Episode 14 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.

Well, challenging the might of our quiz Goliaths today

are the Barrycudas from the Vale of Glamorgan.

The majority of this friends and family team quiz together

at the Cwm Talwg Pub in Barry. Let's meet them.

Hello, I'm Huw and I'm a cancer research technician.

Hello, I'm Iain and I'm a civil servant.

Hello, I'm Claire and I'm also a civil servant.

Hello, I'm Craig.

I'm a marketing manager.

Hi, I'm Kay and I'm an accountant.

Huw and team, hello.

ALL: Hello. Great to see you.

And it's Barry and Barry Island and all that famous area, yes?

That's right. Gavin Stacey territory.

Tell us about the pub where you quiz.

It's a local pub to those of us who live in Barry.

We've been quizzing there for a little while now.

There's a league going on which we're not at the top of,

I have be honest,

but we win sometimes and we all enjoy going there.

So you're normally a team in the pub.

You're not the creme de la creme here.

You are a particular... Because that's good for us, actually.

You come and you play together and you...

Yeah, we know each other's strengths and weaknesses, hopefully,

and we have a range of interests,

so we'll see how we get on, but we think we cover most of the subjects

reasonably well. And what's the prize in the pub, by the way?

It's a food voucher.

OK. Suits me down to the ground.

Good luck, team.

Every day there is ?1,000 worth of cash up for grabs

for our Challengers. However, if they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

It's a little bit more than a food voucher today, Barrycudas.

The Eggheads have won the last five. You've got to stop them.

If you do, it's ?6,000 that you win.

OK? That'll do.

The first head-to-head battle for you is on the subject of science.

Now, you've got Judith, Kevin, Dave,

Beth and Lisa to choose from.

That's one of you two down the end, I think, is it?

Yes. You up for it? Will I take science?

Go for it.

OK, who would you like to take on here?

You can have anyone of the five.

I would love to take on Judith, please.

Of course you can.

Kay from the Barrycudas versus Judith from the Eggheads on science.

To ensure there is no conferring,

please take your positions in the question room.

Well, Kay, I know you're an accountant,

but you have a chemistry degree.

I've got a chemistry PhD, yes.

And you're a quizzer too, so we're set fair.

Do you want to go first or second, Kay?

It's got to be ladies first, so I'll let Judith go first.

Judith, here is your question.

Which of these planets has the smallest diameter?

I think that's Mercury.

It is Mercury.

Yes, I think that's the smallest of the lot.

Over to you now, Kay.

Albert Einstein was born in which country?

This is the sort of question you feel you really ought to know.

I think we can rule out Australia, because I'm sure he was European.

I'm going to go for Germany.

Germany is right and of course he left and ended up in America,

you're right. Judith.

What is the symbol for the chemical element potassium?

Well, I know that from gardening, because you put potassium on plants.

It's K.

K is right. And here we are back with you, Kay.

Here's your question.

The helix and the antihelix are found

in which part of the human body?

Ooh. Well, the helix and the antihelix.

That doesn't resonate with me in any way.

There's not a lot going on in the foot other than bones,

and it doesn't sound related to that,

so I'm going to rule out foot.

The stomach's just a bag of acid, isn't it?

So I'm going to go veer towards the ear and keep everything crossed.

Ear, please, Jeremy.

Ear is right. Phew.

Judith, your question.

The Franciscana is an alternative common name

for which South American creature?

Francis... Franciscana? Franciscana.

Well, a boa constrictor is a sort of python,

which constructs you and squeezes you.

A giant anteater's just a giant anteater.

I don't know why, but instinct, and it's purely instinct, I don't know,

is taking me to the river dolphin.

The La Plata river dolphin is your answer.

Yes. It's correct.

So she's got three out of three there.

A bit of guesswork, but she got there.

Kay, you need to get this one right to stay in.

The German scientist Ida Noddack is often said to be the first person

to propose the idea of which process?

Hmm.

The fact that it's a German scientist...

is leaning me towards nuclear fission.

I know absolutely nothing about continental drift

or superconductivity.

I think I'm going to have to go for nuclear fission

because of the German connection.

Nuclear fission is correct.

You're playing well, too. Three out of three for you both.

We go to sudden death.

It gets a bit harder, Judith.

I don't give you alternatives.

As you well know.

You've been here before.

What name did Nasa give to the first space shuttle orbiter

which underwent tests in 1977 but never flew in space?

I've no idea.

I don't know. Mariner.

The answer is Enterprise.

Here we are. Sudden death. Kay, your question.

