Episode 21 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.

Here they are, the Eggheads.

Taking on our quiz champions today are Where's The Cue Ball Going?

from Hertfordshire.

Now, this team is made up of two rival teams

who quiz regularly at The Bull in Broxbourne.

The men in the team started attending the quiz when their

local snooker hall closed down. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Martin and I'm a magician.

I'm Phil and I'm a cinema manager.

Hi, I'm Narin and I'm a foster carer.

Hi, I'm Tony and I'm a sales manager.

Hi, I'm Jane and I'm a flute teacher.

-Martin and team, welcome. Good to see you.

-Hi, Jeremy.

-Hi.

-Hi.

Just tell us, then, the snooker hall closing down sounds a bit sad.

Yeah, we played regularly up the snooker hall for probably

about 30 years of our life, every Monday night, and then

unfortunately it turned into a church a couple of years ago.

So instead of having a night out at snooker,

we attended a local quiz and that's me,

my brother Phil and Tony, and that's where we met

a rival team with Jane and Narin in and we sort of was

a bit low on numbers one night, so we merged forces,

so we formed one almighty team.

OK, I love the phrase,

"Unfortunately it turned into a church."

LAUGHTER

And you're a magician as well.

Yes, I've been a professional magician for about the last,

-probably about the last 16 years, yes.

-Right. Brilliant.

-And can you make these five disappear?

-Yeah, I'm going to...

tamper with their minds a little bit and confuse them as much as

-I confuse my own team.

-So, good luck, team.

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, Where's The Cue Ball Going? - the Eggheads are on a roll now,

they've won the last five.

They're feeling a bit confident, they're feeling -

dare I say it - a tiny bit smug and you need to stop them.

£6,000 on the table if you do.

Would you like to try now?

-Definitely, yeah.

-Great stuff.

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

-so who would like this?

-Well, I think we've got one music man here.

-We have a genius.

-Tony against which Egghead?

You can have any one of a five, including the two new ones.

-Yeah, I'll take Barry.

-Yeah, he's going to take Barry out.

No hesitation there, was there?

We discussed this on the train down and unfortunately your name

-came out top.

-All right. Good stuff.

So Tony from Where's The Cue Ball Going?

versus Barry from the Eggheads on Music

and, please, go to our famous Question Room now.

All right, Music, Tony. Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first.

Which former Beatle released the 2007 album Memory Almost Full?

Is it...?

I've never heard of it. Erm...

He still does a load of music, so I'm going to go Paul McCartney

on that basis.

Yeah, that's good. Paul McCartney it is.

OK, Barry, your question.

Who represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest

in 1993 with the song Better The Devil You Know?

Was it...?

Oh, goodness. I don't think it was Dana, she was Irish I think. 1993?

That sounds a bit late for Lulu. I'll go for Sonia.

Brilliant illumination actually. Sonia's right.

OK, Tony.

Which group topped the US charts with the song My Girl in 1965?

I can sing it.

It's one of those, they're all very similar sort of groups, aren't they?

I'm not going to go for The Platters.

I'm going to go for The Temptations.

The Temptations is the right answer, Tony. You got there. Brilliant.

Barry, which American band topped

the British charts in 1999 with the single Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)?

Is it...?

I don't think it was No Doubt.

I don't know this, so I'm going to have to take a guess.

I don't think it was No Doubt, I'll go for Linkin Park.

-Dave?

-Offspring.

-Offspring is the answer.

-I went the wrong way!

-Went the wrong way.

So a little moment now. Tony, get this right,

-you're in the final round.

-Here we go.

-Come on, Tony.

Who wrote the music and lyrics for the 1920s Broadway musical

Fifty Million Frenchmen,

which included the song You Do Something To Me?

Erm, I really don't know.

The first two have been As. I'm not going to go for A.

So it's B or C.

I'm going to go Gershwin.

Eggheads?

-I think it's Cole Porter.

-Cole Porter is the answer.

Oh!

So, Barry, this to stay in.

Written in the 1730s,

Alexander's Feast is an ode with music by which composer?

It's not Mendelssohn, that's much too early.

Handel, that would fit for Handel,

but it might just fit for Telemann as well.

Telemann was the most prolific composer who has ever lived,

wrote more music than any other man in history.

Not quite sure on the dates of Telemann, so I'm going to go

for Handel, because I know that would fit for Handel.

OK, well, your swerve was a good one, Barry. Handel is right.

