Episode 76 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.

Hoping to beat the might of the Eggheads today are:

from Wolston in Warwickshire.

Now, this isn't the first time that this team have appeared

on a quiz show together.

They all took part in Family Fortunes, 26 years ago.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Pete. I'm a retired business manager.

Hello, I'm Paul and I'm a workshop controller.

Hi, my name's Sam and I'm a hotel accounts manager.

Hi, I'm Mark and I'm a sales rep.

Hello, I'm Peter and I'm an installations engineer.

So, Pete and team, hello.

Welcome. First of all, on the team name,

Not Slow is the key bit of the name, is that right, Pete?

-Yes.

-Why's that?

Well, it's Wolston backwards, and that's where we come from.

-Oh, I see, the village name reversed?

-Yes.

-Right.

My wife was born and bred in Wolston, my lovely wife, Sheila,

was born and bred in Wolston.

She's the mother of this lot.

-This lot meaning your children?

-My children.

Well, hardly children now.

-They're a bit old for that.

-So, three brothers and a sister.

And tell me about Family Fortunes. Was this the line-up for that?

-Yeah, Same line-up, yeah.

-Oh, brilliant.

-Who was hosting that?

-Les Dennis.

-OK. So, we're going into a bit of TV gold there, aren't we?

-Yeah, yeah!

Do you quiz together, Pete, at all?

No, not really. We sort of quiz individually, but as a team,

I think that's the last time we got together as a team.

-Family Fortunes a bit different to Eggheads, of course.

-Yeah.

Well, in 26 years' time, will people speak of this show as a distant memory?

-Or will we still be going?

-We'll still be here!

I'll be 78.

I'm not going to say how old I'll be!

I wasn't looking at you for that reason, Judith!

Challengers, good luck.

Every day, there's £1,000-worth of cash up for grabs for our Challengers.

But if they fail to defeat the Eggheads, the prize money rolls over to our next show.

So, Not Slow on the Uptake,

the Eggheads have won the last two games,

and there's £3,000 for you if you beat them. Would you like to try?

-Oh, yes.

-Great stuff.

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

So, one of you, please, against either Dave, Pat, Beth, Kevin or Judith?

-Well, we've already decided.

-Samantha.

-It's going to be Samantha.

-Yeah, I'll do that.

-Sam, OK.

-Samantha will do it.

Hotel accounts manager. Against which Egghead? Any one of them.

-They're all good at History, aren't they?

-Dave?

-Dave?

-Yeah, against Dave, please.

-Dave, thank you.

Very good, let's get cracking. Sam, from Not Slow on the Uptake,

versus Tremendous Knowledge Dave, who rarely is.

I don't know about that!

Very, very fast on the uptake, our Dave.

To ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions

in the legendary Question Room.

You're up against Tremendous Knowledge Dave, here.

-Would you like to go first or second, Sam?

-First, please.

Here we go. In 1989,

the army of which country withdrew from Afghanistan

after a nine-year occupation?

I don't really know, to be honest.

I'm going to have to say...

Iraq.

It's not Iraq, actually. It's the one where the Russians went in.

-So it's the Soviet Union.

-OK.

OK, Dave, your question.

Which of these historical figures was born in the 16th century?

Right, well. All naval.

Nelson was Trafalgar, so that'll be the 19th century.

John Jellicoe led the Battle of Jutland in the 20th century.

So I've got to go for Francis Drake out of those three, please.

Francis Drake is correct, well done. Back to you, Sam.

Which of these things was widely banned in Scotland

following the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie

at the Battle of Culloden?

Well, I really can't imagine it being golf or haggis.

Obviously, it's not illegal now, is it,

but I'm going to say the wearing of tartan.

The wearing of tartan is correct, Sam, well done.

Nicely done.

OK, Dave, your question.

Approximately in which year was Hadrian's Wall completed?

The year I've got in mind is 128 AD,

so 130 AD looks the closest to me.

You are Tremendous Knowledge Dave today. 130 AD is right.

We're sort of looking for him to get one wrong, Sam, aren't we?

Hasn't happened yet. So, you need to get this one right.

Your third question.

The man named Tomas de Torquemada

is best known for his role in which aspect of history?

So, it's Tomas - T-O-M-A-S -

de - D-E - Torquemada, all one word - T-O-R-Q-U-E-M-A-D-A.

It doesn't sound Spanish to me.

I'm going to go the conquest of South America.

-Dave, do you know this?

-Spanish Inquisition.

Spanish Inquisition is the right answer.

Sorry, Sam, knocked out by Dave. Dave will be in the final round.

