Episode 77 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.

-Steely today?

-Yes, definitely.

-OK.

Taking on the might of our quiz Goliaths are...

Now, this team all used to work together at a retail company

based in Milton Keynes, and they've remained friends ever since.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Glen, and I'm a talent manager for a hotel chain.

Hello, I'm Dave, and I'm an accountant.

Hi, I'm Duncan, and I'm a business development manager.

Hi, I'm Dave, and I'm a finance reporting manager.

Hi, my name's Luke, and I'm an accountant.

-Glen, team, welcome.

-Hello.

-Hi, Jeremy.

So, tell us about the team name first of all.

Four Maths Geeks And A Bit Of Talent?

The four guys were all accountants at the retail company

you were talking about, erm, and I'm a talent manager, so I think

I probably came off a bit better with that team name than they did!

A talent manager as in you work in a hotel chain, is it, or...?

Yeah, so, I look after internal moves and making sure that

we've got the right people in the right jobs, basically.

Oh, right, so is that what they call...?

Is that personnel now, what they used to call personnel?

Yeah, so, it's within HR, yeah.

-And you quiz together, as well, don't you?

-Only recently.

I mean, we all quiz kind of individually, erm, but we

have recently attended our first couple of events, and we've done OK.

-I think, you know, we'll be all right today.

-Respectable.

So you've got maths and you've got talent, that's all you need.

Good luck. 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 our next show.

So, Four Maths Geeks And A Bit Of Talent,

the Eggheads have won the last 14 games, they're doing really well.

So much so that Barry has been developing -

what is it, Barry? The jazz-hands?

It is indeed, and today I have the shirt for it as well!

-Go on, then.

-Whoa!

-THEY LAUGH

So, they're steaming along, they're feeling confident, they're doing

the jazz-hands, you've got to stop them, and if you do you win £15,000.

-Excellent.

-It's a good jackpot today.

OK, the first head-to-head battle is on the subject of History.

And you can take on either Judith, Dave, Kevin, Barry or Lisa.

-Right...

-So, that's me, right?

-That's you.

-Yeah, that's you.

-It's Dave.

-So, Luke, who did you decide is the weakest on History?

Well, there's not really a weak link, but, erm,

I think maybe take on Dave?

-Dave?

-Dave?

-Dave, OK.

So it's Dave from this side, and obviously, Luke,

you watch the show and you've war-gamed it, have you?

Well, I've tried to, yeah.

Being an accountant, I've got a spreadsheet, of course, so...

I've tried to plan it out, so...

I thought there might be a spreadsheet somewhere.

Yeah, there's always a spreadsheet, yeah, of course.

Dave C from Four Maths Geeks And A Bit Of Talent is going to

take on the talented Tremendous Knowledge Dave from the

Eggheads on History, and to make sure there's no conferring

would you please, for the first time, go to our

legendary Question Room?

-Dave C, you can go first or second.

-Erm, I'll go first, please.

Here we go, good luck.

The lighthouse known as the Pharos,

one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was in which city?

Erm, yep, I know about this, erm, lighthouse. It was destroyed.

It was in Egypt, so it was in Alexandria.

-Yeah, nice. Alexandria's right. You been to Egypt?

-Never, no.

I'd love to go, though. Maybe in a couple of years.

-Have you been, Tremendous Knowledge Dave?

-Yes, I've been to Egypt, yeah.

-Just to the Sinai Peninsula, Sharm El Sheikh.

-OK, your question.

Which of these British aircraft were first used in World War I?

Yes, well, I'm... I'm losing it here!

HE LAUGHS

Oh, I'm having a brain freeze!

Let me think...

Sopwith Camel.

-Sopwith Camel's right.

-Sorry, I just...!

What was going on? Was it, er...?

-Just... Just all over the place.

-Oh.

-The trajectory was going all wrong.

Not to worry. Well, Dave C, this looks promising.

Obviously something's going on on the other side we don't know.

-Let's hope so.

-Here's your question.

Which of these historic figures was born first?

Erm, so I know that Attila the Hun was before Genghis Khan.

