Episode 41 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.

Let me just check, are you up for it?

-Always.

-Very much so.

All right, challenging the might of our quiz Goliaths today

are the Five Racketeers.

Now, contrary to popular belief amongst their friends,

this team are not named after the noise they make whilst quizzing

but are instead all fans of racket sports. Let's meet them.

Hi, my name is Dot and I'm a locum minister.

Hi, I'm Colin and I'm a forestry manager.

Hi, my name's Kate and I'm a research scientist.

Hi, I'm Doug, and I'm a retired technical manager.

Hi, my name is David, and I'm an accounts manager.

-So, Dot, team, welcome. ALL:

-Hi, Jeremy.

Good to see you. So tell us about the Racketeers, Dot.

Well, we all play some kind of racket sport.

Mainly tennis, but some of us play badminton and squash as well.

-And it's family and friends?

-Yes, it's family and friends.

This is my brother, Colin, and this is my sister-in-law, Kate.

But the other two men I have never met before in my life.

Oh, I see. Just outside the building. They were hanging around.

-We just drafted them in.

-Off the building site.

And we found out they could play tennis.

All right, well, good luck,

whether it's with rackets or just with quiz answers.

We hope you do very, very well here.

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

for our Challengers, however, if they fail to defeat this lot,

the prize-money rolls over to our next show.

So, Five Racketeers, I can tell you that the Eggheads have won

the last three games

which means £4,000 is on the table

for you to win today and I really hope you do.

You can find out who the two on the end are as well

while you do that.

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

Happily, who would like this?

Definitely one of you guys.

-Who is it going to be?

-David, it's your call.

-David?

-I'll take Sport.

David? Choose an Egghead, David. Any one of the five.

-Chris.

-Chris?

-Chris.

We'll choose Chris, Jeremy.

OK, so David from the Five Racketeers

versus Chris from the Eggheads. To ensure there's no conferring,

would you please take your positions in our famous Question Room?

So, David, joking apart, you have met the others before today.

-But what's the connection? Is it rackets again?

-Yes, it is.

It's actually through Dot's brother, Colin. I've known Colin

for probably more years than we both care to remember through tennis

and badminton and we've done the odd quiz competition together.

All right, on Sport, David, first or second, would you like to go?

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

And if you win this round you can give Chris a racket.

Which of these footballers is over six feet tall?

Quite straightforward, Rio Ferdinand.

Centre halfs tend to be quite tall so I'll go for Rio Ferdinand.

Rio Ferdinand is right and you know your football

cos you wrote the Celtic match programme.

That's right, I did that for 20-odd years.

Which is quite a big thing

cos everyone who goes to the game reads it.

That's right, a lot of famous people as well, hopefully.

Rio Ferdinand is the right answer. Let's go to Chris.

Who won the men's long jump,

Chris, at the 2015 Athletics World Championships?

THEY LAUGH

Ah, Never heard of Mike Powell.

I think Bob Beamon was way back a bit so I'll go with Greg Rutherford.

-Bob Beamon was the famous one who did the jump...

-In Mexico.

-When was that, Eggs? ALL:

-'68.

'68. Is it still holding, that record?

-No, Mike Powell beat it.

-Oh, Mike Powell beat it in when?

-'91, I think it was. 8m 95.

-Right, OK.

And Greg Rutherford is the right answer, Chris,

because he's the up-to-date one.

OK, over to you, David.

In which year did Zara Phillips win the

BBC Sports Personality Of The Year award?

Ah, tricky one, that. I remember she kept saying

amazing during her thank you, her acceptance speech.

I'll go for 2006.

Is the right answer, 2006.

Chris,

which of these golfers usually plays left-handed?

Well, I've never heard of Rory McIlroy being left-handed,

never heard it mentioned, unlike with Bubba Watson

so I'll go with Justin Rose.

Bubba Watson is the right answer, Chris. You got it wrong.

I feel bad we have no sighting

of a racket yet in this round

and we are on Sport and you are racketeers.

David, which Grand Slam singles title did the tennis player

Jimmy Connors never win?

Well, he definitely won the US Open on more than one occasion.

They didn't really play the Australian Open too often

back in Connors' time so I'll go Australian Open.

No, it's the French Open.

You've got a chance to come back,

-Chris.

-Mm.

In 2015, which cricket team retained the

County Championship Title for the first time in 47 years?

Well, Yorkshire...

..Yorkshire and Middlesex are both pretty strong sides

so I can imagine them both retaining it at various periods.

So I'll say Nottinghamshire.

OK, Barry's upset. Barry.

It could only be Yorkshire.

The greatest cricket team in the world.

