Episode 73 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. Here they are, the Eggheads.

-In all our glory.

-In your glory!

My goodness. And wearing darker shades today.

-Yes, indeed.

-Is that to look even more dangerous?

You said the last time we looked menacing

-so we thought we'd continue that theme.

-You've got it.

Hoping to get one over on our quiz champions today are The Manor Boys from London.

This team met at Eton Manor Rugby Club and they've been friends

for over 30 years.

-Let's meet them.

-Hello, I'm Jeff. I'm a chartered financial advisor.

Hello, I'm Curtis. I'm a local government officer.

Hiya, my name's Alf. I'm a retired fireman.

Hi, my name's Mike. I'm an IT director.

Hi, my name's John.

I'm a company director.

So, Jeff and team, great to see you.

Welcome. Tell us about the rugby club first, Jeff.

The rugby club was started in the 1920s by an old Etonian who decided

to help East End children with sport.

And over the years, those sports have gradually...

although they were together at one time, they have now gradually gone their separate ways.

The rugby club is now sort of thriving and we were based

-where the Olympic Park is now.

-Oh, yeah.

We're now based in East London, Wanstead,

and we've got four senior teams

and we've got teams from under fives to under 17s.

And you play now still?

-Erm...

-Or the playing days are over.

Playing days are over, I think, now, but, yeah.

So you're training others and teaching...

I coach, yeah. I coach now.

OK, wonderful. Well, hard tackling from this lot today.

-I promise.

-Yes, a bit scary.

So don't give them any quarter.

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 the next show.

So, Manor Boys, the Eggheads have won the last two games,

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

Would you like to give it a go?

-Yes, please.

-Fantastic.

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

-So, who would like this?

-All right.

-Who do you think?

-Are you going to have a go?

Do you want me to do that? Yeah. OK.

-Who are you going to go against, mate?

-Who do you think?

-Is it going to be Mike?

-Yes, Mike.

Which Egghead...

..has not been reading?

-Yeah, OK.

-Going for Judith.

I'd like to play Judith, please, Jeremy.

Good stuff. So it's going to be

Mike from Manor Boys versus Judith from the Eggheads on Arts & Books.

I know that'll please Judith.

Yes, I like Arts & Books.

To ensure there's no conferring,

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

OK, Mike, Arts & Books, against our own Judith, and would you like to go

-first or second?

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

Good luck. Who wrote the comic novel Puckoon,

set in an Irish village and first published in 1963?

Is it...?

I believe that's Spike Milligan, Jeremy.

Yes, it is Spike Milligan. Well done.

Good stuff, Mike. First one to you.

Judith,

the official title of the Philip Larkin poem that ends

"Get out as early as you can and don't have any kids yourself."

Is This Be The what?

Verse, Law or Truth?

I know how the first line, too, but I can't say it before the watershed.

Not without being told off.

This Be The Truth.

It must be, isn't it?

-Oh, Judith.

-Oh, no.

Oh, Judith, Judith.

-What?

-This Be The Verse.

-This Be The Verse, oh.

-Yeah.

-But it could be any of those.

-OK.

Or not Law, maybe, but...

No, it was... There we go.

OK. You're in the lead, Mike.

The subtitle of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein

is The Modern what?

I'm not too sure, Jeremy, but I'd like to go for Theseus, please.

We'll see if Judith knows this one.

I think it's Prometheus.

Prometheus is the right answer.

Can someone explain? I've never understood the reference.

Well, Prometheus stole fire from the gods in Ancient Greek mythology and

Frankenstein has sort of stolen...

created, ie stolen from God, life, so he's the modern Prometheus.

-I see, right.

-He doesn't get his liver pecked by an eagle.

Frankenstein the inventor is almost becoming God.

He's stolen life, basically.

Yeah. So sorry, that was wrong,

Mike, and back to Judith.

Which fictional detective created by Dorothy L Sayers marries a woman

called Harriet Vane? Is it...?

Well, Hercule Poirot is Agatha Christie.

I'm not sure who Albert Campion is, I hope he's not Dorothy L Sayers,

but Lord Peter Wimsey is definitely Dorothy L Sayers, so I say him.

Lord Peter Wimsey is correct.

OK, Mike. Level.

See if you can get this one right.

The Kunsten Museum of Modern Art

is a leading art museum in which European country?

Is it Austria, Belgium or Denmark?

It's K-U-N-S-T-E-N, by the way.

