Episode 78 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 get one over on our quiz champions

are the Melodybeats from Cambridgeshire.

Now this team have played together in the same band

for almost 50 years.

Let's meet them.

Hi, my name is Dick and I am a retired teacher.

Hi, my name's George and I'm an advocate.

Hello, my name's Philip and I'm an operations manager.

Hi, my name's Keith and I'm a retired media teacher.

Hi, my name's Gary and I'm a freelance HR consultant.

So, Dick and team, hello.

-Hello.

-Great to see you. Dick, tell us about the Melodybeats.

The Melodybeats have been going, as you've said, for almost 50 years.

Not with the exact same line-up, but I think the Rolling Stones

are probably the only band that are older than we are collectively.

And we play basically '60s and '70s music that we all grew up with.

Who have we got today, we've got five members of the band?

Well, no, we've got four...

-Well, actually we've got three members of the band.

-Right.

We've got two drummers here - one who's the regular drummer,

-who's Phil...

-Yes.

-..and then if Phil can't make it then Gary...

-Spare drummer.

-The spare drummer.

-OK.

-And then George here

is a local sort of DJ who now and again interviews us

-or plays our music on the radio.

-Brilliant. OK, good.

-Guitarist Keith.

-Yes.

-This is great.

-And I'm a sort of guitarist and keyboard player so...

Brilliant. Do you quiz together or separately?

-Separately.

-Right.

Don't say any more about your strategy...

-No.

-..because they'll be on it! And they're mean, these Eggheads.

They look friendly but they're mean. So, good luck, then, Melodybeats.

I hope you do it. Every day there is £1,000 worth of cash up for grabs.

But if the Challengers fail to defeat the Eggheads

the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, Melodybeats, the Eggheads have won the last four games.

They're getting into their stride, they're feeling the rhythm.

You've got to break them up. So, £5,000 says you can't beat them.

-Ooh, nice.

-Would you like to give it a go?

-Absolutely, yes.

-The first head-to-head battle is on Geography.

So, one of you, please, against either Dave, Beth,

Barry, Pat, or Chris.

-Keith, I think.

-I'll do it.

-Happy to do that?

-I'll do that, yes.

Keith, on the Geography.

OK, Keith on the guitar, against who?

-Any one of the five, Keith.

-Gary, what do you think?

-I'd say Beth.

-Beth, I'll go with that.

-Yeah?

-We'll go for Beth.

-OK, Keith from the Melodybeats playing

Beth from the Eggheads. To ensure there is no conferring,

please take your positions in our legendary Question Room.

Keith, you played a gig with Paul McCartney?

-I did indeed.

-Was that in the Wings era?

That was when Wings did their initial tour.

They turned up at the university where I was studying,

and we were doing a gig, and he gate-crashed it!

-And we did the support for him.

-How fantastic.

And what were they like to listen to in those days?

They were, by our standards, very loud, and,

um, let's say they weren't particularly well polished.

They were still getting into their stride.

Fascinating. OK, Geography we're on, Keith.

I wish it could be music, I know that's going to be a brilliant round

for you guys. Would you like to go first or second against our Beth?

I'll go first.

So, here we go. Coney Island, famous for its amusement park,

is a part of which US city?

Keith, is it...

Now, that's a good question.

I'm pretty sure I know the answer.

It's not West Coast, I've been to LA.

I think the answer is New York.

New York is quite right, yeah.

OK, Beth. Which of these areas of the UK is in Devon?

Well, the Fens are up in Lincolnshire,

the Cotswolds are Oxfordshire,

so Dartmoor has to be Devon.

It is Dartmoor, well done.

And back we go to you, Keith.

Which of these peninsulas is the largest?

Crikey, the Balkan Peninsula,

the Scandinavian Peninsula is probably not the biggest.

The Arabian one is bigger than you'd think.

I'm going to go with Arabian Peninsula.

You're absolutely right, well done.

-Yes!

-Well done.

Arabian Peninsula.

Beth, which US National Park is largely located

in north-western Wyoming and partly in southern Montana

and Eastern Idaho?

