Episode 16 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.

-Lively today, I'm sensing.

-Very.

-Very. OK.

Challenging our resident quiz champions today

are The Pilot Swans.

Now, this team of friends

from Kent are the current

champions of the Maidstone and District Quiz League.

Let's meet them.

Hello, I'm Steve, I'm a retired fish fryer.

Hi, I'm Neil. I'm a technical services scientist.

Hi, I'm Steve. I'm a project manager.

Hi, I'm Will, and I'm a careers adviser.

Hi, I'm Nick. I'm an accountant.

So, Steve and team, welcome.

Great to see you, and Pilot Swans, we should explain,

is two pub names combined.

We played League out of The Swan,

The Swan then closed for refurbishment halfway through

the league season, so we had to find a new home.

-The new home was The Pilot.

-Bad luck to The Swan.

Did The Swan ever get you back or not?

Not yet, but the quiz league is finished.

It's between seasons,

and we've not decided which one we're going to play at.

You have to take a look at The Swan and see how...

-What the refurb...

-..what the refurb is like, exactly.

-Yes.

-I've got you down, Steve, as a retired fish fryer.

-Yeah.

-Tell me about that.

-Just that. I was born into fish and chips.

My grandfather ran a fish and chip shop,

my dad ran a fish and chip shop,

I ran an 80-seater restaurant in the middle of Maidstone for 25 years.

And it never goes out of fashion. What a fantastic...

-I'm feeling hungry.

-..CV that is.

Never goes out of fashion. You're feeling hungry now, Judith?

-I'm feeling hungry.

-Yeah. The joy of fish and chips.

Was it hard to give up?

-No.

-I know what you mean by that.

It was a 1550 building and all the stairs were very, very ancient.

And you had to go up a flight of stairs for everything.

After 25 years of going up 70-80 flights of stairs a day,

you're glad to pack it in.

OK, good stuff, Steve. And good luck, team.

Every day there is £1,000 worth of cash

up for grabs for our Challengers, but if they fail to defeat

the Eggheads the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, Pilot Swans, I can tell you that the Eggheads have won

the last 24 games. You know what that means.

A jackpot of £25,000.

So, can you beat them? Would you like to try?

-We would.

-Yes.

-Think you could win the money?

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

Who would like History?

-Which one was it?

-Who did we decide for History?

-I can do it, if you like. I'll do it. I'll do it.

-OK.

Fish and chip history and all sorts.

-Who would you like to play against, Steve?

-I'll play Judith.

-So Steve B

from The Pilot Swans versus our Judith, over here,

on History, and just to ensure there's no conferring,

would you please take your positions in the Question Room?

So, History, Steve. Would you like to go first or second?

First, please, Jeremy.

And here is your first question. Good luck.

In which year did Napoleon embark on his invasion of Russia?

1812.

1812 is correct.

Straight there! No messing.

Well, he wasn't around

in 1612 or 1712.

No, that would be a good reason for choosing 1812, you're right.

JEREMY CHUCKLES

Not everybody knows that.

Judith, the term North Sea Empire refers to the areas

controlled by which King of England?

North, what did you say?

North Sea Empire?

The term North Sea Empire...

-Yes.

-..refers to the areas controlled by which

King of England?

-Well, I should think it must be Canute.

-Canute is your answer.

-Yeah.

-And Canute is correct.

-Hurray.

On to you, Steve, your second question.

Which King of England ruled from 1087 to 1100?

William II.

Blimey, we're cutting through this round like a knife

through fish and chips. Goodness me.

William II is right.

What do you think of this, Judith?

He just sits there and then

-says the right answer.

-I know, it's rather alarming.

Difficult to play against.

We can't work out how much knowledge is there.

You were trying to look all enigmatic and

you're at a disadvantage now.

The historical figure known as Warwick the Kingmaker was

killed while on the field of which battle?

Well, not the Battle of Blenheim,

or Battle of Hastings,

so Battle of Barnet.

It is, indeed, the Battle of Barnet.