Don't worry, though, very, very early.

Please rejoin your teams and we'll play the second round.

As it stands, Not Slow on the Uptake have lost a brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have not lost any so far,

but your next subject is Arts And Books,

so let's see what you can do on this.

That's you, Paul, isn't it?

-That's you, Samantha. It's my backup.

-Oh.

You'd better do that, then.

-OK.

-Paul?

-Yeah.

The workshop controller against which Egghead?

-Anyone but Dave.

-Beth.

All right, very good. Paul from Not Slow on the Uptake,

taking on Beth from the Eggheads. Please go to the Question Room now.

Arts And Books, Paul. Would you like to go first or second against Beth?

First, please, Jeremy.

Here we go with your first question.

Which of these works of art was created first?

Right, of those three I'd have thought

the earliest would be Botticelli.

Henry Moore's more recent.

I'll go for The Birth Of Venus by Botticelli.

The Birth Of Venus by Botticelli is quite right. Well done, Paul.

Over to you, Beth.

In a poem by Hilaire Belloc, what is the first name of the child

who chewed bits of string and was early cut-off in dreadful agonies?

Oh. It's not something I know.

I wonder whether there's a rhyme with string and king.

I think that's the only thing I've got to go with.

So, Henry King, chewed bits of string.

Henry King did chew bits of string, well done.

-I think it's as simple as that.

-Yeah.

He's an old-fashioned rhymer.

Paul, your question - which of these is a book by Margaret Mitchell?

It's not The Talented Mr Ripley.

I think she was Gone With The Wind.

Gone With The Wind is right. Two to you.

Beth, to catch up -

an English nurse called Catherine Barkley

features in which book?

Well, I don't remember her appearing in Nineteen Eighty-Four.

I actually haven't read the other two.

I've decided that, along the lines of Judith's magic right,

I'm going to go with the one I've never heard of,

and that's A Burnt-Out Case.

Well, I believe that's Glenn Green, is it? Eggheads?

It's not the answer. The correct one is A Farewell To Arms.

That was my second choice!

A Farewell To Arms is the answer, so you're ahead, here, Paul.

Get this right and you'll knock out Beth.

Which poet wrote these lines?

"Because I could not stop for death,

"he kindly stopped for me.

"The carriage held but just ourselves and immortality."

I think that sounds something like Yeats would say, so I'll go Yeats.

It's not WB Yeats, no. It's Emily Dickinson.

So, Beth, you need to get this right.

The artist/model Hortense Fiquet married which painter in 1886?

Can't remember Vincent van Gogh being married.

Hmm.

I'm drawn to Paul Cezanne.

That's going to be my answer.

Paul Cezanne is the right answer. Well done, Beth, you've come back.

So, after three questions, the scores are level, and, Paul,

it gets a bit harder because I don't give you alternative options now.

Here is your first question.

Which work by Dylan Thomas begins with these lines?

"To begin at the beginning, it is spring.

"Moonless night in the small town, starless and Bible black."

I'm trying to think of something by Dylan Thomas.

And it's not coming to mind.

No...

The Mill On The Floss.

Your mind is creeping towards it, actually.

-Under Milk Wood.

-Oh, yeah.

All right, for the round, Beth -

the adventurer Richard Hannay first appeared in which 1915 novel?

Was he in The 39 Steps?

Yes, Beth, you're right. The 39 Steps is correct, you've taken the round.

Sorry, Paul, knocked out.

So, round two has passed, another Challenger gone.

What will happen next? Return to us and we'll find out.

So, as it stands, Not Slow on the Uptake have lost two brains from the final round.

The Eggheads are still all there and your next subject is Sport.

-That's Mark.

-Who would like this?

That's definitely Mark.

-That's Mark.

-OK, Mark, sales representative,

against which Egghead? Can't be Dave or Beth.

I don't really like to do it to Judith, but I guess we've got to try!

-Judith, please.

-It's my fate!

It's not fate, it's Mark from Not Slow on the Uptake

versus Judith from the Eggheads.

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

So, Mark, do you remember this appearance on Family Fortunes

-26 years ago?

-Yes, I do, yes.

-Did I ask if you'd won? I probably should have asked.

-We did win.

We didn't actually win the jackpot, but we won the game and got through to the final stage.

OK. And a good memory?

-Not really, no.

-Oh, really? Why not?

-Well, every question I answered was wrong.

-Right!

I'd also had my eyebrows shaved off.

Was that... How did that happen?

We were on a football tour the week before.

A couple of my mates thought it would be funny.

-Did they restore them in make up or not?

