Episode 96 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.

Battered and bruised today.

-Yes.

-But we'll be back.

-We're shaken - shaken and stirred.

-"We'll be back," I know you will.

So, challenging the might of our quiz Goliaths

are The Fish Brains from Shropshire.

Now, this team of friends all regularly quiz together

at their local pub, The Compasses, in Shrewsbury

and often scoop the £10 jackpot.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Deryn and I'm a beauty therapist.

Hi, I'm Tom and I'm a biological sciences student.

Hello, I'm Kathy and I'm a retired local government inspector.

Hello, I'm a Rod. I'm a retired BT engineer.

Hi, I'm Ian. I'm a retired HR advisor.

So, Deryn and team, welcome.

-From The Compasses, Deryn?

-Yep.

Yes, we are from The Compasses,

which is in the village of Bayston Hill near Shrewsbury.

And we play the pub quiz in there every fortnight.

I'm worried cos I said, Shrowsbury.

Am I in the wrong to say Shrowsbury?

-Can you tell me?

-Shroosbury.

You can say either. Shrewsbury, we say, Shroosbury.

Now, the pub is The Compasses, but the team is The Fish Brains,

so please explain why.

-We met in The Fishes pub, that's where we were locals.

-OK.

And we gathered round the quiz machine in there

and then The Compasses pub started doing a quiz,

and so we were The Fish Brains because we came from The Fishes.

I see. And, Dave, a quiz machine in a pub you haven't been banned from.

Yeah. No, never got banned in Shrewsbury.

THEY LAUGH

-Cos he's been banned in Manchester cos of quiz machine behaviour.

-Oh.

Cos he keeps cleaning them out.

So, you'll have to give him directions later. Good luck to you.

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, Fish Brains, as I alluded to,

the Eggheads had a very bad one in the last game

and the Challengers won.

That means, at least, that it can be done

and it also means there's £1,000 for you to win today.

Would you like to try?

-ALL:

-Yes.

-We certainly would.

-Good stuff.

The first head-to-head battle will be on the subject of History.

So, who's the historian?

-That's me, isn't it?

-Are we going to go with Kath?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-Yeah, that would be me.

-Kathy.

-Kath.

-Against which Egghead, Kathy?

-I thought Dave. What do you think?

-Dave?

-Go with Dave?

-Yeah, Dave is a good choice.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, go for Dave.

-OK, Quiz Machine Dave.

-Yeah.

-Straight into action, Dave.

-Yes, no problem at all.

So, Kathy from The Fish Brains versus Dave from the Eggheads.

And to ensure there's no conferring,

would you please take your positions in the Question Room?

So, Kathy, you've got a bit of a history connection, I know.

Yes. I'd prefer you not to mention that, really.

Oh, really? OK. Well, what shall we say?

There's a bit of history...academic history stuff.

Yes. But I...

When I do that job,

I can have textbooks open, so I can see all the dates.

Well, can I say what the job is or shall we leave it a mystery?

-No, you can say if you want to.

-So, you mark exam papers.

-Yeah.

For the International Baccalaureate.

-That's right, yes.

-OK.

-So, I'm thinking a little bit of that must go in.

-Hopefully.

-Well, let's see.

-Yeah, not guaranteed, though.

-Good stuff.

And I notice also, interestingly, you buy and sell vintage postcards.

-Yes, I do. Yes.

-Which I always... I love to see them.

Where do you sell them?

I sell them at postcard fairs all over the country and on eBay.

I always like the way they look. I never know where to...

Do people re-use them or do they just store them and collect them?

No, they collect them. Yeah. They wouldn't re-use them, no.

Oh, dear. A terrible mistake by me last time I bought one.

THEY CHUCKLE

OK, History, Kathy, would you like to go first or second?

I'd like to go second, please.

OK. The Challengers playing for £1,000.

And, Dave, over to you.

Who surrendered to the captain of the HMS Bellerophon in July 1815?

I'm going to have to go Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon Bonaparte is right.

