Episode 99 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 general knowledge geniuses today

are The Other Team, from Belfast.

Now, this group of friends

regularly quiz together at their local The Glenn Inn.

Let's meet them.

Hello, I'm Trevor, and I'm a pool lifeguard.

Hi, I'm Stephen, and I'm a delivery driver.

Hello, I'm Billy. I'm a retired storeman.

Hi, I'm Gerry, and I am a retired teacher.

Hi, I'm Tom, and I'm a physics student.

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

And you know each other, Trevor,

mainly through a leisure centre, is that right?

I am still a lifeguard. Stevie was an ex-lifeguard.

And Tom at the end has just left there a few months ago.

-This is the Shankill Leisure Centre?

-Yup.

And the other three are customers, they go to the gym.

-Oh, right, so you are all pretty fit.

-All from the... Yeah.

-THEY LAUGH

-Try to.

OK, so Shankill Leisure Centre is in the centre of Belfast, basically?

-Yeah, close enough to it.

-Right. And how is the lifeguarding, good?

It's still... Yeah, it is still going well.

Well, it is great to have a Northern Ireland team here,

I must say, so thanks very much indeed for coming.

I hope it is fruitful for you. Every day, there is

£1,000 worth of cash up for grabs for our Challengers.

But if you fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, Other Team, I can tell you they have won the last seven games.

That means £8,000 is here for you to win today.

Not quite here, but we can imagine it's here.

-And do you want to go for it? ALL:

-Yes, please.

OK, the first head-to-head battle is on the subject of History.

Which one of you would like this?

Do you want that one?

What do you think? Who's for History?

-Is that you?

-Me?

Right, I'll go, seeing all the eyes are on me.

-Before you go...

-OK, eyes on Gerry.

-Are you happy enough with Gerry?

-Are you happy enough, Trevor?

-Yes, absolutely.

Gerry, you've got to choose an Egghead now.

You can have any one of the five.

We've got at least one millionaire there.

Um... I think I will go with CJ. Trevor, what do you think?

-Yeah, and that is a good choice.

-Go with CJ?

So, Gerry from The Other Team...

Why are you called The Other Team, by the way?

Well, I ran a quiz one night, I was only starting off.

And only two teams came the first night.

It was Billy and his wife and another team.

And when I came to get the team names,

one team said, "We will be the Smarties."

And I said to Billy, "What's your team called?"

He says, "We'll just be The Other Team."

-So we've been The Other Team ever since.

-LAUGHING: Very good.

So, Gerry from The Other Team versus CJ from that team.

To ensure there is no conferring,

would you please take your positions in our Question Room?

So, Gerry, you've got the keys to the city of Las Vegas.

That's right, Jeremy.

This all happened about 1981,

when I was asked by the Las Vegas Soccer Association,

youth section, to go over and coach some soccer

during the summer months.

I readily accepted the offer and I was over there for eight weeks,

having a fantastic time both on and off the pitches.

I hear you.

A few days before I came home, I was told to get dressed smart -

we were going downtown to meet the mayor.

So I did not know what was going on.

But when I got down there, there was a reception for me.

And the best moment of all, of course,

was when the key to the city of Las Vegas was presented to me.

How nice. So you were given almost the freedom of the city

-because of your football training?

-Well, I was given...

-I think it is more a token gesture, Jeremy...

-Yeah.

..in that it is a token of recognition and appreciation.

Basically, it was for the work that I put in with the youth of the city.

How fantastic. Do you go back there at all then?

-I haven't been back since 1983.

-JEREMY LAUGHS

I went on holiday to the States a couple of years ago,

and I think my small children enjoyed Las Vegas more than anywhere.

It is just an amazing and crazy place.

Wonderful place with wonderful people,

-that's what I found about it.

-Absolutely.

-Just like your great city of Belfast, actually.

-Thank you.

So, Gerry, History. And would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, Jeremy.

OK, and good luck against CJ.

Which forces were victorious at the Battle of Naseby in 1645?

Well, the Battle of Naseby, I don't know an awful lot about it.

But I would certainly rule out the Vikings.

I am also going to rule out the Scots.

And I will go with the Parliamentarians.

Yes, it was the Parliamentarians. Was that English Civil War, CJ?

It was indeed, yes.

OK, over to you.

Which of these terms traditionally refers to

riflemen in the British Army?

I don't know.

I can't imagine it's Red Hats.

I can't really imagine it is White Breeches. But...

