Episode 65 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.

Taking on our awesome quiz champions today are...

Now, this family team

quiz together every Tuesday at the Baydale Beck pub in Darlington.

Let's meet them.

Hello. My name's Len and I'm a retired sales manager.

Hi, my name's Mark and I'm a retired sales manager.

Hi. My name is Claire. I'm a primary school teacher.

Hello. My name's Laura. I'm an arts assistant.

Hello. My name is Linda.

I'm a retired librarian.

So, Len and team, welcome. Good to see you.

-ALL:

-Hello.

Tell us about the pub, Len. It sounds like a lively place.

It's a beautiful place.

It sells very excellent beer.

And food. And there's a place for the children to play.

It's old but it's quite tidy.

And I gather you accumulate quite a lot of money quizzing at this

pub, is that right?

Yes, we have done in the past.

We usually have a big party at Christmas with it.

We go out, all go out together and have a party.

This year has been a slow year.

But we're hoping things will improve today.

They love to have a quizzing team in.

So they'll be made up, the Eggheads, with this.

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, Quislings, I can tell you they've won the last two games.

Which means £3,000 says you can't beat them.

-Would you like to try?

-Certainly.

-Yes.

All right, the first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Music.

Who would like this?

-Laura.

-I think it's Laura.

-We're looking at you.

-Is that me?

I think it's got to be you.

Right. OK.

-Go for it.

-Laura.

Which Egghead would you like to take on?

-Chris?

-Chris.

-Should we try Chris?

First up, Chris.

Yeah, fair enough. Yeah.

OK, Laura from the Quislings versus Chris from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring,

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

Music, Laura. Would you like to go first or second?

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

OK. We crack on. Good luck, Laura.

Who was the lead singer of the 1980s band Culture Club?

I'm pretty sure it wasn't George Michael or George Harrison.

My answer for that one is Boy George.

Boy George is right.

OK, Chris.

The leading player in each section of an orchestra is normally

referred to by what name?

You get a principal violin, don't you?

So it's principal.

It's principal. Well done.

Laura.

The brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zac

formed which popular US pop rock band in the 1990s?

Um...

I don't think it was New Kids On The Block. And...

I'm hoping it was Hanson.

Yes, it was Hanson.

Well done.

OK, Chris, your question.

Which of these artists had eight singles in the UK top 40

in November 2015, breaking Elvis Presley's record?

Ooh.

Artist, singular.

So it's not One Direction cos there's more than one of them.

Justin Bieber has a lot of vociferous fans.

But I don't think he'd had eight in the chart simultaneously.

So I'll say Ed Sheeran.

THEY GROAN

We've got everyone going, "Ooh."

Make that noise again, Eggs.

THEY GROAN

It's like cows.

They make a kind of mooing noise.

Justin Bieber, Chris.

Laura, your question.

For the round. Which US rapper-turned-actor

was born Tracy Lauren Marrow in 1958?

This is a difficult one for me.

Um...

I'm not hot on the rappers.

But because I know him more than anybody else, I'll go for LL Cool J.

Let's see if your team know. Any ideas?

I think it's Ice-T.

I think the oldest one there is IceT. Yeah.

Ice-T is the answer.

-So, you have a chance, Chris.

-Mm.

Get this right, make it equal.

Which rock singer has been nicknamed The Demon of Screamin'

for his wide vocal range?

Would that be Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses?

Nice idea but no. Steven Tyler is the answer.

Well done, Laura.

You're in the final round.

Chris's single point wasn't enough to get him into the final.

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

The Quislings have not lost any brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost one.

Early days. The next subject is Politics.

Who would like this?

-I think that would be me.

-Dad, I think you would like that.

-Len, don't go just yet.

-No.

-Who would you like to play, Len?

-Lisa.

-You'd like to play Lisa?

-Yeah, I like Lisa.

-Because you like her.

-THEY LAUGH

-Just pick then.

-Go for it.

-Two singers, I think.

-Excellent.

-Cos you're a singer too.

-I am, yes.

Yeah. So Len from Quislings versus the other singer from the Eggheads.

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

Len, you once sang a duet with Engelbert Humperdinck.

-I did, yes.

-Tell us about that.