While the Everglades are in Florida, so it's certainly not that.

Isn't it awful when you think, oh, that's certainly such-and-such.

Certainly Yellowstone, in my case.

And then Yosemite comes in and...

..scrambles your brain.

But I think I will stick with Yellowstone.

Yes, it is Yellowstone.

So, Yellowstone is right, you're level, and we go back to you, Keith.

The Equator passes through which of these countries?

Ah, now, I think I do know this one,

because I was recently very near there on the Equator.

I think the answer is Uganda.

Bang on, well done. Uganda it is.

Beth, the source of France's Garonne river

is in which mountain range? This, to stay in.

Garonne...

..the Bordeaux-y way,

so that would be...

..the Pyrenees.

Pyrenees is correct.

Three each.

Never easy against the Eggs, is it, Keith?

No, it is not, no, no. We're not there yet.

We're not there yet but we could get there.

Sudden Death we're on.

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

Novosibirsk, with a population of roughly 1.5 million people

is the third most populous city in which country?

-Novosibirsk?

-Yup.

Er...is in Russia.

Russia is correct, Keith.

Beth, Swaffham and Sheringham are both towns in which English county?

I think they're Suffolk.

-No!

-No, you're wrong, it's Norfolk, Beth.

-Oh!

-You've been knocked out.

Well done, Sudden Death, Keith, you've taken it,

you're in the final round, and Beth has been knocked out.

Please come back to us and we'll play on.

So, as it stands, Melodybeats haven't lost any brains

from the final round. The Eggheads have lost one.

And the next subject for you is Film And TV.

Who wants this, Melodybeats?

I might be able to take it.

-Maybe take it, Gary?

-Do you want it? What do you want?

I would prefer Food And Drink but it may not come up, so I'll take this.

-You'll take this, yes? Are you sure?

-All right, Gary, reserve drummer.

-Gary's up for it.

-Against which Egghead do you want?

-Can't be Beth.

-What are we doing, Keith?

-What are you thinking?

-I think Barry.

-Barry, I think.

-Barry, I think.

Gary, you're going to do me Gary-Barry, are you?

-Yeah, Gary-Barry.

-Oh, dear, sounds like the chorus of a '60s song!

Gary from the Melodybeats to take on Barry from the Eggheads,

please, go to the Question Room now.

Now, Gary, you were described as the reserve drummer.

That's right, yes.

But you have actually played drums with the Clash.

Many, many years ago, yeah.

I think it was around '76 or maybe '77.

I was in a punk band, we supported them at the old Vortex Club,

and their drummer got arrested in the afternoon, so I stepped in.

THEY ALL CHUCKLE

-Happy days.

-What was your band called?

We were called The Unwanted because we were pretty much unwanted

-everywhere we went!

-But what a great story, though.

So, you played drums with the Clash.

That's all... At that point there isn't anything necessary to do in life, is there?

-There was nothing more I could do after that unfortunately.

-No.

I never reached those heights again!

Good stuff. All right. Well, good luck here.

Film And TV against Barry

and, Gary, would you like to go first or second?

I'd like to go first, please.

Here is your first question. Good luck.

In which TV sitcom did Ardal O'Hanlon play the role of Dougal?

Don't think it was Peep Show.

Spaced, I never watched.

I'm pretty certain it was Father Ted.

-Father Ted is right. Well done.

-Yeah, well done, Gary.

Barry, Bill Treacher played the role of Arthur

on which TV soap opera from 1985 to 1996?

I think Judith would have loved this question because

that's her favourite soap, it was EastEnders.

Yes, and it's the right period for Judith as well.

EastEnders is correct.

1-1. And we go back to our Challenger.

Which of these sportsmen has a cameo role in the 2017 film

King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword?

Strangely enough I was...

I was about to go and see this film and it got pretty bad reviews

so I didn't go.

Um... I'm pretty certain it wasn't Tiger Woods.

I seem to remember reading something about Beckham being in it,

and he didn't get slated for it, so I think it was David Beckham.

-David Beckham is the right answer.

-Thank you.

Barry, to catch up.

