Episode 61 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. Are you feeling the force today?

-Yes, definitely.

-We're going from strength to strength.

You are indeed. Taking on our quiz champions today are...

In forming this team,

captain Helen has called upon the quizzing services of friends

from the various clubs she belongs to and former colleagues as well.

Let's meet them.

Hello, I'm Helen, a retired post office clerk.

Hello, I'm Chris and I'm also a retired post office clerk.

Hello, I'm Sandy. I'm a retired army officer.

Hello, my name is Chris. I'm a retired administrator.

Hello, I'm David and I'm a retired grants advisor.

-So, Helen and team, welcome. Good to see you. ALL:

-Hello, Jeremy.

-Helen, You're the main connector here, is that right?

-Yes.

OK, so The Queen Bee's Cs. I understand "Queen Bee",

-which must be you.

-Correct. It's based on my initials.

-My initials are HM, for Her Majesty.

-Oh, I see, OK. And what are the Cs?

The Cs are all my team members have either got

C as their first initial, their last initial or, in one case, both.

-So, we've got a Chris, a Caypole, a Clayton and a Clayton.

-Correct.

-I see. And you were a post office clerk.

-Yes.

-Which was a great job, I'm assuming.

-It was, for 20 years, yes.

I know you met all kinds of people, like Zsa Zsa Gabor

-and Jimmy Connors.

-Er, that was in my hotel job.

-Ah.

Cos I was thinking, "Did they all come into the post office?

"That seems like quite a busy branch."

Quite a lot came into the post office,

but for the first 20 years of my life, I was in the hotel business.

And if these five turned up asking for a room, would you give them one?

-Er, I'd check on their ratings first.

-You'd have to think about it.

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,

our prize money rolls over to our next show.

So, formalities out the way.

Queen Bee's Cs, I can tell you the Eggheads are on a storming run.

They've won the last 17.

-CHALLENGERS:

-Whoa!

-Oh, yes.

-We like it.

I think that's good, on balance,

although there is a slight obvious downside.

But it does mean, if you win today,

it's £18,000 that you go away with.

-Are you ready to try?

-We certainly are.

OK, Queen Bee's Cs,

the first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Film & Television.

You can have either Beth, Dave, Chris,

-Barry or Lisa.

-Right, Film & Television.

-Who's good on Film & television?

-Is it going to be me?

It's not the one I wanted but...

-You can go if you like.

-We know we need to keep you.

It's not for me, certainly.

-So, I think it's going to have to be me, team.

-OK.

-It's you, Helen, is it?

-It's me, straightaway.

-Straight in, OK.

-Yes.

High risk. Who would you like to play?

-I think I'd like to take on Beth.

-Very good.

So, it's going to be Helen from The Queen Bee's Cs

versus Beth from the Eggheads on Film & TV.

Please both of you go to our famous Question Room.

Good luck, Queen Bee, up against our Beth.

Would you like to go first or second?

I think I'd like to go second, Jeremy, please.

OK, Beth, your first question then.

Tony Warren, who died in 2016,

was best known as the creator of which long-running soap opera?

He was, um...

Ooh, yes.

He was the mind behind Coronation Street.

He was indeed. Coronation Street. OK, Helen, back to you.

Jane Tennison was the main character in which TV detective series,

first aired in 1991?

Right, well, it wasn't Cracker

and I don't think it's as recent as Happy Valley,

-so it must be Prime Suspect.

-Yes, indeed.

-Do you remember who played her?

-Um, Helen Mirren.

I think it was. Beth, back to you.

What is the title of Josh Widdicombe's sitcom,

starring the comedian himself, which was first broadcast in 2014?

-It's just called Josh.

-Josh is right.

OK, Helen,

who played Captain Mainwaring in the 2016 film Dad's Army,

directed by Oliver Parker?

I saw this movie and I must admit, I liked it very much.

Um, it wasn't Bill Nighy. He's too tall.

It wasn't Hugh Grant. I think he's too thin.

-It was Toby Jones.

-Toby Jones is right.

-Any Eggheads seen this film?

-Yes.

-And what do we think of it?

-It was refreshing and it was lovely to watch.

-Yeah?

-Very enjoyable afternoon.

-So, Beth, your third question,

level after two.

Which character was played by both Eartha Kitt and Julie Newmar

in the 1960s television series Batman?

Kapow! It was Catwoman.

Kapow, it was! Catwoman is right.

So, because she started, she's got to three

before you, Helen. You've got to get this one right to stay in.

The singer David Bowie played a character called Phillip Jeffries

in which David Lynch film?

