Episode 51 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.

Taking on our awesome quiz champions today are the Holiday Quizzers.

Now, this friends and family team

from across the country have been going on holiday together

for over 20 years and one of their main activities

whilst away is quizzing.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Karen and I work in nuclear safety.

Hi, I'm Lee, I'm a safety adviser.

Hi, I'm Kath and I'm a retired social worker.

Hi, I'm Rachel and I'm an environmental scientist.

Hi, I'm Frances, I'm an office manager and trading coordinator.

So, Karen and team, hello.

-ALL:

-Hello.

-Welcome. And it's holiday that brings you together?

Absolutely, yes.

Tell us about where you go, Karen.

Every year we go to Mill Rythe Holiday Centre,

which is on Hayling Island on the south coast of England.

Right. And how did you discover it, then, Karen? Just by chance?

It was a mutual friend that discovered it

and started booking up for us

and, over the years,

we've had so much fun that we've brought more and more people.

So we'd go home and we talk about

what a great time we'd had on holiday

and then people say, "Oh, that sounds really good,"

so we'd say, "Feel free to come if you want."

So over the years we've had probably about 100 people come.

Brilliant. I'm actually quite tempted.

-Well, you're very welcome.

-I think I might become 101.

And there is quizzing as part of this?

Yes, absolutely.

I would say two or three times a day, sometimes.

-Really?

-So the centre where we stay hold quizzes

and we give it a go.

All right. Well, perfect.

Perfect preparation.

Good luck, Challengers.

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

for our challenging team. If they fail to defeat the Eggheads,

the prize money rolls over to our next show.

So, wonderful Holiday Quizzers,

I can tell you that the Eggheads are on a roll now.

They've won the last eight games so you've got to stop them.

And if you do, you'll win £9,000.

OK, the first head-to-head battle

is on the subject of Arts & Books.

So it's one of you against either Dave, Beth,

Barry, Pat or Chris.

-I don't think there's any real doubt here, is there?

-I don't think so.

-Shall I play Chris, then?

-Definitely, Kath. Yup.

-And you think...

-I think we'll play...

I'm just wondering, if music comes up,

whether I would pit him against Rachel.

I would choose anybody but Chris for that reason.

He's the only one that I would think might have

a little, tiny, little bit of weakness against somebody young.

So anyone but Chris. OK, that's interesting.

That's interesting.

So you've got Dave, Beth, Barry and Pat.

-I'll go with Beth.

-Yes, we'll go with Beth.

All right. Brilliant. I love the strategy.

I can see they've planned it out.

So, Kath from the Holiday Quizzers,

taking on Beth from the Eggheads on Arts & Books.

And to ensure there is no conferring,

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

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

I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

OK, here we go.

"Thud!" and Unseen Academicals are novels in which series of books?

I'm certain it's not Harry Potter.

I'm not absolutely certain between the other two.

I think I'm going to go for Discworld.

You're absolutely right, yes. Now, Discworld...

Challengers, who wrote Discworld?

-Terry Pratchett.

-Terry Pratchett, that's right.

OK, Beth, in CS Lewis's

The Lion, The Witch And The wardrobe,

the character Mr Tumnus is half human and half what creature?

Mr Tumnus is a fawn, so that would make him half man, half goat.

Goat is correct, yeah.

Back to you, Kath.

Piggy is the name of one of the main characters in

which of these famous novels?

I've actually read all these, but very many years ago!

But I don't think it's The Grapes of Wrath.

I'm pretty sure it's Lord Of The Flies.

Lord Of The Flies is right.

Lord Of The Flies. OK, Beth, your question to catch up.

In the 1945 novel, Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh,

what is Aloysius?

It's not actually a novel I've read,

but I do think Aloysius was a teddy bear.

Yes, Aloysius was a teddy bear.

Well done. Two points each.

And, Kath, we go back to you.

The 2006 novel The Road,

telling of a father and son's struggles in a post-apocalyptic USA

was written by which American author?

I haven't actually read this, but I think I know who wrote it.

I don't think it is Jay McInerney

or Bret Easton Ellis.

I think it's Cormac McCarthy.

It is indeed Cormac McCarthy.

Well done.

All right, over to you now, Beth.

"Come what, come may, time and the hour runs

"through the roughest day,"

is a quotation from which Shakespearean play?

I gave up studying Shakespeare when I was 16.

And I've only actually studied one of those plays at all,

and that is Macbeth, and I can't remember it as a quote from that.

Doesn't sound... something like King Lear.