Any Egghead able to tell us the story here?

Well, it was after...a few days after the Battle of Waterloo.

-And they whisked him off to Saint Helena.

-OK.

So, Kathy.

Whom did Winston Churchill describe, in the 1930s,

as "a seditious, Middle Temple lawyer?"

Well... Oh.

I was going to say I don't think it's Gandhi,

but it could have been cos he was a lawyer.

Erm, yes. So, having said it wasn't Gandhi,

I think I will go for Gandhi.

-Gandhi is the right answer.

-Great.

And we say Mohandas, not Mahatma, what's going on?

Mahatma is a title.

Mahatma just means great soul, his real name was Mohandas.

OK. Mohandas was his name.

-So, Dave.

-Yeah.

In 1415, Henry V crushed a rebellion to put which nobleman on the throne?

I've got to go Owen Glendower.

The answer is Edmund Mortimer.

Well, you say 1415?

In 1415, Henry V...

Well, that's after the Battle of Agincourt,

so maybe Henry V was over in France

and he had somebody temporary

to look after the kingdom while he was away.

-A regent.

-A regent, yes.

Let me rack my brains on this one, Eggs.

Kathy.

Luck is all you need.

Which of these events began in the town of Meerut in 1857?

-Could you spell the name of the place, please?

-Yes, of course.

M-E-E-R-U-T. Meerut.

Right. So, it won't be the Boer War because that's too early.

Erm...

And the Crimean War didn't start then.

So, I'll have to go for the Indian Mutiny.

-Yes, Indian Mutiny is quite right.

-Yes!

-Yeah.

So, you've taken the lead.

-Dave, you need to get this one right.

-Yeah.

What was the name of modern-day Beijing

when Genghis Khan captured it in 1215?

Erm, I don't know.

I'm going to go Jinling.

See if the Eggheads know. Is he right?

I'd have had a punt on Zhongdu.

-Zhongdu is the answer.

-OK.

Sorry, you've been knocked out there. And well done, Kathy.

-Thank you.

-You've done it with two questions.

You'll be in the final round.

-Good start for our Challengers.

-Thank you.

Come back to us, please, and we'll play on.

Well, Dave, it was the Southampton Plot, it was called

and it was an attempt to get a guy called Edmund Mortimer

-on the throne in 1415.

-Yeah. All right.

And it failed, it was put down.

And it was nothing to do with Owen Glendower

who was another battle, another day.

So, as it stands, The Fish Brains have not lost any brains

from the final round.

The Eggheads, have lost one.

Over here, Dave has been caught on the line.

So, the next subject for you is Sport.

-Who is the sport person?

-Rod!

-Yes, that's me, Jeremy.

-OK.

Well done, Rod.

It's going to be Rod against which Egghead?

-Erm.

-Who do you want to go for?

I think I'll go for Chris, please, Jeremy.

-Oh, yeah?

-THE FISH BRAINS LAUGH

I thought we'd keep it local - Shrewsbury and Crewe.

All right. That's good. Just get him a little bit wound up.

That helps as well.

Rod from Fish Brains, Chris from the Eggheads,

not a fish brain at all.

And please, go to our Question Room now.

Rod, you train in dog agility.

Yes, Jeremy. Yes.

So, you have a dog and you help it go through hoops and stuff?

That's it, yes.

Over the jumps and through the weaves and what have you, yes.

But I've been... My dog is ten now,

so I've not quite retired her cos she still enjoys it,

but we go in to sort of veteran competitions.

Lovely. I mean, I've seen a couple of them

and they're great to watch, I must say.

Yes, they are.

Yes, it is enjoyable to watch,

but the dog gets a lot out of it as well.

And I think with a Border collie, you do really have to work

their mind and their bodies and they clearly love doing it.

Chris, you ever had a dog?

No. My dad had a...thing 40-odd years ago.

But I'm not a dog person, more of a cat person.

Not that I keep a cat anyway

cos being away so much it wouldn't be fair.

