Episode 51 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 the might of our quiz Goliaths today

are The Only Sway Is Up.

They are from Sway in Hampshire.

Now, these challengers all quiz at the Hare and Hounds pub

where Ian has been the quiz master for 25 years.

They also hold the prestigious accolade

of Sway Carnival quiz champions 2015.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Stuart, a retired chartered surveyor.

Hi, I'm David, a retired risk manager.

Hi, I'm Mark, a politics graduate.

Hi, I'm Steve, I'm a civil engineer.

Hi, I'm Ian, I'm a managing director of a quiz company.

-So, Stuart, team, welcome.

-Thank you.

-You're quizzers?

-Yes.

-I can tell.

Don't be embarrassed by that, we're all quizzers here.

-It's that obvious, is it?

-Is it? I can just tell that you're serious.

-So, you quiz together?

-In various combinations, yes.

Yes, and do you quiz at a county level?

No, I wouldn't say that,

it's primarily at the Hare and Hounds pub.

Have any of you run into any of them?

Yes, I've seen CJ in a recent charity event, in particular.

OK, so have you got a good spread of subjects?

Because that's the key thing.

Reasonably, I think we have our stronger areas, inevitably.

But, yes, I think we've tried to cover all the bases as best we can.

All right, I can see you want to get on with it.

Everyday, there is £1,000 of cash up for grabs for our challengers.

If they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, The Only Sway Is Up, the Eggheads have won the last

two games, so they're a bit wobbly at the moment.

It means £3,000 is here for you to win. Would you like to try?

Yes, please.

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

-Who would like this?

-Oh.

-Do you want me to take it?

-It's going to be Mark?

-Either of you two, isn't it?

One of you two I would say.

I'm going to pass on that one.

-Same here. You'll be better.

-You want me to take it, then?

-Yes.

-OK, who shall I go for then, do you think?

-So, Mark?

-Yes, I think I was taking it.

-OK, against which Egghead?

Any one of them.

-Totally your decision.

-I'll take on Dave, please.

-Good stuff.

Are you getting a sense from this team, Dave?

Oh, yes, we've got to be on our metal here.

You're going to have to be, they're serious.

Mark from The Only Sway Is Up versus Dave from the Eggheads on History.

And to ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions in our famous Question Room.

So, History, Mark, and would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

Here is your question.

Which of these historical figures was born in Vienna?

Erm, I don't think Joan of Arc was born in Vienna.

And Marie Antoinette was from Austria.

So, I think I'll go Marie Antoinette, please.

Marie Antoinette is quite right, well done, first point to you. Dave.

In which war were the non-rigid military airships

known as blimps first used?

-You there?

-Yeah, I'm still here.

-Think out loud, if you can!

Blimps first used. I'm going World War I.

World War I is right.

Back to you, Mark.

How many British monarchs were born in the 18th century?

OK, so we start off in the 18th century.

Then let's have a think.

Queen Anne was born, wasn't born in the 18th century.

George I wasn't born then.

Maybe George II, I don't know.

Maybe George III and George IV.

So, I don't think it's that many.

So, I'm going to say three.

-So you got George III, George IV?

-And maybe another, yes.

-Yes, three is quite right.

-Well done.

-Any of your team-mates fill in the other?

-No.

-Dave?

-I think it could be William IV.

-I think you're right.

-Yes.

Yes, Kevin says you're right. Your question, Dave.

Which of these was one of the 13 American colonies

that declared independence from Britain in 1776?

Well, I don't think it's Texas.

Not too sure on this but I'm going to...

It could easily go wrong but I'm going to go with Georgia.

Georgia is right.

Anyone fill in some background on this and what was going on? Kevin?

Well, I mean, there were 13 original colonies that formed

the United States, of which Georgia was one.

Florida was later because that was a purchase from the Spanish.

And Texas was eventually taken over,

it was independent for a while but that was a bit later.

So yeah, Georgia was one of the original 13 that formed the USA.

OK, thank you.

The first of the 13 was Delaware

which is why it's known as the First State.

Right. So, two points each, lively round.

Back to you, Mark.

A New Voyage Round The World is a 1697 book

by which English explorer?

