Episode 140 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 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 awesome might of our quiz Goliaths

today are the Twyning Players.

They are all members of an amateur dramatics group in Tewkesbury.

Twice a year they put on productions at their club and often quiz together, so let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Patti, I'm 55 and I'm a Medical Secretary.

Hi, I'm Rick, I'm 57 and I'm in Property Development.

Hi, I'm Nigel, I'm 57 and I'm a Farmer.

Hi, I'm Ian, I'm 48 and I'm an Estate Agent.

Hi, I'm David, I'm 45 and I'm a GP.

-Welcome, Twyning Players.

-Thank you.

-Great to have actors. I'm told the last two teams who won were actors.

-Really?

-Yes, and they put on a great display of excitement

when they did take the money home!

And I know we've got some celebrity connections here

because I think it's Rick who exchanged a wink with Paul McCartney

in the toilets!

Well, it was in the queue to the toilet, yes,

and I actually went in before him because he got distracted and there

were a few other people in there but I didn't exchange anything with them!

You don't nod to everyone you see in the loos?

David, you also - this is great because I love this band,

at university, The Smiths were playing...

-That's right.

-Which is mid-'80s, in their heyday,

-and you had to give Morrissey a lift home in your car!

-Yes. There were so many people screaming and shouting

at both the front door and the back door that we had to slip him out the side and he was stuck,

he didn't know where to go, so I took him in my car down to the hotel

he was staying at.

He sat in the back and he was very quiet, it has to be said.

So you didn't get any great lines out of him?

No, no, nothing, actually... almost complete silence.

And so you are all actors, you all act in your productions which are on roughly once every, what?

Every six months. Well, one in May and one in December.

Well, good luck with this production.

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 the next show.

So, Twyning Players, the Eggheads

have won the last 19 games, which means £20,000

says you can't beat the Eggheads. They are due to lose sometime soon.

The new man, Barry, is somehow stopping them from losing, it seems.

The first head-to-head battle

will be on the subject of Science, so who against which Egghead?

I think that's you, isn't it, David?

OK, I'll take it.

-OK. Our GP from Worcester - David, against?

-Judith.

She's looking nervous to me!

-I'm not!

-She's not nervous... Angry!

Try Judith, yeah, if I may?

Good. David from the Twyning Players against Judith from the Eggheads on Science.

To ensure there's no conferring, please take your positions in the question room.

OK, David, I'll ask each of you three multiple choice questions

on Science in turn, and you can choose the first or second set.

I'll go first, please.

Pewter is typically an alloy of tin and which other metal?

Is it potassium, lead or magnesium?

I don't think it's magnesium,

that's a bit violent and I don't think it's potassium.

I think the answer is lead.

Spot on. Well done.

Judith, your first question on science.

Judith, what name is given to the rapid

chemical reaction between substances that is usually accompanied

by the generation of heat and light in the form of a flame?

Is it covalency, catabolism or combustion?

I think that must be combustion, isn't it?

That's the correct answer.

OK, next question for you, David.

If an egg is rotten, what will it do

when it is carefully lowered in its shell into a bowl of water?

Will it Float to the Surface, Become Paler, or Sink to the Bottom?

I don't think it becomes paler, I'm pretty sure of that.

It either sinks or it floats and I think probably when it is

rotting it is producing gases, so I'd guess that it floats to the surface.

Great stuff, David, you're right.

Thank you.

Judith, Goliath frogs, which can grow

to over one foot long are indigenous to which continent?

South America, Africa or Asia?

Oh, dear!

Goliath frogs.

They could be anywhere!

I mean it's just a matter of eenie-meenie.

I think they're in South America, in the Amazon Jungle.

Can you give us a postcode?

I'm sorry. It's wrong. It's Africa.

It's Africa!

Goliath Frogs are from Africa, so David, you have the advantage here.

If you get this question right, you've knocked Judith out.

Which heavenly body was the destination of NASA's series of Ranger missions?

The Moon, Venus, or Mars?

Astronomy is not one of my strong points.

Ranger...

