Episode 94 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. Can you be beaten?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-But we will try not to be.

-And have been.

-Not often, that's for sure.

Taking an our awesome quiz champions today

are Pam's People from West Sussex. Now, this group of friends

met through an over-50s group

at their local leisure centre in Haywards Heath,

and have been quizzing together and against each other

for the last ten years.

Let's meet them.

Hello, I'm Pam and I'm a retired office manager.

Hi, I'm Mel and I'm a retired bank manager.

Hello, I'm Michael, I'm a retired personnel manager.

Hi, I'm Derek, I'm a retired wine merchant.

Hi, I'm Mike and I am a retired finance manager.

-So, Pam and team, welcome.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for coming in and taking this lot on.

-Looking forward to it.

Good, OK, well, that's a very good attitude.

And you normally have rackets with you when you meet each other.

-Is that right?

-Absolutely, yes.

-Is that squash or tennis or what?

Tennis and badminton and short tennis

and table tennis, some of us play.

And as well as the badminton and the tennis, it's also quizzing.

It is also quizzing, yes.

I think Mel and Michael will do the quiz more regularly

than the rest of us.

We'll be dipping in and out of each other's teams

at different quizzes that come along.

-Have you got a battle plan for today?

-Yes. We just hope it works.

All right, good luck with it.

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, Pam's People, they've actually done rather well recently.

That's why they're sort of swaggering a bit.

They've won the last eight.

So, it means there's £9,000 to play for.

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

Who wants History?

-It'll be Mike.

-Mike at the end, OK.

-Yes, please.

-Mike, against which Egghead? You could have any one of them.

-Right.

I'd like to challenge Dave, please.

OK, so Tremendous Knowledge Dave, I'm sensing a battle plan here.

So, Mike from Pam's People versus Dave on History.

Please go to the Question Room now.

So, on History, Mike, against Tremendous Knowledge Dave.

Would you like to go first or second?

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

Here we go.

Edward The Confessor died in which year?

He died...

..in 1066.

Yes, he did. 1066 is right, well done, Mike.

Dave, your question.

The 1415 Battle of Agincourt took place in which country?

Took place in France.

France is right.

It may get harder, Mike. Here we go.

Which of these men became US president in the 1940s?

In the 1940s, I'd go for...

Yes, Dwight was in the '50s.

I'd go for Harry S Truman.

Harry S Truman is the right one, well done.

OK, Dave.

Who was monarch of England when Louis XIV became King of France?

It's either Elizabeth or Charles, and I can't remember which one.

Er, I've got to go for Charles I.

Charles I is the right answer.

Oh!

So close to getting an advantage there, Mike.

Try and get this one right, put the pressure on.

In 1911, the first escalators on the London Underground

were installed at which station?

Right.

I don't know the answer to this, it will have to be a guess,

and I will go for Bond Street.

Is he right, Eggheads?

-No.

-It was Earl's Court.

-Earl's Court is the answer.

-Ah.

I don't know why.

Was that there earlier?

Well, it was the interchange between the Great Northern,

Piccadilly and Brompton and the District Railway.

And it was just put in, really, as a demonstration,

to prove that escalators were a practical proposition.

It wasn't because it was a particularly deep shaft.

And for the first few days of operation,

they actually employed a man with one leg called Bumper Harris,

just to ride up and down on the escalator

-just to show people it safe to ride on.

-Is that right? Amazing.

So, now a possibility for Dave.

Get this right, you're in the final, Dave.

In 1955, the embalmed body of Argentina's Eva Peron

was stolen and secreted for several years in which country?

One of those countries came into my head before the options came up.

So, I'm going to go for it. I'm going to go Italy.

Dave, well done, you've got it right. Three out of three.

I'm sorry, Mike, you've been knocked out there by our Egghead and,

as a result, will not be able to help your team

in the final round.

Do, both of you, please come back and rejoin your team-mates.

Well, as always, Chris, you were bang on with your train facts.

-William Bumper Harris, it was.

-Yeah, that's the fellow.

The man with one leg who was used to test the escalators.

-The stuff we learn here!

-We do.

-It's amazing.

Wish we'd known it before.

So, Pam's People have lost one brain from the final round,

the Eggheads have not lost any. Dave is in the final,

and the next subject for you is Film and TV.