-Sort of.

They tried, they tried.

-So the way you appeared on that programme is not something you want to remember?

-No, not really.

OK. Well, this is all good stuff, Mark.

Would you like to go first or second against Judith on Sport?

I'll go first, please.

Here we go. Which English football club won the Championship

in May 2017?

Yes, I'm pretty sure on that. That was Newcastle.

Newcastle United is correct.

Judith, your question on Sport -

which of these sports typically features two teams of six players?

Well, I don't think it's rugby league.

I don't think it's field hockey.

I think it's indoor volleyball.

Indoor volleyball is this right answer.

Mark, flic flac is a term in which sport?

Flic flac, which is F-L-I-C, and then F-L-A-C.

I'm sure I would've heard if it was cricket, I'd have heard of it.

And I think I would've heard of that saying in tennis.

So I shall go gymnastics.

Yes, gymnastics is right.

Judith, your question -

the rugby union player Dylan Hartley was born in which country?

Oh, deary me.

I thought he was English.

I mean, it is just picking and hoping.

I'm going to go magic right, New Zealand.

New Zealand is correct.

Sorry about that, Mark, she can do that sometimes.

Somehow this spell of the right, isn't it, Judith?

Yes, well, it's my magic right.

Doesn't work for everyone. OK, Mark, your question -

in 2002, the businessman John Henry led a consortium

that bought which famous sports team?

I'll go Boston Red Sox.

A guess or Judith's magic right?

It's Judith's magic right.

It's worked for you as well, that's remarkable!

-The Boston Red Sox.

-There you are!

So, your third question, Judith.

If you get this wrong, do I even say what happens?

-You know all too well.

-Yeah.

In 1979, who became the youngest man to win the Open golf tournament

in the 20th century?

Well, I don't think it's Tom Watson.

I'm going to say Seve Ballesteros.

At 22... It was indeed Seve Ballesteros, well done.

So, 3-3, and with scores level, we go to Sudden Death.

Mark, it gets a bit harder, I don't give you options.

At the 2016 Australian Open,

Bruno Soares won the men's doubles title with which British player?

I don't know, but I'll try Jamie Murray. I know he plays doubles.

-Nicely done, it is Jamie Murray.

-Oh, great!

OK, so you're tightening the screw here. Judith, to stay in -

the American Greg LeMond won which famous race

three times between 1986-1990?

I mean, part of me wants to say the Tour de France,

and the other part of me wants to say the Indy 500

or whatever it's called.

I'm going to say Tour de France.

Tour de France. Let's check with the Eggheads, is he a cyclist?

-Yes, yes.

-Yes, they say, Tour de France is right.

-Oh!

So, still fighting here, Mark.

In which racket sport do teams compete for the Thomas cup?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's badminton.

Badminton is the right answer, Mark. Well done, you're back in charge.

Let's see if Judith can stay in.

British international basketball player Luol Deng

joined which NBA side in 2004,

re-signing for them in a reported £40 million deal in 2008?

I've no idea.

-If you get this wrong, it's curtains.

-I know it's curtains.

The other day, I did a whole great thing about American sport,

and I've now got all the football teams, basketball teams,

baseball teams completely muddled up in my head.

So I can't sort them out.

Chicago Bulls, I've no idea.

It's probably not even a basketball team.

You've got it right.

-I haven't!

-You've got it right!

JEREMY LAUGHS

-Brilliant!

-That is absolutely...

This is why you're an Egghead, Judith. That is remarkable.

-That is quite extraordinary.

-Where did you get that from?

-It was amazing!

-Well, I mean, I promise you, nowhere.

-Well, that's brilliant.

-Because all the teams are muddled up in my head.

Well, you did it, that's why you're an Egghead.

That's why you won £1 million. OK, we go back to you, Mark.

You can see how she's playing now.

She's using some sort of spiritual guidance!

Here's your question - Mark, Gooners are fans of which football club?

-Arsenal.

-Arsenal's right.

Judith, your question, to stay in.

In the USA, which major-league sport

has been played by the Colorado Rockies

since their inaugural season in 1993?

Colorado Rockies?

Ice hockey.

Oh, you got the really hard one right with the Chicago Bulls,

and you've fallen astray on the Colorado Rockies, who are baseball.

-Oh, baseball.

-So, Mark, well done, you are in the final.

You've beaten Judith on Sport.

Tough old round, that.

Please, come back to us and we'll play the last round before the final.

So, Not Slow on the Uptake have struck back.

They've lost two brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost one now.

And we play on with Music.

Who wants Music? Peter or Pete?