What name inspired by a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University

is given to the radiation that is theoretically emitted

from just outside the event horizon of a black hole?

Hawking radiation.

You're right, you're through.

Oh! Well done. Hawking radiation it is.

Judith's been knocked out. Please rejoin your teams.

OK, as it stands, the Barrycudas have not lost any brains

from the final round. The Eggheads have lost one.

We play on, and it's geography.

Who would like this?

Will I take it?

I'll take this. Craig, marketing manager, against which Egghead?

Anyone but Judith, Craig.

I'll go with Dave. Very good.

It's going to be Craig from the Barrycudas

playing Tremendous Knowledge Dave from the Eggheads.

To ensure there is no conferring, please go to the question room.

Geography, Craig, would you like to go first or second?

I'll go second, please.

Dave, your question. The CN Tower is a feature of which city's skyline?

I thought you said Sien Tower then.

CN. CN, two letters.

Charlie November. Toronto.

Toronto's correct.

Craig. In which Australian state

is the city and seaport of Cairns located?

I haven't been to Australia

and it's not the best place for me for geography.

I don't know why,

but perhaps it's just because it's got Wales in the title

and I'm a Welshman, I'm going to say New South Wales.

Let's see, Dave will know. Dave?

Yeah, I've been done by Cairns before in this quiz.

It's Queensland. Queensland is correct.

Dave, the island of Eigg is part of which of the four nations

that make up the United Kingdom?

Scotland.

Scotland is right.

Craig, onto you to catch up.

Telluride is a popular ski resort in which US state?

I'm drawn towards Colorado on the basis it's very mountainous

and I can imagine there being some great skiing there.

Whilst I've been to California, I haven't been to all of it,

but it seems unlikely to be California, given it's quite warm.

I think I've heard of it and I don't think I know much about Alaska,

so I'm going to go Colorado.

You're absolutely right. Well done. Colorado it is.

Dave, your question. And you can take it with this.

Which of these cities is the national capital of Greenland?

Right, in my language, or Dave's old, old language,

it used to be Godthab.

But the only one that I've heard of, modern times, is Nuuk,

so that's my answer. Nuuk.

Nuuk is your answer. Craig, you're nodding.

I think it's right, yes. Yes, you've got it right there.

Because Dave went first, there's no way back for you, Craig, sorry,

beaten by our Egghead. Dave will be in the final.

Return to us, please, and let's see what's happening with the scores.

So, as it stands, the Barrycudas have lost a brain now

from the final round. Sorry, Craig.

The Eggheads have lost Judith.

So, level going into round three.

And it is film and TV.

Who would like this?

THEY LAUGH

Claire, is that you?

OK. Against which Egghead?

It can't be Dave or Judith.

OK. I think I'll go for Beth.

Very good. So it's going to be Claire from the Barrycudas

taking on Beth on film and TV from the Eggheads.

Please go to our question room now.

Claire, I know you love cinema.

I do, yes. And you're doing something to have a look at the

Oscar-nominated films, is that right?

I do it every single year, yes.

I try and predict what I think is going to be nominated.

So you might watch, what, a dozen films in a burst?

Possibly, yes.

Certainly from Christmas onwards until the Oscars,

I'll be watching, well, a good 20 at least.

And do you find that you're able to work out

who's going to get Best Actor, who's going to get Best Film,

who's going to get Best Director?

Normally, I'm pretty good at working out who I think's going to win, yes.

Good luck. Film and TV against Beth.

Would you like to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

Here we go with your question. Good luck, Claire.

K9 the robot dog appeared in which popular children's TV series

in the 1970s?

I know the answer to this.

I'm a big fan, especially of the new series.

It's Doctor Who.

Doctor Who is correct, well done.

Beth, who played the role of Maureen Webster

in Coronation Street?

My namesake. Well, not Maureen.

It certainly wasn't Julie Goodyear.

That's that Bet Gilroy, I think.

Michelle Keegan, I can't think of her name,

but Maureen I don't think fits with her age.

It would have to be Sherrie Hewson.

The correct answer is Sherrie Hewson. Well done.

Claire, which 2016 film set during World War II stars Brad Pitt

and Marion Cotillard?

Well, this was one of the ones that was on my list

for maybe going to be nominated for an Oscar

and so I've seen it. It's Allied.

This is where your film knowledge is coming in very handy.

Allied is right.

Beth. The actor Ben Mendelsohn,

who plays Orson Krennic in Rogue One was born in which country?

Oh, now, I love all the Star Wars films.

All of them. I've seen Rogue One.