I don't think it's Venus, but I'm not sure. I think it's Mars.

No, it was the Moon. Bad luck.

Judith, your question to level it.

Which Nobel Prize for Physics winner who died in 1984

succeeded Sir Richard Woolley as Astronomer-Royal in 1972?

Is it Frank Dyson, Arnold Wolfendale or Martin Ryle?

I thought there was another Martin who was Astronomer-Royal,

who was the one who still is.

So I am thrown by that.

I think I'm going to say Martin Ryle.

Maybe I got his surname wrong in my mind.

-OK. Martin Ryle is your answer?

-Mmm.

-It's the right answer, Judith.

-I must have got it wrong in my mind.

Why would... Because the Astronomer-Royal is Martin now?

She's confusing it with the present Astronomer-Royal who is Martin Reece.

I know this is gonna come as a shock, Judith, but there's more than one Martin in this country!

I know!

Anyway, you've pulled yourself back into it with stupendous guesswork.

Well, done. So now we go to sudden death.

It gets harder, David, because these questions are not multiple choice.

-Are you ready?

-I'm ready.

Which triangular bone in the lower back

formed from five fused vertebrae has a name meaning "sacred bone"

as it was thought to be where the soul resides?

Thank you for that one. That's the sacrum.

It is, and you're a GP and you must, I guess...

-Shouldn't have got it wrong!

-You come across them, yeah.

Judith, your question.

If you get this wrong, you're not in the final.

What type of creature is the stream-dwelling Hellbender,

also known as the "devil dog"?

It's not a Tasmanian Devil, is it?

-A Tasmanian Devil?

-Yeah.

-Is that your answer?

-Yeah. It's a kind of dog that lives in a stream?

-Maybe!

-It's a salamander.

-Oh, is it?!

Judith, you didn't get salamander, so the GP has taken the round,

and that means our Egghead is out of the final. First blood to the actors, well done.

Come back to the studio, please.

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

The challengers have lost no brains. Our next subject is Film and TV.

Who wants this?

Lots of actors...

Do you want to do that one,

-Ian, yeah, OK? Ian.

-Ian? The estate agent, OK.

Who are you gonna go against?

Give Kevin a go?

So it's Ian from the Twyning Players against Kevin from the Eggheads.

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

We'll ask you three questions on Film and Television in turn,

Ian and Kevin. Ian, you can choose the first or second set.

I'll go first, please.

What was the name of the TV soap that was launched on Channel Five

in 1997 and cancelled in 2005?

Was it Echo Beach, Doctors or Family Affairs?

Right. Well, it's certainly not Echo Beach, because that's quite

an interesting double story there.

I can't say I know Doctors.

I will go for Family Affairs.

Good one! Difficult question, that, and spot on, well done.

Kevin, here's your first question.

Who played Diane Fossey in the 1988 film Gorillas In The Mist?

Was it Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis or Sigourney Weaver?

That was Sigourney Weaver.

You're right. I get Susan Sarandon and Sigourney Weaver confused!

How to tell them apart?

Sigourney Weaver takes her clothes off more often in films.

I never look!

She's very good with aliens as well!

-Who was the one in Alien?

-Sigourney Weaver!

-Aah, got it, OK.

We were talking about Alien V as well! Yes!

-Alien V is coming, is it?

-Yes!

-You won't watch that...

-you're too scared!

-I've watched the Alien films because I love them!

OK, Ian,

don't be put off by this banter... it's only because they're scared!

On which talent show did Les Dawson make his TV debut?

Was it Opportunity Knocks, The Comedians or New Faces?

Right. I've got to delve to the distant past on that one.

I don't think it was Opportunity Knocks.

I would go for...

The Comedians.

That's the wrong answer...

and it was Opportunity Knocks.

-Oh, well!

-So, Kevin, your chance to pull ahead.

Which actor played Brock Lovett in the 1997 film Titanic

and Jeff Tracy in Thunderbirds

in 2004? Was it Bill Paxton, Jeff Daniels or Bill Pullman?

