Episode 130 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.

You might recognise them as they are goliaths in the world of TV quiz shows. They are the Eggheads.

And taking on the might of our quiz goliaths today

are the White Helmets.

The team are all serving soldiers in the British Army

and form part of the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Ted, I'm 27 and I'm team captain of the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team.

Hi, I'm Andy, I'm 35 and I'm team sergeant of the White Helmets.

Hi, I'm Tom, 22 and I'm a display rider for the White Helmets.

Hi, I'm Si, I'm 27 and I'm a display rider for the White Helmets.

Hi, I'm Mick, I'm 28 and I'm a display rider for the White Helmets.

So, welcome, White Helmets.

-And you're all riders?

-Indeed, yeah.

-And you go in formation?

-Yes.

So, what kind of formations do you do?

We've got a number, but probably the one that's most famous

and stereotypical of the White Helmets

is what we call the six bike fan.

Six motorcycles with 22 people in a pyramid formation on top.

-Wow! And you all do that, do you?

-Yes.

-Has it ever fallen over?

Yeah, accidents do happen and yeah, we've come off a couple of times

but we do quite a lot of training

during the winter period at the beginning

-of the year and hopefully iron out any major dramas that we have.

-Sure.

And you do the fire stunt as well?

Do you go through a ring of fire?

No, basically it's a U-shape frame

and everyone goes through it, everyone has to go through it

during their time with the team

but it's not as bad as it looks, really.

-Is this more scary?

-Yeah, I think so, yeah.

-THEY CHUCKLE

Good luck. Every day there's £1,000 worth of cash up for grabs for our challengers.

If they fail to defeat the Eggheads, the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, White Helmets, the Eggheads have won the last nine games,

which means £10,000, rather a nice figure, says you can't beat them.

I wish you all the best. The first head-to-head battle

will be on the subject of Film And Television.

Who's the film buff?

I think it's Si, isn't it?

I think we'll go with Si.

OK, Si kid against...

Judith.

Judith? That was said with such certainty.

We're not used to that.

All right, so it's Si from the White Helmets

going through the U-shaped thing of fire

against Judith from the Eggheads, and to ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions in the question room.

So, Si, you just do display riding,

or you're a soldier most of the time or what?

Well, we do a three-year tour with the White Helmets,

so the display riding takes over for three years and after that we go back to a working unit in the Army.

And you go back to the Royal Signals?

I should do, but at the moment I am trying to recap badge to a pilot in the Army Air Corps.

OK. Well, good luck with that and this as well.

You're playing Judith on Film And TV. Three multiple choice questions

and I'll ask you whether you want the first or the second set.

I think I'll go second.

Here we go, Judith. Anthony Minghella won a Best Director Oscar

for which 1996 film?

I'm just wondering if The English Patient was that long ago.

Erm...I mean, that's 12 years... Oh, it's not that long ago.

I think The English Patient.

Is correct, well done, Judith.

Over to you, Si.

Which relative of Indiana Jones famously features in the 1989 film

Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade?

I think it's Sean Connery playing his father.

You're quite right...it is.

Judith, over to you.

Which actress appeared in the films

Gosford Park, Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone and Sister Act?

Well, I know Maggie Smith was in Gosford Park,

and I don't think Judi Dench was or Glenda Jackson.

I think it's Maggie Smith.

I know she was in one of the others

and I'm not sure about the third, but I think it's Maggie Smith.

And you're right. It was Maggie Smith, well done.

Over to you, Si. Keep the pressure on now.

What was the name of the character

played by Joan Collins in the TV series Dynasty?

I'm not too sure but if I was going to go for one, I'd go for Alexis.

-Is that your answer?

-Yes, it is.

Probably before you were born this, was it?

Yeah, I think so.

But you're right. Well done.

Two apiece.

OK, Judith,

what was the name of the first Blue Peter cat

who first appeared on the show in 1964?

Oh, God!

