Episode 73 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 best quiz team in Britain.

They are the Eggheads.

Challenging the might of our quiz Goliaths today are Wights In Whites.

Now, this team have all worked for health and social services

organisations on the Isle of Wight,

and through their common interest in cricket

they formed the Isle of Wight Health Associates Cricket Club.

-Let's meet them.

-Hello, I'm Geoff,

and I'm a brain tumour research professor.

Hello, I'm Don, and I'm a charity worker.

Hello, I'm Roger, I'm a retired NHS procurement manager.

Hi, I'm Paul, and I'm the director of a training company.

Hello, I'm David, and I'm a retired project manager.

-So, Geoff and team, welcome. ALL:

-Hello.

Good to see you. So it's cricket that brings you together,

-Geoff, is it?

-It is. We play on the island,

we come from various aspects of the health service, and so on.

We try and play cricket as best we can.

And you did once hit a straight six through a windscreen of a new BMW.

That was on Corfu, on the island of Corfu.

I used to take cricket tours across to Corfu, back in the '80s and '90s.

I hit a rather large blow, straight through the windscreen of a BMW,

which was owned by a German tourist,

who came onto the pitch,

remonstrating with the players and so on,

asked to see the police, and the square leg umpire moved in and said,

"Yes, sir?" And he was the chief of police on the island!

Well, you should get more than six runs for that, I think!

So, good luck against these brilliant Eggheads here.

They are on a bit of a roll at the moment,

which is in many ways good for you.

Are you quizzers, that's the crucial thing, Geoff?

Not really, no.

We're not regular quizzers.

But you are knowledgeable people, I think.

Oh, yes, absolutely.

-Yeah.

-Very important to front it here.

It's a little bit of poker that goes on.

And your medical research area, Geoff, is the brain.

I work on brain tumours, which covers a vast number,

over 120 different types of brain tumour,

from paediatrics through to geriatrics, I suppose,

like many of us!

So, yes, it's quite a challenge.

Good luck, Wights In Whites. Every day there's £1,000-worth

of cash up for grabs for our Challengers.

If they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, Challengers, I can tell you that

the Eggheads are on a real roll here.

They've won the last ten games on the trot.

Barry isn't here, but he's been doing a sort of jazz hands move.

Not been particularly successful at it, it has to be said.

He needs to work on it.

He needs to work on his jazz hands.

But it does mean that £11,000 is on the table for you to win today.

-Would you like to try?

-Yes.

-Oh, yes, please.

-We would.

The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Arts & Books,

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

Right, shall I do that, then?

Who do you think I should take on?

I was thinking about Steve.

I'll take on Steve.

Good stuff. So, David from Wights In Whites versus Steve from the

Eggheads, one of our newest.

Just to ensure there is no conferring,

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

David, your interest is arts and books?

-That's right.

-Good stuff.

And what do you like to read?

Well, at the moment I'm more into detective fiction.

Oh, I'm reading a bit of crime fiction.

I'm reading some Val McDermid at the moment.

-Who do you like?

-Well, I'm reading Val McDermid at the moment,

since I've come to Scotland.

And obviously the Rebus books as well are good.

Yes, I end up buying lots of classical books,

and then reading detective novels.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who does that.

Well, there's so much crime fiction,

-I think people love reading about crime, don't they?

-That's true.

Do you have any favourite novel that you've read that's

really gripped you?

I think I remember more the books from my early 20s

and adolescence.

They seem to make such an impact on you, then.

Books like The Stranger, Camus, and Sartre books, Iron In The Soul.

They seem to really mean something when you're 20-25.

Absolutely. Those have all come up as quiz answers as well.

Good luck in this round.

Arts & Books, David, against Steve, one of the newest Eggheads.

And would you like to go first or second?

I think I'll go first, please.

Here we go. Good luck.

David, the author Roald Dahl died in which year?

Certainly not 1950, and I don't think 1970, so I'll go for 1990.

1990 is the right answer. Your question, Steve.

Which of these is an avant-garde art movement, founded in 1916?

I think, given the year, it must be Dada.

Dada is right.

David, which artist said in his Turner Prize acceptance speech,

"I think the art world had more trouble coming to terms with me

"being a potter than my choice of frocks?"

Frocks might make it Tracey Emin, but in fact it's

Grayson Perry.

It is indeed Grayson Perry.

And to you, Steve.

"Where's Papa going with that axe?"

is the opening line to which classic children's book?

Yeah, I think it involves chopping a pig up, or

something like that, it's Charlotte's Web.

Charlotte's Web is correct.

Or, as my youngest daughter called it, Charlotte's Website.

-Ha!