And Green Jackets, I think I've heard of as a term.

But...

Um... This name has passed me by, I'm afraid.

But I'll go for Green Jackets.

Yes, it is Green Jackets.

Back to you, Gerry.

Before he became king, which of these monarchs had an affair

with the Countess of Warwick,

who was nicknamed Babbling Brook for her indiscretions?

Hm...

Babbling Brook...

I'm not sure on this one at all, Jeremy. I will go...

..with Charles II.

It's not Charles II, actually, it is Edward VII.

OK.

CJ,

which of these descriptions is often applied to the father

of Henry VIII's minister, Thomas Cromwell?

OK, well, you have started off with two I've never heard of.

I can't imagine it was Cornish pirate.

See, I've got one of those little ringings in the back of my head

that I've heard of the phrase blacksmith from Putney.

But I could just be making that up.

Um...

I don't know if I'm confusing Cromwell with somebody else,

but I've got the idea that Cromwell actually came from...

..quite a normal family and actually worked his own way up

rather than coming from a well-to-do family.

I will try blacksmith from Putney.

-Yes, you haven't read Wolf Hall, have you?

-No, I haven't.

-Or seen it?

-Nope.

Because this is quite central. Blacksmith from Putney is correct.

Barry, I could see you egging him on.

-Meaning he came from very humble origins, right?

-He did.

His father was a bit of a brute who used to beat him

quite regularly.

Cromwell really hated his father,

which may go some way to explain some of his actions

-later on in his life.

-Yeah. Such a fascinating figure.

So, CJ has two now, Gerry, and you've got one.

-You need to get this one right.

-OK.

During the period of the Raj,

which city acted as the summer capital of British India?

I'll go with Agra.

-CJ, do you know this?

-I would have gone for Lucknow.

-Any Eggheads know? EGGHEADS:

-Shimla.

-Shimla.

And how would we guess that or get that?

-It's up in the hills, where it is cool.

-North of the country?

-Yes.

Agra is where the Taj Mahal is.

Oh, I see, so Agra would be very, very hot.

Jeremy, I was in Shimla last year.

And I was on the little train full, obviously, of Indians.

And we passed... As we were going up into the hills,

we passed the snow line,

and the train stopped and every single Indian got out

and looked at the snow, cos most of them had never seen snow before.

So it is cooler there, Gerry, I think that's the point.

Shimla is the answer.

-OK.

-So that was the summer capital, getting out of the heat.

So, well done, CJ.

You've just turned the heat up on our Challengers.

You will be in the final, Gerry has been knocked out.

But it is early days. Please return to us.

So, as it stands, The Other Team, this one, have lost one brain from

the final round, lost Gerry,

while the Eggheads have lost no brains so far.

That may change because the next subject is Music.

-So which one of you would like Music?

-Trevor.

-Go ahead.

-I think I will go for Music.

OK, the team captain in on Music. Against which Egghead, Trevor?

-Which do you think?

-Anyone but CJ.

-Who do you think?

-That is what a lot of people say.

-I'll pick Judith.

OK, Trevor from The Other Team versus Judith from the Eggheads.

And to ensure there is no conferring, please take your positions.

So, Music, Trevor,

would you like to go first or second against our Judith?

I'll take the first set, Jeremy.

Here we go with your first question, Trevor.

Which singer made headlines by being accidentally dragged to the ground

during her performance at the Brits in 2015?

I don't think it was Katy Perry.

I think I actually watched this, and it wasn't Paloma Faith.

That was Madonna.

Yes, some sort of necktie didn't give way. Madonna is right.

-Did you see that, Judith?

-Yes, I did.

-She fell off her perch.

-She was wearing a cape. Yeah.

She was sort of dragged off, wasn't she?

I think they were supposed to pull a cloak off her, and it didn't go.

Yeah, it stayed and pulled her.

Here's your question.

Taylor Swift started her career as an artist in which musical genre?

Oh, gosh. Country.

-Country is correct. Was that a guess?

-Yes.

-Yeah, very much so.

OK. Back to you, Trevor.

Which of these modern orchestral instruments has parts

known as the slide, the bell and the water key?

I don't think it's a triangle.

I will go for the slide - trombone.

Yeah, the slide, that is, I guess, the giveaway. Trombone is right.

Well done, Trevor.

Two out of two.

Back to Ms Keppel.

In The City and This Is The Modern World

where the first two albums released by which band?

-In The City and...?

-This Is The Modern World.