Thank you, yeah.

I'd like to go for Denmark, Jeremy.

Some sighs at this side.

-Austria.

-Austria.

-Austria.

Austria, they all say. Nope, they're all wrong, you're right, Mike,

-it's Denmark.

-Oh, wow.

Well done. OK, Judith, this to stay in.

A lost play called No Villain, by which American playwright,

was performed for the first time in London in 2015?

Oh, dear. I don't know, I missed that.

No Villain.

I really don't know.

I'm going to say Arthur Miller and just hope.

Arthur Miller is correct.

Phew.

So, Mike...

-Yep.

-Two each after three questions.

You're going to Sudden Death now.

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

The term "bowdlerize",

meaning to remove parts of a work regarded as indecent,

comes from Thomas Bowdler,

who published edited versions of output by which writer?

I don't think I know this one, Jeremy,

but I'm going to go for Martin Amis.

It's William Shakespeare.

-Oh.

-Judith.

Sudden Death. In which modern-day country was the Renaissance artist

Albrecht Durer born?

Germany.

Germany's the right answer. Sudden Death, you got it.

-Sorry, Mike.

-Thank you very much.

Knocked out by our Egghead and, Judith, you will be in the final.

Please come back to us and we'll play on.

-Judith, well done.

-Thank you.

And I can tell you now, officially, you have won 599 head-to-heads.

Oh, I thought you were going to say the 600.

No. So we'll probably have a round of applause on the 600.

-Tomorrow!

-Could be tomorrow, could be in a few days' time - who knows?

-You genuinely look excited.

-I am excited. It's a milestone.

The great news is that the records of the head-to-heads that you've

lost have been lost.

-Been expunged.

-We don't know what...

-It doesn't matter.

-I'm very glad to hear that.

Certainly lower than that number, so well done.

-Brilliant.

-Thank you.

As it stands, The Manor Boys have lost a brain,

the Eggheads have still not got any, thanks to Judith,

they're all five there.

And the next subject for you is Geography. Who would like this?

Who are you thinking?

-It's got to be John.

-Yeah.

-John? I think John's our choice.

-Well done, mate.

-OK.

-Lisa.

-Yeah.

-John?

-OK.

-Yeah.

OK, I'd like to go with Lisa, please.

-Yay!

-The Geography thing is really... It's interesting,

isn't it? Something's going on with Lisa and Geography.

OK, but she's a good player.

But John from The Manor Boys versus Lisa from the Eggheads,

please go to the Question Room.

John, I see you're described as a thrill-seeker.

-A little bit, yeah.

-What was the swing in Durban?

It was a big swing in the football stadium there that's a bit redundant

now, so they've made a massive swing out of it and I did it with my two

sons. They sort of sprung it upon me at the last minute, so...

So you mean you swing on a kind of trapeze, do you?

No, no, it's... You're basically at the top of the stadium and then they

-just chuck you off.

-Oh, right.

Yeah. It's quite breathtaking, the first bit,

and then once you're swinging it's actually quite enjoyable.

But the first bit is like you're stepping into an abyss.

So, Geography, John - first or second?

I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

Here is your first question. The Hansaviertel, or Hansa Quarter,

is a locality of which European capital city?

I'm not 100% about this one but it sounds like a German name, Hansa,

so I'll go with Berlin.

Berlin is right,

"viertel" meaning quarter.

Lisa. The Sahel is the name of a semi-arid region in which continent?

It's S-A-H-E-L.

Down the road from the Sahara, maybe?

Where it goes full arid.

I don't know. Try Africa.

Africa is right, well done.

John. Which of these island groups

is part of the British Indian Ocean territory? Is it...?

Well, it's definitely not the Falkland Islands. Erm...

Comoros or Chagos.

Erm...

Chagos sounds like a...

more of an Indian word, so I'll go with Chagos Islands.

Chagos is right. Well done.

OK, Lisa, your question.

What type of climactic condition is known as the tramontane

or tramontana in different European countries?

Tramontane...

See, I thought it was a wind.

That could just be what's blowing through my brain.

Erm... Better go with the first thought and say wind.

Wind is right. Playing well, Lisa.

John, in which US state is the Yazoo River?

Not sure about this one, but...

I don't think it's in Mississippi.

Erm...

I've been to California a few times and I don't remember seeing a river

called Yazoo.

Erm...

