Episode 85 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.

Hoping to beat the might of the Eggheads today are The Heralds.

Now, this friends and family team quiz together at The Herald

Snooker Club in Milton Keynes, so let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Emma and I'm a freelance translator.

Hi, I'm Jake and I'm a library book mover.

Hello, I'm Alyson and I'm a care worker.

Hi, I'm Matt and I'm a mental health team manager.

Hi, I'm Ed and I'm a senior reporting accountant.

So, Emma and team, welcome.

Tell us about the place where you all quiz, Emma. What's it like?

It's... Yeah... I mean, I suppose I should say on TV it's nice

before we get banned from ever playing there again.

-Do you quiz together there?

-Yes.

Yeah, we're a team in Milton Keynes Quiz League

and we're there every week.

Oh, I see, so you are - well, proper quizzers, I'm sensing.

-Eggs, what do you think?

-Definitely.

-They love a good contest here.

OK, every day there is £1,000 worth of cash up for grabs

for our challengers. If you fail to defeat the Eggheads

we roll the prize money over to our next show.

So, The Heralds, I can tell you the Eggheads are on a bit of a spurt,

a run, a streak. They've won the last nine,

so that means there's £10,000 to play for today,

and they're going to be cheering you on at The Herald Club as well.

So good luck, and the first head-to-head battle is on the subject

of Food And Drink. Who would like this?

I think that's you.

-Yeah, that'll be me.

-OK, Alyson.

And which Egghead would you like to take on? Can be any of them.

-What about Barry?

-Barry.

-Yeah, I was thinking of going for Barry.

-Yeah, go for Barry?

-OK, then. Apparently, I'm going for Barry.

OK, so it's Alyson from The Heralds versus Barry from the Eggheads,

Food And Drink the subject, and just to ensure there's no conferring,

would you please both take your positions in our Question Room.

So Food And Drink, Alyson. Do you want to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

Here we go with your first question, good luck.

The style of white wine called Liebfraumilch is traditionally

made in which country?

Right, erm...I'm sure it's German.

So I'm going for Germany.

And you're absolutely right, well done.

Barry, what type of cured sausage

takes its name from Latin for "to salt"?

I do believe that is salami.

It is salami, well done.

OK, back to you, Alyson.

In Cantonese cuisine, what foodstuff is marinated

and roasted to make char siu?

It's spelt C-H-A-R and then S-IU.

Um, I'm not sure on this one at all.

I'm going to go for aubergine.

-Do you know, Barry?

-It's pork.

Alyson, that's wrong, I'm afraid, it's not aubergine, it is pork.

So Barry can take the lead here.

Gjetost, a brown cheese with a fudge-like texture

originated in which country?

May I congratulate on your pronunciation there cos I've

never known how to pronounce that cheese.

But I do believe Gjetost is from Norway.

It is from Norway, thank you,

I was given expert counsel on the pronunciation of that.

So he's in the lead, Alyson,

and that means you need to get this one right to stay in.

The aromatic dried flower buds of the tree Syzygium aromaticum

are more commonly known as what spice?

Right. It's not saffron cos that's crocuses.

Cloves are little...

I'm going to go for cloves.

You've done really well, it is cloves, yeah. Excellent.

Barry, if you get this right, you're in the final.

What is the name of the herb that has leaves with a cucumber-like aroma

and taste and bright blue flowers?

I know it's not marjoram.

I'm reasonably certain that is borage.

The correct answer is borage.

Barry, three out of three.

Sorry, Alyson, he does quietly like his food.

We never see him eating but we think it is going on.

So you've been knocked out, I'm afraid.

Barry is through to the final but it's very early days,

keep your chin up, team. Please come back to us and we'll play on.

So as it stands The Heralds have lost a brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have not lost a brain yet

but change of tactic at this point or just steaming ahead?

-I think we'll...

-Keep going.

-Yeah.

Can't just try and change it for everything that goes wrong.

Not cut and run yet, for sure. The next subject is Arts And Books.

So, Emma, who wants this, do you think?

-This is you.

-After you it would probably be me.

-Yeah.

-You or me.

Yeah, that's going to be me.

OK, Emma, and which Egghead would you like to take on? Anyone but Barry,

-as people often say.

-Thank you for that(!)

-CJ?

-Yeah, I'll take CJ.

OK, is that just personal grounds, you want to get into the close

proximity of the great CJ or you think he's got a weakness?

Couldn't possibly admit on camera, but maybe.