-I realised the internet really had taken over everything!

You're level after two questions, and we go back to you, David.

Third question could be crucial.

The Doors Of Perception,

from which the rock band The Doors took their name,

is a book by which author?

I talked about reading books in my 20s, and Aldous Huxley

was one of my authors.

Aldous Huxley is correct, who famously wrote Brave New World.

OK, Steve, get this wrong, you're out.

"I count religion but a childish toy,

"and hold there is no sin but ignorance",

is a line from a play by which writer?

Oh, dear. Well, they're all contemporary.

I'm going to ignore the obvious

answer, Shakespeare, and I'm going to try Christopher Marlowe.

Christopher Marlowe is the right answer. So you're equal after three.

I'm sensing you've still got a bit

of fuel in the tank here for us, David.

So, foot on the accelerator, as we go to Sudden Death.

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

Here we go. Which broadcaster wrote the children's book

The Racehorse Who Wouldn't Gallop, published in 2016?

I think I'm going to have to take a guess at that, and...

Do you know, I've no idea at all.

I'm going to say John Sergeant.

John Sergeant. There's a bit of a clue in the theme of the book.

-Hmm.

-Think of a famous broadcaster who has a connection with horses.

So, it's Clare Balding.

Ah, yes.

She branched out into children's books.

Steve, your question, you can take the round with this.

Which rock singer wrote the 2015 autobiography

Reckless: My Life As A Pretender.

Well, the last word, hopefully, has saved me there.

I'll try Chrissie Hynde.

Chrissie Hynde, who was in The Pretenders,

is the right answer, Steve.

Well done, you're in the final round.

Sorry, David, you've been knocked out, just on a bit of Sudden Death,

there. It was a bit sudden as well.

You won't be in the final round.

If you come back to us, gentlemen, we'll play the next one.

OK, Wights In Whites have lost a brain now from the final round.

The Eggheads have not lost any so far.

And we move on to Geography.

-Who would like this?

-It's you, Don.

It'll be me. Who am I going to do it against?

-Don?

-Choose someone for me.

-That's going to be me, I think.

-OK, our charity worker,

you can have anyone but Steve.

-Can I take on Beth?

-You certainly can.

Don from Wights In Whites is going to play Beth on Geography from the

Eggheads. And once again, please go to the Question Room.

Geography for you, Don.

Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go second, please.

And here we go, Beth, with your first question.

Which small country lies entirely within the Pyrenees mountain range?

Sitting between France and Spain, it's Andorra.

Andorra is correct.

Over to you, Don.

Which of these UK cities has the largest population?

Ooh, I think Swansea and Aberdeen are pretty small,

and Birmingham's pretty big, so I think it's Birmingham.

Your logic is perfect. Birmingham is right, well done.

One each, back to you, Beth.

The River Bann is the longest in which country?

And this is B-A-N-N.

I've not heard of it

in Scotland or in Wales.

My geography of Northern Ireland isn't particularly hot.

I'm pretty sure it's not Wales...

I'm going to go with Northern Ireland.

Yes, Northern Ireland is right.

There is a constituency called Upper Bann, isn't there?

Back to you, Don, to catch up.

Albany is the capital of which US state?

It's not California and I don't think it's New York.

-I'm going to go with Alabama.

-Team-mates, is he right?

I think it's New York.

No, you've gone astray there, it's New York.

It's that thing where the capital is not the place you imagine.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Not the biggest city.

So, New York is the answer,

so Beth has a chance to take the round with this.

The Great Blue Hole, described as one of the world's best places

to scuba-dive by Jacques Cousteau,

is an underwater sinkhole off the coast of which country?

The Great Blue Hole.

This would be right up my husband's street.

He used to scuba-dive.

Great Blue Hole.

That might be to do with currents

and where currents go across and sort of

circle back, therefore making a hole.

I'm going to go with Morocco,

thinking about the currents.

-The answer is Belize.

-Ah!

OK, Don, you can get back into it, but you have to get this right.

If you get this wrong, you're out. The crystal-clear aqua blue waters

known as the Fairy Pools

are a famous feature off which Scottish island?

I don't think I'm too sure on this one, so I will go for Sanday.

No, it's Skye.

You have been knocked out by Beth.

Sorry, Don.

Beth will be in the final round.

You've been beaten by our Egghead.

Return to your teams, please, and we'll see what the next round holds.

OK, team captain,

we're in a game of cricket here where we've lost a few wickets.

We're quite used to that situation.

JEREMY LAUGHS

-And you've won from that position as well?

-Occasionally.

-Exactly.

That's the key thing.