He's an exceptional character is Krennic.

And unfortunately he was putting on an English accent,

so that doesn't help me.

I'm erring towards...

Canada.

Let's see if the Eggheads know. Lisa, you know.

I think he's an Australian.

Australia is the right answer.

Australia.

OK. This is looking a bit interesting,

because if you get this answer right, you're in the final,

and then maybe the table is just tilting towards our Challengers.

Who appears as Matt Garth in the 1948 Western Red River

playing opposite John Wayne?

Was Matt Garth played by...

I don't know.

I've not seen the film.

Montgomery Clift, I think I've seen in a few other Westerns,

so based on that I'm going to go for Montgomery Clift.

You're a really good quizzer, you've got it right.

Montgomery Clift it is.

You're in the final round, Claire.

Sorry, Beth. Knocked out there.

Come back to us, please, both of you.

We'll play one more round before the final.

This is looking a bit interesting now,

because the Barrycudas are playing really well.

Well done, Claire. Thank you.

You've lost a brain from the final round,

but the Eggheads have lost two brains now.

Judith and Beth both gone.

The next subject, the last one before the all-important final,

is sport. Sport.

That'll be me, then, I think, will it?

Yes, definitely. Going to be Iain?

OK, civil servant against which Egghead?

You've got basically just Kevin and Lisa left.

I'll try Kevin, please.

All right. Going to take on Kevin.

So, Iain from the Barrycudas versus Kevin from the Eggheads.

And to ensure there is no conferring,

would you please take your positions in our question room?

Good luck on sport, Iain.

Would you like to go first or second?

Well, it's just worked for Claire, so I think I'll go first, please.

So, up against the Grand Master Kevin on sport.

Here we go, Iain. In which of these sports are you most likely to see

a drop shot executed?

A drop shot.

Well, I'd hope you wouldn't drop anything from a snooker table

because I think that would be a foul.

And bowls is played on the ground, so I'll go for tennis, please.

Tennis is correct.

Kevin. What is an opening batsman said to have done

if he or she remains not out

at the end of a completed innings in cricket?

They have carried their bat.

They have carried their bat, you're right.

Back to you, Iain. Which of these teams competed alongside Australia,

New Zealand and England in Rugby League's 2016 Four Nations?

Right, OK.

I'm more a Union man than a Rugby League man,

but I think that was Scotland.

Scotland is right.

Playing well.

Kevin, your question. Second question.

In which sport did Robbie Renwick, who retired in 2016,

win an Olympic silver medal at the Rio Games?

I don't immediately recognise the name, I'm afraid.

So it's either swimming or shooting.

In terms of the size of the teams,

I suspect there are more swimmers than shooters, anyway.

I think, on balance... I don't know it,

but I think on balance I'm going to go for swimming.

And you ruled out curling because, why?

Because curling is in the Winter Olympics

and that didn't take place in Rio 2016.

Swimming is the right answer.

OK, your third question.

I can see this is a great round we've got here.

Iain, in 2016,

Henrikh Mkhitaryan became the first football player

from which country to score for Manchester United

in the Premier League?

Which country?

Right, OK.

This was one...

I was going to say began with A!

I don't think it's Azerbaijan.

So it's one of the other two.

I think...

..it's Armenia.

You're very good. Armenia's right.

Well done. Playing really well.

Three out of three there, Iain.

Often that's enough, but let's see.

You're up against Kevin here.

Which of these Formula 1 drivers won the Monaco Grand Prix six times?

Kevin, was it...?

I wouldn't have thought...

..given the relatively brief career,

that Senna would have won it six times.

So I'll eliminate him.

For some reason, and it may be that it's a record of a different kind,

the one I associate most with success in Monaco

is Graham Hill, really.

I will say Graham Hill.

Well, Hill was known as Mr Monaco.

He won it five.

Schumacher won it five and Ayrton Senna was the answer -

he won it six times. Six times.

I eliminated him. So, you've been knocked out, Kevin.

Amazing work by you, Iain.

It doesn't happen very often.

It's quite an exciting moment for the Challengers here.

You've taken on an Egghead and you've beaten him.

Maybe taken on THE Egghead, I should say.

So, we're set for the final, aren't we?

Please return to us, both of you.

So, this is what we've 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 it is Craig from Barrycudas,

but it's also Beth, Kevin and Judith from the Eggheads.

Would you please now leave the studio?

Huw, Iain, Claire, Kay.

You're playing for ?6,000.

Lisa and Dave, you're playing to just somehow hold off

this amazing advance they've made and keep the Eggheads' run going.

