Episode 142 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 - 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 Flame Academy. This team know each other through working together

at the Fire Service College, in Moreton-in-Marsh. Let's meet them.

Hi. I'm Phil. I'm 48. I'm a fire and rescue service officer.

I'm Gus. I'm 46 and I'm a fire and rescue service officer.

Hello. I'm Helen.

I'm 54 and I'm a civil servant.

Hi. I'm Eric. I'm 50 and I'm a fire and rescue service officer.

Hi. I'm Neil. I'm 43 and I'm a communications officer.

-So, welcome, Flame Academy.

-Thank you.

-And Phil,

it's a fascinating place, cos it's the national training centre

-for the fire service.

-It is. Yeah.

-And you have,

out the back of the buildings,

you've got stuff like a motorway and planes.

That's right. There's planes.

There's a jet aircraft.

There's a concrete ship.

-Trains. There's all sorts out there.

-Just for you to practise on.

-Yeah.

Cars that you have to saw people out of and that?

Yep. I think at any one time we've got about 500 cars on the area,

to cut up and set fire to and practise on.

And you've got a great quiz fact for us, which this lot will all be

attuned to, which is that the bit of motorway - only about a quarter of

-a mile that you practise on - it's got an official name.

-Yeah. The M96.

-Is it on maps?

-Not sure, actually, if it is on the maps...

-If anybody knows?

-In the pub quiz, when someone says,

-what's the shortest motorway in Britain?

-Yeah. The M96.

-That's it.

-Definitely.

-Good luck, today.

-Thank you.

-Every day, there is £1,000 worth of cash

up for grabs for our challengers.

However, if they fail to defeat the Eggheads, the money

rolls over to the next show. So, Flame Academy,

the Eggheads have actually won the last 21 games,

which means £22,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

We're getting into serious money here.

The first head-to-head battle will be on the subject of Music.

Challengers, who wants Music?

-Right.

-I think the game plan...

-I think the game plan was me.

-Lead from the front.

-What about sport, though?

-Neil will take sport.

-Neil?

-Yeah.

Are you going to lead from the front, then?

Lead from the front.

That's the trouble - not knowing which categories will come up.

We did have a game plan,

and it's just, not quite blown out the water, but not far off.

-So, Phil against who?

-Judith.

-Judith'll be good at classical.

-Classical music.

-I just heard Judith make a note, then.

You just went... ahhh...like that.

I thought it was a very high-pitched scream.

The human ear could hardly hear it.

-Judith.

-Go for it.

-Judith, please.

-Right. So, Phil,

from The Flame Academy, against Judith, with the high-pitched note.

The bat squeak of terror.

It did sound like a little mouse.

-Bat squeak.

-To ensure there's

no conferring, would you please take your positions in the question room.

-So, Phil, good luck.

-Thank you.

Going to ask you each three multiple choice questions on music in turn -

whoever answers the most correctly is the winner.

-And you can choose, Phil, first or second set?

-First, please.

Here we go. Private Dancer and We Don't Need Another Hero

were UK hit singles for which singer?

Well, it wasn't Michael Bolton, that's for certain.

The first name that came in to my mind was Tina Turner.

So, I'll go for Tina Turner, please.

Correct answer. Well done.

Over to you, Judith.

Which part of Scotland provided

the title for a UK number one hit single for Paul McCartney in 1977?

Oh, I think I might know that one.

Mull of Kintyre.

You haven't heard his brilliant record, Gretna Green, then?

No, I haven't. Don't tell me about it.

Don't worry. You're right. One each.

It was the best-selling single of all time in Britain, at the time.

Yes. It was a massive sell-out. It only had one note.

Until it was overtaken by Band Aid.

Really?

OK, Phil. Who had a UK top-ten hit single

in 2008, with Wearing My Rolex?

Oh, dear me.

Right. Modern music isn't my favourite, I must admit.

So it will have to be a guess.

Wiley. Not sure.

Guess would be...

Usher.

Usher's wrong. It was Wiley.

Very difficult.

Have you got an idea on that one?

