Episode 78 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. Are you firing on all cylinders, Eggs?

-Yes!

-We are now.

-Listen to that.

We'll see. Doesn't always work out that way.

Taking on the awesome might of our quiz Goliaths are the Minds Of Moria.

Now, the majority of this team regularly quiz

together at their local pub, the Poppy & Pint in Nottingham.

To complete the quintet, Danny has recruited his brother Sam.

So, let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Elliot and I'm studying politics.

Hi, I'm Danny and I'm studying physics.

Hi, I'm Sam and I'm studying theology.

Hi, I'm Josh and I'm studying film and TV.

Hi, I'm Tom and I'm studying physics.

-So, Elliot, team, welcome. Good to see you.

-Hello.

The team name, explain it for me.

Our team name is Minds Of Moria.

It's basically a concept from our favourite film, well,

collectively it's our favourite film - Lord Of The Rings.

Is there a mind of Moria in that?

Moria is sort of the concept within it,

and we sort of put together the quizzing aspect of it and mines.

-Yeah.

-Minds Of Moria.

-I'm worried I'm flaunting my ignorance here.

-Is anybody else confused by Moria?

-No.

It's the mines of Moria that they have to make their way through

-and they are the MINDS.

-Yeah, the mines of Moria, of course!

It's all come to me now.

-Yes, of course, of course. So, and you quiz together?

-Yes.

-Every Tuesday at the Poppy & Pint.

-What is the Poppy & Pint like?

It's a quiet pub in sort of back streets of West Bridgford

which is the area we live in.

So, yeah, every Tuesday head on down.

-Sounds good. Is there a prize if you win?

-There's a cash prize.

But we're yet to do that.

THEY LAUGH

You didn't have to add that, don't worry.

Every day there is £1,000 worth of cash here

up for grabs for our Challengers. If they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to our next show.

Minds Of Moria, the Eggheads have actually won the last two games

which means £3,000 says you can't beat them.

Is that more than would normally be on at the Poppy & Pint?

-Quite a bit more, yeah.

-OK, excellent. Well, let's hope you win.

The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Politics.

-OK. I guess that's me.

-You.

Yeah, so I'll take that one, Jeremy.

All right, good stuff. Elliot wants to take it against which Egghead?

-Who should be go for?

-Who do you think?

-Maybe we can go Lisa.

-Oh, yeah, OK.

-Let's go with that then.

-Yeah, OK.

-Wait, I thought she was geography.

-No, that's CJ.

-Right, go with Lisa.

OK, I'll take on Lisa, please.

-All right. And you are a politics student, aren't you?

-I am, yes.

That's good. And you were as well?

-History and...?

-I got it in English.

I got as far as politics A level and that was it.

So, Elliot from Minds Of Moria, which of course is a reference

we all know, versus Lisa from the Eggheads.

To ensure there is no conferring,

would you please take your positions in the Question Room?

I hope this is perfect, Elliot.

You are a politics student and we are doing Politics. How about that?

-Yeah, fingers crossed.

-I know it's also a little bit forbidding as well

cos your team-mates think you'll get them all the right

and it's not that easy. Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go second, please.

So, Lisa. What was the nickname of the Labour politician John Prescott?

THEY LAUGH

I'd love to have heard him be called The Quiet Man, wouldn't you?

He was Two Jags.

He was indeed Two Jags.

Elliot, your question.

Who became editor of the satirical magazine Private Eye in 1986?

I believe he is on Have I Got News For You

and I think that is Ian Hislop.

It is indeed Ian Hislop. You are right. And that's...

Well, nearly 30 years. That's amazing.

OK. Lisa.

In the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence,

what percentage of voters gave a "no" vote.

Right. Let me get this the right way around.

This was really annoying

because my husband predicted it down to the last decimal point.

We were sat there going,

"Look, there's no way you can be that accurate about it.

"That's just silly." And he was spot on. Highly irritating.

I think it's 50.3%.

-Oh, Lisa.

-You're wrong there.

-Oh, you're joking!

Because the ones who are pro-independence often call

themselves the 45s, don't they, now?

If they are on Twitter or whatever, they always put 45.

-Oh, for goodness' sake.

-So it's 55.3%.

-Oh, it's not my day.

-Your hubby is going to be so cross.

-Yeah.

I just couldn't remember the second figure.

I had the 0.3 down in my head, it was just the rest of it.

-Yeah, 55.3.

-Oh, dear.

Elliot, back to you. This is looking good now.

The US president Franklin D Roosevelt represented which political party?

I don't think it is the Whig Party.

So it is 50-50 between Republican and Democratic.

