Episode 13 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 here you are, resplendent.

-Yes.

-You're very kind.

Good. Taking on the might of our quiz Goliaths today are...

This team are all

involved in quizzing at Shenley Leisure Centre

in Milton Keynes. Dave and Sid have been hosting quizzes

there for 24 years. And the rest of the team

are regular attendees. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Dave. I'm a retired leisure centre manager.

Hi, I'm Sid. I'm a retired commercial manager.

Hi, I'm Sue. I'm an HR manager.

Hello, I'm John. I'm a retired stores supervisor.

Hello, I'm Alan. I'm a retired local government officer.

So, Dave and team, welcome.

Great to see you.

24 years of setting questions, Dave, is that right?

We started it 24 years ago...only really to fill the bar

on a Monday night, would you believe?

And it caught on.

And now it's become a bit of a cult.

That's fantastic. So people turn up and you raise money for charity.

We think we're somewhere over £150,000,

somewhere between that and 200,000.

Wow. Now, the key question is,

do you, in setting the questions, remember the answers?

No.

Right, OK. That might be a slight problem here.

I always think question setters are actually very good at quizzing.

We shall see. Good luck.

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 our next show.

So, Shenley 24, I can tell you the Eggheads had a bit of

a blustery time. Got knocked off their feet.

Got back on their horses. Won the last two games.

So that means there's £3,000 to play for today.

-Would you like to try?

-We certainly will.

-Good stuff.

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

Who would like History?

-Who's going to do that?

-I'll do that.

-Alan?

-Yeah.

-OK, then.

Alan on History, against which Egghead?

Tremendous Knowledge Dave? If that's all right with him?

It doesn't matter whether it's all right with him or not.

He's got to do it.

Alan from Shenley 24

playing Tremendous Knowledge Dave on History.

To ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions in our famous Question Room.

So, Alan, before we play History,

I must mention your meeting with Ozzy Osbourne.

Oh, yes. That was when I was living in Germany.

I think he was rather pleased to discover that there was one

English-speaking person in the whole of the place.

It was in Hannover.

And you'd been to see Black Sabbath, had you?

Yeah, it was at the same place, they were playing there.

-Oh, right. Wonderful.

-Yeah.

Dave, where are we on Black Sabbath?

Black Sabbath, great band.

OK, Alan. Good luck to you. History we're playing.

Black Sabbath may or may not come up.

Would you like to go first or second?

I'd like to go first please.

Here we go.

In which European country is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of

Herculaneum, which was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in AD79?

Didn't think there was any volcanoes in Portugal.

Anyway... Oh, it's in Italy.

Italy is quite right.

Dave, your question, my friend.

In August 1588, King Philip II of Spain sent an armada

to attempt the invasion of which country that he hoped to restore

to Catholicism?

If it's 1588 it's the Spanish Armada...

coming to England.

England is right.

Here's your second question.

The Battle of Jutland took place during which war?

I don't think we had any naval actions in

the North Sea during the Boer War.

So it was World War I.

It was indeed World War I.

And we've just had, relatively recently,

the 100th year anniversary, haven't we?

It was May 1916.

OK, Dave, back to you.

Vestal virgins were priestesses in the state religion of which empire?

I'm just getting it right in my head.

It's Roman. Roman.

Yeah, very good. Roman.

OK, Alan.

Harold Adrian Russell

were the real first names of which British intelligence officer

born in 1912, who proved to be Soviet double agent?

You've got me here cos I don't know the answer to that.

I think I'm going to go down the left and say Donald Maclean.

It is hard, cos they're all in the famous Cambridge Spy Ring,

I think, aren't they? I suppose the only...

Looking at the Eggheads every day, as I do,

the quizzer way might be to say,

"Which looks like the first name you weren't born with?"

And I'm wondering whether that would take you to Kim.

-Oh, yes.

-The answer is Kim Philby.

So, third question to Dave. This for the round.

The Borgia family,

which was prominent in Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries,

originated in what is now which other European country?

I'm torn between two here.

It could conceivably be Belgium.

I'm leaning towards Spain. But...

It could conceivably be Belgium,

but I'm going to go Spain.

Do you think he's got it right, Alan?

Yes, he's definitely got it right.

Yeah, it is Spain. Dave, well done. Three out of three.

