Episode 80 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. Feeling brave today, Eggheads?

-Always.

-OK.

Hoping to get one over on our quiz champions are the

Alderley Wizards, from Cheshire.

This team of friends are all committee members of the

Alderley Edge Festival,

one of the longest running music and drama festivals in the UK.

Let's meet them.

Hello, I'm Anna, and I'm a singing teacher.

Hello, I'm Jonathan, and I'm a retired headmaster.

Hello, I'm Maria, and I'm a photographer.

Hello, I'm Steve, and I'm a management consultant.

Hello, I'm Annabel, and I'm a speech and drama teacher.

-So, Anna and team, welcome. Good to see you.

-Thank you very much.

-Are you happy to be here?

-Oh, yes, very happy.

Despite these five we've brought into the room.

-They look quite friendly.

-They are friendly at the moment,

that will change when the questions start. Tell me about the festival.

Well, it's, as you said,

one of the longest running festivals in the country.

And we are shortly to put on our 100th festival.

And so we have done all sorts of special events,

-and this is one of those special events.

-OK.

-So that we can tell you all about it.

-Good.

And so it's drama and music and books, is it?

It's not books, but it's music, it's vocal and instrumental music,

and it's speech and drama. And we have about 2,500 contestants.

-Right.

-In a week.

You also, I know, Anna, have been in The Phantom Of The Opera.

-I was, yes. For two years, in Manchester.

-OK.

-And what were you playing?

-Carlotta. The opera singer.

And which of these was the Phantom?

Because I'm assuming one of the three gentlemen in the middle.

Not if you've ever heard them sing, Jeremy.

-They could qualify possibly.

-They might.

We'll see what happens in this contest and then maybe decide later.

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, Alderley Wizards, the Eggheads have won the last nine games.

So they're on a roll now.

And that means £10,000 says you can't beat them.

-Would you like to try?

-Yes.

-We'll have a go.

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

Who would like Science?

-We think that will be Steve.

-Steve, OK.

-And against which Egghead? Anyone of the five.

-Who do you want to pick?

-I think probably Judith.

-We'll go for Judith, please.

OK, so it's going to be Steve, on Science, from the

Alderley Wizards, versus Judith from the Eggheads.

-I think you like Science, don't you?

-It depends.

Birds and bees and plants and animals and things.

-Periodic table, no.

-Periodic table is my nemesis.

OK, well, let's hope for lots of questions on that. Sorry.

To ensure there's no conferring,

would you please take your positions in our Question Room?

Steve, is there a reason you were chosen for Science?

Well, I've got a biochemistry degree, which I got quite

a few years ago, so hopefully I can remember a few things.

-So you actually wore a white coat?

-I did, actually, for about five years, yeah.

So let's see how you do against Judith.

She has a reputation for knocking out scientists on Science.

-So, knocked out a ballistics missiles expert, I think.

-A rocket scientist.

-A rocket scientist, yeah.

-Really, well, let's see how we go.

OK, good luck, Steve. Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

And here we go with your first question.

Which of these astronomical terms is the collective name given to

all existing matter, energy and space?

Is it...

Well, it's not the solar system.

Um...

I'll say the universe.

It is, universe is everything. Nothing left out. Judith.

The ulnar nerve, often called the funny bone,

is in which part of the human body?

Judith, is it the...

It's your elbow. It's in the arm.

Arm is the right answer, Judith. You're playing well.

This kind of form that you knocked out the rocket scientist.

OK, Steve.

What is often said to be the world's largest tree dwelling animal?

Is it...

Well, I don't think it's the tree kangaroo.

It's the sloth or the orang-utan. Um...

I'll go for sloth.

-Let's see if Judith knows.

-Well, I'd have thought orang-utan.

-Just because it's bigger than the sloth?

-It's a big thing.

Yeah, it is, sloth is incorrect. It's orang-utan.

Judith, your question to take the lead.

Which of these dinosaurs was one of the heaviest and tallest of

the sauropods?

Is it...

I'm very bad at dinosaurs. I don't know.

Well, the fierce one was the Tyrannosaurus rex, and in all those

films he runs like the clappers, so not necessarily the biggest one.

-I think I'm going to say the brachiosaur.

-OK.

-When you said the Tyrannosaurus rex runs very fast in films...

-Yes.

How did that help you get to the right answer, I'm just intrigued?

I was just thinking if it was the biggest, it wouldn't run so fast.

-I see what you mean, yes.

-Because it's too bulky.

-Yeah.

-Brachiosaur is correct.

-Oh.

I'm sorry, you're up against her on a very good day here, Steve.

-Oh, dear.