Erm...

Something told me it was Republican so I will go with my gut instinct

down the middle and go for Republican, please.

Oh, dear me. No, it's not. He was the New Deal and everything, wasn't he?

-He was, yes.

-So he was post-war New Deal.

No, he was post-Depression New Deal, wasn't it? Yeah.

Franklin D Roosevelt was Democratic.

Very Democratic.

So now, Lisa, your question.

In 1990, who became the first Australian Labor Prime Minister

to be elected for a fourth consecutive term?

You know how much I love questions about Australia, Jeremy.

Now, is it... Does John Howard...

had a term that long?

Ohh...

First thought was John Howard. I'll go with John Howard.

It's wrong. What a surprise(!)

I think it's because you are thinking fourth consecutive term,

you've got to go back a bit further

and you go back to the earliest one of the three which is Bob Hawke.

-Yeah, it was a toss up between the two.

-He was the '80s...

He was the guy who would have known Mrs Thatcher

-and all that kind of stuff.

-Yeah, no.

It was a toss up between the two and I went the wrong way.

-Australia is accursed from your point of view.

-Yes.

It's sad, really, given that I'm a quarter Australian.

Yeah, it just doesn't work for you.

It's not going to want to claim me after this, anyway, let's face it.

So, here is the situation, Elliot. Lisa has got one right out of three.

And if you get this one right, you are in the final.

Which politician once described Michael Howard as having

"something of the night about him"?

I have not got a clue.

Something tells me it is something Ann Widdecombe would say.

Then again...

No, I'll go for original gut instinct, Ann Widdecombe.

Yes, Ann Widdecombe is right. Well done. You are in the final round.

-Well done.

-Brilliant.

-And it led to a big falling out.

I think it stopped him from being Conservative leader or just

gave him a lot of trouble, didn't it, basically. Yeah. Well done, Elliot.

-Nice. Good recovery there...

-Thank you.

..after your Roosevelt moment. And, Lisa, what can I say?

Elliot, you are in the final. Please come back to us.

So, as it stands, Minds Of Moria have lost no brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost one. It's a great start for our Challengers.

The next subject is Music.

-I reckon you must all be into your music.

-We are all right.

-Is that me or you?

-I don't know, it's up to you.

We said you would do it if it came up earlier on, didn't we?

-You want me to do it?

-I mean...

-Do you want to do it?

-Yeah, all right. I'll do it.

-Is that Danny? OK.

-Little bit reluctant, Danny.

-Yeah, it's not my strongest.

OK, and who would you like to take on? Obviously can't be Lisa.

Did we think about... Pat for music?

Did we?

THEY MUMBLE

-Yeah?

-Yeah, I'll go against Pat, please.

OK, so Danny from Minds Of Moria versus Pat on Music

from the Eggheads. Please go to our Question Room now.

-You play the bass, Danny?

-Yeah. For about five years I've played.

And who would be your musical hero on the bass?

Probably Flea from Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

-One of my favourite bassists.

-Well, good luck with your bass playing.

-Cheers.

-See if you can give some very low notes to Pat here.

Blast him away. Do you want to go first or second, Danny?

I'll go first, please.

Here we go. Your first question.

The Austrian singer Conchita Wurst won the 2014 Eurovision song

contest with which song?

I'm sure Making Your Mind Up is an old song.

And out of the two of them, Rise Like A Phoenix sounds

the most familiar so I will go for Rise Like A Phoenix.

Yes, Rise Like A Phoenix is correct. Well done.

-All Eurovision winning songs, them.

-Oh, so they could have...

-But most of them not sung by people with beards.

-Yes.

Pat, the Fender Stratocaster is a famous model of which instrument?

It's an iconic model of electric guitar.

-Guitar.

-Guitar is correct.

Danny, which of these composers died in the 20th century?

Really not very good with composers at all.

Erm...

I'm just going to have to have a guess

and I'll go with Elgar, Edward Elgar.

-Is that a complete guess?

-Yeah, pretty much.

It is completely right, though. Well done. Edward Elgar.

Pat. The song Take Me To Church

was a worldwide hit in 2014 for which musician?

I think he's a very, very tall young man from County Wicklow.

I think it's Hozier.

-Oh, Hozier is from your neck of the woods?

-I think he's Irish.

-I think he's from Wicklow.

-Oh, I had him down as American. Very talented.

Hozier is right. Well done.

Danny. Your question.

"So you go and you stand on your own And you leave on your own,

"And you go home and cry and you want to die"

are lines featured in which 1985 single by The Smiths?

Erm...

Yeah, it's going to have to be another guess again.

