Episode 75 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.

Challenging our resident quiz champions today

are Words In Action from Edinburgh.

Now, everyone on this team shares a passion for word games

and they regularly get together for Scrabble and Countdown competitions.

So, let's meet them.

Hello, I'm Frances and I'm a retired teacher.

Hello, I'm Colin and I'm currently unemployed.

Hello, I'm Margot and I'm a retired laboratory assistant.

Hello, I'm Ann and I'm a retired teacher.

Hi, I'm Chris and I am a ophthalmic nurse.

So, Frances and team, welcome. Good to see you.

And lots of Scrabble, Frances?

Well, I like playing bridge as well and we met...

I play Scrabble with Colin and Chris and Margot.

-Uh-huh.

-And Countdown with Ann.

-So, I sort of connect everybody.

-Fantastic.

And the key to Scrabble seems to be

knowing which two-letter words you can use,

but that's no fun that way, is it?

Well, there are some purists

who get very upset about these silly words

and insist on having nice words, real ones.

I tried to put Zen down and I was told you can't use that.

-Capital Z.

-It's a capital letter.

-Yes, capital letter.

But you can use X-I, apparently.

-Yes, it's some obscure coin or something, that.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

Oh, dear. Sounds like the game's being ruined now.

-Not at all.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

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.

I know you know that. Words In Action,

I can tell you that the previous teams have basically all fallen.

The Eggheads have won the last 15,

so you are playing for £16,000 today.

-Ooh!

-So, that is a proper jackpot.

-Shall we get cracking?

-Yep.

OK, the first head-to-head battle

is on the subject of Film & TV.

So, who would like this?

-Who's going to go?

-MARGOT:

-Not me.

Well, I think, it looks as if it's the captain's job, then.

-So, I'll go.

-I heard someone say "not me."

LAUGHTER I don't know who that was.

OK, Frances. And which Egghead, Frances, would you like to take on?

The choice is yours.

-I think I'll try...

-Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

-..Chris.

-You haven't been to the cinema for a while, have you?

-No.

The old chestnut. The last film I actually went

to a cinema to see was Blazing Saddles

in about 1970-whenever,

but anything I want to see, I wait until it comes out on DVD.

There we are. So, you've got a chance here, I think.

Frances from Words In Action versus Chris, who doesn't go to the cinema.

To ensure there's no conferring, would you please take your positions

in the Question Room?

-OK, Frances, are you ready to go here?

-Yes, I am.

See if you can scramble Chris.

Would you like to go first or second?

Oh, first, please.

And here we go with your question.

Who won the Best Actor Oscar in 2015?

Well, I know that Michael Keaton gave an amazing performance

and I'm afraid I am booked on not knowing Bradley Cooper,

but I'm pretty sure it's Eddie Redmayne.

Yeah, Michael Keaton was Birdman.

Bradley Cooper was American Sniper, was he? Yeah.

And of course, Eddie Redmayne was the best officially

with his performance as Stephen Hawking. Well done.

Chris, your question.

The story of the 1946 film It's A Wonderful Life

begins on which night of the year?

It's Jimmy Stewart having a total crisis

and thinking of committing suicide on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve is the right answer.

And back to you, Frances.

Who played Sophie Chapman in the TV sitcom Peep Show?

Mm. I'm really not sure about this one.

I think I'm going to go for Sophie Winkelman.

Anyone here know on the Eggheads' side?

I think it Isy Suttie.

It's not Isy, it's not Sophie, it's...

-Oh, right.

-It's Olivia Coleman.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

Chris, your question.

Which of these film sequels was released in the UK in 2015?

Mm. Well, Die Hard 3 was a long time ago.

Has there been an Under Siege 3? I don't think there has.

No. It's Taken 3.

Taken 3 is quite right.

OK, Frances, he's got two, you've got one. Your question.

Vince Gilligan is the creator of which of these American drama series?

Well, I don't think I've ever heard of the middle one, Deadwood, sadly.