But the logic that Chris used was that

because they are very great, they would have retained it previously.

Yes, well, amazingly, it's never been done before.

We like your logic but the answer's wrong, Chris.

Yorkshire is the right answer.

So, well done, David,

you're through to the final round.

All right, so we've got at least two Racketeers in the final.

Come back to us and we'll play the next round.

Well done, Racketeers. The Five Racketeers are still five.

Not lost a brain.

And the Eggheads have lost Chris, which can be a serious thing

in the final. The next subject is History.

-Who would like this?

-Our favourite.

Oh, I would like to take History.

-Who's going to take that?

-Was that you, Jack?

-Shall I give it a go?

-Yes, please, thank you. That would be great.

-OK, Doug.

That's going to be me.

Against which Egghead, obviously can't be Chris.

-Heavens, what a choice. Can I try Lisa, please?

-You can.

Doug from the Five Racketeers

versus Lisa from the four remaining Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring, please go to our Question Room.

-So, Doug, like David, you know Colin?

-I do, yes.

-We both play at the same club.

-Which particular racket sport is this now?

Well, me, I'm principally a squash and racquetball player

with a bit of tennis tacked on the side.

Colin's the better tennis player by far.

-So, Doug, would you like to go first or second?

-I'll go first, please.

OK, here is your first History question, Doug.

The use of kamikaze pilots, who would deliberately crash their own

planes into enemy targets, grew to prominence in which war?

Right, that should be World War II, please.

It is indeed World War II. That's right. Lisa, your question.

Pakistan was created in 1947 after the partitioning of which country?

That's India, Jeremy.

-Yeah, you're right. OK, they may get harder, Doug.

-Unfortunately.

How did the British spy Anthony Blunt die? Was he...

Now, he certainly wasn't killed in battle.

He didn't get back to be hung for treason.

I think he had a heart attack. That's the one I'll go for.

Yeah, old age, basically, wasn't it?

Heart attack is right.

Lisa, which army was

victorious at the 1513 Battle of Flodden?

I think they were still mates with the French then, weren't they?

Um, the Scots, were we fighting with the Scots?

I really can't remember. This is awful.

Oh, I don't know.

I don't know, let's end the misery,

um, Scottish.

Anyone on this side know?

-ALL:

-English.

That's a horrible, horrible gap. Horrible gap.

-English is the answer.

-Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear.

Let's just recap here.

Doug, if you get this right, you are in the final.

OK, and you've knocked out Lisa and she's a history graduate.

-Wow.

-She's got a history degree.

What name was given to the Russian army officers

who led an unsuccessful uprising against

Czar Nicholas I in 1825?

Oh, that's a tricky one. They all could be equally feasible.

I'm going to go for the Decembrists, please.

-Decembrists is the right answer, Doug.

-Ah, right!

You're in the final, well done. Sorry, Lisa.

-Oh, dear, oh, dear.

-No way back.

Well, you've gone down, the first English person to be

slaughtered in the Battle of Flodden.

Yes, you're making me feel ever so much better, Jeremy. Thank you.

That's OK, it's my pleasure.

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

This is going rather well for our Challengers, may I say.

The Five Racketeers have not lost a brain. The Eggheads have lost two.

And we have £4,000 that we're playing for.

The next subject for you is Film & TV.

So, who would like this?

-Should I take this one?

-Think you should.

-I should take this one.

-OK, Dot.

-I'm going to take this one.

Good stuff. And against which Egghead?

The three in the middle are still there.

-I think I'd go with Barry.

-(I think Barry.)

I think Barry, please, Jeremy.

OK, so, Dot from Five Racketeers

versus Barry from the Eggheads.

Film & TV. Please go to our Question Room.

Dot, I gather you like sweet chilli sauce?

Oh, I love sweet chilli sauce.

I would have it on everything from scrambled egg to pancakes.

You name it, sweet or savoury. Oh, it's gorgeous, it's lovely.

Did that love for sweet chilli sauce

come out of a particular incident or just...?

I tried it once when I was at another minister's house

and I thought, "That's just absolutely lovely."

You get a hit of chilli and a hit of sweetness.

It just goes with everything. You should try it.

HE LAUGHS

And when you say another minister, we should say you are a,

it's called a locum minister so you officiate at services, do you?

-Church services.

-Yes, yes, I do, Jeremy.

I take every Sunday service at the moment

and then I'm paid for a couple of days,

which is to conduct funerals, visit people, that kind of thing.

-All right, well, good luck against Barry here.

-Thank you.

-Film & TV.

-What are you watching at the moment? Box sets?

-I'm watching Jericho.

No, I'm watching Jericho. But that's on the other side

so I'll have to cut that.