I'm not that big on The Smiths, so I'll go with Panic.

Can you sing this one, Lisa?

No, Jeremy, because I hate and despise The Smiths,

as you know perfectly well!

Oh, that's terrible.

I would have done Hozier for you, you just asked at the wrong time.

Yeah. But this is How Soon Is Now?

# So you go and you stand on your own And you leave on your own

# And you cry and you want to die. #

-Actually worryingly close.

-Am I right, Dave?

-Yes, yes.

I've got it. We are two each.

It's your question, Pat, for the round.

Before embarking upon a solo career,

Ben E King was the lead singer for which group?

I don't think he ever was in The Commodores,

so I can dismiss them.

It's one of the other two.

Levi Stubbs is the key front man for one of those two bands.

So I suspect it is Levi Stubbs for one of them

and Ben E King for the other.

Levi Stubbs, The Drifters. Levi Stubbs, The Four Tops.

I think it is Levi Stubbs in The Four Tops

and I think that leaves The Drifters for Ben E King.

Who did Stand By Me. Yes, The Drifters is correct.

Ben E King was in The Drifters

and you have taken the round. Sorry, Danny.

He got three out of three. It's difficult to play when he does that.

-Yes, tough.

-And the Smiths, but that, mm...

You won't be tempted to go back and listen to some of their records?

Not now. Not any more.

LAUGHING: I don't blame you.

So, Danny, you are out. Pat, you are in the final.

Please return to your teams, we'll play on.

As it stands, Minds Of Moria have lost one brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost a brain too. The next subject is Sport.

Is that good for you?

Erm... I don't know. That's really hard.

-We are all equally poor at Sport.

-Well, they are both definitely...

Tom, I feel like you are definitely better than Josh.

-OK, I'll take the hit, I guess. Yeah.

-Against which Egghead, Tom?

It can be CJ, Barry or Dave.

-It's not going to be Dave.

-CJ.

CJ, please.

Ooh, I'll warn you, I'm on a winning streak of one game.

Yeah, he's put together a...one game in a row.

Tom from Minds Of Moria versus CJ from the Eggheads.

Please go to the Question Room.

OK, so, Tom, here we are. We are on Sport. I know...

You seemed to get pressed going into that slightly

but would you like to go first or second?

I think I'll go second, please.

So, CJ, your first question on Sport.

Which of these players represented England

in the 2015 Cricket World Cup?

Michael Vaughan I think I had gone by then.

Kevin Pietersen I think had been thrown out of the team.

I don't know it but I will try Stuart Broad.

I don't know if you are right about the details

but you are right about the name. Stuart Broad is correct. Well done.

Tom, over to you.

The legendary Brazilian footballer Romario,

born in 1966, usually played in which position?

I haven't heard the name before.

Erm... So it strikes me that he might not be a striker.

Erm...

So between goalkeeper and centre back,

I'm going to guess centre back, please.

-Centre back. Dave will know this. Dave?

-Striker.

Striker he was, actually. But you were in Brazil watching football!

-Yeah, I was, I was.

-For the last World Cup.

-Yeah, yeah.

That's pretty embarrassing, that one.

Back to you, CJ. In which country was the heavyweight world champion

boxer Lennox Lewis born?

I don't know. I knew he represented Canada.

Where was he born then? Oh, dear.

Well, he switched his allegiance to UK. But...

That doesn't mean anything. I don't know.

I was just sitting there, listening to the question, thinking,

"Canada is about to come up, that's what I'll go for." Um...

He doesn't have any sort of American accent,

so I'm going to rule that one out.

So he was either born in Jamaica and moved up to Canada or he was

born in the UK, went over there and then came back and took nationality.

I am going to assume he was from a family in Jamaica which had...

..older ties to the UK,

went over to Canada and then can back over here,

claiming on his old ancestry, so I will try Jamaica.

CJ, I'm sorry, it was UK. It was East End of London.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Although he could have...

Some of your stories still could have been true.

We come back to you, Tom, for your second.

In what order, Tom,

are the three events of an Olympic triathlon completed?

I know this one, and it is swimming, cycling and then running.

That's brilliant. How do you know that?

My friend's mum actually does triathlons, so...

-So you have to do it in that order?

-Yep.

And does the break between swimming and cycling... Is that timed or?

You literally have to get out of the water and onto the bike.

Oh, I see. So you have got to really... In your trunks?

Out of the wet suit and straight on the bike.

Well, you are quite right - swimming, cycling and running.

Well done, you got a point. Back to you, CJ.

In which year did the rower Matthew Pinsent

win his first Olympic medal?

Ah, now first Olympic medal.

