Episode 26 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.

And raring to go?

Absolutely. Can't wait.

Good stuff. Taking on our awesome quiz champions today

are the Co-operators.

Now, this of team of friends

all met at the Co-op Management College in the 1970s.

Despite losing touch after completing the course,

they were reunited two years ago via social media.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Keith and I'm a business consultant.

Hi, I'm Julian and I'm a community volunteer.

Hi, I'm Geoff and I'm a company director.

Hello, I'm Robert - recently retired managing director.

Hi, I'm Leigh and I'm an IT trainer.

So, Keith, team, welcome.

-Good to see you.

-Thank you.

So you had some kind of a moment in the '70s together, did you?

We were six months living in each other's pockets in the '70s, yeah.

As part of the Co-op management scheme?

Postgrad scheme, yeah.

Which is going into the Co-op business?

Correct. Yeah, on the retail side.

-Right, supermarkets and all of that?

-Everything.

-And did you

then follow that career or you all went in different directions?

We were all there for a relatively brief period of time

-and then we all went different ways.

-Oh, OK.

So it was fun finding out where you'd all got to.

Indeed. Yeah, absolutely.

And you got in touch via one of these social networks?

Correct. Yeah, we did.

So who has aged the best?

THEY CHUCKLE

I'm the youngest!

Yeah, well, you're roughly the same age, all of you.

So, here we go.

Every day, there is £1,000 of cash up for grabs for our Challengers.

However, if they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, the Co-operators,

I can tell you the Eggheads have won the last five games,

which means there is a £6,000 jackpot today.

Would you like to try and win it?

-We would.

-Please.

-Good stuff. Let's go for it.

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

Who would like this?

-Julian?

-Julian, yeah.

-OK, Julian?

-Julian.

And you can pick any Egghead.

-What do you reckon?

-Lisa.

-Lisa, yeah.

-Lisa.

OK, so our Co-operator Julian

versus our Egghead Lisa on Politics.

And just to ensure there is no conferring, would you, please,

take your positions in our special Question Room?

So, Julian, you're on Politics here.

Would you like to go first or second?

I think I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

Here's your question. Who became president of South Africa in 1999?

Was it...?

Erm... I'm drawn to Mbeki.

That's my first thought.

Nelson Mandela was president,

I think, five years earlier,

soon after coming out from prison.

I think Jacob Zuma is the current or much more recent...

Yes, I'm going to go for the first one - Mbeki.

Thabo Mbeki is quite right.

Mandela's successor.

Lisa...

Thomas Philip O'Neill Jr,

who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives

from 1977 to 1987,

was commonly known by what nickname?

Was he...?

Can we take it that Thomas Philip leads us straight to Tip?

Ah, it's the best shot I've got.

I'll go for Tip.

Tip was his nickname. You're quite right, Lisa. Well done.

And back to you, Julian.

Which of these politicians has daughters named Nancy and Florence?

I don't think it's Tony Blair.

And I don't think David Cameron has two daughters either...

Ooooh...

..although I'm not completely sure about that.

So by process of elimination, I think I'll go for Boris Johnson.

When you went through that,

there was a sound from the Eggheads that they make

when they're worried you're going astray.

And it's a bit like... It's a humming sound.

It's a bit like the music in the film Jaws.

David Cameron is the one.

Lisa, to take the lead.

In July 2015,

it was announced that MPs' salaries in the UK would rise to what figure?

I don't think it's over 100 grand.

I think 150K,

you're getting up to sort of prime ministerial salary figures.

I thought it had a seven in it.

That's sort of what I'm going on here, as well.

I thought there was a seven in the figure,

but I couldn't remember exactly what it was.

I will go with that instinct and say 74 grand.

I think our managers will know this.

-What is it? ALL:

-74.

74 is the right answer, yeah.

I have a feeling the other figures are significant.

I think one of them might be Cabinet and the other one might be PM.

-That sounded about right to me.

-I think. Yeah.

So you need to get this one right, Julian, to stay in.

Lisa is playing well in pink.

Who was leader of the Liberal Party in 1977

at the time of the Lib-Lab Pact?

Was the leader...?

Well, David Owen and Roy Jenkins were in...

what was then called the SDP.

I think. I think that's right.

And they joined with the Liberals, who was led by David Steel.

You've got to the right answer, yeah.

The SDP came later, but David Steel it was.

-Ah, OK.

-OK.

Lisa, if you get this correct,

you're in the final round.

In the 2009 MPs' expenses scandal,

it was revealed that which Tory shadow minister

claimed more than £100 for workmen

to replace 25 light bulbs at his home?

You didn't concentrate on the names.