You are maybe an admirer.

OK, Emma from The Heralds versus the ever-popular CJ from the Eggheads.

Please go to our Question Room.

-Emma, you've recently graduated.

-Yes.

-And where from?

-Lincoln College, Oxford.

-OK. And your degree?

-French.

-So there's a bit of arts and books in there, for sure.

Ideally, yeah, if you could pull up some 20th century French theatre

in this that would be great.

OK. Good luck against CJ. Arts And Books.

Emma, would you like to go first or second?

I'll stick with the trend and go first.

And here we go, good luck.

How many people are shown in Vermeer's painting

Girl With A Pearl Earring?

Now, if I'm thinking of the right painting, which I think I am...

It was on the poster for the film of the same name and I think it's

just a kind of shadow close up of the titular girl, so I'll go one.

Yeah, one is right, it is just the girl.

CJ,

Pomona Sprout and Poppy Pomfrey

are members of staff at which fictional educational establishment?

Not sure but I think there's a Pomfrey who works at Hogwarts

so I'll try Hogwarts.

Yes, exactly. The Harry Potter series, you're right.

On to you, Emma.

Imari porcelain was originally exported to Europe from which country

in the late 17th century?

Imari, Emma, is spelt I-M-A-R-I.

Imari...

I mean...just from a linguistics perspective,

that doesn't sound particularly Arabic so I wouldn't say Egypt.

Kind of sounds Japanese so I'll go with Japan.

Japan is quite right, well done.

CJ...

which vlogger's debut novel, Girl Online, became the fastest-selling

book of 2014 after selling over 78,000 copies in its first week?

Well, the only name there I've heard of is Zoe Sugg.

I'm not up on my vloggers, I've never watched a vlog, so...

Oh, dear.

I'm just wondering if I know the name Emma Blackery from anywhere.

Alfie Deyes rings no bells whatsoever.

So I'm going to discount Alfie Deyes.

And, as I always do if it comes down to a 50/50,

I'm going to pick the wrong one.

I really don't know this

but it's a name I've heard of so I'll try Zoe Sugg.

Zoe Sugg is the right answer.

She was more commonly known as Zoella.

CJ might have heard that name.

You having a bit of a confidence crisis, CJ?

No, I'm just awful.

You've had some peaks and troughs recently, shall we say?

-I don't remember any peaks.

-There weren't peaks, OK.

So you picked a good moment here, Emma.

Which American author won the 1962 Nobel Literature prize,

beating the shortlisted British authors Lawrence Durrell

and Robert Graves?

I am awful at American literature.

I think Miller did get it but it was earlier.

I think Steinbeck would have been earlier.

With no great confidence I'm going to go Eugene O'Neill.

See if CJ knows this one, do you?

I wouldn't have gone for Miller, I'd probably have gone for Steinbeck.

Yeah, Steinbeck is the right answer.

So two out of three and we see now whether CJ can take the round.

Kingsley Amis dedicated his first novel Lucky Jim to which poet

and close friend?

Wow.

Absolutely no idea. Not read the book.

Unfortunately, I don't know the date of Lucky Jim.

I think it was in the...

I want to say early '60s but I'm not at all sure about that.

Betjeman, I think, was Poet Laureate up to '84.

Ted Hughes was later.

I'll discount Betjeman cos I just don't think it would have been him.

Ted Hughes, decent enough chap, but maybe

he wanted it to be a little more controversial, he wanted to...

put forward Larkin, who was never Poet Laureate, so I'll try Larkin.

I would have thought Larkin kept himself to himself a bit, didn't he?

Didn't like other people's company very much.

But you are right, it is Philip Larkin.

Maybe you've broken that duck at last, CJ.

You are in the final. Sorry, Emma, you've been knocked out there,

-on the wretched American literature question.

-Yeah.

Please both of you come back to us and we'll play on.

All right, The Heralds have lost another brain from the final round.

-The Eggheads are still - I won't say sitting pretty...

-I am!

..cos that would be an exaggeration, but they're certainly sitting.

The next subject is Sport.

CHATTER AND LAUGHTER

-Whiplash.

-Yeah.

-Ed.

-Ed, on the end.

-Our accountant, OK. Against which Egghead?

-It's gotta be Chris.

-Yeah, Chris.

-Going to be Chris.

You're having so much sport at the moment.

Ed from The Heralds versus Chris from the Eggheads,

and to ensure there is no conferring, please go to the Question Room.

