Episode 85 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 here you are assembled, ready for battle.

-Ready.

-Indeed.

-Eggheads Assemble. I like the sound of that.

-Could be a film.

-That's what I was thinking.

Who would play you, Dave, in a film?

Dave Benson Phillips.

OK. Sounds like a good quiz answer.

Taking on our awesome quiz champions today are...

..from London. Now, this team of friends all know one another

through Acorn Lawn Tennis Club in Edgware.

Let's meet them.

Hi. I'm Matthew and I'm a retired IT specialist.

Hello. I'm Valentin and I'm a classical concert pianist.

Hi. I'm Derek. I'm a retired IT professional.

Hi. I'm Howard and I'm a pension fund advisor.

Hi. I'm Jeremy. I'm a coach hire operator.

So, Matthew and team, welcome. Thank you for coming.

-Thank you.

-And no tennis rackets today.

-No. Just our brains, hopefully.

-HE LAUGHS

So, tell us how you all know each other.

Well, three of us are members of the club.

-The other two are neighbours of the chairman of the club.

-Right.

And tell me about the club itself. What sort of a place is it?

It's a smallish club. We like to think it's friendly.

It's in Edgware, North West London.

We've got six courts.

Artificial grass, actually,

which means that we can play on it most weathers.

And you've got an unusual surname, which is R-O-O-U-M.

-Very unusual.

-Now, the Eggheads, they love an unusual surname.

-Where did the U come from?

-Probably just...

-It's Rooum?

-That's right. Well, it's pronounced room...

-Yes.

..but the U slipped in some time many, many moons ago.

I have traced it back as far as 1790 -

my great-great-great- great-grandfather -

because people keep telling me

perhaps it's Dutch or something like that.

-Yeah. Any Eggheads heard of a Rooum?

-No.

-Is there a Rooum in our quiz answers anywhere?

-No. No.

It does sound Dutch.

I mean, it sounds like the most likely, doesn't it, Rooum?

Well, if the Eggheads haven't heard of one, there isn't one.

You know, that's the law.

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, Acorn Antiques, our tennis playing quizzers here,

the Eggheads have won the last 14,

so that means there's £15,000 that you're playing for today.

-Mm.

-Wow. Very good.

-So, upside, lots of money.

Downside, they've got a bit of a swagger about them.

-Would you like to get cracking?

-Of course we would.

The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Food & Drink.

-Who wants this?

-Oh, right.

-Whoa.

-Derek, I think.

-Yeah.

-It's Derek.

-You're going to have to do it.

-OK.

It looks like it's going to be me, then.

OK. Retired IT professional against which Egghead? Any one of the five.

-Kevin?

-Kevin, yep.

-I agree.

-Yeah.

-Kevin...

-We've got to get him out on this.

-..it's you and me.

Going to try and take out the grandmaster.

So, Derek from Acorn Antiques versus Kevin from the Eggheads

on, I think fair to say, not your favourite subject.

-No, certainly not.

-No.

OK. Unless it's Food & Drink throughout history.

Well, yeah, I suppose that's it, isn't it?

Anything with history, you're going to get it.

Well, it's a way to look at it.

To ensure there's no conferring,

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

So, Derek, your choice on Food & Drink. First or second?

Oh, I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

Good luck.

Juniper berries are a basic standard ingredient in which drink?

Juniper berries.

Now, I don't think they go in tequila.

I can't imagine they'd go in brandy.

So it must be gin.

Let's check with the Eggheads.

-Eggheads?

-Yes.

-That's right, yeah.

-Yeah. Gin is right.

Kevin, according to an old adage,

oysters should only be eaten when there is which letter in the month?

Yes, it's one of those bizarre sayings

I've never entirely seen the sense of, but it's R.

Never heard of this myself, I must say. R is right.

Your question, Derek.

What is the usual topping on a Dundee cake?

Dundee cake. Goodness me.

Well, it wouldn't be dark chocolate. That'd be too much.

I'm going to discount royal icing, so it's got to be almonds.