So, two each.

OK, can be tricky,

the third question, Steve.

Here we go, Joseph Lyons was the Prime Minister of which

country from 1932 to 1939?

Try New Zealand.

New Zealand is your answer. Is he right, Judith?

-I don't know. New Zealand or Australia.

-Yeah.

It's actually the other one. It's

Australia. Steve, you got two out of

-three.

-Yeah.

-Are you all right with that?

-Yeah.

-OK.

He's enigmatic, isn't he?

Yeah, he's only giving me

one syllable at a time. Goodness me.

Mind you, he can serve people quickly that way.

OK, Judith, your third question.

This for the round, Ms Keppel.

Durrington Walls is a large Neolithic site roughly

two miles from which other Neolithic location?

Can you spell that because I didn't quite hear it?

Durrington Walls,

D-U-R-R-I-N-G-T-O-N, Durrington Walls.

Walls?

-W-A-L-L-S.

-Yes.

-Walls.

-Walls.

OK, Durrington.

Well, it doesn't sound as

if it might be next to Skara Brae,

because it just, the language

doesn't sort of fit.

I've no idea where

the Ring Of Brodger is.

Durrington Walls.

Durrington.

I think it might be a sort of

Wiltshire name so I'm going to try

Stonehenge.

Well, you've worked it through rather

well. Skara Brae you ruled out, I

couldn't quite work out why,

but you just said it's not that, and the...

-You call it the Ring of Brodger...

-I've no idea what it is...

-I think

mispronouncing things you haven't heard of is good practice, it's not

there either. So you're right, Judith, well done, it's Stonehenge.

I'm sorry, Steve, you've been knocked out.

Swift play by you, Steve, though.

My goodness, I'm sensing we have a quizzer here,

but he's gone from the Final Round, and Judith is in.

First blood to the Eggheads. Please return to us and we'll play on.

As it stands, The Pilot Swans have

lost a brain, lost Steve. I can't believe it!

From the Final Round, the Eggheads still have all five. Judith looking

stately and the whole team looking purposeful,

actually, with this huge jackpot.

The next subject is Music,

so this is the one to take out an Egghead on.

Who wants this?

-I think I'll go for this.

-That was you, wasn't it?

-Are you sure you want to?

-Yes, yes, OK. I'll go for that, yes.

-OK, Nick.

Against which Egghead? Any one of the remaining four.

You could hope for Pussycat Dolls, and take Chris.

I'll go for Chris, please.

OK, Nick, from The Pilot Swans versus Chris, from the Eggheads,

on Music, and please go to the Question Room.

So, I'm sensing your team is a team of quizzers, Nick.

-Yes, indeed, yes, we've been together for a long time.

-And what

about you? You've won some championships?

I've twice been a member of the Kent Champion Quiz Team, yes.

-Which is a hard-fought quiz, I know.

-Absolutely, yes.

And Music you've chosen, why so?

Well, I listen to a great deal of music, but of a rather narrow range.

I mean, I don't think I'll be any good on modern pop, but

anything before about 1980, I think I'll be all right on.

You sound like a man after Chris's heart, right, Mr Hughes?

Yes.

No rap, no Pussycat Dolls, no Sugarbabes

and no cracks about Carol Vorderman, we'll be all right.

I can't guarantee the Carol Vorderman one.

On Music, Nick, would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

Here we go, good luck.

Which term is used for the part of a violin over which the

strings are stretched?

Yes, it's not tower. And it's certainly not pier.

So, I'll go for bridge, please.

Bridge is the right answer, well done.

Chris, on to you. In 2013,

which singer became the second male solo artist after

Elvis Presley to score 11 UK number one albums?

This is 2013.

I don't think it was Robbie Williams.

He doesn't put out that many albums, does he?

He was with Take That for years.

Ed Sheeran?

No, no, no, no.

-No, I'll take it back. I'll go with Robbie Williams.

-Oh, you veered,

left and right, there, you didn't want to go for George Michael.