I'll be honest, I haven't a clue on this one.

So, this is going to be a guess.

I'll say John Franklin.

OK, Dave, do you know?

-I would have gone Dampier.

-Yes, Dampier is right.

So, you got two out of three there, Mark.

Chance for Dave to take the round.

Dave, in which year did Lord Elgin order the destruction

of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing at the end of the Second Opium War?

I could have got my dates mixed up

but I thought the first Opium War was 1839-42.

So logically, the second one, the end of the second one would be 1860.

Mark, do you think he's right?

I think it's later of all those dates,

so yeah, I would have said 1860.

1860 is right. Well done, Dave, you're in the final round.

Sorry, Mark.

I can see you've got the knowledge there but you were just

pipped at the post by Dave so you've been knocked out.

Come back to us, both of you, and we'll play on.

Well, we know this is going to be a very competitive match

and the Eggheads have struck the first blow there

against The Only Sway Is Up who have lost a brain from the final round.

The Eggheads are still there, all five.

The next subject for you is Music. Who would like this?

-That would be me.

-Ian, this is you.

-Yes, I'm here for that.

-Ian?

-Who do you reckon?

-Your choice.

-Go for what you feel.

-CJ, I'll take CJ.

-Go on, then.

-CJ, please.

OK, so Ian from The Only Sway Is Up versus CJ,

let's see if the only way is down.

Should be on this category.

We'll see, we'll see, we don't know. You're all good quizzers too.

We've got great quizzers in the studio today.

Please go to the Question Room.

On music again, CJ. Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

OK, here is your first question, Ian. Good luck.

The rapper Tinie Tempah was born in which city?

Tinie Tempah, so definitely not in Edinburgh.

It's London or Cardiff, I think.

I'm going to go for...

London is the obvious choice but I'm going to go for Cardiff.

I'm not sure at all.

-I'm afraid it was the obvious one.

-Oh!

-London.

-OK.

CJ, who won the 2014 series of The X Factor?

I think 2014 was Ben Haenow.

You are right, it was Ben Haenow.

OK, back to you, Ian.

What does the title character do at the end of the Puccini opera Tosca?

CJ will know this.

I'm going to go for the middle one, commits suicide.

-Let me ask your team-mates, is he right?

-I think so.

Yes, they like that, commits suicide is right.

There's a famous incident at the end,

Tosca leaps of the battlements of the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome.

And one of the famous opera stories is about the lead singer,

the soprano, she was so hated

by the stage crew, she just made

herself deeply unpleasant to everybody and unbeknownst to her,

obviously, the crew had actually put a trampoline underneath the set.

So when she jumped off, she came bouncing back up again.

THEY LAUGH

Slightly destroyed the magic of it.

Brilliant. All right, CJ, to take the lead.

Who wrote the lyrics for the stage musical Chess?

Well, we've had dinner and discussed it

so hopefully, I'll know this answer!

It was Tim Rice.

You've had dinner with Tim Rice?

-And we discussed Chess because it was at a chess event.

-How nice.

Tim Rice it was, well done. So, Ian, you've got to get this one right.

Yes, I have.

Emil Gilels, born in Odessa in 1916,

is best known for his expertise on which instrument?

I don't think it was a piano.

So, it's one of the other two, obviously. Cello, violin.

It sounds like a violinist so I'm going to go for violin, Jeremy.

OK, let's see if CJ knows this one, CJ?

I'm not sure but I would have gone for piano.

-Piano is the right answer, Ian. Sorry, you've been knocked out.

-OK.

CJ is in the final round,

the Eggheads are storming it at the moment.

Can they be stopped? Return to us and we'll see what happens next.

So, as it stands, The Only Sway Is Up have lost two brains,

perhaps surprisingly from the final round.

The Eggheads have not lost any but of course,

you have lost the match from this position.

So, warning shot for you there.

The next subject is Science.

Who would like this?

-Unless any of you want to do it, I'll take it.

-Well, I'm out.

Yeah!

-Go on, Stu, you go for it.

-Well, I can't take it so you should.

-That's me, Jeremy.

-OK, Stuart, against which Egghead?

-Can't be CJ or Dave.

-I'll take on Lisa, please.

