Episode 57 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 I think you're all smiling. What does that mean?

-We're happy.

-They're in trouble.

"They're in trouble," they say.

Well, hoping to get one over on our quiz champions today are

"Ware's The Door?" This team are all members of Ware Cricket Club

in Hertfordshire. So, let's meet them.

Hello, my name's Andrew and I'm a police officer.

Hi, I'm Adrian and I work in revenue management system support.

Hello, I'm Graeme and I'm an art teacher.

Hello, I'm Steve and I'm an insurance broker.

Hi, I'm Pete and I'm a systems analyst.

So, Andrew, team, welcome.

-Hello.

-Good to see you.

Quizzing together for the first time, I understand.

-That's right, yeah.

-But cricket together quite a lot.

Oh, yeah. We've been members of the club for a long time.

I joined in the '70s and most of these guys

have been around for years.

And I gather you, Andrew, collect banknotes and coins.

I do, yeah, I've got quite a big collection.

I've done it since I was little boy. I've got quite a collection of

British imperial notes and coins from the heyday of the Empire.

Well, I hope you get a few more for your collection today.

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

Challengers. However, if they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to our next show.

So, Ware's The Door?, the Eggheads have won the last eight games,

which is good for you because it means

there's £9,000 says you can't beat them.

That's quite a lot of banknotes.

-That'll be good.

-Do you want to go for it?

-Absolutely.

-All right.

The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Arts & Books.

-Who would like this?

-I think it's me, isn't it?

Definitely you, Graeme. You ain't got a choice there.

Graeme against which Egghead?

Well, we talked about this, didn't we?

And we've decided it's going to CJ.

OK, you've got a plan here.

Is this like the batting order?

-Absolutely.

-Right.

Graeme from Ware's The Door?

bowling at CJ from the Eggheads who, in a couple of recent games,

has been showing signs of panic, I have to say.

It was one raised eyebrow.

They chose him, he raised an eyebrow, he got knocked out,

so there's a weakness there.

Please take your positions in our legendary Question Room.

So, good luck, Graeme, Arts & Books, and would you like to go first

or second against CJ?

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

OK, Graeme, here we go.

Which of these series of children's books

was written by Francesca Simon?

OK, so...

I can rule out...

..two of these - The Famous Five,

and I can rule out the Horrid Henry, I think. I'm a bit vague on that.

I don't actually know cos I've never heard of the author but I'm going to

plumb down the middle with His Dark Materials.

Now, I think that was Philip Pullman, CJ, was it?

-It is Philip Pullman, yeah.

-What's the right answer here?

-Horrid Henry.

-Horrid Henry, Graeme.

My girls aren't quite old enough for Horrid Henry yet.

CJ, the Jane Austen novel Pride And Prejudice

was first published in which year?

Jane Austen's dates are 1775-1817 and Pride And Prejudice

was published in her lifetime, so I will try 1813.

Yeah, meat and drink to you quizzers, that kind of question.

1813 it is.

-OK, Graeme, let's get you on the scoreboard.

-Yep.

"Between my finger and my thumb

"The squat pen rests, snug as a gun"

are the opening lines to which Seamus Heaney poem?

OK, I have no idea here,

so I'm going to have to have a stab-in-the-dark guess.

"Snug as a gun" makes me think there's something to do with death,

perhaps. So, as a result of that,

I'm going to guess at Death Of A Naturalist.

It does sound like it's that because of Naturalist and all that...

-But it's not.

-No, it's not, it's Digging.

All right. CJ, if you get this right, you're in the final.

Which of these Shakespeare characters is the King of Britain?

It certainly should be Cymbeline,

who's based on a real character. Erm...

Obviously not Hamlet.

Er...

Oh, why can't I think where Pericles is from?

Can't remember but I know it's based on a real character, so Cymbeline.

-Is he right?

-Yes.

You're right, CJ, Cymbeline it is.

Sorry, Graeme, not in the final, CJ is.

Come back to us and we'll play on.

So, as it stands, Ware's The Door?

have lost a brain from the final round,

the Eggheads have not lost one yet.

Let's play on and it is Geography now.

Who would like this?

That's for Adrian.

-Yeah, that's me.

-Adrian.

-Against?

-Lisa.

-Lisa.

We discussed this, yeah.

OK, so, Adrian from Ware's The Door?

versus Lisa from the Eggheads.

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

All right. Geography, Adrian - first or second?

First, please.

And here we go, good luck.

Spanish is an official language in which of these countries?

Er... Well, Canada

has French history and...