-No.

-None.

-Poor old Wiley's watching and...devastated.

Judith, La Donna E Mobile is an aria from which Verdi opera?

Oh, dear. La Donna E Mobile.

I think it's Rigoletto.

That's the correct answer. OK, Phil,

you need to get this answer right to stay in the round.

And stay in the contest.

Ray Manzarek was the keyboard player for which American band?

The Doors was quite keyboard, as was the Beach Boys.

Shot in the dark - The Doors was quite keyboard.

I'm going to say The Doors, please.

Well done. You're right.

It was The Doors. Well done.

Smashing.

Judith, your question. You take the round with this if you get it right.

Sonny Rollins is considered to be one of the great jazz

innovators, on which instrument?

I'm trying to picture it.

I think, in my mind, he's playing a trumpet.

-Is he?

-Yeah. Is he not?

-That's your answer?

-Yeah.

He'd be excited to hear that, cos his instrument was the saxophone.

-Oh, dear.

-I think he won the Polar Prize, last year, which is

like the Nobel Prize of music.

Right. For playing the saxophone?

-Yes.

-Or the trumpet.

-No. The saxophone.

Well, we're equal, after three questions,

which means we go to sudden death.

It's a bit harder now cos they're not multiple choice.

-OK?

-Not too hard.

Kylie Minogue released the macabre ballad Where The Wild Roses Grow,

in collaboration with which singer?

I can hear the tune in my head.

Where The Wild Roses Grow.

I'll kick myself when you say the answer cos I'm trying to think...

Male singer.

No. I'm sorry.

-No?

-No. Sorry.

-OK. It was Nick Cave.

-No.

-Written about a murder

from the perspective of the victim and the perpetrator.

The video to that song's actually really nice cos at the end

it shows her floating down the river like Ophelia,

from the pre-Raphaelite paintings.

Right. Judith, your question.

If you get this right, you've taken the round.

What was the name of the band leader Herb Alpert's accompanying

orchestra, with whom he earned six Grammy Awards, 15 gold albums

-and 14 platinum albums?

-I think it was called The Tijuana Brass.

You're absolutely right, Judith. Well done. You've taken the round

with that sudden death question. Phil, you're beaten

by our Egghead, so you can't play in the final round.

Please, both of you, come back to the studio.

So, as it stands, the challengers have lost one

brain from the final round, whilst the Eggheads have lost no brains.

The next subject is Politics.

Which challenger wants Politics?

I think we have a volunteer, don't we?

We have a volunteer on politics. Yeah. He's actually volunteered.

I think Neil, please.

-Neil on politics. OK. Which Egghead?

-Chris.

-What do you reckon?

-Yeah.

-Could be.

-I don't mind.

So it's Neil and Chris.

-Neil and Chris, please.

-OK. Neil, from Flame Academy.

Chris, from the Eggheads. Do please go to the question rooms now.

Chris, I reckon you like politics.

I'm a political animal, shall we say.

Yeah. Wouldn't say I know the minutiae too well.

Cos you play 22 in 120.

-Fair enough.

-Sorry, Neil.

I didn't mean to shock you with that statistic.

At least I know what's coming, now. That's OK.

I'll ask each of you three questions on politics in turn

and Neil, you can choose the set of questions.

I'll have the second set of questions, please.

Maybe this will destabilise him.

Chris, for what does the letter P stand in the abbreviation PFI,

an initiative set up to organise funding for

the provision of public buildings?

-It's Private Funding Initiative, so it's private.

-You're right.

Private Finance Initiative, actually, but not just buildings

cos I guess as a former train driver, you probably had PFI coming

in through your carriage windows.

-We don't talk about that. A sore point.

-I didn't think you'd like it.

-No.

-OK. PFI. The P is Private.

Well done. First point to you, Chris. Your question then, Neil.

In 2004, Simon Hughes became the president of which political party?

I'm pretty sure that's the Liberal Democrat Party.

And you're pretty right. Well done.

Chris, in June 2008 a scheme was approved to introduce a congestion charge

into which English city?