I was resident singer/compere in a nightclub in Darlington.

Engelbert, or Gerry Dorsey as he was then,

used to come and do the cabaret.

He heard me sing and he said, "Len, I'd love you to sing with me."

So we got up on stage and we did a jazz hour.

And every time he came after that, we used to sing duets together.

Anything in particular you remember singing with him?

You Came A Long Way From St Louis was one of his favourites.

That's great. On Politics, do you want to go first or second?

First, please.

OK, here we go with your first question.

What term was coined for David Cameron's plan to give

English MPs a veto on laws affecting England?

Um, I'm not really sure on this one.

On laws affecting England.

Um...

I'll discount VEVO, I think.

I'll go for the centre. OVOE.

Let's see. It's tricky, this one.

Team, do you know?

-Not really sure.

-No.

-Could it be VEVO?

-I'd have thought VEVO.

No, it's English votes for English laws. EVEL.

-Ah.

-Mm.

Ah!

OK, EVEL is the right answer. Lisa, onto you.

For what does the S stand in the name of the parliamentary body IPSA?

Let's see. I bet the IP is something like Independent Parliamentary.

Um...

I'll go for Standards.

Yeah, Standards is right.

Independent Parliamentary Standards... Association?

It doesn't sound right, does it?

-It's nearly as good an acronym as EVEL.

-Authority, I think.

Authority.

OK, Len.

What name was given to the bus journeys in the US Deep South

in the 1960s undertaken by activists

protesting against racial segregation?

Freedom Rides.

Yes, Freedom Rides is the correct answer.

Well done.

Lisa.

What was the former profession of Joseph Estrada,

elected president of the Philippines in 1998?

Um, right.

There are plenty of Estradas out there who are actors.

But I don't know if it translates...

..in this case.

Plenty of Filipino boxers.

Um...

I don't know. Best guess. Actor.

He wasn't the guy in CHiPS, was he?

Erik Estrada.

THEY LAUGH

-Actor's right though.

-Hey.

-Well done.

So she's in the lead, Len.

And it means you need to get this one right.

"A revolution is not a dinner party"

is a quote attributed to which 20th century political leader?

Mm.

Another tricky one.

I would go for...

Fidel Castro.

Let's see if the Eggheads know. Is he right?

I don't know. I'd be tempted by Mao Zedong but I don't know.

Yeah, it was Chairman Mao.

-Mao Zedong.

-Oh, dear.

The first answer, Len. Sorry, you've been knocked out by Lisa.

Please, both of you, return to your teams

and we'll see what happens next.

So, level pegging.

The Quislings have lost one brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have also lost a brain.

And the next subject is Arts & Books.

So which of you would like this?

-That was going to be me, wasn't it?

-I'll take that one.

-I'll take that one.

-OK, Claire.

Against which Egghead, Claire?

Who would you like? Any of the three in the middle, basically.

I would like to take on Pat.

OK. So, Claire, our primary school teacher, from the Quislings,

versus Pat, known as the Silent Destroyer...

THEY LAUGH ..from the Eggheads.

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

-Claire, you're a primary school teacher?

-I am, yes.

Tell us about that.

I teach ten-year-olds and love it.

And you once starred in a cowboy-themed music video.

I did. Yee-ha. I did. Written by my dad. I was the love interest.

-OK.

-It didn't end well for me, unfortunately.

All right. Hopefully this will.

-Yeah, I hope so.

-Arts & Books.

Do you want to go first or second against Pat?

I'd like to go first, please.

Here is your question.

What is the title of the second volume of JRR Tolkien's

fantasy novel The Lord Of The Rings?

I remember watching the films and being, "They're very long."

I think I might have fallen asleep in them.

I'm going to go for...

..The Two Towers.

I'm glad you did. You're right, Claire.

Well done. The Two Towers.

OK, Pat, your question.

Which of these lies 528 steps up from ground level

at St Paul's Cathedral in London?

Um...

There's quite a lot of steps there.

Would it be up at roof level and dome level?

If you're at roof level, you could easily be at...

Could be Golden Gallery.

Could be a circular walkway around the inner side of the dome.

If you're that high up, I think

you're probably higher than a porch would be.

I don't think Silver Verandah is very tempting.