-So your third question is a bit crucial here.

You must get it right.

As most isotopes of uranium decay,

they change their atomic composition,

finally becoming which other element of the periodic table?

Is it...

That's a very good question.

It's definitely not potassium, I don't think.

I'm going to go for lead.

Lead is right.

Well done, there you are, you had your white lab coat on for that one.

So, Judith, if you get this right, you will be in the final.

If not, we go to Sudden Death.

The argali, native to Central Asia,

is the largest wild species of which animal,

sometimes reaching heights of 1.2 metres?

Argali is A-R-G-A-L-I. Is it...

-And it lives in Asia?

-Central Asia.

-Central Asia.

Oh, so on a steppe or a... Something like that. In a desert.

Well, I think it's probably a sheep or a goat in that case.

-I think it might be sheep.

-What tells you it's sheep?

-Because there are lots of sheep?

-Yes.

LAUGHTER

-You've got it right, Judith, it is sheep.

-Oh, gosh.

There we are, sorry, Steve, she's outquizzed you slightly there.

-She's very good.

-Yeah, biochemist gone. On the Science round.

Judith victorious and in the final.

Please, both of you, return to us now.

So, the Alderley Wizards have lost one brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have not lost any yet. The next subject is Film & TV.

You're very cultural, so that's good. Who would like this?

-We think that's Maria.

-Maria. Against which Egghead?

-Um, oh, I think I'll take Chris, please.

-Sure thing.

He'll be pleased it's not Sport.

So, Maria from the Alderley Wizards plays Chris from the Eggheads

on Film & TV. To ensure there's no conferring,

would you please take your positions in the Question Room?

-I gather you got a metal detector for Christmas, Maria?

-I did, yes.

And you went treasure hunting with your son?

We did, we went to Formby Beach and it was my son, really,

he deserves the credit for it. He found a coin very quickly.

And when we looked online,

we discovered it was from about the end of the 14th century.

-Oh, right, so you made a proper find.

-Yeah.

Cos there's a TV series called The Detectorists, isn't there,

which is all about people with metal detectors?

-It's still as in vogue as ever.

-Absolutely. It's really great fun.

Film & TV. Maria, would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first.

So, here we go, good luck, Maria and the Alderley Wizards.

What is the villainous Ultron in the 2015 film

Avengers: Age Of Ultron?

Is it...

I think...

It sounds more like a robot. I don't know, so I'll go for robot.

-I'm glad you did, it's robot, well done.

-Thank you.

-Chris.

In which city was the TV drama Shameless set?

Was that Shaman, as in...?

-Shameless.

-Shameless. Oh, that's Manchester.

Manchester is right, well done. OK.

Maria, which British actress plays the role of Rey,

that's R-E-Y, in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

OK, I know this one. I hope.

I think it's Daisy Ridley.

You've had quite a lot of futurama in your two questions, haven't you?

-Daisy Ridley is right, though.

-Great.

-Nice one.

British actress as well. OK, Chris.

Who plays the title role in the TV comedy series Toast Of London?

That is Matt Berry, Jeremy. Very funny he is too.

Is it funny, this programme?

It's funny in an off-the-wall sort of way.

OK! Matt Berry's right.

So, Maria, back to you.

Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney wrote and starred in which TV sitcom,

first shown in 2015?

I don't think it was Car Share, because that was Peter Kay.

I don't know the other two.

So I'll have to take a guess.

Mr Sloane.

No, you've gone the wrong way, Catastrophe, it was.

Your third question, Chris, to take the round.

"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12.

"Jesus, does anyone?"

Is a famous quote from which film?

I think that's a quote from Stand By Me.

-Chris, you're right, it is Stand By Me. Sorry, Maria.

-He's very good!

He is very good, in truth, he is.

He does himself down.

-But it means Chris is in the final, and sadly not you.

-Never mind.

Please, both of you, return to your teams,

rejoin them and we'll see what happens next.

Well, the Alderley Wizards have lost two brains.

And the Eggs have not lost one, so far.

Can you change that with the next round? It's Food and Drink.

Who would like this, Anna?

Annabel, I think.

Annabel?

OK. Against which Egghead, Annabel?

Can be Lisa, Pat or Barry.

-Barry.

-Barry.

-I'll have Barry, please.

Annabel from Alderley Wizards, versus Barry,

known as the Brain from the Eggheads.

-Although whether the Brain and Food and Drink go together, I don't know.

-Well, we shall see.

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

Annabel, are you a Food and Drink person?

I like cooking.

I don't know, really!

That's good, but it's a funny old round this,

because it can go all over the world.

