Episode 63 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.

Still the greatest, Eggs?

-Oh, dear.

-Oh...

A little bit quiet today.

We'll find out why in a second.

Taking on the might of our quiz Goliaths today

are the Torfaen Qigongers is from south-east Wales.

Now, this group of friends all attend Qigong classes

taught by team member Sue. Let's meet them.

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

Hi, I'm Beth, and I'm a retired ICT lecturer.

Hello, I'm Sue,

and I'm a mindfulness T'ai Chi Chuan and Qigong instructor.

Hi, I'm Ann, and I'm a retired French teacher.

Hello, I'm Glenys, and I'm a retired dietician.

So, Carole and team, hello.

-Hello.

-Lovely to see you.

And I must ask about Qigong.

-What is it?

-Shall I take over?

I'll pass you over to Sue, she's our teacher.

-OK.

-A very experienced teacher.

Qigong, it's Chinese medical Qigong we do,

which is used in hospitals in China for all sorts of different

medical conditions, and, basically, it's energy work.

It's just learning how to relax, to be a little bit calmer,

so your breathing, digestion, bone density...

You're a bit more balanced.

It just helps you to be more settled and calmer in life.

And perfect, Carole, for when you take on the Eggheads!

Yes, I've been using it a lot, the last few days!

What do we do, we centre now, do we?

-Yes.

-OK.

-We need more practice!

I'm just thinking, Eggheads, you need a bit of Qigong.

Absolutely.

They've had some awkward moments in recent games.

Good luck. Every day there is £1,000-worth of cash up for grabs

for our Challengers.

If they fail to defeat the Eggheads, the prize money then rolls over.

Now, Torfaen Qigongers, what happened was,

the Eggheads lost one, they tried to recover,

they didn't use Qigong at all, and they then lost another,

so take advantage here.

Do you want to try?

-ALL:

-Yes!

-£1,000 for you if you win today.

-Great.

-The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Food & Drink,

and you can choose between Beth, Chris, Pat, Steve, and Barry.

-It's all a done deal!

-Right, I think that'll be Glenys.

-That'll be me, yes.

-I think so.

And who do you want to Qigong, Glenys?

-What do you think, Carole?

-I think...

-I think Chris.

-Yes, OK.

It will be Chris, then.

Glenys from the Torfaen Qigongers versus Chris from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring, to play your Food & Drink round,

would you please go to our legendary Question Room?

Have you ever tried Qigong, Chris?

No, no, no, no.

Not a moment to just centre and hold out your hands and...?

No, I can do that anyway.

-I can just switch off.

-You have your own system?

Yeah.

I take myself off to my own little planet.

Sounds like he's got a version of it going on his own bat, Glenys, there.

Yes, yes, well,

I think Chris' version is a little bit different from ours.

LAUGHTER

Right, Glenys, so you're on Food & Drink,

and would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

Here's your question. Good luck.

Demerara sugar is named after a region in which country?

Well, since I do a fair amount of cooking and use Demerara sugar,

sometimes, although, you know, that's for treats...

Guyana, I really wouldn't, erm...

find...look for it there.

Cuba, one could get, like, erm...

cubes of sugar perhaps, but, no, it's Jamaica.

Jamaica is your answer.

Let's check with your challenging contestants. What do you think?

-Yes!

-Yes.

Do you know what? It's wrong.

-It is Guyana.

-Oh, no.

-Really?

-I would have struggled with this one.

Eggs, can you help us here?

Got any Guyana connection here?

It's just a major river in Guyana, the Demerara River.

It's a major river.

I presume that gives its name to the sugar-growing area.

Did you know? You knew this, Pat?

-The sugar, yes.

-Yeah?

OK, Chris,

you've got a chance to take the lead now.

What type of food is a Cornish fairing?

It's not a potato...

and a herring's a herring, so it's a biscuit.

What was the middle? That the herring is a herring?

The herring is a herring, yeah.

Meaning you're ruling out fish because herrings exist?

-Mm-hmm.

-OK, I'm just following your logic, Chris, that's all.

-Biscuit is right.