Quizzy cricketers here, Wights In Whites,

have lost a couple of brains.

The Eggheads are all still there.

The next subject is Food & Drink.

-Who would like this?

-I'll take that one, shall I?

Who do we have for that?

That was me.

-Ah, Don.

-It's one of you two.

-It's got to be you. No.

-OK.

I think I'm going to take that one, Jeremy.

OK, Paul, are you a cook?

No.

It's Chris, Pat or Judith?

Chris. I'm going to take on Chris, apparently.

OK. Chris has done quite a bit of food and drink recently.

And some quizzing as well.

Paul from Wights In Whites plays Chris from the Eggheads

on Food & Drink.

Please, to ensure there is no conferring, go to our Question Room.

Food & Drink.

Paul, would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

Here we go. What type of vegetable is a gherkin?

I think it's a cucumber, Jeremy.

Well done, Paul, you're right. Cucumber it is.

Chris, back to you.

In a restaurant, what is the job of the sommelier?

A sommelier is a wine waiter.

Wine waiter, he or she is.

Well done, correct answer.

One each. Back to you, Paul.

Which of these cuts of pork

comes from the leg of the pig?

I think that's the hock.

I'm going to say hock, Jeremy.

Yeah, you're playing well, hock it is.

Hock is right.

So you've got two out of two.

This is good. You maybe were disguising

your food and drink knowledge there.

Don't know about that, but we'll see.

Bluffing us. All right.

Chris, which of these is a type of Hungarian red wine?

Not seen it advertised for some time.

It used to be quite extensively advertised.

It's Bull's Blood.

Yes, it is. I seem to remember this from my teenage years.

Bull's Blood is right.

Was it very cheap back in the day, Chris?

It was reasonably expensive.

It had a real kick to it, apparently.

OK. Paul, third question, get this right

and put him under some pressure.

Both of you playing outside your comfort zones.

The potato cake known as the rosti is a speciality of which country?

Rosti is R-O-umlaut-S-T-I.

Umlaut meaning two dots.

I'm not sure but, based on that spelling,

I'm going to have a guess and say Sweden.

Ah, I thought you were going to go Switzerland.

Cos it's got that sort of slightly German O.

Switzerland is the right answer.

-OK.

-Chris can take the round with this question.

Chris, what type of food is the dish spoom?

That's S-P-O-O-M, Chris.

I have never heard of this in my life.

It's not a fish pie, I don't think.

The O-O-M part suggests to me it might be of Dutch origin.

So...

Spoom...

Blood sausage.

Blood sausage, I thought you were going there.

I thought, I bet you choose the one that you fancy.

The one you're feeling a bit peckish for.

I didn't think you would order a spoom.

-It's a sorbet.

-Is it, indeed?

Yup, comes from the Italian for spuma.

-Ah, spuma.

-Means foam.

-Yeah.

All right. After three questions you're level.

It gets a bit harder now, Paul.

We go to Sudden Death, and, as you know,

I don't give you different options,

but, well done, you've held the Egghead level.

See if you can overwhelm him now with an item of food or drink.

Which herb is known as estragon in French?

Estragon. E-S-T-R-A-G-O-N.

I wouldn't know, Jeremy.

I'm going to have to have a guess.

And I will say...

..parsley.

No, tarragon.

OK.

Here we go, Chris.

What meat is the traditional filling in the American sandwich

known as a Sloppy Joe?

It's basically a hamburger, so beef.

Yeah, minced or ground beef is the right answer.

Beef is the meat.

Beef is the correct answer and beef has knocked you out, Paul,

-I'm sorry.

-That's how it goes.

-Chris goes through to the final.

It's not a crisis for the Challengers yet,

but it's looking... a little bit sticky.

If you come back, we'll play the last round before the final.

Wights In Whites have lost three brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have not lost any.

This is the moment, guys, this is it,

the moment that the tenth batsman scores 100.

CHUCKLING

And it's sport, so I'm thinking that is good, is it?

Roger or Geoff?

-Yeah, that's me.

-LAUGHTER

Smile like you mean it, Rog.

Roger, against which Egghead?

You can have either Judith or Pat.

I will go with Judith, please.

-Very good.

-I thought you would.

Roger from Wights In Whites is playing Judith on sport.

And to ensure there's no conferring,

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

Sport, Roger, would you like to go first or second?

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

Here is your first question.

The football team of which country defeated Wales

in the semifinals of Euro 2016?

It was Portugal.

Portugal is correct.

Judith, Turnberry is a famous golf course in which country?

Turnberry's in Scotland.

Turnberry IS in Scotland.

One each. And back to you, Roger.

Who was GB's youngest competitor at the 2016 Olympics?