I think the one that is most familiar to me

and better known is The Wire. So, I'm going to say The Wire.

It's not.

-He is the genius behind Breaking Bad.

-Oh!

So, sorry, Frances. I don't think you can get back

from that position. You've been knocked out.

Chris will be in the final round.

No need for his third question. Come back to us both of you.

Early days. We will play on.

Well, unfortunately, Words In Action have lost their captain,

which is painful, I know, but you can still definitely do it.

The Eggheads have not lost a brain yet.

The next subject for you is Arts & Books.

Who would like this?

Well, unfortunately it was my speciality, so...

Who is going to go, then?

-Well...

-Don't all jump forwards at once(!)

-I think so, Chris, yeah.

-Yep.

-Yeah, OK, well.

-Chris has said he will do it.

-OK.

-Can you choose an Egghead, Chris?

-What about Barry?

-Yeah.

-Barry.

-Yeah.

-I'll choose Barry.

-Well done.

OK, Chris from Words In Action

and our own word in action himself, Barry.

He does love his books, from the Eggheads.

Please go to the Question Room and we will start.

Good luck in this, Chris, against Barry. Arts & Books.

So, would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first.

And here we go with your first question.

In February 2015, which famous author announced

that she would be releasing the second novel of her career,

Go Set A Watchman, later in the year?

Right, no, it's not Zadie Smith.

I know that. Erm, I think I know this one.

It's the sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird

and that will be Harper Lee.

Indeed it is, Harper Lee. Well done.

OK, your question, Barry.

The Queen's Orang-Utan is

a 2015 children's book written exclusively for Comic Relief

by which comedian?

Goodness. This one has passed me by.

I know David Walliams writes children's stories,

so I'm going to take a guess that it was him, but I really don't know.

David Walliams is quite right. Well done. Yeah.

OK, your question, Chris.

The book Rum Punch,

which was adapted into the film Jackie Brown,

is a book by which author?

No.

I don't think it's Jim Thompson,

so it's either James Ellroy or Elmore Leonard.

I think I'm leaning more towards Elmore Leonard,

so I'll go with Elmore Leonard.

OK. Is he right, Eggheads?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, you are right!

-Woo!

-Well done.

Two out of two.

Barry, what is the name of Stella's sister

in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire?

I believe that is Blanche Dubois,

so it's Blanche.

Blanche is quite right. Well done.

-So, two-two. Chris, your third question.

-Yeah.

Born in 1842, the Frenchman Stephane Mallarme

was a leading figure in which field?

Actually, I think I've heard... The name is vaguely familiar.

But I don't think it was painting

and I don't think it was photography,

but I think it was poetry.

Poetry is right. Well done.

OK, well, Barry is under pressure now.

Third question to Barry.

If you get it wrong, you are out.

Which painter was the son of a miller called Harmen Gerritszoon?

Gerritszoon is the surname of Rembrandt,

so I'll go for Rembrandt.

Wouldn't it be great if this is the ultimate trick question?

But, no, it is Rembrandt.

Rembrandt is correct, so three out of three for you both. Well done, Barry.

And we go to Sudden Death. Both teams playing well.

-Gets harder now, Chris, I don't give you alternative answers.

-OK.

Which artist's work entitled Triple Elvis

was sold for 81.9 million in 2014?

Well, the only thing I can think of is Andy Warhol.

Andy Warhol is the right answer.

Nicely done. OK, Barry.

What is the title of the 1969 novel by George MacDonald Fraser

that refers to a minor character in Tom Brown's Schooldays?

Now, he wrote a complete series of books about Flashman,

so I'm not sure if they had subtitles,

but I'll have to answer Flashman.

Flashman is correct.

Right, over to you, Chris. We are equal here.

Sudden Death, it is very, very tense.

Chris, your question. Which British sculptor died

in May 1975 following an accidental fire at her studio?

Well, if it's...

I think Barbara Hepworth.