The 1956 film High Society

is a musical version of which Oscar-winning film?

Oh, it's a lovely film with some great songs in,

but it's a version of The Philadelphia story.

The Philadelphia Story is quite right.

So 2-2. And, Gary, your third question could be crucial.

Who plays the role of Mr Wednesday

in the TV drama series American Gods?

This is quite fortunate cos I watched it for the first time

a couple of nights ago, so, pretty certain it is Ian McShane.

You are absolutely right. I did the same as you. Ian McShane.

Yeah.

OK, Barry,

you went second, so you can get knocked out if you get this wrong.

The 2017 film Jawbone is set in and around the world of which sport?

Ooh, now, this one passed me by.

The only thing I can bring to mind that, in boxing,

boxers who are susceptible to early defeats are said to have had

a glass jaw, so on that very spurious knowledge

I will go for boxing.

Boxing is right.

So, 3-3. And we go to Sudden Death again.

And, Gary, it's your question. Which Polish-born actress became

well-known for her in Hammer Horror films, and starred in

the central role in the 1971 film Countess Dracula.

Oh, I'm struggling with this.

Polish-born actress.

Hammer Horror.

I think I'm going to have to have a guess at this.

For Polish actress, I will go for Rula Lenska.

-Ingrid Pitt is the answer.

-Oh, well done!

-Did you know that, guys?

-I knew it.

-Keith had it.

-Where that came from I've no idea.

All right. So a chance for Barry to book his place in the final.

Barry, Tony Montana is the name of the character played by Al Pacino

in which 1983 film?

Oh! "Say hello to my little friend!"

Which is the famous line from Scarface.

Scarface is right, Barry. You're in the final round.

-Gary, sorry, you've been knocked out.

-That's OK.

So, well done to our Egghead, he's levelled things up.

Please return to us, both of you.

So, it's level after two grounds.

The Melodybeats have lost one brain from the final,

the Eggheads have lost one as well.

And your next subject, Challengers, is Politics.

So, could be a key moment now.

We're going to gamble on the next one, aren't we?

-Are you going to take it.

-We've decided, Dick or I, isn't it?

Got to leave George, haven't we?

-Yes, we've got to leave George.

-I think it will be me.

OK, Dick, against which Egghead?

-Oh, right.

-You've got Dave, you've got Pat, you've got Chris.

Well, Dave has been so hospitable, I'm going to choose Dave.

-That's nice.

-Thank you.

You've obviously caught him on a good day!

Dick from the Melodybeats taking on Tremendous Knowledge Dave

from the Eggheads. To ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions.

All right. Well, good luck in the politics round against

Tremendous Knowledge Dave.

And Dick, would you like to go first or second?

I think I'll go first, please, Jeremy.

Here we go.

Who was the Prime Minister of Ireland from 1997 to 2008?

Dick, is it...

Um, I'm not sure.

I think De Valera was a bit earlier than that.

I'm going to go for Bertie Ahern.

Bertie Ahern is the right answer.

Dave, over to you. Who did the journalist Caitlin Moran

famously refer to as a C3PO made of ham?

Made of ham?

Right.

I've got no basis for this, I just can't see Donald Trump as C3PO.

Theresa May, No.

I've got to go David Cameron, but I've not heard this quote at all.

Got no real basis for saying the answer

but David Cameron's my answer.

OK. David Cameron is the answer, Dave, well done.

OK. We go back to you, Dick, your second question.

The MP Mhairi Black was elected as the member of Parliament

for which constituency in 2015?

I don't think it's the middle one.

I'm going to go for Paisley and Renfrewshire South.

You're absolutely right, it is SNP.

Paisley and Renfrewshire South is the answer, in Scotland.

OK. Dave, in mainland France,

presidential elections typically take place on which day of the week?

Right.

Um, I don't think it's Wednesday or Friday.

Tends to be overnight Sunday into Monday morning, so, Sunday.

Sunday is right. 2-2.

-These Eggheads are playing well, aren't they?

-They are.

OK. Your question, Dick.

Which 20th-century British Prime Minister had previously been

known by the courtesy title Lord Dunglass.

