Episode 55 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 challenging the might of our quiz Goliaths today

are the Black Cats.

Now, this team from Greenock have been

quizzing together at The Black Cat pub for five years.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Stephen, I'm a customer service advisor.

Hi, I'm Paul, and I'm a product administrator.

Hi, I'm James, and I'm a customer service representative.

Hi, I'm Jonathan, I'm a support worker.

Hi, I'm Alan, I'm an electrician.

-So, Stephen and team, welcome.

-Thank you.

-Hiya.

-Great to see you.

-Tell us about the pub.

-The Black Cat is a pub in Greenock,

it's our local pub, and we attend the quiz at it every Thursday.

-And you're family and friends on this team?

-Yes, we are.

Paul is my brother, James, Jonathan and Alan are all friends of ours.

OK. What things do you do when you're not quizzing?

We're very much watching football together and things like that.

-Football?

-Yeah.

-You've been to see some comedy, Stephen.

I have. Recently, yeah.

Do these classify as comedians here? THEY CHUCKLE

Not at all. Quite the opposite. Not to be laughed at.

They are not to be laughed at. You are right.

They are quite serious most of the time.

Although there are occasional outbreaks of madness.

Good luck in the game.

Everyday, 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 our next show.

So, Black Cats, the Eggheads have won the last six games.

It means £7,000 says you can't beat them.

-Would you like to try?

-Definitely.

-Absolutely.

-All right.

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

So, who would like this?

-Alan would.

-Me?

-You know your sport.

-If you think so.

-If you want.

-You've got a broader...lot knowledge than...

-That's fine.

Let's give it a try.

-Let's hope there's not much cricket.

-Yeah.

-Alan.

-Aye, Sport.

-Against whom?

-Judith's usually...

-Chris.

-Chris?

-Chris.

Chris, he says. All right. Alan from the Black Cats

versus Chris from the Eggheads, and to ensure there's no conferring,

please go to our legendary Question Room.

-So, you like to quiz, Alan?

-Yes.

-And tell us about what you...

where you quiz and what you do.

-There's just a local pub, weekly basis.

-Yeah.

We just watch...watch all our quiz shows.

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

-I'll go first, Jeremy.

And here is your question.

In the year 2000, the American athlete Maurice Greene

won an Olympic gold medal in which athletics event?

Er, well, I think I remember this. I'm pretty sure it's the 100 metres.

Yeah, bang on. Well done.

Chris. Which footballer

joined New York City FC in 2014

after 13 seasons with Chelsea?

I think Drogba's still there.

Don't think it was John Terry. I think it was Frank Lampard.

He was a Chelsea veteran.

Yeah, Lampard, it was.

OK, Alan, over to you. Which of these

rugby union coaches was born in New Zealand?

Well, don't think it's Stuart Lancaster. It's...

It's either Warren Gatland or Vern Cotter.

I think one's Australian and one's New Zealand.

I'll say Warren Gatland.

-Eggs, what do you think?

-It's Warren Gatland.

Warren Gatland is right, Alan. Well done.

Chris, which English boxer was knocked out by Carl Froch

during a world title bout in May 2014?

I think that was James DeGale.

-No. George Groves, Chris.

-Mm-hm.

OK. Now, if you get this right,

you've got the round, Alan.

In 2012, Dean Elgar made his test cricket debut

for which country?

Er... Well, I've never heard of him. I'll just have to guess.

Try Australia.

Australia...is wrong.

South Africa.

Which lets Chris back in.

-Mr Hughes.

-Mm-hm.

Silver, black and white are the team colours

of which NFL American football team?

Well, the Cincinnati Bengals

probably take their name from a Bengal tiger,

so they'd play in sort of orange and black stripes.

Kansas City Chiefs probably horn in on Native American culture,

so they probably have more...

..natural colours.

So...that set of colours presumably belong to the Oakland Raiders.

JEREMY CHUCKLES I like your logic.

I don't know if the logic's robust,

but the answer is...

-Oakland Raiders is correct.

-Mm.

So...

equal after three. We go to Sudden Death, Alan.

Here's your question.

In an October 1974 fight,

which heavyweight boxer used the tactic known as rope-a-dope

where he pretended to be trapped against the ropes

in order to goad and tire out his opponent George Foreman?