Funnily enough, I didn't used to watch it in those days.

I'm much younger than I look. SHE LAUGHS

Was Jason the dog? Willow...

Jason sounds a bit too sort of tough for a cat.

Willow or Smudge, Willow or Smudge...Smudge.

It's Willow.

-It's Jason!

-Oh, it's not!

It was a very manly cat.

-It must have been.

-Probably did some stunt motorcycling.

Sorry, Judith, so your chance now to take the round, Si,

with this question.

Katharine Hepburn won one of her four Best Actress Oscars

for playing Ethel Thayer in which film?

I haven't got a clue.

I would have to go for...

On Golden Pond.

I love the way that you seem not to know anything

and then you suddenly just go straight in

on the correct answer, because it is right. Well done.

On Golden Pond.

Which means, Si, that you have taken on an Egghead

and emerged triumphant and, Judith, you know what I'm going to say.

-Yes, you don't need to.

-You're not gonna play in the...?

Final round.

Thank you, and, Si, you will be in the final round. Congratulations.

Both of you please come back and rejoin your team mates.

The Eggheads have lost one brain from the final round.

Challengers remain intact, they've lost no brains. The next subject is Arts And Books.

Which one of you is reading... or painting?

-Tom, I think...

-I think it's gonna have to be Tom.

-Take it on?

-He's the most well-read.

-He's the youngest team member at 22.

And probably the person fullest

with just random information on these subjects.

Now the tricky bit.

-Which one of these lot?

-I'll take on CJ.

CJ? OK. Tom from the White Helmets against CJ from the Eggheads.

Take your positions, please.

We'll ask each of your three questions on Arts And Books in turn.

-Tom, you can choose the first or the second set?

-I'll go first, please.

Tom, what is the term for an introductory speech or poem

addressed to the audience by one of the actors in a play?

That would be prologue, Jeremy.

Straight in there, and you're quite right, yeah, well done.

CJ, Shakespeare's plays are commonly split into three groups,

comedies, tragedies and what?

They're the histories.

They are the histories, CJ, well done.

One apiece. Back to you, Tom.

In which decade of the 20th century

did the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso die?

I believe he snuffed it in the '70s. That's right.

-You don't hang about, do you?

-I remember that one.

It was on a plaque in an airport in Malaga.

-Pablo Picasso International Airport.

-You're a quizzer. You're right.

We're impressed.

CJ, Mystic River, Shutter Island

and Gone Baby Gone are novels by which American author?

Oh, dear.

Of course I know the films Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone.

I've not seen them, of course, but I know the films.

I'm just trying to think back to reading the reviews of them,

if it actually mentioned... I can't remember back to Mystic River,

but Gone Baby Gone was a reasonably recent film.

I'm not gonna go for James Ellroy,

so I'm gonna go for one of the other two.

I'm gonna go for Dennis Lehane, please.

And that is right.

Well done. Two points each, both playing well.

Third question to you, Tom.

Which poet born in 1865

had a brother called Jack who was a distinguished painter?

I have to be honest, I honestly have no idea, so I'm gonna have

a guess and go for TS Eliot.

It's like a missile, your guessing,

but it hit the wrong target this time.

It's actually WB Yeats. Sorry, Tom.

Still a chance here, though,

if CJ gets this wrong.

CJ, the Railroad Bridge at Argenteuil

is a work by which artist?

I'm just trying to think.

I'm not sure I know the painting

and I'm reasonably familiar with all three of those artists' works.

They've got a lot of paintings in the National Gallery,

a separate wing for them, so I go round and look at all their works.

Pissarro painted a lot of rural... sort of cultural scenes

and I'm not sure if it's Renoir's style. I'm gonna go for Monet.

CJ, you're right.

It is Monet.

So with that...

you take the round and, Tom, I'm sorry,

you won't be playing in the final round because you're extremely knowledgeable.

CJ, you will be. Do both of you come back and rejoin your teams.

