Episode 45 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.

And those brains are like lasers, aren't they?

-When they fire!

-When they fire!

Challenging the might of our quiz goliaths today are the Sohocentrics.

Now, this team all share a connection with London's Soho district.

Team captain Freddie and his friend, Tony,

occasionally quiz together at the many pubs it has to offer and have

called upon friends and family to help them take on the Eggheads.

So, let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Freddie, I'm an artist.

Hi, I'm Elizabeth and I'm a retired teacher.

Hello, I'm Tony and I'm the chair of the Museum of Soho.

Hello, my name is Seona. I'm a retired education adviser.

Hello, I'm Karin and I'm a retired secretary.

So, Freddie, team, welcome.

-ALL:

-Hello.

So, Soho brings you together, does it?

Yeah, it does.

In a kind of tenuous way.

My mother's sitting to my left,

and Tony, my friend from Soho, and I have played a few quizzes together.

There is a connection between Seona and Saint Anne's Church in Soho

because she's a member of a book society which...

Well, she's a... What would that be?

-The chair...

-Chair.

-..of a book society.

And they have their meetings in Saint Anne's church in Soho where

Tony runs the museum from.

It's always good to have the chair of a book society

on your team. That's very good in a quiz.

It's turned out that way, yes.

And I know you're an artist, Freddie. Tell us what kind of art.

I paint flowers in decay on canvas.

In watercolour? Oils?

Oils. That's because it takes me so long, they always die on me.

Oh, I see, they're dead by the time you finish.

All right. Good luck, team. LAUGHTER

Good luck against these Eggheads.

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.

Now, Sohocentrics, the Eggheads had a difficult time.

They've come out of it. They're just getting back into their stride.

You've got to stop them. £2,000 on the table if you do.

The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Film & TV

and you can choose Beth or Chris, Pat, Steve or Barry to take on.

-Film & TV.

-OK, Film & TV.

I think that's you, Tony.

-Is that me?

-Yeah.

-Are we all agreed on that?

Yeah, yeah.

-Right.

-That's a nice Soho subject that, isn't it?

And which Egghead would you like?

Who looks as if their video recorder is broken?

-(Say Beth.)

-Beth. I've been advised for Beth.

One of the newest Eggheads. OK.

So, it's Tony from Sohocentrics

taking on Beth from the Eggheads on Film & TV,

and just to ensure that's no conferring,

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

So, Tony, this is a slightly auspicious day because we think it

is the 1,600th episode of Eggheads.

-Wonderful.

-I just thought I'd spring that on you.

How about that? So, good luck in your round, Tony.

-Thank you.

-And would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, Jeremy.

Here we go.

Which of these TV channels became an online only service in 2016?

Well, BBC2, you're still on.

BBC4, still on.

So, that would be BBC3, Jeremy.

That's right, they had to make a choice.

BBC3, BBC4, they went 3. Well done, BBC3.

Beth, who presented an episode of Match Of The Day partially clothed

in 2016 after promising to do so

if Leicester won the previous year's Premier League?

Ah, I think he kind of bottled out of what people were expecting him to

wear on the show. It was Gary Lineker.

Gary Lineker's right.

So, Tony, your question.

Second question. Which director made the 2010 film Inception?

Well, Guy Ritchie's just done the Sherlock film,

so it's not Guy.

Sam Mendes. No, it's Christopher Nolan.

Christopher Nolan is right.

Any other films by him that you know?

Well, there's the Batman franchise,

which I think has been the best franchise so far, actually.

Cos I think my favourite film of all time -

are you ready, Eggheads? - is Memento.

-Oh, fantastic film.

-By Christopher Nolan.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Absolutely amazing film.

I have to... I've only watched it once

cos I've only been in the right frame of mind once to watch it.

It's hard to follow, isn't it? It's like The Usual Suspects -

you've got to be so attentive to it.

-Yeah. But, yeah, Beth, we'll have to give it a second viewing.

-Yeah.

OK, your question.

Which of these, Beth, is the title of a 2016 documentary

about a disgraced US Congressman's failed attempt

to run for Mayor of New York? Is this...