-I am watching...

-You can say anything.

..Eggheads, Pointless, anything, Strictly Come Dancing

cos you were on it but now you're not on it. It's finished.

It's always better, as a minister, to just tell the truth.

OK, I'll tell the truth.

I watch Embarrassing Bodies.

THEY LAUGH

OK, well, that was a good conversation.

We started with sweet chilli sauce and we got to Embarrassing Bodies.

And now, would you like to go first or second, Dot?

I'd like to go first, Jeremy.

OK, Film & TV, Dot, and here is your question.

The 1996 action film The Rock is set in which prison?

I remember the film the Birdman Of Alcatraz.

Would they do more than one film about Alcatraz? On The Rock.

I'm just thinking out loud

but Robben Island's staring me in the face.

I'm going to go with Robben Island.

-Your team? ALL:

-Alcatraz.

-It is Alcatraz, they say.

-Oh, no.

I think maybe Alcatraz was nicknamed the Rock, was it, Eggheads?

It was called the Rock, yeah.

OK, Barry, here's your first question.

What does the M stand for in the

name of the cable television channel MTV

which first aired in 1981?

MTV was the first music channel so I guess it must be music.

Music is right. Dot, back to you.

Georgia May Foote played Katie Armstrong in

which TV soap from 2010 to 2015?

Well, Jeremy, thanks to Strictly Come Dancing

I'm pretty sure it's Coronation Street.

Yeah, that's right.

Coronation Street is the right answer. Well done, brilliant.

OK, Barry.

The first series of the TV drama Ripper Street is set in which year?

Now, my wife was a devotee of this series although I never watched it.

It was on television quite often in our house and I seem to

recall it was set in Victorian times, so that would make it 1889.

You're right, quite violent at times. 1889.

Barry didn't give you any daylight there, Dot,

so you've got to get this one right to stay in.

Charles Lang, born in 1902,

is best known for his expertise in which film-making field?

Oh, that's a toughie, Jeremy. Charles Lang.

He could be in any of these.

I'll take a guess because you said film-making.

I'm just going to go down the middle with cinematography.

Yes, cinematography is right. Good stuff.

So, Barry, if you get this right,

you're in the final round.

Who wrote and directed the 2015 horror film The Visit

in which two teenage siblings spend a week with their grandparents

in a remote farmhouse?

That's nice, I've just become a grandfather and you're giving me

a question about a horror film involving grandchildren.

But this one has passed me by.

The name that comes out here for

horror films is obviously Wes Craven.

But was it he this time?

No, I'll go for Wes Craven.

So this answer will surprise you.

M Night Shyamalan.

So, you're equal on two points out of three.

-Yay!

-Dot, we go to Sudden Death.

-Yay!

So it gets a bit harder, I don't give you alternatives.

The siblings Lucy and Tim, played by Sally Bretton

and someone called Tim Vine, are characters in

which Lee Mack sitcom?

Not Going Out.

Yay! I'm so pleased you got that right.

So I'm not going out.

Oh, my brother will be delighted.

OK, Not Going Out is the answer.

-Wouldn't it be great if you won on that question?

-It would.

I can tell Tim.

All right, Barry, your question. To stay in.

The Colour Of Money,

released in 1986,

is a sequel to which 1961 film?

The Colour Of Money, I think this was Paul Newman

so I think it would be The Hustler.

It was indeed The Hustler.

-You're equal. Sudden Death.

-This could go on.

Dot, which British actress won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar

for her performance in the 1978 film California Suite?

Oh, that's a good question. Oh, goodness, so she's a bit older.

-Oh, let's go for Maggie Smith.

-BARRY LAUGHS

Maggie Smith is the right answer.

Oh, hallelujah!

THEY LAUGH

That was so beautifully done.

-You deserve to be in the final for that.

-Thank you.

All right, let's see

if Barry trips up.

Barry, in the 1970s,

who directed the films Cabaret,

Lenny, and All That Jazz?

Oh, gosh. Cabaret, I should know who directed Cabaret.

All That Jazz. Bob Fosse.

Alan Parker, maybe?

I can't remember.

I'll try Alan Parker but I'd suspect it's not.

I thought I heard you say the name.

-He said it!

-Bob Fosse?

-Yeah.

-It isn't Bob Fosse, is it?

-It is Bob Fosse.

-Oh, no!

-The choreographer.

-Oh, I didn't realise he directed Cabaret.

Oh, have I won? Whoop, whoop! Whoop, whoop!

We don't have that very often when somebody says the answer

and then moves on. Bob Fosse is the answer.

-So, Dot, well done.