So, when you say your dad had a thing,

was this thing ever identified?

-It was a four-footed, bits of this, bit of that.

-Yeah.

OK, Sport, Rod, would you like to go first or second?

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

Who was appointed manager of Chelsea, Rod, in December 2015

after the sacking of Jose Mourinho?

Could you repeat the date again, please, Jeremy?

Who was appointed manager of Chelsea in December 2015

after the sacking of Jose Mourinho?

Well, it's not Ruud Gullit.

He was a while ago.

So, I think it's Louis van Gaal.

-Ooh.

-Ooh.

-Ooh. Guus Hiddink is the answer.

-Yeah.

Louis van Gaal, at that time, was the Manchester United manager.

Chris.

Who won the women's singles tournament

at the 2016 Australian Open?

I think that was Johanna Konta.

Oh, if only.

Oh, and she's the British one?

-Yes, she is. Yeah.

-So, no, Chris.

-Oh.

-No, and Barry is in pain here cos he wanted it to be her.

-It was actually Angelique Kerber.

-Mm-hm.

So, we're back where we started.

Rod, well done there.

You did a little swerve, made sure Chris got his one wrong.

Felipe Contepomi is the highest all-time point scorer

for which national rugby union team?

-Could you repeat the name, please, Jeremy?

-Yes.

Felipe, which is F-E-L-I-P-E,

Contepomi, which is C-O-N-T-E-P-O-M-I.

Er, well, I'm not sure, but I don't think the name sounds French.

It does sound Italian,

but my head seems to think that it could be Argentina.

But I'm going to go for Italian, please, Jeremy.

-All right.

-Italy.

-Italy is your answer, but Argentina is the correct answer.

-Aw.

Bad luck. So, Chris, your chance to try and take the lead.

Sydney Howard Smith was the first recorded winner

of the all England men's singles title in which sport?

Oh, well, the only one of those where you get singles is badminton.

-Badminton is right.

-Mm.

That was a clever little move you did there.

So, Chris is in the lead.

It means, Rod, you need this answer.

Quite badly.

Who was Jacque Villeneuve's team-mate

during his debut Formula One season in 1996?

I don't think it is Mika Hakkinen.

I think he's more recent than that.

So, David Coulthard or Damon Hill.

I'm going to have to sort of guess with Damon Hill, please, Jeremy.

You've got it right. It is Damon Hill, well done.

Well done. We're breaking through now.

OK. If Chris gets this one, he's in the final round.

Who was the first South African bowler to take 300 test wickets?

Well, the only name I recognise there is Shaun Pollock,

so that's got to be the answer.

-Any Eggheads know?

-Allan Donald.

Allan Donald is the answer.

We're going to go to Sudden Death.

We're equal after three questions.

This could end quickly, Rod, although it doesn't always.

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

Here's your question.

The cricketer Don Bradman,

needing four runs to retire with a test match batting average of 100,

scored how many runs in his final innings?

I will have to go for the century, I think, Jeremy, but I don't know.

No, it's the opposite, he scored zero.

And so he didn't finish with 100 average,

he finished with an average of 99.9 or something like that.

-94.

-99.94.

-Yeah.

-Mortifying.

OK, Chris, Sudden Death.

If you get this right, you are in the final, Chris.

Hold focus now.

In which sport might a player execute a Cruyff turn?

Cruyff as in Johan Cruyff? C-R-U-Y-F-F.

C-R-U-Y-F-F.

Hmm.

Er.

Ice-skating.

-THEY LAUGH

-How can he know who it is...?

Don't tell me it's football.

The answer is football.

You said, "As in Johan Cruyff," I thought, "We're there."

THEY ALL LAUGH We're there.

Ice-skating?!

Well, a turn, you know.

OK. Sudden Death, we may need to rename this round.

Rod, the controversial athlete Marita Koch set a world record

of 47.60 seconds in 1985 in which track event?

The time would suggest it's somewhere around the 400 metres,

so I would say 400 metres, Jeremy.

