Episode 89 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, looking sharp if I may say so.

Taking on our awesome quiz champions today

are Lion's Tale.

Now, this team of friends from London

all met when working

together at the same film marketing company.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Andy, and I'm a film publicist.

Hi, I'm Tristan, and I'm a head of marketing.

Hi, I'm Wil, and I'm a film and TV journalist.

Hi, I'm Stephen, and I'm a film marketing manager.

Hi, I'm Phil, and I'm a head of marketing.

So, Andy and team, great to see you.

I would say from the film industry, Andy, is that right?

Yes, so, we...at some point, we all worked together at the same

marketing and PR agency, and we work across TV,

on-demand stuff, as well as independent big studio films.

Right, and one of our categories on this show, of course, is Film & TV.

Yeah.

I'm now hoping it comes up because it's going to be terrible if

it doesn't. But I'm assuming that's the one you're best at.

Well, three of the team members here studied film at university,

so it would be a shame if it didn't come up.

And why have you called yourselves Lion's Tale?

It's quite a random one, so when we were discussing who would do

Arts & Books in that round,

we thought Wil would be good, he reads a lot.

And we asked him what he was reading and he said...

At this point I was reading the autobiography of the

WWE wrestler Chris Jericho, which I highly recommend,

but, yeah, the book was called Lion's Tale. Apparently that stuck.

-Apparently it was funny.

-OK, he was reading a book called Lion's Tale.

-That's it. That's the name.

-It's not a great story, is it?

No, it was quite a good story actually.

It got Chris Jericho onto Eggheads,

and as far as I'm concerned, that's brilliant.

Yeah, it is our first mention of

Chris Jericho, I think, in 1,500 programmes.

OK, 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.

Lion's Tale, the Eggheads have won

the last three games so there's

£4,000 for you to win today.

Do you want to have a bash?

-ALL:

-Yes.

-Good stuff.

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

-So who would like this?

-That's me.

Swotting up.

Yeah, I've been playing some geography app for the past 24 hours,

so not the longest revision, but I'd like to take on Lisa.

Right, Andy from Lion's Tale. Lisa's had so many Geography rounds.

Do you know what?

Any other game I would be, like, come on, Film & TV, Film & TV.

This is the one game where I'm happy to be playing Geography.

Good stuff. Andy from Lion's Tale versus Lisa from the Eggheads,

and just to ensure there is no conferring,

please go to our legendary Question Room.

Andy, on Geography, would you like to go first or second?

I'm going to go first.

OK, good luck here.

Geography it is, Andy. And here's your question.

Which of these cities has the largest population?

I've been to two out of the three.

I've been to Venice and I've been to Mumbai.

And I've visited Baltimore when I was watching The Wire,

which is the best TV show of all time.

But the answer is Mumbai.

Yes, Mumbai is the right answer. I don't know what the numbers are.

-But it's some way ahead.

-About 18 million, I think, Mumbai.

-Is it?

-Something like that.

-Right, interesting. OK.

Lisa, here's your question.

The seaside town of Bognor Regis is in which part of the UK?

Well, Praise the Lord, it ain't in Yorkshire. Um...

It's not Cornwall either so it must be West Sussex.

Yes, it is West Sussex. Back to you, Andy. They may get harder.

Which country has borders with

Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya?

I've been studying, I've been playing this app where you're given

a country and you have to find it on the map.

And Africa's probably the hardest

because there's so many countries.

I know Ethiopia...

..is alongside Somalia, Eritrea... Is Ethiopia big enough?

All right, I'm going to go for Ethiopia.

-Team, is he right?

-I think so.

You're right, Andy, well done.

Lisa,

which of these is a region of Croatia?

SHE LAUGHS

Sorry, the idea that Provence is in Croatia, I can actually

almost hear Judith turning a funny colour at this point.

Transylvania is in Romania, so it must be Dalmatia.

Dalmatia is right. So, you're equal.

This would be a good one to get,

here, Andy. Third question.

Approximately how many islands are there in the Orkney Islands?

Unfortunately, I've sort of studied more exotic places.

Really don't know, so...

Have to have a little think and then a guess.

If it was 700, it would have to include tiny little

uninhabited islands, I guess.

That have, like, two seagulls chilling on them. Um...

I'm just going to say seven.

Yeah, I would have gone seven.

-Any Eggs know?

-I would have gone seven.

They would all have gone seven. The answer is 70.

I'm sorry, it must be the seagulls chilling.

The seagulls chilling.

Your question, to take the round, Lisa.

Lake Peipus forms much of the border between

Russia and which country?

Now, what do I know about Lake Peipus? Anything?