-Thank you, I'm thrilled.

This is good. This is good. OK, so, Dot is in the final.

She's triumphed against Barry. This is carnage now.

Come back, we'll play another round.

Racketeers, you have not lost a brain. They've lost three.

You're on target for the jackpot.

It's Music now.

Who would like this?

-Shall I take it?

-That's definitely good for you.

-Thanks, Kate.

I'll take it.

Kate, a research scientist from Oxford against which Egghead?

There's only Pat and CJ left.

I think I'll go for CJ.

Good stuff, so Kate from the Five Racketeers

versus CJ from the Eggheads.

Can CJ stay in? You know he wants to.

To ensure there is no conferring, please go to our Question Room.

It's Music now and, Kate, would you like to go first or second?

I'd like to go first, please.

And here is your question.

Donnie Wahlberg, the older brother of the actor Mark Wahlberg,

found fame with which boyband?

..or NSYNC?

Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. That sounds unbelievably...

THEY LAUGH

Right, Lisa, you can tease me now.

NSYNC, honestly.

I'm so embarrassed. And you're going to leave that in as well.

You're going to leave it in. I'm actually blushing.

I'm going to read it again but I know they're leaving it in.

OK, let's try again.

Well, boybands is not my favourite subject

but I think there might have been a Donnie in

New Kids On The Block. So I'm going to go with New Kids On The Block.

New Kids On The Block is quite right, yes.

Very familiar with all those bands.

HE LAUGHS

CJ, in which section of an orchestra

would the trumpets usually be found?

I think the trumpets would usually be in the brass section.

Unless they had wandered off.

You're right, brass is correct.

Back to you, Kate.

What's the name of Sam Smith's theme song for the

2015 James Bond film Spectre?

I'm not sure about this one.

I'm really not sure so I'm going to guess for Another Way To Die.

-Uh-uh.

-Aw.

-I'm sorry. Team? Do you know?

Writing's On The Wall.

-Writing's On The Wall.

-I was going to go for that.

OK, not to worry.

CJ, which of these

musical duos are really brothers?

I think it's the Everly Brothers, isn't it?

They're both called Everly.

Certainly not the Chemical Brothers and I don't think the

Righteous Brothers look anything like each other.

No, I think it's the Everly Brothers.

It is the Everly Brothers, well done. All right.

Kate...

..you need this to stay in, Kate.

Which of these singers featured on the UK number one singles

Rather Be, My Love and Not Letting Go?

Again, not one I know straight off.

I think I'm going to go for Jessie J on that one, I think.

But again, it's a guess.

Now, I can tell, Dot, you love your music

-cos you know these, don't you?

-Yes, it's Jess Glynne.

"Jess Glynne," says Dot and she's right. Sorry.

-Oh, dear, that was...

-You've been knocked out, so CG will be in the

final round. And it may be a little bit of a comeback here

by the Eggheads, but is it timed right to keep their title?

We shall see.

Come back to us, both of you, we will play the final.

Well, what a game we've had today

and this is what we've been playing towards.

It is time for our final round. As always, General Knowledge, OK?

And those of you who lost your head-to-heads

are not allowed to take part.

So, that is Kate from the Five Racketeers

but also Lisa, Barry and Chris from the Eggheads.

Would you please now leave the studio?

Well, Racketeers,

you're up against a man who won a million pounds on

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, a World Quiz Champion,

former British Quiz Champion,

Mastermind Champion Of Champions and CJ.

THEY LAUGH

So, Dot, Colin, Doug and David,

you are playing to win the Five Racketeers £4,000.

Pat and CJ, you're playing for something that money can't buy

which is to somehow rescue what's happened in this game.

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

this time the questions are all General Knowledge.

You are allowed to confer.

So, Five Racketeers, the question is,

can your four brains defeat these two?

You've been brilliant so far, would you like to go first or second?

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

OK, Colin and team, good luck.

The word ludo, from which the popular board game takes its name,

means what when translated from Latin?

-I play.

-I think play.

-I play.

Yes, we're all agreed, Jeremy, that's I play.

I play, correct. OK, first point to you. Over to the Eggs.

Call Me Dave is an unauthorised 2015 biography of which famous David?

That was the revelations, wasn't it?

-That's the Michael Ashcroft/Isabel Oakeshott book.

-Yeah.

We think that's David Cameron.

David Cameron is the right answer. So, one each.

Back to you, Challengers.

The American criminal Lester Gillis was better known by what nickname?

Was he...

-So, he was a criminal.

-I have a

-feeling...

-It's not Billy the Kid.

Not Billy the Kid.

No, we can ignore Billy the Kid.

I think it's Baby Face Nelson.

