Episode 143 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've won some of the country's toughest

quiz shows. They are the Eggheads.

Taking on our champions today are Cut The Mustard.

The team all attend the University of East Anglia in Norwich where,

until recently, they all lived in the same halls of residence.

-Let's meet them.

-Hi, I'm Stu.

I'm 21, and I'm a computer science student.

Hello, I'm Joey, I'm 21, and I'm a history student.

Hi, I'm Richard, I'm 22 and I study philosophy.

Hi, I'm George, I'm 19 and I study history and politics.

Hi, I'm John, I'm 38,

-and I study natural sciences.

-welcome, Cut The Mustard.

-Thank you.

It's great to have students. Students do well on this programme.

We don't know why, but they do really well.

Fingers crossed.

-And, Stu, you're a big fan of Eggheads?

-Er, I am, I watch it

usually every day while I'm cooking.

-You're studying computer science, Stu?

-Yeah, I am, yeah.

Down the line. What are you studying?

-I do history.

-I do philosophy.

-I do history and politics.

-OK.

I study natural sciences.

Does anyone ever do unnatural sciences?

You'd be surprised at university!

OK. 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, Cut The Mustard. The Eggheads have won the last 22 games.

OK. That means, £23,000 says you

can't beat them. And I'm guessing you would quite like to win that.

-Yeah.

-Are you ready?

The first head-to-head is on the subject of food and drink.

Don't say you're no good at that.

-Challengers, which one of you wants to play?

-Yeah, go for Stu.

-Do you what me to take this one, are you sure?

-Yeah.

-OK.

I'll take this one then.

-OK, Stu against...?

-Er.

Can I go against Kevin? Please. Kevin, yeah? Kevin.

Yeah, you do watch the programme, don't you?

Stu from Cut The Mustard, against Kevin, on his only

weak subject, from the Eggheads.

No conferring, take your positions.

Stu, you will know that you get

the chance of saying first or second set of questions.

Erm, I'd like to go first, please.

And, good luck to you.

What term refers to the melted fat obtained from roasting meat?

Is it stuffing, dripping, or weeping?

Um, I don't think it's stuffing.

I'd say that one's was probably dripping.

Spot on, well done, it's good stuff, Stu.

You're off the blocks.

OK, Kevin, for the Eggheads. Which drink is traditionally poured

until the glass is approximately

two-thirds to three-quarters full, left to settle, and then topped up?

Is it stout, port, or whisky?

I don't drink any of those.

I don't like whisky, I don't like port.

Erm.

Stout. Stout.

That's the correct answer.

-OK, one each. Stu back to you.

-OK.

The ancient drink called mead was made from the fermentation of water,

spices and what else?

Corn, honey or apples?

Um, I'm going with my instinct here, I think it's honey.

-That is my answer.

-It's obviously come up

during computer science, because you are right.

Honey is the answer.

Kevin, here's your second question.

The term, tapas, for the small dishes of food

typically served with drinks, comes from the Spanish for what?

Cover, bite, or finger?

Erm...

I've never seen a translation of it,

strangely enough. Um.

I don't know. Um.

-I'm going to say cover.

-Why cover?

Inkling, which may be entirely wrong.

-I don't know how you do it, it's right.

-What it comes from is,

they used to sit outside with their

glasses. And flies used to get in their drinks.

So they brought out pieces of bread and these were called the tapas.

They used to put them on top of the glasses,

to stop flies getting in. And from that,

the little dishes of finger food started to build up.

That's where it comes from, cover.

Huh! OK.

We're learning a lot here. It's only round one.

Stu, what type of food is Kashkaval?

K-A-S-H-K-A-V-A-L?

What type of food is Kashkaval?

Is it nut, pulse or cheese?

I have no idea, I've never heard of it.

Erm.

I'll go for cheese.

-Your answer is cheese?

-Yep.

The Eggheads have a rule, if in doubt, guess cheese.