Well, Giuliani's been Mayor of New York.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't him.

But I have a feeling it may have been Weiner.

It was definitely Weiner.

And I just watched this the other day.

It's a brilliant documentary.

OK, your question, Tony.

What is the name of the dragon

in both the 1977 film version of Pete's Dragon

and the 2016 remake?

I actually haven't seen this film,

but I'm thinking back to my childhood

and not the remake and I remember it.

If I'm correct, it's Elliot.

Elliot is right. Bang on.

Three out of three. Nice work.

OK, to stay in, Beth, which 2013 American made-for-TV disaster film

starring Tara Reid gained a cult audience online

and spawned a number of sequels?

SHE CHUCKLES

I wish I'd seen it. It's Sharknado.

Sharknado's right.

There's quite a few like this, Beth, isn't there?

-Yeah.

-Snakes On A Plane was one.

Yeah. That was actually not for...

not made for TV, that went out as a theatrical release.

Compared to Sharknado, Snakes On A Plane is a documentary.

LAUGHTER OK, I've got to see Sharknado now.

All right. So, level after three, Tony.

-It's never easy, is it, against these Eggs?

-No.

We go to Sudden Death. It gets a bit harder, I don't give you options.

Here we go.

In which film does Tom Cruise play a drone repair man assigned to Earth

after it has been ravaged by an alien war?

That's...

I think that's Oblivion.

It is Oblivion. Well done.

Beth, what is the surname of the Absolutely Fabulous character Patsy,

played by Joanna Lumley?

To stay in.

Hmm...

I... I didn't watch the reboot, as it were,

I watched the originals, and I just can't think.

But let's go with...

No, I was going to go with Bouvier,

but that's Marge Simpson's maiden name.

Best I can come up with, let's go with Bouvier.

Let's see, Challengers, do you know?

I don't know. It sounded similar.

-Eggheads?

-Stone.

-Stone. Patsy Stone.

So, well done, Tony.

You're through. You're in the final round, that's it.

Simple as that.

Beth has been knocked out and if you come back to us,

we'll play the next round.

As it stands, the Sohocentrics have not lost any brains from the

final round. Good work, Tony.

The Eggheads have lost one. They've lost Beth.

The next subject for you is Arts & Books.

Who would like this?

-We think Seona.

-Seona.

-From the book, the book area.

You're sure you want me?

-You sure?

-The book person.

Yes. Dorothy L Sayers Society, I'm chairman of that.

OK, all right. This is going to... I can feel they're sweating already.

-So, who would you like?

-Steve?

-Who am I going to have?

-Steve.

-Steve or Barry.

Steve or Barry.

Ooh, I'll go for Steve, please.

So, they're taking on the newest Eggheads.

Is there a plot here, I wonder?

OK, Seona from the Sohocentrics versus Steve from the Eggheads.

-Feeling good?

-Time will tell, Jeremy.

Please go to the Question Room now.

So, you mentioned the Dorothy L Sayers Society, Seona.

Not Agatha Christie, but Dorothy L Sayers.

-Dorothy L Sayers, yes.

-What was so great about her?

I think she wrote really good literature

as well as damn good stories.

Have you read any by her, Steve?

Yeah, a couple. Gaudy Night. Is it Whose Body?

-Something like that?

-That's right.

-I've read the odd one or two, yeah.

Yeah. OK. Good stuff. Well, let's see if she comes up.

You never know. We've had stranger things.

Arts & Books. Seona, first or second?

First, please.

Here we go. Good luck.

Which novel by Charles Dickens is set in Coketown

and involves a retired merchant called Thomas Gradgrind?

Well, Christmas Carol is very much in London and Oliver Twist,

a lot of that's in London, so it has to be Hard Times.

Well done, yes, Gradgrind is from Hard Times.

That's quite right. Steve...

what name is given to something found by an artist

and displayed with no or minimal alteration as a work of art?

Right, I was expecting ready-made coming up there,

but now looking at the options...

It's got to be objet trouve.

Excuse my shocking accent.