Maybe there isn't a Pretty Boy Floyd,

maybe it's made up.

We'll go for Baby Face Nelson?

I think, Jeremy, we're

not very sure on this one.

We've eliminated Billy the Kid and we're going to

go for Baby Face Nelson.

Lester Gillis was Baby Face Nelson.

Well done. Well done, indeed.

Eggheads,

the Ian Fleming International Airport

serves which Caribbean island?

It must be where Goldeneye is, surely.

Yeah, I think it must be Jamaica.

Certainly, he lived many years there, didn't he?

-Goldeneye is in Jamaica.

-I think

-it might be up near Montego Bay.

-Yes.

We're going to go for Jamaica.

Jamaica is your answer because Goldeneye is, what is Goldeneye, CJ?

-Ian Fleming's house.

-Ian Fleming's house.

You're right, it's Jamaica.

OK, the dangerous Japanese dish fugu traditionally contains

what type of fish?

Oh, that's a toughie. Fugu.

Isn't that the lionfish,

the very poisonous one?

Very poisonous, they're all very poisonous.

You have to really segregate carefully.

-I've just got a feeling it's puffer fish.

-Oh, have you?

-Oh, no.

-For some reason,

I just don't know why...

I'm not convinced on lionfish,

so don't worry about changing your mind.

The other two are more poisonous, I think

than puffer fish, but I have a

-feeling...

-It's your decision...

Jeremy, we're pretty undecided on

this one but we're going to have a

stab at puffer fish.

OK, now let's just see,

I'm sensing that Kate knows it.

Do you know it, Kate, backstage?

I think it's puffer fish. I think they're right.

Puffer fish is right, well done.

Oh, you nearly veered into

lionfish there. Well done.

-Thank you.

-Great quizzing.

OK, Eggheads. They've got three.

Get this wrong, the contest is over.

Which TV show set a new record with 12 wins at the

2015 Primetime Emmy awards?

Game Of Thrones came top, I think.

Yeah, Game Of Thrones is overwhelming.

Yeah, I think that came top of the tree in 2015.

-Mad Men had its last series.

-Yes, but that was gone.

And House Of Cards. OK?

We're going to go for Game Of Thrones.

Game Of Thrones is the right answer. So, three each.

They never make it easy, these Eggs.

You're playing really well, Challengers.

£4,000 on the table. We go to Sudden Death now.

Gets a bit harder, I don't give you alternatives.

Which online social networking service acquired the

photo sharing app Instagram for approximately 1 billion in 2012?

What are the different social media sites?

I mean, I only know Facebook.

-What's the other one?

-Twitter.

Would Instagram not be more likely to be with Twitter?

Yeah, cos you can share photos on either of those two.

-Will we go with Twitter?

-We'll try Twitter.

Again, we're not entirely sure, Jeremy but we believe it's Twitter.

It's not. It's actually almost the most obvious one.

Facebook. Yeah. OK.

Well, never mind.

Don't worry. It's not over.

It's not over till somebody sings.

Let's see if we are going to start singing, Eggheads.

Here's your question for the game.

Leading is a bestselling 2015 book by which retired football manager?

Well, I know Alex Ferguson, Sir Alex Ferguson has certainly,

he's written his autobiography. I think he has gone further.

He's got another book?

He's written books on management, not surprisingly.

-Oh, he has, hasn't he? Yes.

-Given his track record.

Who else could we be talking about?

I mean, it's the sort of thing that any successful sportsman

could consider writing.

If it's going to be that recent

it's going to be someone who's recently retired, it's got to be.

He's the outstanding candidate, I think.

-Cos Alex came out, that was about...

-Managing My Life.

-Yeah.

It was about 2013.

And then he has written something else since, so that's the logical...

We're not certain about this

but we feel it's probably Sir Alex Ferguson.

-Do you think they're right?

-Yes, definitely.

I'm going to put you out of your misery.

It is indeed Sir Alex Ferguson.

We say, congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

Well done, Challengers.

Even reduced to two they're quite a powerful unit,

so no shame in that.

-So I hope you have enjoyed it. ALL:

-Yes, very much.

Great play, commiserations.

There aren't many teams who do as well as you've done.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them, I think,

they were a little bit ragged along the way.

They still reign supreme over Quizland.

It does mean the Challengers aren't going home with the £4,000

so we roll the money over to our next show.

So, Eggheads, well done, both of you.

You saved face on behalf of those three backstage and I wonder

if you can ever be beaten. I'm starting to think you can't be.

Join us next time to see if a new team of Challengers can do it,

defeat the Eggheads.

£5,000 says they can't.

Till then, goodbye.