This Is The Modern World.

Well, I am not in the modern world, I just don't know. Um...

Blur.

Oh, Judith! SHE LAUGHS

-Is it a Barcelona moment?

-No, no, it's not a Barcelona...

-It's just that The Jam are so good.

-Oh. Right.

And it's obvious you haven't...

Maybe you've not appreciated them fully.

-I obviously haven't.

-I can almost go through every track of In The City.

The Jam is the answer.

OK, so, Trevor, you have two,

Judith has one.

This is quite promising now.

Get this right and Judith will be knocked out

and you'll be in the final round. So the skipper will survive.

Here is your question.

Which composer, famous for his music for the television series Morse,

apparently included coded clues to the plot in the music?

Well, I haven't heard of this before,

so it's just going to have to be a guess. Um...

I'll go for Barrington Pheloung.

-That is a total guess, is it?

-Yes.

Barrington Pheloung is the right answer. Well done, Trevor,

three out of three. Nicely done.

Very nicely done.

Sorry, Judith, that was an expensive... You may have to

-listen to some old Jam albums.

-Too late, too late.

The penance, you've been knocked out on a question about The Jam.

And, Trevor, you are in the final round.

Please, both of you, return to us. We will play Round Three.

So, a lively performance by Trevor, well done.

As it stands, The Other Team have lost one brain,

but the Eggheads have also lost a brain.

The next subject is Geography.

So, who would like this?

No? Is that bad?

-Do you want to go?

-What do you think?

Do you want to give Geography a try?

I would go... I would send Stevie up.

I have a general sense of geography, but I wouldn't be fantastic.

-It might be Politics next.

-You don't know, seriously.

-Try.

-Go for it.

-You think I should just go for it?

-Yeah.

OK, so Tom, you've been press-ganged there.

Who would you like to take on, Tom? And it can be Barry, Chris or Kevin.

Barry, Chris or Kevin...

-Go with Barry.

-I will go for Barry, Jeremy.

-All right.

Good luck. Well, Barry loves to play.

Tom from The Other Team versus Barry from the Eggheads.

Please take your positions, gentlemen.

-So, Tom, are you happy to be doing Geography?

-Happy enough.

I have a general sense of geography.

Yeah, as in what continent you are on

-and that sort of thing?

-Yeah, yeah, just...

Well, I have travelled a wee bit around Europe myself.

See, I was looking... And you've been interrailing

and you've been to France, Spain, Netherlands...

And all of that. So that is pretty good.

Yeah, mostly just Western Europe,

but sometime I would like to get out to Eastern Europe.

-Did you have a lot of fun?

-Oh, yeah, it was brilliant.

Did you ever go interrailing in your day, Barry?

No, I didn't.

I've had a couple of long train journeys in my time,

but not as many as I wanted.

OK, some train journeys to compare.

Let's see who wins through on Geography.

Tom, would you like to go first or second?

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

Good luck, Tom. Here is your first question.

The island of Mykonos is part of which country?

It is spelled M-Y-K-O-N-O-S.

Well, I know it is not Bulgaria.

Eh...

It is either Greece or Croatia. And I initially thought Greece,

but now I've got a wee niggle that it might be Croatia.

But I have to go with Greece just because it sounds Greek.

So I'll go for Greece.

It does sound Greek, and it is Greek. And it is Greece. Well done.

OK, your question,

Barry the Brain.

The River Elbe flows into which body of water at Cuxhaven?

-That would be the North Sea.

-It is indeed the North Sea, well done.

OK.

Tom, your question.

Which of these cities, traditionally in Lancashire, is farthest north?

Oh... Unfortunately, my knowledge of cities in England

isn't particularly good.

Um... Hm...

I would... I don't think it's Manchester.

But I'll just have to guess Preston.

Yeah, this is actually not an easy question.

CJ, this would flaw you totally. BARRY LAUGHS

Well, I have driven up the M6 enough times through Lancashire,

so I know it is not Preston,

cos I think that comes before Lancaster,

so I'd have gone for Lancaster.

-Yeah, Lancaster is the right answer, Tom.

-Ah!

Barry, your question.

The city of Rosario that has a population of roughly

1.2 million people

and is located on the Parana River is located in which country?

Parana is P-A-R-A-N-A accent.

Well, as it happens, I've just returned from a holiday when

I had a trip around South America from Valparaiso, in Chile,

all the way around to Buenos Aires.

And I happen to know that Rosario is one of the large cities

in Argentina.