-Mm-hmm.

Always fascinated with the way that train-shaped brain of yours works.

It's a ginger biscuit. OK.

So, Glenys, let's get you on the scoresheet here

with your second question.

What type of French dish is a daube?

D-A-U-B-E.

Well, ahem, I'm not altogether sure that in France

you get a mixed grill.

Salad, oh, I think not.

I think it's a casserole.

Casserole is your answer.

Let's check with Ann, cos you're a retired French teacher.

Yes, it's a casserole.

Ann confirms it is a casserole.

So, equal,

and Chris has a chance to go ahead.

What is the main ingredient of the dessert

known as Spanische Windtorte?

Spanish wind tart!

Erm...

Well, I'm sure it's an apple pie.

Apples.

Let's see, Eggheads. Is he right? Is it apples?

Well, I would have thought it's possibly meringue from the wind

and being whipped.

Oh, I see. Yeah, good thought.

Yeah, Beth says meringue cos of the wind and the whipping.

Oh. OK.

-Yeah, anyway, meringue is the answer.

-Mm-hmm.

How's this?

Look, you're back in it, Glenys. This is good.

For some reason, Chris's own personal Qigong has failed him.

So, here is your question.

In which region of Spain did the dish called paella originate?

Well, I'm going to have to go for...

Galicia.

I'm sorry, it's wrong. It's Valencia.

Oh.

I'm so sorry.

But you're not out yet because Chris has to get his third

question right to be in the final.

Chris, the Grand Cru vineyard called La Tache

produces highly sought-after wines in which French wine region?

I'm not a wine drinker at all.

Ah, where do the best wines come from?

Erm...

Bordeaux.

-Ann, do you know?

-I don't.

I'm a Burgundy girl.

Well, Burgundy would have got you the point in this.

-Would it?

-Yes, it is Burgundy.

Yeah. Chris, you're wrong, so we go to Sudden Death now, Glenys.

I don't give you options - it's a bit harder.

Glenys, your question.

Of the three main grape varieties officially used to make champagne,

which is the only white grape?

Champagne, or something like that?

I really don't know.

-It's Chardonnay.

-Oh.

OK, so, Chris, your chance to get into the final with this question.

Lambic is a type of beer particularly associated with

which European country?

-Let me spell it, Chris.

-Yeah.

L-A-M-B-I-C.

Ah, that's Belgian.

Belgium.

Yeah, we think the name is derived from Lembeek,

a town near Brussels, so Belgium is right.

Chris, you're in the final. Well done.

I'm sorry, Glenys,

knocked out on Food & Drink by our rather brilliant Egghead,

and as a result you won't be able to help your team in the final round.

But if you come back to us, it's early days, we'll play on.

So, a little wobbly start for the Torfaen Qigongers.

You've lost one brain from the final round,

but don't fear, because there's plenty of time yet.

The Eggheads are still sitting there gathering themselves.

You can see it happening, can't you?

Getting ready for their next role.

The next subject is Film & TV.

Who would like this? SIGHING

Oh, dear, I heard a sigh!

-I'm not keen.

-A big sigh.

-No.

-I can't do that.

I'm not keen.

Shall I do it? I mean, I'm the nearest to it.

-Yeah.

-Do you mind?

-Absolutely. Yeah, OK.

-Sue, the nearest to it.

-I'll have a go!

That's good. So, who would you like?

You've got anyone but Chris there, you can take on.

-I'll leave it to Carole to make the choice.

-Erm...

-Carole's been studying the form.

-Want to try Beth?

-Beth would be lovely.

-OK.

-Yeah, absolutely.

All righty. So, it's going to be Sue from the Torfaen Qigongers

versus one of our newest Eggheads, Beth, on Film & TV.

Please go to our Question Room now.

Well, Beth, I was wondering, as we've got our Qigong teacher here,

we could ask for a little, a tiny little lesson,

so is there any kind of posture you would take,

if you were doing it sat down?

Erm, basically, know where your bottom is on the chair.

Know where your bottom is?

Yes, just to sit on the chair as opposed to being up there.