You concentrated, during the scandal,

on the ridiculousness of the claims they were actually making.

So I may be in a sort of one-in-three stab here.

Yeah, I don't know if I can narrow it down.

Yeah, come on, then. David Willetts.

Yes, you've got it. Known as Two Brains.

But not enough brains to do the lights himself.

So you've got three.

And that's it, I'm afraid, Julian, for you.

But it's not the end for your team by any manner of means.

Lisa will be in the final. Come back to us, we'll play on.

OK, so a slightly awkward start for the Co-operators,

who have lost a brain. The Eggheads still have all five brains.

The next subject is Film and TV.

Keith, who are you going to pick for that?

Or are you picking yourself?

-No, not me.

-Are we having Geoff with that one?

Film and TV, who's doing that?

I think we said Geoff, didn't we?

Geoff, yeah? Yeah.

-Geoff?

-Geoff, yeah.

-Geoff against...?

Who's looking uncooperative?

-Who do you reckon?

-I'd go CJ, I think.

-CJ, go on, then.

-CJ.

-Yeah, go on.

-You're getting picked a lot, these days, CJ.

I haven't been picked for many months on this category, though.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

-OK.

He's getting a bit rusty, maybe. We'll see.

Geoff from the Co-operators versus CJ From the Eggheads.

The subject - Film and TV.

Please go to our Question Room.

So what have you done in the days

since the Co-op Management College, Geoff?

Well, I run a business in Manchester in fitted furniture.

So I've been doing that now for 28 years.

So, it gave you a good grounding?

Yeah. I did enjoy the time there.

Must have been fun to meet up with all the old colleagues, as well?

Yes, it was quite surprising.

But it's like we were never apart.

And I'm thinking certain types of people become managers

or can become managers.

And, CJ, you're not one of them.

Absolutely not, no.

I'm...way above that level.

I don't get involved with the minutiae.

Right, so it is Film and TV, Geoff.

You're up against this very modest Egghead next to you.

Would you like to go first or second?

Can I go second?

You can indeed.

CJ, your first question.

Which 2011 animated film is the story of a chameleon

voiced by Johnny Depp, who is appointed Sheriff?

Is this...?

An absolute commercial flop,

just as several of Johnny Depp's films are want to be.

And this was Rango.

Rango is correct.

Rango made 246 million, CJ.

Just so you know.

Geoff, Diane Keaton

won a best actress Oscar for her role

in which film of the 1970s?

It was Annie Hall.

At the time, Woody Allen and her were an item, I believe.

So I would...

She wasn't in Alien. That was much later.

Sigourney Weaver. And she wasn't in Taxi Driver.

That was Cybill Shepherd. So Annie Hall.

-Annie Hall is quite right. Well done.

-Well done.

I knew he'd get that one.

There is a scene in this where Annie Hall is,

I think, driving and parks badly and he says, "don't worry,

"I'll walk to the kerb."

My wife says that every time I park!

CJ, have you seen any Woody Allen films?

I tried...

I think when I was younger I tried to get through Sleeper but, no,

it's just really not my style.

But I don't watch films, anyway.

No. Unless you're in them.

I've only done two films so far and I've actually seen neither of them!

Oh, dear.

Who plays Christian Grey in the 2015 film 50 Shades Of Grey?

CJ, is it...?

This film, I believe, before I'm given the statistics,

made about 580 million at the international box office

and it's Jamie Dornan.

Jamie Dornan is quite right.

Geoff, it's your question.

Which actor played the aspiring talk-show host and son

of Ashwin and Madhuri in the sitcom The Kumars At No 42?

Was this...?

Of the three, I would go the middle way,

because Sanjeev Bhaskar is the guy I think was the son.

That is correct. Well done.

One of the blogs I saw

when I first became an Egghead

was Barry Simmons looks like

he plays the grandmother

in The Kumars At No 42.

Very harsh.

Although...

we are all now picturing it.

OK, CJ.

Two points each. Good round.

Your third question.

The TV series Friday Night Lights focuses on which sport?

And this one I haven't heard of.

I'm always much better with film than I am with TV.

I've got absolutely nothing to go on.

I've not heard of it.

OK, the only little bit I've got to go on...

is...

Traditionally, only one of those is played under lights at night.

Basketball isn't.

American football isn't.

But baseball is on a diamond.

So I'll try baseball.

OK. I like the logic.

It's wrong. But I like the logic.

Good stab at it. But it is American football, CJ.

So this is interesting now, Geoff. If you get this question right,

you're in the final and you've knocked out our grandmaster CJ.

Which of these films won a Best Picture Academy Award?

I'd be probably having a guess at this

because they're all good films.