Almonds is right.

You reacted with alarm at the question

and then went straight there on both occasions.

I quite like that. I think that's how...

If I'm ever on Eggheads, I'm going to do what you do,

which is to look appalled by the question and then get it right.

Kevin, which of these is a main ingredient

of a traditional panna cotta?

I've got to think about that, actually.

Trying to... Yeah, it's ridiculous. I've had panna cotta often enough.

It's not eggs, but I'm struggling between butter and cream.

I think I'll have to go cream.

-OK. Is he right, Eggs?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

Eggs. Eggs and eggs.

-It's cream, yeah. You're right.

-Yeah, yeah.

OK, Derek. Ready to react with alarm again?

William Strickland is believed

to have introduced turkeys to Britain from America

in which century?

Oh, what century? Hmm.

What time did they come across the sea? That's the question.

Going to be a stab in the dark, I think.

I'll go down the middle - 17th.

-Do you know what? You're too late. It was 16th.

-Ow.

-Yeah, that early.

-Before the USA existed. Yeah.

-Oh, dear.

So, you're not out, though.

Kevin needs to get this right,

and we know he can misfire on Food & Drink.

Kevin, the town of Masham in the Yorkshire Dales

is particularly associated with making which of these products?

I have been to Masham and it's certainly known

for its variety of breweries, so beer.

Beer is the right answer. You've taken the round. Sorry, Derek.

-Aw!

-One false move there, I'm afraid,

and you've been knocked out.

But it's early days. Please come back. We'll play on.

So, a bit of trouble for Acorn Antiques

who've lost a brain from the final.

The Eggheads have not lost any.

We play on with Arts & Books.

So, who would like this, Matthew and team?

-Right. I think it fits you, doesn't it?

-It might have to be me, yes.

It'll be me.

Valentin, tell us who you want to take on here.

-Which Egghead?

-Arts & Books.

-Arts & Books.

Um...

-Judith?

-Take Judith.

-Take Judith.

-All right. Judith.

-Yes.

-All right.

-Judith, is that OK?

-That's lovely.

Yes. Well, how polite.

So, Valentin, our concert pianist, from Acorn Antiques

versus Judith from the Eggheads.

Please go to the Question Room now.

-Valentin, you are a concert pianist.

-Yes, I am indeed.

-So, you've played in public a lot?

-Yes, last Saturday.

-Oh, really?

So, tell me about the audiences. How many people?

Oh, last Saturday it was full,

but it was a small place in Newport I played.

But they gave me a standing ovation, so it was great.

And what did you play?

I played first Haydn, then some Bach, some Chopin

and in the end, I played a piece

called Pictures At An Exhibition by Mussorgsky.

How brilliant. Judith, this is amazing.

I know. I'm surprised he's not doing Music, that's all.

Well, I suppose, but then again, rap would come up or, you know...

-Yes, it would be all rap and pop.

-And we'd all feel a bit embarrassed.

-Exactly.

-Yeah. So, anyway, Arts & Books.

If you lose on this, Valentin, there's no shame, is there?

-It's not the piano.

-Yes.

Would you like to go first or second against the great Judith Keppel?

Oh, I think I will go first.

All right, here is your question.

Which series of children's books, Valentin,

was created when the author's son asked,

"What does a tickle look like?"

Oh, that's a tough one.

I remember the little Mr Men books, so I'm tempted to go with those...

just because I don't really know the other two.

But you said tickle?

I don't remember that in the Mr Men books, though,

so it could be completely wrong.

I'll just have to go with Mr Men.

It's probably somewhere in there.

Yeah, absolutely. Mr Tickle was one of them.

-Oh, was he? Ah!

-Yeah.

-Oh, got lucky there.

I was feeling bad cos you're from Germany originally so...

But I'm guessing the Mr Men were big in Germany, weren't they?

Perhaps I'm too old for them.

Apparently Mr Tickle in German,

I've just been told, is Unser Herr Killekille.

Killekille. Ah, right. OK.

-Wow.