It wasn't even a contest, was it?

So, Stuart from The Only Sway Is Up.

Lisa from the Eggheads on science.

Please go to our Question Room.

I gather you like cycling, Stuart.

Yes, I haven't done much recently

but I did John O'Groats to Land's End about five years ago

and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

So, one tip of the country to the other, how many miles is that?

Well, the mileage on the signpost at John O'Groats end,

Land's End is 874 which is about the minimum distance.

-I ended up doing 893 with about 12 miles of being lost.

-OK!

We're looking to you to turn it around now for our challengers.

On science, against Lisa. First or second?

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

So, here we go.

Orthopaedics is a branch of surgery that deals with conditions

involving which system in the human body?

Digestive would be gastro.

Reproductive would be various other things.

I would say skeletal, my answer.

Skeletal is quite right. Of course, thank you. Lisa.

Which of these rodents is native to South America?

I think you find chinchillas...

I think it's chinchilla.

Chinchilla is correct.

Back to you, Stuart.

In humans, the wisdom tooth is an alternative name for what?

I think incisors and canines are at the front

and the middle of the mouth.

I think the molars are the grinding teeth at the back,

so I'll take third molar.

Third molar is right, very good.

Lisa, your question.

What shape is the sacrum bone,

found at the base of the vertebral column in the human body?

None of which were the shapes I had in my head!

So that's good, isn't it?

I don't think it's circular.

Rhomboid seems a slightly peculiar shape for any sort of bone.

I don't know, I think of the three,

I think my best guess is probably triangular.

Yeah, it is triangular.

Yeah, I mean, it's the one at the top of the bum.

The sacrum is the penultimate bit of the vertebral column

that leads onto the coccyx at the end.

Hmm, OK. So we are 2-2.

Stuart, which of these scientists

has an element on the periodic table named after him?

It's Dmitri Mendeleev.

And what's named after him? Do you know?

The periodic table which he devised in 1869, I believe.

And the element?

-Mendelevium.

-HE LAUGHS

It doesn't matter, we'll find out in a sec.

Mendeleev is quite right, Dmitri. Which is the element?

-It's mendelevium.

-Oh, it is mendelevium.

OK, right, you're bang on. Mendelevium. Lisa.

Approximately how long does it take Mars

to make a complete orbit of the sun?

I am now trying to think about the relative positions

of the other planets and how long those take

but I think the sort of further lying planets are

so far outside, that you're getting into sort of decades and decades

before they make their orbit, which probably isn't helpful

in a relative manner of speaking.

I'm kind of inclined to sort of

shorter timeframe rather than longer timeframe.

I shall go for two years.

-Two years is the right answer.

-Phew!

Not out of it yet. So, our first sudden death.

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

-Understood.

-Here is your question.

By what name derived from a dialect term for a snail shell

are the seeds of the horse-chestnut tree commonly known?

Shell would be conch of some sort.

Seeds of the horse-chestnut tree.

Ones that would rotate when they leave the tree.

I don't know. I'm sure this is not right, I'll just have to say conch.

-The pain of this.

-Oh!

-The pain of this.

-So, you had in your mind the helicopter things, yes?

-Yes.

-What tree is that?

-Sycamore.

-That's the sycamore.

-Oh, so...

-This is conkers.

-Oh.

I am so sorry.

Cos of course, if we'd just gone straight to conker,

you wouldn't have even needed the conch connection.

All right, Lisa,

your question to take your place in the final.

In geometry, an octagon is a polygon with how many sites?

My daughter is currently listening to this tape of

kids music that's designed to teach them about numbers

and there's this wonderful song about all the polygons

going to a party.

Everybody turns to a guest that's shown up late.

It's an octagon and its sides add up to eight, it's got eight sides.

Eight is right, you're in the final, sorry about that, Stuart.

Those wretched conkers.

And you know, the logic that took you halfway was the hardest bit,

funnily enough, but you've been knocked out.

And it's three in a row to the Eggheads.

Can the challengers turn it around?

Please come back to us, the two of you.

Well, bad luck, Stuart. That was one of those things.

-We've seen it happen many times, haven't we?

-We've all done it.

Both sides, yes.