Sorry, Alan. You've been knocked out by an Egghead.

Please return to us and we'll play on.

So, as it stands, Shenley 24 have lost a brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have not lost any so far. Dave played well.

The next subject for you is Arts & Books.

Now, which of you would like this?

-Do you want me to take it?

-Is that you, Sue?

-Sue?

-Yeah, I'll do it.

OK. Our HR manager. Against which Egghead? Can't be Dave.

I'll go with Lisa, if that's all right.

Sue from Shenley 24 versus Lisa from the Eggheads.

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

OK. Well, Sue, you can choose whether you go first or second.

I'd like to go first please, Jeremy.

Here is your question.

"Fair is foul and foul is fair" is a line from Shakespeare play?

I don't think it's Macbeth,

but I'm probably ruling out the wrong answer.

I'm not sure it's Othello.

I'm going to go for Hamlet.

It's not Hamlet, actually.

One of the great joys of this show is being allowed to read out

Shakespeare in a kind of Shakespeare-y voice,

which I always do.

When I did it, I thought I was channelling the witches slightly.

-Was I, Lisa?

-Fair is foul and foul is fair

Hover through the fog and filthy air.

That's right. That line's from the opening scene of Macbeth.

-Macbeth, Sue.

-OK.

OK, Lisa.

Which cast member of the TV sitcom Friends wrote and starred

in the play The End Of Longing,

which opened in the West End in 2016?

Annoyingly, as a huge Friends buff, I cannot be 100% certain about this.

But I'm fairly certain Matthew Perry was in the West End in 2016.

So I will say Matthew Perry.

Matthew Perry is the right answer.

OK, back to you, Sue. Going Off Alarming

is the name of a 2014 memoir

by which broadcaster and DJ?

I'm trying to think if there's a clue anywhere in the question.

I'll probably rule out Danny Baker.

It is Danny Baker...

I'm going to change my mind completely and go for Danny Baker.

I'm glad you did. It is Danny Baker. Well done.

OK, over to you, Lisa.

"A few miles south of Soledad,

"the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs

"deep and green" is the opening line of which novel?

Yeah, now that sounds geographical.

It would probably help if I knew where Soledad and the

Salinas River was, wouldn't it?

Which, needless to say, I don't.

Now, I have attempted to read Catch-22. Fairly sure it's not that.

So it sort of depends whether...

..it's in America or not.

I may be doing Of Mice And Men a disservice, but I think it's

The Sound And The Fury.

Yeah, now I've gone a sudden blank on The Sound And The Fury.

-It wasn't Normal Mailer, was it?

-William Faulkner.

-William Faulkner.

William Faulkner. OK. It's not that, actually.

Catch-22 is...It's something like the first time he saw...

He fell in love with him at first sight.

He fell in love with him or something, yeah.

It's Of Mice And Men.

I'm so sorry, Mr Steinbeck.

So, that's all right for you, Sue.

-You got off lightly there.

-Yeah. I did.

Get this right and put some pressure on.

Blasted and Cleansed are controversial works

by which writer?

Again, I've not heard of any of these writers.

I'm going to plump down the middle, Jez Butterworth.

-Anyone know here?

-Sarah Kane.

Sarah Kane. And controversial why?

-They're just very graphic and disturbing plays.

-Right.

-Sarah Kane.

-OK.

So, Lisa, your chance to take the round.

First published in the 1920s, Apsley Cherry-Garrard's memoir

The Worst Journey In The World is an account of an expedition

to reach where?

What is all this geography doing in my Arts & Books round?!

OK. So...

the dates would be sort of commensurate with the South Pole.

You're not giving me much to work with here.

It could literally be any of them.

I suppose there's no guarantee that he was the guy who did the...

There's no guarantee he was part of the South Pole expedition, but...

Let's maybe go with the incredibly tenuous logic

that he was writing about the disasters going on around then

with the South Pole and say the South Pole.

The South Pole is correct.

Hey-hey-hey!

OK, well, you got it right. Well done.

And you are in the final, Lisa. Sue, sorry, beaten by our Egghead there.

Please return and rejoin your team-mates.

OK, so little bit of a problem on this side, Shenley 24.

Change of strategy now or...?

-No, we'll stick to our game plan.

-OK.

The tactics are working so far, they say.

They've lost a couple of brains,

but they may be trying to just confuse the Eggheads.

