Episode 155 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 may recognise them as they've won

some of the country's toughest quiz shows - they are the Eggheads.

Taking on our awesome quiz champions today, the Huddersfield Terriers.

Team member Stanley is the ringleader

and decided it was time to get a group of friends together

to take on the Eggheads.

Here they are. Let's meet them.

Hello. My name is Neil, I'm 71, I'm a retired pharmaceutical executive.

I'm Stanley.

I'm an 84-year-old retired engineer.

Hi. I'm Diana, I'm 68 years old and I'm a semi-retired minister's wife.

Hi. I'm Mike, I'm 68, I'm a semi-retired Baptist minister.

Hello. I'm Terry, aged 65 years old, retired printer.

-Welcome, Huddersfield Terriers.

-Thank you.

-You got everyone together, Stanley?

-Yes.

Tell us how you all met originally.

I've known Neil... Neil's my neighbour.

I know Mike and his wife, and I know Terry...

Mike, you're all quizzing in the area?

Yes, that's right. There are several quiz leagues in the West Riding.

We're very keen on that sort of thing.

Are you setting the questions now?

Yes.

For ten years, our church had a team in the Colne Valley Quiz League.

But when I finished full-time pastorate, the team retired.

And then the organisers of the Colne Valley Quiz League

asked me if I'd be willing to set the questions.

I've done two seasons so far and they haven't thrown me out yet.

And I guess, Diana, you'll tell us he hasn't really retired at all.

Because they never do, do they?

Absolutely not.

-No.

-So he's still preaching and still...well, wearing the garb?

And he's going into schools, he's making models,

he's taking his Bible history exhibition around the place.

Just...you name it, he does it.

You won't ever stop?

No, certainly not. Not in Christ's service, you don't!

OK. Let's see how well you do against the Eggheads here.

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

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

Huddersfield Terriers, the Eggheads have won the last two games,

which means £3,000 says you can't beat them.

-Are you ready to try?

-We shall try.

-Yes.

First head-to-head battle is on the subject of Politics.

-Who is good on this?

-That's me.

-Is it you, Stanley?

-Yes.

-Stanley.

-Stanley. OK, fantastic. Against which Egghead?

CJ.

-Ooh, straight away, you know who you want to take on.

-Yep.

-OK.

-No flies on Stanley.

-We've planned this, coming down in't train.

Stanley from the Huddersfield Terriers.

I'm thinking, at 84, you may be one of our oldest contestants, which is a great honour for us.

Versus CJ from the Eggheads. To ensure no conferring,

would you please take your positions in the question room?

Stanley, I know you've done a number of different jobs.

RAF, bus conductor...

I were five years in the Royal Air Force, on the radio side.

And I've been a bus conductor.

I worked in a textile factory. I was in the warehouse.

And I've been a machine operator in an engineering company.

Thank you for joining us today.

Going to ask you three multiple choice questions on politics in turn

and obviously whoever gets the most right goes through to the final.

Your team are all hoping you're going to knock out CJ.

-And, CJ...

-Yes, Jeremy?

-..how are we today?

Erm, a little sniffly but we'll get by.

-Very floral.

-I always try to be for you. I bring you flowers, Jeremy.

Your questions - you can take the first or second set, Stanley.

Which would you like?

I think I'll have the second. Put CJ in to bat.

CJ, you go first.

In 1980, the Conservative Party introduced legislation that gave people the right to buy what?

I think it soon became the right to buy their own cardboard box.

But originally it was council houses.

And council houses is correct.

Over to you, Stanley, on Politics.

By what name was Harold Wilson's inner circle of advisors known?

It were the Kitchen Cabinet.

Absolutely right. With Marcia Falkender and all of those.

Well done.

Well done, Huddersfield Terriers. You're off the mark.

CJ, under which Labour leader was the red flag ditched as the party symbol in favour of the red rose?

Oh dear.

Because between they cover a three-year period, don't they?

Ohhh dear.

I think it had gone by the time Blair got there. Which was, erm...'94?

'92, sorry. John Smith... I think John Smith died in '92.

Er...

So was it Kinnock or Smith?

This is nasty, because Smith was only there for two years before he died.

I'm going to say it's possibly one of the changes John Smith brought in,

trying to be more conciliatory, trying to appeal to a wider group.

