands, The Chemical Brummers have lost

two brains from the final round, the Eggheads have lost none.

OK, this is the round. We need Science, right? It is Arts Books.

THEY LAUGH I'm sorry.

Oh, dear. There is no easy way to tell you that. Kingsley?

Guess I'm going to have to give it a go. Kings?

I am going to have a stab. Against which Egghead here?

Dave? Or do you want to take a lady on?

Uh...shall I take on Dave?

Yeah, go for it, man. Why not? Yeah, I will take on Dave.

OK, so, Kings from The Chemical Brummers

versus Dave from the Eggheads on Arts Books.

Please go to the Question Room now.

Kings, you were born in the UK but have Chinese citizenship now?

Is that right?

Yep. Because of having lived in Hong Kong for quite a while?

Yeah, I lived there for at least seven years when I was a child.

Got to, like, year three, I think.

And then moved back over here to the UK. I've never been.

Tell us, should we all go and see Hong Kong?

Oh, absolutely. Hong Kong is fantastic! The food is just amazing.

So, definitely go and have a visit.

Would you go back at some point to work, do you think?

I'd like to think so.

All my family and friends are based around there,

so I'd like to go back there.

Sure. Good luck in this round. It is Arts Books.

Would you like to go first or second against Dave?

I'd like to go first, please, Jeremy.

Here we go, Kings. Good luck to you.

Which of these characters appears in the book Bridget Jones's Diary?

Uh... Hmm.

Not a book that I have read, but I don't think it is Edward Cullen.

Going to have a wild stab at it. Daniel Cleaver.

Let's ask your team-mates. Is he right? We think so.

Yeah, they like that. Daniel Cleaver it is.

JEREMY LAUGHS

Dave, which of these is a poetic form consisting of 14 lines that

was commonly used by Shakespeare?

I think it is a sonnet.

Sonnet is right. Well done.

Kings, your question.

At the end of TS Eliot's poem The Hollow Men, the world

is said to end not with a bang but with a what?

Again, not something that I've read. Um...

Let's go with whimper.

You're playing so well. It is whimper, yeah.

I didn't know that was the poem it was from. Famous, famous phrase.

Two out of two. Back to you, Dave.

In which city was the writer Franz Kafka born in 1883?

I believe he's a Czech writer so,

as my friends skill and judgment would say,

go with the favourite - Prague.

Prague is right. Well done. So, two-two.

Kings, your third question.

Which Canadian-born printmaker was the only woman

shortlisted for the 2014 Turner Prize?

My gut instinct is saying Ciara Phillips,

so I'm going to go with that.

Ciara Phillips. You're absolutely right.

You're playing a storming game. That is brilliant play, brilliant play.

Three out of three, well done.

Not quite there yet, though. Dave's third question is now.

Let Me Die A Youngman's Death is a poem by which writer, born in 1937?

Right, '37.

Hmm.

Right, let's rule out Betjeman. Don't believe it is him.

Now, Roger McGough...

..is troubling me.

1937 would make him...late 70s now.

It does sound like Ted Hughes, 1930...

Let me just get the handle on the date, because he died in 1995.

Was he 58 as a Poet Laureate?

Having been there, could he have been Poet Laureate in '84?

At the age of 47?

I can't get a handle at all on what Ted Hughes's age when he died.

Um...so...

Then I'll question answerer's remorse and go for Ted Hughes.

Well, you were right to rule out John Betjeman. It was 1906 he was born.

Ted Hughes was 30 in 1960, so he was born in 1930.

So, Roger McGough was the one. Yes.

So, you have been knocked out, Dave. Kings, you played really well.

You are in the final round! You can go a little bit crazy.

Whoa! Yay!

Come back to us, please, and we will play the next round.

OK, The Chemical Brummers have lost two brains from the final round,

but they have now knocked out an Egghead over here.

Dave is gone.

The last subject before the final is Music.