Well, I remember this, Jeremy.

That was Muhammad Ali.

Muhammad Ali is the right answer.

Chris, to stay in.

Located in the French Alps, competitors were required to ascend

Alpe d'Huez twice in one day in July 2013

as part of which sporting competition?

-HE SIGHS

-Must be the Tour de France.

Tour de France is right.

Back to you, Alan.

Which US tennis player made headlines in late 2015

when she chased and caught a man

who took her phone while she was eating in a restaurant?

Going to guess.

Serena Williams.

Serena Williams is right.

Well done.

Got her phone back. OK, to stay in, Chris.

Possibly relating to an ancient civilisation,

what is the nickname of Exeter City FC?

Well, I know the name of the tribe that used to inhabit that

part of the world, but it wouldn't be the nickname of a football team.

Erm...

Are they not the Phoenicians?

-No. The Grecians.

-Grecians. Right, well...

There we go.

Slightly tenuous connection to do with the fair

that they had in the city some time ago.

A very long time ago. But you're knocked out,

Chris, I'm sorry. Alan, well done.

-Well done, Alan.

-There we are. You're in the final round.

And if you come back to us, we will play on.

So, as it stands, the Black Cats have not lost any brains from

the final round. The Eggheads have lost a brain. They lost Chris.

And we play on, and it is Politics for you.

-Who would like this?

-Johnny?

-Jonathan?

-I think you might have

a bit more knowledge than anyone else, Jonathan.

-I think I'll go for it, then, aye.

-I think he's going to...

-Think we're going to go with Jonathan.

-I'll go for that.

Right. Politics against whom? Can't be Chris.

I'll take... Go for CJ, then.

Jonathan from Black Cats versus CJ From the Eggheads on Politics.

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

So, if you win, Jonathan, what will you spend the money on?

Well, I've always fancied going on to travel a bit.

I fancy going to see Machu Picchu.

So if I won anything, I'd put some of the money

towards a visit out there.

How nice. And would you like to go first or second?

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

Here is your question.

Earth In The Balance is a 1992 book

primarily addressing ecological issues by which American politician?

Well, I can't see George W Bush being in that sort of subject,

or Donald Trump, so I'll go for Al Gore.

Bang on. Al Gore is right. Well done.

CJ...

who was the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer

on 1st January 2000?

Hmm.

I mean, it should be Gordon Brown.

I mean, surely he was there for the whole of Blair's term,

'97 to 2007.

Chancellor of the Exchequer?

Who was the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer

on 1st January 2000?

Gordon Brown.

Gordon Brown is the right answer. Yeah, you're right.

Here is your question, Jonathan.

In which decade did the UK government

introduce restrictions prohibiting the UK news media

from broadcasting the voices of representatives of several loyalist

and republican organisations, including Sinn Fein?

Erm...

I don't think it'll be the '40s.

And I think the '60s is slightly too early.

So I'll go for the '80s, 1980s.

Yes, under Mrs Thatcher. You're quite right. The 1980s.

CJ.

What word precedes "face of capitalism"

in a phrase coined in a 1973 speech

about a scandal known as the Lonrho affair?

I'm not aware of the speech, but I have heard of

the unacceptable face of capitalism, I think.

Unaccountable face of capitalism?

Unrestrained...?

I mean, neither of those ring a bell,

but I think I have heard of the unacceptable face of capitalism,

so that's what I'm going to go for.

OK. You're right, CJ. Unacceptable.

So, Jonathan,

in August 2015, Kezia Dugdale was elected

the leader of which political party in Scotland?

That would be the Scottish Labour Party.

Yeah, well done.

It might have been embarrassing if you got that wrong.

-Certainly.

-Yeah. Labour's right.

So you got three out of three there.

Well done. Nicely played.

See if CJ can stay in.

In a 2015 biography of George HW Bush by Jon Meacham,

the former president reportedly describes

the attitude of which political figure as "iron-ass"?

Well, the one of those that

George Bush Senior is most associated with

is obviously Saddam Hussein with the first Gulf War.

Erm...

So he was president '88 to '92.

So Blair hadn't even become...

I have to assume it was somebody who was a contemporary of him

while he was president.