OK, Ed, we're on Sport. Would you like to go first or second?

First, please.

Here's your first question. In which decade did Damon Hill win

the Drivers' Formula One World Championship?

I used to watch it back then so I think it's 1990s.

100% right, well done.

Chris, what term is used for anywhere beyond the playing area

of a golf course?

Well, the end zone's American football.

In touch, no.

Outside of the playing area of a golf course is out of bounds.

It is indeed, well done.

One each. Back to you, Ed.

Vincenzo Nibali won which major international sporting event

in July, 2014?

His name is spelt N-I-B-A-L-I.

I know it wasn't the British Grand Prix.

He doesn't sound like a horse. So I'll go for the Tour de France.

HE LAUGHS

I love your logic.

Tour de France is quite right.

Chris, over to you for your second question.

Which player founded the Women's Tennis Association in 1973?

That's a British thing so it wouldn't be Billie Jean King,

she's American.

Virginia Wade, I think.

-It's not her. It is Billie Jean King.

-Is it?

Billie Jean Moffitt, originally.

-Yeah, she's the campaigner of the three.

-Oh, right.

Got it wrong, so that means, Ed,

you are a question away from the final round.

Maybe the tide is turning for our challengers.

Here's your question.

In 1938, which Test cricket team did England defeat

by the record-breaking margin for an innings and 579 runs?

I don't know that one, to be honest. I'll guess West Indies.

No, Australia is the answer.

So you're stuck on two. Let's see if Chris can get this right.

Miruts Yifter, known as "Yifter the Shifter",

won two Olympic gold medals in which sport in 1980?

Yifter. Yifter the Shifter.

Well, obviously, he was a speedy individual.

So that would incline me towards the most obscure of the three -

speed skating.

Athletics is the answer.

Chris, you've been knocked out. Well done, Ed.

Well done, challengers.

Things are moving on this side of the studio now.

You've emerged triumphant and, Ed, you will be in the final round.

Both of you, please rejoin your team-mates.

As it stands, The Heralds have lost two brains from the final round,

the Eggheads have lost one, so what's going to happen now?

It's Music for you.

Who wants this?

-So it's me or Matt.

-I think you should do it.

I think it's probably you.

-I'm not good on music.

-No, it'll have to be you.

-Me, then?

-Looks like it's me, then.

-OK, Jake on Music.

Which Egghead would you like? You've got two to choose from -

Lisa and Pat.

It depends what comes up. He's not so good on the modern.

-I would trust Lisa to be better on music.

-Yeah.

-I think Pat.

-I'm going against Pat, it looks like.

Very sophisticated team talk there. OK, Jake from The Heralds versus Pat.

They've got it all mapped out on their grid here.

So it's Music, and to ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions.

OK, we're on Music, would you like to go first or second?

I'll stick with the trend, see what happens. I'll go first.

Jake, good luck, pitching Pat out.

Which term refers to the instrumental introduction to a ballet or opera?

Coda usually comes at the end.

I believe it's the overture that starts it.

Overture is the right answer.

Pat, the singer Al Green,

born in 1946, is most associated with which type of music?

He's a giant of soul music.

He's a preacher in Memphis.

And a big soul singer.

Soul is right answer. They call him The Reverend, is that right?

He's actually an ordained minister.

And he spent the last few decades pretty much being a minister.

So you can go along to his church

and he might suddenly burst into Say A Little Prayer For Me.

-Perhaps!

-If we're lucky!

Jake, in which year did Eminem release the album entitled

The Marshall Mathers LP 2?

I know he's had a resurgence recently but I'm not sure

if that's one of his newest albums.

I don't think he was around as early as 1993

so I'm going to go down the middle and say 2003.

No. 2013.

Pat, to take the lead.

Which Rolling Stones song includes the lines

"When I'm watching my TV and that man comes on to tell me

"how white my shirts can be"?

When you read out the lyrics, the first thing that came to my mind

was Satisfaction.

It's Only Rock And Roll... Honky Tonk Women...

I think I'll have to go for Satisfaction.

And you're quite right, yeah.

So he moves into the lead, Jake.

Here is your next question.

Acknowledgement, Resolution, Pursuance and Psalm are the titles

of the four parts of which album recorded in 1964

by the jazz musician John Coltrane?

Not sure on this one at all.

Vaguely heard of most of those.

I'm just going to have to choose one.

Acknowledgement, Resolution, Pursuance, Psalm...

A Love Supreme.