Peter the Great of Russia, I'm not too sure, but I'm pretty sure,

erm, Attila the Hun was around before Russia even existed,

so I'm going to go for Attila the Hun, please.

Let's see what your team-mates think. What do you think?

-No idea.

-Playing with a bit of confidence there, isn't he?

-He seems to know what he's talking about.

-Did you...?

Were you aware of this history knowledge he's got?

Had an inkling. He said he's, you know,

got good geography and history knowledge, so...

OK, well, Attila the Hun is quite right.

Well done, Dave C.

OK, Tremendous Knowledge Dave, see if you can get yourself together.

-Yes.

-What relation was Queen Victoria to William IV?

-William IV, yeah?

-Yeah.

OK, erm...

Let me just get all me dates together.

I believe...

Niece.

Niece is correct.

Dave C, get this one right, you might be through to the final.

The Battle of the Bulge began in the winter of which year?

So, the Battle of the Bulge, if I remember correctly,

was one of the later battles of World War II, towards the end, erm,

on the Continent, so I believe it's 1944.

Yeah, really good, you're absolutely right. 1944.

-Your team are looking suitably...

-Shocked!

I didn't want to say shocked, I didn't want to say shocked.

-Let's just say interested.

-OK!

JEREMY LAUGHS

You've played a storming round so far.

Let's see if you've knocked Dave out. Dave, your third question.

What is the name of the 1897 battle in which 21 Sikh soldiers of

the British Indian Army held off over 10,000 Afghan tribesmen

in a famous rear-guard action?

Right, I've not heard of this battle at all.

Barry will be suitably angry.

Let's have a think. Right, I don't think it's Kohima.

Now let me have a look at the word Saragarhi...

It could be that.

I've not heard of this battle at all.

Erm, I'm going to have to have a guess.

The Battle of Mirbat, please.

Battle of Mirbat is your answer. Well, you mentioned Barry.

Barry, you were, I thought, struggling with this, I don't know.

No, I don't know this.

I know it's not Kohima, cos that's what stopped the Japanese

from invading India in the Second World War.

-OK.

-I don't know this one.

The Battle of Saragarhi is the right answer.

-Oh, right, fair enough, well done.

-Dave C, you're in the final round.

-Oh, well played.

-Well played.

You properly out-quizzed him there, Dave C, that's very impressive.

Doesn't happen very often. You will be in the final.

Return to us, both of you, and we'll play Round Two.

Well, our challengers are Four Maths Geeks And A Bit Of Talent.

You've won a round without even deploying the talent yet.

So, none of you have been knocked out.

The Eggheads have lost a brain.

We play on, and the subject is Arts & Books.

Who'd like this?

Luke, what's the strategy?

This was probably our worst scenario, wasn't it?

So it'll be probably me...

-I quizzed you this morning on some, Luke.

-Shall I have a go?

-I'll have a go.

-I think Luke, probably, yeah.

It's going to be Luke, OK, another Maths Geek.

-So who would you like to take on?

-I'm going to take on Barry, I think.

-You're going to go for Barry, yeah?

-Yes.

I'm going to take on Barry, please.

Well, that sounds like a Maths Geek taking on a maths geek to me.

So, Luke from Four Maths Geeks And A Bit Of Talent

versus Barry from the Eggheads, please go to the Question Room now.

Tell us about your work, then, Luke. What kind of accountancy?

So I'm actually a commercial analyst,

so not, like, hard-core accountancy.

So, more of the sort of working with the retail side of the business,

really, so I'd like to think it was the more fun part, really.

Yeah, cos there are certain parts of accountancy that are less exciting.

Yeah, less exciting's probably the best way to put it, yeah.

I like to think I do more of the sort of entertaining stuff.

So, Luke, good luck here. You're up against, I think, a similar soul.

Barry, I think in another life you probably were an accountant.

-Yeah, I've got an accountancy degree!

-You have, have you?

-Yes, I have.

-Ah, you see, I didn't even know that, and I suspected.

So, Arts & Books, Luke. Would you like to go first or second?

Erm, I'll go first, please.

And here we go with your first question.

The poet TS Eliot was born in which year?

Well, I don't... I don't actually know, to be honest.

Erm, I'm going to...

I've got a bit of an inkling, so I'm just going to go with 1888.

Yeah, he... I think some people say

he's the first modern poet, actually.

So he was heading into the 20th century.

1888 is right.

Barry...

Which children's book begins with these lines -

"The sun did not shine

"It was too wet to play

"So we sat in the house all that cold, cold, wet day"?

Well, it certainly doesn't sound like Mr Popper's Penguins,

and The Cat In The Hat, Dr Seuss famously used very few words,

and I think there were more words in that sentence

than there would be in the entire Cat In The Hat.

So I shall go for Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are.

Lisa has her head in her hands. Lisa?

The beginning of Where The Wild Things Are goes,

"The night Max wore his wolf suit

"and caused one kind of trouble and another", or something like that.

There are actually very few words in Where The Wild Things Are.

-It's The Cat In The Hat.

-The Cat In The Hat, Barry.

-Really?

Oh, you surprise me!

Where The Wild Things Are, very early on,

-introduces the concept of the child wearing a wolf suit, Lisa?

-Yes.

So, that was, er, not noticeable in the lines I read.

OK. Luke.

What title did Robert Graves give to his 1929 autobiographical work

that recounted his experiences in World War I?

I'm just looking for something in the question to help me

with any of the answers but nothing's springing to mind.

Um, I'm going to go for a good old strategy of going straight

down the middle, I think, so I'll go with Good-Bye To All That.

JEREMY LAUGHS

Maybe you've got a following wind, you guys.

-Good-Bye To All That is the right answer.

-Yes!

And I'm just thinking De Profundis was Oscar Wilde

and Leviathan was Thomas Hobbes, was it, guys?

Yes, indeed.

OK, Good-Bye To All That.

-So, Barry...

-I'm thinking this might be Good-Bye To All That for me!

It might well be, you're getting the full audit

from the accountant here.

So, Barry, get this wrong, you're out.

The Art Deco movement is typically said to have emerged

in which decade of the 20th century?

Now I always get confused between Art Nouveau,

which is at the end of the 19th century and Art Deco.

But I'm pretty certain that Art Deco was in the 1920s.

1920s is correct. He's got a point.

He's saved himself, Luke, but you can

-end the round right here.

-OK.

Your question.

"Deprivation is for me what daffodils were for Wordsworth"

is a quote by which poet?

So the good news is I have actually heard of all three.

Um, the bad news is I don't know the answer.

Um...

I'm going to go with my gut, I'm going to go with Philip Larkin.

The guessing's going well when you don't know.

It's really, really good, team.

Philip Larkin is the right answer.

-Well done.

-Yes!

You're in the final, Luke.

Barry, you're knocked out.

And they've been through a whole sequence of games where they

haven't even lost a single Egghead.

This is really interesting now.

-Well done. You're in the final, Luke.

-Brilliant.

Come back to us and we'll play the next round.

Four Maths Geeks and a Bit of Talent have not lost any brains from

the final round. The Eggheads have lost two and this is after a sequence of games

where you've been five in the final, haven't you, Eggs?

-Mmm.

-So I'm sensing the panic on this side now,

which you've got to keep hammering away here.

The next subject is Sport.

This is good, who wants this?

-This is definitely...

-I'll take that one.

-This is definitely Dave.

OK, Dave, our finance reporting manager.

So another Geek.

And which Egghead? It can't, obviously, be Barry or Dave.

We'll go for Kevin.

So Dave P from Four Maths Geeks And A Bit Of Talent

is now taking the gamble of going in against Kevin,

trying to knock him out, with £15,000 to play for.

So to ensure there's no conferring, please go to the Question Room.

So Sport, Dave P, would you like to go first or second?

Er, let's keep it going, I'll go first, please.

All right, we've got a team playing brilliantly here.

This could be turning point in the contest. Let's see.

Dave, your question. How many Olympic gold medals has the athlete Mo Farah won?

So he won two in Brazil and he's won two in London

so I'll go for four.

Four is right.

Yeah, repeated it in Brazil.

Kevin...

In September 2016, which of these Formula 1 drivers

announced that he would be retiring from the sport

at the end of that season?

This one passed me by but I don't see either Hamilton or Vettel

going for it, they're still very much at the peak of their

careers, really, still going strong, whereas Massa has been around

for a long time, so I'll say Felipe Massa.

Felipe Massa is correct, so one each.

Back to Dave.

Which England cricketer has been nicknamed Malfoy

due to a perceived similarity to a character

from the Harry Potter films?

I can't say I'm a big fan of Harry Potter, so...

Um, but...

I think I...

I'm just going to go down the middle.

I'm going to go for Ben Stokes.

Ben Stokes...

-Team-mates?

-We think it's Stuart Broad.

-Yeah.

It is Stuart Broad. Is cricket not your thing?

Um, no, I do like cricket but I must admit I've never heard that before.

So you either know or you don't.

First wrong question

from our Challengers in Round Three.

Unprecedented. Kevin has a chance to take the lead.

What does the E stand for in the controversial TUEs,

as famously used by Bradley Wiggins in 2011 and 2012?

It's when a sportsperson is allowed to take a particular

type of medication.

Let's say because of a condition

that otherwise might be considered on the banned side.

So the TUE stands for Therapeutic Use Exemption,

so it's exemption.

Exemption is right.

Now for the first time you're on the back foot, you guys.

Dave, you need this to stay in, or Kevin's knocked you out.

Who was the Liverpool football manager in January 2011

when they paid a reported £36 million for the striker Andy Carroll?

Who was this?

Did you say 2011, sorry?

January 2011.

Um, so it's not Brendan Rodgers,

who was a bit later than that.

Er...

I'm going to say Kenny Dalglish.

Team-mates?

-Yeah, that's fine.

-We like that. Kenny Dalglish is right,

well done. You're equal.

If Kevin takes this, he's got the round.

Anthony Watson typically plays in which position for

the England rugby union team?

No, I'm not too familiar with Anthony Watson, I'm afraid.

With all due respect to him, it would be nice

if he had a slightly more distinctive name.

Um...

Which one is he?

I don't recognise his name as a...

I don't think I recognise his name as a fly half, anyway.

Anthony Watson.

Maybe on the wing.

No, I can't sort of visualise him.

I can't place him but I'll...

I'll go with my first instinct which is lock.

Lock is your answer.

Dave, do you know this one?

Um, I don't, rugby's not my thing.

-Wing is the answer, Kevin, you got it wrong.

-OK.

You forced him to Sudden Death, Dave, well done.

It gets a bit harder now, I don't give you options on the questions.

Here is your first.

Which annual American event inaugurated in 1875

is billed as the most exciting two minutes in sports?

Um...

I've not heard of this at all.

No, I can't think of anything, I'm going to have to pass.

OK, pass. Kevin, do you know this?

Kentucky Derby.

Kentucky Derby is right, or the Run for the Roses.

Kevin, you can take the round.

Which Denver Bronchos quarterback lost three times at the Super Bowl

before finally triumphing on successive occasions in 1998

and 1999?

Yeah, I mean, he was considered one of the greatest

quarterbacks and had a quite an unlucky streak with that.

I think it's John Elway.

The correct answer is John Elway.

-I was in the States watching his '99 victory.

-Oh.

I remember the big fuss, so I remember it, yeah.

John Elway's right and that means

an Egghead has taken a round now.

Which almost sounds like a news story in this very difficult game for them.

Sorry, Dave, you have been knocked out.

Is this the beginning of the fight back? Let's see.

Come back to us and we'll play the last round before the final.

Are the Eggheads embarked on a comeback?

Four Maths Geeks And A Bit Of Talent have now lost a brain

from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost two, though.

The next subject is Film & TV.

If you can win this one you're going to be in a great position

in the final. So who wants this?

ALL TALK AT ONCE

We're going to deploy the talent.

Oh, right, the talent's going in.

OK, Glen team captain into the breach against

either of the ladies at the extreme end.

-I think Judith.

-Judith, yeah. Can we go for Judith, please?

OK. Good stuff. Feeling good about this, Judith?

What?

I didn't hear what you said.

You may have caught her unawares.

So it's Glen from Four Maths Geeks And A Bit Of Talent

to play Judith from the Eggheads.

We'll see you in the booth in a second for Round Four.

Glen, good luck here.

Would you like to go first or second against the great Judith?

Going first seems to be working well so far, so we'll stick with that.

And here is your first question.

Glen, who is the presenter of the TV series DIY SOS?

We were actually talking about another TV programme

that he presents, another game show, actually, earlier.

Um, so I'm pretty sure that it's Nick Knowles.

Nick Knowles is the right answer.

Judith, your question.

Which animated film of 2016 was based on an original story

by Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and Evan Goldberg?

I'm very bad at who writes these sort of films.

Maybe Finding Dory.

No, Judith. Have you seen Sausage Party?

No. I haven't seen Finding Dory or Kubo And The Two Strings either.

-Sausage Party is the right answer.

-Oh.

OK, so this has started well for you, Glen.

Which actor appears in the films Step Brothers,

The Lego Movie and Daddy's Home?

Um...

Three of my favourite comedy films.

Um...

So, yeah, absolutely it's Will Ferrell.

Absolutely, it is Will Ferrell. Well done.

Two points to you.

Judith, if this is the Eggheads' rearguard action

-it's...

-Got to do better.

Now is the moment.

Otherwise they're going to have some serious firepower

-in the final round.

-They're too good. They're brilliant.

They're very good.

Here is your question to stay in the contest.

In which decade did the British actress Glenda Jackson

win two Academy awards?

She's back on stage now aged 80-something.

I was wondering what she...

won them for.

Elizabeth, maybe.

Um...

And that film...

I think it might have been the '70s.

Let's check with the Eggheads here.

Do we know the decade?

-Yeah, '70s.

-Do we know the films?

Women In Love and A Touch Of Class.

Yes, you're right.

Judith, Women In Love and A Touch Of Class.

A Touch Of Class, that's the one.

I'm sensing a little bit that we're all over the place on this side

but you do need to capitalise here, team captain.

Pete Wicks and Megan McKenna have both been regular cast members

of which reality TV show?

I think, I don't know, I've got an inkling...

Those names don't sound like they're the kind of posh stars of Chelsea.

I don't know anything about the Housewives Of Cheshire.

I'm going to take a stab in the dark at The Only Way Is Essex.

Team-mates?

-Yes, absolutely.

-The Only Way Is Essex it is.

Well done, Glen, you're in the final round.

Judith, you've been knocked out. Another Egghead knocked out.

So if you come back to us we will play this final for £15,000.

Well, this has been a wake-up call for the Eggheads over here.

You've had a run of games where you've lost no Eggs at all -

no rounds - and you've taken down as many Eggheads in this game

as I think we've seen taken down in about seven or eight

of the last games in total.

So, remarkable so far, but you haven't won yet.

This is what we're playing towards.

It is time for the final round.

As always, it's General Knowledge.

It's for £15,000.

Those of you who lost your head-to-heads

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

So we have to say goodbye to Dave P

from Four Maths Geeks And A Bit Of Talent

but also Barry, Dave and Judith.

Would you now please leave the studio?

Glen, Dave, Duncan and Luke, the Geeks and the Talent,

you're playing to win your team £15,000.

Lisa and Kevin, after quite a battle here -

a painful one for the Eggheads - you're playing for something

I can't even put a price on, which is the Eggheads' reputation.

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

They're all General Knowledge and you can confer.

So Four Maths Geeks And A Bit Of Talent,

the question is, are your four brains able to defeat

these two?

We've seen how well you quiz. Can't wait for this.

Would you like to go first or second?

-We've got to go first.

-Go first.

OK, take your time.

£15,000 you're playing for. Here's your first question.

Which of these is a famous arrangement of a piece of music

by Johann Sebastian Bach?

I don't think it's the G String one, is it?

I've heard of Ride Of The Valkyries.

The only thing I'd say is because Bach was from Central Europe.

-I don't think Ride Of The Valkyries is Bach.

-No.

It's just the only one I've heard of.

-What was your thoughts?

-I was only going to say because Valkyries

is Germanic and he was a Germanic guy.

That's the one I've heard of.

So to call it Ride Of The Valkyries... So many composers were.

I don't really know.

Messiah Oratorio doesn't sound Germanic.

Messiah Oratorio sounds like it's more Italian.

-Italian, yeah.

-I was thinking that.

-So...

-Middle.

-We've nothing better to go on.

-Just go with it, yeah.

We're going to go with Ride Of The Valkyries, please.

Ride Of The Valkyries is your answer.

Let's just start, Eggheads, with Messiah Oratorio.

Can you help us out with that?

-That's Handel.

-That's Handel.

-Handel.

Ride of the Valkyries, you will have

seen Apocalypse Now because you love your movies.

-That's the one where they come over...

-Yes.

-..the helicopter.

That's Wagner. Air On The G String is the right answer.

Eggheads...

Which of the British Isles has a flag known as the Triskelion?

-That's the Isle of Man.

-Yeah, with the three legs.

-Yeah, yeah.

-It's called the Triskelion because the symbol

is three legs joined at the hip,

so they form a kind of wheel arrangement.

It's the Isle of Man.

I know that flag and I've always wondered what's going on there.

You've explained it, thank you.

Isle of Man is the right answer.

Challengers, they're ahead.

Your question.

Teddy Boys of the 1950s were named after what?

I don't think there's anything Edwardian about them.

No, weren't they on scooters?

I think they wear jackets. I don't know.

Didn't they have suits?

They were the guys on the scooters.

No, no.

I think it's the Edwardian era.

Maybe. Or Elgar.

Shall we do a little team vote?

If I vote I'd go Edward Elgar, is what I'd go.

What would you go for?

I think it's Winnie-the-Pooh.

I've got a sneaky feeling it is, as well.

-Teddy Boys, a teddy bear.

-They didn't look like teddy bears.

But they used to always call people Edward,

-they used to always call them Teddy.

-What did Winnie-the-Pooh wear?

Oh, yeah, Teddy, Edward.

That's good logic.

I'm happy to go with that. Elgar.

-Yeah, they always used to call Edward, Teddy.

-Yeah.

Let's go with that logic.

All right, it's a guess

-but we're going to go with Edward Elgar.

-Edward Elgar.

Teddy Boys, they had these long tunics things, didn't they?

-Yes.

-Is that the point about them?

They had these long tunics.

They had a uniform in terms of jacket and shoes

but the jackets were the sort of pastiche of things

from the Edwardian era.

The Edwardian era is the right answer.

Oh!

After your brilliant run,

it's getting very difficult to see a way through

but the Eggheads need to get an answer right, still.

Here's your question. In Greek mythology, who was the husband of Medea?

If you get this right the contest is over.

It wasn't a position anyone was auditioning for

-once they realised what she was like.

-What she was like, no.

-Jason, wasn't it?

-Jason and Medea, yeah.

-Mmm.

-Yeah. OK.

-OK.

-You're happy with that?

And she... It wasn't a good idea as it turned out,

because she later took terrible revenge,

but it was Jason.

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

After a storming performance by our Challengers,

it's just been a difficult final round for them.

The answer, Eggheads, is Jason.

We have to say, congratulations, you have won.

After your amazing performance I never would have seen that coming.

-What can I say?

-We would have done.

-We did.

-What can I say?

-But you didn't snatch at them, you genuinely discussed them.

-Yeah.

And it didn't happen.

-I think it's those long smocks that they wear.

-Yeah, very long...

And also cravat-y style, I suppose.

Edwardian era, yeah.

And the one before, let's not even think about it.

Oh, Four Maths Geeks And A Bit Of Talent

you ran them so close, these Eggheads, and in the end

they've... Well, they've saved the day here.

They've done what comes naturally, this winning streak continues.

You gave them more of a battering in this game than they've had

in literally the last nine or ten, I would think.

Quite easily.

And it means you won't be going home with the £15,000.

We will roll that money over to our next show.

Eggheads, even on a difficult day, you still win.

You are amazing.

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

have the brains to defeat them.

There'll be £16,000 to play for.

Until then, goodbye.