I don't know this one.

Um, I won't go for Wild At Heart.

It doesn't sound like Twin Peaks.

I'll go for The Straight Story.

Let's see if any Eggheads know this. Eggs?

-I thought it WAS Twin Peaks, actually.

-Lisa thinks Twin Peaks.

The correct answer is Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

-CHALLENGERS:

-Oh!

-Oh, we've lost the captain.

-Oh!

We have lost the skipper, we've lost the Queen.

-Oh, no.

-Oh, my goodness.

Is this an early crisis? Well done, Beth, you're in the final round.

Sorry, Helen. Beaten by our Egghead,

but you can come back and you can still command strategy

here at the desk, OK? Please return to your teams.

Right, so Queen Bee's Cs have not just lost a brain,

they've lost the THE brain from the final round,

so the rest of the team are going to have to pile in here.

The Eggheads are all still there, all five of them.

The next subject for you is Music

so, Helen, who would like this?

THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHER

We know for Music, it's going to be Chris.

OK, and do you think we should have another Chris?

-Why not? Shall we?

-Yes?

-Give it a go.

Come on, Chris? Ready to be throttled?

You know my parameters. I'm not going to reiterate them.

Yeah, we'll see how a rap question affects you both.

Neither of you would like that.

Chris R from Queen Bee's Cs will take on Chris from the Eggheads.

The two Chrises on Music -

thankfully, wearing different coloured shirts.

Please go to the Question Room now.

OK, Chris and Chris, good luck.

And Chris R, you can choose whether you go first or second,

-as the Challenger.

-May I go first, please, Jeremy?

You may indeed and here we go. Good luck.

"We're leaving together But still it's farewell

"And maybe we'll come back To Earth Who can tell?"

are the opening lyrics from which UK hit single of the 1980s?

Ooh, not a very good start cos I'm not very good on lyrics.

I know who got number one here, there and everywhere.

Sounds like something that might be Livin' On A Prayer,

so that's what I'm going for.

Yeah, if I sang it, I don't know... Lisa, can you?

-Yeah, but brace yourself cos it's going to be loud.

-OK, go on.

# We're leaving together

# But still it's farewell

# And maybe we'll come back

# To Earth, who can tell?

# I guess there is no-one to blame

-# We're leaving ground

-Leaving ground

# Will things ever be the same again?

TOGETHER: # It's the final countdown Da-da-da-da. #

I'm sorry, that's such a long way of telling you the answer, Chris.

It's not Livin' On A Prayer.

I was about to sing Livin' On A Prayer

at the end of Lisa's thing and I couldn't face it.

I'm really sorry, it's the Final Countdown.

-That's all right.

-But at least we heard that.

-Mm-hmm.

Lisa Thiel, that was amazing. Chris, back to Earth. Your question.

Who did the singer Sarah Brightman marry in 1984?

She married Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Andrew Lloyd Webber is right. Back to you, Chris R.

What is the meaning of the musical notation term "ritardando",

"ritardando"?

-Crikey, it's not going for me, this one.

-Can I spell it for you?

R-I-T-A-R-D-A-N-D-O.

"Rita" suggests maybe "once more".

I don't think it's "slowing down" or "stop",

-so I'll say "play once more".

-Ritardando.

I think I'm going to let Barry answer this one.

-It's gradually slowing down.

-Gradually slowing down.

Maybe because of "ritard" in there.

-That's right, yes.

-Hard to spot when you're in the both though.

"Gradually slowing down" is the answer.

We go back to Chris Hughes. You can take it

with this question.

Perfect Illusion, released in September, 2016,

is a single by which recording artist?

Ah... It's a toss-up between Ariana Grande and Rihanna. Um...

Perfect Illusion is, I believe, Rihanna.

-No, it's Lady Gaga.

-Is it?

I'm so sorry, Chris. Well, I'm not really.

Cos it means you're still in it here, Chris, Chris the Challenger.

Get this right and who knows?

Which country and western singer wrote the song Hey, Good Lookin'?

Hopefully, I get one right,

and it's not Kenny Rogers, I don't think, so, um... Johnny cash...

-Hank Williams.

-Hank Williams is correct.

-Oh!

Well done, Chris, well done. On the scoreboard.

OK, Chris Hughes, you can take the round with this question.

According the lyrics of the song Chattanooga Choo Choo,

at about what time does the train leave the Pennsylvania Station?

Ah...

-A quarter to four.

-Yeah, is he right, Chris R?

-Yes.

-He is right.