Who would like this?

-THEY LAUGH

-I think that might be me.

-Oh, Pam?

-Yes.

-All right, against which Egghead? It can't be Dave.

-I think I'll go for Judith.

-Yeah, why not? Many do.

Pam from Pam's People versus Judith from Judith's People,

I guess, sometimes.

No, from the Eggheads, OK.

To ensure there's no conferring,

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

So, Film and TV, Pam, is this your thing?

Not really, no, but I'll do my best.

So, Pam, would you like to go first or second?

I'd like to go first, please.

First question, Pam, here we go.

Cathy Gale and Emma Peel were characters in which TV series?

Ah, this is one I actually remember. It's The Avengers.

It is indeed.

OK, Judith.

Who created and wrote the sitcom Last Of The Summer Wine?

Gosh, I don't know that. I...

David Renwick.

Eggheads, is it David Renwick?

No, Roy Clarke.

Roy Clarke, and who was David Renwick?

One Foot In The Grave.

One Foot In The Grave, Judith.

Oh, Well, I knew he was a writer.

Yeah, Roy Clarke is the answer.

Pam, what is the subtitle of the first Star Wars film,

originally released in 1977?

Now, this I don't know, I've not seen any of these Star War films.

I don't think it's The Force Awakens.

Erm, I'm going to go for The Phantom Menace.

OK, have you seen them, Judith?

Well, I thought it might be The Force Awakens.

No, it's neither, it's A New Hope.

Oh!

So, Judith, your question now.

Ron Howard won an Academy award for Best Director for which film?

I don't think The Da Vinci Code won any awards, did it?

I think it's A Beautiful Mind.

A Beautiful Mind is your answer.

-Are these all Ron Howard films?

-Yes.

-Oh, they're all his films.

-Are they? Oh, dear.

Yes, but you got it right, well done.

Phew, that was lucky.

So, Eggheads - one, Challengers - one,

Pam, back to you.

Who provided the voice for Dobby, the house elf

in the 2002 film Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets?

I don't think it's Martin Freeman.

And I don't think it's David Tennant.

I think that's Toby Jones.

-You're absolutely right.

-Hooray.

Judith.

To stay in.

Which American teen drama series featured

the characters Seth Cohen, Ryan Atwood and Summer Roberts?

I, I don't know because I don't think I've seen any of those.

But I have a feeling it might be The OC.

The OC is right.

Level after three questions.

And we go now to Sudden Death.

-Pam, it gets a bit harder, I don't give you alternatives.

-OK.

In the 1984 episode of The Young Ones

in which the boys took part in University Challenge,

what was the name of their fictional college?

Oxbridge.

No, it was Scumbag College.

Didn't know that.

Quite a long way from Oxbridge.

OK, Judith.

Which actor appears in both X-Men Origins: Wolverine

and X-Men: First Class?

I don't know, sorry. Pass.

-You don't want to take a stab at it?

-No, just let's get on.

Hugh Jackman.

Pam.

The former Hear'Say singer Suzanne Shaw

played Edna Birch's granddaughter Eve in which TV soap?

Coronation Street.

No, Emmerdale.

Judith, which actor,

born in 1974, starred as J Edgar Hoover

in the 2011 film J Edgar, directed by Clint Eastwood?

I think it was Leonardo DiCaprio.

Leonardo DiCaprio is the right answer.

Judith, you've taken the round, you are in the final.

Pam, sorry, you've been knocked out on Sudden Death.

Come back to us and we'll play the next round.

So, Pam's People have lost two brains now from the final round

while the Eggheads have not lost any.

The next subject is Science.

-Who would like Science?

-That is...

-Is that me?

-No, that's me. Yeah, that's me, Jeremy.

OK, against who, Mel?

I'll take Chris, please.

Good stuff, so Mel from Pam's People versus Chris from the Eggheads.

Please go to the Question Room.

Science, Mel. First or second?

First, please.

So, here is your question, Mel.

In degrees Celsius,

what is the average normal body temperature for an adult?

It's 98.4 for Fahrenheit, so it's converting that, so...

I'll go for 37.

37 is quite right.

Always looks very hot to me, I must say.

If you're in a hot summer's day and it's 37 degrees,

you're going to be piping.

Chris,

which part of the body is most affected by the condition rickets?