It's not going down very well, either. It's in Manchester.

It is in Manchester. You're right.

OK, Neil, your question.

At the 1992 Conservative Party Conference,

which then Secretary of State adapted Gilbert and Sullivan's song

I Have A Little List, to condemn those who unfairly claimed benefits?

I don't think it was William Waldegrave,

so I'm torn between Peter Lilley and Michael Howard.

I can hear a voice in my head that sounds like Michael Howard.

Erm...I'm going to go with Michael Howard.

Michael Howard, you think.

Well, it was one of those funny things. He stood up at this

conference and he actually sang half of his speech, which is why

some people will remember it.

And it was also somebody not really known for making a big

splash in public. Peter Lilley...

is the answer. So you're wrong. Chris, your third question.

You get this right, you've taken the round.

Who did Winston Churchill say was

"a modest man with much to be modest about"?

"A modest little man with much to be modest about".

It was Clement Attlee.

It was, indeed.

Chris, you've won the round. There's no way back for you, Neil.

You gave him the first question and therefore, he's taken all three and

you got one wrong, so bad luck - you won't be in the final round.

Please, both of you, come back and rejoin your team-mates.

Well, there's still a lot

to play for. As it stands, the challengers have lost two brains

from the final round, whilst the Eggheads have lost no brains.

The next subject is Sport.

Who from the challengers?

A gasp of excitement. Who wants sport?

-Think it's yourself, Michael.

-Yeah.

-It's Gus.

-So who's doing it?

-Gus.

-Gus is doing it, against?

-CJ.

-Gus, from the Flame Academy, against

CJ, from the Eggheads on sport.

To ensure there's no conferring, please go to the question room, now.

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

Gus, you can choose which set.

I'll go first, please.

Gus, in which country is Murrayfield Stadium?

Yeah. I'm fairly sure Murrayfield is in Scotland.

And you're right. Well done.

CJ, the motor racing circuit Brands Hatch is in which English county?

La la la la la.

So, combining sport with English geography now, are you? Thanks.

Yep. Your two favourite subjects.

Hopefully, I can discount East Sussex.

-Why is that?

-Cos I used to live there.

And I'm hoping it wasn't reasonably close to where I lived.

Right. If they hold motor races there, they need easy

accessibility, so it needs to be more central, so it's Berkshire.

The correct answer is Kent, CJ.

Gus, your question. Which former Welsh international

became the manager of Manchester City Football Club in June 2008?

Crikey. This must have slipped under the radar.

Ian Rush,

I'm fairly sure, hasn't been in management and I'm fairly

sure he hasn't entered management.

Mark Hughes, as far as I knew, was the manager of Blackburn.

There might have been something about him moving but I'm fairly sure

it's not Phil Thompson, as well. So I'll have to say Mark Hughes.

He's the only one I would suggest.

You're right. It's Mark Hughes. Well done.

Over to you, CJ. In which sport did Englishman Imran Sherwani

win a gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games?

Wasn't '88 where

Britain won the gold medal in hockey with, was it Sean Long?

I don't know the name, but the Indians are good at hockey and

his name sounds Indian so I'll try field hockey.

Field hockey is the right answer. Well done, CJ.

So challengers have two points, Eggheads on one, which means Gus,

you get this one right, you will send CJ packing.

In British greyhound racing, what colour is trap number six?

I've only ever frequented a greyhound track once and I didn't really...

take much notice of... I didn't even know they were fixed, if I'm honest.

-What, the races?

-No!

No. The colours of the traps.

I thought it might have changed.

A pure guess, Jeremy. I'll go for black and white.

It's amazing. Pure guess. Absolutely right. Well, done.

Good play.

And obviously, I guess you've

got some greyhound racing fans on your team because you knew.

-I've been a couple of times.

-Right.

And they've got definite colours wherever you go?

-I just remember black and white being number six.

-OK.

Good enough for us. Gus, well done. You'll play in the final. CJ won't.

Please, both of you, come back to us.