-Now we know everything.

OK, Judith, which George Bernard Shaw play

features a professor of phonetics who makes a bet

that he can teach a cockney flower girl to speak like a duchess?

-WHISPERS:

-Pygmalion.

That is Pygmalion, which was made into My Fair Lady.

Indeed. Pygmalion is right.

Judith, why is it called Pygmalion, do you know?

Well, because in mythology, Pygmalion created Galatea, was it?

-Let me check with the Eggs here. Eggs?

-Yeah, that's right.

-Yeah, yeah. You're right.

-Yeah.

-Superb.

-Yes.

OK, back to you, Valentin.

Which of these novels was written by Stella Gibbons?

Well, that's very tough. I haven't read any one of them.

My Family And Other Animals

is really the only one that I have heard of.

I think I'll have to go with that.

I think it's My Family And Other Animals,

but I could be completely wrong, and I probably am.

OK. Let's check with the Eggs here. Eggs?

It's Cold Comfort Farm.

-Cold Comfort Farm is the answer, Valentin.

-Ah, I'm sorry.

Cold Comfort Farm. Judith, your question.

The first line of Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen

is "Bent double like old beggars under WHAT?"

Dulce Et Decorum Est.

"Bent double under sacks."

Well, sacks is the one that makes sense.

Sacks.

That's right. Have you not heard it before?

I'm sorry, I forgot it. I had a bit of a brain freeze there.

Sacks is right. So, Judith goes into the lead and Valentin,

-you need to get this right.

-Oh, yes.

Which playwright was artistic director

of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough between 1972 and 2009?

I don't think it was Alan Bennett.

Um, very tough.

I haven't heard of Alan Bleasdale,

but I'm not sure enough about Alan Ayckbourn,

whether I know that it was definitely him.

So, I think Alan Bennett is too busy writing other things

to be running a theatre.

So, I think I will go for Alan Ayckbourn.

-Alan Ayckbourn is the right answer.

-Well done.

Nicely done, Valentin.

Judith for the round.

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning

is a sequel to which 1950s work?

Cider With Rosie. Oh, sorry.

It's Cider With Rosie.

Laurie Lee.

Cider With Rosie is the right answer. Sorry.

She does do that on Arts & Books, Valentin.

She's a very good player.

-Probably not as good a pianist as you, though.

-Oh, definitely not.

Come back to us, both of you, and we will see what happens next.

So, Acorn Antiques are wobbling a little bit,

-I think, Matthew.

-Yeah.

Two brains you've lost.

The Eggheads are still... all five of them there.

They've got this roll going. There's a lot of money you're playing for.

The next subject is Sport.

-Right.

-Right.

-I think that's me.

-That's you, yes.

-Matthew Rooum, OK.

-You're going to win. You're going to win this.

And you don't have to win this, Matthew, but it would be nice.

-Who would you like to take on? Obviously not Kevin or Judith.

-Lisa.

-No, take Chris.

-Take Chris.

-Yeah. Chris.

Chris, please. Can I take on Chris?

Matthew from Acorn Antiques versus Chris from the Eggheads.

Sport - not his favourite subject.

Let's see if things turn for you now.

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

We think, Matthew, we've found a Rooum.

-Somebody else, Matthew...

-Oh, really?

-..with a surname spelled like yours.

-Oh, really?

Cos we love looking up stuff.

In 1963 - and this may ring a bell with the clever old Eggs over here -

there was a cartoonist called Donald Rooum.

-Absolutely, yes.

-You know this guy?

R-O-O-U-M, just like your name.

He is a second cousin of mine.

-OK, so we didn't discover anybody new then.

-No, no.

I have met him fairly recently.

Wow.

Well, we thought we'd made a breakthrough there.

-We'll keep trying.

-Nice try. Yeah.

-Thank you.

Well, so, we're on Sport, and I guess that's your thing.

We wish you well. Would you like to go first or second?

Can I go first, please?

Here we go.

Which form of cricket is played in the Indian Premier League, Matthew?