See if your team-mates know. Is he right?

-I think it's Blue Train.

-What do you think, Eggheads?

-Tough question.

-I'd have guessed Blue Train but I don't know.

-Blue Train is a Coltrane album, isn't it?

-Yeah, yeah.

But you were right. Well done!

So everyone else in the studio would have got it wrong

and you got it right - A Love Supreme.

So you're level, but Pat has a question in hand.

What item in a drum kit comprises a pair of cymbals linked to

a foot pedal used to bring them together?

Again, my first instincts are hi-hat, but...

could I be wrong?

I know that cymbals are one of the tests if you're buying

a high-end record deck and speakers, cymbals are one of the...

the, uh, the sounds that audiophiles get excited about.

I think it's a hi-hat.

Yes. Makes the sound...

HE MIMICS RHYTHMIC CYMBALS

Hi-hat.

Gives you the round, Pat, well done. You're in the final. Sorry, Jake.

-Never mind.

-You've been knocked out.

If you come back to us we will see what happens in that final round.

Well, this is what we've been playing towards.

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

But those of you who lost your head-to-heads won't be allowed

to take part in this round,

so that's Emma and Jake and Alyson from The Heralds

and also Chris over here, not looking too cheerful, from the Eggheads.

Please leave the studio.

OK, Matt and Ed, you're playing to win The Heralds' £10,000,

so we are now in five figures.

Barry, CJ, Pat and Lisa, you're playing for something that money

can't really buy, it's that precious -

I'm talking about the Eggheads' reputation.

I will ask each team three questions in turn.

They're all going to be general knowledge, you can confer.

So, The Heralds,

the question is, can your two brains beat these four over here?

And would you like to go first or second?

I think we're going to stick with the game plan and go first,

try and keep the psychological advantage of being ahead.

Here we go. The seeds of which of these trees are said to spin

like helicopters as they fall to the ground?

That's not horse chestnut. It's sycamore. Yeah.

We're going to go for sycamore, please.

Sycamore is the right answer, well done. You're off the blocks.

OK, Eggs,

the heir to the throne of which country has the title Prince

or Princess of Orange?

-Netherlands.

-Netherlands.

-Netherlands, I think.

-I hope so.

That's the Netherlands, Jeremy.

It is Netherlands, well done.

OK, back to you. Which film actress married the rock musician

Benji Madden in 2015?

No, I'm not sure on that one. Erm...

It's not Paltrow.

It's not cos they've talked about her recoupling again, haven't they?

So I don't think it's her.

And I think I have seen something about Cameron Diaz getting married.

We're not 100% sure but we're going to go down the middle

and go for Cameron Diaz.

Absolutely right, well done.

Second question, Eggs.

Which prison is located on the Isle of Wight?

Parkhurst. The other two are London, aren't they?

That's Parkhurst.

It is indeed.

Two out of two for you both. Third question to the challengers.

Pressure on, I know.

What is the English translation of "Vostok",

the name of the first series of Russian manned spacecraft?

Might be East...

I suspect we could probably do with one of our language experts

who're sat behind us at the moment.

-What do you reckon?

-East.

-OK.

-That's what I'm thinking cos they were in the east...

Without any real logic, we're going to go down the middle again

and go for east.

I can see that Emma knows back there. Emma, tell them, are they right?

-Yeah, they are.

-They are right, well done, you got it.

And so Vladivostok is, I guess, the easternmost part of Russia,

-right up against Alaska.

-"A fortress of the east."

-Something like that.

-Yeah.

So they got three out of three.

That's pretty handy.

Get this one wrong, Eggheads, they've got £10,000.

What was the name of the small cylindrical beads

made from shells used by the Native Americans as money?

-Wampum.

-Wampum's money.

It's wampum.

-You have a purse for your wampums.

-Mugwump isn't money.

-Hominy's some sort of food, isn't it? Hominy and grits?

-Yes.

A mugwump is a party, I think,

where you give your most expensive possessions to someone else.

-Wampum's currency.

-All I know about the mugwumps is that's what

The Mamas & The Papas were called before they were

-The Mamas & The Papas.

-Wasn't there a political party called the Mugwumps

-at some point in the 19th century?

-Yeah.

-Right, so wampum?

-Yes.

-Right.

My learned colleagues believe that's wampum.

You were straight there, I must say. Impressive.

Are you right, though?

If you're wrong...it's the end.

Good job we're not, then, isn't it?

No, you're right, you're not wrong.