Well done, Rod. 400 metres it is. Good. OK.

So, Chris needs this one now.

Will Greenwood played rugby union for Leicester

and which other professional club?

Get this wrong and you're out, Chris.

Saracens.

You've got it wrong. It's Harlequins. Well done, Rod.

APPLAUSE

You went toe-to-toe with big Chris there and you've triumphed.

You're in the final. You've beaten him on Sport.

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

Well, it is going very well for The Fish Brains.

You have not lost any brains, Fishes.

The Eggs, have lost two and we've still got two more subjects to go.

The first of which is Music.

Who would like music?

-Do you want to do it?

-Well.

-Or do you want me to do it?

-You do it.

-You want me to do it?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-All right, it's me.

-OK, Deryn. Against which Egghead?

-Gosh.

-Who looks like they're striking bum notes?

-Music, music, music.

Barry or Pat.

-Sorry, what do you...?

-They're all really worried about taking this.

-I'd go for Barry or Pat.

-OK. Erm...

-Yeah, Barry or Pat.

-Ooh, I don't know.

Barry.

OK. Deryn from Fish Brains versus Barry from the Eggheads on Music.

Barry known as The Brain.

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

So, would you like to go first against Barry or second?

I'll go second.

Barry, your question.

What is the name of the Minneapolis recording studio established

by the musician Prince?

It can't obviously be Abbey Road, which is in London and Sun Studios

is the studio that first recorded Elvis and that, I believe,

in Memphis, so I will go for Paisley Park.

It's Paisley Park, well done.

Over to you, Deryn.

"Watchin' the ships roll in and I'll watch 'em roll away again,"

are lyrics from which Otis Redding song?

Right, when you said that, I started singing it in my head

and I'm pretty sure it's Sittin' On - The Dock Of The Bay.

Indeed it is.

If Lisa was here, she could sing it.

# Sittin' on the dock of the bay... #

OK, Barry, in which year did Madonna achieve her first UK number single?

Madonna's first hit, I believe, was Holiday, but her first number one

single, I think, was Into The Groove.

Oh, that's the easy bit, but what year?

Madonna has been going an awfully long time. I think 1987 is too late.

I'm going to go for the earliest of those dates, 1983.

-OK, Dave is our '80s music specialist. Dave?

-1985.

Yeah, '85 is the answer.

Barry, sorry. That's handy.

Gosh, you're getting the wind behind you, the Fish Brains.

This is good for you.

You have a chance here to take the lead, Deryn.

Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday

was a 1979 UK top 10 single for which group?

SHE CHUCKLES

Again, I've got that in my head

and it's definitely not Kool & the Gang,

it's not Sister Sledge. I'm quite sure it is Boney M.

It's one of those things you almost don't want to know.

Boney M is right. Well done, you are in the lead.

Eggheads are wobbling here in their egg cups.

So, Barry, if you get this wrong, you're out as well.

9 Variations On A March By Dressler is the first extent published work

of which composer?

-Could you just repeat that, please?

-Yes.

9 Variations On A March By Dressler is the first extent published work

of which composer?

I have heard the name Dressler, I think it's Anton Dressler.

I think he's the earliest musician of all of those three,

so in that case, that would lead me to Mozart.

But is it Mozart? Let me think.

No, I'm going to change my mind. I'll say Wagner.

I thought you were going to go

to the right answer then, but you didn't.

-It's not Mozart or Wagner.

-Oh.

-Beethoven.

-Didn't know that.

Tough old question but there we go.

Deryn, you've beaten another Egghead.

What a contest this is.

So, three knocked out now

and only one more round before the final.

Please come back and rejoin your team-mates.

Well, what a contest we've got here.

The Fish Brains have been battling away. They have not lost any brains.

The Eggheads have had three of their little shells broken.

So the next subject now is Science.

THE FISH BRAINS LAUGH Is this good?

-Yeah.

-Well done, Tom.

-OK, Tom, because you're a biology student.

-Yeah.

-Great.