Very well done. Rosario is in Argentina.

You've got it right. So you have two. And, Tom,

-you have one right. You have to get this one right.

-Yeah.

To stay in the contest, Tom, here is your question.

The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun,

the Arch of Reunification and the Tomb of King Tongmyong

are all to be found in and around which city?

I...doubt it's Pyongyang.

Eh...

I don't really know the answer

because I haven't heard of a lot of the things you've just mentioned,

but to me, it sounds like it would be in Vietnam, so Saigon.

OK. Pyongyang is, let's think, North Korea, right?

Yeah, North Korea, yeah.

-Cos Pyongyang is the answer.

-Ah!

Pyongyang is the answer, Tom. Sorry, you've been knocked out there.

Barry is through to the final round on Geography.

Please, both of you, return to us

and we will play last round before the final.

So The Other Team have now lost two brains from the final round,

the Eggheads have lost one. Are they stabilising over here?

You've got to somehow just knock them about a bit, guys,

and move past them.

And it is Sport. Now, I wonder if this is good for you.

Who is going to do Sport?

-Me?

-It's going to be Stephen.

-Stephen is going to go for it.

Stephen? OK.

Against which Egghead? Could be Chris or Kevin.

-Chris, please.

-Oh, dear.

Right, you pulled off the wrong dummy and you're going up

-the wrong road, mate.

-THEY LAUGH

They are not frightened, Chris.

Stephen from The Other Team versus Chris... How many sports have

-you done recently?

-I won the last one, in memorable circumstances.

-Oh, you did. There was quite an interesting incident.

-Yeah.

So, Chris from the Eggheads, please go to the Question Room.

-So you are a sports fan, Stephen, I know.

-Yes, that's correct, Jeremy.

Any sports in particular?

I do generally like most sports, with the exception of one or two.

But particularly football, rugby union and cricket,

the three basic mainstream sports.

-And you are a Man United supporter?

-Dyed in the wool.

-OK.

Would you like to go first or second?

I'll take the first set of questions, please, Jeremy.

Here's your first question.

According to international rules, Stephen,

what is the width in metres of a singles court in squash?

Hm... Right.

6.4 would be...just over...

Yep. Between 18 and 19 feet.

Approximately.

12.4 would be...

..36 feet, 12 yards.

I'm just trying to...just try...

I have played a bit of squash in the past, Jeremy.

And to be perfectly honest,

I never took much notice of the width of the court when I was on it.

-JEREMY LAUGHS

-I was more intent on getting the ball back. Uh...

18.4 is...

..too wide.

6.4, 12.4...

36 feet...

I think I will go down the middle, Jeremy, and choose 12.4.

It is the shortest one of the three, actually, it is 6.4m.

Right.

So, Chris, we go over to you.

What name is given in rugby union and rugby league to a goal

scored in open play by kicking the ball from the hand?

Well, a conversion follows a try.

It's not a penalty, so it's a drop goal.

It is a drop goal.

OK, back to you, Stephen.

Columbus Crew and San Jose Earthquakes

compete at the highest level of which sport in North America?

Eh...

I don't believe it is ice hockey.

I don't think it's baseball. Um...

I have a vague recollection, I think,

of my idol, George Best, playing for San Jose Earthquakes.

Um...

George, obviously, played football,

so I think it is association football.

Well done, it is association football.

I didn't realise George Best played for them.

OK,

so you have a point and Chris has a point. Chris, it's your question now.

Which team did Fernando Alonso join for the 2015 Formula One season?

Well, in my book, McLaren has built traction engines in Leeds, so...

It probably was them, but...

Um...

Fernando Alonso...

Yeah, he was. McLaren.

It is McLaren.

It is McLaren. So you need to get this one right, Stephen.

-Yep.

-To stay in, your question.

The classic single-day cycling race held in March and competed over

one of the longest courses in the calendar is from Milan to where?

It's a one-day race?

The classic single-day cycling race held in March and competed

over one of the longest courses in the calendar is from Milan to where?

Milan is located in northern Italy.

It is basically almost a geography question.

And my Italian geography is not as good as I would like it to be.

Livorno, San Remo...

I think San Remo is...

quite a bit south in Italy.

So it would rule out a one-day cycle race.

Livorno or Rimini...

HE SIGHS

-I'll go for Livorno.

-Livorno, OK.

As soon as I said the question, I could see Tom knew. Tom?