I'm going to have to go for Golden Gallery.

But I'm in the dark here, really.

No, you've done well. Golden Gallery.

Claire.

"This was the noblest Roman of them all"

is a quote about which character from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar?

I'm going to go for Cassius.

I don't think it's Brutus, cos I don't think he was very noble.

He wasn't known for his nobility.

So I'm going to go for Cassius.

Let's check with your dad. Len?

I think it's Brutus.

-It is Brutus, actually.

-Ugh.

OK, Pat.

Drypoint is an old-fashioned method used in which artistic discipline?

-Drypoint.

-Drypoint. One word.

I think you could probably convince yourself

of each of these answers in turn.

But I think I have a memory...

of it being back in the Renaissance and Middle Ages.

I think it was an extremely skilled way of painting,

where you had a little silver nib.

And you sort of scratched on a canvas.

And people like Durer were masters at it.

But it was exceptionally difficult.

I'm not certain of this but I think it's painting.

OK, interesting.

-Cos it's funny...

-Oh. I've had a second thought.

That's silverpoint, I think.

I think I've gone astray.

No, you have gone astray. The answer is engraving.

And I wonder whether actually your answer was correct

but the outcome was wrong.

Because what you described was engraving there, really.

There's a thing called silverpoint that Durer did.

And he had a little silver nib.

It was painting. But drypoint, it would appear, is engraving.

Yeah. Engraving is the answer.

So...

we go over to you, Claire.

See if you can take the lead.

By what name was the well-known 18th century actress

Margaret Woffington popularly known?

Margaret Woffington... I...I think... I don't think it's Peg.

She sounds like she'd be quite refined

and glamorous for an 18th-century actress.

So I don't think she'd be called Peg.

Or Bab. I don't think that she'd be called Bab.

So I'm going to go for Moll.

It sounds more fitting of that time and era.

OK, Moll Woffington.

Let's just check with the Eggs. Is she right?

Peg is the diminutive form of Margaret. So I'd have gone for Peg.

All right. Sorry, Peg is the answer.

Pat has a chance to take the round.

Which broadcaster made his fiction debut in 2015 with

a collection of short stories entitled Those Were The Days?

Mm. My first thought was Terry Wogan.

But I may mull it over for a moment.

I think I remember something about Terry Wogan

venturing into the book world.

So I'll go for Terry Wogan.

Terry Wogan. If you've got this right, you are through to the final.

Pat, it is Terry Wogan. Sorry, Claire.

Knocked out by Pat, who'll be in the final round.

Please return to you teams.

OK. So it's looking more difficult for the Quislings now.

They've lost two from the final round.

The Eggheads have just lost the one.

And the last subject before the final is Geography.

Who would like this?

-Mark, that's going to be you.

-I'll take that, yes.

OK, Mark against which Egghead?

-CJ or Barry?

-CJ.

-CJ.

-They're both brilliant.

-I'd say CJ.

CJ.

Mark from the Quislings versus CJ from the Eggheads.

Please go to our Question Room.

OK. So it is Geography. Would you like to go first or second?

Can I go first, please, Jeremy?

Here we go with your first Geography question, Mark. Good luck.

The Highland Boundary Fault traverses which constituent

part of the United Kingdom?

I don't think it would be England.

I'm going to go Scotland.

Scotland is right.

CJ.

Into which inlet of the North Sea does the Great Ouse flow?

The Solent's not in the North Sea.

The Wash.

Yeah, not bad for an English geography question.

You're right there.

OK.

Your question, Mark.

Also known as the Istranca,

the Yildiz mountain range is located in which of these countries?

Hmm. Not too sure about this one.

Um...

Not too sure if it's Turkey or Georgia.

I'm going to go down the right. I'm going to go Romania.

Let's see if CJ knows.

-I think it's Turkey.

-Turkey is the answer, Mark.

OK.

CJ has a chance to take the lead.

By what name was the disputed region of Western Sahara formerly known?

I haven't actually come across this name but it was...

..part of Morocco, which is French.

Um...

I haven't actually come across this particular name for it.

But seeing as it was a disputed part of Morocco,

which is now in the southern part of Morocco on the Atlantic coastline,

I'll have to assume it's French Sahara.