Although Dick Cheney was around, he became his son's vice president,

and Tony Blair hadn't even become

leader of the Labour Party at that time.

Don't know this.

But simply cos he was a contemporary and it's not somebody

he'd necessarily want to be polite about, I'll try Saddam Hussein.

Yeah, I see what you've done there.

Tony Blair, you're right, wasn't on the scene, really.

Dick Cheney, I think, was his Defence Secretary

-in the first Gulf War, though...

-Oh.

-..so he very much was.

-And the answer is Dick Cheney.

-Yeah.

So you've been knocked out, CJ.

Oh, dear, we're getting a bit of a rout going here.

-Well done, Jonathan.

-Thank you.

-Nicely played.

You're in the final round.

-One step closer to Machu Picchu.

-Thank you.

Please return to us here in the studio and we'll play on.

The Black Cats have not lost any brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost two brains and they're looking a bit worried.

So, Arts & Books for you now.

Who would like this?

I'm nothing like comfortable with Arts & Books.

Nothing resembling comfortable.

-What about you?

-I don't think anybody...

-I'm worse.

You're worse? Well, I guess it will have to be me, then, by default.

Yes, OK. James, our customer service representative, Arts & Books.

Who's it going to be?

-Who do we think?

-Judith? Yeah, we'll try Judith.

So James from the Black Cats versus Judith from the Eggheads.

And please go to our Question Room.

So, Arts & Books, James. Do you want to go first or second?

Um, I think I might just grab the bull by the horns and go first.

Good luck. Here we go, James.

A new record was set for a Blue Period Picasso painting in

November 2015 when La Gommeuse from 1901 fetched what price at auction?

The only thing I'm thinking here for it is, if you're saying a new

record, I would expect it to be fairly high.

So I would go with 450 million.

The answer is 45 million.

Judith.

2015 marked the centenary of the birth of which playwright?

Well, Alan Bennett and Alan Ayckbourn

are both still alive, and I don't think they're 100.

So it must be Arthur Miller.

Arthur Miller is quite right.

Genius.

OK, James.

Alistair MacLean's 1967 Second World War adventure novel

Where Eagles Dare centres on a mission to rescue

a captured American general from where?

For that one, I actually remember the film,

so I would say it's actually a castle.

It is, hence the eagle's reference. Yeah, a castle.

So, you have a point.

And let's see if Judith can get this one right.

Depictions of the work of which of these artists appear in the pages of

the new UK passport design that was unveiled in late 2015?

Oh, God, I have absolutely no idea.

So I'm going to have to guess.

I'm going to say Damien Hirst.

Anish Kapoor...

-Oh, really?

-..is the answer.

-Gosh.

You're stuck on one point.

Your question now, James.

In which novel by Evelyn Waugh does the central character,

a student at Oxford,

fall victim to the drunken antics of the Bollinger Club?

The names aren't instantly jumping out at me.

Something about it seems familiar.

I would have to go between maybe Vile Bodies and Men At Arms.

And I think I'm going to go with Vile Bodies.

Yeah, you chose between the wrong two cos it's the other one -

Decline And Fall.

And, Judith, you have a chance to take the round.

Baroness Orczy, who created the character The Scarlet Pimpernel,

was born in which country?

Well, not Iran.

Her name sounds more Hungarian than anything else.

I'm going to say Hungary.

Hungary is the right answer. You got the round. Well done, Judith.

There we go.

The Scarlet Pimpernel served you well.

You are in the final. Sorry, James.

Beaten by our Egghead. But not over for your team, not by a long way.

Please come back and rejoin us and we'll see what happens next.

So, as it stands, the Black Cats have lost a brain from the final

round, the Eggheads have lost two. Are you pulling back, I wonder?

The next subject is Film & TV.

Last one before the final, guys.

I think you should go for it.

I think I'll play that one.

OK, the skipper goes in. Now, who would you like to choose?

You can have either Kevin or Barry.

I think we should go... We should take Kevin.

Aye, have a shot. I would take Kevin.

-Aye.

-Go for it.

All the team says, well, rather than me, that it will be Kevin.

More and more people pick Kevin. You can't avoid him. If he's there,

at some point, he's going to be playing. So good luck, Stephen,

from the Black Cats, taking on Kevin from the Eggheads

on Film & TV. Please go to the Question Room.