Oh, this is a good question for me

because cricket is one of my favourite sports,

and the answer is Twenty20.

Twenty20 is correct.

Chris, the headquarters of

the International Federation of Association Football,

commonly known as FIFA,

is located in which city?

There's a lot of scandal floating around there lately,

and it's Zurich.

Zurich is correct.

Zurich is the answer. Back to you, Matthew.

The rugby union fly half Dan Biggar,

which is B-I-G-G-A-R,

represents which international team?

Right.

Well, I'm pretty sure he's not Irish.

And the name Biggar sounds Scottish to me,

although I've got some slight inkling in the back of my mind

that he might be Welsh.

-Yeah, I'll go Scotland, please.

-OK.

Yeah, it's a funny old thing with quizzing -

never ignore your inkling.

-And Wales is the answer.

-Oh.

Well, basically, you Eggheads are inkle-hunters, aren't you?

Yes.

You're looking for your little inklings on everything.

So, Chris, your chance to take the lead on Sport.

The Scottish athlete Liz McColgan won an Olympic silver medal

in 1988 in which event?

I picture Liz McColgan as a distance runner,

so it's 10,000 metres.

Yes, she is, and that's good. Well done. 10,000 metres.

He takes the lead, and it means

you need to get this one right, Matthew.

The American boxer Deontay Wilder has won a world title

in which boxing weight division?

Right, I was hoping boxing wouldn't come up.

I really haven't got much of an idea on this.

I think I'll rule out heavyweight.

I think I may well have heard of him if he'd been a heavyweight.

I'll go middleweight.

Let's see if Dave knows. Dave loves his boxing. Dave?

Yeah, he's a heavyweight.

-Heavyweight is the answer, Matthew.

-Oh.

And I'm sorry. That's the end of your story in the game.

Matthew, the team captain, has been knocked out here.

It's not the end for you, Challengers.

I know it's painful, but come back to us, both of you,

and we will see what happens in the last round before the final.

So, as it stands,

Acorn Antiques have lost three brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have not lost any. The next subject is Music.

-Oh!

-Oh, Valentin...

-No, no!

..that was it.

-That's the one we wanted.

-Oh.

Who wants this?

I think I'm the sacrificial lamb here.

-Is that Jeremy?

-It is.

OK, Jeremy. Against which Egghead? You can have Dave or Lisa.

I think I'll go for Lisa.

So, Jeremy from Acorn Antiques versus Lisa from the Eggheads.

And to ensure there's no conferring, please, for the last time,

go to the Question Room.

So, Jeremy, Music. First or second for you?

I think I'll get it over with first, please.

OK. Here's your question.

Who was replaced by Ringo Starr in The Beatles in the early 1960s?

Often referred to as the fifth Beatle,

that was Pete Best.

Yes, it was. Well done.

Lisa, your question.

Which title character of a stage musical

sings the song A Spoonful Of Sugar?

Well, for every job that must be done,

there is an element of fun.

You find the fun and... the job's a game.

# And every task you undertake becomes a piece of cake

# A lark, a spree

# It's very clear to see that

# A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

# The medicine go down, medicine go down... #

I'll stop now. Sorry.

No, beautiful. Don't stop.

-THEY APPLAUD

-Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins.

Your answer is Mary Poppins. It's right.

OK, so, one each. Back to you.

And if you want to break into song, Jeremy,

you do it at any time you want.

Swear It Again was the first UK number one single for which group?

This is the wrong era for me.

If you had my daughters here, they'd know the answer instantly.

I don't think it was Take That.

I don't recall Take That having a song called Swear It Again.

I'm going to just go down the middle and go Boyzone.

Yeah, I might've done the same as you, actually, but it's Westlife.

OK, Lisa, your question to take the lead.

Which of these found fame as a member of Tears for Fears?

Tears for Fears. OK. Robert Smith's The Cure.

We'll just take him out of the equation.

Now, of the other two,

I have a feeling Martin Fry is a different band,

but I could be wrong.