I can't believe Science never came up!

We are going on orchestras instead

and rocking musicians and everything else.

Music. I literally is... It is probably going to have to be you.

You really don't want it? OK, I will take this one, then.

The captain does it. Against whom? One of the women.

Lisa likes to sing, so I'm not going to go there.

She does like to sing, that is true. I'll take Judith on. OK.

It is going to be Ross from The Chemical Brummers

versus Judith on Music.

Please go to the Question Room and we will see what happens.

Ross, we like your team name, by the way, The Chemical Brummers.

Who thought of that?

Actually - I can't not say this because she will kill me -

it was Reece's girlfriend came up with it.

We needed something that united us as a team,

sort of says what we do, and she had the little brainwave.

So, thank you, Fran, if you're watching. JEREMY LAUGHS

Judith, do you know what The Chemical Brummers

is a reference to? The Chemical Brothers. That's right.

Are they on your list? Are they on your MP3 player?

Well, they're a band, aren't they? Yeah. Do you listen to them a bit?

No. THEY LAUGH

I'm afraid not.

That one run into the sand a bit, Ross, didn't it?

Are you ready on Music, Ross? As I'll ever be, yes. Good luck.

See if you can turn it round here, because you have lost two players,

but if you knock Judith out, you'll go into the final level.

Would you like to go first or second?

I'd like to go first, please, Jeremy.

And here is your first question, Ross. Good luck.

"I sit and wait Does an angel contemplate my fate?"

are the first lines of a famous song by which of these singers?

I am not going to sing it,

but I'm fairly confident it is Robbie Williams.

I think it is Angels.

"I think it is," and it is Robbie, you're right.

Robbie Williams. Well done.

Judith, here is your first question.

Stuart Sutcliffe, who died in 1962, played as a bassist in which band?

It has got to be The Beatles, hasn't it? From the dates.

1962, you say? 1962.

Well, it has got to be The Beatles.

It's got to be The Beatles, you're quite right.

OK, Ross.

The sorcerer Von Rothbart

is a character in which Tchaikovsky ballet?

Ooh.

A sorcerer?

To me, that sort of suggests it might be Sleeping Beauty related.

But honestly, I don't know. Erm...

Am I going to go for The Sleeping Beauty

or am I going to go for The Nutcracker? Er...

I am going to go for The Nutcracker. Right.

I might have done that, and I have seen The Nutcracker,

and it is still wrong.

It is Swan Lake. I'm sorry. Oh. Yeah.

OK, Judith.

See if you can exercise your sorcery here.

By what name are the Swedish pop duo

Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle better known?

I have absolutely no idea.

Why would they have called themselves The Cardigans?

That is not a very glamorous name, is it?

I don't know. Perhaps they are called A-ha.

They were all men.

No idea.

Roxette is the answer.

OK? So, it is one each after two questions.

Ross, your question.

We are back in 1962.

In 1962, who became the first British group

to top the American singles charts with Telstar?

I have absolutely no idea, Jeremy.

Um...not a clue.

I am just going to go down the middle -

Freddie And The Dreamers, please.

It is The Tornados. Gives Judith a chance.

Which Russian-born composer became a French citizen in 1934

and a US citizen in 1945?

I think that is Stravinsky.

I hope it was him.

It was indeed Stravinsky. Well done, Judith.

You were back on home territory at the end there.

You have won the round. Hurray!

It means there's an advantage to the Eggheads going into the final.

Sorry, Ross. That's all right. You're going to have to watch

your team in the final from the sidelines.

Come back to us and we'll play that final round.

So, this is what we have been playing towards.

It is 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, Ross, Jonny and Reece from The Chemical Brummers

and Dave from the Eggheads, would you please leave the studio?

A lot of money on the table for you, Kings and Matt.

I really hope you do well here.

You're playing to win The Chemical Brummers ?13,000.