-And I'll go against Judith.

-OK, fine.

You're leaving Pat for the final.

Tom from Fish Brains versus Judith from the Eggheads.

She did have a famous victory once

in science against a rocket scientist,

but it doesn't happen all the time.

To ensure there is no conferring, please go to our special room.

Well, we're just totting up questions and answers here

and we think that this is the worst Eggheads performance of all time.

Cos you have three answers right out of 11 questions.

So, Judith, there's an awful lot on your shoulders now.

-There is, isn't there?

-You're the rear guard defence, OK?

-Oh, dear.

-So it's not that we've done well.

-No, you are doing well as well.

-Tom, you are a biology student.

-I am, yes.

-OK.

Good luck against Judith. Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go second, please.

Judith, the computing term apps is a shortened version of which word?

Apps. They are applications.

Applications is right.

-Suddenly, the Eggheads...

-Four questions.

-..come roaring back.

-Four out of 11.

-My goodness.

Is the tide turning?

Tom, what general name is given to those elements in the middle

of the periodic table?

Well, I recently started an organic chemistry module,

so I should know this.

And I'm pretty sure it's transition elements.

Well done, it is transition elements.

Judith, Madagascar is the sole

native habitat of which endangered nocturnal primate?

Oh, dear. What is it?

Um...

I'm not quite sure. I think it's a loris.

No!

The Eggheads have got four questions right out of 13.

-The answer is aye-aye.

-Oh.

That's a sort of Scrabble answer, isn't it?

All right, I wouldn't fancy the Eggheads chances in a game

of anything at the moment.

THE FISH BRAINS CHUCKLE

Tom.

The bacteria named campylobacter

is a major source of which of the following in humans?

Well, avian influenza refers to flu, so that's not the answer.

Tuberculosis. Well, we all know what condition that is.

I'm going to say food poisoning and I'll kick myself if it's not.

No, you're right. Food poisoning is right.

Well done, Tom.

OK, Judith.

You need to get this one right.

Which type of star comprises approximately three-quarters of the

galaxy's stellar population?

Um...

I think that's a white dwarf.

-BARRY GROANS

-Are they all crying?

-Yes!

The only one I've heard of there is red wharf and that's the answer.

-Oh, no.

-Oh, dear. I can't explain what's happening.

I almost want to apologise, but I don't think you mind too much.

No, we don't.

-That's it, Judith, you're out.

-Yes.

The Eggheads have got...

You've managed to get one right in each round and that's four questions

out of 14 you've got.

Tom, well done. You've taken them on...

..and you've emerged triumphant.

That's very good news for your team, all of whom will be in the final.

What a day!

Come back to us and let's play that final round.

So I understand why Judith went for white dwarf.

It's because when you look at the sky, the stars are white.

-And there's so many of them.

-Yeah.

-You can't see the red ones.

-Can't see any red stars.

Oh, dear. It's just one of those days at the office, I think.

So, this is what we've been playing towards.

It is time for the final round. It couldn't come a moment too soon.

As always, it's General Knowledge,

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

won't be allowed to take part in this round.

And how often do I do this?

I turn to this side and say, Dave and Barry and Chris and Judith,

leave the studio, please.

Well, this has only happened ten times in the history of Eggheads,

which is more than 1,500 additions. Only one person left.

However, on eight of those ten occasions, the Egghead won.

-Yes.

-We know.

-Just to say that.

-Pat, for you, never before, right?

-It's an unexpected novelty.

-Yeah. How are you feeling about it?

-I am very alone here.

-Yeah, you can't consult with anyone at all.

-No.

So, Deryn, Tom, Kathy, Rod and Ian, you are playing to win the

Fish Brains £1,000 after this

spectacular non-performance by the Eggheads.

Pat, you are playing for something money can't buy, which is to try

and somehow shore up the defences here, be the last man standing.

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

This time they are all General Knowledge.

You are allowed to confer.

So, Fish Brains, the question is,

can your five brains, after a very exciting half-hour here,

bring this contest to a close by defeating that one?