Objet trouve is quite right.

Back to you, Seona.

number9dream and Cloud Atlas

are Man Booker Prize-nominated novels by which writer?

What were the names of both novels?

So, one was called number9dream

and the other is called Cloud Atlas.

And by the way, number9dream is all one word, all lower case,

so it's the word "number", then the digit 9, and then the word "dream".

But all as one word.

Well, I think I'm ruling out Martin Amis because I haven't heard

of him in connection with either of those books.

And I don't know about David Mitchell,

so I'm going to make it Howard Jacobson.

Now, he did... Did he do The Finkler Question?

Is that my imagination? Eggheads, do you know? Yes, he did.

-But it's not him.

-Oh!

It's David Mitchell. This time last year, I was reading Cloud Atlas in

the Eggheads' dressing room.

You know, that one with the Jacuzzi and the...

-Oh, that one.

-That one.

OK, Steve, published in 2016,

The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo

is a collection of essays by which American comedienne and actress?

Well, walking through Tesco the other day, Jeremy,

I actually stood looking at this book.

So, I'm pretty sure that's Amy Schumer.

Yeah, I'm a big fan of hers. I think she's hilarious.

Amy Schumer is right.

Although not maybe the cleanest, Eggheads.

No, I think you're safe there.

-On the edge.

-You wouldn't watch it with your children.

No, you wouldn't. Right.

You have one, Seona,

you've got to get this one right

to stay in.

Without Feathers is a bestselling 1970s collection of humorous essays

by whom?

SHE EXHALES DEEPLY Is it...

Oh.

I don't know.

I'm going to have to think this through.

Er...

I think I would go for either Steve Martin or Woody Allen.

I don't know why I don't think not Billy Crystal.

It'll probably turn out to be him.

So, er...

Oh, I'm not doing well here.

Um...

Oh, I'll just go for Steve Martin.

It's actually Woody Allen. I'm sorry.

And that's what I was going to say.

-Oh, dear.

-So, no way back in this round, Seona, you were beaten

by our Egghead and won't able to take part in the final.

Steve, well done, you've booked your place in the final.

So, so far, we've lost one Egghead and one has stayed in.

Come back, rejoin our teams, we'll see what happens in the next round.

Well, it is quite a tense contest, this.

The Sohocentrics have lost one brain now from the final.

The Eggheads have lost one, as well.

And our next subject for you is Politics.

-Oh, no!

-Difficult.

Politics.

I'm no good at Politics.

-No.

-Freddie?

Freddie, it has got to be you, or Elizabeth, or Karen.

You know a bit about Politics, historically speaking, don't you?

Want to go for it?

-I'll go for it.

-Elizabeth.

-Yeah.

-My mum's going for it.

-OK, Elizabeth, great.

And choose an Egghead, Elizabeth.

It can't be Steve or Beth, so it's got to be one of the...

Do we say the older Eggheads?

You know what I mean by that.

-They're all very good at Politics.

-More long-standing ones.

-The senior.

-I'll choose Barry.

Barry, a very good choice, he's not had a run out for a while.

There's a reason for that.

Well, he's got a good brain, just sometimes it's not switched on.

THEY CHUCKLE Elizabeth from the Sohocentrics versus Barry from the Eggheads.

Please go to the Question Room now.

OK, Politics, Elizabeth, against the great Barry.

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

I'll go first, please.

And here we go.

Which member of Margaret Thatcher's Cabinet was portrayed on the TV show

Spitting Image with a grating voice

and a Mr Whippy ice cream hair style?

I'll go for Norman Tebbit.

TEAM GASPS

Now, I do remember the Norman Tebbit puppet, I think he had big...

big boots and was with a kind of donkey jacket, wasn't it?

-Yes.

-So, it wasn't this one.

It was Douglas Hurd.

He... I can't really do an impression.

MIMICS DOUGLAS HURD: He talked a bit like that.

The best-ever joke was on that.

She's in the restaurant and I'll have steak and what about the vegetables?

They'll have what I'm having.

They'll have what I'm having.