It's one of those ones that's really deep.

Or have I got it mixed up with Lake Baikal?

Um...

OK.

Purely on the basis that if it was on the border of Belarus and

Ukraine and making up the majority of the border,

then it would be absolutely gigantic.

I will say Estonia.

Estonia is correct, yes, Estonia is the right answer. Andy, sorry.

-Gutted.

-That one wretched

Orkney question has knocked you out there.

-Tricky, wasn't it?

-It was tricky. I think everyone here said seven.

So, no shame in that. Come back to us, and we'll play on.

OK, so an early little hit for Lion's Tale who have lost

their captain from the final round.

The Eggheads are all sitting pretty there, all five of them.

Haven't lost any brains. The next subject, guys, is Music.

-Who would like this?

-Phil, you're the man.

Phil? OK.

Against, Phil, which Egghead? Can't be Lisa.

-Were we going for Chris?

-I'm going Chris.

-Chris.

So, Phil from Lion's Tale,

there was a certain inevitability about that, Chris, wasn't there?

Probability rather than inevitability, yeah.

Phil again against Chris from the Eggheads.

And just to ensure there is no conferring,

please go to the special room.

-Phil, would you like to go first or second?

-I will go first, yeah.

OK, Phil.

Which of these UK number one singles was released first?

Definitely not Back For Good.

Take That, that's the '90s. Um...

So we're talking Frankie Goes To Hollywood

and Madonna.

It's fairly early Madonna,

but I feel like Relax must have been early '80s.

I'm going to go for Relax.

Yes, it is Relax. Well done.

Chris, "Hello darkness, my old friend,"

is the opening line of which Simon and Garfunkel song?

That is the opening line of The Sound Of Silence.

The correct answer is The Sound Of Silence.

OK, Phil, your question.

Which of these is a common translation of La Donna E Mobile,

the name of a famous aria from the opera Rigoletto?

I'm assuming it's Italian, which I know absolutely no Italian.

But I think that women could be donna,

I'm thinking of a prima donna.

I'm going to go for women are fickle.

Yeah, absolutely. Women are fickle. Well done.

Right, Chris. Which of these songs

is from the stage musical Annie Get Your Gun?

Well, I Don't Know How To Love Him is Jesus Christ Superstar.

Oh, What A Beautiful Morning is Oklahoma.

So, from Annie Get Your Gun,

There's No Business Like Show Business.

There Is No Business Like Show Business is the right answer.

Well done.

Phil,

Blame It On Me was a 2014 UK hit single

for which singer?

I was kind of praying that there wasn't recent years

top 40 stuff because that's where I'll fall down.

Um...

I'm going to go with Ed Sheeran on this.

I'm not convinced, but that's where I'm going.

OK, let's just check in with your colleagues here. Not Ed, is it?

I think it's George Ezra.

Yeah, Ed Sheeran's songs tend to be very well known so, given that

this is a bit less well-known, it's likely to be one of the other two.

It's George Ezra.

All right, Chris, this for the round.

Which famously intense composer was once described by

Stravinsky as "a six and a half-foot-tall scowl"?

Described by Stravinsky so it's 20th century so it's not Liszt.

Um...

Given that he composed one of the most intense pieces of music

ever written, the Leningrad Symphony,

I'll say Rachmaninov.

You're right, Chris, well done. Rachmaninov it is.

-Aw, sorry, Phil.

-No problem.

-They've taken the round, it's that

beastly third question with you guys, isn't it?

-It is, indeed.

-All right.

Hold focus because there's plenty of time.

We've seen people win with only one in the final.

Come back to us, both of you, and we'll play the next round.

Chris, well done, but a quick word.

Rachmaninov was not the Leningrad Symphony.

Who was it, then?

-It was Shostakovich.

-Oh, Shostakovich!

Of course it was. Yeah.

-So, Andy, not a crisis yet.

-Um, not just yet,

I mean, I would like two in the final round,

-but we'll see what happens.

-All right.

OK, well, good luck. Lion's Tale have lost two from the final round.

Eggheads are still there at the moment, all five.

You've got to try and change that.

-Sport is the subject now.

-Let's do this.

-OK.

-Is this me?

Tristan?

-I think not Dave.

-What do you think?

-No chance, Dave.

Pat or Dave or Barry.

-I'm going to make the call and go Barry.

-OK, well, Barry,

-he has his off moments.

-Especially in Sport.

So, just Tristan from the Lion's Tale goes against

Barry from the Eggheads on Sport, known as The Brain.

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

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

Um, I will go first.

So here we go with your question. Good luck.

Tristan, which of these golf clubs

would typically have the most lofted face?