Barbara Hepworth is the right answer.

Wow!

OK, Barry, you are under pressure now.

Here is your question. Sudden Death.

The play Five Finger Exercise is an early work by which writer?

Is that Tom Stoppard?

No, it is not. It is Peter Shaffer.

So, you have been knocked out, Barry.

Great round, Chris. Well done.

-You are in the final.

-Oh, thank goodness.

Pulled it back for the Challengers.

Do please rejoin your team-mates.

-Well, what a cracking ground that was.

-Indeed!

And well done to you, Chris. You saw him off and he was very tenacious.

Barry always is.

So, Words In Action have lost a brain,

but now the Eggheads have lost one too.

And your next subject, Challengers, is History.

Again, I'm thinking this is good for you.

Ann, do you feel...?

I think you are the favourite at this stage.

-It was my worst subject at school.

-Oh, no.

-What about you, Margot?

-Me, no.

Well, unfortunately, Chris was our history specialist.

We've all shuffled around in an unfortunate manner here.

I suppose I...I'll be the sacrificial lamb.

Lamb to the slaughter, I'm afraid.

-OK, you were a teacher, Ann, were you?

-Yes, but not of history.

-Not a history. OK. What did you teach?

-Maths.

Maths.

-That is quite a long way from history.

-Indeed.

But don't worry. Ann, before you go, choose an Egghead.

-Oh, let's have CJ.

-Yeah, have CJ.

It's rude not to. LAUGHTER

Ann from Words In Action

versus CJ from the Eggheads on History.

And he likes that, so this will be fun.

Please go to our Question Room now.

So, Ann, I know History is not your, maybe, your chosen subject.

You would have rather had maths.

-Indeed, yes.

-Meanwhile, we are on History

and would you like to go first or second?

I'll follow the others and go first, please.

Here we go. Good luck, Ann.

Where did the soldier and explorer Captain Lawrence Oates

die in 1912?

Yes, I have read quite a lot about this

and I saw an excellent exhibition

on the Antarctic some time ago.

So, the Antarctic.

Antarctic is the right answer. Well done.

CJ your question. The Entente Cordiale was an agreement

signed on 8 April 1904

between France and which country?

That was between France and the United Kingdom.

United Kingdom is correct.

Back to you, Ann.

Which of these historical figures died in 1976?

1976...

I think is too late for Stalin,

too late for Che Guevara.

I think it's Mao Zedong.

It is indeed Chairman Mao. Well done. Mao Zedong.

OK, CJ.

John Adams served as vice president

of the USA under which president?

Well, John Adams was

the second US president, which would make sense

that he would serve under the first US president.

So, I'll say George Washington.

George Washington is the right answer.

You actually sit round and learn those lists, don't you?

-I like US presidents.

-Yeah.

All right. Back to you, Ann.

The Welshman Owain Glyndwr led a rebellion

against the rule of which king of England?

Owain Glyndwr. I don't think it was Stephen, but I could well be wrong.

It's a...

not really more than a guess. Henry IV.

-Is she right, CJ?

-No, it's Edward II.

-Oh, dear.

-Isn't it?

You are right, Ann. It's Henry IV.

-I thought it was Edward.

-There we are.

CJ is giving you some of his classic moments today.

All right, your third question.

Unfortunately, that wasn't your third question. This one is.

What name is given to the Roman province set up by Augustus

that covered the area of Gaul

from the Pyrenees to the River Loire?

This is even less of a guess than Ann's question,

so I'll try Lugdunensis.

Let's see with the Eggheads. Eggs?

-ALL:

-Aquitania.

-Aquitania is the answer.

CJ, you've been knocked out by Ann. Well done, Ann!

You are in the final round. How about that?

Without a single maths question.

So do, both of you, please come back and rejoin your team-mates.

So, as it stands, Words In Action have lost one brain

from the final round. The Eggheads have now lost two.

And we've got lots of money on the table as well today.