Does that mean he won something before gold?

Cos he won four golds,

and I think his last one was in Athens 2004.

Which makes it '92.

Did he compete in '88 and win a medal?

If he did, he wasn't rowing with Steven Redgrave.

I think '92 was the year he teamed up with Steve.

As I think they did three... They won three golds together.

Steven retired and then Pinsent won one on his own,

well, not with Redgrave.

So it is either '88 or '92.

And I'm going to assume in '88 he would have been too young,

unless he actually competed in something else by himself

and won something other than a gold. But I know... Well,

I am reasonably certain he won his first gold in '92.

So I will try 1992.

And 1992 is the right answer, CJ. Well done.

So, you are lagging behind. You need to get this one, Tom.

The English-born athlete Fiona May, who later competed for Italy, won

world championship gold medals in which field event?

Um...

I just am trying to see if I can remember the name.

But I really don't think I have ever heard it.

Uh...

So I think it is just going to have to be a guess.

I'm going to say...

..high jump.

-Do you know this, CJ?

-Long jump.

-Long jump is the answer, Tom, sorry.

-Well, you know.

You came close, but I'm afraid no cigar. You're not in the final round.

CJ is in the final.

And if you come back to us, both of you, we will see what happens next.

So, as it sounds, Minds Of Moria have lost the two brains,

but the Eggheads have lost a brain too. And we are sensing just...

There is liftoff coming.

I believe it, seriously. The next subject... Don't laugh!

The next subject is Geography.

So is it...? Do we have someone here who has travelled a lot?

Sam.

Sam?

Against which Egghead?

-I'm going to take Dave on, please.

-Tremendous Knowledge Dave, right.

So Sam from Minds Of Moria versus Dave from the Eggheads.

The subject, Geography. Last round before the final.

What is going to happen? Please take your positions.

So, Sam, on Geography against Dave.

Would you like to go first or do you want Dave to go first?

I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

Here is your first question.

Which country shares land borders with Cambodia, China and Laos?

Um...

As the other two countries are not in their region,

I would have to say Vietnam.

Vietnam is quite right. Well done.

Dave, over to you.

Which of these areas of water is part of the Atlantic Ocean?

Um, I believe that is the Sargasso Sea.

Sargasso Sea is right.

Back to you, Sam.

Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps, is approximately what height?

It would have to be a bit of a guess on this one, but I think that the

second two seem a bit too high, so I am going to go for 4,800m, please.

4,800m is correct.

Well done.

That's...that's good work. That could be very hard.

OK, over to you, Dave.

Yaounde is the capital city of which African country?

I believe that is Cameroon.

It is Cameroon, well done.

Right, two each. Sam, you are playing well.

Get the third one right, put Dave under pressure.

Which American city is known in Chinese as Old Gold Mountain?

I have a feeling that potentially...

San Francisco was involved in the gold rush.

In California.

So I am going to go for San Francisco.

Yeah, the logic is good.

And I guess a big Chinese community there as well.

San Francisco is right.

Because if you were coming

to the USA from China, you would arrive from that side, is that...?

-Yeah.

-That simple reason.

OK, Dave, your question to stay in.

Medellin is which South American country's second largest city?

Can you spell it for me, please?

M-E-D-E-L-L-I-N.

I've not really got much to go on, but...

Sao... I would have thought that Sao Paulo

and Rio de Janeiro were going to be bigger cities in Brazil.

And I have got Mendoza and Cordova and other cities in Argentina.

So just on the back of that, I will go Colombia.

You're right. I have heard of this because of the Medellin Cartel.

-Which is a drug thing, wasn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Colombia is right.

So three out of three for you both.

Playing really well on Geography.

Last round before the final. Sam, we go to Sudden Death.

It gets a little bit more tricky

cos I don't give you alternatives.

The market town of Tavistock, in Devon, is located on which river?

I don't know any rivers in Devon,

but I know there are a few River Avons in the country.

So I'm going to guess and say River Avon.

-It's not. You'll kick yourself. It is Tavy, or the Tavy.

-Argh.

T-A-V-Y. Hence Tavistock.

So, Dave, a chance for you

to take this round on Sudden Death.

What is the name of the ancient track leaving from Winchester

to Canterbury?

I am getting something in my head, but I don't think it is right.

Winchester to Canterbury. Yeah, I have got to go for this.

-Pilgrims' Way.

-Pilgrims' Way... Let's see, Eggheads.

Yes, they like that. Pilgrims' Way it is.

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

Sorry, Sam, just that sudden...

beastly sudden-death moment, isn't it? So you have been knocked out.