I'm currently teaching my two boys how to play golf. Um...

And so I know that that's a sand wedge.

It is a sand wedge. Great stuff, well done.

Barry,

who was the England goalkeeper

throughout the 1990 football World Cup?

Oh, gosh, that is a tough one for me.

All England goalkeepers, so I've got to think back to 1990s.

I think this is where Dave will be tearing his hair out.

I'm going to go for Peter Shilton.

Peter Shilton is right. Well done.

OK, Tristan,

Henry Slade made his debut for England in which Sport in 2015?

Henry Slade, he made his debut, controversially, alongside

Sam Burgess, for the England Rugby Union team.

Well done, cos people come unstuck with Rugby Union,

Rugby League all the time on this quiz.

You've gone straight there, though. Rugby Union is right.

-So he's ahead, Barry.

-Yes, he's good as well.

Which female British cyclist became World Road Race champion in 2015?

Was it...

Ah, three magnificent cyclists.

For some reason I'm discounting Lizzie Armitstead.

If it's 2015, I've got to go for Laura Trott.

OK, slight agonies here, Eggheads.

She's from Yorkshire and everything.

-She's from Yorkshire and everything, Barry.

-It's Lizzie Armitstead.

-It's Lizzie Armitstead.

-Oh, sorry, Lizzie.

-Oh, dear.

OK, so this could be the

turning point now for Andy and his team.

Tristan, get this right, you're in the final.

Fanny Blankers-Koen, known as the Flying Housewife,

won four Olympic gold medals in which sport in the 1940s?

Was she...

Well, if she was flying, I'm guessing gymnastics which...

flying through the air or athletics, flying in terms of speed.

Um...

I'm going to discount sailing.

And I think I'm going to go with athletics.

-Is he right, Eggheads? ALL:

-Yes.

Yes, the Flying Housewife did athletics, so you're right, Tristan.

Sorry, Barry, you've been knocked out there.

You won't be in the final round.

Is the tide turning for our Challengers now? Let's see.

Come back to us, both of you,

We'll play the last round before the final.

I'm really hoping Film & TV comes up.

OK, the Lion's Tale have lost two brains from the final round,

but they've now taken out an Egghead brain,

eaten Barry with a single chomp of their lion teeth.

The next subject, and the last before the final, is History.

-We never got film.

-I know,

-what a shame.

-Gutted.

-Who wants History?

I think, because, basically, Wil's knowledge is quite different

to Tristan, I think, to have those in the final would be beneficial.

So I think Steve's going to have to take one for the team.

-And he'll go against Dave.

-OK.

-That's all right?

-Yeah.

Yeah. I can tell you watch the show and you're very good.

OK, so Stephen from Lion's Tale takes on Tremendous Knowledge Dave

from the Eggheads on History.

Please go, for the last time, to the Question Room.

OK, Stephen, good luck to you. History, it is.

Would you like to go first or second?

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

So here's your question.

Genghis Kahn was the ruler of which historical empire? Was it...

From the name, there's one answer that jumps out at me

straightaway and it's the Mongol Empire.

Mongol Empire is correct. Well done.

You're off the blocks.

Tremendous Knowledge Dave.

What was the nickname of the German World War II Field Marshal Rommel?

-The Desert Fox.

-The Desert Fox is quite right.

Dave, well done, one each. Back to you, Stephen.

Who defeated a huge Persian fleet at the Battle of Salamis

in 480 BC?

Really tricky. Um...

I don't think it's the Egyptians.

I'm going to say it's Greeks.

Yeah, I think the Romans were in the ascendant a bit later.

Greeks is right. Well done.

OK, Dave, to catch up.

In which country was the revolutionary and

guerrilla leader Pancho Villa born?

Villa is spelt V-I-L-L-A.

I think that's Mexico.

Mexico's right.

So, third question to you,

Stephen. In which year did the

German statesman Otto von Bismarck die?

Stephen, was it...

Really tricky again.

Being the sacrificial lamb for this round, um...

But my initial instinct says

1848.

I'm afraid you're wrong.

Otto von Bismarck died in 1898, Stephen.

You got two out of three. Dave can take the round with this question.

At which battle did the US Admiral David Farragut reputedly say,

"Damn the torpedoes.

"Full speed ahead!"

Right, I've not heard the phrase, or not heard the incident but...

I'm going to have to go for the Battle of Midway.

OK, now, Chris, can I get a Chris on this, Chris?

Yeah, it's the Battle of Mobile Bay in

the Civil War. Of course, what he called torpedoes

aren't what we know as torpedoes,

they were more like mines.

