Episode 1 Eggheads

These people are amongst the greatest quiz players in Britain.

Together, they make up the Eggheads,

arguably the most formidable quiz team in the country.

The question is, can they be beaten?

Welcome to Eggheads, the show where a team of five quiz Challengers

pit their wits against possibly the greatest quiz team in Britain.

They are the Eggheads. And with two new members, how exciting.

So, Beth, first of all, what does it feel like to be there?

It's still a bit surreal, really.

Yeah, I was over there, and now I'm over here. Steve, how about you?

They've become like the family I never wanted, Jeremy.

LAUGHTER

No, they've been really friendly, really welcoming,

and I just feel honoured to be part of the team.

I hope I can do them justice.

And remind us of your own quiz background, Steve.

I've done a lot of quizzes, I won the Brain of Mensa in 2014,

I've been Brain of Derbyshire a couple of times.

I just generally love quizzing. Yeah, and you too, Beth.

Yeah, I've quizzed with some of these chaps around this table for

many years, ten years plus. So, Beth and Steve, welcome to you.

Challenging the might of our quiz Goliaths today are The Ambassadors.

Now, this team all met through their involvement with the

Carmarthenshire Tourism Association in South Wales.

Let's meet them. Hi, I'm George, I own a bed-and-breakfast in South Wales.

Hi, I'm David, and I'm a hotelier in South Wales.

Hi, I'm Samantha, a semi retired business owner.

Hello, I'm John, an innkeeper in Carmarthenshire.

Hello, I'm David, and I'm the head of marketing and

communications at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

So, George and team, welcome. How great to see you.

So, tell us about the Carmarthenshire Tourism Association.

Well, we all have tourism businesses and we all work together.

We're all trained as ambassadors, which is hopefully for the benefit

of our customers and guests when they come down to Carmarthenshire.

Lovely, and you haven't quizzed together, have you?

No, we don't even speak to one another usually.

But you've got a bit of quiz knowledge in there somewhere.

We hope so. We'll find out very shortly.

So, ideally, we want Welsh countryside or something like that. Absolutely. OK.

Everyday 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, Ambassadors, the Eggheads have won the last five games,

which means ?6,000 is here for you to win today. Would you like to try?

We'll have a go. Good stuff.

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

so which of you would like this? Ooo! Who's our geographer?

We decided that, didn't we? Yeah. John. John?

No? I'm happy to go. David will have a go.

OK, our hotelier, David, against which Egghead? Choose anyone.

I think it's got to be Beth.

All right, this will be, again, a bit of history here,

Beth's first time in the Question Room.

David from The Ambassadors versus Beth, one of our newest Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions in the Question Room.

So, Beth, tell us a bit more about you and what your normal job is.

I'm a health and safety adviser for a London university,

the London School of Hygiene Tropical Medicine.

When you played Make Me An Egghead, I remember thinking you were going to choose Science, and you didn't.

No, no. You went for, what was it? TV Film.

You're a scientist with interests in lots of other things.

Yes, science is only one part of my armoury. Forgive me.

I'm trying to get out what makes the new Eggheads tick.

Because there will be some great strengths and maybe some vulnerabilities,

but for goodness' sake, don't tell me what they are. No.

Maybe we'll find one now, David, how about that?

You can test Beth's geography.

We'll see, we'll see, I'm sure she's strong. So, it's your choice.

Would you like to go first or second? First, please.

OK, good luck to you, David, here is your first question on Geography.

Bloemfontein is the judicial capital of which African country?

Bloemfontein is clearly not Egypt,

with a bit of a Dutch twang to it there.

And it is not Morocco, so it's South Africa.

South Africa is absolutely right, well done. Thank you.

On to you, Beth, your first question. How about that?

Oh, quite scared now. JEREMY LAUGHS

Which French city forms its own department within the country

and is officially represented by the numerical code 75?

Oh. Me and my children play a game in the car with department numbers.

I'm pretty sure Paris has more than one.

I think Montpelier is more likely to be its own department,

so I'm going to go for Montpelier. Mmm. Interesting.

Now, Barry, I think, knows this one. It's Paris, I'm afraid.

So it's its own department, Beth. Oh. Not to worry.

All right, so, Dave, back to you. You're in the lead.

In which English county is Windsor Castle?

Coming from Kent, it's definitely not Norfolk.

Pretty sure it's not Surrey.

So Berkshire is a process of elimination.

Berkshire is correct, you've got two out of two.