Ed Sheeran hasn't had that many.

You're right, Chris, it's Robbie Williams.

Well done, good play.

Oh, Nick, I was thinking you were going to take

the lead on the first question and that's always handy.

Here is your question.

Which of these singers trained at the famous

Juilliard School of Music in New York?

I don't know this one, so I'm going to have to guess it.

Now, I know that Madonna was from the state of New York,

but she doesn't sound very classical.

I think the one with the best voice out of those three is

Nina Simone, so I'm going to go for Nina Simone.

Nina Simone is quite right.

Good quizzing.

Chris, which of these is typically

a large-scale form of music

for orchestra and voices, usually on a biblical theme?

Well, we're talking about works like Messiah here, aren't we?

So, it's an oratorio.

Yes, indeed, oratorio is right. Two-two.

Locked together like sumo wrestlers.

Who became the lead singer of the group Public Image Ltd

when it formed in the late 1970s?

Joe Strummer, I think, was The Damned.

I'm just wondering if John Lydon did something after he left

the Sex Pistols. I'm not sure. Public Image Ltd.

No, I'm going to have to go with Pete Shelley, please.

OK, team-mates, tell him.

-ALL:

-John Lydon.

John Lydon, so Pete Shelley was in the Buzzcocks,

-Joe Strummer was The Clash, not The Damned.

-Oh, yes, of course.

And you're right, Lydon was Johnny Rotten but he did go

-and form Public Image Ltd.

-Yes.

So, Chris, your chance to take

the lead, in fact, take the round.

In Puccini's opera, Madama Butterfly,

what are the first names of Butterfly's lover,

Lieutenant Pinkerton?

Ah, it's not Paul Revere. Um...

Benjamin Franklin.

If you've got this right, you're in the Final Round, Chris.

The answer is Benjamin Franklin, so we say - well done, Egghead,

you've knocked out another good quizzer.

They are good, aren't they? Just those margin calls that they make.

Sorry, Nick, you've been knocked out there. Come back to us and we'll

play the next round.

So, The Pilot Swans, who are definitely good quizzers,

are taking a bit of a pounding here from our Eggheads,

and you've got to try and knock one of them out.

The next subject for you is Arts & Books.

Arts & Books.

Between you, then, what are you going to go for?

-Arts & Books.

-Who do you fancy?

-Shall I do it? I don't know.

I don't know, I mean...

It's not one of our good ones. No, who's going...?

What do you think, Steve? Do you have a recommendation?

You've both got loads of books, haven't you?

-Yes.

-Try reading them.

-I'll go.

-Go on, then.

-OK, Steve.

-Yeah.

-And which Egghead would you like to take on?

You can either have Barry or CJ or Pat.

-Barry, please.

-Barry, right.

So Steve L, from The Pilot Swans versus Barry.

Your favourite pub, Barry? What's it called?

Cos we've got two pub names here, so...

-The Roundhay Fox.

-The Roundhay Fox.

OK, will the Swans get eaten by the fox? That's the question.

Please go to the Question Room and we'll find out.

So, Steve, when you were chosen for this, I heard the other Steve say,

"Well, you've got lots of books."

-This is true.

-So the Arts & Books round is your round.

-Apparently so, yes.

-You've got your house full of books, is it?

I've got quite a few, yes.

-Yes, and have you read them?

-Oh, yes, some of them more than once.

So, what about you, Barry? I imagine your house is chocker, just like

-Kevin's.

-It is, indeed. I've had to clear a lot out recently

because I just ran out of room.

It's very painful, that, you put them in a skip or what?

No, I gave them to my favourite charity shop.

Do you sign them all to increase their value?

I think that would decrease their value.

OK, good luck, Steve L, against Barry The Brain,

on Arts & Books, and would you like to go first or second?

First, please.

Here is your question.

In the Jack Vettriano

painting, The Singing Butler, what is the butler holding?

I must admit, I do not know this.

So I'm going to have to try and make an educated guess.