Let's go with As You Like It.

As You Like It. I would have chosen that and, like you,

I know Macbeth best and I didn't recognise it,

but it is from Macbeth.

Oh, is it?! Well, there you go.

I know Shakespeare is not your thing.

-No.

-But Macbeth is the answer, Beth.

Well done, Kath. You've done it.

3-2.

That's a good start for our Challengers.

Took on an Egghead, you emerged triumphant.

Return to us, please, and we'll play Round Two.

As it stands, the Holiday Quizzers have not lost a brain.

-This is good.

-Yes!

-There is rejoicing on Hayling Island.

The Eggheads have lost a brain, and the next subject is Geography.

So who would like this?

Holiday Quizzers, Geography?

Do you want to do it?

Do you want me to take it?

You've done a lot of travelling.

Yeah, but I'm not sure about too much.

-Would you feel happy taking it?

-I'll have a go at it.

You will be great, Frances.

-OK, Frances.

-That's it, then.

-Who do you want to take on?

-Oh, yes.

-Anyone but Beth?

-They are all really good.

Shall I take Dave on?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Take Dave on?

-Yeah.

-Tremendous Knowledge.

-I'm going to go for Dave.

Very good. So Frances from the Holiday Quizzers

taking on Tremendous Knowledge Dave on Geography.

-Is this good for you, Dave?

-Well, I lost the last one.

-On Geography, did you?

-Yeah. British Overseas Territories.

-Oh, that's still hurting.

-Oh, it hurts.

We had a whole inquiry over that, didn't we?

I had a proper inquiry about it.

I won't tell you my conclusion.

To ensure there is no conferring, please take your positions.

So, Dave, the old British territories.

To explain, Frances, it was Geography in another game

where Dave got hit by this question -

how many British Overseas Territories are as there?

And we went astray, Dave, didn't we?

Went very astray, yeah. 30 out. I thought we had more.

Maybe it'll come up again and then you'll know all of them.

Yes, oh, don't you worry about that.

So Geography, Frances. Would you like to go first or second?

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

And here is your question.

The Tyrrhenian Sea is an arm of which other much larger sea?

And I will spell it for you, T-Y-R-R-H-E-N-I-A-N.

Right, well, I definitely think it's not the Irish Sea.

I'm not quite sure,

but I think I'm going to go for the Mediterranean Sea.

Mediterranean Sea is quite right.

Dave, over to you.

The Promenade de la Croisette is a palm tree-lined avenue

in which French city?

Right, I've been to Bordeaux and Cannes.

I'm going to rule out Roo-in. Rouen, sorry.

It sounds more like Cannes,

even though I didn't experience it myself,

so I'm going to go Cannes, please.

Yes, Cannes is right.

Well done. Frances, over to you.

Which of these cities is often said to have

one of the largest natural harbours in the world?

Right, well, I've been to Los Angeles, but I haven't actually...

I didn't actually go near, very close to the coast in Los Angeles.

Sydney, does have a big harbour with the Opera House.

I think I'm going to go straight down the middle

and I'm going to go with Sydney,

thinking of the Opera House and everything else.

Understood. Yes, Sydney is the right answer.

Oh!

OK, Dave, to catch up.

The resort of Kavos, well-known for its clubbing atmosphere,

is on which Greek island?

-Kavos?

-Yeah.

I'm not sure.

I'm going to rule out Lesbos

and Zante,

And I would've thought it's Corfu, but I haven't heard of it there,

but I'll go Corfu.

Corfu is the right answer.

OK, so it is your question now,

Frances, at 2-2.

The town of Monza, known for its motor racing track,

lies nine miles north-east of which major Italian city?

Well, my family are really into Formula 1.

I know my son is going to kill me if I don't get this right,

so there is even more pressure.

I don't think it's Genoa.

Don't think it is Turin, so I am going to go for Milan.

Milan is right.

You're playing well.

All right, Dave, your question to stay in.

The High Tatras on the border between Poland and Slovakia

are part of which larger mountain range?

So Tatras is T-A-T-R-A-S. The High Tatras.

I don't think it is the Urals.

I don't think it is the Caucasus.

Carpathians came into my headfirst,

but I'm just thinking very carefully

not to try and make too much of a mistake.

Yeah, I've got to go Carpathians in this particular instance.

Carpathians is correct.

Dave, well done. So three questions each, the scores are level.

Both playing really well.

Have you Challengers got a question wrong yet?

I don't think you have.

Good team. OK, Frances, gets a bit harder now.