The best-ever joke about Mrs Thatcher.

OK, Barry, your question.

In which room does the Queen traditionally don her crown

for the State Opening of Parliament?

I don't know this, but the obvious answer coming out at me there

is The Robing Room, so I'll go for that.

I wondered if it might be a bit too obvious, Barry?

It's trying to lure you in.

It's the first question. I'm happy with going for The Robing Room.

The Robing Room is correct.

So, he's pulled slightly into the lead, Elizabeth.

Get this one right and draw level.

Who served as Vice President during Dwight Eisenhower's

two terms as US President?

Was it...

I think that was Richard Nixon.

It was indeed Richard Nixon, you're quite right.

OK, well done, you're level.

Barry, to take the lead, your question.

What was Bill Clinton's surname at birth?

Well, Rodham was Hillary Clinton's surname at birth.

I don't know who was Booth,

but I'm pretty certain Bill Clinton was called Blythe at birth.

He was indeed Blythe.

OK, Elizabeth, your question.

And you need to get this one right.

Which of these countries joined the European Union in 2004?

Elizabeth, was it...

Croatia was much more recent and so was Hungary.

I'll go for Austria.

Any of your team mates know?

-Not sure.

-Don't know.

I would've gone for Hungary, but...

Yeah, Hungary is the answer, Elizabeth.

Oh, well. That's me.

Not to worry, that's you.

But it's not your team.

Still lots of hope, lots of petrol in the tank.

Barry, you're in the final round. Please come back to us, both of you,

and we will play the last round before the final.

So, as it stands, the Sohocentrics have lost two brains

from the final round.

The Eggheads have just lost the one.

The next subject is Music.

Who wants this?

FREDDIE LAUGHS

That's you, Karen, is it?

-I think it's going to have to be me, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Freddie.

-I don't know anything about music.

-OK.

-You really want me to do it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah. I'll do it.

-Are you confident?

-Yeah. I'll do it.

Do it, Freddie. The artist.

What have we got? We've got Chris or Pat.

Wouldn't call them artists, really.

Um...

I'll go with Pat.

Freddie from the Sohocentrics is going to hurl himself

against Pat from the Eggheads on Music.

Please go to the Question Room for the last time.

So, Freddie, your musical taste.

-Tell us?

-Predominantly classical.

And is that something that happened at some moment in your life?

You were listening to, I don't know, punk rock, until the age of 30

and then suddenly a switch flicked and you went to Beethoven?

Well, went to Haydn and Mozart and Beethoven, yeah.

-Is that what happened?

-Yeah.

-Because I'm waiting...

-I was listening to music

in the late '70s, early '80s and...

And suddenly it became very ethereal and depressing and I started

to realise I had an ear for sound and the natural progression

from that was classical to me.

Because I'm waiting for that moment still.

I'm 51, it hasn't happened yet.

-I thought... I just assumed...

-You're missing out.

I just thought at 40 there would be a moment where I would...

It's not an age thing, Jeremy,

it's whether or not you're open to the idea of...

I mean, I love music, all... A lot of music.

I mean, but classical is one of the deepest,

most profound art forms there is.

Yeah. I'm open to it. Are you open to it, Pat?

-Oh, yes.

-I listen to a wide spread of music.

Hawaii Five-O, did you say?

-No, a wide spread.

-Oh, I see!

JEREMY LAUGHS

Although, I have heard the Hawaii Five-O theme.

Well, that theme tune, to be honest, is a great piece of classical music.

It's not that profound, though, is it? The Hawaii Five-O theme.

No, but it's got violins in it.

-It has, yes.

-And no words, crucially, as well.

-Yes.

All right. Well, I think we've sorted that out.

Would you like to go first or second, Freddie?

First.

OK, I'm sensing a bit of purpose here.

The skipper looks very determined.

Let's see.

I'll do everything I can for you on classical music,

but I can't guarantee it.

Who topped the UK charts in 2015

with the single House Every Weekend?

Is that...

Well, I quite like the answers you've put up there

cos I've got no idea if the first two exist.

Um, or are they just a joke?