That's a bit unfortunate...

it's not Jeff Daniels, but it's a bit unfortunate.

That last one, you were saying about Sigourney Weaver and Susan Sarandon,

and I have the same sort of problem with the two Bills here...

-Paxton and Pullman.

-Do you?

Yes, I do. Well, it's 50/50, so I'm gonna say Bill Paxton.

Just like with Sigourney Weaver and Susan Sarandon,

as we were discussing, and you've chosen Paxton. You're right.

Bill Paxton is the correct answer.

So, over to you, Ian.

You need to get this question right or Kevin is through to the final

and you are not.

What was the name of Samantha Stevens' mother

in the US TV sitcom, Bewitched?

Was it Esmeralda, Endora

or Tabitha?

Right.

Endora doesn't sound right at all to me.

Tabitha, I can't help but think of a cat.

I'm gonna go for Esmeralda.

Endora was the correct answer.

Sorry, Ian, that's torn it, because there's no way back for you

in this round, so you won't be in the final.

Kevin, our Egghead, will - please, both of you, return to us.

The Eggheads and the challengers have each lost one brain from the final round.

The next subject is Food and Drink.

-Who wants this?

-It's one of us three.

-If you don't want to do it.

-No.

-Nigel, who do you want to play against?

-CJ.

CJ, Food and Drink, because Food and Drink is normally the one

to try Kevin on, but he's already done it, that's the trouble.

OK, Nigel from the Twyning Players against CJ from the Eggheads.

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

-Good luck to you, Nigel. You're a farmer?

-Yes, I am.

Well, this is interesting! So you know quite a lot?

Well, hopefully so, yes!

Would you like the first or the second set of questions?

I would like the first set, please.

Nigel, Provolone is a cheese from which country?

France, Italy or Switzerland?

The pronunciation to me is the clue and...

it doesn't sound French, it doesn't sound Swiss to me...

it sounds Italian.

Italian is the correct answer.

CJ, what type of food is spelt?

Grain, Poultry or Cheese?

It's a grain.

Why do you sound in pain?

Is your chair at the wrong angle?

I'm never going to give you a confident answer

in Food and Drink, but I think spelt is a grain.

Well, also because of your rule, always say cheese if in doubt,

I thought you might be thrown off-course, but no, it is grain,

you're right, well done.

Nigel, here's your next question.

In South East Asian cookery, what is a laksa? L-A-K-S-A?

Is it Pancake, Soup or Yoghurt Drink?

I think I'll get rid of yoghurt drink first,

and then I shall go to the middle and say soup.

Correct, it's soup.

CJ, which dressing similar to tartar sauce consists of mayonnaise

with herbs, mustard and capers?

Is is Remoulade, Ravigote or Romesco?

Yeah, I think that's Remoulade.

You're quite right, well done.

Nigel, the sparkling wine called Prosecco is made predominantly

in which region of Northern Italy? Is it Liguria,

Aosta Valley or Veneto?

I'm going to discount...

..the Aosta Valley,

as I've travelled through it, and not seen a lot of vines.

And Veneto as well, so I'm left with Liguria.

Why did Veneto go?

Entirely at random.

OK, because it was the right answer.

Sorry, you got that one wrong.

CJ, galangal is closely related, and there's strong similarities in terms

of its appearance and taste, to which other spice?

Ginger, Fenugreek or Liquorice?

Spelt G-A-L-A-N-G-A-L.

Thanks, but that doesn't help!

No idea, never heard of it, liquorice.

Liquorice is wrong... it's ginger that galangal is like.

So you're lodged at two each.

That means it goes to sudden death.

Nigel, Huntsman Cheese is made from layers of Double Gloucester

and which other cheese?

Huntsman Cheese?

Double Gloucester?

Leicester is a very good hunting county. I shall go to Red Leicester.

No, it's Stilton, actually,

which is between two layers of Double Gloucester

to make Huntsman cheese.

CJ, this one is for you.

Get this, you've taken the round, you're in the final.

Lord Lambourne is a type of which fruit?

Well, it sounds like an English title, so let's go for something

that grows naturally in this country, even though I've never heard of it.