It is San Remo. It is a very popular race with Mark Cavendish.

-So it is Milan to San Remo?

-Yep.

-Yeah, Stephen, it is San Remo.

No way back. So I don't ask Chris

his third question.

He is in the final round. If you come back to us, we will play that final.

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

are not allowed to take part.

So, that is Stephen, Gerry and Tom from The Other Team,

but it is also Judith from the Eggheads.

Would you please now leave the studio?

Well, good luck, Trevor and Billy.

-You are playing to win The Other Team £8,000.

-Thank you.

Kevin, Chris, Barry, CJ, here you are, all four of you,

playing for the Eggheads' reputation.

Now, as usual, I'll ask each team three questions in turn.

They are all General Knowledge. Guys, you can confer. OK?

So, The Other Team, the question is -

can your two brains take down these four?

And would you like to go first or second?

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

Here we go. General Knowledge, and you have the first question.

Good luck, The Other Team.

The venomous snake called the king cobra is native to which continent?

The king cobra's India. It lives in India.

India is Asia, yeah, 100%.

We'll go for Asia, please, Jeremy.

Billy, I am glad you did. Asia is the answer, well done.

-Thank you.

-Asia it is.

Here is your question.

In which field did the journalist Anna Wintour become a leading figure?

-American Vogue.

-It's fashion, isn't it?

-Yeah, American Vogue.

-She had the wonderful nickname Nuclear Wintour.

-Yeah.

That is fashion.

It is indeed fashion.

OK, one each. Back to you guys.

Cotton duck divided into categories called

naught duck and numbered duck is what type of manufactured product?

I don't think that's an explosive, do you think?

No, I don't think so, no.

-Fabric...

-A cotton duck?

-It sound like fabric, doesn't it?

-I would go with ceramic, I think.

Cotton? Cotton duck?

-Well, go with that, that's fine.

-No, what do you think?

I don't think anything.

-The first thing that came to my mind was ceramic, like, cos...

-Go for it.

Yeah, yeah. Jeremy, I think we'll try ceramic, please.

Ceramic is your answer. I wasn't sure of this. What do you think, Eggheads?

-Fabric.

-It's a type of fabric.

-Yeah, it is fabric.

-Fabric?

Not ceramic. So a chance for the Eggheads

to take the lead.

The Fleet Air Arm is part of which of the British armed forces?

Royal Navy for the moment.

Yeah, that's true.

It's the aviation arm

of the Royal Navy.

-Oh, I see, so the air bit didn't make you go Royal Air Force?

-No, no.

No, this is naval flyers.

The Fleet Air Arm is part of the Royal Navy, you're right, Eggheads.

You've got two out of two. So, you need to get this one right

Bill and Trevor, to stay in.

Otherwise, the contest is over. Take your time.

Which sculptor created versions of a marble figure group called

The Three Graces for both

the Empress Josephine and the Duke of Bedford?

Well, the only sculptor I've ever heard is Rodin.

-He's definitely a sculptor.

-Go for Rodin?

-Yeah,

-at least that'll be a sculptor.

-That's what I was thinking.

And he'd done The Kiss, The Thinker...

So, The Three Graces, we'll go with that.

-Go for it.

-Yeah. Jeremy, we'll try Auguste Rodin.

OK. Let's just check, are they all sculptors here?

-EGGHEADS:

-Yes.

-OK.

They are all sculptors.

Rodin is the most famous.

It is not Rodin.

-Oh.

-It's Antonio Canova

who did it. There was a bit of a news story about it being sold,

wasn't there, a few years ago?

And there was a bit of a ruckus about

whether it should be saved for the nation and all that.

Canova is the answer. So there is no way back.

I have to say it, congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

Commiserations, The Other Team.

I keep calling you The Other Team... It sounds very strange, doesn't it?

Commiserations to Trevor and Billy.

And, yeah, the first wrong answer is so painful in the final, isn't it?

The cotton, the fabric thing.

The duck. Anyway, it has been great to see you. Thanks for coming over.

-Thank you.

-From one of the greatest parts of the UK, I must say.

The friendliest place, Belfast.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

Your winning streak continues. It is officially a streak now.

I am pronouncing it as such, officially. OK? On a formal basis.

It does mean that you are not going home with the £8,000.

We are going to take that money

and we're going to roll it over to the next show.

And then we are going to say we don't think that any Challenger can win it.

Join us next time to see

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

I hope they do. £9,000 says they don't.

Till then, goodbye.