Which is a problem if cheese isn't one of the answers.

But you've got it right.

Well done. Kevin.

Here's your question.

Duncan and the Marsh are two popular varieties of which citrus fruit?

Lemon, lime, or grapefruit?

Well, I hope luckily I have heard of this one, I think they're varieties

of grapefruit.

They are indeed, well done. Three each.

So it goes to sudden death. Stu, not multiple-choice, a bit harder.

To which Continent is cardamom native?

I don't know. One of my

housemates is into, she's very good at Asian cooking, and I think,

I think I may have seen it in her

cupboard, so it may be Asian, I think.

So that's my answer, I'll go with Asia.

Asia is correct.

You play this game very well.

Kevin. Which transparent substance made from animal bones and tissue

dissolves in hot liquid and is used as the basis of jellies?

I've got a nasty feeling

that there is something else, another word, another name that won't come to me.

But because it won't,

I'm going to have to go with...

I'm going to have to go with gelatine, but I've got a nasty

-feeling there's something else.

-Your team are all relieved.

You've got it right, well done.

Stu. Here's your next question.

In which country was the Granny Smith apple first cultivated?

Erm, OK, I'm not sure. Erm...

I would imagine it's somewhere in Great Britain.

I'm going to go with Wales.

-You've given me Wales, yeah?

-Yep.

-OK.

It's actually Australia.

-Named after someone called Maria Ann Smith.

-OK.

Who first grew it in the 1860s.

Nicknamed "Granny". So, Kevin, he's

played well, but if you get this right, Stu will not be in the final.

Which two-word term is normally used

to describe the high quality olive oil made from the first pressing?

Well, of it's...the only thing...

With olive oil, there is the term "virgin", but if you

get the first pressing,

there is a grade called "extra virgin",

so I would have to go with that.

Extra virgin is correct, Kevin, well done. Good play.

Kevin is in the final. Stu, you were beaten by

our egghead, and so you won't be joining your team in the final.

Do please come back to the studio.

The challengers have lost one brain

from the final round. Eggheads have lost no brains.

Next subject, film and television. Who wants this?

Um, that will be...

I really think it's between you two.

-I'll do it, I'll do it then.

-I think you would come off better here.

Yeah, go on then.

Yeah, I've been badgered into it, so.

So Richard.

Against which Egghead?

I'd say, go against Chris on this one. Chris, yeah.

OK, Richard from Cut The Mustard, against Chris.

Please go to the question rooms now.

Richard, the first or second set of questions?

I think I'll go first.

Everybody goes first.

In which country of the UK was Dr Who actor David Tennant born?

Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland?

I think his acting gives that one away.

And it's not Wales or Northern Ireland.

I'll go for Scotland, hopefully.

Scotland is quite right.

Chris, your question. Which sport features prominently in

the 1980 film comedy, Caddyshack?

Was it golf, baseball, or motor racing?

Well, the caddy is the giveaway, it's golf.

It is indeed golf.

Your question then, Richard.

In which 1999 film does Kevin Spacey plays Lester Burnham,

an advertising executive suffering a midlife crisis?

Is it Consenting Adults, American Beauty, or Swimming With Sharks?

I'm not the biggest Kevin Spacey fan, but oddly enough I watched this a

couple of months ago.

And I believe it's American Beauty.

It is absolutely, American Beauty.

Chris, what is the trademark hat of Indiana Jones,

as played by Harrison Ford? Is it a panama, a trilby, or a fedora?

Hm. Well, it's not a panama because they're white with a black band.

And I don't think it's smart enough for a fedora.

-I think it's a battered old trilby.

-Oh dear.

Oh, dear. It's a fedora.

So, I tell you what. This is a nice position for you, Richard.

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

Who directed the 1962 film Jules et Jim?

Was it Jean-Luc Goddard, Jean Renoir, or Francois Truffaut?