Oh, I see. And anything with the hands or the arms? You...

-Just relax them.

-Right.

It's about finding ease, you know,

particularly in challenging situations.

How about that, Beth?

Well, this is a pretty challenging situation,

but I know where I'm sat.

-LAUGHTER

-Absolutely.

Do you do any version of this yourself, Beth?

I do... I do a little bit.

I've taken to colouring, which is a big...

Adult colouring books are a big thing and I've got a few of those.

I just sit and colour in, and it takes your mind off of other things

that are going on,

cos you're concentrating on keeping in the lines,

changing the colour and all that sort of thing.

Yeah, it's a busy old world, Sue, isn't it?

It's a task-based world, I guess,

that's where you get your custom from.

Yes. I don't know, really.

I think it's people who often have things that have happened

in their life or are just interested in living more joyfully.

OK, well, good luck living joyfully in this round -

-Film & TV against Beth.

-Yes.

Sue, you can choose, first of all, whether you want to go first

or let Beth go first.

I think I'll go first.

All right, first question to you, then.

What is the name of the character played by Robert Llewellyn

in the TV comedy series Red Dwarf?

I've never even heard of the TV series, let alone seen it,

so this is going to be an absolute guess.

I'm going to go for Godfrey.

Now, I'm wondering if these are all real people,

so, Melchett, is that Blackadder?

That's Stephen Fry in Blackadder, yeah.

And, Eggheads, where's Godfrey? Who's Godfrey?

-Dad's Army.

-Dad's Army!

-Right.

Dad's Army, Godfrey.

Kryten is the answer, Sue.

Right, well, I've learnt something.

OK, Beth,

who played John Merrick in the 1980 film The Elephant Man?

Not actually a film... To my shame, it's not actually a film I've seen.

Erm...

But I'm hoping that's John Hurt.

It is John Hurt. It's a very, very powerful film.

I recommend it. It's all black and white, really close up on him,

-Eggheads, isn't it?

-Yeah.

It's a very powerful character study.

Hard watch, yeah.

It is a hard watch, but it's joyful as well.

OK, Sue, your question.

Which Arnold Schwarzenegger film was remade in 2012

with Colin Farrell?

Again, I have absolutely no idea.

I've never seen an Arnold Schwarzenegger film,

so, again, it's going to be a guess,

I'm going to go for the one on the right, Terminator.

Terminator is probably the best-known

and it is an amazing film.

It is not the answer, though.

This is Total Recall.

Oh...

OK, so your second question -

you can actually take the round with this, Beth.

In EastEnders, what name was given to the daughter of

Grant and Tiffany Mitchell, born in 1997?

I don't watch soaps,

but I think I was still watching EastEnders around this time,

and I think I can hear Grant Mitchell shouting, "Courtney!"

JEREMY LAUGHS

And on that note, you've taken the round,

because Courtney is the right answer. Sue, sorry.

She's very good, our Beth, and she will be in the final.

Come back to us and we will play on.

Well, I think we may need some Qigong now.

-I think we may need...

-Definitely.

-Yes.

..to centre.

I bet there's quite a lot of it quietly going on there.

-Is there?

-Yes, there is.

I can tell.

So, the Torfaen Qigongers have lost a couple of brains

from the final round.

The Eggheads have not lost any,

and we have Music as your subject now.

Right, so it's Ann or Beth or the skipper.

-Shall I take it?

-Yes.

One of you will be left at the end, then,

-unless anyone will take Music?

-I can't do Music.

I'll be the sacrificial lamb if you want.

-Well, I think you can probably be better than me...

-I can try.

-..cos you've seen a lot of live music.

-None of the modern stuff.

-No modern stuff.

-None of the modern stuff, OK.

I think Beth is going to take Music.

OK, Beth is going to climb into the cannon,

against which Egghead?

Steve.

-Right.

-I think Steve.

So, Beth from the Torfaen Qigongers versus Steve from the Eggheads,

on Music, please go to our Question Room.

Steve, what's your favourite type of music?

I don't think I've ever asked you.

I like... I have a pretty wide range, Jeremy.