Um, and it being 2015, I genuinely don't know.

So, Wayne... What's the name?

It's kind of... Wayne Malice, is that right?

-Wayne Malik.

-Malik. I'll go for Wayne Malik.

Now, wait. Let's just check with the Eggheads here.

Is Wayne Malik a real person?

-Never heard of him.

-No, Zayn Malik.

Zayn Malik. I see, right, OK. I see, I see, I see.

Zayn Malik is in One Direction, is that right?

-Was.

-Was in One Direction.

So, Zayn Malik is a real person and was in One Direction,

but this Wayne and Zayn, it's not the right answer, anyway.

-Thanks.

-The correct answer is David Zowie.

Yes, there is somebody with that name.

I'm thinking there probably isn't anyone called Ziggy Pop.

-Iggy Pop.

-Iggy Pop, yes, there is.

Brilliant. OK, Pat, your question.

What was the title of Samantha Fox's first UK top ten single?

I'm not sure about the sequence of her big hits,

but she certainly had a song called Touch Me.

"Touch me, touch me, I want to feel your body."

Some very profound lyric of that sort.

In the absence of any deeper Samantha Fox expertise,

I'll go for Touch Me.

Yeah. And there's you, claiming to like classical music a minute ago.

It's a classic. Touch Me. Absolute classic.

Touch Me is the right answer.

OK. Back to you, Freddie.

The annual music trade and business show known as Midem

established itself in which French city in the 1960s

and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016?

I'd rather have the Samantha Fox question, so...

I'm going to rule out Cannes

because it's already got a big festival there.

Um, what's the name of the festival again?

Midem. M-I-D-E-M.

Avignon.

No, it's Cannes.

Ah!

-After that.

-So, we go to Pat.

Pat, you can take the round with this question.

Who sang the first line on the 1985 USA for Africa charity single

We Are The World?

I can remember the chorus.

I'm not sure I can remember the first line.

And I've only a dim memory of the song at all, or the video.

They may all have been on it.

I have a strong feeling Lionel Richie was definitely

amongst the group that recorded it.

I'll go for Lionel Richie simply because I'm definite

he was amongst the artists.

If you've got this right, you've got two and there's no way back

for our Challenger.

See if the Eggheads know. Eggheads?

-I know what the line is.

-Yeah. Steve's giving me a hand signal.

Yeah, brilliant. He's right.

-Beth?

-I just knew what the first line was, that's was...

-What is the first line?

-I believe...

-Here comes a time when we hear a certain call.

-Oh, is that?

-Oh, wrong song, then.

-Here comes a time when we hear a certain call,

when the world must come together as one.

And then it's just "hello," after that, is it?

THEY LAUGH

Lionel Richie's right, Pat, you've taken the round.

Sorry, Freddie, you've been knocked out.

No way back. Let's see how you do in the final.

Come back to us, both of you, and we'll play it.

This is what we've been playing towards.

It is time for the final round which as always is General Knowledge.

We're going to see if the Eggheads are getting back on track.

I'm afraid those of you who lost

your head-to-heads won't be allowed to take part in this round, though.

So, that's Freddie, Elizabeth and Seona from the Sohocentrics

and also Beth from the Eggheads.

Would you please now leave the studio?

So, Tony and Karen, you're playing to win the Sohocentrics £2,000.

Barry, Steve, Pat and Chris,

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

The Eggheads' reputation and to get this show back on the road.

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

This time, the questions are all General Knowledge.

You can confer.

So, Sohocentrics, the question is,

can your two brains defeat these four?

Good luck, Tony and Karen.

Would you like to go first, or second?

Um, I think we'd like to go first, please.

All right. Here we go with your first question.

The area known as Spanish Harlem

is part of which American city?

-It's New York. Spanish Harlem.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

We think it's New York.

New York is quite right.

Well done. All right, your question, Eggs.

The words Ordem e Progresso

are written on the flag of which South American country?

-CHRIS:

-Brazil.

They're by Comte, or somebody, they were called.

Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better. Yeah.

That's Brazil, Jeremy.