Ah, Vitamin D deficiency, it's the bones.

It is the bones, well done.

Back to you, Mel.

The ozone layer is approximately how many kilometres

above the Earth's surface?

I'll go for the 300.

300...

Let's see, Chris, do you know?

It's pretty high up. 300km is...

..160-odd miles, that seems a bit high for me, I'll go for 30.

Yeah, 30's the right answer.

All right, Chris, your question.

Which of these is at seven on the Mohs scale of hardness?

Well, diamond is ten, corundum's nine, it's got to be quartz.

Oh, that's good, you're absolutely right.

-What would zero or one be? What would one be?

-Talc.

-Talc?

-Hmm.

-OK, thank you.

New information coming in, that's useful, isn't it?

So, Mel, you need to get this one right.

What is the next number after 3.14

in the mathematical constant known as pi?

Well, I thought it was 3.142 but I suppose recurring.

Erm, I'll go for the 3.

Well, I just remember, at school, my calculator,

if I pressed pi, it said 3.1415926.

The answer is 3.141,

so we have to say, Chris,

you're in the final round. No way back for Mel.

Return to your teams and we will play one more round

before that final.

As it stands, Pam's People have lost three brains from the final round

while the Eggheads haven't lost any.

Last subject before the final and it's Sport.

Who wants this?

-It's Michael or Derek.

-I think I'll take that one.

Derek, OK. Which Egghead? You can have either Barry or Kevin?

I think, on balance,

we'll probably go for Barry.

-Yes, I'll try Barry.

-OK.

There is no avoiding Kevin at some point but point taken.

Derek from Pam's People versus Barry, who loves a run out,

from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring, please go to the special room now.

-Derek, you're a retired wine merchant.

-Yes, that's correct.

I'm guessing you were waiting for Food and Drink to come up.

I was and had it come up, I think I would have taken on Kevin.

But as it didn't, things are what they are.

They are what they are and let's hope you can turn it around.

But even if you're knocked out, there's still hope for your team.

Would you like to go first or second on Sport?

I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

OK, here is your first question, Derek. Good luck.

In boxing, a rabbit punch is an illegal blow

delivered to which part of the body?

Well, it's not groin, of course,

because that would be illegal and below the belt.

A punch to the heart is perfectly legal,

so it has to be to the back of the head.

Back of the head is quite right.

Barry,

who won the 2015 BBC Sports Personality Of The Year award?

Ah, it could only be Andy Murray.

Andy Murray is quite right.

And totally deserved too.

OK, Derek.

How long does the afternoon tea interval usually last

in a game of test match cricket?

Well, five minutes wouldn't give them a great deal of time

to drink their tea.

I think 40 minutes is nearer the luncheon interval,

so I would have to go with 20 minutes.

Yes, 20 minutes is quite right.

So you've got two, Barry's got one. Barry, to catch up,

what was the distance of Jonathan Edwards's

world record-breaking triple jump in Gothenburg in 1995?

Oh, gosh.

Just doing some quick calculations in my head.

23.29 and 28.29 sound much too long.

-I'm going for 18.29.

-18.29...

..is correct.

-Still a long way.

-Indeed.

So, two each. Derek, back to you.

The footballer Zinedine Zidane played for which Italian club

from 1996 to 2001?

I'm not absolutely sure of this.

I think I'll discount Sampdoria and I don't remember him

in the blue and black of Inter Milan,

so I will actually say Juventus.

I think I've seen him in the black and white of Juventus.

Yeah, he has indeed played for that team.

Juventus is right.

Barry?

This to stay in.

Which PGA golfer is most associated with the nickname The Grinder?

I don't think it's Tom Lehman.

I've got a vague bell ringing at the back of my mind that says

it's Jim Furyk and that's all I've got to go for,

so I'll go for Jim Furyk.

Jim Furyk is correct.

So, a tight round, three points for each of you on Sport.

Well done to you both.

Derek, we go to Sudden Death and I don't give you alternatives.

In golf, a double bogey is a score

of how many shots over par on a whole?

A double bogey would be two shots over par.

Two is correct.

Barry, to stay in.

Which South African-born England cricketer scored 355 not out

for Surrey in a 2015 County Championship match?

South African-born England cricketer. Kevin Pietersen.

Kevin Pietersen is quite right.

