Episode 87 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.

Challenging the might of our quiz Goliaths today

are the Victuallers, from Berkshire.

Now, this team of colleagues

all work together at LVS Ascot School, so let's meet them.

Hi, I'm James and I'm a psychology teacher.

Hi, I'm Rebecca and I'm a biology teacher.

Hi, I'm Tom and I'm a history teacher.

Hi, I'm Sue, I'm a school librarian.

Hello, I'm Nigel and I'm a maths teacher.

-So, James and team, good to see you.

-Hello!

Hope you're looking forward to playing this crowd.

-Very much so, yah.

-And tell us about the LVS school.

Well, Licensed Victuallers School,

it's a school set up a couple of 100 years ago,

part of a licensed trade charity for children of publicans.

It still has that tradition today but is open to everyone.

And yes, the charity is there for the licensed drinks trade.

And the word victuallers is not used so much now

but it means drinkers, right?

-And publicans.

-Drinkers and publicans, OK.

So, do we like the word victuallers,

have we got any history of victuallers?

Well, victuals is a long-standing word for food and drink.

So, it's basically what keeps you going?

Yes, the idea being it's what gives you life and keeps you going.

And I was interested to see, James,

that you are the two-time winner of the Welsh Memory Championships.

-Yes, that's true.

-Meaning that you can memorise stuff?

Yes, well, yeah, any facts and figures and things,

you learn techniques to try and remember as much as possible.

Have you been doing some really last-minute revision?

A bit of cramming, which we try and advise the students

not necessarily to do, but using the memory skills

and trying to get them in.

-But we teach the students that as well.

-OK, all right.

Well, good luck against the Eggs here, all five of them.

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, Victuallers, the Eggheads have won just the last game,

which means that there's £2,000 to play for today.

-Would you like to start?

-Yes.

Great, the first head-to-head battle is on the subject of History.

I'm thinking that's good, isn't it?

-So, I think that's a fairly obvious one, isn't it?

-I'm afraid so.

-We've got a history teacher here, so we can...

-Yeah.

-We have a history teacher?

-Start off with...

-I think that might be me.

Yes, we all good?

Good stuff, and who looks like they're not a history teacher?

Obviously, they're all good at history. Who do you fancy?

-Absolutely, shall we take perhaps Lisa to start with?

-Yes.

We'll have Lisa, please.

Tom from the Victuallers versus Lisa from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring,

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

Well, this is handy, Tom.

You come into Eggheads, you're a history teacher,

the first round is History, couldn't be better.

Could go one of two ways, at this point, I suppose.

It can go the other way, cos they are good.

All the best against our Lisa. Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

And here we go.

The Act Of Settlement of 1701 barred anyone who was Catholic

or who married a Catholic from becoming which of the following?

Well, the Act Of Settlement,

that's, I think, unifying

the kingdoms of England and Scotland, isn't it?

So, based on that, I will go with monarch, I think.

-I'm sure you know this, monarch is the right answer, yes.

-Yes!

OK, Lisa.

What was the status of Sweden during World War II?

I think they were neutral.

-Neutral is correct, Lisa.

-Hooray.

-So, back to Tom.

When Konstantin Chernenko was briefly leader of the Soviet Union,

who was his opposite number in the White House?

Well, I don't, I don't know the name, unfortunately.

I know the periods,

the years that all of those three served in the White House.

So, we've got, Carter is I think '77 to '81,

Reagan is '81 to '89 and Bush is '89 to '93.

And it's going to have to be purely on the basis that Reagan served

twice as long as Carter, I'm going to go with Reagan, I think.

-Yes, Reagan is right. Well done.

-Yes!

Lisa, over to you.

The Tudor era began in which century?

-The Tudor era, Jeremy?

-The Tudor era.

"A handbag!" Sorry, I'll behave myself.

Yes, the Tudor era began in 1485 with Henry VII.

It's the 15th century.

You are right, it is the 15th.

How embarrassing would it have been if you had got that wrong?

-Desperately.

-OK, two each, Tom. See if you can throw her off.

I'll do my best.

While in exile in November 1945,

King Peter II was deposed as monarch of which European country?

So, obviously we're looking at the end of the Second World War here.

Belgium makes a certain amount of sense being in exile, I suppose,

under German occupation.

Not entirely sure of the status of the other two at the time.

I think purely on the basis I've got more information on Belgium

than anything else, we're going to go with Belgium, please.

OK, any Eggheads know?

-It's Yugoslavia.

-Yugoslavia.

So, Tom, it was Yugoslavia.

Lisa, for the round.