They've, so far, not lost any at all. The next subject is Sport.

Is this good for someone here?

Yes, I think I'll go for Sport.

OK, Dave. Retired leisure centre manager.

Against which Egghead?

And it can be any of the three nearest to me.

Can we try Beth, please?

Yeah, by all means.

Dave from Shenley 24 on Sport, against our new Egghead, Beth.

To ensure there's no conferring,

please go to the famous Question Room.

It's interesting, Beth, you're a scientist who loves sport.

There are not many of them.

There must be some, I'm sure there are. Yes. I do like sport.

Lots of different sports.

Often your more obscure ones.

I'm well known in my local quiz team and

my quiz league team for knowing boxing weights.

How about you, Dave?

I like any sport at all.

Really? Dave on Sport. Do you want to go first or second?

Can I go first, please?

And here is your first question.

Who returned to Andy Murray's coaching team in 2016,

having previously worked with him between 2011 and 2014?

I think I'll jump straight in and say Ivan Lendl.

Yes, Ivan Lendl is right.

Famous for showing too much emotion, they said,

when Murray won Wimbledon.

His face remained completely impassive throughout the game. Yeah.

OK, so You got it right. Well done.

Beth, the broadcaster and commentator Alan Green is

chiefly associated with which sport?

Alan Green...

I'm pretty sure that's...darts. I'm sounding pretty hesitant.

No. Darts. Darts.

-No. No, no.

-No!

I think the darts is... What do you say, Dave?

Do you think there's a darts player who... Darts commentator.

-That's Tony Green.

-Tony Green!

-He led you astray.

-Yeah.

Steve, Alan Green, you know him?

Not personally, but he commentates on Radio 5.

-He does have his opinions...

-Big football man.

-He is very opinionated.

-Yeah.

-So, football, Beth.

-Oh, darn.

I listen to Radio 5 as well.

OK, Dave, you're ahead. Here's your question.

Which American golfer won his first major championship

at the 2016 US Open?

Um...

Jordan Spieth won it in 2015.

So I'm going to go for Dustin Johnson.

Dustin Johnson is the right answer. Well done. Good quizzing.

Your question, Beth.

The Prefontaine Classic, which takes place in Oregon,

is an annual event in which sport?

And you need to get this right.

-Prefontaine Classic?

-Yeah.

Classic... Lots of horse races are called classics.

Oregon...

Pretty sure...

It really doesn't sound like an athletics meet.

Sailing...

Nope. I... I don't know for sure the answer.

But let's go for horse racing.

Horse racing, OK. Dave, do you know this one?

-It's athletics.

-Distance running.

-Distance running. Athletics.

-Oh!

It's named after Steve Prefontaine,

who died unfortunately, prematurely.

-He was a runner, was he?

-Yeah, American runner.

-Steve Prefontaine was a runner, Beth.

-Oh.

Athletics is the answer. Well done, Dave.

You've taken that round. Pulling it back for your team a bit.

Good play. You'll be in the final. Please return to us here.

So, Shenley 24 have pulled one back now, having lost two brains

from the final round, they've now managed to take out an Egghead.

The next subject for you is Music.

Last subject before the final.

Who would like this? It could be either Sid or John.

-It's got to be Sid.

-Got to be me.

OK, against which Egghead?

You can have either Steve, who's new, or Pat, who's not.

I'll try Steve.

OK, so Sid from Shenley 24 versus Steve from the Eggheads.

Please go to our Question Room now.

OK, Sid. Would you like to go first or second?

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

Good luck to you. Here we go.

In the musical term prog rock, what is the prog short for?

Not really sure, but the one I'll go for is progressive.

Yeah, that's right. Progressive is correct.

So, Steve.

Marilyn Monroe famously sang Happy Birthday to which US President

in May 1962?

Well, I think Reagan's a bit too... Well, talking presidents,

Reagan's too late.

I don't think it was Eisenhower.

She famously had a bit of an on-off affair with JFK.

So I'll say John F Kennedy.

John F Kennedy is quite right.

When did she die, Marilyn?

-'62.

-That year?

-Yeah.

She was dead later that year?

Oh, my goodness.

OK, Sid, onto you.

The American musician and singer Blind Lemon Jefferson

was particularly associated with which type of music?

I've never heard of him so this will be a complete and utter guess.