The next subject is Music

and the last subject before the final, so crucial moment.

It's our last round, so Music.

-Well, you said you'd do music, Colin.

-Margot is not keen. Did I?

-Yeah.

-So, Colin. OK, which Egghead?

I think we best go for Judith.

OK, Colin from Words In Action versus Judith from the Eggheads.

So, please go to the Question Room and we will get cracking.

-So, Colin, you're a Scrabble player as well.

-Yes, indeed.

I didn't realise until today that your name, Colin,

can be played in Scrabble.

Yeah, my surname can be played as well

and they are anagrams of each other.

So, Colin can be played because why?

It's American quail.

Quail and your surname is Nicol.

Nicol is a prism invented by a guy called

William Nicol from Edinburgh, strangely enough.

And you're a fan of music.

-What's your favourite band, Colin?

-I'm a big, big fan of Queen.

-OK.

Well, good luck in this Music round.

I can't guarantee any Queen questions, but let's see.

Would you like to go first or second?

I think I'll go second, Jeremy.

So, Judith, here is your musical question.

Which of these songs is from the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

Summer Nights, that's Grease or something, isn't it?

-And I Dreamed A Dream...

-SHE HUMS

Don't think it's that.

So, it must be Hushabye Mountain.

It is Hushabye Mountain.

-Where is I Dreamed A Dream from?

-Les Miserables.

-Les Miserables.

-That's right.

-Yeah.

Now, here's your question, Colin.

The saxophone is traditionally found in which section of an orchestra?

The saxophone would be in the woodwind section.

It is in the woodwind section.

Judith, "I know a girl called Elsa, she's into Alka-Seltzer,"

are lines from which Oasis hit single?

I have no idea.

She sounds like she's got a hangover,

so maybe She's Electric.

She's not electric, I'm afraid.

-She is Supersonic.

-Oh, she's Supersonic.

-Yeah.

OK, Colin.

Hero, Escape and Not In Love

are UK hit singles by which singer? Is it...

Not very sure on this at all, Jeremy.

I would have ruled out Ronan Keating, but that'll probably

come back to bite me. I'll go for Michael Buble.

It's not Keating or Buble.

It's an Enrique Iglesias.

Judith, your question.

In which country is the composer Sergei Rachmaninov buried?

Oh, deary me!

Well, a lot of Russians go to Fr...went to France.

But also a lot went to the USA too.

I'm going to plump for France.

I'm not sure, but I think I would either do France or USA.

But I think I'll do France.

Let's see if any Eggheads here know. Is she right?

He went into exile in the USA

and I think...

I've got an idea he died there during the war.

In about 1943.

It would make... Given that the war didn't finish

for another two years,

it would make sense that he would be in the USA.

USA is the answer.

-Hm.

-He went there and died there.

Kevin's amazing list of birth dates and death dates is incre...

If you took them all out of your head,

there would be so much space. LAUGHTER

There's plenty space already, actually.

Yeah, that would be an interesting experiment,

-but I don't intend to try it.

-No, no. It's fine.

OK. All right. Well, this is a funny old round.

So, Colin, you went second.

It means you now, and strangely, have got the initiative

cos if you get this right, you've knocked out Judith.

The song Old Devil Moon features in which musical?

Mm. Not the sort of music question I'd have liked in this situation.

I think I'll go for Finian's Rainbow.

Finian's Rainbow is the correct answer. Well done.

You've taken the round, Colin.

With your anagrammatic name.

And you will be in the final round.

And if you come back to us, we'll see what happens in the final.

Well, our Challengers playing very, very well here,

have the advantage going into our final round

and it is time for the final now.

As always, it's 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, sorry we lose you, Frances,

the captain from Words In Action.

But we also lose Judith and Barry AND CJ

from the Eggheads.

So, please leave the studio.

Colin, Margot, Ann and Chris,

you are playing to win Words In Action £16,000.

Kevin and Chris, you are playing for something

that is maybe even more valuable,

which is the Egghead's reputation.