OK. Eggheads?

-Spanish Sahara.

-It's Spanish Sahara, CJ.

Mm-mm.

Interesting.

That's a little bit of a let-off there, Mark.

Here is your next question.

Which country's national flag features a nutmeg symbol

on its hoist side?

Again, not sure on this one.

Nutmeg. Where would you get nutmeg from?

Don't think it's Granada.

I'm going to go Madagascar.

-It is actually Granada.

-Urgh.

-I said Grenada.

-Grenada, sorry.

I don't know. Maybe it's Granada.

-That's the answer.

-OK.

-Granada, Grenada.

Sint-Pieters railway station is the main terminal in which Belgian city?

HE CHUCKLES

I've absolutely no idea.

I've been to both Ghent and Bruges, but not by train.

I don't know this but principal, you said.

You did say principal railway station?

-The main terminal.

-Main.

Sounds to me like it would have more than one, perhaps.

And I believe the largest of those places is Ghent.

So that's the one I'll try. I'll try Ghent.

Ghent is correct.

CJ, well done.

-Sorry, Mark.

-OK.

-Knocked out.

-Yep.

-Tight round, but you were beaten by our Egghead.

Come back to us and we will play the final round.

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.

That is Len, Mark and Claire from the Quislings,

but also Chris from the Eggheads.

Would you please now leave the studio?

So, Laura and Linda, you are playing to win the Quislings £3,000.

Lisa, Pat, CJ and Barry, you are playing for something

that money can't buy - the Eggheads' precious 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, Quislings, the question is -

can your two brains defeat these four...

in a spectacular way? I do hope so.

Would you like to go first or second?

We'd like to go first, I think, wouldn't we?

-Yeah.

-First, please.

Here we go with your first question.

What slang term is often used to describe an unscrupulous

operator in business?

-Cowboy.

-I think it's cowboy.

We'll go for cowboy, Jeremy.

Cowboy is the right answer.

OK, Eggheads.

According to the saying, what does a bad penny always do?

-Turns up.

-An easy one.

-Mm-hm.

A bad penny always turns up.

It always turns up.

OK. Back to our Challengers.

The festival of Diwali is celebrated in Hinduism, Jainism

and which other religion?

Oh, dear. I knew it was Hinduism.

I'm not sure which other one though.

You wouldn't think it would be Buddhism, would you?

-That's...

-I think it's Sikhism.

-Yeah.

-Do you?

-That's what I would have said.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Do you want to go for that?

-Yeah.

We'll go for Sikhism, please, Jeremy.

Good play. Sikhism is quite right.

Well done.

OK, here's your question.

Eggheads.

Morten Olsen's 15-year tenure as manager of which national

football team ended in 2015?

Morten Olsen's a Norwegian name, surely?

I would've been inclined to go for Norway on the name.

But I don't actually know.

Could be a Danish name as well.

His name's the only thing

we've got to go on, I think.

Morten sounds Norwegian

but Olsen sounds a little more Danish, doesn't it?

Morten Olsen, I don't know.

I'd have a marginal preference for Denmark but I don't know.

Denmark have been more

successful, haven't they?

Slightly, yeah.

So I'm just wondering...

Does a more successful club have a longer stay with the manager?

That's what I'm thinking.

Do they reward a longer tenure?

If he's more successful, do they reward him with a longer tenure?

-We don't know.

-We don't know. Denmark?

-I'll go for Denmark.

-Fine, OK.

It's very speculative.

I'd still have gone for Norway

but I'll listen to you guys.

As you've gathered, Jeremy,

we haven't the slightest

clue about what the answer is.

Scandinavian football is not a

topic that I regularly follow.

But we've all decided to make

our play and go for Denmark.

-OK, Denmark.

-Come what may.

This gentleman played for the national team.

More than 100 appearances.

He was also born in the country that is the answer.

So he's very much from that country.

And the answer is Denmark.

Oh.

OK, obviously his fame does not

extend beyond Denmark.

LAUGHTER

So, two each.

Get the third one right, put some pressure on these Eggs.

See if they crack.

Which of these creatures has the scientific name

Micronycteris megalotis?

Micronycteris megalotis.

There's no clue because they're all small.