But if you come back to us, both of you, we will see how

the final shakes down.

This is what we've been playing towards.

It is time for the final round, which 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, Danny, Sam and Tom from the Minds Of Moria,

but also Lisa from the Eggheads, we say bye-bye.

So, Elliot and Josh, you are playing to win Minds Of Moria £3,000.

Your team-mates there are willing you on.

Barry, CJ, Pat and Dave, for you it is rather different.

You're simply playing to restore the Eggheads' reputation.

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

This time, the questions are all general knowledge.

You can confer, guys.

So Minds Of Moria, the question is, are your two brains better

than these four rather distressed specimens over here?

And would you like to go first or second?

We would like to go first, please, Jeremy.

All the best.

And here we go with your first question.

The dog Snowy is it the companion of which of these

comic book characters?

Tintin, isn't it? Yep. Tintin, please, Jeremy.

Tintin is the right answer.

What is the name of Beyonce's

first child?

-EGGHEADS:

-Blue Ivy.

-Are we all happy with Blue Ivy?

-Blue Ivy, yes.

We are all happy with Blue Ivy.

I don't know if Blue Ivy is happy with the name, but we are.

Blue Ivy is correct.

OK, your question.

Which of these is a 2015 sci-fi film by director siblings

Andy and Lana Wachowski?

It is Jupiter Ascending.

I believe.

Jupiter Ascending is correct. Well done.

Eggheads, a painting

of two Tahitian girls by which French artist was sold for

a world record of approximately 300 million in February 2015?

-Gauguin.

-I think so, for Tahiti, don't you?

Yes, I think we are all absolutely

certain on this one. It was Gauguin.

Right, Gauguin it was.

CJ, you look almost upset by

how easy you found that question.

Well, he lived there for so long, didn't he?

-Yeah, Tahiti equals Gauguin.

-Yes.

-For the sake of any argument.

-Yes.

And Samoa equals Robert Louis Stevenson.

-It is things like this you have to remember.

-Right, OK.

Elliot and Josh, which 16th-century scientist had part of his nose

removed in a duel whilst a student

and thereafter wore an artificial one made from metal?

-Copernicus rings a bell.

-Copernicus is the only one that I have...

-Yeah.

It is the only one... It definitely...

As soon as I heard the name, it rang a bell.

-Yeah? Really?

-I think...

I have never heard of Paul Wittich and I've never heard of...

Well, I am not very science-y, so...

-Hm.

-I think Nicolaus Copernicus is the only...

-I am happy with that.

-Yeah.

-Nicolaus Copernicus, please, Jeremy.

Well, he is the most recognisable name, but he is not the right answer.

It is Tycho Brahe. Am I pronouncing that correctly, Eggs?

-Tycho?

-Tycho, yeah.

Tell me about Mr Brahe.

He was mad as a box of frogs.

He was the wealthiest man in his

country. He had his own island.

He did all sorts of strange things.

He kept a pet bear.

-Where was he based?

-Denmark.

-Denmark, right.

And what kind of a scientist was he?

-An astronomer.

-Astronomer.

-Right.

If you go out on that man's nose,

that would be...that would be painful.

Anyway, you're not out yet. Not by any means. Eggheads,

you still have got to get this right.

In which decade was wheel clamping introduced in Great Britain

as well as the law that made it compulsory for all drivers

and front-seat passengers to wear seatbelts?

-I think the seatbelt law came in '83.

-Yes, it is '80s. It is '80s.

-I remember the ads.

-I think it is '83.

-It is definitely the '80s.

-It is definitely '80s.

-The boot, the '80s. Yeah.

Again, we all agree, we think it was in the 1980s.

If you've got this right, Eggheads, the contest is over,

because you would have got three out of three.

And you are getting a bit of your swagger back.

Wheel clamping and that law on seatbelts were...

yes, introduced in the 1980s.

We say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won!

Well, you see the relief on CJ's face there because he knows that...

-It takes a while to get back into your stride.

-Absolutely.

We have lost two in a row more than once.

-It takes us a while to get our confidence back.

-Yeah.

So you are just beginning to hum again. Sorry, lads, but you did...

You played really well.

-We did our best.

-Undoubtedly, did really well.

Commiserations to Minds Of Moria. Brilliant name.

I love the references. They didn't really understand it, but I did.

The Eggheads have just done what comes naturally, we can say that now.

They're back in their stride. They reign supreme over quiz land.

I'm afraid that means you won't be going home with £3,000.

We take the money and we add another 1,000 on the next show.

Eggheads, congratulations.

Who will beat you? Join us next time to see

if a new team of Challengers have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£4,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.