Yes, it's the amazing brainpower on the one thing

and then the obvious gets missed.

Yes, I won't forget about conkers again.

So, The Only Sway Is Up have lost three brains.

The Eggheads have not lost one.

But they had a bad game a few days ago,

so they're still... they've got a hangover from that.

See if you can just take them on the turn now.

The next subject is Sport.

Who would like this?

-I'll take that one?

-Yes.

-Go on, then.

-OK, Steve?

-Against which Egghead?

-Erm...

Pat or Kevin? Can't escape them.

I'm going to go out in a blaze of glory. I'm going to take Kevin on.

All right, good stuff.

So, Steve from The Only Sway Is Up versus

Kevin from the Eggheads on sport.

Probably not his strongest subject.

-No.

-It's hard to tell with Kevin.

To ensure there's no conferring, please go to the special room.

-So I know you lead a very active life, Steve.

-I try.

You've been, what, up Kilimanjaro?

Yes, that was quite a feat. It's a lot tougher than people think.

-And Everest as well or some of the way?

-I got to base camp, Everest.

It was part of a trek that we did in Nepal, that was fantastic.

And the 150-mile race through the Sahara?

Well, that's the one that people pick up on.

The Marathon des Sables, that's the one that

quite a few people would like to do

when it comes to ultramarathon running, yes.

Putting us to shame, Kevin, isn't he?

Yes, maybe the 150-foot race might do it but 150 miles, no.

To the bar?

-Yeah, the environment would be important.

-Yeah, so Sport, Steve.

-Yes.

-First or second?

-First, please.

And here is your question.

Approximately how long does it take Mo Farah to run

a competitive 10,000-metre race?

Not 17 minutes.

Erm, I should really know this but...

..of the other two, I'm going to go for 27 minutes.

Yes, I was trying to convert it into old money.

So, 10,000 metres is 10k which is about six miles.

Could he be running at 12mph? Yes, I guess he could.

27 minutes is the right answer.

Is that right calculation there, CJ?

6.2 miles but, for example,

the top marathon runners will run a marathon in 13mph.

Right, that's amazing.

And what speed do you run your marathons at?

-About 9.2.

-That's amazing, though.

-Brilliant.

-That is fast, CJ.

-Yes.

Kevin, your question.

In October 2015, which of these football teams qualified

for the European Championships for the first time in their history?

Well, Scotland unfortunately didn't make it. The other two did.

But the Republic have been there before.

Wales have been to one World Cup but not to the Europeans before.

So, it's Wales.

It is indeed Wales, well done.

Steve - and well done them!

Steve, how many southern hemisphere teams reached

the semifinals of the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup?

I think it was all four, so I'll go for four.

Yes, it was all four, every place taken.

And here's your question, Kevin.

In which year did the golfer Walter Hagen win his first major?

Well, it's not 1954.

Walter Hagen was one of the great names from the relatively

early days of golf.

And I think even 1934 is too late.

He was active during the 1920s, so...

..he must have won one fairly early, I think.

So, 1914.

1914 is correct.

This is hard-fought here, very tight. Steve, back to you.

The tennis player Garbine Muguruza represents which country?

I think strangely enough, I think

I've seen or heard this reasonably recently.

I think it's actually Spain.

Spain is right. Three out of three, well done.

OK, let's see if Kevin can stay in.

Who is the only Indian cricketer

to have taken more than 600 test match wickets?

Oh, dear.

Don't think it's Kapil Dev but I've gone blank as between the other two.

I think I would have...

Hmm, in the end, I'll have to go for Anil Kumble.

Is he right? What do you think, Steve?

I would have gone for Kumble as well.

-Kumble is the right answer.

-Yes.

-Anil Kumble, so three each.

We go to sudden death, Steve.

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

Who's played more games for Manchester United

than any other footballer?

Er, I'm going to go for Ryan Giggs.

Ryan Giggs is quite right.

Kevin, which driver won his third Formula One world title in 2015?

-Lewis Hamilton.

-Lewis Hamilton is right.

Sudden death, back to you, Steve.

In which decade did both Oslo and Cortina d'Ampezzo

host the Winter Olympic Games?

Hmm. Dates not my strong point.

I'm going to go for the '60s.