The U2 spy plane that the American pilot Gary Powers was flying

when it was downed by the Russians on 1st May 1960,

leading to his capture, had taken off from a base in which country?

Let's have a think. Gary Powers, 1960.

I mean, my first thought was Turkey.

Erm, because that sort of made the most sense, really,

in terms of where you would put a US base.

No, I could be here all day and not have enough information

to make a case for any of these, so I'll say Turkey.

-Barry likes that?

-Yes.

-Chris likes that?

-So, you're all wrong.

-Yeah, it's Pakistan.

-Pakistan is the answer.

-OK.

-Oh!

He was going from Pakistan to Turkey.

They had bases in both at that time.

So, he was doing a reconnaissance

across the southern part of the Soviet Union.

Oh, I see, OK.

Equal after three questions, we go to Sudden Death, Tom.

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

-OK.

Which British general born in Woolwich in 1833

served in the Crimea

and went on to earn plaudits for his actions

in the so-called Arrow War in China?

Gosh.

Not my era at all, I'm afraid.

I'm afraid this is going to have to be a complete guess.

Let's go for Montgomery, General Montgomery. A different one.

-Yeah, I would need the first name.

-James.

It is a guess, that, isn't it?

-It's Charles Gordon.

-Oh, yeah.

Lisa, if you get this question right,

then you've won the head-to-head.

Which English king was injured as a 16-year-old,

receiving an arrow in the face while at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403?

Obviously not a guarantee that he was King at that point,

I'm guessing.

Now, by 1415...

..Henry V is on the throne.

So, based on that, I will say Henry V.

OK, Henry V is your answer for the round. Is she right, Tom?

Do you know?

I don't know, I would probably have gone Henry V as well.

Yes, Prince Henry at the time but Henry V is the right answer, Lisa.

Well done, you've taken the round on History.

Tom, sorry,

beaten by our Egghead. And as a result, not in the final.

Please, both of you, return to us and we'll play on.

So, as it stands, the Victuallers have lost a brain

from the final round, they've lost their history teacher.

The Eggheads have not lost any so far.

And we play on with Music.

-Who's the musician?

-That's mine.

-That's you, isn't it?

-That's me, Jeremy.

-We're quite clear on that.

-Nigel, OK, good stuff.

Against which Egghead? Anyone but Lisa.

-I think I'll take Chris, then, please.

-All right.

We like our music, don't we? All sorts.

Well, all sorts except for one particular genre, yeah.

-Which is that, Chris?

-Don't tempt him.

Anything to do with Kanye West and Eminem and so on.

All right, Nigel from the Victuallers

versus musical Chris from the Eggheads.

Please go to the Question Room.

All right, Nigel, so the maths teacher who loves his music.

-That's right, yes.

-And first or second?

-First, please.

Nigel, here is your question.

The music genre known as ska originated on which island?

Yes, I followed this in the '80s, great revival.

It's from the West Indies.

Reasonably sure that's Jamaica.

Jamaica is quite right. Well done.

Chris, according to the lyrics of a Gary Numan song,

"I feel safest of all, I can lock all my doors,

"it's the only way to live in..." where?

HE LAUGHS

I know Slough but, yeah, safest in cars, Jeremy.

Yeah, that's right.

# In Slough, da-ner! #

We'll never get another team from Slough on ever again.

I can imagine that. All right, Nigel.

Which of these is the title of a song written by

Cole Porter and published in 1953?

Erm, New York...

Gershwin.

I Love Paris in the spring time, maybe?

Yeah, I think I'll have to go for I Love Paris.

I Love Paris is correct, well done.

Could have gone wrong there.

OK, Chris, music, your second question.

Which musical term derives from the French for to slide?

From glisser, to slide, it's glissando.

It is glissando.

Playing well, both of you.

So, this could be crucial, third question.

See if you could turn it around for your team, Nigel.

Dream Lover, released in 1959,

was which singer's first UK number one single?

Right, Dream Lover. It's not Roy Orbison.

Bit of a toss-up between the two.

I'll go for Bobby Darin.

You are absolutely right.

OK, so, Chris, he's got three, you've got two. This is to stay in.

The musician Josh Homme was the founder of which rock group?

Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear.

Well, I've never heard of any of them, Jeremy.

Pure guess, Velvet Revolver.

No, Queens Of The Stone Age!

Well done, Nigel.

You've evened it up for your team,

you've beaten an Egghead and you will be in the final round.

Both of you, please return and rejoin your team-mates.

OK, so well done, the Victuallers,

they've just asserted themselves here.