But I'm leaning towards The Shawshank Redemption.

So that's my answer - The Shawshank Redemption.

CJ is shaking his head.

-CJ?

-Shawshank Redemption won precisely zero Oscars.

It's Forrest Gump.

Forrest Gump is the answer.

Forrest Gump. So equal after three.

We go to Sudden Death.

CJ, you are going to start here.

It's not multiple choice any more.

Which film is set in 1963

at a resort called Kellerman's in the Catskill Mountains?

This is where you go through your little database

and see if anything pops up.

I mean, there is one obvious answer.

I don't know but I'll try Deliverance.

Oh, OK, Deliverance.

That's interesting. I was going to go The Shining on this.

-Barry knows.

-Dirty Dancing.

Dirty Dancing, CJ.

-Oh, is it?

-"No-one puts Baby in the corner!"

So, Geoff, another chance.

You need to get these in the back of the net here

because you don't get many chances with these guys.

Get this right and you're in the final.

What is the name of the character played by Orson Welles

in the 1949 film The Third Man?

A little bit before my time.

But I think Harry Lime.

Harry Lime is the right answer.

Well done. You're in the final round.

You've knocked out CJ. Sorry, CJ.

OK, so CJ has been knocked out.

Geoff has been knocked in.

Please, come back, rejoin your teams and we'll see what happens next.

So, the Co-operators are just showing their muscle here.

They have lost a brain from the final round.

But the Eggheads have now also lost a brain.

CJ has gone.

-Big brain, as well.

-It should be on Film and TV, to be honest.

The next subject is Geography.

So which of you would like this?

-It's me, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-That's me.

-OK, it's going to be Keith.

Against...whom?

It can be either Pat or Barry or Dave.

Dave, please.

You've war-gamed this, haven't you?

-You've thought about it.

-Chaos Theory.

Chaos Theory? Keith from the Co-operators

versus the man we call Tremendous Knowledge Dave from the Eggheads.

Please, go to the Question Room.

So, Keith, you have travelled all over

with your business since you guys all met?

Yeah, I've worked all around the world, Jeremy.

Give us some continents.

Asia, Africa, Europe, a little bit in America.

Well, that's a great career, isn't it?

It builds the air miles up, that's for sure.

That is true. And would you like to go first or second?

I'll go second, please.

So Dave starts on Geography.

Your first question, Dave.

What is the capital of California?

I think San Francisco and Los Angeles are larger cities,

but the capital is Sacramento.

Sacramento is correct.

That was a classic question on

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

This poor teacher didn't use any lifelines to get up to 16,000

and the 32,000 question was that.

And she said, "Oh, yes, that's Los Angeles."

And you could see Chris Tarrant trying to help.

"Are you sure you want to go for that?

"You don't want to use a lifeline?"

-"Definitely not." And she went all the way back to 1,000.

-Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!

Painful. Painful. But in the States,

they don't choose the obvious city for obvious reasons.

-No, absolutely not.

-And it's a bit like Nigeria choosing Abuja,

because you want to help other places to grow.

Yeah. OK, your question, Keith.

What is the approximate population of Indonesia?

Is it...?

I think it's higher than 50 million for sure.

And I've worked in Indonesia.

So I think...

it's 150 million.

No, it's even higher.

It's 250 million.

Incredible. It's one of the most populous countries in the world.

I think in the top five.

-Mm.

-OK, your question, Dave.

The word tyke is a nickname for someone from which part of the UK?

Is it...?

Tyke...

I'm struggling with this one.

THEY CHUCKLE

Because I don't really...

I've been to Newcastle,

which is a lovely city,

and I've been around Cornwall, which is a nice area.

Now, Yorkshire, hm...

Not been. Yeah. Over the Pennines.

It's over some way

that I'm not really acquainted with.

But I'll go for Yorkshire.

JEREMY CHUCKLES

You're having us on.

Yorkshire is the right answer.

So Eggheads have two

and you're yet to score, Keith.

So your question, you need to get this one right.

Which London building is known as the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street?

Is that...?

It's not St Paul's.

It's not the Old Bailey.

I think it's the Bank of England, Jeremy.

Bank of England is correct.

Well done.

So, this still leaves Dave in a position where,

if he gets this one right, he is in the final.

In which city, Dave,

is the headquarters of the UN agency known as the World Bank?

I don't think it's Paris, I don't think it's Tokyo.

I think it's in Washington DC.

The correct answer is Washington DC.

So we say well done, Dave. Sorry, Keith.

Expensive missed answer there at the very start.

And Dave is in the final round.

Please come back to us and rejoin your teams.

Last round before the final.

And let's see if the Co-operators can even things up.