Well done. Three questions each,

the scores are level, we go to Sudden Death.

Tony, it gets a bit harder, because I don't give you different options.

Who had the UK top ten single Hotline Bling in 2015?

Never heard of the song. 2015...

Erm...it's going to be a complete guess.

I'm going to say... Hotline Bling...

-Beyonce.

-Beth, do you know?

Well, according to my esteemed colleague, Drake.

Drake is the answer. Drake.

Barry, for the round.

In which UK town is the Orchestra of the Swan based?

I have never heard of this orchestra.

Well, I have nothing to go...

The only thing I've got to go on was William Shakespeare was called

the Swan of Avon. On that very loose fact

I shall try Stratford-upon-Avon.

Barry, known as The Brain, you truly are a genius of quizzing,

you are right. It is Stratford-upon-Avon.

I thought you might go Swansea,

I thought that might be where the swan took you. Sorry, Tony,

he's knocked you out. This is what they do.

Unfortunately, you've got to stop them.

Come back to us and we'll play on.

So, as it stands, Where's The Cue Ball Going? have lost a brain.

Tony, sorry.

The Eggheads are still all there intact

and the next subject for you is Film & TV.

So, who would like this?

-It's got to be, yeah.

-Phil.

I was going to say if you don't choose the cinema man,

something has gone wrong. Against which Egghead? Anyone but Barry.

-You've got to take Pat.

-I'm being told I've got to take Pat, so Pat.

Right. Fine. Phil from Where's The Cue Ball Going?

versus our own Pat. To ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions in the Question Room.

-Good luck, Phil.

-Phil, Film & TV.

I think this is the first time we've had

a cinema manager playing this round. It's brilliant.

Yeah, the pressure's on, isn't it?

You're up against Pat. He's very good, but you know that.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-I'll go first, please.

And here we go. Which 2016 sequel was described

by film critic Peter Bradshaw in his Guardian review

as "planet-smashingly boring"?

Is it...?

I haven't heard the quote, but it doesn't fit Kung Fu Panda,

doesn't fit Now You See Me,

so I presume it must be Independence Day: Resurgence.

Independence Day: Resurgence is right.

Pat, your question.

Who announced that he was returning

as the presenter of The X Factor in 2016,

a year after quitting the show?

I think I've seen Dermot O'Leary presenting The X Factor.

Not absolutely sure.

I think I'll have to go for Dermot O'Leary.

Dermot O'Leary is right. OK.

Phil, Tubby, Baldy and Burpy were considered as possible names

for which famous group of animated characters?

Again by elimination,

The Hair Bear Bunch I remember quite well, because of the era.

I don't think that would fit.

The Flintstones, I don't see that fitting either,

so I'm guessing they could've been three of the Seven Dwarfs.

Seven Dwarfs is the right answer. This was in the news.

I remember seeing this in the news and thinking about it.

Seven Dwarfs is right. We go to Pat.

Which 2016 film broke the record

for the most successful opening weekend of an animated film

at the US box office?

Zootopia was sort of a one-off new film.

The Angry Birds obviously is riding on the success of the video game,

but Finding Dory is the sequel to Finding Nemo,

so that's the Pixar behemoth, so of the three,

I'm assuming Finding Dory would have

a bigger push from its preceding film, so I'll go for Finding Dory.

Finding Dory. Gosh, I think this is a hard question.

Do you know this one, Phil?

Yeah, it's Finding Dory, it beat Shrek the Third's total.

Oh, yeah, you're right. Finding Dory it is. So two each, third question.

Phil, over to you.

Which actress played Sarah Packard in the 1961 film The Hustler

and the title character's mother in the 1976 film Carrie?

Is it...?

Right. 1961 is before I was working in a cinema,

so it gets a bit more difficult for me.

When the question came up, I thought the answer was Anne Bancroft,

but now I've seen Ellen Burstyn, I'm wondering about that, too.

OK. I think I'm going to go with what I originally thought,

-which was Anne Bancroft.

-Eggheads?

-Piper Laurie.

-Piper Laurie.

So, a chance for Pat to take the round.

Here it is.

Who directed the 1962 film Birdman Of Alcatraz, Pat,

and the 1998 film Ronin?

Is it...?

I think I went to see Ronin in the cinema.

Lots of car chases, quite good. Who directed it?

I don't think it was John Schlesinger,

so it's either Frankenheimer or Badham.

Ronin. Could it be John Badham?

Or John Frankenheimer?