As I have an inkling Martin Fry is a different band,

I'll try Roland Orzabal.

Yes, Roland Orzabal is correct.

And, Dave, who's our '80s man, will tell us who Martin Fry was.

Martin Fry was from... # Whoa, whoa, whoa... #

..ABC.

-Martin Fry was ABC.

-Ah, yes. Of course, yes.

So, she's ahead, Jeremy. You've got to stop her.

Do whatever you have to.

Which composer was nicknamed The Italian Mozart?

Oh. Wish I was Valentin.

He'd know the answer instantly.

I think the most prolific writer of the three is Vivaldi,

so I'm going to go Vivaldi.

OK, let's just check with Valentin. Who do you think, Valentin?

-It must be Rossini.

-OK.

-He lived after Mozart.

-Ah. Vivaldi was before.

-Vivaldi died long before Mozart was born.

-Ah, so Vivaldi...

-And Monteverdi is even earlier.

-Valentin, would you have got the Westlife question?

-No.

-No. I'm sorry.

-LAUGHTER

So terribly...

Rossini is the answer, Jeremy.

So, Lisa has won on Music and given us a song as well.

Let's see what happens in the final. Come back to us, please.

And here we are.

This is what we have been playing towards -

the final round which, as always, is General Knowledge.

But those of you who lost your head-to-heads are not allowed

to take part, so, Matthew, Valentin, Derek and Jeremy

from Acorn Antiques, would you please now leave the studio?

-So, Howard, I know this wasn't quite the plan.

-It wasn't.

But you are here playing to win this jackpot of £15,000

for Acorn Antiques, and good luck.

Chris, Judith, Kevin, Dave, Lisa. All five of you... My goodness.

..playing to continue this really impressive roll

and to protect the Eggheads' gilded reputation.

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

This time, they're all General Knowledge.

You are allowed to confer. I'm sorry that doesn't help.

Maybe they can transmit brain waves from the back.

Can I borrow one? No, I can't.

No, I wish. I wish I could lend you one.

The question is, Howard, can you, with your one brain,

take down these five in a famous victory,

and would you like to go first or second?

I'd like to go first, please.

OK, here we are with your first question.

Which character was played by Nicholas Smith in the TV sitcom

Are You Being Served?

-Nicholas Smith.

-Nicholas Smith.

I've seen this programme,

and Captain Peacock, it wasn't him.

I don't know who Mr Harman is.

I would've said that Nicholas Smith was Mr Rumbold.

Mr Rumbold is the right answer.

OK, Eggheads, for what does the letter D stand

in the publishing abbreviation DTP?

-We're going desktop publishing, aren't we?

-I think so. Desk.

-So, we're happy with desk, everyone?

-Yep.

-Yes.

Can we go for desk, please, Jeremy?

Desk is correct.

OK, your question, Howard.

Which fruit is central to the Christingle service,

made popular in the UK when it was introduced in 1968

by John Pensom of The Children's Society?

I can't imagine it's banana. It's apple or orange.

If he introduced it and it came from abroad...

Probably going to be wrong here cos I don't know the answer.

I should go for apple, but I'm going for orange.

-No, you should go for orange, cos orange is right.

-Oh.

HE LAUGHS You're playing well, Howard.

-Heart attack there.

-Playing well.

And the Eggs sometimes, you know,

you have all of this voltage at one table, it can short.

The wrong cable touches another cable, bang.

Eggheads. Frank Bough and Michael Aspel

are two of the TV personalities

who appear in a 1977 Morecambe and Wise sketch

performing which song from South Pacific?

Yeah, it's Nothing Like A Dame, isn't it?

There was Barry Norman and Eddie Waring.

All kinds of superstars there.

But that's There's Nothing Like A Dame.

Nothing In This World.

Yes, you're right.

OK, good stuff. All right, Howard, you're doing well.

The four are absolutely locked in behind you.

Let's see if we can get this one right

-and put them under some serious pressure.

-I hope so.

Which of these birds might be described as grallatorial?