Pat, Lisa, Kevin and Judith, you are playing for something

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

Very strong it is at the moment, too.

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

This time, the questions are all General Knowledge.

You are allowed to confer.

Chemical Brummers, the question is, are your two brains

able to chemically dismantle those four,

take them apart in the test tube?

Would you like to go first or second?

We'd like to go first, Jeremy.

OK, all the best to you guys. Here we go.

Which serviceman was portrayed by Bradley Cooper in the 2014 film

American Sniper?

Chris Kyle. Yeah.

We have both seen this, and we're going to go for Chris Kyle,

please, Jeremy.

Chris Kyle is right. Yeah. Not with us any more, sadly.

OK, Eggheads, your question. Which of these foods is a type of sausage?

Mortadella. Mortadella?

Mortadella. Mortadella. Yep.

Mortadella? Yeah, cool.

Mozzarella and mascarpone are types of cheese.

It can only be mortadella.

Mortadella is quite right. Has anyone had a mortadella? Oh, yes. Yes.

Tasty? Very nice. Garlicky stuff.

Once upon a time, it was made of donkey, apparently.

But I think it is a pork sausage now.

General Knowledge, your second question.

Which of these numbers features in the Fibonacci series of numbers?

So, Fibonacci - one, one, isn't it?

Yeah - one, one, two, five...

Two, three, five, eight...

..13...

21. Yeah. I think you're right.

Because you add the two previous... Yeah. Yeah? Yeah, I think it's 21.

It is 21. So, how were you doing it?

You go one plus one is two, one plus two...

You add the two previous numbers in the sequence.

Right. So, it goes one, one, three, five, eight, 13, 21.

And 21 is the right answer.

Eggheads, your question.

Lake Tahoe lies on the border of California and which other US state?

Nevada. It would make sense, wouldn't it?

California and Arizona have a border? They do.

But it is definitely on the California-Nevada border?

California borders all three, but it's on the border with Nevada.

Definitely the California-Nevada border. OK.

I am reliably informed it is on the border with Nevada.

Nevada is the right answer.

So, two-two. Third question.

Big one, this, for you.

Get this one right and you may have done all you need to do.

Which Australian author won the 2014 Booker Prize with his novel

The Narrow Road To The Deep North?

Do you have any...? I have no idea what this is.

This is going to be a bit of a one-off stab for us. Um...

What...? Yeah, I don't know at all. I can't really...hmm.

HE SIGHS

I have an idea what I would guess,

but you're the Arts Books expert here.

Yeah.

Um... I don't know.

I would probably guess Thomas Keneally.

What do you think you would have gone for?

It doesn't matter, really.

Shall we just go for it? Yeah.

We're not sure about all.

We're going to go with Thomas Keneally. OK.

Eggheads, do you know? Flanagan. Richard Flanagan. Yeah.

Richard Flanagan, it is.

It is a tough one, that. Bad luck, you got it wrong.

Flanagan it is, which means the Eggheads can take the contest

with this question.

Which footballer, who earned 76 caps for England between 1946 and 1958,

was nicknamed the Preston Plumber?

I'm sure it's Tommy Finney. Tom Finney. Yeah. Tom Finney.

We think that is Tom Finney.

Very little discussion. You seemed to know that straightaway.

Is that because he is from Preston? Yeah, he was one of the great...

One of the greatest players of his day, a real star for England.

The correct answer...

is Tom Finney, so we say congratulations, Eggheads.

You have won.

It was tight at the end there. I'm sorry, just on that one question.

Just not our strong suit, I think. Yeah, bad luck.

They played well, they are playing well,

and we say commiserations to The Chemical Brummers.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally.

Your winning streak continues.

It does mean you won't be going home with the ?13,000,

so we roll that money over to the next show.

Eggheads, well done. You are officially playing well.

And looking, I would say, unbeatable.

But let's see what happens next time

and find out if a new team of Challengers

have the brains to defeat them.

?14,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.