To get a train-related question in a Music round,

you really were quite lucky there, Chris, knowing your love of trains.

Chris Hughes, you'll be in the final.

-Chris, you've been knocked out.

-Never mind.

Let's hope for a comeback from the Challengers.

Please rejoin your teams and we'll play on.

So, The Queen Bee's Cs have lost two brains from the final round

-but, as we've said, they are playing very well.

-They are.

Lots of teams have been this way, and you can turn it around.

The Eggheads are all still sitting there, sitting pretty,

in a manner of speaking. The next subject for you is History.

-CHALLENGERS:

-Ah!

-We know who's History.

-I'll give it a go.

-You will, right.

-Sandy?

-Yes.

-OK, Sandy, against whom?

-Who do you think?

-You can have Dave, Barry or Lisa.

-I'll try Dave, please.

-Very good.

So, Sandy from Queen Bee's Cs - you said that with a certain

formidable concentration, a sense of destiny, I think...

-Desperation.

-..versus Dave from the Eggheads.

Please go to our Question Room.

Sandy, I noticed when the word went round that it was History,

-everyone chose you.

-Afraid so, Jeremy.

Have you been revising or has it always been your passion?

History is my subject, Jeremy.

I'm one of these geeks who knows dates and things

but occasionally things drift out my brain,

so I'm not 100% reliable, but I know some things.

You were an army officer

and I always think that with the army and battles,

there's a lot of history there, isn't there?

That's a fair point, yes. Yes, I know my battles.

OK, Sandy, would you like to go first or second?

Er, I'm going to take a gamble at going second, Jeremy.

OK, everyone's going second at the moment.

Here we go, Dave, your question.

In which year were the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies

all restored under Charles II, marking the end of the interregnum?

1660.

1660 is right.

OK, Challenger,

which city became the capital of West Germany in 1949?

Yes, I think I'm fairly confident it's not Munich,

although it was the biggest city.

And Hamburg was the biggest port, I think.

But I'm being drawn inexorably towards Bonn, please, Jeremy.

You are quite right. Bonn is the right answer.

OK, Dave, your question.

The 10th century Norwegian explorer Erik the Red is best known

as the founder of the first permanent European settlement where?

Ha! Sorry, having bit of a brain freeze here.

Er, Erik the Red...

I thought he discovered Greenland, so...

I thought he discovered Greenland, so Greenland.

-Let's check with the Eggheads.

-Just thinking about this

cos there was a Viking settlement in Finland,

which was in Nova Scotia, in L'Anse aux Meadows,

and I was wondering if that was Erik the Red

or his son, Leif Erikson. I think it was Greenland, yes.

You're right, Dave, it's Greenland.

It is the right answer anyway. Well done.

So, he's ahead.

Sandy, keep up here. Your team needs you.

Tojo Hideki was Prime Minster of which country

during most of World War II?

Sorry, can you spell his name, please, Jeremy?

T-O-J-O H-I-D-E-K-I.

I cannot believe that Russia or China

would go down the prime minster route, so...

By default, I think I'll stick with Japan, please, Jeremy.

Japan is correct. Well done.

Dave, your question

By what nickname is the US army's 101st Airborne Division,

renowned for its role on D-Day, commonly known?

I've not heard this.

My instinct is Screaming Eagles,

but I have a problem with Golden Unicorns,

for the simple reason that Gold was one of the beaches.

But...

I'm going to stick with Screaming Eagles

because it was my first instinct, so Screaming Eagles.

-Chris will know this.

-Yes, Screaming Eagles.

Yeah, so Screaming Eagles is right.

So, he's got three and you've got two, Sandy.

You need to get this one right to stay in.

According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle,

which British ruler invited the Saxon warriors Hengist and Horsa

to come to Britain to help him fight the Picts?

I'll just go for it, Jeremy.

I'm fairly certain that in 449 AD,

Vortigern invited Hengist and Horsa into Kent.

Let's see whether it's the biggest bluff of all time.

-Challengers, do you know this?

-I'm sure he's right.

-OK.

-He's totally right.

-You're totally right!

JEREMY LAUGHS

Great quizzing.

So, level after three. You've got a bit of a contest here,

-haven't you, Dave?

-Yes, I have.

-You've suddenly realised that.

-Yep.

-OK, so, we go to Sudden Death.

Gets a bit harder for you both. I don't give alternative answers.

Dave, which Swedish diplomat and important figure

in the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq

had earlier served as the Director General

of the International Atomic Energy Authority?

Got to get the name right. Right, got to go for it.

Hans Blick.