I like the indie stuff, the Smiths, like yourself,

and Radiohead, gloomy stuff,

but all sorts -

Motown, the Beatles,

right up to the charts.

I'm not fussy at all.

If I like it, I like it.

So it starts in... Music starts in 1953 for you, basically?

Yeah, pretty much. Well, no, I like classical as well.

You know, I like singing along to ice cream van tunes

-but, yeah, pretty much anything.

-JEREMY LAUGHS

How about you, Beth, where are you on your ice cream van tunes?

Oh, I like ice cream van tunes as well, but I do like live music.

We go to opera and folk concerts and jazz,

but I can't always remember the names of things.

All right, Beth, good luck. Music it is, against Steve,

and would you like to go first or second?

I'd like to go first, please.

Let's see if we can get any ice cream music in for you.

-Please.

-I've never had that referred to before.

All right, here's your question.

In 1971, in which actor had a UK number-one single with Grandad?

Wow, one I know! Clive Dunn.

It is Clive Dunn. Well done, you've started well.

OK, Steve, let's see if you're going to get Qigonged here.

Your question - the singer Otis Redding died in a plane crash

in which decade?

Yeah, I think it was about 1968, so it's 1960s.

The answer is the 1960s.

-1967, actually.

-Oh, right, right.

We'll go back to you, Beth.

The theme music to the British version of The Apprentice

is an excerpt from a work by which composer?

I'm not sure at all about this one,

but I'm going to go for...

Prokofiev.

Can you hum it?

No!

But you're right anyway, Prokofiev is right.

Good guess.

What are we talking about, here? Can anyone give me that?

# Da-dum da-dum da-dum

# Da-dum da-dum da-dum Da-da-da... #

The Dance Of The Knights from the ballet Romeo And Juliet.

Right. OK.

Steve,

which actor stars in the video for Carly Rae Jepsen's single

I Really Like You?

Well, I've seen the video in question, which helps,

and I'm pretty sure that's Tom Hanks.

It is Tom Hanks. Well done.

OK, Beth, he's playing well, but so are you.

Get this right - put him under pressure.

Here's your question.

Under what name do the singer-songwriters

Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes collectively perform?

Oh, this has stumped me, really,

and it's going to be a complete guess.

I'm going to say...

the Blossoms.

The Shires is the right answer,

and they are actually brilliant.

OK, Steve, you can take the round with this.

In which year was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture premiered?

Erm, well, because he died around the turn of the century,

I'd be inclined to go 1882, Jeremy.

1882 is the right answer, Steve. Well done.

-Sorry, Beth. He is very good.

-Yes.

And I think he probably likes some of that ice cream music

even more than he admits.

So, you've been knocked out.

And if you come back to us, both of you,

we've got one more round to play before the all-important final.

Well, you may be helping the Eggs a little bit,

cos they had a bad one last round,

but you can also come back now -

there's no question, Torfaen Qigongers -

so good luck in this last round.

And you've lost three brains - the Eggheads haven't lost any -

now is the chance to just sort it out before the final,

and it's Politics.

Oh...

No? Is that not good?

Well, take it, but I could be left...

You're the one to take it, Carole.

-Well, it's up to you.

-You're better at Politics than we are.

-You're better for Politics than I am.

-Yeah.

Do you mind?

I don't mind taking Politics.

Carole? OK, the skipper going into bat.

A last desperate lunge.

Politics, and it can be either Barry, known as The Brain,

or Pat, who's actually also known as The Brain.

Oh, heck!

It's not... I know it's not much of a choice.

I'm going to go for Barry, I think.

Carole from the Torfaen Qigongers versus Barry from the Eggheads,

and please, now, for the last time, go to our Question Room.

Carole, so you're up against Barry -

would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

And here we go with your first question -

in which year did George Osborne become MP for Tatton?

I'm going to go down the middle, I think, for 2001.

I think the others are a little bit outside of it.

2001, Jeremy.

2001 is quite right.

-Well done, Carole.

-Wonderful.

OK, Barry,

Kasner is the maiden name of which politician?

Kasner - K-A-S-N-E-R.