Film & TV, Stephen. First or second?

I think I'll stick with the team and go first, please.

And here's your question. Good luck.

Which television journalist conducted the famous 1995

Panorama interview with Diana Princess of Wales?

Um...

Well, they're all famous for interviews. I think

I recall it being Martin Bashir.

I think I'll go with Martin Bashir.

Martin Bashir is quite right, yeah.

OK.

During the mid-1990s, Kevin, the remains of the character

Trevor Jordache were discovered beneath a patio in which soap opera?

I think this has become almost a cliche that is referred to sometimes

now, the body under the patio.

It was a very big story

at the time in Brookside.

Brookside is right.

Over to you, Stephen.

The actor and writer Colin Welland, who died in 2015,

won a best supporting actor BAFTA

for his role as the sympathetic English teacher

Mr Farthing in which 1969 film?

Um...

I think I recall reading the book when I was in school.

I think there may have actually been a copy of the VHS around our house

at the same time as well. I think it was Kes.

Nicely done, Kes is right. Well done.

Kevin, your question.

What is the title of the 2015 film in which Bradley Cooper stars

as a chef and former addict

attempting to earn three Michelin stars?

It's...not one I've seen,

but I'm fairly sure it's called Burnt.

Burnt is right.

So you're both playing well. Two points each. Back to you, Stephen.

Team captain. See if you can stay in. The Quest For Peace was the

subtitle of the fourth film in which movie franchise?

I am a big fan of this series of films.

I think it's the least successful of the franchise. Actually, I think

Christopher Reeve had to finance some of it himself.

But it was Superman.

Superman is quite right. Three out of three. Let's see if you can knock

Kevin out here. Kevin, to stay in.

The 1990s comedy drama series Due South followed the exploits

of a Canadian bounty and an American cop based in which US city?

I'm not 100%...sure on this,

but what I imme...what I thought before

the choices came up was Chicago, so...

Yeah, Chicago.

Chicago is correct.

All right, three out of three. We go to Sudden Death. You're equal.

Stephen, it gets a bit harder.

You've played a perfect round so far, well done.

-But now I don't give you alternative answers. OK?

-Mm-hm.

In which 1973 science fiction film is a futuristic holiday resort

called Delos advertised with the slogan

"Boy, have we got a vacation for you!"?

I'm struggling to find any type of answer for it.

It's a bit before my time, to be honest.

Um...

I'm sorry, I have no idea. I'll have to pass.

-No answer?

-No, sorry.

Do you know, Kevin?

-Westworld.

-Westworld.

Kevin has a chance to take the round.

In 2005,

Lee Mack took over from Nick Hancock

as the host of which TV panel show?

I know the one you mean, but I can't think of the title.

I think it's a sports-based one.

I may be wrong there.

Um...

-Now, I'm... I'm blanked. I'm blanked.

-OK. Eggheads, do you know?

-They Think It's All Over.

-They Think It's All Over.

Yeah, yeah. It's the sports one, isn't it?

All right, Stephen.

The 1980s soap opera Sons And Daughters

following the trials and tribulations of the Hamilton

and Palmer families, among others,

was produced in which country?

I have got vague recollections of my grandmother being a big fan

of this show. I think it's Australian.

Australia is right.

Kevin, which recurring character

in the long-running sitcom Peep Show was played by the actor Matt King?

Surrender. Never seen Peep Show, don't have a clue about...

Other than the two main characters.

I mean, I can... I simply have absolutely no idea.

-No, I can tell.

-I couldn't even make a sensible guess.

-I can tell.

-Call him Jim, I don't know.

-We'll turn you off

and turn you back on again later. BARRY LAUGHS

Sometimes that works.

Super Hans. JEREMY LAUGHS

-Sorry, Kevin.

-It doesn't mean anything.

But, Stephen, nice work. You've knocked out Kevin.

How about that?

So, game on for the final. Come back to us, we'll play it.

Wow, what a final we might have in prospect.

This is what we have been playing towards.

As always, it's 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, that's James from the Black Cats but also CJ, Chris

and Kevin from the Eggheads.

Would you please now leave the studio?