Directors are almost certainly not my strong point.

I think it's always best to go for the middle one, so Jean Renoir.

That is a great quizzing tactic, go for the middle.

In this case, you are wrong.

It is Truffaut.

Which gives Chris a way back in.

Which character was played by Lisa Riley in the TV soap Emmerdale?

Chris, was it Mandy Dingle, Kim Tate, or Viv Windsor?

It was Mandy Dingle.

She was Mandy Dingle, you are right.

So, with the scores level, we go to sudden death.

Richard, in which film does the character Charlie Babbitt appear?

No idea again. I'll go for Speed.

Well, the character is played by Tom Cruise.

His brother is played by Dustin Hoffman.

The Babbitt brothers are in Rain Man.

Rain Man was the right answer.

Chris, if you get this right, it's

a turnaround, you will have won the round.

Trevor Eve plays Peter Boyd, the head of the Met's Cold Case Unit.

In which TV series?

Waking The Dead.

Waking The Dead is correct.

So Richard, you won't be in the final round. Chris, you will.

Please rejoin your team-mates.

The challengers have lost

two brains from the final round. The Eggheads have lost no brains.

The next subject is geography.

Who from the challengers will play in this round?

Do you want me to take that?

Please.

I'll step up to the plate and I'll go then.

George, very decisive.

-A geographer by background?

-No!

Which

-Egghead would you like to crack?

-I would say Daphne on this one.

OK then, Daphne, then.

Stu watches Daphne, he knows, he knows your problems.

George, from Cut The Mustard, versus Daphne from the Eggheads.

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

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

I'll go first.

What is the official language of Brazil?

Is it French, Portuguese or English?

-I doubt it's English. It's Portuguese.

-That's right.

Good.

Quite right.

Daphne. Which English county is bounded by

Suffolk to the south, Cambridgeshire

and Lincolnshire to the west, and the North Sea to the east and north?

Just watch these hand movements.

Is it Norfolk, Essex or Kent?

Suffolk to the south?

Down here. Um...

So, Lincolnshire?

Norfolk.

-Yes, you're right, Daphne.

-I'm...

-I cannot tell my east from my west.

-Yeah.

OK. You're right anyway.

George, back to you. The Stiperstones,

S-T-I-P-E-R-S-T-O-N-E-S, Stiperstones,

is a famous geographical landmark found in which English county?

Is it Northumbria, Shropshire, or North Yorkshire?

That sounds like something they'd have in Northumbria, so, Northumbria.

The correct answer is Shropshire.

Over to you, Daphne.

The Twelve Apostles mountain range lies just south of the centre of which city?

Sydney, Auckland, or Cape Town?

That would be Sydney.

You've seen it, have you?

No, but I've read about it.

You've been to Sydney and you flew over it?

No, no, I've been to Melbourne.

-The only place in Australia, but one day I shall see Sydney.

-When you go

there, you won't see the Twelve Apostles, they're in Cape Town.

You are wrong, Daphne, I'm sorry.

Oh, are they? Oh, what am I thinking of?

I've driven past them so I know they're in Cape Town.

-Oh right, oh well.

-Unless they've been moved. George.

In which country do the extensive Roman ruins at Timgad lie?

Libya, Morocco or Algeria?

I think the Romans were most prolific in, is it, Libya. No, it's not Libya.

I'm going to say Algeria.

-Just my hunch.

-And why is that?

I don't know, I like the word!

-Well, you're a history and politics student.

-Yes.

So maybe someone at some point told you the answer, and you just reached

for it somehow because you are right, it is Algeria, well done.

Great play.

Daphne. Marin County, well known

for its stunning scenery, is located in which US state?

California, Connecticut, or Florida?

Gosh, no idea. Marin?

California.

-Is she right, Eggheads?

-Yep. Near San Francisco.

So Daphne, you've got yourself out of trouble. Three questions each.

The scores are level. We go to sudden death.