Oh, it's a 50-50.

It's unusual this.

With the options, normally it would click into place and you'd know,

but I'm confused on this one.

I'm going to go for John Badham.

John Badham is the wrong answer.

It's John Frankenheimer, Pat. Very marginal. Goes to Sudden Death.

You're still in it, Phil.

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

Mark Rylance plays the title role in which 2016 film

based on a book by Roald Dahl?

OK. I'm trying to think of some Roald Dahl adaptations and nothing

springs immediately to mind.

I'm... Honestly, I'm not sure.

Tim Burton tends to direct Roald Dahl-type films, so he's got

a film called Miss Peregrine's House Of Peculiar Children,

I'm going to go for that, please.

Miss Peregrine. Do you know this, Pat?

-I think it might be The BFG.

-Yeah, it's The BFG.

-Of course it is.

The BFG, 2016 film.

OK, Pat, your question.

Which Oscar-winning actress played the lead role of Dolores

in the films Sister Act and Sister Act 2?

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

Well, the first actress that springs to mind when you say Sister Act

is Whoopi Goldberg and I think she has an Oscar to her credit.

I'm not sure who played the other nuns.

No, I think I'll have to go for Whoopi Goldberg.

If you've got it right, you're in the final round.

The answer is Whoopi Goldberg. Well done, Pat. Knocked out Phil.

-Sorry, Phil.

-No.

I know you know The BFG as well.

Come back to us and we'll see what happens next.

OK, so Where's The Cue Ball Going now?

-That is a good question.

-In the pocket.

Well, it's heading towards the pocket, but it's definitely

not there yet. You've lost two brains from the final round.

The Eggheads are still sitting there with all of their balls in place,

I was going to say. We're on snooker, right?!

The next subject is Science.

Who would like this?

I think you should do it, Martin.

-Narin's good at science, ain't she?

-Not really.

-Jane, do you want to do it?

-I don't want to do Science, no.

-OK, I'll do Science.

-OK, Martin. Definitely been volunteered there.

Against which Egghead? It can be Beth or Steve or Dave.

I'll try Steve, if that's OK.

Martin from Where's The Cue Ball Going? versus Steve from the Eggheads on Science.

Please go to the Question Room now.

OK. Well, good luck against one of our newest eggheads, Martin.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-First, please, Jeremy.

So it's Science, Martin,

and you're up against Steve and here is your question.

In which part of the body do cataracts form?

Quite happy with this question.

I think the answer is eyes, please, Jeremy.

Eyes is right, Martin. Well done. Of course.

Steve, which hypothesis

was proposed by the English writer Samuel Rowbotham

in a series of writings in the 1800s?

I can't say the name rings a bell,

but invisible earth, well, that's...

Yeah, we'll just discount that, shall we?

Flat earth I think went out a bit before that, so...

-Just based on the years you gave me, I'll say hollow earth.

-Hollow earth?

-OK. Barry?

-I'd be inclined to go with that as well,

there is a hollow earth hypothesis.

I'm going to shock you guys here.

-It's flat earth.

-Right.

-Oh!

-OK, Martin, your question.

Which substance, the main structural material of plants,

is indigestible to humans but still vital to them because it acts

as a bulky medium to carry digestible food through the system?

Is it...?

Well, I don't think it's glucose because I think that is digestible,

so it's either dextrose or cellulose,

so I'll go for cellulose, please, Jeremy.

Cellulose is the right answer. Well done. That's good.

So you've got two, Steve hasn't got one yet.

Steve, here's your question, got to get this right to stay in.

In which organ of the human body would you find

a structure called the olfactory bulb?

Well, olfactory, you associate it with your sense of smell,

so hopefully that should direct you to the brain.

Brain is right.

So, two-one. If you get this one, Martin,

-you're in the final.

-I'll do my best.

-Go for it.

Which father and son team who shared the same name received

a Nobel prize for physics in 1915?

Well, it's a one in three guess, Jeremy,

because I've got no idea whatsoever,

but I'm feeling lucky, a magician's hunch,

and I'm going to go for...

-Joseph Thomson.

-Joseph Thomson.

OK, let me throw this to Eggheads. Do you know, Eggs?

-It's William Bragg.

-What for?

X-ray diffraction and crystals.

Barry reliably informs me it was for X-ray diffraction and crystals,

Martin, and it was William Bragg and his son.

-I'm sorry the magician's hunch didn't work there.

-Well, yeah.