Well, Kasner to me, sounds a very Germanic name,

so the only German there is Angela Merkel,

so that's my answer.

You are quite right.

And Le Pen must be Le Pen.

-Indeed.

-And we had Theresa May's maiden name come up the other day.

Do you remember it?

Ooh, I'm afraid I don't.

I remember it as Brasier.

-That's right, Brasier.

-Is it?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

So, Angela Merkel is right.

One each, and back to you, Carole.

Which US political figure purchased the Florida estate

known as Mar-a-Lago in 1985?

I'm going to go for Donald Trump,

because he's always buying properties.

-Donald Trump is right.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

What happened to him since then? I lost track of him(!)

We don't see much of him now(!)

OK. Barry.

In British Politics,

which 20th-century Prime Minister served three monarchs?

Well, the abdication crisis was in 1936,

and Stanley Baldwin was the Prime Minister there,

so that would have meant that he would have served three monarchs -

the one before, Edward VIII, and the one after.

Stanley Baldwin is quite right.

Well done.

OK, back to you, Carole.

The score's level.

In October 2015,

who was elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives?

Well, I don't think it was Paul Ryan.

I'm going to go for Dianne Feinstein.

Now, I have a feeling she's a Democrat

-and I think we're looking for a Republican.

-Ah.

And the answer is Paul Ryan.

Right.

OK, Barry, the Seimas is the parliament of which country?

Seimas is S-E-I-M-A-S.

Well, the parliament of Israel is the Knesset.

I'm not sure what the parliament of Turkey is,

but I've got it in my mind that

the Seimas is definitely the parliament of Lithuania,

so that's my answer.

Lithuania is the correct answer, Barry. Well done.

Sorry, Carole.

-The team captain has gone down.

-It's OK. Yeah.

It's a difficult position,

but it's not impossible for your team, not by any means.

Please return to us and we will play the final round.

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-heads

won't be allowed to take part in this round.

So, Carole, Beth, Sue, and Glenys from the Torfaen Qigongers,

would you please now leave the studio?

Well, Ann, our retired French teacher,

I know this wasn't quite the plan.

It wasn't the plan, Jeremy.

It most certainly wasn't the plan.

But fear not, and you've got all your mindfulness and everything.

-Oof! Or something like that.

-You're going on. I know.

So, you're playing to win the Torfaen Qigongers £1,000.

Your four team-mates are watching on with...

interest, I think, understates it.

Barry, Steve, Pat, Chris, and Beth,

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

which is to restore the Eggheads' reputation.

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

This time, they're all General Knowledge,

-and, Ann, I normally say you can confer...

-I will confer.

-You can talk to yourself.

-Yes.

The big question is,

can you, with your one brain, defeat these five?

And it's been done.

Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

OK, I'm hoping for some French questions here.

Oh, yes.

In the Dan Dare comic strips,

what part of his arch enemy the Mekon's body is unusually large?

Well, little toe seems ridiculous.

How would you have an enormous little toe?

Navel, I don't think they would.

Head.

-Head is right.

-Oh, yes!

Yes! We're on our way.

-All right.

-This is it. OK.

Eggheads, your question, to catch up -

the island of Hispaniola lies in which sea?

-Caribbean.

-Caribbean.

-Are you happy with that?

It's in the Caribbean, Jeremy.

Caribbean, yeah, so it's near, what?

-Jamaica? Places like that?

-Cuba.

Caribbean is right.

-They've drawn level.

-No...

Don't worry, though. It might be temporary.

The Scottish order of knighthood, the Order of the Thistle

has the motto, "No-one provokes me with..." what?

It depends what.

No-one provokes me with dishonour.

Is that someone calling me dishonourable,

therefore provoking me?

Or do they provoke me and get away with it,

which would be with impunity?

I would count out, probably wrongly, exception.

And I would say no-one provokes me with...

..impunity.

"No-one provokes me with impunity."

It makes perfect sense, and it is the right answer, well done!

All right!

Oof! I'm living every point with you here.

Eggheads, again, you're behind.

How old must you be to give blood in the UK?