Doesn't sound like a spade, so dog or umbrella?

I'll go for umbrella.

You are right, well done.

Well done, Steve.

It's difficult to get that from nowhere.

Barry, the author

James Joyce is recorded as saying,

"For myself I always write about..." which city?

Well, if it's James Joyce he must be writing about Dublin.

James Joyce did indeed write about Dublin, well done.

Second question to Steve L.

Which of these

is a book by the author John Fowles?

I know the authors of the first two, definitely, and it's not them.

So, by elimination, it must be The Magus.

-It is, indeed, The Magus, yeah. Lolita was...

-Nabokov, yes.

-Brave New World anyone?

-Aldous Huxley.

-Aldous Huxley.

Barry, your question. What is the title

of the 2010 play by Laura Wade,

featuring a fictional depiction of the Bullingdon Club

that was adapted into a film called The Riot Club?

Oh, goodness me. It could be any of them, really, but the

Bullingdon Club are renowned for having toffs in their photographs,

so I'll go for Toff.

-You're wrong, Barry, it's Posh.

-Ah.

Again, tricky to get that from nowhere. Posh was the play.

All right, so the Egghead has fallen behind

and that is good for your team, Steve, it means if you get this

right, you're in the Final.

In Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen,

what is the name of the eldest Bennet sister?

Oh, goodness.

Again, I really don't know this one,

unfortunately, it's not my kind of book.

-I'm going to go for Mary.

-You say Mary, I wonder if you are right.

-Do you know, Barry?

-I think it's Jane.

Jane is the correct answer, so, Steve,

a bit of a let off for Barry maybe. You have to get

this one right, though, Barry, to stay in.

Veronese and Tintoretto were both major Renaissance artists

based in which city?

Tintoretto, one of his most famous works was, at one time,

considered the largest oil painting in the world and that

hung in the Doge's Palace in Venice, so I'll have to go for Venice.

You're quite right, they were in Venice. I think Titian

was there as well, possibly. Good time to be painting in Venice.

Venice is the answer, Barry, well done.

So, equal after three questions. And we go to

Sudden Death, Steve. Gets

a bit harder. I don't give you alternative answers, OK? Good luck.

Try and pull it back for your team, now.

A lot of money you are playing for.

Donna Tartt won the Pulitzer prize for fiction

in 2014 for which novel?

I'm afraid I really don't have a clue, I'm sorry.

-I can't think of anything.

-Do you know this, Barry?

Was it The Goldfinch?

Yes, it was The Goldfinch.

So, Barry has the initiative now, our Egghead.

Get this right, Barry, you're in the Final Round.

Which Dominican-born novelist wrote the 1966 book,

Wide Sargasso Sea which was inspired by Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre?

Oh, that was Jean Rhys.

It was, indeed, Jean Rhys.

That's very good play by you, Barry, you pulled it back after a

clanger earlier, so Steve, I'm sorry,

on Sudden Death, you've been knocked out as well,

and your team is going to struggle if you don't turn this around.

Come back to us and we'll see what happens in the next round.

So, The Pilot Swans are, what's the analogy?

They may be losing direction a little bit here. Lost three brains

from the Final Round, didn't think this was going to happen,

but the Eggheads are on rip-roaring form at the moment,

so you need to stop them, guys, this is the moment.

And the subject for you is Sport.

So, which Swan would like sport?

Get in there.

-That's going to be me.

-OK, so, Neil?

I can see that CJ is already looking a little bit scared,

so I think CJ is the one to take.

OK, Neil from The Pilot Swans, CJ from the Eggheads,

who has his sporting moments for sure.

And to ensure there is no conferring,

please go to our Question Room.

CJ, we're on Sport and you're looking very trim at the moment.

I've been doing a lot of training for the marathons and the other runs

I was doing but I was sitting there praying for

Film & TV to come up, because I knew as soon as it was going to be Sport,

I was going to be picked and my chances are somewhat reduced,

-shall we say?

-So, there we go, Neil, that's what you're up against.