-Went a bit wayward that time.

-All right.

You have a chance to stay in here, Steve. Get this wrong, you're out.

What is the name of the futurologist and writer who died

in 2016, who predicted the rise of the internet and cloning

in his books Future Shock and The Third Wave?

Right. James Gleick I've never heard of, to be honest.

Stanislaw Lem, I know he wrote sci-fi, I think he wrote Solaris.

He may well have wrote science stuff as well,

but the name that appeals to me of the three is Alvin Toffler.

Alvin Toffler is right. So you're level after three questions.

Sorry, Martin,

-didn't quite shake him off there, did you?

-Not quite.

We go to Sudden Death.

What name is given to the speed of

299,792,458 metres per second in a vacuum?

I can't say I'm confident on this one at all.

I'll go for a microsecond.

-We're looking for a measurement of speed.

-Oh, sorry!

Team, do you know?

-Light?

-Speed of light?

-Yeah.

-Speed of light.

-Obvious.

So you have a chance on Sudden Death now, Steve.

Which name, inspired by that of a mythical Asian creature,

is given to the crabs of the genus Kiwa

that appear to have hairy pincers?

Well, when you said mythical Asian creature,

my first thought was dragon,

but when you mentioned the hairy pincers,

it's sort of thrown me away.

So I'm going to do what I never do and go away from my first answer

and try...

a yeti crab.

-The yeti crab.

-Well, I know.

-Yeti crab is the right answer.

Steve, well done.

Sorry, Martin, beaten by our Egghead.

Fair play to him, well done.

Knocked out, so Steve will be in the final.

Please return to us, we'll play the last head-to-head.

As it stands, Where's The Cue Ball Going? have lost three brains

from the final round. The Eggheads have not lost any so far.

The next subject is History. Last round before the final.

Let's pull it round now. Who's going in?

-It looks like me.

-Narin? OK.

-Off you go.

-Which Egghead would you like to take on?

-Beth, please.

So, Narin from Where's The Cue Ball Going?

versus our own Beth from the Eggheads.

Please go to the question room now.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-I'll go first, please.

OK, so Narin, on History against Beth, here we go.

In World War I, the passenger liner Lusitania was sunk

11 miles off the southern coast of which country?

The first thing that came into my mind before the three came up

was France. And for that reason only, I'm going to go with France.

-Eggs?

-I think it's Ireland.

Ireland is the answer. Over to you, Beth.

The warship the Mary Rose was salvaged

from which body of water in 1982?

As the story goes in our family,

my mum made us sit in front of Blue Peter to watch this.

So, sat there, watching the Mary Rose

being brought out of the Solent.

The Solent is right, well done, yeah, I remember too.

OK, back to you, Narin.

The East India Company was incorporated by Royal Charter

in the first year of which century?

Never heard of the East India Company.

I'm going to go straight down the middle, 17th, please.

You're quite right. Yes!

OK, Beth.

St James's Palace in London was commissioned by which king?

St James's Palace. Well, it's certainly not Richard III.

I don't think he had time to build many palaces.

I'm trying to picture it, to put it in an architectural style.

I'm going to go with Charles I.

Charles I is your answer.

-It's actually Henry VIII.

-Oh, yeah... 50-50.

OK, Narin.

Get this one right and you take the advantage.

Which Native American leader surrendered

in Skeleton Canyon in Arizona in 1886?

OK, again, I don't know.

And purely for the fact that Geronimo is the only name

that rings any bells for me, I'm going to go with Geronimo.

You're playing very well cos you're right.

-Yes!

-JEREMY LAUGHS

Geronimo it is. If only you'd got your first one right.

OK, but brilliant, two out of three, well done.

OK, Beth, over to you. Your third question.

The American military operation Piranha took place

during which 20th-century war?

It's not one... No, it's not one I've heard of.

-Vietnam War.

-Vietnam War is correct.

Oh! Phew!

This is an interesting round. OK, History we're on, Narin.

And we go to Sudden Death now, so I don't give you different options.

What did Ernesto Che Guevara study at university

before he became involved in revolutionary politics?

I recently went on a holiday to France with a friend of mine

who's traced her history line and is related to Che Guevara.

I should have listened to more of what she was saying about him.

I'm going to go for politics.

I can see how you've got to that, but it was a bit more practical.

Medicine. Medicine.

OK, Beth, for the round.

The so-called Northern Rebellion of 1569,

led by the Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland,

was a plot to put which historical figure on the English throne?