-You said Hans Blick.

-Yeah.

-It is Hans Blix.

-That's fine.

-Sorry, Dave.

-No problem.

-You didn't have an X on the end of it, did you?

No, no, that's totally fine.

All right, so in your hands, Sandy.

Turning it around for your team.

The 1812 Battle of Borodino

led to Napoleon's forces taking control of which nearby city?

I'm trying to think if there was another city on the way

but I can't think of one, so I have to go for Moscow, Jeremy.

-Is he right, Dave?

-Yes, he is, yeah.

Moscow is the right answer, Sandy. You've taken that round.

Very tight between you.

Great quizzing.

Well done, both. Dave, you're out though.

Return to your teams and we'll play the last round before the final.

Maybe it's heading back the Challengers' way.

The Queen Bee's Cs have lost two brains,

but the Eggheads have lost a brain now too

in that tight-fought History round.

Our last subject before the final is Arts & Books.

Thank you, Jeremy.

And it's going to be Chris or David, is that right?

-Yes.

-I'll try that one, Jeremy.

OK, Chris. Which Egghead would you like to take on, Chris?

And I'll try Lisa, please.

OK, Chris C from Queen Bee's Cs

taking on Lisa from the Eggheads on Arts & Books.

Please go to our Question Room for the last time.

Chris, would you like to go first or second against Lisa?

I think I'll try first, Jeremy, please.

Here is your first question.

Which of these is a type of poem, written to lament someone's death?

Er, sonnet... I think that's more to do with the love for somebody.

Haiku, I'm not quite sure what that is.

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

It is elegy. Well done.

Lisa, what is the name

of the title character's best friend

in the novel Bridget Jones's Diary?

She has two, but I think the one we're referring to here is Shazzer.

Shazzer's right. Back to you, Chris.

With whom did Neil Gaiman write the 1990 book Good Omens?

I don't think it would be Martin Amis.

Er, I'll try Terry Pratchett, please, Jeremy.

Terry Pratchett is correct. CHALLENGERS CHEER

OK, Lisa, your question.

Who would be most likely to win a PEN/Faulkner Award?

That's "Pen" in capital letters, slash Faulkner.

I wonder what that stands for.

Obviously, Faulkner was a novelist.

Um, I wonder what the PEN bit stands for. That's probably the clue here.

No, I could think about this for an awfully long time.

I'm not going to get very far. I will try novelist.

Yeah, you're right. It is novelist.

-But PEN is Poets, Essayists, Novelists.

-Ah!

So, two each, after two questions.

Come on, Chris.

Kouros was the name given to any freestanding Ancient Greek sculpture

that depicted which of the following?

I haven't heard of any Olympian god...kouros.

I think it was a nude man, Jeremy.

Nude man is correct.

CHALLENGERS CHEER

All right, so is this the moment

the show turned?

If you get this wrong, you're out, Lisa.

The American painter Clyfford Still, who was born in 1904,

is most closely associated with which art movement?

1904...

He's probably a little young for cubism.

Unless he started very early.

I always think of cubism as being

a marginally more European movement anyway.

Abstract expressionism... Well, I could talk about it,

but none of what I say would make sense, so we'll skip that.

Um, I'll go for pop art.

Ooh, some pain on the Eggheads' side. Why, what is it?

He's an abstract expressionist.

Abstract expressionism is the answer.

-Well done to you, Chris.

-Thank you.

-You've taken the round.

-You looked a bit surprised there.

-Well...

You were still totting the numbers up. 3-2 to you. You're in the final.

Come back to us, both of you,

and we'll play that final round for £18,000.

So, here we are. This is getting exciting, isn't it?

This is what we have been playing towards.

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

Those of you who lost your head-to-heads

are not allowed to take part in this round, though.

So, that is Helen and Chris R from Queen Bee's Cs,

but also Lisa and Dave from the Eggheads.

Would you please now leave the studio?

Sandy, Chris and David,

you're playing to win Queen Bee's Cs £18,000.

Barry, Chris and Beth, you're playing for something

that money can't really 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 can confer.

So, Queen Bee's Cs, with the Queen looking on there, from backstage,

we're going to find out if your three brains can beat these three.

It definitely can be done, so Sandy, Chris and David, good luck.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-Yeah?

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

Good stuff. Here is your first question, playing for £18,000.

What name is given to the restricted stopping areas on UK roads

that are indicated by either single or double red lines?

-I think that's routes.

-Red route, isn't it?

-We've got them near where we live.

-If you're sure, go for it.

-Yeah.