So as it stands, the Challengers and the Eggheads have lost one brain each from the final round.

Our next subject is Sport.

Who wants Sport?

It can't be Si or Tom.

THEY CONFER We'll go with Andy.

Andy on Sport against which Egghead?

-Not CJ, not Judith.

-Chris?

-Yeah.

-Sure? THEY CONFER

-Chris, I think.

-So it's Andy from the White Helmets

against Chris from the Eggheads, and to ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions in the question room.

Good luck in this round, both of you. Three questions on Sport,

Chris's favourite subject. Andy, first or second set?

I think I'll go first, please.

Andy, in what position did the former England Rugby Union Captain,

Martin Johnson, play throughout his career?

Martin Johnson, definitely not the hooker.

I'm sure he's lock, I'm sure he's a lock.

He was a lock, well done.

Would you have got that, Chris?

Yeah, I was getting there actually.

Your question. James Bonecrusher Smith and James Lights Out Tony

are names associated with which sport?

Well, the Bonecrusher was certainly a boxer

and Lights Out suggests a knock-out to me,

so I'd say it would have to be boxing.

It is boxing, well done.

Over to you, Andy.

Which British jockey who rode a record nine Epsom Derby winners

was known as the Long Fellow?

Walter Swinburn, I don't know, only the other two I do.

I think I'd go with the guy...

Lester Piggott.

-Is correct.

-Whew!

Well done, Andy.

Chris, your question.

What is the most valuable football club in the world

according to Forbes Magazines 2008 Rich List?

Well, football ceased to be a sport decades ago and became a business.

Well, they're all pretty wealthy clubs...

..but, I think in terms of assets owned and capital invested,

it's got to be Manchester United.

Great logic, and you're right.

You draw level. Well done.

Andy...

who did Jana Novotna defeat

to win the 1998 Ladies' Singles title at Wimbledon?

Zina and Lindsay are the only two I actually know.

It will have to be a guess again. Erm...go on...

Lindsay Davenport.

That's wrong. It's the one you hadn't heard of, actually.

It's Natalie Tauziat. Not a particularly famous player.

No. Both Zina Garrison and Natalie Tauziat reached

the final of Wimbledon, Zina in '94, Natalie in '98,

and then Lindsay Davenport won it the year after in '99.

Thank you, CJ. Good facts. Your question, Chris.

Which 19-year-old New Zealander

hit more sixes on his test match debut in 2008

than Don Bradman managed in his whole test career?

I think I actually read this a few days ago, amazingly enough,

but I'm blowed if I can remember what his name was.

I think it was Chris Martin. The name would have stuck

because it's the same name as myself.

I don't think it's Tim Southee somehow,

it doesn't strike me as a particularly New Zealand name

so I'll try, with no great hope of success, Grant Elliott.

How did you come to be reading this fact only a few days ago?

Well, I do read the papers.

I don't usually read anything in the sports section whatsoever,

but I think this item did catch my eye for some reason.

You didn't linger on it long enough, I'm afraid.

-It was Tim Southee.

-Was it?

So you're level, two points each.

We go to Sudden Death.

Bit harder now, Andy, because it's not multiple choice.

Your first question.

Which British golfer came to prominence as a 17-year-old amateur

at the 1998 Open Championship holding a dramatic birdie

on the 18th hole to finish tied for 4th place?

I can see him.

I'm sure he's the one who wears the garish outfits,

or he's got his own brand of golfing attire now. I'm sure it's him.

I'll have to pass on that. My mind's a blank.

OK, it's Justin Rose.

-Justin Rose.

-He's now the top ranked English player but he complained

that after he'd poled the putt and walked up to the golf house,

all the young ladies, shall we say,

-in the crowd started pinching his bum.

-And he complained?

-Mm.

-Chris...

in 1987, the Bulgarian, Stefka Kostadinova,

set a long-standing world record in which athletics event?