So, Beth, your question. You need to get this right.

The Vistula is the longest river in which European country?

I'm going to be eliminating Greece, just from the language.

It sounds more Eastern European than Western European,

so that's going to take out Austria, so I'm going to go with Poland.

Poland is quite right, well done.

So, you have one and David has two. And, David,

if you get this right, you're in the final round.

In which group of islands does the tourist destination of Mykonos lie?

Or Mick-konos?

Well, Jeremy, I don't know this one. I've obviously heard of Mykonos.

I would choose Ionian.

Any Eggheads know? Cyclades.

The Cyclades, Kevin says. And he's absolutely right,

Cyclades it is. So,

you have two out of three. And, Beth, you can catch up.

Take him to Sudden Death if you get this right.

What was the Roman name for Colchester?

Now, I do know this answer from reading Asterix books as a child.

And I think this is Camulodunum.

Yeah, we've both got brilliant ways of pronouncing it.

I'll defer to yours. Camulodunum is the right answer, well done.

So, two points each after three questions.

Beth making a bit of a comeback there, Beth, that was good,

steely play there. Yeah. We go to Sudden Death, David, it gets a bit harder,

I don't give you options. Here's your first question.

The resort of Cleethorpes is in which English county?

I would... I would take a guess for Yorkshire.

Yes. You are thinking Scarborough or something up there.

It's not. It is Lincolnshire. Ah.

OK, Beth, your question now.

Sudden death, you could end the round if you get this right.

In which English city is the Crossbones Graveyard,

which was used from the late Medieval period as a burial ground

for paupers and criminals?

Well, it is likely to obviously be a very large city, so...

Though I don't actually know for certain the answer for this,

but I will go with London.

It is in Southwark in London, well done.

Beth, you got it right, Sudden Death.

Oh, you have won your first round as a fully-fledged Egghead.

That's nice.

APPLAUSE

Bit of a comeback as well.

You are getting applause from the challengers too. Well done, Beth.

Sorry, David, beaten by our Egghead. No worries.

As a result, you won't be joining your team in the final round.

It's very early days, please come back to us, David and Beth,

and rejoin your team-mates.

Ambassadors, you have lost a brain from the final round.

It is not over yet, not by a long way.

The Eggheads have not lost any,

and Beth has done her first round as a fully-fledged Egghead.

The next subject is Film and TV. Who would like this?

Ooh. Who's on film and TV?

I think Samantha's got that one.

Thank you. Samantha. OK, good stuff. Against whom?

Can't be Beth.

Yeah, we're going to go for the new Eggheads,

we're giving you a baptism of fire here, Steve.

I'll try and look surprised.

OK. A lot of strategy going on with our Challengers here.

Samantha from the Ambassadors will take on Steve.

To ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions in the question room.

OK, Steve, how are you feeling?

I'll tell you in about five minutes, Jeremy.

JEREMY LAUGHS

I know you've got brilliant quiz history, Brain of Mensa 2014.

A Mensa score of 155,

which sounds very high.

That's different from IQ, is it, or is it IQ?

It is IQ, basically, Jeremy.

Basically, it's solving riddles and puzzles.

They do warn you, though, it could go down as well as up.

I might be about 130 by now, you know.

Oh, I see, it can move, can it?

Oh, it certainly can, yeah. Samantha, good luck here.

First time up against one of our newest Eggheads. It's Film and TV.

Would you like to go first or second? First, please.

Samantha, here is your question.

In which 1986 film did David Bowie star as Jareth, the Goblin King?

Right.

Well, Little Shop Of Horrors was a musical, but I do remember

him being, I think, in Labyrinth, so I'll go for Labyrinth.

Labyrinth is spot-on. Well done.

OK, Steve, over to you. Your first question as an Egghead.

Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle and Jonny Lee Miller all appeared

in which 1996 film?

Well, it's a great film, Jeremy, based on a great book.

It's Trainspotting.

It is a great book and a great film. You're right.

Trainspotting is correct.

OK, Samantha, back to you.

Who was the studio presenter of the very first National Lottery

live draw programme,

which was broadcast in November 1994?

Right. I think it might have been Noel Edmonds.

You're right. Well done. OK.

Steve, the TV presenter Ferne McCann first found fame

on which TV reality show?

Reality TV and me don't really mix.

So on no other premise than Big Brother's been going the

longest, I will try Big Brother.

The answer is The Only Way Is Essex.

Yeah. Interesting.

Samantha, you've got two. He's got one.