Well, it's not Tom Daley.

Katarina is quite a young athlete.

I think it was Amy Tinkler.

Yes, it was Amy Tinkler.

How old was she in 2016?

Anyone know? Beth?

She's a gymnast.

They have to be 16...to compete.

Bronze medal on the floor, I believe.

Yeah, she was 16.

Judith, your second question.

Which tennis player

was fined 25,000 and banned for three weeks

for not trying hard enough at the 2016 Shanghai Open?

Well, he's frightfully badly behaved a lot of the time.

Nick Kyrgios, if that's how you pronounce it.

Nick Kyrgios is right. So, level after two.

And here we go, Roger,

this can be crucial, as your team has discovered.

The third question.

James Haskell joined which rugby union club

for the second time in 2012?

Rugby's not my greatest sporting subject.

James Haskell.

I'll go for Harlequins.

-Let's see, team-mates. Geoff and team.

-Wasps.

Ah, they know it here.

Wasps it is.

OK, well, Judith has a chance now, on sport, to go through.

And your record on sport, we've been looking at recently, Judith,

-haven't we?

-Yes, but we don't mention it in the middle of a round,

-do we, Jeremy?

-Oh, yes, sorry, I forgot, that's your rule.

Yeah. Mustn't mention it. OK.

Barry Richards and Mike Procter played Test match cricket

for which country?

Oh, deary me.

Barry Richard and something Procter?

Barry Richards and Mike Procter.

Well, there was somebody else Richards in the West Indies,

wasn't there?

I wonder if it runs in the family.

I'm going to say West Indies.

I see. Were you thinking of Viv Richards?

Yes.

-Yeah.

-It might have been his son.

It's not West Indies. It's actually not Australia, either.

-South Africa...

-Oh.

-..is the answer.

So, well done, Roger.

You've managed to get enough to go to Sudden Death here.

-Yes, yeah.

-Press the advantage.

You've got to get into the final now.

-I'm ready.

-Get your firepower into the final.

-Yeah.

-Here it is, Sudden Death. I don't give you options.

Your question.

Which world champion snooker player

is known as the Jester from Leicester?

HE GROANS

I can see his face.

I can't recall his name, unfortunately.

I have to pass on that.

I can't recall his name, no.

-Shall I try your team-mates here? Team-mates?

-I think it's Mark Selby.

Yeah. Paul has just told us.

-Mark Selby is the answer.

-Oh, yeah, of course.

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Well, this is interesting, Judith.

Sport maybe not seen as your strongest subject,

and you're on the verge of a place in the final now with this question.

What nationality was the cross-country skier Bjorn Daehlie,

viewed by many as the greatest Winter Olympic athlete of all time?

I think...

It must be Scandinavian,

so it's either Norway or Sweden.

I think I'm going to go for Norway.

His nationality is...?

-Norwegian.

-Norwegian is your answer.

He won eight Olympic gold medals

and nine World Championship titles during the '90s and he is Norwegian.

Well done, Judith, you've won on sport.

Judith is actually the most capped player in sport,

I think, in Eggheads.

I am the most capped, yes.

You've won 10 of your last 11, Judith.

-Have I?

-Seriously.

Golly. Perhaps people will stop picking me in that case.

LAUGHTER

They may!

Roger, sorry, you've been knocked out by Judith.

-OK.

-There we go.

If you return to us, we'll play the final round for £11,000.

Well done on sport there, Judith.

-Thank you.

-I know you often don't want to be picked,

but it's working out well.

Well, oddly enough, it really is.

I mean, I'm more surprised than anybody else.

Maybe it's cos you're getting so much practice

on doing those questions.

Well, I do try and read the papers and learn a bit about it.

And your nickname prior to this was the Rocket,

because you beat a rocket scientist on science,

but maybe we should call you the Sport Rocket.

Well, maybe.

I don't want to jinx it.

-That's the key thing.

-No, exactly. I'm terrified of jinxes.

I know, let's just keep it going as it is. It's going well.

So this is what we've been playing towards in this game.

It is time for our final round.

As always, it's 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,

and I'm afraid it's all from the Challengers' side.

It's Don, Roger, Paul and David from Wights In Whites.

Would you please now leave the studio?

Geoff, you are playing to win Wights In Whites £11,000.

Chris, Steve, Pat, Beth and Judith,

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

which is the Eggheads' reputation,

and to continue this amazing run.

I noticed, I think you've only lost three brains in the last 24 rounds,

amazingly, over the last few games.

So they're on good form.

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

This time, the questions are all general knowledge.

I normally say you can confer.