Bulgarian, you say?

Bulgarian Stefka Kostadinova.

What are Bulgarians good at?

Let's try the pole vault.

Well, it did involve going up a long distance,

but it's not with the help of a pole. It's the high jump.

She jumped 2.09 metres

and it's still the record today, 21 years on.

Andy, your question. Sudden Death, remember.

At which horseracing course

does the Golden Jubilee stakes take place each June?

Golden Jubilee...

There's only a couple of horse-racing venues that I know.

And I would have...

Aintree, Ascot, erm...

Golden Jubilee...

Aintree?

What a shame. You've just gone 50/50 and you've gone the wrong way.

It's Ascot. You were there with the As.

Never mind. It's not over yet.

Chris, your question. If you get this right you're in the final.

The Stretford End and the Brian Statham End

are features of which English test cricket ground?

Yeah! South Manchester used to be a stomping ground of mine

when I was small

and it is Old Trafford.

It is indeed Old Trafford. Well done, Chris.

You've won on Sudden Death.

You've taken the round. You will appear in the final.

-Andy, I'm sorry, you won't. You've been beaten by an Egghead which I know is painful.

-Yeah.

Please come back and rejoin your teams.

Well, as it stands, the Challengers

have lost two brains from the final round,

Eggheads have lost one brain. Last subject is Music.

Which of the Challengers wants to play in this round?

-It's going to be Mick.

-Mick on Music against which Egghead?

-Daphne or...?

-Erm...

-Can't be Chris, CJ or Judith.

I'll go for Daphne, please.

OK. Mick from the White Helmets against Daphne from the Eggheads.

Please take your positions in the question room.

We will ask you three questions on Music in turn.

You can choose, Mick, the first or second set?

I'll go for the second set of questions, please.

Daphne, what was the name of the Spice Girls' debut single

which topped the UK charts in 1996?

I think that was Wannabe.

Yes, yes?

-It was. You've gotta sing it for us.

-No!

-It's got that amazing... Judith, can you sing it?

-Definitely not.

-It's girl power, though, isn't it?

-Girl power.

And you're the two girls here, so...

-I can't sign either, like Daphne.

-Are you not gonna try?

-No.

Mick, your question.

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens"

is the first line of a song from which musical?

I don't think it's Mary Poppins, and I haven't seen Guys And Dolls.

I think it's The Sound Of Music, so I'll go with The Sound Of Music.

Well done, you've got it right.

The Sound Of Music, correct answer.

Daphne, which artist wrote the song Knocking On Heaven's Door in 1973?

Gosh, I don't know.

Bob Dylan.

-You do know, don't you?

-No. When you said that I thought,

"Oh, it's Eric Clapton." It's obviously not.

Yes, that was Tears From Heaven, wasn't it?

-Knocking On Heaven's Door is Bob Dylan.

-Oh, phew!

Mick, Nobody's Diary and Don't Go

were UK hit singles in the 1980s for which duo?

I was only young in the 80s.

You were five or something.

Around about that sort of age, yeah.

I'll go for Yazoo.

You've got the right answer, well done.

Your question now, Daphne.

If you get this right, you put pressure on Mick.

Daphne, which character did Michael Jackson play

in the 1978 film The Wiz?

No idea.

Absolutely no idea whatsoever.

I wonder if he'd be brave enough to be the scarecrow.

-I don't know!

-Is that your answer?

That is. I'm sorry, Jeremy.

Scarecrow is right, you've got it right.

I just thought which was the most unlikely.

Your guess work is extraordinary as always.

Mick, you've got to get this right to stay in the final.

What is the copyright period for recording music in the UK?

Again I've got no idea, but this is not something

I've researched on music.

I haven't written that many songs myself.

I would imagine that it's not gonna be that long.

I'll go with 25 years.

If you get this wrong you are out of the game...

and I'm afraid you have.

It's 50 years. So, well done, Daphne.