I dunno.

It's a plum.

It's an apple!

Plum is wrong.

Nigel, which celebrated London restaurant was opened

by the brothers Albert and Michelle Roux in 1967?

Roux is spelt R-O-U-X.

As a guess,

which I am pretty certain is wrong, I would say The Ivy.

I think The Ivy was a bit later.

-It's Le Gavroche.

-Yes.

Now you say it, I know.

Over to you, CJ. Farfel are small pellet-shaped egg noodles eaten

on the holy days of which religion?

Farfel is spelt F-A-R-F-E-L.

-Judaism?

-Judaism is right, CJ, well done, so you've pipped Nigel there

and you are in the final, CJ.

Nigel, you've been knocked out. I sense it would have been a precious part of your final playing team.

Never mind. Please, both of you, come back to the studio.

So as it stands, the challengers have lost two brains from the final round, the Eggheads have lost one.

Last subject is Sport.

-So which one of you wants Sport?

-Not me, not me!

I think I'll take Barry on.

It's Rick from the Twyning Players against Barry from the Eggheads.

To ensure there is no conferring,

please take your positions in the question room.

I'm going to ask each of you three questions on sport in turn and Rick,

you can choose the first or second set.

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

In 2005, Joel and Avram Glazer became

the chairmen of which football team?

Was it Chelsea, Manchester United or Manchester City?

Well, it's not Chelsea, because that's the famous Russian gentleman.

I don't think it's Manchester City.

I think there was quite a lot of controversy when they were

taking over Manchester United, so I'll plump for Manchester United.

Quite right, it was. Well done.

OK, your question, Barry. In cricket, what is signified

when the umpire draws a square in the air with his fingers?

-Wide, TV Replay or Leg Bye?

-A square?

Well, a square signifies to me a TV. I know it's not a wide and I'm pretty

certain it's not a leg bye, so I think it must be a TV replay.

And it is, well done.

Back to you, Rick. In Rugby Union, what number

is normally worn by the hooker?

one, two or three?

Well, I follow Rugby Union.

I'm a season ticket holder at Worcester Warriors,

who are a relatively new Premiership side, and the hooker is in the middle

of the front row, so I'll go for number two.

And two is quite right.

Very handy knowledge.

So, over to you, Barry.

What is the name of the swimming technique created by David Berkoff,

Daichi Suzuki and Jessie Vassallo and used to great success

by Michael Phelps at the 2007 World Championships?

Is it the Dolphin Kick, the Pincer Motion or Flipper Stroke?

Well, the latest swimming stroke that I have any knowledge of was the

dolphin kick, because they seemed to make a shape like a dolphin gliding

through the water, so I have no information at all on pincer motion,

which doesn't sound particularly likely, and although

Flipper was a dolphin, I think the answer must be dolphin kick.

Dolphin kick is quite right.

So they invented a new way of swimming, did they?

Yes. It's a kind of undulating motion through the water.

Was that in a particular category,

on the crawl or freestyle, or...?

-It's mainly for butterfly.

-Mainly for butterfly? OK.

So, two each.

Rick, which nation won the most gold medals

in Boxing at the 2004 Olympics?

Was it the USA, Russia or Cuba?

Aaah!

Well, Cuba have always been very strong in amateur boxing.

I'm not sure of this one.

USA or Russia?

Mmm.

I'm going to... For some reason I'm going to discount USA.

Cuba or Russia?

Mmm.

I'll go for Russia.

That's a shame because your Cuba thought was spot on,

and it was Cuba.

So that means that with this question Barry can take the round.

Barry, who was the oldest male tennis player

to hold the ATP number one ranking at the age of 33 years and 13 days?

Was it Ivan Lendl, Thomas Muster or Andre Agassi?

Well, my immediate thought before the names came up was Andre Agassi,

because I know he had a flourish right at the end of his career

and I'm going to stick with that thought and go for Andre Agassi.

You're quite right and you have taken the round with that, Barry,

so well done. Rick, you were beaten by our Egghead.