Yes, and I'm not particularly well travelled,

so it might not go in my favour.

Well, it's bit of a lottery, Food and Drink.

Do you enjoy playing this one, Barry?

I really do, because you never know what will come up in this round.

Famously, when you play Geography, you've been to every answer.

Is this one where you've eaten every answer?

I've eaten a fair few of them, I think!

OK, Annabel, Food and Drink. Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

Here we go. What type of food is a John Dory?

I know this one, actually. It's a fish.

It is indeed a fish, well done.

Barry, the snack called the pretzel

was originally made on which continent?

A pretzel is indisputably European.

Yes, you're right.

Pretzel, Europe, correct.

Annabel, which of these words

is typically used when referring to the mixing of cocktails?

I don't know this one at all.

So it will just be a guess.

I think muddling has a feel of mixing about it,

so I'm going to go for muddling.

-Is she right, Barry?

-She is indeed.

Yeah, that's right, I didn't know that either. Muddling is right.

It's not quite the same thing as the James Bond,

shaken not stirred, Barry, is it?

"No, I'll have mine muddled."

-Excellent guess there.

-Yeah.

OK, Barry, your question - what type of salad is typically made

with lettuce, cheese and croutons,

and served with a creamy sauce containing anchovy?

A Greek salad will always have feta and tomatoes in,

so it's not that.

And a Waldorf salad will have apples and walnuts in,

so I think that's a Caesar salad.

Caesar salad is right.

Yeah, well done.

Annabel, which Indian side dish

is traditionally made with yoghurt and cucumber?

We love Indian in our family, we often have a takeaway on a Friday.

I think I know this, I think it's raita.

Yeah, it is, that lovely cucumber raita.

Well done, you've got it, three out of three.

So, Barry, to stay in - what is the surname

of the sisters Jessica and Melissa,

authors of the cookbook, The Art Of Eating Well?

Haven't a clue.

Haven't a clue. Jessica and Melissa?

This is an out-and-out guess, I shall go for Hemsley.

Hemsley is the right answer, Barry.

Oh, I'm sorry about that!

Well you should apologise.

OK, equal after three, Annabel. We go to Sudden Death now.

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

You're playing well. Here's your question.

The three key ingredients of lemonade are

lemon juice, sugar and what else?

Need to think about this very carefully.

I think water, I would say water.

Perfectly right, well done.

Might be fizzy, might not be.

Barry, to stay in -

the porridge known as hominy grits comes from which country?

If you eat grits and hominy, you're in the southern states

of the United States, so America.

-Correct. USA. You've been there, obviously?

-Yes.

-You've eaten grits?

-I have. I have eaten it once and never again.

It's horrible!

-It's slightly like polenta, actually, isn't it?

-Yeah.

So, Sudden Death. Back to you, Annabel.

The American scientist Loren Cordain

is associated with which popular diet?

I've no idea about this at all.

Just trying to think what would be popular in America?

Maybe something like...

That one from California, the South Beach Diet?

Barry, do you know this?

I don't know, was it the GI Diet?

-No, a bit more recent, the Paleo Diet.

-Ahh.

So the situation is this -

Annabel's got one wrong, and Barry,

if you get this, you're in the final.

Elizabeth Gwynne was the maiden name of which British food writer?

Barry?

Elizabeth...

It would be Elizabeth... I should know this.

I'm wondering if she's the women who introduced

Mediterranean cuisine to us.

Elizabeth David?

The correct answer is Elizabeth David.

Very good quizzing by you, Barry, there.

Sorry, Annabel, knocked out.

But just by the skin of your teeth. Please come back, we'll play on.

As it stands, the Alderley Wizards

have lost three from the final round.

The Eggheads have not lost any.

They're starting to swagger a bit, and it's time to stop them.

This is the moment to step on the gas.

The next subject is Politics.

Will this be the moment it turns around?

-Who would like this, Anna?

-It's going to be me, isn't it?

-I think Jonathan.

-Are you going to take it?

-I think it'll be me.

Jonathan, retired headmaster - sounds promising. Against?

I don't mind. Lisa?

Why not, give her a run out.

So it's Jonathan from the Alderley Wizards

against Lisa from the Eggheads, on Politics.

Please go to the Question Room.

On Politics, do you want to go first or second, Jonathan?

I think, please, if I may, I'll go first.

Here is your question - what name is typically given

to the open sessions MPs hold in which they answer questions

and listen to the concerns of their constituents?

I think the answer to that is surgeries.

Surgeries is right.

Lisa, what name is typically given

to the vehicles that ferry party leaders around the country

during a general election campaign?

I was waiting for party fun bus, but perhaps not.