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

They're all going to be general knowledge.

You can confer, Challengers.

So, the question for the Barrycudas is,

can your four brains defeat these two Eggheads here?

Would you like to go first or second?

We'll go first, please.

OK. Huw and team, good luck.

According to the proverbial saying, a miss is as good as a what?

I think it's mile. Mile, yes.

All happy with mile? Yes.

OK. Mile.

A miss is as good as a mile.

You're quite right.

Eggheads. What informal term

means to lower the amount offered to the seller of a property

just before exchange of contracts?

It's only gazump I've heard of in terms of...

Houses. ..houses, so...

I think we'll go with gazump. Yes.

That's safe. That's fine.

That's gazump, Jeremy.

OK. Let's just go through this.

When you are selling a house...

Oh, we didn't listen to the question. You didn't.

This is about lowering the amount offered

to the seller of the property... Oh, right. No.

..just before the exchange of contracts.

OK, that's new.

Gazunder. OK. Isn't that interesting? Mm-hm.

OK. Really couldn't be going any better.

Barrycudas, your question.

In 2016, it was announced that a degree-level education

would be a minimum requirement for entry level

into which profession in England and Wales from 2020?

This is police officers, isn't it? That's what I thought.

Yeah. Are we all happy?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah?

Police officers.

Police officers is correct.

Two out of two. You only need one more,

and you've won ?6,000.

They can't do anything about it.

See if you can get a question right, Eggheads.

Yeah. Which of these Scottish cities has a name

that derives from words meaning "green hollow"?

"Edin-burg" - "something borough".

I don't know, I've got an inkl...

I'd go for Glasgow, but I've...

Well, that would have been where I'd have gone.

Yeah. If we haven't got anything for the other two. Mm.

Yeah, I'd go Glasgow.

Yeah, go on, we'll give it a try.

Go on, then.

Based on not terribly much other than instinct,

we're going to try Glasgow.

Your answer is Glasgow.

If you've got this wrong, it's over.

Mm-hm. ?6,000 we're playing for.

The answer is Glasgow.

Hah. Well, there's a start.

All right. Challengers.

Of which country did Bill English

become the new Prime Minister in December 2016?

OK. It's not Canada... It's not Canada.

..because that's Justin Trudeau. Yes. Oh, yeah, it is, yeah.

Erm... Australia... I'm not sure if I can...

..eliminate the other two. ..or New Zealand?

So, I don't know... Bill English...

Isn't it Australia?

Because I'm sure I remember seeing something where I thought,

"Ooh, how ironic that they want independence..."

Yeah. "..and yet his name's English."

Is it something Key is erm...

Prime Minister of New Zealand, perhaps?

So, shall we just go for Australia?

Mm...

OK. Yeah.

We don't know the answer - as you can probably tell - but erm...

we've ruled out Canada, erm...

and essentially we think we're going to go for Australia.

Australia is your answer.

What do you think, Eggheads?

New Zealand. New Zealand is the answer.

Oh, no! OK.

They need to get this right, or you've won ?6,000.

Eggheads, your third question -

what name was popularly given to the free schools for poor children

in Britain such as those opened by Thomas Barnardo in the 19th century?

I've only ever heard of the ragged schools.

Same here.

Got to go ragged schools, haven't we? I think we have.

I can't make a case for the other two.

Can't make it. Let's not... Completely...

Let's not procrastinate.

Let's not take the paranoia overtake us completely!

No. No. Not at all.

Right, OK. Erm...

We think that's ragged schools, Jeremy.

Ragged schools is your answer.

If you've got it wrong, they've won ?6,000.

The correct answer is ragged schools.

You're back on track, Eggheads.

Ho-ho, what a let-off!

Now, will that be an expensive let-off you gave them?

We go to sudden death now.

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

Here's your first question.

Which DJ replaced Chris Moyles

as the host of Radio 1's Breakfast Show in 2012?

Is that Nick Grimshaw?

What do you think the answer is? Nick Grimshaw.

OK. That's what came into my mind, but I don't listen to Radio 1, so...

No. I do. Nick Grimshaw?

Yeah. We're going to go for Nick Grimshaw.

Nick Grimshaw is correct.

Well done. Well done.

Eggheads.

Sudden death. In September 2016,

the Royal Mail issued a set of stamps

commemorating the books of which writer,

whose first crime novel had been written 100 years before?

I would have gone Agatha.

Let's have a think, she died in '76, didn't she?

I'm for going for her. Because she wrote 60-odd novels, didn't she?