So I'm going to try John Smith, but I do not know this.

Well, your logic got you halfway there. It wasn't Tony Blair.

Smith died in '94, I think.

But Kinnock actually ditched the red flag in time for the '87 election.

-Oh, well.

-So, it was Neil Kinnock, CJ.

OK, Stanley.

Your chance to take advantage. Here we go.

Which Conservative MP was pilloried for saying,

"The SAS have a famous motto - who dares wins. We dare, we will win,"

in a speech about Europe at the 1995 Conservative Conference?

I shall say Michael Portillo said that.

Michael Portillo did indeed say that. You're right.

Well done.

You're beating CJ on your '90s politics.

CJ, back to you. If you get this wrong, you're out.

On which date in 1963 was John F Kennedy assassinated?

22nd November.

You're right.

That's the kind of fact you have, as quizzers, with your mother's milk!

Stanley, you can beat him if you get this question right.

What is the name of the large octagonal hall

linking the House of Commons with the House of Lords where the public can go to meet their MP?

I shall say it's the Central Lobby.

Have you been there, Stanley?

No, I've never been.

Well, you're completely right.

It's the Central Lobby. Well done.

At 84, three out of three,

and beating an Egghead - not bad. You're in the final, Stanley.

That's great for your team.

CJ, you're not. Please, both of you, come back and rejoin us here.

So, great work by Stanley. The challengers have lost no brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost one brain.

The next subject is Music.

-Which challenger wants music?

-Who's any good at this?

-Shall I try it?

-I'm not very good.

-Not mine.

-I'll try it?

-OK.

-You try it.

-All the best.

-OK, I'll try this.

Now the difficult bit. Which of this shower...?

I'm sorry, this bunch of lovely people?

Well, I've never seen Barry before,

so I don't know what his capabilities are.

But I'll take a risk and go for Barry.

OK. Neil from the Huddersfield Terriers against Barry from the Eggheads.

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

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

We know a bit about your musical history, Barry. I think it's two out of three you've won

-since you joined us.

-Mmm-hmm.

-That sound right?

-Sounds about fair, yes.

Neil, do you want the first or second set of questions?

I'll follow Stanley's example and go second.

Over to you, Barry. Who won an Ivor Novello award in 2008 for her song Love Is A Losing Game?

Gosh.

I'm not sure on this,

but it doesn't sound like the sort of award Amy Winehouse would win.

That leaves me with Duffy and Kate Nash.

I really don't know, but I'm going to go for Kate Nash.

That is incorrect.

-It was Amy Winehouse.

-Oh!

Whoops!

What a good start.

-Neil, you haven't even lifted a finger and already you're winning.

-I'm glad I went second.

OK, see how you go with this one. The cover of which band's second album featured an iconic image

of a naked baby swimming towards a dollar bill?

Well, I have heard of all three, but I haven't a clue which one it is.

I'll have a guess at Nirvana.

Ha ha! You're spot-on. Well done.

-I won't ask any follow-up questions on Nirvana, OK?

-Thank you.

When the album was released, it was a naked male baby,

so what the distributors insisted happened was, when companies were selling it,

they put the price stickers over the sensitive area, shall we say.

Really? How un-artistic of them.

Is that the album with the song Smells Like Teen Spirit?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

Over to you, Barry.

Who had a 1987 UK top five album with Sign O' The Times?

Oh gosh.

Another one on an area of music that I'm not very conversant with.

I know some George Michael albums.

I'm going to probably stick my foot in my mouth again

and say I don't think it's him.

Again... I tried the extreme right, so I'll try the extreme right again.

It's got to be right eventually. I'll go for the Beastie Boys.

-Not this time!

-It will be right eventually, but not now.

Prince did Sign O' The Times.

So, it's going rather well for you, Neil.

In fact, it's going rather well for the Terriers.

Isn't it? So far, not a hair out of place.

Here's your question.

During the 1970s, Down Down was a UK number one single for which group?

Down down, deeper and down. I think that was Status Quo.

-Is that your answer?

-It is.

You're right.

Neil, well done.

No way back for our Egghead.

You will be in the final.

Both of you, please rejoin your teams.

As it stands, the challengers have lost no brains from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost two brains.

In summary, it's a fascinating game today.

Next subject is Science. Which challenger wants Science?