Wampum is the right answer.

Three out of three. I'm sorry, I must apologise on their behalf.

So we to go sudden death.

-It was never going to be easy, was it?

-No.

-But there's still £10,000.

Everything that's gone before doesn't matter. You can win.

Here's your question. I don't give you alternative answers.

In computing, the abbreviation "DOS" can stand for Disk Operating what?

-Is it system?

-I think so.

-Yeah? Happy with that?

-Yeah.

System.

System is the right answer. Well done.

Eggheads, again you're on the defensive.

Clamdiggers are a type of what item of clothing?

Trousers, aren't they?

-I think.

-Clamdiggers.

-Are they?

The only thing that could dig a clam out...I'm thinking maybe shoes

but I'm not...

I think it's a reference to the fact that one wears...

I think it's a little bit like pedal pushers, one wears a slightly

shortened version to be on the beach

-where one would need to be digging the clams.

-Ah!

I don't know that, I am guessing.

-CJ:

-I've got nothing on this, I'm afraid.

Have you got some inkling that you've heard that before?

-Well...

-Or are you trying to make the name fit the...?

-No, no, no,

-I think I've heard it before.

-That's good enough for us.

The inkliest inkling that ever inkly was.

So what would you say, is it shorts or beachwear?

I think they're just a sort of, you know,

cropped type of trousers, kind of three-quarter length.

I don't know that.

We've got nothing else to go on so the glory is all yours, Lisa.

-I don't like this, I don't like this at all.

-Oh, have faith.

There's a scene in Red Dwarf where the Cat says,

"You're going to go with one of my plans?

"What happens if we all get killed? I'll never hear the last of it!"

Very much how I feel.

In the absence of a better answer we're going to have to go with mine,

and we think clamdiggers might be a type of trousers.

The thing about Lisa is when she knows, she sounds uncertain

and when she's uncertain I don't think you say anything.

So for you to even say "I think it might be trousers," I think,

Lisa, you are pretty sure it was.

It's going to be interesting to see whether you overruled her.

-Thank goodness you didn't, trousers is right.

-Oh, well done.

The £10,000 sits there in front of us.

You're as close as you'll ever be to winning it,

unless you win it. And you still can.

£10,000, sudden death, this is what Eggheads is all about.

In 2012, the first annual Festival No 6

took place in which Welsh village?

I've never heard of it.

-Have you ever heard of it?

-Nope.

Erm...in a village.

Village in Wales.

-I'm just trying to think of any...

-Yeah.

..Welsh villages that it might be in.

All I can think of is towns.

Betws-y-Coed? Is that a village?

-I've no idea.

-Betws-y-Coed.

-Betws-y-Coed?

Is that how you pronounce it?

We have absolutely no idea.

We're struggling to think of any Welsh villages

but we're going to go for Betws-y-Coed.

Betws-y-Coed is the wrong answer.

-The Festival No 6 reference is - who knows this? CJ:

-The Prisoner.

-The Prisoner, the TV show. And he was Number 6.

-Before my time.

And this is where it was filmed, and it was...?

-Portmeirion.

-Portmeirion.

OK, so Eggheads now have a little bit of an advantage here in the sense

that they've got a question in hand.

If they get this right the contest is over.

In Arthurian legend, what was the name of the seat at the Round Table

that was kept vacant for whoever should accomplish

the quest for the Holy Grail?

-Siege Perilous.

-That's the empty seat.

-That's the empty seat.

-The Siege Perilous.

-Mm-hm, Siege Perilous.

Again, my learned colleagues inform me that is the Siege Perilous.

The correct is the Siege Perilous.

We say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

Touch and go with the clamdiggers.

What we needed was for Barry to be more persuasive on the clamdiggers,

cos you had an idea of shoes, Barry.

40 years of marriage have told me never to argue with a woman.

When it comes to fashion there is no way I am listening to Barry!

-With apologies, Barry.

-I just thought, "Oh, here we go,

"the shoes are coming out."

But unfortunately it didn't last long enough so commiserations, Heralds,

the Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

They're playing really well at the moment, they've got a run on.

-We can call it a run now, can't we?

-Yes.

-You've gone over £10,000.

It means you won't be going home with that

so we roll it over to the next show.

Eggheads, impressive, just lost Chris this time.

Who will beat you, I wonder?

Join us next time to see if a new team of challengers have the brains

to defeat the overpowering Eggheads.

£11,000 will be up for them if they do. Till then, goodbye.