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

In May 2016, a trailer for which forthcoming film broke the

record for the most watched teaser trailer online with

over 90 million views in its first 24 hours?

Ooh. I don't think it was Beauty And The Beast.

I think it was Toy Story 4.

I would have guessed that too.

Let's see if your team-mates know. Is she right?

I don't know, but I would suggest it was Star Wars.

I'm going to surprise you all. The answer is Beauty And The Beast.

So, Steve, you need this to stay in.

Which actress and comedienne created and appeared in the comedy series

Nighty Night, Hunderby and Camping?

I know Jo Brand has done one or two series, but, again,

I'm probably shooting myself in the foot here,

I don't associate her with any of those.

Miranda Hart...

I didn't think she'd been on the scene that long, so purely on

the basis of that, I will try, with no great conviction, Julia Davis.

OK, Beth, do you know this one? Yes, it is Julia Davis.

Julia Davis is the right answer.

You're level. It means we go to sudden death. Samantha,

it gets a bit harder, I don't give you options. Here we go.

Which English rock star is credited as

a co-creator and executive producer of the US TV series Vinyl?

Rock star. Have to be an American, I presume, if it's a US...

Or would it be an American?

Sorry, I just don't know that one,

Jeremy, I think it's fair to say, it'll be a complete guess.

Well, give us a guess.

Oh... Elton John.

Kind of the right generation. Mick Jagger.

Steve, back to you, get this right, you're in the final.

In 2016, who stepped down as host of the cookery show Saturday Kitchen

after ten years?

I'm not sure he's the host, I know he's a chef on it.

That's about the only name I've got in my head. I'll say James Martin.

The correct answer is James Martin. Well done, Steve.

Another comeback by our newest Eggheads.

So in the final, Steve.

Sorry, Samantha, you were beaten and you won't be in the final round.

Please, return and we'll play on.

The Ambassadors have lost another brain from the final round.

The Eggheads are still sitting pretty with all five.

The next subject for you is Science. Who would like this?

Ooh...

Science? Skipper.

My chance?

George? My turn.

That's your thing. OK. I'm voted in here.

Pick one of the classic Eggheads there on the right-hand side.

Who looks like a budding scientist?

Judith.

I thought it might be me.

OK, George from the Ambassadors versus our own Egghead ambassador,

Judith Keppel on Science.

Please go to the question room now.

George, I know you keep birds of prey. I do indeed.

Have you ever seen anything as frightening

as Judith Keppel in flight?

Not yet, not yet.

All right, good luck. You have got Science.

I know you know your animals and your species,

which may come in handy. Would you like to go first or second?

I think I'll go first.

Here we go with your first science question, George.

Natural gas, oil and which other substance are regarded as the

three main fossil fuels?

Well, all the old carbons together, I think it must be coal.

Coal is right.

Judith, your first science question.

Kelp forests are ecosystems that are typically found where?

Well, kelp is seaweed, so in the sea.

In the sea is right, well done.

George, back to you.

What type of whale is often referred to as the canary of the

sea because its calls can sound like singing?

The canary of the sea.

Well, all whales, of course, communicate by strong sound.

All very vociferous.

Indeed, whales, I believe,

there's actually a whale song in a record at one time.

I've a sneaky feeling it might have been a beluga whale.

I'll go for beluga.

You've got it right. Well done. OK, Judith, your question.

In which year was the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins born?

I think he's probably pushing 70. I'm going to say 1941.

Yes, 1941 it is.

Two each. We go to your third question now, George.

The Dutch physician Dick Swaab has received several rewards

around the world for his research into which part of the body?

Yeah, I've heard the name.

I also worked in the pharmaceutical industry for a while.

Because I worked in the pharmaceutical industry and

dealt with cardiovascular drugs, I'm being drawn towards the heart.

That might be the wrong place to go,

but I'll go with the heart here, Jeremy.

The answer is the brain. Ah.

Judith, on science, get this right and you're in the final round.

Which creatures are affected by a parasitic condition

known as whirling disease?

Well, fish get parasites. Well, all of those things get parasites.

I think, maybe, it might be birds.

They might whirl in the sky,

which tells you that they've got this parasite.

The answer is fish. It's fish.

But I thought it could be fish, I must admit.

Yeah.

OK, we go to Sudden Death. It gets a bit harder,

I don't give you options. George, your question.

What type of creature was Inky,

whose escape through a drain hole into the

sea from New Zealand's National Aquarium was reported in April 2016?