Can you spell the Lord part for me?

Yeah, Lord Dunglass.

D-U-N-G-L-A-S-S.

Sounds a little bit Scottish to me.

So I'll go for Alec Douglas-Home.

Alec Douglas Home or Hume,

some people call him, is the right answer.

Well done.

Dave, to stay in.

Hubert Humphrey was vice president during the time in office

of which 20th-century US president.

Have a think.

Right, Lyndon B Johnson...

I believe, cos I've got Barry Goldwater coming into my head

for some reason with him, but...

..Barry Goldwater, I think, stood against him in the '64 election.

Yeah, I'm going to have to go Lyndon B Johnson, please.

Lyndon B Johnson is the right answer, Dave, well done.

So, after three questions each, the scores are level.

We go to Sudden Death and, Dick, here is your Sudden Death question.

I don't give you alternatives.

The name of which city precedes Cathcart and Shettleston

to make the names of two constituencies

in the Scottish Parliament?

Must be a city, reasonable size.

I'm not sure at all on this, but as I'm in Glasgow, I'll say Glasgow.

So glad you did!

Glasgow Cathcart, Glasgow Shettleston.

OK, Dave, to stay in.

Which Greek philosopher famously stated

"Man is by nature a political animal."

Barry will not like this.

Barry, my apologies for this one, there.

It's come to a two-philosopher shoot out.

And I'm going to go alphabetically and go with Aristotle.

-Yes!

-As opposed to Plato?

-Socrates was coming to mind.

-Socrates, OK.

Aristotle is correct.

Well done.

Sudden Death, back to you, Dick.

In 2011, which Conservative Cabinet Office minister was caught on camera

disposing of official letters in bins in St James's Park?

Er, I think I'm thinking of people of that time, Osborne, Cameron,

Gove, Boris Johnson probably...

I'm going to have to take a guess at this one.

I'm going to go for Boris Johnson.

No, Oliver Letwin.

Oh, yes.

Dave, for the round.

In English, what does the letter C stand for

in the name of the German political party the CDU.

-Christian.

-Christian is the right answer.

You've got the round, Dave, well done, you've knocked out Dick,

the skipper for the Challengers.

And if you return to us, both of you, we've got one more round

to play before the final.

OK, the Melodybeats have lost two brains now from the final round.

Bad luck, Dick, there. And the Eggheads have just lost the one.

And the last subject before the final, you'll love this, is Music.

-Oh!

-So, now who's going to do this?

-You've got to do it!

-Big Phil, I think.

I'm going to do it, but I know I'm heading for a fall, Jeremy, so...

Not at all.

You can take on, well, either of the two gents on the right here.

-What do you think?

-I think Chris.

I would like to ask Chris.

He is one of my favourite Eggheads and he's probably taller than me

as well, so that gives him an advantage.

OK, Philip from the Melodybeats taking on Chris from the Eggheads.

Just to ensure there is no conferring, for the last time,

please, go to the Question Room.

Music, Philip, do you want to go first or second against Chris?

Um, I'll keep up the formula of going first, thank you, Jeremy.

Here is your first question. Good luck, Philip.

According to the American Civil War song, "The men will cheer

"and the boys will shout. The ladies they will all turn out

"and we'll all feel gay when..." WHO comes marching home?

Who?

I think I'll just go for a process of elimination here.

I don't think it's Jeremy,

I don't think that was a typically American name at that time.

Um, Jimmy would...

would fit the bill. Um, but I think it's Johnny,

so I'm going to go for Johnny.

Absolutely bang on, well done.

Johnny it is.

OK, Chris. Formed in 2012 with which type of music

is the group called The Vamps most associated?

Sounds like they might be jazz fusion.

No, Chris, they are pop rock.

They're a kind of teen band.

-Are they?

-Yes, I've seen them, actually.

-Well, that would explain it, wouldn't it!

-Saw them,

saw them supporting Taylor Swift once.

OK. Philip.

Odelay, Sea Change and Midnight Vultures are albums

by which American singer and musician?