Derek.

Louis Smith won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games

on which piece of gymnastic apparatus?

I think that was the pommel horse.

Pommel horse is correct.

Good for you!

OK, Barry, to stay in.

In which country in the South Pacific

was the All-Black rugby union player Joe Rokocoko born?

I don't know, but let's see what there is.

There's Samoa, Fiji or Tonga.

It's very likely to be one of those three.

Sounds vaguely Samoan, that name, so I will go for Samoa.

Any Eggheads know?

It sounds more Fijian to me, but...

Fiji is the answer, Barry.

You've been knocked out.

Well done, Derek. Turning the tide here.

You took on an Egghead and emerged triumphant,

so you'll be in the final.

And if you both come back to us, we will play that round.

So, this is what we have been playing towards.

It is time for the final round, which, as always,

is General Knowledge.

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

can't take part in this round,

which is Pam, Mel and Mike from Pam's People,

but also Barry from the Eggheads.

Would you please now leave the studio?

Michael and Derek, you're playing to win Pam's People £9,000.

Here we go, guys.

Chris, Judith, Kevin and Dave,

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

A, the Eggheads' reputation and B, to turn this streak into a roll.

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

This time, they're all General Knowledge. You can confer.

So, Pam's People,

the question is - can your two brains take down these four?

And would you like to go first or second?

I think we'll go first, please.

OK, Michael and Derek, good luck to you.

Which of these bears has a particular penchant

for marmalade sandwiches?

-Yeah, it's Paddington.

-We're just going to...

I think it's Paddington. I think we'll go Paddington.

Paddington, please.

Paddington is the right answer.

Eggheads.

For what does the letter K stand

in the internet chat abbreviation AFAIK?

Capital letters, A-F-A-I-K.

-Yeah, you're right, Chris.

-As far as I know.

-That's right.

We think the full thing stands for

as far as I know,

so it would be know.

Know is right. Well done, Eggs.

Your question, Challengers.

Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth originated the lead roles

in which musical when it opened on Broadway in 2003?

-I'm pretty sure... Well, Chess is earlier.

-Right.

Idina Menzel does a really good version of that song in Wicked,

-I think, so it's probably Wicked.

-It's probably Wicked.

Which is about that era.

With a little bit of caution, we're going for Wicked, please, Jeremy.

You're absolutely right. Well done.

Eggheads, your question to catch up.

What is the name of the local Ambridge pub in The Archers?

The Bull! The Bull!

1951, near The Bull.

That is The Bull.

The Bull is right. You listen, Judith?

-Yes, love The Archers.

-Do you?

So, you're equal.

I'm sorry you haven't shaken them off yet, but we're playing

for 9,000, hold focus here.

If you get this right, you may not have to do any more.

Which Shakespeare play opens with the line,

"In delivering my son from me, I bury a second husband"?

-My first thought is...

-It's not The Taming Of The Shrew.

It's not The Taming Of The Shrew, so it's the other two.

So, what are the themes in both?

I think they both wind up with lost children.

If I had to choose, I would probably go All's Well That Ends Well.

But I... It would be a guess.

OK, we're struggling between the two, but we'll go with All's Well.

That Ends Well.

All's Well That Ends Well.

Let's just see if the Eggheads know. Do you know this?

-It is.

-It is! You got it right.

-Well, thank you.

All's Well That Ends Well.

OK, no more could be expected of you.

My goodness, I bet your team-mates at the back are thrilled

you got three out of three.

And that, for some other teams, has been enough to win the jackpot.

Let's see. Here's your question.

Which character from a Puccini opera sings the aria O Mio Babbino Caro?

It's Lauretta. Yes, Cio-Cio-San is from...

..Madame Butterfly

and Mimi is from La Boheme, so it's Lauretta.

That's right. OK.

The work concerned is Gianni Schicchi,

which is one of three mini operas

which form a trilogy,

if you like, called Il Trittico.

And the character is Lauretta.

Lauretta is correct.

OK, so we go to Sudden Death.

£9,000 to play for.

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

Gentlemen, your question.

Which noted historian and broadcaster, born to Quaker parents

in 1945, has been referred to in the press as the rudest man in Britain?

I can actually picture him.

-Historian and broadcaster.

-Yeah.

-David Starkey.

-It's...

David Starkey.