I don't think it's salsa.

I'll go for blues.

Blues is correct.

Well done.

OK, Steve, onto you.

Alex Turner has found fame as the singer, songwriter and

instrumentalist with which band?

That's a band from my neck of the woods.

And he sings like that. And it's Arctic Monkeys.

-Sheffield band, yeah?

-Yeah.

Arctic Monkeys is right.

OK. Sid, your third question. This can be crucial.

In 1996, which European country issued a 200 franc banknote

featuring Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone?

I don't think it would be Luxembourg.

I think it would be France.

Yeah, it sort of points to France, doesn't it?

Anyone on your side know about this?

Belgium.

It is Belgium. What are they doing issuing francs in Belgium?

Cos the Belgians had francs.

Oh, of course, this is pre-euro.

It is Belgium, Sid. Cos it's before the euro.

We go to Steve, with your chance to take the round.

In 1931, which Italian conductor was attacked by a crowd

when he refused to play the Fascists' national anthem?

That's easy for you to say.

Right, um, well, the obviously stand-out name there is Toscanini.

Guarnieri, I can't even say it either...

I think he was a violin maker back in the day.

So I'm veering away from him. Capuana I've never heard of.

My first thought was actually Toscanini so, on the basis of that,

I will stick with Toscanini.

The answer is Toscanini.

Well done, Steve. You got three out of three.

Sorry, the Eggs are playing rather well today.

I don't know what they've had for lunch.

That means, Sid, you're not in the final.

Doesn't matter. Cos you can still win, Challengers.

Rejoin your teams. We'll play the all-important final.

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-head won't be

allowed to take part in this.

Sid, Sue and Alan from Shenley 24,

and also Beth from the Eggheads,

would you please now leave the studio?

Well, here we are, Dave and John.

You played well. You've got here to the final.

And you're playing to win £3,000.

Lisa, Dave, Pat and Steve, you're playing for something that is

almost more precious, and that is the Eggheads' reputation.

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

This time they're all General Knowledge.

You can confer with each other, guys. OK.

Shenley 24, the question is, can you, with your two brains,

eviscerate these four?

Dave and John, do you want to go first or second?

-We'll go first, Jeremy.

-We'll go first.

OK, guys.

Good luck. Here's your first question.

Which British actor co-wrote the screenplay for the 2016 film

Star Trek Beyond?

-I think it's Simon Pegg.

-I thought it was Simon Pegg.

-First thought, Simon Pegg.

-Yeah.

Shall we go with that? First thought?

We'll go with Simon Pegg, Jeremy.

Simon Pegg is right.

Well done. Nice one. OK...

Eggheads.

In June 2016, Virginia Raggi became the first female mayor

of which European capital city?

-Sounds Roman, doesn't it?

-She's mayor of Rome.

-OK, you know it but...

-I think she's Five Star party.

OK, fine. Yeah, go for that.

I think she's a member of the Five Star party

and she's become the mayor of Rome.

Rome is correct. Well done, Eggheads.

It's hard when there's four of them, isn't it?

OK, your question, Challengers.

Who founded the internet retail company Amazon in the mid-1990s?

Amazon.

Hmm.

-I don't know for sure.

-No.

-Any first thoughts?

-But...

-..Bezos seems to ring a bell.

-Mm.

-Yeah.

-Go for it.

We'll go for Jeff Bezos.

Jeff Bezos is your answer.

You've got it right, Jeff Bezos is the answer. Well done.

-Well done, John.

-Great entrepreneur of the internet.

OK.

Which English actor returned to the West End stage in 2016

to play the role of Leo Colston in the musical, The Go-Between?

Hmm.

Right, now I may have to fall back on the old standby of

"I probably heard it on Radio 2."

I have an idea, you know, it's Michael Crawford.

Yeah, that makes sense to me.

Because he was on Steve Wright's show talking about it,

as a sort of passion project.

I am now panicking in case it's Michael Ball.

No, I think it is Crawford.

He was chatting away, and obviously he's getting on a bit now.

Michael Ball's got his own show on Radio 2.

This is true, yeah. He would just promote it himself, wouldn't he?

-We can rule out Michael Caine, can't we?

-I think so, yeah.

-It's a musical...

-I'll take that one.

-I'm happy with that, yeah.

-Michael Crawford?