As it stands, the challengers have lost two brains from the

final round, whilst the Eggheads have lost one brain. The last subject now is Geography.

-Which challenger wants this? Helen or Eric?

-It's up to you.

I'll do it if you really want me to. I always end up with...

THEY CHATTER

Phil, if Helen falls on her sword on this one,

-it'll leave me for general knowledge.

-I'm better for general knowledge.

-Fall on your sword?

-Oh, not again.

-She's going to win!

-Is it Helen?

OK. I'll fall on my sword.

-All right. Getting heated.

-But who's she going to play?

-Daphne's brilliant at geography and so is Kevin.

-Daphne or Kevin now.

-Go for Kevin, I think.

-Kevin?

-Yeah.

He's probably equally brilliant, but I know Daphne is.

So, it's Helen, from the Flame Academy, versus

Kevin, from the Eggheads. Please go to the question rooms, now.

All right. Good luck on Geography. You are facing Kevin,

which is obviously a slightly perilous position,

but anything could happen. Three questions, multiple choice

and you choose, Helen, the first or second set.

I'll go first, please.

Your first question. Ben Nevis is located in which mountain range?

Right. As geography is my worst subject,

I am going to take my time here.

I don't think it's the Cambrians, or the Pennines.

So I'm pretty sure it must be Grampians.

You didn't take that much time.

You're right.

Kevin, Morningside is a genteel suburb of which British city?

Supposed to have a posh Scottish accent, there. It's Edinburgh.

Quite right.

Back to you, Helen. What is the world's shallowest

ocean, in terms of average depth?

Maybe working this out completely wrongly, but I think is

the Mariana Trench one of the deepest and is that the Indian Ocean?

Arctic. Atlantic.

Atlantic would be pretty deep, I would think, because it's big.

Arctic has a lot of glaciers.

I'm going to go Atlantic.

You're wrong. It's Arctic.

But your logic was taking you towards Arctic

and then you kind of swerved away.

-I thought I was being too logical.

-No. It was brilliant.

You went one, two, three and then back to two.

Sorry about that. You got it wrong. Kevin, the Friesian Islands

lie in which body of water?

They're mostly off the Netherlands, although

some are off Germany, as well, so they belong to the two countries.

It's the North Sea.

Quite right. It is the North Sea.

No messing around from Kevin, today.

Indeed, there usually isn't any messing around from Kevin.

So, you need to get this right, Helen.

If you don't, I'm afraid you won't play in the final round.

In which country is the so-called great bend of the Nile located?

Again, it's going to be a guess.

Egypt seems...

a bit too obvious.

Sudan or Uganda seems totally unlikely, so on that premise,

I'll go for Uganda.

Uganda seems totally unlikely, so you've gone for Uganda.

OK. It's wrong. It was really, really unlikely and it is Sudan...

which means, Helen, you were close to giving him

a run for his money, but Kevin has won that.

Kevin will play in the final with the Eggheads.

And I'm afraid the Flame Academy lose another team member from the final.

Do come back to us.

So this is what we've been playing towards.

It's time for the final round which, as always, is General Knowledge.

But those of you who lost your head to heads won't take part in this.

So that's Phil, Helen and Neil, from Flame Academy, will have to go.

CJ, from the Eggheads, as well. Please leave the studio.

Let's just remind ourselves. We have a really big prize, now.

Gus and Eric, you are playing to win the Flame Academy £22,000.

Judith, Kevin, Daphne and Chris, you're playing for something

money can't buy, which is the Eggheads' reputation.

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

The questions are general knowledge. You are allowed to confer.

So, Flame Academy, the question is, are your two brains better than the

Eggheads' one, two, three, four?

-Do you want to go first?

-We're going to work as a team.

We're gonna do it my way, and we're gonna go first.

First set of questions. Here we go for you and good luck.

What type of dog is Lady in the Disney animation,

Lady And The Tramp?

Lady And The Tramp. It's not a Dalmatian.

I don't think it's a peke - I seem to remember it's a cocker spaniel.

I think that, as well. Yeah.

Remember the romantic scene eating the spaghetti?