As Quebec shows, and official language is English.

Brazil - Portuguese, so the answer is Cuba.

Very good, it is Cuba.

Lisa, what is the capital of the Philippines?

So, Hanoi is Vietnam and Bangkok is Thailand,

so the capital of the Philippines is Manila.

Yes, Manila is right.

So, one each. Here is your next question.

Adrian, Robin Hood Airport serves Doncaster and which city?

Er... Liverpool is the John Lennon Airport, I think,

Birmingham International,

so I'd have to say the answer is Sheffield.

Impressive. Sheffield is right.

I think we've got a quizzer here, Lisa, don't you think?

Here's your question. Switzerland shares land borders

with how many countries?

OK, I think I can get to more than three...

France, Italy, Austria.

I don't think I could get to seven, although that's not a guarantee.

I'll say five.

Yes, five is the right answer, well done.

-OK, Adrian, get this one right, put some pressure on Lisa.

-OK.

What is the approximate distance as the crow flies

from London to Dublin?

From London to Dublin?

Correct.

Well, London to Birmingham is approximately about

120 miles and then...

120...

I'm going to have to guess on this and I will say 287 miles.

And you're absolutely right, well done.

287. OK, Lisa, your question to stay in.

Which of these Spanish cities is located on the coast?

I sort of vaguely think it's Salamanca but I'm trying to think

if there's anything more concrete from me to go on than that.

I can't even think where Zaragoza and Salamanca are.

I think I can rule out Santander.

But again, I only think.

Hands up. Salamanca.

OK. Adrian, do you know?

Yes, it's Santander.

-It is Santander.

-Oh, well.

If you're going to be wrong, be wrong with style.

Yeah, there wasn't even any doubt about it, so...

Sorry, Lisa, you've gone.

-That's all right.

-Adrian, well done, you're in the final round.

-Thank you.

-Is the tide turning for the Challengers?

Please return, rejoin your teams.

So, as it stands, Ware's The Door?

have lost a brain from the final round,

the Eggheads have also lost one and let's see where we go from here.

The answer is to Film & TV.

So, who would like this?

-Film & TV.

-Are you going to take it?

-Steve?

-Yeah, Steve's going to take it.

-Steve.

-OK, Steve, our insurance broker against which Egghead?

-Barry, please.

-So, Steve from Ware's The Door?

versus Barry from the Eggheads.

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

So, Film & TV, Steve, would you like to go first or second?

Can I go first, please?

OK, good luck to you.

Which of these TV shows began its 50th series in 2015?

I know that, erm...

Have I Got News For You does many episodes or series per year.

Call The Midwife is a bit more recent, as with Gavin And Stacey,

so I will have to go for Have I Got News For You.

Absolutely right, Have I Got News For You.

Barry, which of these sporting events

was broadcast live on the BBC in 2015?

Sadly, the BBC doesn't broadcast The Ashes any more

and I used to enjoy that.

But they always broadcast the London Marathon.

But is that live? Yes, it must be.

The London Marathon.

London Marathon is the right answer.

So, one each. Back to you, Steve.

Selina Waterman-Smith and Joseph Valente

found fame on the 2015 series of which TV show?

Now, this I really don't know.

I've got a feeling it's not The Great British Bake Off, erm...

I can't remember them appearing on The Apprentice, so...

Fingers crossed for The X Factor.

The Apprentice, Steve, sorry about that.

Barry, your chance to take the lead.

Michael G Wilson is best known as the producer

of which series of films?

I thought the producer of James Bond used to be Cubby Broccoli

though I'm not sure if he still does that

because I don't think he's with us any more.

Michael G Wilson...

I thought Star Wars was George Lucas but I don't know in these days.

I'll go for Harry Potter.

Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!

CJ's made a noise.

-James Bond.

-So, James Bond is the answer.

So you're still level.

OK, Steve, that was a let-off.

Emil Jannings was the first winner of which Academy Award?

Really do not have...

any idea at all.

Erm, I'm hoping that, erm,

Best Actor would be something I would sort of vaguely remember,

so I would have to go for Best Director.

It is Best Actor.

And who's our Oscar correspondent? When was it?

-1929.

-1929.

OK. Barry...

Who plays the character Lorne Malvo in the TV series Fargo?

This for the round.

I've never watched Fargo, though the film was absolutely superb.

Billy Bob Thornton seems to crop up in a lot of American TV series

but I'm wondering if he's in Fargo.

No, I'm going to go for Billy Bob Thornton.