I'm going to go for Montana, just first...

first thought that's all.

Yeah, other end, actually - Mississippi.

-Oh, OK.

-Yeah.

Lisa. So, this for the round.

Which African country's name means "land of worthy men"?

Hmm.

"Land of worthy men".

Now, if I was going to pick one purely on the language...

..I would say Tanzania.

I can't make a case for it being

the other two and I kind of like the fit of it better with Tanzania.

It's not a guarantee.

I don't know, I'll say Tanzania.

On the basis of what, that "tan" means worthy men...?

I don't know, I just think it's kind of a better fit than the other two.

"Land of worthy men". No, it's Burkina Faso.

-Interesting.

-OK, John,

you've held Lisa off, but you're level after three questions.

-We go to Sudden Death.

-OK.

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

Here we go. The Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi,

the Beas and the Sutlej are notable tributaries of which Asian river?

This is a wild guess, it may not even be a river's name - the "Tima".

No. Anyone know this?

-Indus.

-Indus.

-Indus.

-I think the five you named are the five rivers of the Punjab.

They're the five rivers of the Punjab, OK.

Thank you. So, Lisa, this for the round.

In which South American country is the North Yungas Road,

recognised as one of the world's most dangerous roads?

Yungas, Y-U-N-G-A-S.

It doesn't matter how you spell it, Jeremy,

I ain't going to get any closer.

It's a straight one in 12, or is it 13, guess. See, I can't even

remember the number of countries in South America!

All over the place today.

I don't know, pick a dangerous one.

Erm, Colombia.

-Bolivia.

-Oh, well.

John, which volcano is sometimes known by the nickname El Popo?

Erm, is it Pompeii?

No, erm, it's Popocatepetl in Mexico.

-OK.

-OK, Lisa, this for the round.

Which Yorkshire town was historically known as Pomfret?

Please tell me that's Pontefract.

Pontefract is quite right. Well done.

-Lisa, you've taken the round.

-Well done, Lisa.

John, you've been knocked out by our Egghead and therefore won't be able

to help your team in the final.

More rounds to play, though. Please return to us.

So, Jeff and team, you're two brains down.

I guess that's a scrum collapse.

-No.

-You need to try and pull something out of it now.

The Eggheads have not lost any brains and our next subject is

Food & Drink. Who would like this?

-Go on, Alf.

-That's you.

-Go on, Alf.

-Yeah? Me and my brother know everything about Food & Drink.

-You and your brother?

-Yeah, me and my brother know everything about

-Food & Drink.

-Is he here?

-No, he's not.

-Oh, OK.

-Unfortunately!

Well, I hope I don't give you his questions.

Who would you like to take on?

-Just pick who you want.

-I'll go with Pat, please.

So it's going to be Alf from Manor Boys versus, as he's known,

the Silent Destroyer, Pat from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions in our Question Room.

So, Alf, you are a retired firefighter.

-Yeah, that's right.

-And what made you choose this subject?

Just, someone who gets to this size

has got to know a little bit about Food & Drink.

I didn't notice you were any size at all!

-You charmer.

-Food & Drink.

Alf, do you want to go first or second?

I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

OK, here is your question.

Good luck. You can by all means ring your brother.

-Yeah, I will.

-Often served with a beef filling,

what type of food is kummelweck?

OK, well, I know meat and vine leaf in Greece is dolmas.

I don't think it's pineapple fritter.

Erm... Sounds a bit Russian.

Erm... I'd go bread.

Bread is right. Nice one.

Pat, which British chef appeared at number 21 on the 2015 Forbes list of

the world's highest-paid celebrities?

Gosh, well done.

They're all, erm...

chefs who've had success over several years.

Of the three,

I think Jamie Oliver has had a whole sequence of blockbuster books,

and I think that, allied with his restaurants and his TV work,

might just give him the edge, so I'll go for Jamie Oliver.

Oh, but you're wrong.

-Oh!

-It's Gordon Ramsay.

-Oh, well.

-So this is good, Alf, for you.

-Yeah.

Here's your question. Keep the advantage.

The wheat grain freekeh is particularly associated with the

cuisine of which part of the world?

Freekeh is F-R-E-E-K-E-H.

Ah, erm, not sure.

South America, Oceania,

I don't even know whether they're able to grow wheat over there.

Erm... I'll go

South America, please, Jeremy.

Just a guess.

-It's wrong, it's the Middle East.

-Ah!