Goes to Sudden Death

and I don't give you alternative options.

Roaring Water Bay and the Old Head of Kinsale

are on the south coast of which country?

I really don't have much of an idea,

but I'm going towards either Ireland or New Zealand,

which is completely different ends of the world.

I'm going to go for...

..New Zealand.

I know that sounds strange, but it also has a bit of Scottish about it

and I know a lot of Scottish people went to New Zealand.

So I'm going to go for New Zealand.

Hopefully...

Closer to home - Ireland.

-Oh, no!

-Sorry!

-It was a classic 50-50.

-Oh!

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

San Salvador is the capital of which country?

I'm just making sure I've got everything right here.

El Salvador.

El Salvador is the right answer. Sorry, Frances.

Knocked out there on Roaring Water Bay.

And Dave is in the final round.

So Dave has levelled it up.

-Well done, Dave.

-Exciting, this.

Come back to us, both of you. We'll see what the next round brings.

So it's been evened up now.

The Holiday Quizzers have lost a brain from the final.

The Eggheads have lost one as well.

And the next subject for you is Food & Drink.

Oh!

-Who would like this?

-I think I'm going to go.

I should perhaps go as a sacrificial lamb here.

Doesn't come up as anybody's favourite, has it?

-No. Except Frances.

-Except Frances.

Frances was our expert on Food & Drink.

-So...

-I'll send my vibes through to you.

You do that. Just think food, right.

-I think I'm going to take it.

-OK, Karen. Against which Egghead?

And it can be any of the three gentlemen on the right.

I would really like to play against Barry.

-Yes!

-It's the shirt.

Yeah, Barry's shirts...

Amazing how many people want to play me because of the shirts.

Karen from the Holiday Quizzers, versus Barry from the Eggheads

on Food & Drink.

So, please go to our Question Room.

All right, Food & Drink. So out of your comfort zone, I know, Karen.

Would you like to go first or second?

I'd like to go first, please.

Good luck. Lambrusco is the name of a red grape variety

and a type of wine from which country?

I am not a wine drinker.

It doesn't sound French.

Don't think it sounds Greek.

So, just the name of it,

I think I'm going to go for Italy.

Italy is quite right.

Well done.

Doing well on your Italy questions, Challengers.

Barry, Nigella Lawson won the British Book Award

for Author Of The Year for her 2000 book, How To Be a Domestic what?

Well, in my mind she's all three,

but she won the award for How To Be A Domestic Goddess.

Goddess is correct, Barry.

I'm sure you've read it.

OK, Karen,

which pasta, a thinner version of spaghetti,

has a name from the Italian for "little worms"?

I'm not very good on my pasta.

It doesn't seem to matter to me

cos, at the end of the day, it is all the same stuff,

it's just a different shape.

I think the penne pasta is that

tube, a couple of inches long.

Is tagliatelle the ribbon one?

I think I am going to go with vermicelli.

Let's see if the Challengers know.

-Do you know?

-Yes.

-Is she right?

Yes, you're right. Vermicelli it is.

Right, Barry,

which of these drinks is flavoured

with essence from the citrus bergamia?

Well, tequila is from the agave,

so I don't think it's that. Sake is a rice wine.

But Earl Grey tea is famously flavoured with Earl of Bergamot,

so I guess that must be from the bergamia,

so it is Earl Grey tea.

Very good, Barry, Earl Grey tea it is.

OK, so third question for you, Karen. You're playing well.

The Spanish paste called membrillo

is made from which yellow-skinned fruit?

That is M-E-M-B-R-I-L-L-O.

It's not something I've heard of.

It's going to be guava or quince.

I think I'm going to go for quince.

No real reason.

I just think it's probably more likely.

OK. Quince is the answer, well done.

Three out of three.

Barry, under pressure!

The root vegetable and herb called maca that became popular for its

perceived health effects is native to which major mountain chain?

Now, Barry, maca is spelt very simply, M-A-C-A, OK?

I can't think of any vegetables grown in the Alps

that are renowned for health reasons.

Or the Himalayas for that reason.

But the Andes certainly seem to grow a lot of vegetables

and when I was in Peru, there were

all sorts of different vegetables on display there that were

promoting all sorts of different health reasons.

So on that basis alone I will go for the Andes.

Barry living up to his title.

He has been to every answer.

Andes is the right answer, well done.

It's impressive, actually.

So, three each.

There we are, level. And now it's Sudden Death again, Karen.

I don't give you alternatives, OK?