-Well, I guess it's got to be me.

-It's got to be Peter.

I'll take that. It's got to be me.

-Kevin?

-May as well.

-OK, Kevin.

-So, it's going to be Peter from Not Slow on the Uptake

versus Kevin from the Eggheads, last round before the final,

please go to the Question Room now.

So, Peter, good luck on Music against Kevin.

Would you to go first or second?

I'll go first, please.

Here we go. Which song by Lady Gaga contains the following lyrics?

"Ra-ra, ah-ah-ah Roma, roma-ma Gaga, ooh-la-la?"

Say that again!

I can read them again if you want?

I don't think there's any need.

It's Bad Romance.

It is Bad Romance!

I could see you weighing up whether

-you wanted to admit that you knew!

-Exactly!

OK, Kevin, your question -

Save Your Love was a Christmas number one in 1982 for which act?

Yeah, I think we had a bit of falsetto in this one.

It was Renee & Renato.

It was Renee & Renato, well done.

OK, now we go to you, Peter.

The musical The Threepenny Opera by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht

was first performed in 1928 in which city?

First instinct would be Berlin.

So I'll go with my gut instinct, Berlin.

Yes, Berlin is right, well done.

OK, here's your question.

Kevin, the members of which US band met while at Columbia University

and had their first UK top-40 single with Oxford Comma in 2008?

What I'm going to go on here is that Columbia University is in New York.

Kings Of Leon are a southern band.

The Killers, I think, come from somewhere out west, maybe Las Vegas.

At least, I hope I'm thinking of the right band there.

The ones who're from New York are Vampire Weekend,

and I think they have got a sort of college/university background.

I'm making this up, basically, on fragments of information.

So I'm going to say Vampire Weekend.

Yeah, they're very quirky. Vampire Weekend is right.

All right, Peter, your question, your third question.

Which jazz saxophonist made an album in 1964

with the guitarist Joao Gilberto,

which featured The Girl From Ipanema?

Music not being my subject, I've not heard of any of them.

Maybe Lester Young.

So, the magic right, Lester Young.

-Ah, but it doesn't work all the time, I'm afraid.

-Obviously not.

Stan Getz is the answer.

So, Kevin has the chance to take the round, and this is your question -

who released the 2016 album Long Live The Angels?

2016? That's one that's passed me by.

Long Live The Angels?

No real clue in that.

I honestly don't know. This is going to be a one in three.

I can't think of any particular reason why it would be Olly Murs.

I know Emeli Sande did make a comeback after some time away,

but for some reason, since the choice's came up,

I've been drawn towards Michael Buble.

I'm going to have to say Michael Buble.

Michael Buble.

Now, I've got an Emeli Sande album, but it's not called this.

Does anyone know what her first album is called?

Our Version Of Events?

Yes, that's it, Our Version Of Events.

-Actually, this is Emeli Sande as well.

-It is, it is her comeback.

Yeah, I was worried about that.

Peter, that's good for you, let you off the hook there.

So, we go to Sudden Death, with the scores level.

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

Here's your first question, Peter.

What is the one-word collective name for the twins

who've twice represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest

in 2011 and again in 2012?

Can't think of an answer at all.

The Ugly Twins.

JEREMY LAUGHS Well, nearly there. Jedward.

-Oh!

-Jedward.

-Yeah, of course.

So, Kevin, your question for the round.

Which two-word girls' name appeared in the title of two singles by Buddy Holly?

It's Peggy Sue.

You know what the singles are?

-Well, Peggy Sue.

-Yep.

-And Peggy Sue Got Married.

That's it, yeah. Peggy Sue's the answer.

Well done, Kevin, you've beaten Peter. You'll be in the final round.

Peter, sorry, knocked out there on Music. And it's Final time.

Return to your teams, we'll play for £3,000.

So this is what we've been playing towards.

It's 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, Paul, Sam and Peter from Not Slow on the Uptake,

and also Judith from the Eggheads,

would you please now leave the studio.

Pete and Mark, you're playing to win Not Slow on the Uptake £3,000.

Dave, Pat, Beth and Kevin, you're playing for something that money can't buy -

the Eggheads' reputation.

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

This time, they're all General Knowledge, and you can confer.

So, Not Slow on the Uptake, the question is,

can your two brains defeat these four super-sized Eggheady ones over here?

Would you like to go first or second?

We'll go first, please.

OK, Pete and Mark, good luck, final round, here we go.

Which substance is used by bees when constructing their hives?

I would have thought it was honeycomb.

-Ambergris has got something...

-Honeycomb came to mind.