-I do.

-Right. I think we'll go cocker spaniel.

Yeah. Cocker spaniel.

Cocker spaniel is the correct answer.

-Phew.

-Well done.

In the nursery rhyme, Eggheads, what does Little Jack Horner

pull out of his Christmas pie?

Little Jack Horner sat in the corner, eating his Christmas pie.

Put in his thumb and pulled out a plum and said what a good boy am I.

A plum.

That is plum. Yes. I heard the word plum and you are right, Eggheads.

One each. Back to you, Flames.

0151 is the dialling code of which British city?

Oooh. 0151.

Well, I live 11 miles from Liverpool...

and I'm fairly sure it's Liverpool.

I think it's cos Manchester's 0161 and Liverpool's 0151 and

I always get the two mixed up.

I'm just hoping I don't do that now.

I'm fairly sure it's Liverpool.

Well, yeah. You're a local boy, Gus. We'll go with you.

Liverpool.

Correct. Two out of two.

Eggheads,

what is the literal translation of the title of the Spanish newspaper

El Pais?

Could you spell Pais?

-Country.

-P-A-I-S.

-The French is pays for country.

-Must be pais.

-Their world would be...

Yeah, so country.

That's country.

Your answer is correct. Flame Academy,

which architect designed the Cenotaph War Memorial in Whitehall?

-Any ideas?

-Yeah. I think I have.

They mention it every year on Remembrance Sunday

when they do all their facts and figures and everything else.

Of the three, the only one I've even heard of was Lutyens.

Well, that's the one I think it is. Edwin Lutyens.

OK.

Edwin Lutyens.

-Is that your answer?

-Yeah.

You don't want to get this wrong...

..but you're right. Really good play.

Eggheads, you need to get this question right.

Which sport dating from the 17th century takes place on Dover Hill,

in Gloucestershire, every year?

Oh, dear.

The only one I know of as an actual sport, if you can call it that,

is shin kicking.

There's this thing called the Cotswold Olympics.

And Dover Hill, I'm not sure if I've heard it

described as Dover Hill, but there is a Dover Hill involved, somewhere.

And shin kicking, I think, certainly forms part of the Cotswold Olympics.

Well, you're the only one with any idea.

Yes.

We are going to go for shin kicking.

OK. The correct answer is shin kicking.

Eggheads, you are still alive.

Flame Academy, we go to sudden death.

These questions are hard cos they're not multiple choice. Here is yours.

Which river delineates most of Bulgaria's

northern border with Romania?

Romania.

Is it the Volga? Is it?

Don't know, mate.

I'm thinking Eastern Europe...

Danube, Volga.

I was thinking Danube. Don't know about Volga.

Can't think of anything else.

-Do you want to go with...?

-Maybe.

That's as good as we'll get.

Volga.

It's the Danube. You're wrong.

Maybe jumped a bit too quickly, there.

We haven't got any shortage of time, here. You can think.

Eggheads, if you get this question right,

they have lost their chance of the jackpot,

the money and it's a lot of money.

Here is your question, Eggheads. In February 2008,

which AC Milan footballer made his 1,000th competitive appearance

as a professional?

The only one I can...

for that many...

in terms of length of career and age,

the only one I can come up with as Paolo Maldini.

I can't think of anybody else.

It's too early, much too early, for Inzaghi.

It's got to be Paolo.

I mean, he's still playing, it's gotta be Paolo Maldini,

I think.

-You answer.

-I think, a thousand games, it's a long career.

And I think he's still playing.

I hope he's still playing.

Paolo Maldini.

The thousand games include 126 Italian caps,

one Olympic Games appearance,

12 Italian under-21 team caps, 861 appearances for his club.

Only ever played for AC Milan. You're right. Paolo Maldini.

Congratulations, Eggheads. You've won.

Commiserations, challengers.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally and their winning streak continues.

You won't be going home with the £22,000,

which means it rolls over to the next show. Eggheads, congratulations.

Who will beat you?

Join us next time to see if the new challengers

have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£23,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.

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