Here we go. What name, literally meaning green juice,

is given to the liquid made from sour grapes, crab apples

or other unripe and fruit

that was used a great deal in medieval cookery?

I'm trying to think of...

Green things usually start with...

..V-E-R, don't they, ver-something?

Unless I'm completely imagining that.

But...

What green juice?

Can I think of anything that begins with ver-?

Vermouth? No, that's an alcohol.

I'm almost at the point of making things up.

Do I do that, shall I make something up that begins with ver-?

No, I'm barking up the wrong tree.

Is it something else?

No, there's nothing coming to me, sorry.

I'll have to pass, I think, yes.

Oh, you are going to be so cross with yourself.

Do you know here?

You said it begins with ver- and it does begin with ver-.

-I was thinking juice.

-Yes, verjuice.

-Why did I not think?

Yes, that's so obvious, isn't it, afterwards?

I thought you were just going to go there.

I mean, that is...

But impressive, you got halfway there.

All right, Barry, for the round.

What word, starting with the letter F,

refers both to a dish served on a bed of spinach

and a biscuit consisting mainly of nuts and preserved fruit

coated on one side with chocolate?

The biscuit gave it to me straightaway

and then I remembered that a dish served with spinach

is a la Florentine.

So the answer must be Florentine.

Florentine is the right answer, Barry.

You've taken it on Food & Drink, well done. Sorry, Karen.

But, you know, brilliant, brilliant play, I must say,

given that it's not your subject.

So, the Challengers have fallen behind.

We've got one more round to play before the final.

Please return to us.

So, as it stands, the Holiday Quizzers have lost two brains

from the final round. The Eggheads have lost just the one.

And the next subject for you is Sport.

I don't think there's any doubt here, is there?

-No doubt at all.

-Lee?

OK. Our safety adviser against... Who do you want to take on?

Last round now.

-Chris?

-I think that is a good idea.

-Yeah.

-I am going to go for Chris.

All right. Lee from the Holiday Quizzers

trying to get Chris out from the Eggheads on Sport.

Look how happy he is.

He doesn't like it. He doesn't like Sport.

"They don't like it up them, sir!"

Well, you don't like it up you!

Please go to the Question Room now.

Well, Lee, you've got Chris on his favourite subject, Sport.

Do you want to go first or second?

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

Here we go.

"Citius, Altius, Fortius", meaning "faster, higher, stronger",

is the motto of which international sporting event?

OK. I'm pretty confident it's not the football World Cup.

I can't really see the connection to the Tour de France either.

So I think, given the variety of sports involved,

it's probably the Olympic Games.

Olympic Games is quite right. Well done.

Chris, in which year

was the two-time Olympic decathlon champion Daley Thompson born?

Well, he was active in the '80s, so that would put him born in 1958.

'58 is quite right.

Lee, which of these

Open Championship golf venues is located in England?

Right, I'm not really a big golfer.

Really not sure.

Carnoustie sounds Scottish, I think.

So I'm trying to choose between Turnberry and Royal Birkdale.

I think I'll go Royal Birkdale.

Let's get some help on this.

Carnoustie Scottish?

-Yes.

-Turnberry?

-Scottish.

-Yes.

-Scottish as well.

Yeah, Royal Birkdale is the answer, well done, Lee.

Chris, your question.

Which Premier League football club bought the Senegalese international

Sadio Mane from Southampton for approximately £34 million in 2016?

Well, I'm not going to mention it in front of Dave,

so it's not the one on the right.

Neither is it the one on the left.

I think it's your lot, Chelsea.

-My lot? No, I did not see a Mane play at Chelsea.

-Did you not?

Liverpool is the place to find him.

OK, you're ahead, Lee.

This is good now, just get this one right, you're in the final.

Which country's men's cricket team

defeated England 4-0 in a Test series in 2016?

OK. I don't recall...

I don't recall it, really.

Cricket's not my sport either.

Don't think it was Australia.

Don't think it's New Zealand either. I think I'll go for India.

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

-Eggheads?

-Yes.

-India is the right answer. Well done, Lee.

You've done it.

No way back, Chris.

Sorry, it's Sport again.

It's not a subject! It's just list learning and trivia!

"It's not a subject," he says.

OK. Good stuff.

You've rattled them, Lee.

Come back to us. We'll play the final round for £9,000.

So this is what we have been playing towards.

It is time for the final round,

which, is 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, from the Holiday Quizzers, it's Karen and Frances,

and from the Eggheads, Beth and Chris.