This, this is going, definitely going to be a guess.

Um, and I'm kind of looking at one name, looking at another name,

looking at a third name

and thinking, it doesn't sound like any of them.

Um...

I don't much about Beck, to be fair.

I know Prince is quite prodigious

and has turned out many, many albums.

I'm familiar with some but not all.

I think it's between Beck and Prince and I'm going to go for...

Prince.

You've gone the wrong way, it's Beck.

It's Beck. But you're right, Prince was very prolific.

OK, Chris, your question.

Who wrote the song Mama Told Me Not To Come that was a hit

for Tom Jones and Stereophonics in 2000.

Um, well it's not Lennon.

I don't think it's Carole King.

Sounds like the sort of thing... # Mama Told Me Not To Come... #

Yeah, that's Randy Newman.

Well done, Randy Newman it is.

So, level. Third question.

And it goes to you, Philip.

The controversial entrepreneur Suge Knight was the CEO

and co-founder of which rap music label.

Er, you won't be surprised that the Melodybeats don't play a lot of rap.

And I rather like listening to opera,

so I'm not terribly familiar with it.

Um, the only one of those three choices that I've...

I've kind of heard of, and I know are reasonably prominent...

I think I can disregard Skin Graft.

I'm going to go for Death Row Records.

Death Row Records is the right answer.

So, you've got two out of three.

Let's see if that is enough to knock Chris out.

So, here comes Chris, known as the steam roller.

Maria Wodzinska was the fiancee of which famous composer?

And Wodzinska is W-O-D-Z-I-N-S-K-A.

Well, I don't think Mozart was ever engaged.

Brahms was German, and she sounds like a Polish lady,

so that makes it...

-Chopin.

-Chopin is correct, Chris.

2-2. Sudden Death.

Again! And we go back to you, Philip.

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

Which short phrase is repeated around 30 times

at the end of the song Panic by the Smiths.

I have absolutely no idea.

I know Gary on our team, he is going to be absolutely mouthing it out,

-and shouting it out...

-Yes!

-Obviously I can't hear it from him.

Don't panic, Mr Mainwaring.

JEREMY CACKLES

Oh, it should have been, really.

All right, Gary, we go to you. Come on, tell us.

-Hang the DJ.

-Hang the DJ.

-Oh, of course it is! Hang the DJ!

-Yes, you've heard it.

-You've heard it.

-Of course it is, yeah.

OK, Chris, you have this in your hands.

You can get into the final with this question.

William Perks is the original name of which former bass player

for the Rolling Stones?

Well, William - Bill Wyman.

Bill Wyman is correct. You're in the final round, well done.

Philip, beaten by our Egghead.

Please return to us, both of you

and we'll see what the final round holds.

So, 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 lost your head to heads won't be

allowed to take part in this round.

So, Dick, Philip and Gary from the Melodybeats, and also

Beth from the Eggheads, would you please now leave the studio?

George and Keith, you're playing to win the brilliant Melodybeats

£5,000.

Dave, Barry, Pat and Chris, here we are playing the rear-guard action,

trying to defend the Eggheads' reputation.

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

They're all general knowledge, gents, and you can confer.

So, Melodybeats, the question is,

are your two brains better than these four over here?

On a good day, I am sure you can take them down.

Let's just find out if today is a good day.

George and Keith, would you like to go first or second?

I think we are going to break the pattern and go second.

All right, so, Eggheads go first and here's your question.

Who came second behind Usain Bolt in the 100 metres final

at the 2016 Olympics?

-It wasn't Asafa Powell.

-I thought it was a Frenchman.

It wasn't Asafa Powell.

I think it was Gatlin.

Cos Gatlin didn't qualify for the 200, did he?

He flopped, didn't he? In the 200.

The more I think about it, the more I think you're right.

-I think it's Gatlin.

-I think it's Gatlin, but I am not sure at all.

I thought they had built it up as a big Bolt/Gatlin...

-Yeah, it was, yeah.

-Bolt definitely got the better of him, but, yeah.

Did Gatlin actually drift back, even out of second?

-No?

-I think he got second.