-Actually,

I thought you were going to get it cos you said, "South America

"and Oceania, they don't grow wheat there." I thought, "Ah,

-"you've got it."

-Yeah, just talked myself out of it.

Oh, never mind. So, Pat, your question.

Melktert, which translates as milk tart,

is a traditional dessert of which country?

It doesn't sound particularly Costa Rican.

Milk tart, would you make that sort of thing in the tropics?

Although I could see it being either South African,

Afrikaans, or Norwegian.

Melk. It could be either.

I'm going to have to say South Africa.

Yep, South Africa it is.

Melktert.

So you're equal.

And it'd be good to get this one, Alf.

Dumplings known as cepelinai, which translates as zeppelin,

are a national dish of which country?

Cepelinai is spelt C-E-P-E-L-I-N-A-I.

Erm, dumplings, cepelinai...

To me, Jeremy, I'm going to go Poland. It's the first thing that

came in my mind when I see them. Poland, please.

Challengers? No?

Lithuania.

Cepelinai. All right, Pat, you can take the round with this one.

The larvae of which creatures

make up a central part of the Mexican dish escamoles?

-Escamoles.

-I've occasionally seen lists of the world's most startling

meals on the internet, and I think escamoles pops in every now and

again, along with the old hakarl, fermented shark,

and the casu marzu from Sardinia, the cheese with the flies in it.

I think escamoles actually sounds rather nicer,

and I think they're ant larvae.

Ant larvae is correct. You've taken the round, Pat.

Sorry, Alf. Ah, Lithuania!

And he got one wrong at the start so there was a little chance there,

-wasn't there?

-Yeah, I talked myself out of it.

Sounded too easy, South America.

Yeah. Don't worry, come back to us and we'll play on.

OK, tricky times on the pitch for The Manor Boys.

They've lost three brains from the final round,

the Eggheads have still not lost one.

And the next subject is Sport.

-I reckon this is good for you, isn't it?

-Hope so.

-It's got to be good.

-Hopefully.

-Jeff or Curtis?

-That'll be me.

-OK, Jeff.

-Thank you.

Against which Egghead? You could have either Chris or Barry.

I think I'll take on Chris, please.

So, Jeff from The Manor Boys versus Chris from the Eggheads on Sport.

-Happy days.

-This is getting predictable, isn't it?

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

So, Jeff on Sport, would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

And here is your first question.

Which country's sporting hall of fame includes the Don Award,

which honours the country's most inspiring sportsperson of each year?

I don't know the answer to the question.

The only thing I can think of is...

..Don Bradman and I'll go for Australia.

Australia is correct.

Chris, in 1995,

which British former Formula 1 world champion was unable to start

racing until the third race of the Formula 1 season due to the fact

he was unable to fit in the cockpit of his car?

Well, James Hunt and Damon Hill were both slim chaps.

Nigel Mansell did put a lot of weight on,

so I have to say Nigel Mansell.

Nigel Mansell is right.

OK, Jeff, which football manager managed the Scottish national team,

Manchester United and Derby County in the 1970s?

Erm, I don't remember Ally MacLeod managing Manchester United or

Jock Stein, so I'll go for Tommy Docherty.

Yeah, Tommy Docherty's quite right.

Chris, in 1962,

who became the first NBA basketball player to score 100 points in a single match?

Ah. Well, Michael Jordan's a lot more recent than that.

I don't think it's Larry Bird. I think it was Wilt Chamberlain.

Well done, Chris, Wilt Chamberlain is right.

All right, so, your third question now, Jeff.

See if you can get this one right and put some pressure on Chris,

The Big Man, The Locomotive.

Which jockey rode Classic Cliche, Shantou, Scorpion,

Sixties Icon and Conduit to victory at the St Leger?

Horse racing is not one of my specialist subjects, I'm afraid.

Erm... So as a complete guess I'll go for Pat Eddery.

No, it's Frankie Dettori, I'm afraid.

Chris, you have the advantage, then, if you get this right.

In 2014, James Graham was named as the captain of the England team

in which sport?

Not rugby union.

I think even I would've heard of him if he had been.

Erm... Have we got a national hockey team?

No, I'll say rugby league.

Rugby league. If you have this right, you're in the final round.

Do you know if he's got it right, Jeff?

I wouldn't have thought rugby league, I'd've thought hockey,

-but...

-Anyone on your team?

We was all thinking hockey.