As a result, you won't be able to play in the final round.

Please, both of you, come back and rejoin your teams.

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

It's time for our 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 that's Rick, Nigel and Ian from the Twyning Players and

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

Patti and David, you are playing to win the Twyning Players £20,000.

Chris, Barry, Kevin and CJ, you're playing for something

which money can't buy...

the Eggheads' reputation.

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

This time the questions are all general knowledge

and you are allowed to confer, OK, so Twyning Players, the question is,

are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four,

-and also, would you like to go first or second?

-I think we'll go first, don't you?

-We'll stick with first.

-We'll stick with first, yes, please.

What is the English translation of the Latin phrase "quid pro quo"?

Is it Something for Something, For Ever and Ever, or And So It Is?

What is the English translation of the Latin phrase "quid pro quo"?

Quid pro quo. It's famous, it's a famous phrase.

-I don't think it's "for ever and ever".

-I'm drawn to "and so it is".

-And so it is?

-I would have thought "something for something" - quid...

Oh, no! No it is that... I think it's "something for something".

Quid pro quo, I think it might be "something for something".

"Status quo" is the former state,

isn't it, so do you think it's "something for something"?

And so it is...

Quid pro quo.

Something for something.

Something for something? I'm not sure about that.

-Go for what you think, then.

-For ever and ever.

"Status quo" is the original state and state as it was before.

-'And so it is'?

-Go on, then.

-Yeah, go on, go for that one.

-And so it is.

I'm sorry, that's wrong. "Something for something".

Sorry, Patti. Sorry, Patti.

Quid pro quo... something for something.

OK, Eggheads,

in which Irish county would you find the Giant's Causeway?

-Is it Down, Tyrone or Antrim?

-That's County Antrim.

Yeah, it's up on the north coast in Antrim.

It is indeed in Antrim.

Dr Johnson said it was worth seeing, but not worth going to see!

Oh, it's beautiful up there.

With modern travel, it's fantastic!

Beautiful coastline. So they're ahead.

David, you're a GP, right?

-I am.

-Here's your question. The drug Paladrine which takes its name

from the Latin for marsh is normally taken to combat which disease?

Is it Tuberculosis, Typhoid or Malaria?

-Go on, you must go for it.

-It's malaria.

Yes, it is.

-What a handy question!

-You're very kind to me!

Thank you, computer!

Eggheads, which US author wrote the 1906 novel The Jungle -

a damning indictment of capitalism,

and in particular, the meat-packing industry?

Was it Upton Sinclair, Jack London or Zane Grey?

-Well, Upton Sinclair, we're agreed.

-Who has read it?

-Yeah, actually.

-Two of you?

-Many, many years ago.

-It's a long time ago with me, too.

-Well, remembered...

Upton Sinclair is the right answer. He wrote The Jungle.

So, we have £20,000 at stake.

It's still there for you, you have to get this question right, though.

Here we go. Edward Bernays - B-E-R-N-A-Y-S - is considered

a founding father in which field?

Economics, Public Relations or Linguistics?

I haven't heard of him, have you?

Bernays. Who was Bernays?

Really, I don't know that, Patti,

-at all.

-Shall we eliminate...

if we say eliminate one of them.

Public relations, do you think that's a bit of a...

Bernays... Edward Bernays.

Is there some sort of "Bernaysian", sort of...

-doesn't sound like economics.

-Well, I don't think it's public relations

and you don't think it's economics, so shall we go for linguistics?

-We might as well.

-We might as well go for linguistics, please.

Linguistics is wrong. It's public relations.

-Oh, never mind!

-There's no way back in this final

for our Twyning Players, which means the Eggheads, you have won.

And it's coming naturally to them, this winning thing,

especially since Barry joined! What's happening, Barry?

I don't know! It's my colleagues on either side of me.

So their winning streak continues and I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £20,000,

which means that the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, many congratulations.

Who will beat you? Join us next time to see if the new challengers

have the brains to defeat the Eggheads... £21,000 says they don't.

Till then, goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd - 2009

E-mail [email protected]