I think, I don't think it's the other two, but...

-You don't think it is Lemaitre, no?

-No.

-Oh, well...

-It is definitely not Lemaitre.

-Let's have a think about it.

-Dave's got...

-A Frenchman...

-OK.

-I think it is Gatlin, but...

-OK.

-I think... I think it is Gatlin, but...

I could be, I could be very, very wrong.

-OK.

-Yeah.

-We'll go with him.

We're not sure, but we are going to go with Justin Gatlin.

Justin Gatlin is correct.

-Well done.

-Well done.

-Yeah.

Your question.

The Dhow is a type of ship traditionally used

on which body of water? Spelled D-H-O-W.

-I think we know this one.

-I think we do, yeah.

-Yeah.

-It's not, it is too cold in the Baltic.

It is actually the Arabian Sea.

-Is that right, George?

-I think we'll go for the Arabian Sea, yes.

Arabian Sea is the right answer.

OK, Eggheads, your second question.

In which decade of the 20th century was the emergency telephone number

999 first introduced in the UK?

-'37.

-Was it 1937?

-1937, yes.

-Yes.

-1937, Chris, I think.

-Yeah?

-1937.

-We're going for the 1930s.

1930s is correct, Eggheads.

So, two to you. You need to get this one to stay level with them.

The TV presenter Stephanie McGovern is an expert in which field?

The TV presenter Stephanie McGovern is an expert in which field?

Keith is very sure that it's business,

so, I'm going to go with that.

Business is quite right.

Well done. They are giving you the thumbs up backstage.

OK, Eggheads, third question.

Which writer, acclaimed for a series of biographies of literary figures,

with the novels Hawksmoor, and Dan Leno And The Limehouse Golem?

-Peter Ackroyd.

-Hawksmoor is Peter Ackroyd.

Yeah, that's good.

Yeah. Are you...?

-I don't know, so...

-Well, it's Peter Ackroyd.

Can we have it one more time, please, Jeremy?

Which writer, acclaimed for a series of biographies of literary figures,

wrote the novels Hawksmoor, and Dan Leno And The Limehouse Golem?

We think that's Peter Ackroyd.

Peter Ackroyd is correct.

Well done.

You need to get this one right to stay in the contest.

In Greek mythology,

which creature did Heracles capture in the last of his 12 labours?

I haven't got the faintest idea,

but before the answers came up, the word Hydra came into my head.

A gut instinct. But that...

And I did a thing equally about... I was thinking about Cerberus.

-Were you?

-I don't think it is the boar.

We'll rule the boar out, then.

What are we going to go for?

-Go with your gut?

-If my gut instinct...

If we go for my gut instinct and it's wrong...

I'll buy you a pint.

I'll take that any day.

We'll go for Lernean Hydra.

Lernean Hydra is your answer.

There has been quite a lot of activity behind you.

Guys backstage, are you thinking that's right or wrong?

-Wrong.

-Wrong.

-We were thinking Cerberus.

Oh, you like the Cerberus?

-Eggheads?

-The Hydra was the second one.

Cerberus was the three-headed dog who guarded the entrance

to the gates of Hell.

The Hydra was in there because the Hydra was one of the tasks,

but it wasn't the LAST of the 12 labours.

The last of the 12 labours was Cerberus.

So, we say congratulations, Eggheads, you have won.

Well played, boys.

Well, Keith, you're going to get a pint out of it.

-Yeah, exactly.

-Unless...

-Sweet end of the deal.

Yeah. And I could see backstage they were sort of furiously willing

you right or left, or whichever way it was.

I'm sorry about that. Great to play with you, guys.

Thank you so much for coming in.

-Thank you, Jeremy.

-Really good to have a band in.

-I hope you have enjoyed it, Melodybeats.

-Great.

-Yeah.

Commiserations to you,

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

As this winning streak continues,

it does mean the Challengers are not going home with the £5,000,

so, we'll roll that money over to our next show. Eggheads, very well done.

Starting to look a little bit unbeatable.

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

to defeat them. £6,000 is here for them to win.

Until then, goodbye.