-On Sport, first or second?

-I'll go first.

So, good luck.

Brooklands, Luffield,

and Woodcote are all features of which sporting venue?

Well, Brooklands was certainly a motor racing circuit

and it's a corner on Silverstone, so I'll go Silverstone.

Silverstone is right, well done. CJ, on to you. The England

cricketers, Gary Ballance and Adam Lyth,

have both played first-class cricket for which team?

Never heard of either of them.

So, here we are, a blind one-in-three guess.

-Absolutely no idea, Yorkshire.

-Challengers, is he right?

-He most certainly is.

-How annoying is that?

You're right, Yorkshire it is. Sorry, Neil. I'm embarrassed too.

Spend my life apologising for CJ. Here is your next question.

The footballer Ray Clemence played for which team when he won

the European Cup?

OK, in my youth I mistakenly thought I had to support a top team,

and I supported Liverpool at the time that they won

the European Cups and I know Ray Clemence played for them.

Oh, well, it's proven to be quite handy, cos you're absolutely right.

It was Liverpool, well done.

CJ, in which sport

did Carolina Marin of Spain and Chen Long of China

win World Championships in 2014?

I'm sorry to repeat myself, but I've never heard of either of them.

Well, I'll discount rowing, cos I'm not sure the Spanish or

the Chinese have any history, or pedigree of medal winning in rowing.

I can't see it being showjumping.

I mean, Chinese players are renowned for badminton.

I suppose Spanish could be as well,

but when it comes to Spanish sportsmen,

I would more associate them with showjumping than the other two.

And I certainly wouldn't associate Chinese people with

showjumping so I will try badminton.

You are one lucky man.

Badminton, it is.

JEREMY CHUCKLES

Two out of two for each of you

and the third question, Neil.

In 2012, Peter Eriksson was named the UK's head coach

for which sport?

I don't know this.

I know we had a change of coach a few years ago in swimming...

..and also in athletics. I think it might be swimming.

He took over from the Australian coach that we had at that time,

so I think I'll go for swimming.

I'm sorry it's wrong, it's athletics.

It's that beastly third question again, hitting you every time.

Athletics is the answer.

Gives CG, unbelievably, a

chance to win the round on Sport.

Can I just say - I've never heard of either of them.

Yes, let's get that out of the way.

Where is Meydan Racecourse, home to horse racing's annual World Cup?

CJ, this for the round.

Well, this is interesting because before the options came up

somewhere came into my head and it is one of those three options.

Whether it's the right one or not, I don't know.

I may have entirely the wrong thing in my head but as soon as you said

horse racing and World Cup, I immediately thought of Dubai.

I don't think it's Singapore.

If it's wrong, there's not much I can do,

but there is a very slight inkle,

hopefully, definitely still with me, that it might be Dubai.

Is it Dubai? If it is, you're in the Final, CJ. Is it Dubai, Challengers?

-We would think so.

-Yes.

-You think it is.

What, just on the basis that CJ is one lucky rascal?

Because a lot of the money in racing

is based in Dubai.

Yes, the Meydan Racecourse is in Dubai.

Well done, 3 out of 3, CJ, don't know how you did that,

but you're in the Final on Sports. Sorry, Neil.

Clean sweep for the Eggheads.

Big jackpot, which we will see the Challengers, or should

I say, Challenger that remains, play for now.

So this is what we have been playing towards, it is

time for the Final Round.

As always, it 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 even though we've got very good quizzers on this side, I'm afraid

I have to look left to Steve B, and Neil,

and Steve L and Nick from The Pilot Swans,

would you please all leave the studio?

Will, you're playing to win The Pilot Swans £25,000.

Eggheads, you're playing for something that money can't buy,

the Eggheads reputation, although if we had to put a price on it,

it might be about 25 grand, actually.

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

They're all going to be General Knowledge. I normally say

you can confer, but I know you're alone.

So, the question is, Will, can your one brain defeat these five?

You are a regular quizzer and I know it's possible

and it will be a famous victory if you do. Good luck.