-Yeah.

-In some way or another.

-Yeah.

-Lesser, dwarf and little.

So it's the Micronycteris megalotis.

-That sounds like a little big-eared bat.

-Yes.

-That's what I was thinking.

-Megalotis.

-Is that going to be our answer?

-Is it?

-Yes.

-We could change our mind three or four times and still be wrong.

-No.

Going on the language, as far as we can tell,

we think it's the little big-eared bat.

Yeah, it's very good quizzing cos micro and mega

give you little and big.

So little big-eared bat is quite right.

Three out of three.

Woo!

Let's see, Eggheads.

Are you going under again?

Which US astronaut undertook an historic space walk

on June 3rd, 1965?

-PAT, CJ AND BARRY:

-Edward White.

Edward White's known for his space walks, yeah.

McDivitt has the lower profile.

John Young has done everything.

But I don't think he did the first.

I'm sure Edward White is the first.

-Are we happy with Ed White?

-Yeah.

We believe Ed White was the first American to walk in space.

So, Ed White.

Impressive. Very true.

You're right. Well done. Edward White.

All right, three each in the final round. We go to Sudden Death.

I don't give you alternatives.

Which classic Hollywood film was based on the unproduced stage play

Everybody Comes To Rick's?

-That must be Casablanca, isn't it?

-Hmm.

-What do you think, Laura?

-Yes. We'll go for that.

Do we need to think more? Or shall we just...?

-I can't think of any other Rick's.

-No.

Casablanca.

Casablanca is correct.

-Yeah.

-Yay.

-Well done.

It was dismissed by the script-reader for Warner Bros,

who said it was hokum. BARRY CHUCKLES

It became a brilliant film.

All right, Eggheads, if you get this wrong, it's over.

The taka - T-A-K-A - is the monetary unit of which South Asian state?

-Bangladesh?

-I would have said Bangladesh.

Everybody happy with that?

- Yeah.

The taka is used in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh it is. Sudden Death.

Here is your question, Challengers.

In which year was the Kyoto Protocol on climate change

initially ratified?

-Hopeless on years.

-Yeah.

Absolutely hopeless on years.

Let me think.

Did David Cameron go there? That would give us a start.

Was it him? Kyoto?

-I don't know.

-Was that the one before or after the one in...

..South America?

-It would give us a narrower...

-I know. It would.

-It would give us a narrower...

-Yes.

I'm thinking it wasn't too long ago, was it?

No.

Four years, five years.

They've just had another one, haven't they?

They've had another one.

So is there a period between, usually?

Four years is sometimes...

It would fit, wouldn't it?

-Shall we go with that theory and say...

-2011?

-2011.

-We have to give something.

-Yes.

We've nothing to work on. We don't know. So we're going to say 2011.

You're quite a way out, actually.

Eggheads?

-My initial thought was '97. But I don't know.

-CJ is right.

-'97. '97.

-Well done. We didn't know at all.

Didn't come into effect till 2005.

So, Eggheads have a chance to finish the contest.

Of which national daily newspaper

was Lloyd Embley appointed editor in 2012?

It's not the Mail cos that's still Paul Dacre.

-It's not the Guardian, is it?

-No.

-Independent?

-Is Rusbridger still there?

-I think Rusbridger's still there.

-He's still there.

To be honest, I actually thought it was a tabloid.

-But I don't know.

-The Mirror is beginning to ring something.

As soon as I heard the name, I thought it was a tabloid.

But I don't know.

Anybody got any other ideas?

I've no strong alternatives to present, no.

Shall we go for the Mirror?

We don't know it, do we?

This is another one we don't know.

But we'll put our fingers up in the wind and we'll go for the Mirror.

The Mirror is the right answer.

Oh, CJ.

Mirror is the right answer. Daily Mirror.

Well done, Eggheads. You've taken the contest.

We say congratulations, you have won.

-Commiserations, Quislings.

-Never mind.

I thought you actually did so brilliantly there

that you were going to overwhelm them. So, bad luck.

They have done what comes naturally to them

and reign supreme over Quiz Land. No question.

I'm afraid it means you won't be going home with the £3,000.

So the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, very well done.

I wonder when you will be beaten.

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.