OK, Allen, Jonathan, Paul and Stephen,

you are playing to win the Black Cats £7,000.

Good jackpot today.

Barry and Judith, you are now playing for something that, I think,

money can't buy, which is the Eggheads' reputation

and to get to 10,000, to keep this roll going.

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

They are all going to be General Knowledge. You can confer.

So the question is, are your four brains able to defeat these two?

And would you like to go first or second?

-First, yeah?

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

Good luck. Here is your first question.

In three polls for TV programmes between 2002 and 2005,

which single scientist was selected

as one of the 100 greatest Americans,

one of the 100 greatest Britons and one of the ten greatest Canadians?

I quite like Alexander Graham Bell for that.

-I think he stayed in Canada at some point.

-Aye.

Yeah, it could be.

Alexander Graham Bell, go for it.

We're not 100% sure, but we think it's Alexander Graham Bell.

Whole team, yes, you're right,

Alexander Graham Bell. Well done.

OK.

Your question.

The grotesque waterspouts known as gargoyles are most associated

with which style of architecture?

-Gothic?

-Gothic. Gothic cathedrals.

-Yes, we both agreed.

It's a wonderful representation of Gothic art.

Gothic is quite right. Over to you.

Released in 1977, Salisbury Hill was which singer's first solo single?

Gabriel.

-Hm?

-Peter Gabriel.

Everyone seems quite sure.

We're going to go for Peter Gabriel, please.

Yeah. If Lisa was here, I'd ask her to sing it. You're right.

All right, so your second question

to catch up, Eggheads,

in this very higgledy-piggledy game.

Baffin Bay is an ice-clogged body of water several hundred miles

long situated between North America and where?

Well, Baffin Bay is up in the Arctic.

Baffin Island is one of the largest islands in Canada.

Yes, I thought it was.

And Canada is, at that point, is next to Greenland.

-So my answer would be Greenland.

-OK, I'll go with that.

Greenland.

-You're sure about that?

-Yes.

-Greenland is right.

-Phew.

Two-two.

Here's your question, guys.

The Turkish political party the AKP, which regained its majority

in the general election in late 2015 and is the party of

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,

is known by what name in English?

So the AKP, is it...?

Johnny's blank expression doesn't give me much hope.

-Security and Stability?

-That's what I was thinking.

It involves security and stability.

Got any ideas?

I'm just thinking that...

I don't know, but I would

maybe guess faith and respect.

-But I don't know.

-Faith and respect?

I would go for that then.

Again, we're not 100% sure,

but we're drawn towards

the Faith And Respect Party, so I think we're going to go with that.

-Do you know?

-No.

-No.

I would've been more inclined

to go for the Justice And Development Party,

although I can see the logic behind going for Faith And Respect.

I just don't think it is.

It's the wrong answer, I'm afraid. It is, as Barry says,

Justice And Development.

So,

the game is in their hands now. Here's your question.

From takeoff to landing, what was the total duration of Yuri Gagarin's

historic 1961 space mission which saw him orbit the Earth once?

Well, I think... He only orbited the Earth once,

and I think he was only in orbit for something around an hour.

He's got to get up there.

So his getting up there perhaps would have taken 20 minutes

and coming down perhaps 20 minutes.

It doesn't take that long.

Because he only orbited once,

and an orbit of the Earth doesn't take that long,

I'm inclined to go for one hour and 48 minutes.

If he went for any of the others,

I think he might have had a hamster-powered rocket.

The answer is one hour, 48 minutes. We say congratulations,

Eggheads, you have won.

Very sporting of you to clap them,

but you did, you tore into them there.

You really did.

-A fine team.

-Yeah, a fine team. Honestly, that's...

Not very often do those three great players end up in the sin bin.

Black Cats, commiserations. I'm sorry.

I hope you get to Machu Picchu, Jonathan...

-Thank you.

-..despite the Eggheads snatching your money away from you.

They've done what comes naturally to them,

their winning streak continues. It is a good -

I can officially say - a good streak now.

We'll see if it gets even better.

It does mean that you're not going home with the £7,000.

The money therefore rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, congratulations.

Only two of you, but you played a very solid game in the final there.

And I wonder who will ever beat you.

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

brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£8,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.