And the Confederates had mined the entrance to the bay, obviously.

"Never mind these mines, let's get in there."

-So he's a federal ship captain?

-He's the US, a union...

-Civil War so it's down that southern state area.

-Yeah, yeah.

Dave, Battle of Mobile Bay is the answer. You're equal after three.

Bit of a let-off there, Steve. We go to

Sudden Death on History.

I know it's not your ideal subject,

-but it gets a bit harder now. I don't give you alternatives.

-OK.

In 1963, which American president visited his family's

ancestral home in Dunganstown in Wexford, Ireland?

US President in '63?

-John F Kennedy?

-Yes, it is John F Kennedy. Well done.

He was killed that year. Dave,

Great Harry, launched in the 1510s,

was a ship built for which English monarch?

So if I go 1509 to 1547, I've got to go Henry VIII, please.

Henry VIII is right.

Sudden Death. Stephen, back to you.

Julius Raab became Chancellor of which European country in 1953?

Raab is R-A-A-B.

I'll say Belgium.

No, Austria.

Dave, Sudden Death.

In 1960, the alleged skull of which 17th-century statesman was

buried at his old college of Sidney Sussex, Cambridge?

-17th century statesman?

-Yes.

-Oliver Cromwell.

Oliver Cromwell's the right answer, yeah.

So, well done, Dave, you're through

on History. Sorry, Stephen.

Good battle, but he's knocked you out.

Come back to us and we'll play the final.

So this is what we have been playing towards.

It is time for our final round.

As always, it's General Knowledge,

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

can't take part.

So, Andy, Stephen and Phil, from the Lion's Tale and also Barry,

dear old Barry from the Eggheads, would you please leave the studio?

So, Tristan and Wil,

you're playing to win Lion's Tale £4,000.

Lisa, Pat, Dave and Chris, 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. Guys, you can confer.

All right? So, Tristan, Wil, the question is,

-can you with your two brains defeat these four?

-Yeah, probably.

-We'll give it a go.

-I reckon you might.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-We'll go first.

OK, so General Knowledge questions start now.

In which TV sitcom of the 1970s and 1980s did John Rudling play

the role of Brabinger the butler?

Is it...

So it's not Reginald Perrin because that's office based, yeah.

Three Up Two Down, I'm not aware of.

To The Manor Born is obviously quite hoity-toity upper crusty.

It's... I can't remember the actress's name who's in it.

Three Up Two Down, yeah, I don't think

there was any sort of service in that.

-So I think To The Manor Born.

-Yeah.

Yeah, I'd go To The Manor Born.

To The Manor Born...

is the right answer.

OK, Eggheads.

What is the literal meaning of the name of the dessert tiramisu when

translated from the Italian?

-Lift me up.

-Lift me up?

-Lift me up?

-LISA:

-It's usually

what you have to do to

me when I've eaten a tiramisu.

Lift me up? OK? We think that's lift me up.

Lift me up is right. One each, back to you guys.

Which of these birds is native to Australia and is famous for

its ability to mimic almost any sound, even trains or chainsaws?

Is it...

-The one I've heard of is lyrebird.

-Yeah.

I think I've seen a documentary about it.

Also lyre being, like,

-that's a reference to...

-Lyrics.

Yeah, musical terminology.

I'm pretty sure that's right.

I've heard of a kakapo.

I slightly thought that but no, lyrebird,

most sensible answer

so we'll go with lyrebird.

Yeah.

You're good. Lyrebird is right. Well done. Two out of two.

I'm sensing they're getting a tiny bit nervous now

cos they've realised they're up against some quizzers here.

Eggs, which of these seas has the largest surface area?

-Is it the Mediterranean?

-Should be the Mediterranean.

Yeah, I think it's the Med.

We think that's the Mediterranean by quite a margin.

Yes, the Mediterranean Sea is correct.

So, third question, can be crucial, guys.

Get this right, put some pressure on them.

£4,000 to win here.

Who became chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee

in the US in 2015?

So McCain ran against Obama for

-his first term, I think.

-He did.

Um, I'm not really sure.

Something is going off in my brain about John McCain because I

remember he was...

They were against each other but I think there was

a sort of job offer or something.

What was the name of the...?

Who became chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee

in the US in 2015?

Yeah, John McCain also ran his whole campaign on his military service.

And also the Senate tends to be,

when it's Democrat,

the Senate tends to be

Republican and vice versa.

-So I think...

-I'd go with John McCain, yeah.

I mean, it's a guess,

but we'll go John McCain.

John McCain is the correct answer. Three out of three.

Really good play from our Challengers.

£4,000, they're playing for.