They've lost a brain

but the Eggheads have also had a brain knocked out.

So, the next subject for you is Arts and Books.

-Who would like this?

-That's me.

I think that's quite obvious, our librarian.

-Thank you.

-The librarian!

-Now, Sue, who would you like to take on?

-I think it's easy.

-No, go on.

-Yeah?

-I'll go for Barry, please.

-Lovely, OK, well, he loves his books.

-I know.

Spends his whole time reading.

Sue from the Victuallers versus Barry from the Eggheads.

Two people surrounded by books. This is going to be good.

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

So, Arts and Books and, Sue, would you like to go first or second?

First, please, Jeremy.

Good luck. Cornwall is the setting, Sue, for which of these novels?

Erm, well, I'm pretty sure that it's Jamaica Inn

by Daphne du Maurier, Jeremy.

Yes, indeed. Jamaica Inn is set in Cornwall, well done.

Barry.

The poet Dante Alighieri was born in Florence in which century?

Dante is a very early Italian poet

and that would make him born in the 13th century.

The 13th century is correct.

Back to you, Sue.

Who wrote the 1998 novel The Last King Of Scotland?

Gosh.

Not Martin Amis, pretty certain it's not Martin Amis.

Going to go, I'm pretty...

I'm pretty sure it's William Boyd.

Well, he wrote about Africa, for sure,

-because he wrote A Good Man In Africa, didn't he?

-Yeah.

-This is not his book, though. This is Giles Foden.

-OK.

Barry.

To take the lead, Arthur Crabtree is the best friend

of the title character in which novel?

Ooh.

That's a good one, it's not Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.

I think it sounds like somebody who works in the undertaker's parlour

with Billy Liar, so I'll go for Billy Liar.

Billy Liar is the right answer, well done.

OK, Sue.

Think about the library you work in, all those books.

Here is your third question, you've got to get this right.

Epitaph On An Army Of Mercenaries,

published in the collection Last Poems,

is one of the best-known poems by which writer?

Well, I don't know the answer for definite,

but going on the fact that Siegfried Sassoon is one of the

First World War poets, Housman definitely not...

-I think I would go for Sassoon.

-OK, Sassoon is your answer.

See if Barry knows. Barry, is it?

Well, Blunden was also a First World War poet, I'd have gone for Blunden.

-It's not Sassoon. It's actually AE Housman.

-Oh!

-AE Housman.

-Wow, that is unusual.

-That surprised me.

Because his famous one, Barry, was the Yorkshire Lad, was it?

-Or Shropshire Lad?

-Shropshire Lad.

-So, you don't associate him with war poems?

-No, not at all.

-No, me neither.

-Sorry, Sue.

Barry has taken the round

and will be in the final.

Please come back and we'll play the last round before the final.

-OK, Victuallers, not a crisis yet, is it?

-Not yet.

Not yet, you've lost two brains.

The Eggheads have lost just the one.

And there is one more subject, as I say, before the final. It's Sport.

So, who wants Sport?

It's got to be James.

-Yeah, I'll go for that, shall I?

-James?

-OK.

Our psychology teacher against which Egghead, Judith or Kevin?

-It's up to you.

-Really? Go on, we'll go for Kevin.

-Go on, go on.

-Yeah, go on, let's go for Kevin.

-Yes, you can't avoid him.

He's always going to be in there somewhere.

So, James from the Victuallers takes on the grandmaster, Kevin,

from the Eggheads, on Sport.

Please go to our Question Room.

OK, we're on Sport, James.

-First or second?

-I'll go first, please.

So here we go, good luck.

Which country has a national stadium that is known as the Bird's Nest?

I think I remember this from an Olympics fireworks display.

I believe it's Beijing, I think it's China. I'll go with China.

China is correct.

Well done.

Easy to get wrong on those ones. OK, Kevin.

Which Scottish golf venue has hosted the Open more than any other?

Well, they all have, of course.

They've all been venues for the Open over the years

but I think this has to be St Andrews.

St Andrews is right. Back to you, James.

The third round of the FA Cup is traditionally played

in which month of the year?

Third round.

OK, I'm going to,

there will be a lot of students in the school who will laugh at me

for saying I'm going to have to make an educated guess here.

But guessing with the final coming around the summertime,

third round may be not as early as August, so I'll say January.

Yeah, the students are about to cheer there, but you got it right.

OK, Kevin, to catch up.

10 of the British and Irish Lions starting 15 for the final test

of the 2013 Tour of Australia came from which Six Nations team?

At that point, the country there

that was having a bit of dominance in the Six Nations was Wales.