Well, I think I'm pretty sure it was Mary Queen of Scots.

It was indeed Mary Queen of Scots, you're right.

So, Beth, you've taken the round, well done. Sorry, Narin.

Come back to us, both of you,

and we'll see what happens in the final round.

So, this is what we have been playing towards.

It is time for the final round. As always, General Knowledge.

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

won't be allowed to take part.

So, Martin, Phil, Narin and Tony from Where's The Cue Ball Going?,

would you please now leave the studio?

Right, Jane, you're playing to win Where's The Cue Ball Going? £6,000.

Dave, Pat, Beth, Steve, Barry, you're playing for something

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

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

This time the questions are all General Knowledge.

You are allowed to confer. Sorry, that's not much help to you.

Jane, the question is, can you, with your one brain,

-defeat these five? Would you like to go first or second?

-First, please.

OK, our flute teacher from Enfield. Good luck, Jane.

Your first question.

Which female English singer, who rose to fame in the 1960s,

published the 1990s autobiography The World At My Feet?

I don't know, but Sandie Shaw used to sing with no shoes on,

so I'm going to say Sandie Shaw.

Yeah, brilliant quizzing.

You're quite right. Sandie Shaw it was.

-What's her famous hit, Sandie Shaw?

-Puppet On A String.

And Always Something There To Remind Me, yeah.

Your first question, Eggheads.

The town of Rottweil is in which European country?

-Germany.

-Germany.

-Do we think it's Germany?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Is everyone happy with that?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Germany?

We're going to go for Germany, please, Jeremy.

Germany.

That's right. The Rottweiler comes from there.

OK, over to you, Jane.

In 2014, Sal Brinton was elected president of which political party?

I don't think it was SNP or Labour,

so I'm going to say Liberal Democrats.

That's a good reason for saying Liberal Democrats, actually.

It's the right answer.

Nicely done.

Eggheads, the venue called Jollees in Stoke

hosted which sports World Championship between 1979 and 1985?

-Darts, I think.

-It's got to be darts.

Darts, Jollees in Stoke, wasn't it?

Yeah, before it moved to The Lakeside in the BDO version.

-Barry, just confirming?

-Yes, happy with that.

-Yeah.

-So, darts is the answer.

Darts is right.

Back to you, Jane.

Which comedian explored the musical heritage

of the southern states of America

in the BBC TV series Songs Of The South?

I'm going to say Billy Connolly.

I know he did a series, I'm not sure if it was that one,

but I'm going to say Billy Connolly.

Yeah, OK, Billy Connolly. The answer is Reginald D Hunter.

So, Eggheads, you have a chance to take the contest with this question.

George Pataki served as governor

of which US state between 1995 and 2006?

It can't be California, because Schwarzenegger must have been in.

Yeah, so what else have you...?

Mind you, governor and mayor, we're talking different things, aren't we?

Now, it could be...

Mario Cuomo Sr was governor of New York for a long time,

then he died and there was somebody else, then I think Mario Cuomo Jr.

I have heard the name before, this is what's doing me,

so would you think, cos you've heard the name,

it's going to be the high-profile...?

Could you just repeat those dates, please?

1995 to 2006, governor of which US state?

-Quite recent, then.

-When did George Cuomo come in as...the junior Cuomo?

-Would it be about 2006?

-I think it's relatively recent, yeah.

-That's ten years ago.

-So we might have a gap between the two Cuomos?

Well, it's one in two, really.

Because I can't think of anyone who's Governor of Illinois.

-Barry, what are you thinking?

-I don't know it. I really don't.

Have you got an instinct for anything?

I'm wondering if it was Illinois, but I've nothing to base it on.

-What about you, Steve?

-For what it's worth, I'd say New York.

-Beth?

Either. I'm no help.

So, New York is, on balance, what we would go for.

-Yes, it seems to be the majority.

-Barry?

-I think that's fair.

On balance, we don't know,

but on balance and team decision,

we're going for New York.

Yeah, you got some shreds of facts

and they helped you and the answer is New York.

We say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

So, commiserations. Sorry, Jane, well played in the final.

I know you weren't supposed to end up on your own. But a fun team.

Thanks so much, Where's The Cue Ball Going?

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them,

and this rather impressive winning streak continues.

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

so the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, congratulations. Look at you all, sitting there, five of you.

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

have the brains to finally take them down.

£7,000 says they don't.

Till then, goodbye.