Geoff, it's a bit tricky when you're on your own.

The question is, can your one brain defeat these five?

And we wish you well. Do you want to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

And here we go.

Where was the TV presenter and baker Paul Hollywood born,

in 1966?

Well, I don't think he has a Sheerness accent.

Nor Scunthorpe. I'm going for Wallasey.

Wallasey's correct.

Easy one to fall down on, that, as well. Well done.

OK, Eggheads.

What is the typical gestation period for a pregnant camel?

-43 months? That's getting...

-Well, it's bigger than a horse

and a horse was... A horse was 11 months, wasn't it?

So a camel is about the same... is bigger than a foal...

-Say 43, you'd have to...

-That's an elephant.

I think an elephant is about two years.

I think it's 13 months.

-It seems to climb as the animal gets bigger.

-Yes. Exactly.

-Yes?

-13.

-Yes.

13? We think that's 13 months.

Yes, I can see you're developing a new rule.

The bigger the animal, the longer the gestation period.

We're going to have a question at some point

which completely derails you...

but you're right on this. It is 13 months, well done.

OK, Geoff, back to you.

What is the official name of the MI6 building

located on the south bank of the Thames in London?

Based on those locations,

I don't think it's anywhere near Whitechapel or Kingston,

so I'll go with Vauxhall Cross.

Vauxhall Cross is correct.

Eggheads, Craig Logan was

a member of which band in the 1980s?

-Bros.

-He is, he was the drummer?

-Yeah.

-The drummer from Bros.

-Oh, no, he weren't the drummer, were he? Guitarist?

-Bass guitarist.

Oh, Luke was the drummer.

-Yeah.

-OK, so Bros?

-Bros.

-Bros.

That's Bros.

Bros is the right answer.

So they have two and you have two, Geoff.

And this third question could be crucial.

You're playing for £11,000.

Get this right, you may have to do no more today.

What name is sometimes given to a type of hat

similar to a flat cap but baggier,

and often panelled, with a button on top?

OK, I'm going to go with newsboy.

Now, I've got one of these at home which someone gave me for a birthday

and I do actually love wearing it,

although I look a bit silly in it.

I didn't know that this was a name for it.

I'm pleased to find out.

Newsboy is the name.

You've got three out of three.

If you get this wrong, Eggheads,

the contest is over.

Which of these is a word that means to carry someone

by supporting them under the armpits?

-Well, oxter's an armpit, isn't it?

-Oxter's an armpit.

-Yes.

-Is it?

-So that's something to go on.

-Oxter is an armpit?

-Yeah.

-It's the only thing we've got, isn't it?

-Yeah?

-Well, that may be enough.

-Yeah.

-Hopefully.

I mean, unless anybody knows,

you can sit and look at them words all day, can't you?

Everybody happy with that?

-Well...

-We've got nothing else.

OK. We'll have to do that.

We're going to go for oxtercog, Jeremy.

Oh, you went very fast for that, Eggheads.

A few seconds, wasn't it?

Oxtercog is the right answer.

They never make it easy,

and they are very good,

and they're on good form,

but you can definitely win.

You've got three out of three.

We go to Sudden Death, Geoff.

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

The word Stygian refers to which mythological river?

Stygian is S-T-Y-G-I-A-N.

Stygian.

Yes, these were the sorts of questions I was hoping

weren't coming up. Mythology is not my strong point.

I'll have to pass.

You don't want to throw a name out?

No.

OK. Meat and drink for the quizzers here.

-Quizzers?

-The Styx.

-The Styx.

The River Styx.

S-T-Y-X.

Your chance to win.

Eggheads, here's your question.

Which newspaper tycoon took charge of his first paper,

the San Francisco Examiner,

in 1887?

Randolph Hearst, I should think.

It's the right part of the world.

Hearst?

He's California-based.

He's California-based. San Francisco Examiner.

-Is the date good?

-The date's Randolph Hearst.

-Yeah.

-I'm thinking of Citizen Kane.

We think we'll go for William Randolph Hearst.

The newspaper tycoon who took charge of his first paper in 1887

was indeed William Randolph Hearst.

On Sudden Death, we say congratulations, Eggheads.

You have won!

And I know you knew the River Styx,

but it's very hard playing alone, there.

-Hope you've enjoyed it.

-It's been great.

You've met them in good form,

but it does raise the stakes, and that's not a bad thing.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them.

This winning streak continues.

It does mean the Challengers aren't going home with the £11,000.

The money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, I'm wondering if you can be beaten.

You're in sterling form.

Join us next time to see if

a new team of Challengers have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

There will be £12,000 to play for.

Until we quiz again,

goodbye!