It's written across the globe on the Brazilian flag.

Oh, yeah, on the globe, right.

OK. Brazil is right.

Back to you.

Which Roman god is commonly identified

with the Greek god Hermes?

-It's Mercury.

-Hermes was the messenger, so it's...

-It's Mercury.

-It's Mercury, isn't it?

Mercury, Jeremy, please.

Mercury is right. You're playing well in the final round here.

Maybe they're getting a bit uncomfortable, these Eggs.

Rattling around in their egg cups.

LAUGHTER

The Life And Times Of The Thunderbolt Kid

is a 2006 childhood memoir by which author?

Eggheads...

-It's Bill Bryson.

-Bryson. Yeah. Yeah.

That is the wonderful Bill Bryson.

-You're a fan, Chris?

-I've actually met Bill, in fact.

Yes, it's a memoir of him growing up in Des Moines, Iowa.

Bill Bryson is right.

Well done, Eggs.

OK, your question.

Which country elected Rodrigo Duterte as president in 2016?

Is it...

Get this right, you've got three out of three.

Sounds like...

-I don't know it, it sounds like Chile.

-Chile.

It doesn't sound Filipino, does it?

Or Angolan.

-Shall we stick with Chile?

-We'll stick with Chile.

That was our first thought.

Yeah, we'll stick with Chile, please, Jeremy.

OK, we've had some trouble with presidents on this show recently.

Eggheads, do you know?

Yeah, it's Philippines.

He's known as Duterte Harry.

-Oh, is he?

-Yeah, Duterte Harry.

He's a very hardline, maverick type.

He's president of the Philippines.

Oh. Don't worry, you've got two out of three.

Let's see if it forces them to Sudden Death.

Eggheads, your question.

Which letter of the Greek alphabet

formed the pattern on the shields

of Spartan soldiers in Ancient Greece?

Was it...

-Is it Omega?

-I have a feeling it's lambda.

-Oh, right.

-It's certainly not alpha.

Just thinking, omega, it's like that, isn't it?

-I'm just trying to think.

-Is there any science behind this at all?

Is there any reason they would have a particular letter?

They were from Laconia province, weren't they?

I've seen the Sparta shield, I think it could...

-I think it could be lambda.

-What's the symbol for lambda?

How would it look?

-PAT:

-Like an upside-down Y. Yeah.

Sparta was the capital city of Laconia, wasn't it?

-It was, yes.

-A bit tenuous. It might not have anything to do with it.

That might be the reason why.

I don't know. I don't know.

I just had it in my mind that it was lambda.

Well, a lambda like that is symmetrical.

It would look good on a shield. So would omega, come to that.

I hope I'm right. I've just got it at the back of my...

In 300, can you remember any of the scenes in 300?

-Yeah.

-What was on the shield?

It was a load of nonsense, but, yes.

I could sort of imagine a lambda on their shield in 300.

Barry's the classicist, so I'd go with lambda, yeah.

-I'll go with Barry.

-Are we agreed with that?

-Yeah.

We think it's lambda, Jeremy.

Good old Barry's inklings.

Often reliable.

The correct answer is lambda.

Well done, Barry. We say congratulations, Eggheads.

You have won!

You pushed hard, Challengers.

-Thanks for playing.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Has it been OK?

-We've enjoyed it.

-Yeah, we've had a great time.

They're just beginning to fire up the cylinders again, these Eggs.

Well done, Barry, on the last question there.

-That reboot obviously worked.

-You've got a little memory of something.

Not even knowing where the memory's from sometimes.

It's the new shirt that's done it, isn't it?

Maybe the change of shirt because the other one had been on for several years, you're right.

Commiserations, Sohocentrics. Sorry to see you lose here.

The Eggheads have done what is starting to come naturally again.

They do reign supreme over quizland.

It means the Challengers don't go home with the £2,000.

So, why don't we roll that money over to the next show?

Eggheads, well done.

Who will beat you? Join us next time to see if a new team of Challengers

have the brains to defeat them.

£3,000 is here for them to play for.

Until then, goodbye.