They have lost two brains.

So far, the Eggheads have just lost the one.

And the next subject is Sport.

Now, it's going to be Robert or Leigh.

It's got to be Leigh.

-It's got to be you, Leigh.

-It's got to be me, hasn't it?

Not that I know anything, but we need Leigh in the final.

Yeah, OK. Rob.

OK, Robert. Against which Egghead?

Barry, do you reckon?

-Barry.

-Barry.

Yeah, I'll take Barry on.

All right, so it's Robert from the Co-operators

against Barry the brain from the Eggheads.

And to ensure there is no conferring, please,

go to our Question Room.

So, Sport, Robert. Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

Here we go with your first question, Robert. Good luck.

Which tennis player won her sixth Wimbledon singles title in 2015?

Was this...?

I have to say I watched the male final and not the women's final.

I think it's Venus Williams.

-Oooh.

-Oh, mate.

They've made that noise again, the Eggheads.

-Yes.

-You veered wrong. And, Eggs?

At the end of Wimbledon 2015,

Venus had won seven grand slams,

Maria, five,

and Serena won her 21st.

OK, Serena is the answer, Robert. Sorry.

OK, Barry.

What type of bowler is the England cricketer James Anderson?

Oh, goodness me...

I think he's a swing bowler.

Swing bowler is the right answer.

Well done, Barry. I thought you were stumped there for a second!

No, that's Anderson's job, to stump people.

Very good. Very quick.

OK, Robert.

Which of these teams were drawn to play England in the group stage

of the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup?

I do actually like rugby so I'm a bit disappointed

that I didn't come up with an answer straightaway on this one.

I think it's New Zealand and Scotland.

Is that right, Barry?

I thought it was Australia and Wales.

It's Australia and Wales.

So...

Barry, with this answer, you can go into the final round.

The footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger

joined Manchester United in July 2015 from which team?

Well, I'm sorry, Dave,

but I take no interest whatsoever in the affairs of Manchester United.

But I don't think he came from Bayern Munich.

Oooooh.

Schweinsteiger...

-AC Milan.

-No, you indeed take no interest whatsoever.

That is now clearly established. Dave, tell us.

Well, it's the team that beat Leeds United 2-0 in 1975.

-Bayern Munich.

-Yes, you're right. Bayern Munich it is.

-Oh...!

-OK, so that's handy, Robert. A little bit of a slipup from Barry.

But you've got to get this one right.

Which British athlete became the oldest woman

to win a gold medal at the European Athletics Championships,

when she won the 10,000 metres in 2014?

Is this...?

I think I can remember this, actually, from the reports.

If I give the wrong answer, clearly, I haven't remembered it correctly.

But I think it was Jo Pavey.

-It was Jo Pavey. Well done.

-Well done, Robert.

So it's one each. And, Barry, with this you can go into the final.

In 2013, which snooker player became the first player from outside Great

Britain to complete the sports Triple Crown,

consisting of the Masters, the World and the UK Championships?

Barry, get this wrong and we go to Sudden Death.

It's not Neil Robertson.

Oh, goodness me... I think it's Ding Junhui.

No, no, no, no, no.

No, again, the Eggheads have made a funny noise.

-Oh...

-It's my new way of finding out if you're right or wrong.

-Go on, Eggs.

-Ding Junhui's won two thirds of the Triple Crown.

He's won the Masters and the UK, but he's never won the World.

-It's Neil Robertson.

-Neil Robertson is the right answer.

So low scoring round. You're level. That's the main thing, Robert.

That's all that matters here. We go to Sudden Death.

It gets a bit harder. I don't give you alternatives.

No, that's unfortunate.

Here we go. Good luck. Which world champion boxer,

born in the Philippines in 1978, is known by the nickname Pacman?

-No, I have no idea. Sorry.

-Do you know this, Barry?

-It's Manny Pacquiao.

-Manny Pacquiao. Yeah, thought to be,

pound for pound,

maybe the greatest boxer the world has ever seen, Dave?

I wouldn't say that, no. You know,

there's Sugar Ray Robinson and people like that,

who would put in a claim. But, yeah, he's one of the greatest, yeah.

-Certainly a legend.

-OK. If you get this right, Barry,

you're in the final.

Who scored a last gasp equaliser to take the 2006 FA Cup final between

Liverpool and West Ham United into extra time?

Liverpool against West Ham...

I cannot recall this match at all.

Steven Gerard.

Steven Gerard is the right answer.

You got it. So that's slightly annoying, Robert, isn't it?

It is. I actually knew that one.

It's known as the Gerard final that one, I think.

-It suddenly came back to me.

-Yeah. All right. Well done, Barry.