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

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

So, Words In Action, the question is -

are your four brains able to take down these two?

They're not small, those brains over there.

Would you like to go first or second?

We'd like to go second, please.

All right, here we go, final round.

First General Knowledge question to our Eggheads.

In wrestling, what name is usually given to a partnership

of two or more competitors who take alternate turns

in the ring during the same bout?

-Tag team.

-Are you happy with tag team?

-Yep.

Yeah. That is a tag team.

Tag team is right. Tag wrestling, yeah.

OK, Challengers.

What is aubergine commonly known as in the USA?

-ALL:

-Eggplant.

We all agree, eggplant.

It is. I can't believe in all these years of Eggheads

and thousands of programmes,

we've never asked that question before.

LAUGHTER Eggplant it is.

Eggheads, who is the mother

of Ashton Kutcher's daughter Wyatt born in 2014?

-Hm.

-Mila Kunis was pregnant, wasn't she?

That's true. Ashton Kutcher...

Or was it Kate Beckinsale?

-She was pregnant as well, wasn't she?

-Was she?

I can't remember. She used to be with a film director, didn't she?

-Yeah.

-Kate Beckinsale.

Mila Kunis was pregnant,

but so was Kate Beckinsale.

But if she's with...

She's not with Ashton Kutcher.

I don't know. I don't think she is.

I may be wrong about that.

I don't think she is.

-Do you want to try Jessica Biel?

-Yeah.

-On the basis of...

On the basis of neither of us know.

We don't know. We'll go for Jessica Biel.

Jessica Biel is your answer.

Do you know, you guys? Are they right?

I guessed at Mila Kunis, but I don't know.

Yeah, Mila Kunis is the answer.

You got it wrong, Eggheads.

So, you are zeroing in on quite a lot of money here

if you can just hold steady.

Here's your second question, Challengers.

The national flag of which of these countries

is composed of three horizontal stripes of blue, black and white?

Blue, black and white.

I'm trying to think if I've seen that at a football match.

At a football match, was it?

I was... You know, my... Possibly Estonia, but I...

-I think it's Estonia as well.

-OK.

Wait a minute. Chris, do you know?

I have absolutely no idea.

This is my idea.

I was thinking it was maybe one

-of the northern, you know...

-Yeah.

-Balkan States.

-Aye.

-I would go Estonia.

-OK.

Agree, Ann?

-Baltic States.

-Estonia?

-Mm-hm.

-Ann?

I would, yes, but it's really a...

Yeah, we don't really know.

I think it's a reasonable chance it is Estonia,

but I wouldn't... On you go, Margot.

Well, we're not 100% sure,

but we're going to try Estonia.

Estonia is quite right. Well done, Ann, especially there.

Well done. You got it!

So, two out of two.

And they got one out of two. Oh, dear, Eggheads.

This cracking run you've had,

if you don't get this right...it's over.

In Spanish-speaking countries, the word cerrado

often printed on a sign displayed in a shop window

translates as what?

-Cerrado...

-Cerrado. C-E-R-R-A-D-O.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

It's not welcome.

-Bargains would be plural, so it would end in O-S, not O.

-OK.

I'd go for closed.

OK, I'd go for closed.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-OK? Yeah.

-Yeah.

Not certain on this one, should know the word, really.

But before the options came up,

I was thinking closed

and welcome would be bienvenido.

Can't think what the word for bargains would be,

but we will go for closed.

-Are they right? ALL:

-Yes.

You are right. Closed is correct.

So, you have got two out of three.

This is now your third question cos you went second.

If you get this one right, you've won £16,000.

They can't even lift a finger to stop you.

If you get it wrong, we go to Sudden Death.

Here's your question.

What was the name of the barge on which the Queen was a passenger

during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant

in June 2012?

-Is it Sarpedon?

-Yeah, I think so.

I reckon it wouldn't have been...

Certainly wasn't the others.