-What do you think?

-I can't read that. Is it ambergris?

It's not ambergris. That's...

That comes from whales, or something.

Something to do with perfume.

-I don't know.

-Shall we go for propolis?

Propolis. We don't really know, but propolis.

Which one is it, Eggheads?

Propolis.

-Propolis is the right answer.

-Good.

-Well done.

OK, your question, Eggs.

From 1950-1990,

what was the name of the Ministry of State Security in East Germany?

-Stasi.

-Stasi.

-Stasi.

-Stasi, definitely.

-OK.

That was Stasi.

Stasi is quite right.

Next question.

On a ship, what is the name of the casing

in which a ship's compass is kept?

-It's a binnacle.

-Yeah.

Binnacle.

-You know that?

-Yes.

Binnacle is right, well done.

Eggheads, your question to catch up.

According to the proverb, who must be above suspicion?

-Caesar's wife?

-Yeah.

-Yep.

That's Caesar's wife.

Caesar's wife is correct. So, it's a tight old final, this.

Not a lot of hesitation, two points each, playing for £3,000.

Your third question, Challengers.

What is the name of the character played by Marlon Brando

in the Oscar-winning film On The Waterfront?

He certainly could have been a contender.

-I think it's Terry Malloy, isn't it?

-I thought that when it came up.

I thought it'd be more familiar to me when it came up.

But I think it's Terry Malloy.

Terry Malloy's correct.

So, you've got three out of three, really good play.

Really confident from our Challengers.

And now we go to the Eggheads to see if you can keep the contest alive.

The Naked City is a collection of photographs by which photographer,

born in 1899?

1899?

That's too early for Diane Arbus.

-What about Man Ray?

-And I think Man Ray was born in 1890.

-OK.

-Pretty sure the other two don't fit the date.

-So I think it must be Weegee.

-OK.

-Yep?

-Happy with that?

Yeah.

We think it's Weegee.

Weegee is correct.

3-3.

You know what happens now, Challengers, we go to Sudden Death.

And it gets a bit harder, because I don't give you alternative answers.

So, here we go. Which word, from the French meaning "against time",

means a disagreement or embarrassing situation in English?

-Ah! Contretemps.

-Yeah.

-Contretemps.

-Contretemps is quite right. Well done.

Sudden Death, to stay in, Eggheads -

which long-running Radio 4 news and current affairs programme

is often known by the acronym Wato?

-World At One.

-Can you spell the...?

-W-A-T-O.

It's World At One, isn't it?

-Is that all capitalised?

-Yes.

I think it must be The World At One.

But W-A-T-O, isn't the... It isn't...

-Well, I suppose A-T for at.

-It's the only one that's a current affairs programme that's...

He said long-running and it is long-running.

It has run for years and years.

The World At One, it's called.

OK, we're going for The World At One.

The World At One is the right answer.

OK, Challengers, that was, for a second, I thought...

But they were always going to get that right. Here's your question.

The Chakri Dynasty is the long-serving royal ruling house of which Asian country?

And Chakri is C-H-A-K-R-I.

What do you reckon?

Asian. Chakri.

Pakistan or India.

It sounds Indian, doesn't it?

-Don't you think?

-Sounds Pakistani as well.

-What do you want, then?

-No, you go for it. You're the man in form.

Never heard of it.

But we'll say India.

India is your answer.

Let's go to the Eggheads. Do you know?

-Thailand.

-Thailand.

So, quite a way out on the map.

Let's see whether that's fatal or not.

The contest is over if the Eggheads get this right.

Eggheads, your question, Sudden Death -

the railway station at Cornforth is well known for having been the location

for scenes in which 1945 film?

-Brief Encounter.

-Brief Encounter.

-Was it Brief Encounter?

-Yep.

I was there last year, actually.

Yeah, they've got quite a display there, nice, little museum.

-Brief Encounter?

-Yeah.

-We think it's Brief Encounter.

The correct answer is Brief Encounter.

We say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

Ah, bad luck, Challengers.

-But you got them to Sudden Death.

-Yeah.

And you steamed through those first three questions in the final.

But commiserations, lovely to see a family team on the show.

Quizzing so well as well.

Not Slow on the Uptake have been beaten by the Eggheads,

who are back in charge of Quizland, I think it's fair to say.

Building up a bit of a run here.

It means the Challengers don't win the £3,000,

so we roll the money over to our next show.

Eggheads, very well done, wondering if you are now back into your stride.

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

can disrupt them, take them down and beat them.

£4,000 is here as the jackpot for when they do.

Until then, goodbye.