Would you like to go first or second, Deryn?

We will go second. Yes, second.

OK.

First question to you, Pat. Complete the proverb.

"A little of what you fancy..."

"Does you good," Jeremy.

-You don't have anyone to talk to though, do you?

-I don't.

Not even my imaginary friend, he's sloped off.

Does you good is right.

Challengers, which of these bridges

was temporarily closed in 2015

after cracks in the steel work were discovered?

I think it's the Forth Road Bridge.

I thought it was the Humber Bridge.

I thought it was the Humber Bridge because it was the long one.

-I can remember a bridge being closed for that reason.

-Oh, gosh.

OK, Ian thinks is the Forth.

No, I vaguely remember the Humber Bridge closing

and having this massive detour to get round it.

-When, when?

-OK.

-This year?

-Last year, wasn't it? I think it was last year.

-OK.

-we're going to go with the Ian, all right.

-So we are going with Humber Bridge?

-Yeah.

-OK.

The Humber Bridge.

-It's wrong.

-Oh.

-Forth Road Bridge.

-Oh, gosh.

Just outside Edinburgh, it caused massive hold-ups just in the

run-up to Christmas.

So Pat has the chance to take the lead here.

In December 2015, what did the US Federal Reserve decided to do

for the first time in almost a decade?

I think after all that time of holding interest rates at

a very low steady value, I think they raised interest rates.

Raise interest rates is the right answer.

So, he's got two, you've got zero.

You must get this one right.

In which field is the Belgian-born Raf Simons a prominent figure?

Now, Raf Simons is spelt R-A-F and then S-I-M-O-N-S.

-Has anyone got any inclination or any directions?

-Any ideas?

I've no idea whatsoever.

I kind of don't want to say architecture.

Why don't you want to say architecture?

-It's just...

-It doesn't seem right.

-No.

-Not cos...

Just because it seems like the odd one out, out of those three.

-Right, OK. Any other thoughts?

-That's the only thought.

-It looks like Simons.

-Have you heard of this fashion designer?

I haven't really heard of a fashion designer.

-Sounds like a fashion designer.

-I know.

-That's not good enough.

It could be any of them.

Photography maybe. You've not heard

of it as a fashion designer, have you?

I must admit, I have a feeling he's fashion design just cos...

I've no idea about the other two.

I haven't heard of fashion design, architect or photography.

-I don't know anything about photography either.

-It's a guess.

What do we guess? Are we voting?

-I don't know cos I think fashion design is the obvious one.

-Yeah.

-Simons.

-Shall we go for photography?

-Yeah, go for photography.

It's a one in three chance.

-You reckon?

-One in three, isn't it?

-OK, let's go for that then.

-Go for photography?

-Yeah, go on, then.

-We're going to go for photography.

-Fingers crossed.

All Right, photography. If you have got it right, you continue.

If you have got it wrong, the contest is over.

-Let's see if Pat knows.

-I think he's a fashion designer.

-Oh, no!

-Fashion design is the right answer. I'm sorry.

We say congratulations, Egghead, you have won.

He's the ninth one to do it, then.

You actually gave more correct answers in that game

than the Eggheads did.

That's your claim to fame there.

Such an entertaining game, I can't tell you.

-Well, Pat, there we are.

-There you go.

We wanted to see you in the final

on your own and we've now

had that wish, it's taken a while, though.

I have to thank my colleagues

for their selfless acts in making this possible.

Crashed and burned back there, my goodness.

-Fish Brains, thank you for playing. What fun.

-Thank you.

-What fun.

So, the Eggheads have done...

To say what comes naturally to them is hardly a compliment today,

but they reign supreme over Quizland once again.

It does mean you're not going home with the £1,000, so they will get

a chance to stash that away

and build up the money for the next show.

Eggheads, congratulations.

Some days you look unbeatable and some days you just scrape by.

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

to finally bring them down.

£2,000 says they can't. Till then, what a game. Cheerio.