So, I should say Wales.

Yes, Wales is right. Well done.

Back to James.

With which British tennis player did Jelena Jankovic

win the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 2007?

2007, I just know Jamie Murray is a big doubles player.

Has he played mixed? I'm not 100% sure.

Jeremy Bates may be a bit old for that time.

I don't think it was Henman.

I'll go, OK, purely on the fact that I know Jamie Murray

has played doubles, I will just go with Jamie Murray.

Jamie Murray is the right answer.

Three out of three, nice work.

OK, Kevin, to stay in.

What does the second A stand for in the acronym NASCAR?

Well, the SCAR bit is Stock Car...

..Auto Racing, I believe.

So, I think the first bit, the NA at the front

is North American.

So, American.

-I said what does the second A stand for, in the acronym NASCAR?

-Yeah.

-But you've given me the first A.

-Oh!

Sorry.

I simply misheard you, I thought you said the first A.

-Auto is the answer, Kevin.

-Sorry.

-There we are.

James, you did some kind of amazing memory thing on him there.

You did a brainwave. Yeah, you did that thing.

-That's what happens, Kevin, when you play a psychology teacher.

-Yeah.

He's going to get at you using brainwaves.

-So, James, you're in the final round.

-Thank you.

I haven't seen that happen before.

Sorry, Kevin, very sporting of you to accept it.

-Yeah, well, I didn't listen.

-Congratulations. Well done, James.

Come back, both of you, and join your teams.

All right! Here we are and 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 is Tom and Sue from the Victuallers and also

Chris and Kevin from the Eggheads.

Would you please now leave the studio?

So, I've worked out we've got a psychologist

and a biology teacher and a maths teacher here - good combination,

James, Rebecca and Nigel.

And you're now playing to win your team £2,000.

Lisa, Barry and Judith, you're playing for something

that money can't buy - 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.

-OK.

So, Team Victuallers, the question is - are your three brains

able to defeat these three over here?

The thorn between two roses.

-HE LAUGHS

-That's true, very true.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-We'll go first, please.

Let's go first, it's worked well so far.

OK, Rebecca and team, here we go.

Eleanor Roosevelt was what relation

to the US President Theodore Roosevelt?

Tom is watching.

Screaming the answer, behind us.

I'd be guessing niece probably,

but that's just some bell ringing somewhere.

But I wouldn't go with the other two ones down there.

Do you know when she was?

This is not...

-It's not my era, as Thomas said.

-He said that, didn't he?

-We need a history teacher.

-Yeah, we could do with Tom.

I think, shall we go with...?

Shall we go with sister? I don't think so.

-Shall we go niece, then?

-No, not mother.

-We're left with that then.

I think we'll take niece, please, Jeremy.

-Niece is the right answer.

-Yes!

Well done.

Next question is for the Eggheads.

Gavin Rossdale, lead singer of the rock band Bush,

married which pop star in 2002?

It's all right, Barry, it's Gwen Stefani.

-Is it?

-You're OK. Yes.

-OK.

-I am very reliably informed that this is Gwen...

-Hang on!

-I...

-Oh, sorry.

-Yes! Don't you just do the job!

I've got all confused now.

-Judith, are you happy with what's gone on?

-Yes.

I'm reliably informed, by Lisa, that it's Gwen Stefani.

Gwen Stefani is correct.

All right, so, I don't know what's going on on that side,

but take advantage of it.

-During the Iron Age...

-History!

..the Armoricans were tribes

who lived in what is now which country?

So, the Armoricans, which is A-R-M-O-R-I-C-A-N-S.

-Any idea at all?

-Ar-mor-i...

-No, I don't.

Being from Wales, if it is in fact Wales and I don't know it,

I'll be gang-whipped by people for that.

Anything in the words?

Amor, is sort of amore, for love, from French, I don't know.

Is that where iron comes from, is that where armour comes from?

Don't know. Don't know.

-Oh, God. I've not heard about...

-Not really iron.

You remember the Celts and stuff from school,

history of Ireland, Wales, Scotland, all that stuff.

Not heard of them ever before so I'm tempted to say France

-based on the fact I've never heard of them ever.

-Yeah.

I might be wrong but...

-OK, go with France?

-Yeah.

We're going to go with France, please.

OK, let's just see if our Eggheads know, shall we? Eggs?

Well, Armorica is the old name for Brittany and Brittany

is indisputably in France.

-France is right!

-Yes!

-Two out of two.

-Come on!

Playing well. OK, Eggheads.