Would you like to go first or second?

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

Here we go. Air force is a shade of which colour?

I think it's a glorious shade of blue.

It is a shade of blue, well done, nice.

You can actually go wrong on questions like that, quite easily.

Eggheads, your question. When was

the pelican crossing introduced to British roads?

It must be the latest.

-Yes, it must be the '60s.

-Yes.

Are you all happy with that?

Who is it? Pat? Is it Pat?

Yes, we're going with '69.

1969 is the right answer.

Will, turn up the pressure now.

Which animal species, reintroduced to the UK,

has the scientific name castor fiber?

And castor fibre is C-A-S-T-O-R space F-I-B-E-R.

The short answer is I don't know.

So is it a matter of what

has been introduced?

I don't know that wild boar

has been reintroduced,

so I'm going to kind of

discount that.

OK, I mean, so I'm going

to go for European beaver.

-Is he right, Eggheads?

-Yes.

Yes, you're right. Well done.

Eggheads, OK, your second question.

I'm just feeling that something could happen here.

Rod, pole, and perch were all terms for a traditional

unit of length that was equal to which of these?

Definitely not three miles.

And not 1,000 yards.

-A rod's a fairly short distance.

-I think it's a

relatively modest distance.

40 square poles do make one rood.

The back of the red exercise book

has all these measurements.

A rod is not 1,000 or

three miles, surely.

So, are we all happy with 5.5 yards?

We think it's a fairly

modest measure,

so we're going for 5.5 yards.

Yes, 5.5 yards is correct.

OK, your third question. Get this right,

it can be a stinker.

The model, Jessica Michibata,

married which sportsman in December 2014?

Michibata. Michibata.

Yes, celebrity culture,

it's really not a strong area.

I don't think Jenson Button

is married.

He might be.

I had a feeling that

Danny Cipriani got married

so I'm going to go for that, Jeremy,

but it could well be wrong.

It's not Danny Cipriani, I'm sorry.

It's not Ronnie O'Sullivan either.

-It's Jenson Button...

-It is Jenson, oh.

-..who you ruled out.

-Yes, I wasn't aware of that.

So, Will, you got 2 out of 3.

Let's see if that's enough to take you to Sudden Death.

It does mean that if the Eggheads get this right, and we have got all

five of them here, the contest is over.

So, Eggheads, your question, your third question here.

The abandoned holiday resort of Varosha is on

which Mediterranean island?

Cyprus. I don't know...

The Attila Line.

There are certainly a few abandoned

places in northern Cyprus.

Could it be either of the others?

-Cos or Crete?

-I wouldn't have

thought. I couldn't see any reason

why. I can see why the Turkish part of Cyprus.

-Are we going to go with that?

-Yes.

-Yes.

Well, we don't know this,

but we are assuming that it

has something to do with

the partitioning of Cyprus

and maybe one of those neglected

places near the border,

so we're going for Cyprus.

Cyprus is your answer.

And it is, indeed, one of those places that suffered

because of the events there. Varosha is in Cyprus.

You've got it right.

We say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

I'm sorry, Will, there's something about the

third question for your team, each time.

Well, I mean, collectively, I think we are quite good,

we normally would, quiz collectively.

When you are quizzing individually, then,

it's the luck of the draw in the sense of

-what type of questions you actually get.

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Yes.

The third was the thing,

-but I hope you have enjoyed playing this...

-Absolutely.

-..this shower

over here who are beginning to look quite professional.

-That would pass, that would pass.

-1,500 programmes, my goodness.

This is impressive. You didn't really have to sweat too much there.

We say commiserations to our Challengers, The Pilot Swans.

Thank you for playing.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

This winning streak continues.

I'm afraid it means you won't be going home with the 25,000,

so the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, very well done, this was.

Seeing you when you don't even look like you're too

worried is impressive, I must say.

Join us next time to see

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

At some point they will. Will it be next time?

£26,000 says it won't. Till then, goodbye.