Ooh. Inky.

I can only assume it's an animal that squirts ink,

so I'll go for an octopus.

Octopus is quite right. Judith, your question to stay in. Sudden Death.

What does the C stand for in the mnemonic ABC used by first aiders

to remind them of the checks to perform on a patient?

Well, I should think it's cardio something. Cardio. Cardio.

Yeah. OK. Barry? You know what?

As an ex GP's son, I should really know this one and I don't.

I'm thinking the A and B may be Airways and Breathing, but...

Beth will know. I know, yeah. It's Circulation.

Ah. It's Airways, Breathing, Circulation. Not cardio, Judith.

You've been knocked out, I'm afraid. Well done, George!

Bit of a turnaround.

The skipper will be in the final for the challengers.

Please come back to us.

Nice one, George. How about that?! Very pleased.

As it stands, the Ambassadors have lost two brains from the

final round, but the Eggheads also have one knocked out now.

The last subject before the all-important final is History.

It's either going to be John or David. I'm going in, am I?

Yeah, cos you're oldest.

OK, John from the Ambassadors versus who?

It could either be Barry or Kevin. Not easy choices there, my goodness!

I know.

Because of the shirt he's wearing, I'm going to go for Barry.

OK, John from the Ambassadors versus Barry from the Eggheads.

Please go to the question room now.

Good luck to you both.

On history, John, would you like to go first or second?

First, please.

Here is your first question.

The 1642 Battle of Edgehill

was the first major engagement of which war?

I'm going to go for War of the Roses.

English Civil War is the answer.

Barry, which poisonous substance was the Greek philosopher

Socrates forced to drink when he was found guilty of impiety and

corrupting the young?

Yes, eh, Socrates gave famous last words,

which were to his friend Crito.

He said, "Crito, please sacrifice a god to Asclepius."

Asclepius was the Greek God of healing.

What Socrates meant by that was that all his troubles were over

because he would be healed when he took a draught of hemlock.

That's the correct answer.

OK, John, back to you.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were born in which century?

Oh... They wouldn't have been in the 17th century.

I think it's the 19th century. Yes, indeed it is. Well done.

One point each. Barry, if you get this right, you've taken the lead.

Which of these actions of World War II took place in 1940?

Well, D-Day was June 6th, 1944.

The Battle of Midway was in 1942. The Battle of Britain,

the date that is normally given for this is September 15th, 1940.

Spot-on, Barry. Well done. Battle of Britain.

You need to get this one right, John.

In 2005, Italy returned the 1,700-year-old Obelisk of Axum

to which African country 68 years after it had been

removed by invading troops?

I don't think it was Chad. Troops, where would they have been.

I'll go for Mozambique.

OK. Ethiopia is the answer, John.

Barry, well done. Thank you for playing, John. Come back to us and

we'll play the final round.

So this is what we've been playing towards.

It's 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

able to take part in this round.

David, Samantha and John from the Ambassadors, and also Judith

from the Eggheads, would you please now leave the studio?

Well, here we are.

George and David, you are playing to win the Ambassadors ?6,000.

Beth, Steve, Barry and Kevin, you're playing for something that

money really can't buy, which is the Eggheads' reputation.

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

This time, the questions are all general knowledge.

You are allowed to confer.

Ambassadors, the question is, can you with your two brains

overwhelm these four, including our newest Eggheads?

Would you like to go first or second?

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

David, George, all the best to you. Good luck.

Here is your first question.

Which BBC Radio station's frequency is 88 - 91 FM?

We can do some crowing here, cos we never miss Jeremy's show.

It's the best radio station. It's Radio 2.

JEREMY LAUGHS

Radio 2 is the right answer.

Eggheads, which of these was a term for

a militia man during the American Revolution?

I think that's Minuteman.

Yeah, agree.

We believe the answer there is Minuteman, Jeremy.

The idea being that they had to be ready with their weapons and

equipment in a minute.

OK, Minuteman it is. Yeah.

Back to you, Ambassadors.

The traditional food known as bannock is usually regarded

as falling into which of these categories.

It sounds Scottish, George. Is it Scottish? It is.

It's oatmeal-y, so I think it would be a bread.

I eat them every morning.

We're going for Bread, Jeremy.

Yeah, very sure-footed play. It is bread. You're right.

Eggheads, from January 2014 to March 2015,

Malcolm Bruce was the deputy leader of which political party?

Lib Dem. Must be the Lib Dems. Can't be any of the others.