David Starkey is the right answer.

You would have been so cross if you got that wrong.

He would have been too.

OK, to stay in.

Which Scottish American computer programmer,

best known for creating antivirus software,

went on the run from authorities in Central America in 2012?

I saw the story, but I've forgotten his name.

-Is it McAfee? McAfee.

-Oh, Robert McAfee?

Because McAfee is software, isn't it?

-What is he called?

-It's McAfee.

This antivirus software, I think it's pronounced macker-fee.

-Oh, McAfee?

-Yes.

I don't know his surname, Christian name.

No, another thing, you got Robert straightaway in your head.

I may have said Robert because...

You know, recently, there's been this true crime thing on TV

-about Robert Durst.

-Yeah, all right.

-Because I was maybe starting to say Robert Durst.

-Yes.

I think that's probably what happened.

OK, fine, so we'll get back to square one with this.

Right, so I'm...

-I, I don't know it.

-I don't know the name.

-I'm inclined...

-I'm inclined to John.

-John McAfee does ring vague bells.

-Right, well, if it's ringing bells, that's all we've got.

-Yeah.

Erm, we're reasonably sure that the surname is McAfee.

One of the leading anti...security and anti-virus software people,

but we've not really got any idea great as far as

his first name is concerned.

On balance, we'll go with John.

John McAfee is your answer.

And if you've got it wrong, they win £9,000.

-I don't know how you do it, it is John McAfee.

-Brilliant, well done.

Right. Sudden Death, your question.

Which small mammal commonly found in Britain

has the scientific name talpa europaea?

Talpa, T-A-L-P-A, and europaea, E-U-R-O-P-A-E-A.

-Small mammal?

-Small mammal.

-So, it's not going to be...

-It's got to be...

-Is it a mole, a vole?

Europaea suggests it's found in Europe as well.

-Do they find voles in Europe?

-Probably.

Probably. Talpa...

Not a hedgehog, is it?

That's a very good shout. Very good shout.

Right, what have we got? We've got vole, hedgehog, mole.

If it were my shout, I'd probably go with hedgehog.

You know, I don't...

We have, as you may have gathered, very limited knowledge of

small mammals commonly found in this country.

But we're going to plump for hedgehogs.

Hedgehog, OK.

Let's see if the Eggheads know, are they right?

-Isn't it a mole?

-Mole.

Oh, God.

OK, Sudden Death, but you are not dead yet.

Eggheads, can finish the contest with this question.

In the closing ceremony for the 2012 Olympics,

who was the only male model

alongside eight female fashion models that appeared on stage?

-Male model?

-I can't think of any male models.

Well, there's the underwear one, David Gandy, isn't there?

-Only person I can think of.

-Let's have a think. Why would he be?

-Don't know any male models.

-Fashion model, did he say?

The only male model alongside eight female fashion models.

And male.

It's not David Beckham, is it?

-Hmm, well, the name Beckham, it's a shout.

-It is a shout, yes.

It is a shout.

I think, on balance, if we're...

I mean, we could come up with Beckham or any number of people,

couldn't we?

As somebody just with modelling.

But I, maybe we just have to take the implication that it is a model.

A model.

-And which case, it would probably be David Gandy.

-Mm-hm.

-Otherwise it could be anybody.

-Is everybody happy with that?

-Yeah.

OK?

Yeah, we don't know, we don't remember the thing.

I think I saw the closing ceremony, but I have no memory of that at all.

So, on the basis...

..that it says male model, it could actually be anybody

but on the basis it says male model, we'll go for the best-known

British male model that actually does that as a job,

that's David Gandy.

Got to say, credit to the David here,

because he's the one who brought the word McAfee to the last conversation

and the first one to mention Gandy as well.

David Gandy is the right answer.

-We say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

-Well played.

Well, they were backs to the wall there, I can tell you.

They were, my goodness, racking every brain cell.

-But commiserations, they can do that.

-Close but no cigar.

Sorry, Pam's People, the Eggheads have done what comes

naturally to them and they had to struggle today,

but the winning streak continues.

And it does mean you won't be going home with the £9,000,

so what we will do is roll that money over to our next show.

Eggheads, very well done, you played well today.

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

have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

We're going to be in five figures, £10,000 says they don't.

Till then, phew! Goodbye.