So... That's one a year. Yeah.

Knocking 'em out. I'm for that if you're for that...

Yeah. As I said, she died...

She was in her 80s when she died, so...

I think we've got to go Agatha Christie...

All right. ..but it's no means certain.

No. But I think there's...

There's case there for it, we'll give it a try. OK. Right.

OK... Some deliberation later, we'll go for Agatha Christie.

Agatha Christie's right.

Sudden death.

Feeling tense?

A little!

What system of physical exercises, invented by Callan Pinckney,

was the subject of a book published in 1984

subtitled 10 Years Younger In 10 Hours?

Callanetics? Can you spell Callan?

C-A-L-L-A-N.

Yeah, it is, it's Callan.

But whether it's Callanetics...

It is. ..or Callan... Or Calla-matics.

No, it's Callanetics. Callanetics.

Callanetics. That's definitely a thing, isn't it?

That's definitely an exercise. Yeah.

I remember when I worked in the book shop,

we had Callanetics books in the...

Yeah. It makes sense, doesn't it? We'll go with that, then. Yeah.

OK. We're going to go for Callanetics.

Callanetics is correct. Very good.

OK, Eggheads, here we are again.

It's not easy, is it?

Which football player was awarded

his fourth Ballon d'Or trophy in 2016?

2016...

If it's 2016, it's Cristiano Ronaldo.

First one was won at United.

He's won two more at Real Madrid.

So it's Cristiano...

If it's 2016, he definitely won it.

Go on. Cristiano Ronaldo.

Okey dokey. Erm...

Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo is correct.

Here's your question. Which financier,

tycoon and politician was the father of the journalist

and campaigner Jemima Khan?

This is.. Goldsmith. ..Goldsmith.

Isn't it? Yes, it is.

But what's his first name, though?

Cos Zac's the son...

Zac's the son.

It's the guy from the Referendum Party years ago, isn't it?

Is it James?

Well, Jemima sounds a bit James-y.

I'm not sure I can get away from that now, but...

No. ..I'm not convinced it's right either. Sorry, no...

Ooh...

Has he got a title, in any way, would he be like...?

Sir something Goldsmith. Probably was. Just wondering if that...

Philip. Philip... No.

Mm... You want to go for Philip, do you?

I don't know. I just... I think I prefer James.

Yeah, I prefer James. James. OK, let's go for James.

I don't know if it's right, though. I'm not sure.

Don't know. Don't know. Yeah, we don't know.

We're struggling with the first name, but we're going to go for...

James Goldsmith? James. Yeah. James Goldsmith.

James Goldsmith is correct.

Oh, my goodness! Sir James.

OK... Eggheads, pressure on YOU now.

If you get this wrong, the contest is over,

they're going to win ?6,000 on this one answer.

Who directed the 1972 Charles Bronson hit man film

The Mechanic?

Have you got any idea?

I'm thinking. There was a bloke who did a whole load of Bronson stuff

that died recently, and I can't think of his name.

Was it Cimino you're thinking of?

No, not Cimino.

Died later than Cimino in the '70s and I can't think who it is.

Well, the only other one's Michael Winner with Death Wish,

but it's not him. It's not Michael Winner.

I think, the one I was thinking of was Sam Peckinpah cos he was...

He died a lot earlier.

Well, I might have it confused with something.

Well, just see, just try and rule out what you're thinking of.

I can't even think of the film, though.

Yeah, I think we're in trouble. I think we're in big trouble here.

No, I'm struggling.

So I'll go Sam Peckinpah for want of a better guess.

Yep, fair enough. Sam Peckinpah, we'll fall on our sword.

Let's do it. Sam Peckinpah.

The interesting thing is here, you did say the name.

Kevin, who is it?

Michael Winner, I think.

Michael Winner is the answer. Oh, well played!

Congratulations, Challengers, you have won!

And particular congrats to Iain, because you knocked Kevin out.

Honestly, brilliant quizzing, to take them that far in sudden death,

we must all go around gazundering.

That's where the trouble started, isn't it?

I can't believe they've got a word for that!

That must be such a rare thing.

Challengers, how does it feel?

It feels fantastic. Brilliant. Good. I'm so pleased for you.

Every single round, my goodness, you really slogged it out there,

so congratulations, Barrycudas, you've won ?6,000.

You are officially cleverer than the Eggheads,

and, after that immense game,

I hope you'll join us next time to see what happens

when we reset the jackpot

and whether a new team of Challengers

can be just as successful as the brilliant Barrycudas.

Until then, goodbye.