He is in Fargo TV series, Barry. Well done, Billy Bob Thornton it is.

Sorry, Steve, you've been knocked out.

Well done, Barry, you'll be the final round.

So it was just nip and tuck there, Steve, wasn't it?

Yeah, not good enough, though.

All right, come back to us and we'll play on.

As it stands, Ware's The Door?

have lost two brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost one, though, and they could be wobbling.

Who knows? The next subject is History.

Who'd like this?

Probably the worst draw of this.

Yeah. What do you think?

I'll have to fall on my sword, aren't I?

-Do you want me to take it?

-No.

I'll fall on my sword if I need to, yeah.

Do you want me to take it?

Go on, you take it.

Are we going to gamble?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. I'll take it, Jeremy, please.

OK, Andrew, on History against which Egghead?

-Chris, please.

-OK, Andrew from Ware's The Door?

-versus Chris.

-Yep.

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

History, Andrew - first or second?

I'd like to go first, please.

And here is your first question.

Which of these revolutionaries was born in Argentina?

Well, Castro was a famous Cuban.

Erm, and Bolivar was South American but I don't think Argentinian.

I think it's Che Guevara, is the answer.

Che Guevara is the answer, well done.

Chris, which English king, born in 1738, is believed by some historians

to have suffered from the blood disease porphyria?

That was poor old George III.

George III is quite right.

OK, Andrew, in which ocean was the Marie Celeste found

completely deserted in 1872?

I'm not quite sure about this.

Generally, the rule is go for the biggest one, which is the Pacific.

However, something in the back of my mind is telling me that it was

in fact in the Atlantic.

I think it was the Atlantic.

Right, I'll go with the Atlantic.

Atlantic is the right answer.

Well done. And normally the Eggs, if they're uncertain,

they go Pacific. Not very scientific but it works.

Chris, your question.

The Brown Bess, first used by the British Army in the 18th century,

was what type of weapon?

Well, it's an early form of rifled musket, Jeremy.

Musket is right. You love a question like that, don't you?

Mmm, it's one I know.

Well done.

Andrew, the French military leader Ferdinand Foch

played a major role in which of these conflicts?

Well, the Peninsular War was Napoleonic,

Crimean mid-19th-century.

I think Marshall Foch was one of the French commanders

in the First World War, so my answer's World War I.

Very good. You're absolutely right, Andrew, well done.

Three out of three. Impressive.

OK, Chris, this to stay in.

In 1488, the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias

led the first European expedition around the southern tip

of which landmass?

He was the first one to round the southern tip of Africa.

Africa is quite right. So, three out of three for you both.

Sorry you couldn't shake him off there, Andrew. You did your best.

It goes to Sudden Death so I don't give you alternatives.

-It therefore gets a bit harder. Are you ready?

-Yeah.

Andrew, which Egyptian pharaoh is colloquially referred to

as King Tut?

-Tutankhamen.

-Tutankhamen is right.

Chris, who is the longest-reigning British monarch history?

Elizabeth II.

Correct.

Sudden Death. Andrew.

In which year of World War II did Singapore fall to the Japanese?

So, the Japanese joined the war in 1941 and I would think they probably

captured Singapore fairly quickly.

It would have been a major target. So, 1942.

1942 is the right answer, well done.

Chris, in the 15th century,

the dukedom of which Italian city-state was held by

the Visconti family and later the Sforza family?

Milan.

Milan is correct.

Andrew, in which city was President James A Garfield

shot by his assassin?

I suppose the obvious answer would be, er, Washington.

But was he, in fact, somewhere else when it happened?

Well, in the absence of

anything else coming immediately to mind, although there's something

niggling in my back of mind, I'll have to say Washington.

Washington DC is the right answer.

Chris, the archaeological site of Chavin -

C-H-A-V-I-N -

that has given its name to one of the earliest South American cultures

is in which modern country?

Mexico.

-Oh! You're out.

-Oh!

Peru is the answer. Well done, Andrew. Well fought.

So, on Peru,

Chris is tipped out and Andrew will be in

and it's time for the final, if you come back to us.

So, this is what we have 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 won't be allowed

to take part in this round.

So that's Graeme and Steve from Ware's The Door?

and also Lisa and Chris from the Eggheads.

Would you please now leave the studio?

Well, good contest so far and well-played to our Challengers

Andrew, Adrian and Pete, who've been just locked in

with the Eggheads here and holding them off.

You're playing to win Ware's The Door? £9,000.

Pat, CJ, Barry - you're playing for something that money 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 confer.