Would you please leave the studio?

Lee, Kath and Rachel,

you are playing to win the Holiday Quizzers £9,000.

Dave, Barry, Pat, you're playing for something that money cannot buy,

which is to keep this run going.

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

This time they're all General Knowledge

and you are allowed to confer.

So, Holiday Quizzers, the question is,

can your three brains overwhelm these three over here?

Would you like to go first or second?

We'd like to go first, please.

OK, Rachel and team, here we go.

Good luck. Who played Mr Bumble in the 1968 film musical Oliver?

-I was going to say that anyway, so shall we go for that?

-Yeah.

We think it's Harry Secombe.

Harry Secombe is quite right.

Well done. OK, Eggheads, your question.

The volcano Popocatepetl is in which country?

-Mexico.

-Mexico, we're happy?

-Definitely.

-Not far from Mexico City.

-That's it.

It's in Mexico.

Mexico is correct.

OK, your question, Challengers.

The word zombie was originally derived from a language

native to which continent?

Well, it comes from voodoo religion which comes from Africa.

So I'd be fairly confident.

-Has anyone got any other ideas?

-No, we'll go with that, then.

We're going to go for Africa, please.

Africa is quite right.

Well done! Right, Eggheads, your question to keep up.

Which Oscar-winning British actress played Evanora,

the Wicked Witch of the East

in the 2013 film Oz The Great And Powerful?

Hm. Oh.

-My first thought is Rachel Weisz.

-OK.

But is she outside the criteria?

Has she an Oscar?

Yes. For the John Le Carre one.

-The Constant Gardener.

-Yeah. She is an Oscar winner.

-They've all got Oscars.

-They've all got Oscars.

But Rachel Weisz is an Oscar winner.

I'm just a little uncertain, but of those three I would say it's

-definitely Rachel Weisz.

-OK, that's the only thing we've got.

And she has won an Oscar.

-Definitely has an Oscar?

-I can confirm that.

And she's definitely British.

Yeah, she is British, yeah.

OK, we think that might be Rachel Weisz.

Rachel Weisz is the right answer. Well done.

What a shame!

I thought they were just going to go astray there.

OK, third question to you.

Which state, nicknamed the First State,

was the first of the 13 original states

to ratify the US Constitution?

I'm thinking it might be Virginia

just because I think that was one of the early states that the settlers

-went out to.

-That came into my head but I don't know why.

After Queen Elizabeth I.

-Do you think we should just go with what two of us...?

-I think so.

We haven't got any other way of saying, have we?

-OK. Yeah?

-Yeah.

-All right.

We are going to make a bit of a guess at Virginia.

OK. Virginia is your answer for three in a row.

Let's see, this is the sort of thing the Eggs like.

They're all East Coast.

Go on, Eggheads.

-ALL:

-Delaware.

Delaware is the answer.

So, two out of three.

Maybe enough to get you to Sudden Death,

but the Eggheads could end it here.

£9,000 we're playing for.

Eggheads, your question. Who was the first director-general of MI5

to be identified publicly while still in the job?

-I thought it was Rimington.

-Stella Rimington.

-While in the job?

-Yeah.

But I could be wrong.

But she was high profile, wasn't she?

I've not heard of either of the other two names.

Stella Rimington was such high profile.

It just has to be her.

-I'm sure.

-That's what I'd go with.

But as I said, if we can just

rule out that we haven't heard

of either of those two names.

Andrew Parker is after her.

After her, right.

I'm not sure what to do with Vernon Kell.

You think Stella...?

I would have gone Stella.

We're not certain, but we're going to go for Stella Rimington.

Stella Rimington. If you've got this wrong, we go to Sudden Death.

If you've got it right,

you've taken the contest and the £9,000 is snatched away.

The correct answer is Stella Rimington.

We say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won!

Thanks for playing.

-Hope you enjoyed it.

-We did.

-We did, thank you.

-And you did well.

3-3 in the final means, you know, it's in the air.

So you could sense their nervousness over here.

But commiserations, Holiday Quizzers,

the Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them most of the time,

this winning streak continues. I'm afraid it means that

the Challengers don't go home with the £9,000.

So we take that money, we keep it for the next show,

we add £1,000 to it. Eggheads, congratulations.

Who is ever going to beat you?

Join us next time to see if a new team of Challengers can do it.

Hopefully I've just jinxed it.

And there will be £10,000 on the table.

I know you love it when there's a jackpot in five figures.

And until we quiz again, goodbye.