Are they battle buses? Battle bus.

Yeah, battle bus is right.

OK, Jonathan, your question -

the Democrat congressman, Thomas Philip O'Neill Jr,

who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives

from 1977 to 1987, was commonly known by what three-letter nickname?

The name Tip O'Neill seems to be fairly familiar.

I'm going to go for Tip.

Yeah, Tip O'Neill is quite right.

Lisa, your question - who became the

leader of the British Labour Party in July 1992?

So, '92, July 1992.

So, May 1992, coming off the back of a nasty electoral defeat.

And I assume that spelled the end of Kinnock's time, I think...

Yeah, it's pre-Blair, isn't it?

If you switched John Smith and Tony Blair around,

you'd be in the right order.

It's John Smith.

John Smith is correct.

OK, back to you, Jonathan, for three in a row.

Which man, sometimes referred to as the first American,

was the oldest man to sign the US Constitution?

I think it was George Washington.

George Washington is your answer.

Let's check this out with some Eggheads,

because it's an important question.

-Help us here, did they all sign it?

-They all signed, yes.

They all signed, there's no stray answers there.

Benjamin Franklin wasn't allowed to write it, because they were

scared that he would put in jokes, and they didn't want that.

Washington was the first person, and then Jefferson...

-I think it's Franklin.

-I think it might be Franklin.

Jefferson, surely, if he was President after Washington,

would be younger.

That's all I was thinking.

Was Franklin President or not?

-No, he was never president.

-Right.

-The answer is Benjamin Franklin.

-Oh, no.

You've gone astray. Lisa, your question.

To take the round - until 1998, what phrase was uttered in the

UK Parliament to order members of the public to leave the galleries

of the House of Commons so that the chamber could sit in private?

You see, I've been in the House of Commons prior to 1998,

and I don't remember this.

I'm sort of inclined to discount I spy strangers,

just doesn't sound quite right.

I'll give spies must leave a go.

Spies must leave.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

OK, I've got it, Jeremy, I'm wrong.

Barry?

-I spy strangers.

-I spy strangers!

What a ridiculous thing to say!

I knew I should have gone on the stupidity principle!

It's been abolished now, but it was, for a long time,

that's what they said. She's let you off the hook there, Jonathan.

We go to Sudden Death, as you're equal after three.

Gets a bit harder, I don't give you alternatives,

here's your question, Jonathan.

The Elysee Palace is the official residence

of the President of which country?

France.

France is right.

Lisa, in May 2015,

who succeeded William Hague

to the honorific title, First Secretary of State?

I thought that was the thing they wrapped up with the Prime Minister's

title, but maybe that's first secretary of something else.

Or is it Osborne?

Is something else wrapped up with the Chancellor that they...?

Yeah, I shall consider myself defeated.

And say David Cameron.

It is an absolute stinker of a question. Do you know, Jonathan?

-No, I don't.

-I don't know if anyone in the country knows.

-Is it George Osborne?

-You think it's George Osborne?

-You're absolutely right.

-Aargh!

The one I couldn't remember that's wrapped up with the Chancellor!

You drifted so close to it, but, of course,

-William Hague wasn't Chancellor.

-No, of course, he wasn't.

So there's no necessarily logical thing there.

I should have got that, because I knew there was something else wrapped up with Chancellor,

and I couldn't remember what it is. Never mind, poor guessing.

Tough one. George Osborne is right,

Lisa, you're gone.

Jonathan, you're in the final.

If you come back to us, we will play that final round.

We've got a bit of information on the Americans,

after I racked my brains.

And the dates are very interesting here, Kevin would know these.

Benjamin Franklin, born in 1706.

And then, George Washington, born in 1732.

And Jefferson, 1743.

So, as we thought, Jefferson was the youngest.

But you can see from that just how old Franklin would have been.

And at that point, George Washington is in his 50s.

And dear old Franklin is in his 80s.

We're learning stuff, every day here.

It's amazing. Sometimes several times a day.

This is what we've been playing towards, the final round,

which, as always, is General Knowledge.

But I'm afraid that those of you who lost your head-to-heads

won't take part in this round.

So, that's Maria, Steve and Annabel from the Alderley Wizards.

And also Lisa from the Eggheads -

would you please now leave the studio.

Anna and Jonathan, you're playing to win the Alderley Wizards £10,000.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

Pat, Barry, Chris and Judith, you're playing for something that

money can't buy - which is to keep this amazing roll going and

to keep the Eggheads' reputation nice and shiny.

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

This time, they're all General Knowledge,

you are allowed to confer.

So, Alderley Wizards, the question is,

can your two brains beat the Eggheads' four?