Eggheads, get this wrong, the contest is over.

A Hologram For The King and The Circle

are books by which author?

-Never heard of them.

-Me neither.

It doesn't sound like Philip Roth.

It doesn't sound like him at all.

-Doesn't sound like David Nicholls.

-It doesn't, really.

-We're in trouble here, I think.

-Yeah, we are in trouble.

-We're reduced to a guess, aren't we?

-Yeah.

-Any ideas?

-On my own, I'd go Dave Eggers but just...

I'd go Dave Eggers.

I know slightly more about the other

-two but...

-I'd go Dave Eggers....

It just doesn't sound like a David Nicholls, but if it is,

it could conceivably be, but...

OK? We'll go for that?

Give it a go, yeah.

We're all at sea here, Jeremy.

And after an extremely unscientific process,

we're going to go for Dave Eggers.

OK, they're playing for £4,000 here.

You've been battered by that question. Do you know the answer?

I think it's Dave Eggers. It's definitely not Philip Roth.

I think The Circle is the thing

that's sort of based on Google.

And it's more modernist so I'd go Dave Eggers.

Dave Eggers is the right answer. Well done, Eggheads.

Oh, you see them teetering there. You were so close to the jackpot.

But you haven't won yet. We go to Sudden Death. Gets a bit harder.

I don't give you alternatives.

What colour cricket balls were used in the first ever day/night

test match in November 2015?

I'd say, well, normal cricket balls are red.

I should assume it's not red cos that would be

a horrible question, but it could be.

So, I've seen white balls and I've also seen pink balls.

White balls, I don't think would work because you've got the white

screens at the back and obviously cricket whites,

although they wear different colours.

Are you saying you've seen pink balls?

Cos my thought was going to football where you obviously have

orange balls. I think pink is a good shout.

Orange, now you've put that in my head.

If you've seen pink balls I think pink balls is a good shout.

-Yeah, but, now, yeah.

-I'd like to say pink.

OK, that's the first thing that came to my head so...

Yeah, yeah, stick with that. Pink.

Pink is the right answer. You're very good quizzers.

But, let's see. There's a sting in the tail with these guys,

so watch out, Challengers.

Which British motorway, stretching from Rugby to Gretna, is

approximately 370km long?

-M6.

-M6?

-It must be the M6.

That's the M6.

M6 is right. Well done.

Absolutely dead level.

Malcolm Turnbull ousted Tony Abbot

as Prime Minister of which country in 2015?

-Tony Abbott is Australian.

-Australia, yeah. Australia.

Australia is correct.

Sudden Death, Eggheads, get this wrong, they've won.

The Roman settlement Augusta Taurinorum

is known in modern times as which Italian city?

My first thought is Turin, they sound alike.

It does sound like Turin.

Something to do with bulls, Taurus. What do you think? Turin?

I would've gone Turin.

-I don't think I've got anything else to offer.

-No, no, no, no.

-Let's just do it.

-Give it a go.

-I don't think there's anything else.

-And he only wants the modern name.

-Yeah, yeah. Turin.

-We're going for Turin.

Turin is right. Torino in Italian.

Oof!

Billed as the UK's largest light festival,

in which city did Lumiere first take place in 2009?

-I ain't got a clue.

-Um...

I'm thinking of cultural cities. Don't think it's Birmingham...

I want to take a stab at... Were you going to suggest something?

I was going to suggest Edinburgh.

I wanted to pick a city like Manchester or Liverpool or

somewhere, but, I mean, that's not based on anything.

I'm...

I'm going to stick my neck out and say Edinburgh.

Cool, let's just try that. Yeah. Let's say Edinburgh.

I'm afraid you're wrong. Durham is the answer.

So it gives the Eggheads a chance here.

Which electric car company, founded in 2003,

is named after a Serbian-American inventor, often credited with

discovering the rotating magnetic field?

-Tesla?

-Tesla? Tesla Motors?

-Tesla Motors, yeah.

-Yeah?

That's Tesla or Tesla Motors.

Barry is nodding, which is usually a good sign.

The answer, Eggheads, is Tesla. We say congratulations, you have won.

Good. Wow.

It could have gone either way and I know you knew that last one as well.

I'm sure that was meat and drink for you.

Commiserations, guys, you are very, very good.

Lots of people come through the studio.

-You're in the top 5%, I would say.

-Oh, God, yeah.

Quizzers without a doubt.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them and they do

still reign supreme over Quizland.

It means you won't be going home with the £4,000,

so the money rolls over to our next show. Eggheads, well done.

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

the brains to defeat our standing quizzers.

£5,000 says they don't.

Till then, goodbye.