Mick, you were beaten by our Egghead,

as a result, you won't be able to help your team in the final round.

Would you both please come back to the studio?

So, this is what we've been playing towards.

It's our final round, which as always is General Knowledge.

I'm afraid those of you who lost won't be allowed to take part.

So, that is Andy, Tom and Mick from the White Helmets and Judith from the Eggheads.

We say goodbye to you. Please leave the studio.

Well, Ted and Si, you're playing to win the White Helmets £10,000.

Your three colleagues behind you can't play,

they look as if they're in a motorcycle formation there,

as a matter of fact.

Kevin, CJ, Daphne and Chris, you're playing for something money can't buy, the Eggheads' reputation.

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

This time the questions are all General Knowledge.

You are allowed to confer, so, White Helmets, the question is,

are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four?

Ted and Si, you can choose the first or second set of questions.

-First or second?

-Second, I think.

-We'll go second, please.

So, Eggheads go first. Here we go.

Who set a world record on live TV in April 2008

when he held his breath underwater for 17 minutes and 4 seconds?

We think that was David Blaine.

It still wasn't long enough.

David Blaine is the correct answer.

First question for the White Helmets.

In which nursery rhyme does the "dish run away with the spoon"?

Hey Diddle Diddle, isn't it?

Yeah, I think we'll go for Hey Diddle Diddle.

Hey Diddle Diddle.

Said in a very manly way.

It is right. It is Hey Diddle Diddle.

One point apiece.

Eggheads, can you keep up the momentum?

In which part of the world was the ancient region of Venetia located?

In which part of the world was the ancient region of Venetia located?

THEY CONFER

It's in what's known as the Levant, the eastern end

of the Mediterranean, Lebanon, that way, so it's Middle East.

Middle East is the correct answer, Kevin, well done to you, Eggheads.

Second question to you, White Helmets.

In May 2008, Scarlett Johansson

announced her engagement to which actor?

Zac Efron is the guy from High School Musical, so I don't think it's him.

I've never heard of Ryan Reynolds.

Ryan Reynolds played Van Wilder in Party Liaison

-and the guy from Blade Trinity.

-Right.

Between Josh and Ryan, then, isn't it?

Yeah.

I think it's more likely to be Josh Hartnett,

because I can remember seeing some random tabloid of my wife's.

I think we'll go for Josh Hartnett.

You've gone for Josh Hartnett.

I'm afraid it's Ryan Reynolds, wrong answer.

Third question to you, Eggheads,

and if you get this right,

you've won the contest...

and the £10,000 is taken from our White Helmets.

On an African safari, the term "big five"

refers to buffalo, elephants, lions, leopards and which other animal?

On an African safari, the term "big five"

refers to buffalo, elephants, lions, leopards and which other animal?

It's not the zebra.

I always that it was giraffe.

-It's not zebra.

-No.

Well, it can't be hippo, surely?

I don't know it, but it's got to be surely rhino.

Hippos and zebra aren't game, surely?

-No, and rhinoceros is.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Happy?

They're fierce, as opposed to hippos,

which, unless you provoke them, are pretty placid.

Yeah, OK.

Don't know it 100% but we think it must be rhinoceros,

so we're saying rhinoceros.

It would have been harder if you'd had giraffe, would it?

Yeah. I thought it was giraffe.

I didn't think they hunt giraffe.

Anyway, no giraffes and rhinoceros is correct,

so, Eggheads, you have won the final round and the contest.

Congratulations.

That's the trouble with giving them the first go. They scooped it, they took your money.

Commiserations, Challengers. They fought a good game.

-They did, yep.

-And you are still better motorcyclists than them.

There's no doubt about that.

But the Eggheads' winning streak continues.

I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £10,000, so that money rolls over

to our next show. Eggheads, congratulations.

Who will ever beat you?

Join us next time to see if the new Challengers have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£11,000 will say they don't.

Until then, goodbye.

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