The answer is rugby league.

Chris, you're in the final.

Sorry, Jeff, beaten by our Egghead.

But if you both return 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.

So that's Jeff, Alf, Mike and John from The Manor Boys.

I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave the studio.

Well, good luck, Curtis. I know it wasn't supposed to come to this,

but we had a win with a solo player just a few days ago.

And you're now playing for £3,000.

Lisa, Pat, Judith, Barry and Chris,

you're playing for something that money can't really buy -

you want to restore the Eggheads' reputation.

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.

-No.

-But, Curtis, the question is,

can you with your one brain defeat these five?

And would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

Good luck. Which presenter and DJ created the annual event known as

Carfest, with all proceeds going to Children In Need?

I know Chris Evans is a car nut, so I'm pretty sure.

Chris Evans.

Yeah, I went to one of them. It was brilliant.

Chris Evans is the right answer.

Eggheads, the children's TV series

Balamory is set on an island in which country?

Sounds Scottish to me.

-Yeah.

-Well, that sounds so Scottish that it can only be Scotland.

Scotland is right.

Narita International Airport is located, Curtis, in which country?

Narita.

It's spelt N-A-R-I-T-A.

Erm, definitely not Greece.

Sounds Japanese.

I'm going to discount India.

-Japan.

-Japan is right.

Two out of two. The boys behind you are happy.

Eggheads, to catch up, Message In A Bottle,

A Walk To Remember and The Notebook are novels by which American author?

Well, eliminate Kathryn Stockett cos she's The Help.

Don't think it's Suzanne Collins.

I'm pretty sure it is Nicholas Sparks.

I thought Suzanne Collins did the...

-Hunger Games.

-Hunger Games, yeah,

so it doesn't sound like her sort of thing.

-I don't think she...

-Kathryn Stockett did The Maid, didn't she?

-The Help.

-The Help, sorry, yes.

I've got The Notebook and Nicholas Sparks hooked up in my head.

I don't think we can make a case for it being Suzanne Collins.

Is everybody happy with that?

Yeah.

OK. Well,

we know Suzanne Collins was The Hunger Games

and Kathryn Stockett was The Help, so on that basis we're going

to go for Nicholas Sparks.

Yep, not a simple question but you're quite right.

Nicholas Sparks it is.

Two each.

Now, this could be crucial.

Get this one right and you never know,

panic may be sown amongst the Eggs.

In Hollywood film-making, Curtis,

the Richard Farnsworth Awards are awarded in which area?

The Richard Farnsworth Awards.

Can't be make-up.

Erm... I know

stunt work comes up quite a lot in quizzes, but...

I'm attracted to it, but...

Could be lighting.

I'm going to say Rich...

Dick Farnsworth might have been a stuntman, so I'll say Lighting.

Richard.

Because he might have been a stuntman?

Richard sounds more of a lighting man.

Oh, I see what you mean - Dick Farnsworth is a stuntman,

Richard would have been lighting.

OK. Oh, you've gone the wrong way!

-Ah.

-Stunt work.

-Oh... What a shame.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-He was one of the great stuntmen of the golden age,

-Richard Farnsworth.

-What did he do?

Well, Yakima Canutt was the other great stuntman.

He did a lot of the spectacular stunts when everything had to be done live.

So, third question, Eggheads.

If you get this right, the contest is over.

Who is the Italian composer of the opera La Forza Del Destino,

which translates as The Force Of Destiny?

-Verdi?

-Verdi's Force Of Destiny.

-Definitely.

-Yeah, I think so.

-The overture playing in my mind as we speak.

-Isn't that the one

that's incredibly unlucky and there's all sorts of things

associated with the playing of the overture?

I think there've been problems...

-I think you're right there, there is something.

-Yes.

Anyway, not the question.

Anyway. Force Of Destiny is indisputably by Verdi.

The answer is Verdi.

We say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

Ah, it's that third question.

-Yeah.

-It so often happens.

And it happens to them as well. Sometimes on the third question,

if you get yours right and then there's panic and all sorts.

I over-thought it, yeah.

Anyway, commiserations to Curtis and The Manor Boys.

The Eggheads have just started to get into their stride again and they

reign supreme over quizland.

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

so the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, very well done.

Who will beat you? Join us again next time to see if a new team of

Challengers have the brains to defeat those pesky Eggheads.

£4,000 says they don't.

Till then, goodbye.