So, Ware's The Door?,

the question is, are your three brains able to defeat

these three here and reset the jackpot?

Andrew, Adrian and Pete, would you like to go first or second?

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

OK, good luck to the Challengers.

Here is your first question.

Who took over as the main presenter

of ITV's News At Ten in October 2015?

I'm pretty sure Bill Turnbull does the breakfast TV on BBC One.

He's BBC.

Eamonn Holmes does Sky, doesn't he?

-Breakfast.

-He does Sky.

So I think it's got to be Tom Bradby.

You sure? I only watch the BBC.

Yeah, we'll go for Tom Bradby, please.

Tom Bradby's quite right. Well done.

Eggheads, in which Liam Neeson film are the survivors of a plane crash

hunted by a pack of wolves?

-The Grey.

-Yeah?

-Mm-hmm.

That's The Grey, Jeremy.

The Grey is the right answer.

So, playing for £9,000.

Doing really well, Challengers.

Douglas Carswell won the only seat for which party

at the 2015 General Election?

-Ukip, isn't it?

-Ukip only won one, didn't they?

-It's Ukip.

-It doesn't sound...

-He's the one who won the...

-Only Green...

-Green party was...

-Was that not Brighton?

Lucas, wasn't it? Caroline Lucas.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-It's insane I don't know.

Carswell sounds Ukip to me.

Sinn Fein have got more than one.

Yeah, that's true, they have, haven't they?

They've got a few. Not many, but they've got a few.

Yeah. We're going to go for...

-Oh, sorry?

-No, it's Ukip.

We're going to go for Ukip.

It is indeed Ukip, yeah.

Eggheads, your question.

Which of these cricketers played his 100th test match

for England in 2014?

-Goodnight.

-Oh.

Oh, I really don't know this.

Ian Bell's been going a long time.

So has Matt Prior.

In fact, they all have.

Matt Prior has, I think, now retired. Not long ago.

Did he retire before the date on this question?

My gut feel tells me Ian Bell,

just cos I think he's been there the longest, but I'm not sure.

I think Matt Prior now runs a bicycle team.

Cycling, racing team.

I'm a bit worried about Matt Prior

but my slight inclination would be for Ian Bell.

But I am concerned that Matt Prior could be the answer.

I feel the same, my inclination's for Ian Bell.

There can't be much in it between the two of them.

Is that exceptional, 100 tests? I think it is. It's fairly...

It's quite a decent number, yeah.

Matt Prior has retired.

So, did he get to 100 and then retire?

But he didn't have as long a career before he retired as Ian Bell

still has, hasn't he?

Ian Bell's not been bat, hasn't he?

-Yeah...

-Medium bat.

And he's still playing, so it's...

-Stuart Broad's a tall, fast bowler.

-Yeah.

Could Prior clock up 100 tests before retiring?

Well, we're going to have come up with an answer.

I think Bell's in his early- to mid-30s,

-so he probably has been playing cricket long enough.

-Mmm.

-What do we feel?

-On the...

Simply because I think he's had a slightly longer career,

I would be very slightly inclined towards Bell,

but that's simply cos I've got nothing on Matt Prior.

I'd be inclined towards Bell, but...

OK, we're a bit worried here, Jeremy, we've got problems.

We don't want to do with Matt Prior.

But I think we're going to go for Ian Bell.

OK, Ian Bell is your answer.

Well, you're cricket fans, are they right?

I'm afraid they are, yeah.

Yeah, you are right.

-Well done, guys.

-And what about Matt Prior?

After 79 test matches,

Matt Prior retired in 2014, but he was the wrong answer there.

Ian Bell. Ah.

OK, well, no problem cos you're still absolutely level.

This is a real game of nip and tuck here.

Here's your third question. Get this right,

you may not have to do any more for the £9,000.

What was the first name of Mr Otis, the inventor who developed

a safety device for lifts?

-Have you got an inkling there?

-Well, I don't know, I don't know.

I just... I was reading something or other a little while ago.

Elisha Otis, I mean, that...

I'm leaning towards that.

Yeah, that's what I thought when they first came up.

And then I saw Sidney at the end, I thought, "Sidney Otis."

I think it's Elisha Otis.

Yeah, Sidney Otis doesn't sound right, does it?

It'd have been a strange parent to name him that.

It's not an American name.

Otis was an American.

-Was an American...

-Yeah.

..inventor, manufacturer.

Because the Otis Elevator Company, lift company, is American.

I personally think it's Elisha.

Well, I think we're two thirds of the way there, aren't we?