I'm almost convinced by that.

You didn't just pick Liverpool's most famous player's name.

So you're in the final. Robert, you've been knocked out.

A little bit of a problem here for our Challengers.

But they can still win. And if you come back to us, gentlemen,

we will see what happens in the final.

So this is what we have been playing towards.

It's time for our final. As always, it's going to be General Knowledge.

But I'm afraid those of you who lost your head-to-heads

won't be allowed to take in part in this round.

So, Keith, Julian and Robert from the Co-operators,

but also CJ from the Eggheads,

looking miserable about it, would you,

please, now leave the studio?

Geoff and Leigh, you're playing to win the Co-operators £6,000.

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

which is your reputation.

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

This time the questions are all General Knowledge.

You are allowed to confirm.

OK, so, Co-operators, the question is,

are your two brains able to defeat these four?

And would you light to go first or second?

We'd prefer to go second, please.

Here we go with your first question, Eggheads.

In Greek myth, Dionisis was the god of which of these things?

-Wine.

-Wine.

-Wine.

-Wine.

-Wine?

-Wine, yes.

I think that's wine, Jeremy.

It is indeed wine.

-You would have got that, guys, wouldn't you?

-Yes.

Remembering your time at the management college.

Here is your question.

Annie Leibovitz, born in 1949,

is best-known for her work in which field?

I know this one, Geoff. She's a photographer.

Go for that?

Our answer is photography.

Photography is correct.

Had a famous non-bust up with the Queen.

OK, Eggheads,

clod is a cut of beef from which part of the animal's body?

-Clod?

-Can you spell that, please, Jeremy?

-C-L-O-D.

-I thought it was the neck.

Not my first inkling, but...

Yeah, I thought it was higher up rather than lower down the cow.

I didn't think it was stomach.

I'm fairly certain, because

the stomach is not really in my thinking.

What about you, Lisa?

You're the food expert.

-I know. Terrible, isn't it?

-Where does the term clod-hopper come from?

-That's...

-Is that any relevance or not?

I think that would be more to do with earth clods, wouldn't it,

than cow clods?

I don't know. I would probably have gone with neck.

-But...

-I'd go neck.

-It's very flimsy.

-Yeah, we'll go flimsy.

Jeremy, we're in disarray here.

And on the flimsiest of hunches, we're going to say neck.

How interesting!

Your second question, getting into a bother, a pickle.

Neck is right, Eggheads.

Just got that.

Dave, really, his knowledge.

OK, Challengers, Kylie is an Australian name

for which of these things?

-Have you any idea, Geoff?

-No, I haven't got an idea.

Kylie, Kylie, Kylie...

Didgeridoo is a musical instrument.

Surfboard, boomerang...

But if you feel strongly about it, go for it.

I have no particular preference for any of them.

-Then go for surfboard.

-OK.

-We'll go for surfboard.

-We'll go for surfboard.

Surfboard. Yeah, could easily be. Eggheads, do you know?

-TOGETHER:

-Boomerang.

-Boomerang is the answer.

-And probably not very guessable.

-Not really.

(IN AUSTRALIAN ACCENT) Throwing my Kylie.

It's an indigenous word for the boomerang, I think, isn't it?

Oh, I see. Yeah, OK.

Your question, Eggheads.

And if you get this one right, the contest is over.

Which English actor won a Tony award for best actor in 2011 for his

performance in the Broadway production of Jerusalem?

-Rylance was Jerusalem, wasn't he?

-Rylance, yeah.

I don't think Benedict's won any Tonys.

Rylance's linked with that role very strongly.

Yeah, it's his most famous association, yeah.

I think it's Rylance.

Yeah, he plays Rooster Byron.

-Or Rooster something.

-Something.

Yeah, OK.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yep, yep, yep.

We think that's Mark Rylance.

An early breakthrough for him.

OK, if this is wrong, we play on.

If it's right, the contest is over.

Because there's no way back for the Challengers.

It wasn't Beale.

It wasn't Cumberbatch.

I can see CJ knew this the second I said it before I gave the options.

Mark Rylance is the correct answer.

So we say, congratulations, Eggheads.

You have won. Well played.

Well, stay away from boomerangs for a while

because they're going to be annoying for you, I know.

But well-played overall. Thank you for taking part.

-Thank you.

-Was it OK?

-Yes.

-Did you enjoy it?

-We did. Very much.

-Commiserations to our Co-operators.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

Their winning streak continues.

This does mean you won't be going home with the £6,000.

So the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, congratulations.

Who on earth will beat you?

Join us next time to see if a new team of Challengers

have the brains to defeat the brainboxes over here.

£7,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye!