Episode 84 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.

Here they are, and very present.

-Yes.

-Very alive.

-Yes, we are.

Yeah. Full of beans!

Taking on the might of our quiz goliaths today are the Stour Brains,

from the West Midlands. Now, most of this team hail from Stourbridge,

and occasionally quiz together at pubs around the town.

Let's meet them.

Hi, my name is Lisa and I'm a financial administrator.

Hi, I'm Martin, I'm a financial adviser.

Hi, my name is Andy and I'm a forensic analyst.

Hi, my name is Matt and I'm an accounts manager.

Hi, my name is Ken and I'm a retired managing director.

So, Lisa and team, welcome.

-Hiya.

-Hi.

-Hi.

Tell us about the Stour Brains. What is the name from?

Erm, it's from where we're all currently located, in Stourbridge.

Some of us have moved around, but that's where we're all settled.

OK, and do you quiz together or you just hang out together?

Er, bit of both, we go to a couple of various pubs

around the area of Stourbridge - there's a fair few.

Lovely. Well, tell us about Stourbridge, what's it like?

Erm, it's a nice little town.

There's lots of places to drink, they have their own breweries,

a couple of different pubs round there. So, yeah.

So, some of you have never been...

lived anywhere other than Stourbridge, is that right?

-Or...?

-I'm from Southampton.

-You moved there.

-Yeah, I'm from Southampton.

OK. All right.

But by and large, we're Stourbridge-based.

-Yep.

-We're a bit quizzy, and we're also, Lisa, The Walking Dead,

-is that right?

-Oh, yes, very much so.

-Tell me about that.

-Oh, I love it, absolutely love it.

-Do you really?

-Yeah, watch it every week. It gets to nine o'clock

and that's it, everything's got to stop for that.

And that's the Morrissey actor, isn't it, what's his name?

David Morrissey, that's Matt's favourite.

-He's in it, right?

-Yeah. Well, he was.

-Spoiler!

-Oh! LAUGHTER

Has something bad happened?

-A while ago, yeah.

-Oh, dear, I should know that!

Anyone else a Walking Dead fan here?

Watched a few.

-Yes, a couple.

-Seen some of it.

But you've been to conventions and things like that.

Oh, yeah, I've met half of them, yeah, yeah.

Yeah. I need to catch up with this.

All right, well, I hope you can turn this lot into the walking injured,

at the very least, and win the jackpot! 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, Stour Brains,

the Eggheads are really playing so well at the moment.

They've won 21 on the trot.

It means £22,000 is here for you to win - would you like to try?

-Absolutely.

-All right, good stuff.

Well, I'm glad I'm offering a good jackpot today. I wish you well.

The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Science.

Lisa, you can choose Judith or Steve, Kevin, Pat or Dave.

Mmm. Right.

-Who wants this?

-Science...

-I think you should take this.

-That's going to have to be you.

-That's pretty obvious.

-That's our forensic scientist.

OK, forensic scientist, that sounds very promising.

Andy, against any one of the five here.

Is there any preference on the one people are taking?

-I don't mind Steve, or Judith or...?

-Yeah, maybe try the new one, Steve.

-Steve, yeah.

-Yep, I'd like to take on Steve, please.

OK. Andy from Stour Brains taking on Steve from the Eggheads on Science.

And to ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions

in our legendary Question Room.

Andy, I'm thinking you're quite well-equipped for Science

because you are a forensic scientist.

I am indeed, yep. Hopefully this is up my street.

And you also brew your own beer, which I think is sciency.

Yeah, science-based.

Yeah, certainly not related to Arts & Books at all.

-No, not my subject!

-And in terms of your forensics,

is that for the police or somebody else?

Bit of police, mainly coroners' work at the moment.

So, looking for clues?

Mainly drug testing, trying to work out causes of death.

Wow! So you spend a lot of time looking through a microscope?

It's very analytical-based, but not quite microscopes, no, very...

Chromatography-based equipment, if that makes any sense.

It does - does it make any sense to you, Steve?

I understood the first few words, and after that, I... You know.

Well, you've done well on Science, Steve.

We reckon you've done six Science rounds and won all six.

Kiss of death springs to mind, Jeremy.

Yep, that's one possibility.

At some point you will come off the rails, but you're playing well.

-Thank you.

-OK.

So, Science, Andy, against Steve -

and would you like to go first or second?

I would like to go first, please, Jeremy.

Here we go.

Nuclear fusion takes place at the core of which body

in our solar system?

OK, so... Erm, I think being...

..the centre of the solar system, and a great mass of energy,

I think my answer is going to be the sun.

The sun is correct, Andy, well done.

Steve, your first question.

In December 2015,

the announcement of the verification of the discoveries of four

new chemical elements brought the total number discovered

to how many at that point?

Yeah, I thought for a minute we were going to have something really

horrible and have them all close together but it's 118.

Is that basically the number in the periodic table?

I've got to assume so, yeah.

I mean, they are creating them all the time,

but I think that's where we're up to at the moment.

So, Eggheads, the periodic table is in flux a bit, is it?

-It's moving, changing?

-It does change, yes.

Things are added to it, yeah.

How often do they find a new thing?

-It varies.

-Whenever.

-Every ten years?

-Any time.

-Couple of weeks?

-You might go decades without anything new,

-and then...

-They come at once, like buses.

Interesting. OK, 118 is the answer.

It's equal.

Andy, back to you.

Which of an aircraft's control services is usually located

on the vertical part of its tail?

OK, I'm pretty confident on this one

so I'll go straight down the middle with rudder.

-Yeah, rudder's right, well done.

-Thank you.

Steve, your question.

How many bones called phalanges does a human have inside each hand?

Each hand.

Right, they're not as well spaced this time.

Phalanges...

Well, if I can... If I've got a normal hand, and I can count...

I'm not doing anything really stupid, I'm assuming...

That must be 14.

What are you counting exactly?

Sort of joints in my fingers.

Oh, I see. So each finger is three bones, is it?

Yeah, and then you've got two in your thumb.

So that's...

Well, it's 14 with my maths, but...

You're going to spring something horrible on me now, aren't you?

-14's right.

-Good.

Well done. So, Andy, you can, if you need to,

count parts of your body for this round.

Here's your question. The Asian mammal called the gaur

has which alternative name?

Spelt G-A-U-R.

Gaur. OK, Jeremy...

I'm not particularly confident on this answer, so...

..it's going to have to be a complete guess.

I'm going to go straight down the middle with rhinoceros, please.

-Steve, is he right?

-I think it's a bison.

It's an Indian bison.

So, Steve has the chance to take the round.

I know that's not a forensics question, Andy,

so outside of your comfort zone, there, wasn't it?

Yeah, just a little bit.

Unless you've had bisons wandering around your lab,

but that's unlikely.

No, not biology. That's not my strong point.

No, I understand.

Science is very wide.

Steve, for the round.

Which of these spacecraft was the first to achieve

a soft landing on the moon?

I'm not sure.

I think they're all probably correct names of space probes.

I mean, there's one that's leaping out.

Whether it's a red herring, I'm not sure.

I'm just... I'm a bit worried about Zond 5.

I don't think it's Ranger 4.

But I'm going to say Luna 9.

If you've got this right, you're in the final round, Steve,

and you've made it seven out of seven.

-Eggheads, is he right?

-Yes.

Yes, you are right, they all agree.

Luna 9 it is. Sorry, Andy.

Tough old round, Science, isn't it?

-Yeah, that's the way they fall.

-That's the way they fall.

Early days for the Challengers.

Andy's been knocked out, Steve is in the final.

Return to us, please, and rejoin your teams.

So, mention of Luna 9 there -

anyone know the last time we got a message from Luna 9?

-Yesterday.

-No.

So, the last message it sent was the 6th February 1966.

-Oh, I was going to say...

-No. Coincidently,

the 6th February 1966 is the birthday of Rick Astley.

-There's got to be a link there.

-What's that got to do with the moon?

Last message on the day Rick Astley was born.

Who knows? Just saying.

It's like a plotline from The Walking Dead, this, isn't it?

They are, anyway. As it stands,

Stour Brains have lost one brain from the final round.

The Eggheads are still sitting there.

And they've played so well in recent games,

we've got to break their rhythm somehow.

OK, so send in your best quizzer next.

The next subject to Sport.

Who would like this, Lisa, Sport?

-Are we going to go for Ken?

-You prefer that one, Ken?

-Yeah.

-Happy with that?

-Yeah.

-Ken.

-It's going to be Ken on the end.

OK, against which Egghead?

Certainly not Dave.

Dave's pretty good. I mean, they're all...

Judith, I think.

OK. Have you found the weak link?

Well, Judith's played well in Sport recently, haven't you?

Yes, but don't say so!

I'm not going to say any more about it.

Ken from the Stour Brains is taking on Judith,

just hoping to knock a hole in the wall here.

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

-So, Ken, you're a quizzer?

-Occasionally.

And Sport is your thing?

Yes. Well, some sports, we'll see.

Golf, tennis, football...?

-Yeah, football.

-Any more minority sports?

-No, not really.

-Judith, how about you?

Any sports you enjoy that are not mainstream?

No, not really.

I have to say no.

-Elephant polo?

-Oh, yes!

Do you know the Scottish win elephant polo the most?

You see, I knew... And you've got a thing about it, haven't you?

Well, it's fascinating, isn't it?

It must be the slowest game ever, and it's played...

..high up in Nepal or something.

And it's the Scottish who win.

Wonderful. Ken, have you ever seen elephant polo in action?

No, can't say I have.

All right. Well, would you like to go first or second on Sport?

First, please, Jeremy.

OK, Ken.

In golf, which of these words is an alternative term for a bunker?

Well, I've been in many of them myself.

And that would be a sand trap.

Yeah, very good, sand trap it is.

OK, Judith, your question.

In Formula 1,

which team has won the Constructors' World Championship

on the most occasions?

Erm, I'm going to say Mercedes.

Oh, dear, expression of pain from Dave. Dave?

-It's Ferrari.

-Ferrari!

Ferrari. Well, I mean, earlier on, Ferrari was the top.

Right, Ken, game on, as they say.

Here's your question. In 1979, which tennis player

won the women's singles title at the US Open when she was 16 years old?

I don't know exactly. I would rule out...

..Helena Sukova.

I'll pump for Tracy Austin.

Eggheads, is he right?

-Yes.

-Yes, you are. Tracy Austin is correct.

So you've pulled into the lead there.

And, Judith, you must get this one right.

In 40 matches between 1905 and 2014,

on how many occasions did the England rugby union team

defeat the All Blacks?

Well, I think it was fairly seldom.

But I... It must be more than two.

Erm, I should think probably... Let's say seven.

Seven is right. Seven out of 40, that's amazing.

-Yeah, very few.

-Very few indeed.

All right, your third question, Ken. Get this right,

you're in the final round. Keep it steady.

Since the 1960s, which of these Italian football matches

has become known as the Derby d'Italia?

This for the round.

Well, I don't know exactly.

No obvious clue.

I would say, because of their relative success,

I would choose Juventus versus Internazionale.

Let's check with Dave.

I would say that that would be the answer,

because that is The Old Lady and Internazionale.

Through tradition, would have thought that would be the match.

The answer is Juventus versus Internazionale.

So we say well done, Ken.

-That's good, getting fired up in there, I can see.

-Yeah!

You've taken on an Egghead, you've emerged triumphant.

Judith has been knocked out in Sport.

That's brought to an end a run of I think a dozen,

maybe 13 successive Sport wins for you, Judith.

No, I had one off in the middle.

-Yeah, well...

-It's 12 out of 13.

-12 out of 13, you were counting.

-So now it's 12 out of 14.

It's 12 out of 14.

-Yeah.

-Still impressive.

Please come back, rejoin your teams and we'll play round three.

So, the Stour Brains have lost a brain from the final round.

The Eggheady brains over here have also lost one.

We're level. It's exciting, with £22,000 to play for.

And your next subject, Challengers, is geography.

-Geography.

-Who would like this?

Do you want it to be me, then?

You'll do better.

Yeah, yeah. OK.

-I'll take Geography.

-Lisa, OK.

Against which Egghead? Any of the three on the left.

I think I might go for Dave, because if TV & film does come up,

he'll be good at that, so...

Yeah, I'll go against Dave.

OK. Lisa from Stour Brains takes on Dave from the Eggheads,

and please go to our Question Room.

Lisa, good luck on Geography against Dave.

Would you like to go first or second?

I think I'm going to go first, please.

Your first question, then.

Roundhay Park is a large open space in which English city?

And Roundhay is R-O-U-N-D-H-A-Y, all one word.

Wow, they're all cities, so that's a start.

Can't knock one out that way.

Not familiar, not somewhere I've been.

I've been to London a fair amount and I don't remember it,

so it's going to be punt between one of the other two.

I'm going to go with Leeds, please.

Leeds is right.

OK, your question. Dave, Chamonix is a resort for winter sports

in which country?

I believe it's where the first Winter Olympics were held,

1924, and I think that's France.

France is correct.

Lisa, following a financial crisis in 1999,

which South American country

replaced its own unit of currency, the sucre, with the US dollar?

Hmm.

Right. A lot of them use the dollar down there, don't they?

I've travelled but not down that way.

Let's go down the middle and go for Bolivia.

No, it is Ecuador.

Ecuador is the answer, the sucre.

OK, Dave, to take the lead.

The islands of Westray and Papa Westray, which are linked

by one of the shortest scheduled flights in the world,

are in which island group?

One of those came into my head straight away.

I don't think it's the Inner Hebrides.

I'm going to stick with my original thought and go Orkney, please.

If Beth was here I'd go to her, cos I think this is where

she was brought up. Orkney is right.

It's a two-minute flight, is it, Kevin?

I've done it - the channel in between the two islands

is so dodgy that they decided that's the best way to do it.

So you go up, come down on the other side.

But you've got to pay good money for that, I'm guessing.

-Yeah, not too bad. You get a certificate.

-Ha! Yeah.

Amazing, two-minute flight.

So, Eggheads two, Challengers one,

and, Lisa, you need to get this one right.

Craiova, the largest city in the region of Oltenia,

is in which country?

So, Craiova is C-R-A-I-O-V-A.

I don't know why but the only thing that's calling to me is Romania,

so I'll go for that.

you've got it right, actually, Romania it is.

Well done, Lisa, you got two out of three.

Now you need to hope that Dave doesn't get this right.

Murray Mouth in Australia,

where the Murray river system reaches the ocean,

is in which state?

Right, I haven't really got a basis for this.

I've got the Murray-Darling River and it does go quite a long way.

But I'm going to go South Australia.

The answer is South Australia.

Well done, Dave, three out of three.

Sorry, Lisa, team captain's been knocked out now.

Not a crisis for our Challengers but getting close.

You were beaten by our Egghead, you won't be in the final.

If you return to us, we'll play one more round before the final.

So, Stour Brains have lost two brains from the final,

including the captain, Lisa.

The Eggheads have lost one.

Interestingly poised, isn't it?

The next subject is Music.

Who wants this? One last heave at them.

-It's going to have to be me.

-Matt, OK, our accounts manager.

Would you like to take on either Pat or Kevin?

Any ideas, guys?

Number one or number two.

-Going to be number two, isn't it?

-Do you want to try Pat?

-Pat.

-OK.

Right, so, Matt from the Stour Brains

taking on Pat from the Eggheads.

Matt on Pat, please go to the Question Room.

OK, Matt, you do something called cosplay, I understand.

Yes, it's basically costume-building.

I see, so you turn up somewhere in a costume

that relates to a TV figure, maybe?

Yeah, so to conventions and events.

So The Walking Dead me and Lisa love,

so I dress as The Governor,

and then also from animated shows as well.

Doesn't The Governor have an eye patch?

He does. I wear an eye patch, too.

OK, so you've got to get properly into character there?

I do, I do very much.

And do you have to dress as somebody you like or can you just dress as

-the most exciting person?

-You can do what you like.

You can either just build the most spectacular costume you can,

or you can go with something you're interested in.

-Sounds good, this, Pat, doesn't it?

-Sounds all right, yeah.

What sort of character would you be?

I haven't given this a great deal of thought.

Would you consider dressing as yourself if you went out?

No, I'd make the effort.

I'd disguise myself as some sort of extra terrestrial.

Somebody with superpowers, yes.

I'm just thinking, the monster from Alien?

Well, you wouldn't get messed around, would you?

They'd leave your car alone.

They would! They would.

OK, while we think about who we might play in cosplay, Matt,

you tell me whether you want to go first or second on Music.

I'd like to go first, please.

Good luck, Matt. Let's see if we can get you into the final here.

Your first Music question.

Which musical genre of the 1960s developed to include artists

such as Gerry And The Pacemakers, The Searchers and Billy J Kramer?

This is almost a complete guess.

I think...I think I've heard of Humberblues before,

so I'm going to go straight down the middle and go for Humberblues.

No, it is Merseybeat.

-OK.

-Merseybeat was a big Liverpool sound.

The Beatles in it, or they were kind of, in a way, triggered it,

did they, Dave, do you think?

Triggered it, I would have thought, but, no,

Gerry And The Pacemakers were around.

The bands were playing at The Cavern at much the same time.

There was, of course, a band called The Merseybeats.

-Yes, there was.

-Was it Friday On My Mind?

-That was it, yes.

-OK, Pat.

Which Robbie Williams song starts with the lines,

"Me with the floor show, kicking with your torso"?

One of your favourites, I'm reckoning.

Well, Angels is a very popular,

pretty slow ballad...

..whereas this is quite a punchy lyric in a punchy song.

I don't think it's Millennium or Angels

so I'm just going through Rock DJ to...

I can remember the video he kind of gyrates and eventually, I think,

loses bits of his body...

..he commits to the performance so much.

I think that must be Rock DJ.

Rock DJ is right, so Pat's ahead.

Matt, just keep getting them right.

In which year did the girl group Eternal have their first

top ten hit single in the UK?

Eternal.

That's not a group I've heard of recently,

so I'm going to go with the earliest year, '93.

'93 is quite right. Well done.

'93 is right, so you've got a point there, Matt, well done.

Pat, which of these bands performed at Woodstock in 1969?

The Beatles did not, I know that much.

The Rolling Stones and The Who...

Hmm.

I've a suspicion it was The Who, so I'll go for The Who.

Yeah, quite a hard question, that, but The Who is right.

So Pat's ahead and that means, Matt,

you must get this one right to stay in.

What is the name of Mark Knopfler's guitarist brother,

who was a co-founder of Dire Straits?

It's going to have to be a complete guess, I'm afraid.

Guy.

It was David Knopfler, Matt,

and that means that Pat has won through

and books his place into the final.

Matt, sorry, beaten by our Eggheads, so come back to us,

both of you, and let us see what happens in this final round.

Just working out our bands.

The Merseybeats didn't do Friday On My Mind -

that was The Easybeats. My fault entirely, guys.

The Merseybeats did, anyone?

-Wishin' And Hopin', I think.

-Wishin' And Hopin'.

They then became The Merseys and released Sorrow,

which was then recorded by the great...

-Bowie.

-David Bowie, on which album?

-Come on.

-Covers album, isn't it?

-Pin Ups.

-Can't remember.

-Pin Ups. That's it.

And here's the kicker - on Pin Ups, not only Sorrow

but also Friday On My Mind, so it completes the circle.

All right, 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

are not allowed to take part in this round.

So, Lisa, Andy and Matt from the Stour Brains,

but also Judith from the Eggheads,

would you please now leave the studio?

Good luck, Martin and Ken,

you're playing to win the Stour Brains £22,000,

and I think your three team-mates

will be rather grateful if you do it.

Dave, Pat, Kevin and Steve,

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

the Eggheads' reputation, and to keep this amazing run going.

It's really been remarkable.

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

This time, they are all General Knowledge.

You may confer. So, Martin and Ken, the question is,

can your two brains defeat these four over here?

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

-You reckon...?

-You choose.

-We'll go first.

Your first question. In 2013,

James Comey was sworn in as director of which organisation,

having been nominated by President Obama?

It doesn't ring a bell with me.

-James Comey.

-I'm pushing towards Supreme Court.

I'm also. I don't... I haven't got a logical reason for it.

No. I don't know whether we'd have heard the US Navy one, or the FBI.

No, I don't think we'd have heard the US Navy over here.

-Supreme Court?

-The FBI would have probably kept it quiet.

-So are we in agreement, Supreme Court?

-Yeah.

We don't... We're not 100% sure, Jeremy,

but I think we're going to go Supreme Court.

Supreme Court is your answer.

Now, this guy is quite famous and he is famous because during

the 2016 election campaign,

he was the one who reopened the investigation into

Hillary Clinton's e-mails.

So director of the FBI is the answer.

Eggheads, your first question.

What type of dog is a Dandie Dinmont?

-Terrier.

-Terrier, yeah.

I believe it's the one that's named after a character

in a Walter Scott novel.

It's a terrier, a Dandie Dinmont terrier.

Terrier is the right answer.

Back to you, Challengers. Just keep pressing on, here.

The giant sea monster known as The Kraken

has a name taken from which language?

OK, I would rule out Norwegian.

-And...

-I don't know.

I think we'd have heard of it if it was Welsh.

-I would say Japanese.

-No idea.

It fits in with the, sort of, Godzilla...

..sort of genre of Japanese films.

-I'm happy with Japanese.

-Yeah, go for it, happy to go for it.

-OK.

Again, a little bit of a guess, Jeremy,

but we're going to go with Japanese.

Japanese is your answer.

Now, that phrase, the kraken wakes, or the KRAYKEN wakes,

where is that from? Is it...

-A poem by Tennyson.

-It was used as a...

-a novel title by John Wyndham...

-John Wyndham.

..who also did Day Of The Triffids, yeah, The Kraken Wakes, yeah.

OK, so that doesn't necessarily lead us to the answer.

-No, no.

-Go on, tell us.

-It's Norwegian.

-Norwegian.

It was supposed to be a monster in the seas off northern Norway,

where you have the maelstrom,

the great whirlpool and you have various other...

-I see.

-..problems.

All right, Eggheads, you can actually take the round with this,

your second question.

For what does the letter M stand in the name of the UK honour

that entitles the holder to put the letters OM after their name?

-Merit.

-Order of Merit.

-Yeah. Order of Merit, yeah.

-Order of Merit?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Yeah, it's one of the most prestigious.

It's the Order of Merit.

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

Because with your second correct answer,

there would be no way back for the Challengers.

The correct answer is Merit, for Order of Merit,

you're quite right, Eggheads.

Once again we say congratulations, you have won.

Bad luck, Stour Brains.

I know the final didn't get the best out of you there, so fear not.

Oh, bother. So, commiserations, Challengers,

the Eggheads have done it again.

This winning streak continues.

It means you won't be going home with the £22,000,

so we roll that money over to our next show and we say, once again,

very well done, Eggheads.

You only lost one today.

I'm thinking you are now almost officially unbeatable.

Let's tempt fate! Join us next time to see if a new team of Challengers

can finally defeat the Eggheads.

What is it, 22 games on the trot now?

£23,000, they'll have to play for.

Until then, goodbye.