It isn't either of the others, anyway. No, he's a Lib Dem.

I believe he's a Liberal Democrat.

He is a Lib Dem, you're quite right. This passed me by, I must say.

It's two each. You may only be a question away from ?6,000.

The Czech sportsman Jan Kodes won which major sporting event in 1973?

I'm pretty sure he's a tennis player. Tennis player.

I was hoping it was going to be...

You wouldn't be playing much tennis in the US Masters, would he?

No. We're going to go Wimbledon, Jeremy.

Wimbledon's right. Well done.

OK, Eggheads. On the precipice edge here.

New blood in, but is it going to be enough?

In which modern-day country did the renowned Carthaginian general

Hannibal meet his death in the 2nd century BC?

I recall he died in Bithynia, where he took poison.

Bithynia at that time was one of the smaller countries that was

part of Turkey. What subsequently became Turkey, yeah.

I'm inclined to go for Turkey there.

OK. Hannibal, of course, was a Carthaginian leader.

Fought very well against the Romans.

Carthage is in what's now Tunisia, but after his defeat,

he'd had to go into exile.

We think that he wound up in what is now Turkey.

Turkey is right.

3-3. Sudden death. Gets a bit harder. I don't give you options.

Challengers, I'm Into Something Good was the only UK

number 1 single for which group?

We can sing it.

Who the hell sung that?

Herman's Hermits. Herman's Hermits? Herman's Hermits, yeah. Sure? Yeah.

Definitely? Yep, I used to be a radio DJ.

My reputation at stake here! The radio DJ beside me... Ex, ex, ex.

..insists it's Herman's Hermits.

Yeah, Herman's Hermits is right. Well done.

No daylight for the Eggheads.

If they get this wrong, you've won ?6,000.

Believe me, they can malfunction. I've seen it.

Often used in internet chatrooms,

what does the abbreviation IRL stand for?

Any thoughts on this one? Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's In Real Life.

Well done. Well done. OK, OK, right.

OK, Jeremy, reliably informed that that stands for In Real Life.

In Real Life. It's so funny, I saw that question, I thought,

"This is going to stump you."

We've got a new Egghead.

She knows! In Real Life is right. Well done, Beth.

Back to you, Ambassadors.

Which Liverpudlian comedian,

born in 1952, wrote the 2016 memoir Thatcher Stole My Trousers?

1952. 64-year-old Liverpudlian comedian.

So, em... Like a political comedian, wouldn't it?

What was the name of the guy who used to... Stan Boardman, was it?

Stan Boardman, he was Liverpudlian.

He was Liverpudlian. Would he be about 64? Is he older?

I think we're going to have to get ready to kick ourselves.

Yeah, I think so. I think this is going to be so obvious too.

We'll look really stupid. Go for that.

We're going to say Stan Boardman.

Stan Boardman. Do you know, Eggheads?

Alexei Sayle. Alexei Sayle. No! Oh!

OK, well, you're not finished yet. Let's see.

Eggheads, if you get this right, the contest is over.

Your question, Sudden Death -

which Canadian author and social activist wrote the

bestselling book No Logo?

Naomi Klein. Naomi Klein, wasn't it?

Naomi Klein. OK.

We believe that's Naomi Klein.

If you're correct, the contest is over.

This team got very close to the ?6,000,

but the answer is Naomi Klein.

We say congratulations, Eggheads. You have won.

I feel your pain, David, cos I know that's right up your street,

I'm sure. Same generation as me, you'll remember all of his stuff,

Alexei Sayle.

It may be that the IRL moment with Beth was decisive. It may well be.

Unfortunately, you've been cost ?6,000 by a new Egghead,

but there we go.

They're obviously getting into the swing of things,

Steve and Beth over there.

The Eggheads have done what comes, well, we think naturally, to them.

Their winning streak continues.

It does mean you won't be going home with the ?6,000,

which means the money rolls over to our next show.

Thanks for coming in and playing. It's been great to see you.

Eggheads, well done.

Join us next time to see if a different team of challengers

have the brains to defeat the all-new Eggheads.

?7,000 says they don't. Till then, goodbye.

Behind the genteel facades of Victorian London's streets,

life was bitterly hard.

Can't believe people had to live like this all their life.

BBC Two will bring a 19th-century slum back to life...

I'm starving - that's what's making me a bit emotional.

..and take its residents

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We're already in debt.

..to reveal how London's most destitute people

altered our attitude to poverty forever.