Yeah, we're pretty sure that that's red routes, Jeremy.

-Check with the Eggheads. Are they right?

-Yeah.

Red routes is correct. Eggs, your question.

What is the approximate population of Botswana?

It won't be 2.2 billion.

-It won't be 2.2 billion.

-No.

200,000 sounds very small.

-2 million sounds about right.

-2 million?

-Yeah.

Botswana is mostly a desert country,

with most of the Kalahari desert,

but I still think more than 200,000 people would live there,

so we're going to go for 2 million.

2 million is your answer.

-If it were 2.2 billion...

-It would be crowded!

..you'd look pretty silly, wouldn't you? 2 million is right.

2.2 billion, honestly!

Right, your second question, Challengers.

Which of the following is the name of a station on the Paris Metro?

-Not Waterloo.

-It can't be Waterloo, no.

So, it's Pyramides or...

Think about the design of the Pompidou thing.

That's a pyramid shape, isn't it?

-Oh, and Napoleon won the Battle of the Pyramids.

-Ah, go for that then.

Marcel Marceau signs. You wouldn't hear the announcer.

-Pyramides.

-Er, well, we don't think it's Waterloo. Er...

And not Marcel Marceau, either. We think it might be Pyramides.

Pyramides is correct. Two out of two, playing for £18,000.

Just watch these Eggheads gradually get nervous.

Your second question, Eggs.

What is the meaning of the Spanish phrase "Lo siento"?

-Could you spell that for us?

-Of course.

It's two words. L-O and then S-I-E-N-T-O. Lo siento.

THEY DISCUSS QUIETLY

I'm tempted to go for "I understand".

Spanish is not my language.

-It's not "I'm sorry."

-What about...?

So, "sentient" would be "know", wouldn't it?

-Yeah.

-To be sentient.

-Yeah.

It must come from the same root.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Yes, it's got to be.

-OK.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Well, we think the key word

is "to know",

cos in Latin, that's "sentient",

so "Lo siento" must mean "I understand."

Right. And that comes from your fluent Spanish?

-It comes from a bit of Latin, I think.

-Yeah. Lisa's laughing...

Lisa's crying. What's happening, Lisa?

Well, believe me, I'm sorry,

but probably not as sorry as they will be.

-It's "I'm sorry."

-Oh!

-Oh!

-Ooh!

-BARRY:

-Oh, well, we didn't know.

It's like the moment in The Six Million Dollar Man

where he bursts into flames in the desert.

"I'm sorry" is the answer.

OK...

It's in your hands now.

If you get this question right, you've won £18,000.

-Now the Queen Bee really IS looking on.

-No pressure there.

-Fingers crossed.

-No pressure.

Your third question, for £18,000, Challengers.

What is the term for someone who hangs around locks, bridges

or other canal features, much like a trainspotter, watching the traffic?

-It's not speleologist, cos that's a caver, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I thought I'd heard of it, yes.

That's one down. What's a gricer? What's the...?

Gongoozler...

-What's it called, a water diviner? That doesn't help.

-A gricer...

Gongoozler...

What's a...?

Gongoozler, which is like, well, Venice and gondola.

-Well, yeah. It could be one of those sort of...

-Gongoozler.

-Gongoozler sounds better.

-Shall we go for that then?

-Yes.

It's a good word to go down fighting on, isn't it?

OK, well, we don't know the answer to this, Jeremy,

but we rather like the word "gongoozler",

so we thought we'd go for "gongoozler".

-Just to be clear, your answer is "gongoozler"?

-Yes.

OK, if you've got it right, you've won £18,000.

The Queen Bee looks quite excited there. What do you think?

-Gongoozler.

-You think so?

-Yes.

-Eggheads?

I think we've been well defeated.

The answer is gongoozler.

We say congratulations, Challengers. You have won!

You're also, by the way, our 150th winning team,

so many, many congratulations.

They've been playing so well, these Eggheads but, in the end,

I don't know what happened in the Spain question.

We'll never know, but there'll be a full inquiry later, no doubt.

The secret is, Jeremy, I'm a Leicester City supporter,

-so it was in the stars.

-Exactly, Leicester City. It's in the stars.

Congratulations, Queen Bee's Cs.

You've won £18,000 and you can now say you are officially cleverer

-than the Eggheads.

-I don't think so.

You've proved they can be beaten. The jackpot is now reset.

You've got to rebuild and replace your battered pride

and we hope you join us next time on Eggheads

to see if a new team of Challengers will be just as successful.

Until then, great game. Thank you so much for coming. Goodbye.