Who was named Time Magazine's Person Of The Year for 2015?

-It was Angela Merkel.

-It was.

OK, agreed?

That's Angela Merkel.

Angela Merkel is the right answer.

All right, this is getting tight here.

Here we go with your question, Challengers.

The two countries that share a border with Panama

are Colombia and which other?

-I don't think it's Costa Rica.

-I don't think it's Nicaragua.

I was going to say, El Salvador would be my guess.

I tell you why, because...

-You've been there?

-I've been there.

Because the...

-You've got the Panama Canal.

-Yes.

And they're building the Nicaragua Canal through Ometepe.

And I don't think they'd have one if it's right next to Panama.

What did you think first up?

-My first thought is El Salvador but again...

-Guatemala, Belize.

To be honest, it's one of those bells that rings somewhere

but plenty of rusty ones.

If that's all we've got to go on and you don't think it's Nicaragua,

that's worth doing.

If that's our gut, shall we go with El Salvador?

-Yeah, shall we?

-Go on.

-Let's go with that.

We're going to go with El Salvador, please.

-Costa Rica is the answer.

-Ah!

OK, so the Challengers have slipped up.

And if you get this right, you've taken the contest.

Which band released the album Music Complete in 2015?

It's not Kraftwerk. Haven't released anything for quite some time.

Now, Music Complete, to me...

Is that an analogy of their greatest hits?

I think it sounds like a full back catalogue job.

That may lead me to Depeche Mode,

they've probably got the most in their back catalogue.

I have a vague feeling it's Depeche Mode,

-I can't do any better than that.

-That's my reasoning as well.

Shall we go, we've got the only one?

-Have you got any feeling?

-No, I have no feelings at all.

If we've got a vague feeling, shall we go with that?

-They have vague feelings that it might be Depeche Mode.

-OK.

It's not Depeche Mode,

-it's New Order.

-Interesting.

Yeah, Depeche Mode are still very much in action,

and actually, so are

-New Order, really.

-Oh, yeah.

-Did you know the answer to that?

-We did, yes.

You must have been enjoying that conversation.

Our music man here was all over that.

-Trying to keep a straight face.

-Yes, well, exactly.

OK, so three questions, the scores are level.

We go to Sudden Death. You thought you were gone!

-Yeah, yeah.

-Right, here we go.

Here we go indeed, cos I don't give you alternatives.

Mrs Hume's and Lady Amherst's are species of which bird?

-You?

-Absolutely no idea.

-With guesswork, it's got to be...

-They're very English.

-Yeah, English domestic type bird.

Something quite sort of pretty, I think?

-They're quite feminine names, obviously.

-So, what have we got?

You've got things like thrush, that's something.

-I don't even know the species.

-Something.

-Sparrows?

-Finches.

-Wrens.

Wrens, wrens are actually very delicate, aren't they?

And they're quite sort of lady names, it's quite a good shot.

What do you think?

Thinking of ones with lots of different species.

Or things like ducks.

I think ducks would be a bit strange for those names?

I think something like a wren because it's quite a feminine,

delicate bird, they're sort of lady names.

Go on, let's do it then.

I think we'll go with wrens, please.

Wrens is your answer. OK, let's see if the Eggheads know. Is it wrens?

-I believe it's pheasant.

-Yes, I think it's pheasant too.

-It is pheasant.

-OK, all right.

So, Eggheads, your chance

to take the contest.

The 1892 play Widowers' Houses

is the first stage work by which author?

-OK, when was Shaw.

-When was Shaw?

Because that sounds as if it might be right for one of his early works.

I wish Kevin was here with the dates.

-It's the first staged work by which author.

-When was he born?

-Who was a young-ish author in 1892?

-I'm thinking Shaw.

Shaw is not a bad shot because you're getting into the 1910s.

And he died very old in 1940 something, didn't he?

I could overthink this but I'm inclined to go for Shaw.

I will take that if it's a decent inkling from you two.

Because I couldn't be sure but the dates sound right.

-Well, I can't think of anybody else.

-No, I can't.

All right, let's go for it.

We're going for George Bernard Shaw.

-George Bernard Shaw is the correct answer.

-Hey!

We say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

-What a fun contest. Thank you.

-Thank you.

Something about that, it was just fun today.

-Sorry you lost, but it was really...

-That's all right.

-..all over the place.

-Thank you.

Commiserations to the Victuallers.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them

and they still reign supreme over quiz land.

It does mean you won't be going home with the £2,000.

So, the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, well done.

Who will beat you? Somebody will!

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

have the brains to defeat them.

£3,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.