-Yeah.

We're going to go for Michael Crawford.

-Michael Crawford is correct.

-Well done, Lisa.

All right, so... I'd love to say they're making heavy weather,

but they're just being a little bit painstaking.

They've had some terrible times recently, the Eggheads.

OK, here's your third question.

Get this right, put them under some pressure.

The American Bill Cunningham, who died in 2016, was a leading name

in which field?

Pfff.

-I've got no idea.

-Cunningham doesn't ring a bell with me in poetry.

-OK, what about sculpture?

-Cunningham...

-I would go for either photography or sculpture.

-Yeah.

-Fair enough.

-Have you any...?

Any leanings?

I've got no... If it's sculpture, I might have heard of him.

-Photography...

-Mmm.

-Yeah.

-Shall we go photography?

-We'll go photography, yeah.

We'll go photography, Jeremy.

He had nearly 40 years at the New York Times so you're quite right.

Photography it is.

-Guesses count!

-Oh, they certainly do.

3-2, Eggheads. Here we are again.

Which broadcaster and presenter married the dancer and actress

Moira Shearer in 1950?

Ludovic Kennedy. Definitely. No question.

-Everybody's happy with that?

-Yeah, definitely.

We think that's Ludovic Kennedy.

The answer is Ludovic Kennedy.

You didn't have any doubt at all, did you?

OK. 3-3. Sorry, they

made light work of that third question there.

We knew that as well.

Well, that's good. We go to Sudden Death.

It gets a bit harder. I don't give you different options.

The DJ, Tom Ravenscroft, is the son of which broadcaster and DJ

who died in 2004?

I know who it is but I can't get his name to my head.

-He was...

-Give me a clue.

He did a lot of progressive, you know, people like...

John Peel?

John Peel.

Is that your answer?

-Yes.

-OK.

-John Peel is right.

-Yes!

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant DJ.

OK, Eggheads, to stay in the contest...

Which female Canadian author

was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013?

It's Alice Munro, isn't it?

It's not Atwood. It's Alice Munro.

-Because Atwood got the Booker...

-Way before.

And I think Alice Munro is the Canadian...

I think it is Alice Munro.

THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHER

Just calm... I think it's Alice Munro is the person who's had...

-The short story writer, yeah.

-..the Nobel Prize.

Are there any other obvious candidates?

Not Atwood.

-Good?

-Yeah.

We're going to go with Alice Munro.

Alice Munro is correct.

Challengers...

In June 2016, Microsoft announced that it was acquiring

which professional networking website for over 26 billion?

Wasn't it Facebook? Didn't they take over Facebook?

I have no idea. But it sounds reasonable.

Let's try Facebook. I'm not good on the IT.

We don't know, Jeremy, but we'll say Facebook.

No, it's not that. Eggheads, do you know?

LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is the website where everyone has their business details.

-I'm on that as well.

-Are you? HE CHUCKLES

All right, now listen.

What we've got to hope now is that something,

something takes them down, confuses them.

Otherwise the contest is over.

Who was elected as the new president of the

International Association of Athletics Federations

in August 2015?

-Sebastian Coe.

-Seb Coe.

-Seb Coe.

-Yes.

-Who was it before? Lamine Diack.

-Lamine Diack. It's Coe.

It was a fight between him and Sergey Bubka. It was Coe that won.

-Coe won. And yeah, he's been...

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Is Sebastian Coe IAAF or is he Olympic?

-No, I'm fairly sure...

-Athletics.

-Olympics is Thomas Bach, isn't it?

Yeah, it's the one who was the fencing man, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-It's athletics and it's Coe.

We think that's Sebastian Coe.

If you've got this right, the contest is over.

-And we can blame LinkedIn for that, can't we?

-Mm.

Do you know the answer, guys?

-We think it's Seb Coe.

-Lord Coe.

The correct answer is...

Sebastian Coe.

We say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

-Well done.

-APPLAUSE

Well, you took them to Sudden Death in the final round.

And many don't. So, well done.

Enjoyed it.

Commiserations, Challengers.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them

and they are beginning to put on the style a bit here now.

It does mean you won't be going home with the £3,000,

so the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, well done.

Looking a little bit hard to beat now.

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

have the brains to take them down.

£4,000 says they can't and they won't.

Till then, goodbye.