-Yeah, it used to be 18, but they reduced it not that long ago.

-Yeah.

That makes sense cos they need more donors, don't they?

-Yeah.

-Are you happy with that?

-Yeah.

Our public health spokesman has advised me that it's 17.

I know this is Beth's kind of thing, as a microbiologist. Right?

Yeah, yeah.

17 is right.

So, two each.

Anne, get this one right,

and sometimes the Eggheads just fall over on the third question.

-Oh, I'm sure they will.

-They do.

Ahmad Abughaush won the first-ever gold medal for which country

at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games?

I remember it being the first, but...

for no logical reason,

apart from the fact that I've been there and loved the country,

I'm going to say Jordan.

Do we dare check with the Eggs?

I know it's not going to be...

It's the kind of thing they know. Come on, Eggs, tell us.

Well, I think, in weightlifting,

both Iran and Turkey, I think, have had weightlifting gold in the past,

-so I'd go for Jordan.

-I'd go for Jordan.

-Jordan's right.

-Oh, no!

JEREMY LAUGHS

Oh, your team-mates are thrilled.

So, let's just see, do you know what the sport was?

Tae kwon do.

Yeah. Pat, you're amazing. Tae kwon do is the right answer.

OK, so, here we are.

-Let's just savour this moment, Ann.

-I'm going to.

You've done everything that could have been expected.

-The best bit.

-Three.

Three out of three in the final round on General Knowledge,

and, so far, they've only got two.

If they get the next one wrong,

then your team has beaten the Eggheads and you've won £1,000.

What relation was George du Maurier, who wrote the novel Trilby,

to the writer Daphne du Maurier, who wrote the novel Rebecca?

It's got to be...

On the age alone, I would have thought it'd be grandfather.

-I thought that before they came up.

-Did you?

It's certainly not husband.

Daphne du Maurier was married to Browning, the general...

the Second World War general,

so it wasn't her husband.

Definitely not that. Uncle?

-OK?

-Yeah, I'm happy with that?

-Yeah.

-OK.

We're not certain with this, but we think he should be her grandfather.

You sound pretty certain. Do you know the answer, Ann?

-No.

-If they've got it wrong, the contest is over and you've won.

But they have got it right. Grandfather is the answer.

So, they're playing well, too.

-Yes!

-I'm sorry that didn't...

-It was a moment of hope.

Well, the hope has not gone, not by any manner of means.

So, just keep getting the Sudden Death questions right

-but it's a bit harder now, because I don't give you the options.

-Yes.

Who won the X Factor when One Direction came third?

Oh, I'm so...

One Direction came third.

I'm not going to know the name, even if I can see the person.

Olly Murs.

It's not a bad shout. Did Olly win the X Factor?

-No.

-No.

-No, he's...

Matt Cardle is the answer.

So, there's a chance for the Eggheads to snatch it away.

Which fashion designer provided the creative direction for

the 2012 British Olympic and Paralympic official team kits?

-Stella McCartney.

-I think it was Stella McCartney.

-Stella McCartney.

-Definitely.

-You both say Stella McCartney, so...

OK. We think that's Stella McCartney.

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

I wish it were not the case, but it is the right answer.

-I know.

-Stella McCartney is correct. We say congratulations, Eggheads.

-You have won.

-Well done.

-Sorry, girls.

-Oh! You mustn't be sorry.

That was brilliant. That was such a great performance.

Because, sometimes, well, they'll tell you,

the third question can be very sticky.

Oh, I was holding my breath on the grandfather.

Yes!

Commiserations, Torfaen Qigongers, and Ann especially.

The Eggheads have got back into their stride a little bit here.

They've done what comes naturally to them

and they do reign supreme over quiz land, once again.

So, I'm afraid, it means you're not going home with the £1,000,

-but I hope you had a good time.

-Oh, I know.

-We had a wonderful time.

-The money rolls over to our next show,

and, Eggheads, we wonder if this is the start of something big now.

Join as next time to see if a new team of Challengers have the brains

to stop them in their tracks.

There'll be £2,000 to win.

Until then, goodbye.