George. In which European city are the headquarters of Nato located?

Is that in Brussels?

Is that your answer?

Yes.

Yes, it is. Is my answer. You are correct, Brussels it is.

Daphne.

Guantanamo Bay is a feature of which Caribbean island?

Cuba.

Correct.

George. Helmand is a province in which country of South Central Asia?

Afghanistan.

Very good.

Daphne.

What is the only country in Europe

that completely surrounds two other countries?

Italy.

Oh. What are the two other countries?

San Marino. And Vatican City.

You are right, brilliant. Daphne, thank you, well done. Level.

George. Here's your next question.

Which West Yorkshire town famous for its association

with the wool and textile industry,

is located on the Hebble River, a tributary of the Calder?

-Well, I have absolutely no idea. So I'm going to say Beirut.

-OK.

Not last time we looked in West Yorkshire.

It's Halifax.

Daphne, if you get this right you can take the round.

What is the name of the group of peat bogs covering some 370 square miles,

located between the Liffey and the Shannon rivers in east central Ireland,

in counties Kildare, Offaly,

Laois and Westmeath?

Oh.

The Bog of Allen.

The Bog of Allen is correct, Daphne.

Oh, Irish geography I know.

Developed extensively for fuel for power stations.

That means you've just nipped George at the post there

and won through and you'll be in the final.

George, I am sorry to say you will not.

Please come back and rejoin your team-mates.

I can tell you the story of the Twelve Apostles.

They do exist in Australia but they're not a mountain range,

which is why they weren't part of that question.

They are some kind of sea structure.

-Yes, yes.

-Visible from the Great Ocean Road.

Melbourne, Victoria, that kind of area.

Well, I had heard the word "apostles"

-and I jumped in, and I didn't listen to the question.

-OK.

Challengers have lost three brains.

Eggheads have lost none.

It's sport now.

-Have you got a sports person?

-Joey.

It's going to have to be me then.

Unfortunately, it's going to have to be me.

Not unfortunately, it may well be good. Who do you want to play?

-CJ.

-Yes, CJ.

CJ, please.

Right, Joey from Cut The Mustard, against CJ from the Eggheads.

So, please take your positions.

Joey, the first or the second set of questions?

I'm going to go first, please.

Joey, in boxing, what it is a quick straight

punch thrown with the lead called?

Is it a jab, a hook or an uppercut?

Well, as it's a quick straight punch, I think it must be a jab.

Jab is right, well done.

CJ, who won the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 2008?

-Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Novak Djokavic

-?

Djokavic was knocked out in the second round.

And both Federer and Nadal got the final.

And I believe the score was 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7, to Rafael Nadal.

It's just a guess!

You are right, Rafael Nadal, sensational final and he won.

Joey, your question. Austria, and which other country hosted football's Euro 2008?

Germany, Switzerland or the Czech Republic?

OK, this is brilliant, I am a big football fan.

I watched the whole tournament.

Which Spain won in the end.

And the country that hosted it with Austria was Switzerland.

You are right. Well done.

CJ. Aggers is the nickname of a well-known commentator on which sport?

Snooker, Rugby Union, or cricket?

Um, I think his real name was Jonathan Agnew, and he's in cricket.

Cricket is the answer, thank you, CJ.

Your question, Joey.

Put the pressure on him by getting this right.

Britain's Shanaze Reid

is a world champion in which sport?

Gymnastics, judo, or cycling?

OK.

I don't know at all.

I don't think it's gymnastics

because I don't think we tend do too well in that.

So we're left with judo and cycling.

Now, someone from our region I believe,

I remember reading it in a newspaper,

we did have a lady who did win something in cycling.

I don't know anything about judo.

So I'm going to go with my gut feeling and say cycling.

Great, you're playing this so well, cycling is the right answer.

Fantastic.

So, CJ, the pressure is on you.

"You need a telescope to see the rest," was how

Peter Bromley described which horse's victory in a famous race?