-CHRIS:

-Honestly, I don't know. I just...

You just want to guess, OK.

That was an impressive run in your own round,

I'm happy if you don't know it.

Do you think so, Ann?

-Yeah, OK.

-OK.

We're going to go for 'Ser-pe-don'.

-'Sar-pe-don'.

-Sarpedon, sorry.

Sarpedon is your answer.

If you've got it right, you win £16,000.

The barge on which the Queen was a passenger.

I must say, you've played so brilliantly here

and you can see them quaking over there,

but are you right with this question?

Do you know, Eggheads?

-It's Spirit of Chartwell.

-Yeah, you've got it wrong.

-It's not Sarpedon.

-That was my first thought.

-Oh!

-Sorry.

-Do you know what...

The thing about it was that was so interesting

was you all went for that. Sometimes it's very painful if there's

a disagreement and the right person is overruled.

Wasn't the case here. The answer is Spirit Of Chartwell.

So, you're equal after three.

The jackpot moves a tiny bit further away,

but still well within your reach.

We go to Sudden Death. We start with you, Eggheads.

I don't give you alternative answers.

Who wrote the novel World War Z,

which was turned into a 2013 film starring Brad Pitt?

-Max Brooks?

-Yeah.

-Max Brooks.

Think that's Max Brooks.

The son of Mel Brooks, you are quite right. Max Brooks, it is.

Back to you, Challengers. Sudden Death.

Now, you're slightly on the back foot here.

You mustn't get one wrong.

In January 1976, the Lutz family, L-U-T-Z,

claiming to have been subjected to ghostly apparitions

evacuated their home in which Long Island town?

It's Amityville cos it's the Amityville Horror.

Chris tells us it's Amityville.

Amityville is quite right.

OK, Sudden Death.

Back to you, Eggheads.

Who played the role of Trinity in The Matrix series of films?

-I think that's the female...

-Yeah.

-But I can't... She's not her.

-Yeah.

She was known for that and not...

perfectly honest, not a great deal else

and I can't think of her name.

Canadian actress, I think, but I can't think of her name.

A complete blank here.

Really struggling.

She's a Canadian actress. I can see her,

but no, the name has escaped me, I'm afraid.

So, I don't think we've actually got...

Going to have to...

I can't even make a plausible guess.

-You're passing?

-Yeah, we will have to pass.

CJ is going crazy back there. You know it, CJ? Go on.

-It's Carrie-Anne Moss.

-It is Carrie-Anne Moss.

-Yeah, who was in Momentum, my favourite film.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-Obviously, it was in there somewhere.

-It was there, yeah.

Maybe a birth date or a death date

-is clogging up the brain there.

-Yeah, possibly.

Get them out. Dear.

This could be very useful for you.

Let's just see. This question is worth £16,000 to you, Challengers.

Get this right, you've won.

What was the name of the slang used in Britain

in the mid-20th century,

which was popularised by the characters Julian and Sandy

in the 1960s radio series Round The Horne?

Polari.

Yeah, P-O-L-A-R-I, Polari.

Chris, again, tells us it's Polari.

If you've got this right, you have won, you've beaten the Eggheads.

If you've got it wrong, we play on with Sudden Death.

Shall I ask them? Let's see what they say. Are they right?

-Yeah.

-Oh, bona!

Polari is the right answer.

We say congratulations, Challengers, you have won!

And brilliantly done.

And it's funny how these things happen cos Ann on History,

not your strongest, knocked out CJ

who knew the Carrie-Anne answer,

so it was all part of the building blocks for a great victory there.

Great jackpot and honestly well played. Great quizzing.

All the way through. Really. So congratulations, Words In Action.

You can go back and say

you are officially cleverer than the Eggheads.

You have won £16,000. You've proved they can be beaten.

You tore them to ribbons earlier on as well.

Ooh, what a contest!

Do join us next time on Eggheads to see

if a new team of Challengers can give us as much fun as this one has.

Till then, goodbye.