And how nice to have a married couple doing it as well.

Would you like to go first or second?

We're going to go with the trend,

and we're going to go first, thank you.

OK. Anna and Jonathan, General Knowledge, here we go.

First question - The Boys Of Summer

was a UK hit single in the 1980s for which American singer?

All right, so this is where we say we probably don't know

Tom Petty and Don Henley.

And the rest of the country takes a sharp intake of breath.

But we do know Bruce Springsteen, so we'll try him.

I am sorry, it is Don Henley who did The Boys Of Summer.

Ex of the Eagles, less well-known as a solo artist,

I think we could say.

Eggheads, Sam Billings and James Vince

made their England debuts in which Sport in 2015?

Doesn't ring any bells for me.

-Doesn't ring any bells with football.

-In which year? In 2015?

-2015.

-Doesn't ring any bells for cricket.

Rugby union's probably got a bigger pool of players.

Rugby union, when was the World Cup?

Was there a big rugby union thing in 2015?

There was the World Cup. So they had a big squad.

Have they played much since?

I don't think they've played very much at all.

-Maybe it was rugby union...?

-They've got a new coach in, he's going to...

People don't make debuts in football, do they?

I mean, they creep in quietly, make their name, then become famous.

England were working their way through

the European Championships qualifying,

they had a lot of successive wins.

-Shall we try rugby union?

-I think rugby union.

I think we have to go with rugby union.

-I think rugby union's the best bet.

-Yep.

Rugby union?

Well, we're mystified here, these chaps have sneaked past us entirely.

We think it could be rugby union.

Rugby union is your answer. Let's see if you guys know.

-We thought rugby union.

-We thought rugby union.

-Well, I do.

-Right.

OK, everyone is wrong.

The answer is cricket.

-Oh.

-Oh.

Well, apologies to those two gentleman.

Not often the Eggheads get their first question wrong.

That is a great let-off

for you guys, so you're back level.

Here's your question, second question, £10,000 we're playing for.

Which African country has borders with Guinea and Senegal?

Is it...?

Well, I think Benin is a bit higher.

-I'm not sure about...

-And I think Guinea-Bissau is further away

-and, therefore...

-Think it's Gambia?

..we're going to go for Gambia.

OK.

We've decided on Gambia.

Again, another tricky question here.

Gambia, Eggheads?

Well, the Gambia is a strip of land

which surrounds a river

but it's entirely contained by Senegal.

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

And Benin is on the West Coast, somewhere between Nigeria and Ghana,

so I think it's Guinea-Bissau.

-Guinea-Bissau is the one.

-Right, OK.

Guinea-Bissau.

Right, Eggheads, see if you can get one right here.

Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill! and Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls

are films directed by which man?

I don't know.

-Sounds like Russ Meyer, doesn't it?

-Mm-hmm.

-I don't know on this one.

-I don't know.

They're all sort of B-movie type directors.

Well, it sounds like typical Russ Meyer's stuff,

-rather bizarre films.

-OK. Yeah.

OK. We think that's Russ Meyer

or "May-er".

Russ Meyer, you sound uncertain there, Eggs.

Well, the Eggheads have got it right

and it is Russ Meyer.

So, maybe stabilising a bit here.

It does mean you need to get this question right.

Third question, Challengers.

In the British peerage system, which is the lowest of the five ranks?

-Yes.

-Baron.

-Baron.

We think it's baron.

-Baron is right. Well done.

-Got one.

Anna and Jonathan, good.

Friendlier question than the Don Henley. OK.

So, Eggheads, get this right and the contest is over.

Get it wrong, we go to Sudden Death.

Here we go. The London bell known as Big Ben chimed for the first time in which year?

Is it...?

No.

-1859.

-1859.

Absolutely.

When the Houses of Parliament were being built.

After the fire.

-Everybody happy with that?

-Mm-hmm.

-So, 1859, yeah?

-Mm-hmm.

We think that's 1859.

1859 because there was a big rebuild because it was burnt down.

Because it had been burnt down, yes.

Oh, what an unusual final round.

Eggheads, 1859 is correct.

We say congratulations, you have won.

APPLAUSE

Commiserations to you.

-Never mind.

-Never mind.

-We've had a nice day.

Well, that's good and, you know, these questions are so random at the end there.

-Well, very nice to see you and I hope you've enjoyed it.

-Yes.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

This roll continues.

I'm afraid it means that you won't be going home with the £10,000,

so the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, congratulations.

I don't think you will ever be beaten.

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

to defeat the Eggheads.

£11,000 says they don't.

It's going up and up.

Till then, goodbye.