Can you say that? Grallatorial?

Grallatorial. So, it's G-R-A-L-L-A-T-O-R-I-A-L.

Almost as you'd expect. Grallatorial.

I can't imagine it's a pheasant.

Doesn't sound it. I don't know this one either.

I can't also think that the canary is very distinctive.

A heron has very long legs, wades in water.

So, my guess is going to be...

Grallatorial, what would that be?

I'm going to go for heron.

OK. And we still don't know what grallatorial is.

-Do we know?

-No.

-No.

-No?

-Nobody knows.

But you've got the right answer.

Phew!

And actually, a grallatorial bird is a long-legged wading bird.

Is it? Oh. I've learned something.

I think you should've spent your life working as a detective,

-you know, cos you would've solved a lot of crimes.

-Oh.

OK, Eggheads, here we are.

Here we jolly well are.

£15,000.

If you get this wrong,

it goes straight to the Challengers and Howard is the hero of the day.

What colour is the top stripe on the flag of Yemen?

-LISA:

-They're all in there, aren't they, I think?

-They're all in there. It's the Pan-Arab colours.

-Mm.

So, a lot of Middle Eastern

countries have got the combinations

-of those different stripes...

-Mm-hm.

..of those three colours,

and it's very easy to get them mixed up.

-Oh, yes.

-Yeah.

It's very unlikely that white is at the top.

Yeah, we can rule that out.

-That would normally be the middle...

-Yeah, the middle stripe.

..the middle band.

Places like Iran and Iraq have got red, white, black, I'm pretty sure,

with different things in the middle.

-Mm-hm.

-Maybe not Iraq. That might be different, but...

I think of the ones that have,

I think they tend to go red, white, black.

So, black is at the bottom.

But I'm not convinced Yemen is the same.

Any ideas? Nope?

-JUDITH:

-None. Absolutely zero ideas.

If I have an instinct for one or the other, it's for black.

-It's for black.

-I'm...

-Like the German flag.

-Or like the Egyptians'.

-Yeah.

-CHRIS:

-Yeah, the other way up.

-Yeah.

-Is the team happy with black?

-We'll just have to take a chance.

-The other way up...

-Right.

Jeremy, we don't know,

but the inkling is saying black,

so that is our answer.

-Black.

-OK.

£15,000 we're playing for. I gave you white, red or black.

There was a distinct lack of anything solid in your discussion,

so it wasn't like someone was piping up.

Lisa did say she liked a bit of red at the top.

Although, you then went to black, Lisa.

Do you know this one, by any chance, Howard?

I don't know, but if I had been in their position,

I wouldn't have said black is at the top of any flag.

I would've put it further down -

either in the middle or bottom - but I don't know.

Right, OK.

And you've proved to be the most extraordinary guesser so far.

The answer, Eggheads, is red.

We say congratulations, Challengers, you have won.

-Brilliant.

-Thank you. Oh.

That's amazing. Thank you very much.

-Amazing luck.

-Well...

-Luck.

..you played a storming round there.

That is very hard to do, Howard,

to do what you did with those three questions,

-cos you were just groping, really.

-I was. I admit it.

Yeah, but you groped with such conviction.

The funny thing is, flags are meat and drink to quizzers,

-so this is an unusual one.

-Yes.

I saw that and thought you'd probably get it.

-I would say, by the way, Egypt, same colours but with an emblem.

-Mm.

-Yemen, no emblem.

-There's a few like that,

and I just couldn't remember what made it different.

Red, white, black, Eggheads.

Well, you've had a great run, a great roll here up to £15,000.

You've played really well. You played really well in this game.

And at the end, you just came to a juddering halt.

You held your nerve at the end there. Well done, Howard.

Congratulations. Acorn Antiques, well done.

I'm convinced a concert pianist on the team helps.

I've got a feeling...

You've won £15,000.

You're officially cleverer than the Eggheads.

And you have beaten all five of them,

and very few people can say that.

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

will be just as successful.

What a game. It's what it's all about. Till then, goodbye.