-Eggheads?

-'50s, '52 and '56.

'52 and '56, it's the '50s, Steve.

So, Kevin has a chance here.

In rugby union, Kevin, a player wearing the number four shirt

usually plays in which position?

Er, well, he would be a lock.

-That's your answer?

-Yes.

Yeah, I can accept that, or second row.

Second row or lock is the right answer.

Well done, Kevin, you're in the final. Sorry, Steve.

Beaten by our Egghead.

Became a bit of a habit in that game but it's not over yet,

not by any means.

We've got a final to play and if you both come back

and rejoin your teams, we'll do just that.

OK, didn't go quite the way I was expecting but it's not over.

This is what we've 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

will not be allowed to take part in this round.

So, all from this side - Stuart, Mark, Steve and Ian

from The Only Sway Is Up, please leave the studio.

David, I must say I thought you would be

more in the final, your team.

But you're playing to win The Only Sway Is Up £3,000.

Kevin, Dave, Lisa, Pat and CJ,

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

to somehow rebuild the Eggheads' reputation

and reign supreme again.

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

This time, they're all general knowledge.

You are allowed to confer. Sorry, that doesn't help you, David.

The question is can be your one brain have a famous victory

over these five?

And would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

Here we go, David.

Avocado is a main ingredient of which of these dips?

OK, I think hummus is made from chickpeas,

aioli is garlic mayonnaise, so it's guacamole.

Guacamole it is, very nice it is too.

OK, Eggheads.

Blighty is an informal term

popularised in World War I for which country?

-Britain.

-Britain.

-Blighty.

Urdu or something. Yes, Britain?

-That was Britain.

-It was indeed.

David, which of these countries has a larger population than the UK?

OK, not entirely sure.

I'm going to go for Iran.

Iran is right. Well done, David, good stuff.

Two out of two. Back to you, Eggheads.

Oh, are you going to be taken down after this assured performance?

Who plays the villain Franz Oberhauser in the 2015 film Spectre?

-My favourite actor.

-The awesome Christoph waltz.

-We're happy with Waltz?

-Yes.

That's Christoph Waltz.

Christoph Waltz it is.

I still believe, CJ, you should be a Bond villain one day.

-Yeah, definitely.

-We all think you should.

Can't be too long, surely?

Can't be too long. OK, David.

Get this right, put some pressure on them.

Which of these characters is still alive

at the end of the Shakespeare play Hamlet?

Um, Shakespeare is not my

favourite, favourite subject.

Something of a guess.

-I'm going to go for Polonius.

-OK.

Polonius is your answer. Let's just go through this.

Hamlet or as Lisa calls it, Macbeth...

SHE SIGHS

Who died behind the arras?

-I'm not talking to you.

-It's Polonius.

So Polonius did die, so it's not Polonius.

Claudius was dead at the start, was he or...?

-No.

-He's the bad uncle.

-He was killed by Hamlet.

-He's the king, yes.

So we're only left with Fortinbras,

who was alive at the end of Hamlet.

-Sorry, Lisa.

-Given away the ending there!

Classic spoiler. I'm so sorry.

We haven't given away the ending here because it hasn't happened yet.

Eggheads, if you get this right, the contest is over.

Martha, who died in captivity in the US in 1914,

was the last known specimen of which bird species?

-Passenger pigeon?

-Passenger pigeon.

-It was 1914.

Yes, definitely.

She was a passenger pigeon. The last of her kind.

The correct answer is passenger pigeon.

We say congratulations, Eggheads. You have won.

-Did you get an answer wrong in that game?

-Perfect game.

That's what they call, what is it? An immaculate game.

-Perfect, we'll say.

-I must apologise, David.

Usually, they get something wrong somewhere.

-Yes, we were up against it today.

-Yeah, well, bad luck.

Great to see you, The Only Sway Is Up.

-And we'll forget about Fortinbras. Doesn't matter.

-Yes, we shall.

All a long time ago.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

Very impressive today, eggs, and you reign supreme over quiz land.

It does mean that you won't be going home with the £3,000

so we take the money and roll it over to our next show.

Eggheads, congratulations. Who will beat you?

Join us next time to see

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

£4,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.