Well, we don't know, to be honest, Jeremy,

but there's niggling feelings about Elisha, so we'll go for that.

You're definitely good quizzers, no question about that.

Have you got it right, though? Have they got it right?

-Yes.

-Yes, it is Elisha, well done.

-Get in!

-Three out of three, get in!

OK, Eggheads, if you get this wrong,

the contest is over and they've won £9,000.

Which of these elements was discovered in 1952

by Albert Ghiorso and his co-workers in debris

taken from the first thermonuclear explosion?

Well, I don't think it was Californium.

I think that was one of the ones that Seaborg...

-Oh, OK.

-..invented.

That's why the named it Californium.

Discovered, maybe.

Well, discovered, yes.

I have the tiniest of inclinations towards Einsteinium.

But I've no...

I've substance at all, really.

Well, I've always said I will take your tiny inklings

over my certainties.

I really don't know between the other two.

I don't do much about them, I'm afraid.

I've a minute inclination for Einsteinium.

Was Einsteinium named during Einstein's lifetime, do you think?

As an honour to him.

-That's a tricky one, isn't it?

-Mmm.

Cos usually they're named after people that have died.

No, there's only been one element that's been named after

a living person and that's Meitnerium.

-And then seaborgium.

-Then seaborgium afterwards, so...

The naming doesn't have to coincident with the discovery.

In fact, there's generally quite a delay.

It could actually have dragged on until after Einstein died.

They take quite a while to name elements.

They could have taken four or five years,

Einstein would already have been dead.

Fine, let's go for Einsteinium, then.

-Fine.

-We're at sea here.

We're going to throw our lot in with Einsteinium.

Einsteinium is the right answer.

-Ooh.

-Aw. Dear me.

Good quizzing there, Eggheads.

OK, we're on Sudden Death now.

£9,000, we're playing for.

Here's your question. I don't give you alternatives.

Which hyphenated word meaning "to watch a large number

"of television programmes, especially all the shows

"from one series in succession", was chosen in 2015 by

the Collins English Dictionary as its word of the year?

Well, a whole series of programmes is box set.

No, it's not...

It doesn't sound right, does it?

-No, it's not box set.

-Well, box set, is it hyphenated?

-It is, isn't it? Box set, a box set.

-I think it is, yes.

If you turn it into a verb - to box-set, I box-set.

I don't think it's box set, though,

cos that's an existing term for a collection of work.

Yeah, but we're talking about viewing the things...

-Mmm.

-So, I'm going to...

You know, I'm box-setting.

Sit there watching it.

That's fine, but can we think of anything else

which it's more likely to be?

Well, what do you do when you sit and watch back-to-back shows?

Series-watch?

No, it's not really, cos it doesn't necessarily have to be

a whole series of one programme, does it?

-No, it's not.

-It could just be watching...

-Star Wars or James Bond in one go.

-What about gogglebox?

-That's one word.

-OK.

Are we going to go for box set?

In the absence of anything else, I can't think of anything else.

In the absence of anything else, Jeremy,

I think we've come down on box set.

Yeah, as in a verb "box-setting".

I follow that completely and very, very close,

but it's not the right answer. Binge-watch.

Binge-watch, oh!

You were so close.

So, it hangs by a thread now.

If they get this right, the contest is over.

"Something for something" is the English translation

for which well-known Latin phrase?

-Quid pro quo?

-Presumably.

-Must be quid pro quo.

It's something in exchange for something else.

That's what it means, you get something in exchange

-for something else. Has to be.

-Surely.

-So the phrase is quid pro quo?

-Quid pro quo.

We're going for quid pro quo.

The correct answer is quid pro quo.

We say, "Congratulations, Eggheads, you have won."

That was brilliant. You guys were brilliant.

Particularly Andrew against Chris in...in that round.

Yeah, really, really amazing.

You, as well, Adrian. Oof!

We were on the edge there on two questions.

You were being pushed hard there cos if you'd just got

Einsteinium wrong...

-But so close. Hope you enjoyed it.

-Definitely.

I know it's a painful thing but you've given us a good quiz today.

Thank you so much. Thank you so much.

Commiserations to Ware's The Door?

I was going to say the Eggheads have done what comes naturally.

You made heavy weather of it today but this winning streak continues

and it's pretty impressive now.

It does mean that the Challengers are not going home with the £9,000 -

we will roll that money over to our next show.

Eggheads, very well done.

Who will beat you?

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

have the brains to defeat Eggheads.

£10,000 says they don't.

Till then, goodbye!