Was it Shergar, Red Rum, or Desert Orchid?

Let's try it being one of Red Rum's victories in the

Grand National, Red Rum.

Red Rum is wrong, it was Shergar. So that means CJ, you are

not in the final.

You're turning the corner now.

At last, the energy is with you.

Joey, you are in the final.

So it's not going to be a lone player from Cut The Mustard.

Please come and rejoin your teams.

It's time for the final round which, as always, is general knowledge.

I'm afraid those of you who

lost your head-to-heads will not be allowed to take part.

So, Stu, Richard and George from Cut The Mustard.

And, CJ from the Eggheads, please now leave the studio.

Joey and John, you are playing to win Cut The Mustard £23,000.

Kevin, Daphne, Chris and Barry, well, you are playing to win

something that money can't buy, the Eggheads' reputation.

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

The questions are general knowledge.

You are allowed to confer.

Cut The Mustard, are your two brains better than

the Eggheads' four brains? Do you want to go first or second?

Erm, let's stick to the plan, shall we?

Yeah, I think. First.

Here we go, best of luck to you.

Beryl Cook who died in 2008, was best known as what kind of artist?

Sculptor, painter or photographer?

That's a good start.

I've no idea.

-No, I haven't got any idea.

-It's going to be a guess.

For some reason, I can't have any explanation for it, but I'm

thinking photographer.

It's more idea than I've got.

OK.

We'll go with photographer.

It's wrong, she's a painter.

She's a painter. That's a blow, that's a blow.

OK. Eggheads, which fictional bear is famous for wearing a label round

his neck that reads, "Please look after this bear, thank you."

Is it Paddington, Rupert or Winnie-the-Pooh?

It's Paddington, isn't it?

That wonderful bear, Paddington.

Barry, you've got it right.

OK, your second question.

Cut The Mustard. In 2008, capital gains tax was reduced

from 40%, to a flat rate of what?

Is it 10%, 18%, or 25%?

Well, if it was 40,

going down to ten would seem like quite a big drop.

Yeah. But I have a feeling it was.

Oh, you do?

I don't know why.

I made a note of it at the time and now I've forgotten it again.

Think back to that bit of paper you wrote it on.

I think it's 10, but I'm not sure.

It does seem really low though.

Maybe it's obvious that it would be the highest percentage,

because you'd think it wouldn't drop so low.

Well naturally we haven't got a clue.

We should have gone second.

We knew Paddington.

We'll go with your gut instincts, although mine was wrong.

OK, one wrong one each is OK.

Yeah, then we spread the blame, I like that.

We'll go with 10%.

10%?

-There has been a big story about the 10% tax rate...

-Oh, no.

..being abolished. But that is separate.

It went from 40% to 18%.

So you got that wrong.

10% next year then.

There's a big row about it.

OK.

So, Eggheads, if you get this question right,

you've won the contest.

Approximately how many feet off centre

does the Leaning Tower of Pisa lean?

30, 13,

or three?

-In feet?

-I seem to remember that before they pulled it

back, by reinforcing the base, it was about 17 and a half feet off centre,

which would suggest it might be 13.

-It's certainly not three.

-No.

30 seems a bit too much somehow.

I do remember 17 and a half feet.

And they pulled back the angle. Happy with 13?

Yes.

Three is too little, and 30 is too much, so we are going

with 13.

If you've got this right, you have won - there

won't be any way back for Cut The Mustard.

And they won't win the £23,000.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa leans about 13 feet off centre.

Eggheads, congratulations, you've won.

-Oh, Cut The Mustard.

-Never mind.

Sorry. Sorry.

Thank you for being with us.

-Thank you.

-It's been fun to meet you all.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally.

Their winning streak continues.

So, Cut The Mustard will not be going home with the £23,000,

and that money now 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. £24,000 says they don't.

Till then, goodbye.

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