Is the plan on track?

-Haven't a clue.

-Should've been me!

Should've been you? No, obviously not.

Let's see, there's three of us. Which...

Diana, Mike or Terry.

Who do we want to sacrifice here?

Do you want to sacrifice...?

I think we should save you for the final round.

-You do?

-I think we should send Mike.

-OK.

Science, I'll get nothing.

Diana, I feel it's going your way.

-I'm not a scientist.

-You've got to choose which Egghead.

Chris, please.

Chris. So, Diana from the Huddersfield Terriers

against Chris from the Eggheads. To ensure no conferring, please take your positions.

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

Diana, first or second set?

I'll go with the trend and have the second, please.

Chris, through which part of its body does a viper snake inject its venom?

Its fangs are hollow tubes connected to poison sacs, so fangs.

Fangs is the correct answer, Chris. Yes.

Diana, over to you.

In engineering, pneumatic systems are operated by what?

Well, I do know a tiny bit about Greek.

It's compressed air.

How did Greek lead you to that?

Well, pneumus, I think, means...

air or spirit or something like that.

Well done. You're right.

Chris, what name is given to a positively-charged ion?

It's attracted to the cathode, so it's a cation.

You sure it's not another animal?

No, it's not a pigion or a dogion. Pigion is something else entirely.

-It's not a dogion.

-Cation is correct. Well done. Diana...

the now-obsolete Dick test,

named after American bacteriologists George and Gladys Dick

was traditionally used to detect susceptibility to which disease?

It will have to be a guess.

Try measles.

Measles is your answer. Anyone on your team know, I wonder?

-Does Mike?

-No, no.

I think it's, erm...

I think it's scarlet fever.

Why do you say that?

-I seem to recall the name of the test.

-Uh-huh.

You're right, actually. It is scarlet fever.

Sorry, Diana, you got that wrong.

We're quite a way into the game

and your team has not made a single error, until now.

Chris.

Apart from iron and nickel, what is the only metal that has the ability

to become permanently magnetised after exposure to a magnet?

Well, copper won't magnetise.

Neither will platinum, so it's got to be the rare metal cobalt.

Cobalt is correct. That means, Diana, he's got three out of three.

There's no way back in this round.

Sorry, you won't be in the final round.

Chris, you will. Please, both of you, rejoin your team-mates.

As it stands, the challengers have lost one brain from the final round.

The Eggheads have lost two brains. Our last subject is Sport.

Now, I know one of you was waiting for this.

CHUCKLING

Terry.

OK, which Egghead do you want? You can have Daphne or Kevin.

I'll...go for Kevin.

Terry from the Huddersfield Terriers against Kevin from the Eggheads.

Please, take your positions in the question room.

Terry, tell us why it's the Huddersfield Terriers.

Well, because we come from Huddersfield...

and it's reasonably well known as the football club.

I think it derives from that.

The Huddersfield FC mascot is a terrier?

It is indeed.

And I know you were the world record-holder for carrying coal.

-Tell us about that, please.

-It's an annual race at Gawthorpe near Wakefield.

It started with a hundredweight of coal

and then became 50 kilos when we went metric.

You run for just over a K, uphill on the road.

And I managed to win the race on eight occasions.

From '77 to '85.

Good way to fill a Sunday afternoon(!)

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

Maybe slightly less obscure sports. Terry, choose first or second set.

I'll be consistent and stay second.

Kevin, who defeated Andy Murray in the men's singles quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2008?

I think he beat Gasquet in an earlier round

but he fell in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion - Nadal.

Battle of the Biceps!

Yep, you are right, he lost to Nadal.

Over to you, Terry.

In 2003, Alex Ferguson accidentally kicked a football boot

at the face of which of his players?

Eric Cantona had gone by then.

I believe it was David Beckham.

Absolutely right, David Beckham it was.

Kevin, Graham Price, Bobby Windsor and Charlie Faulkner

were the legendary front row of which Welsh rugby union side?

Well, I thought of one of those before the choices came up

and I'm seeing if either of the others might change my mind.

I thought of Pontypool before they came up, so I'm sticking with it.

And you have got it right. It is Pontypool.

Terry, here's your next question.

Which Formula One team was bought by Bernie Ecclestone in 1972?

I haven't a clue, so I've got to guess.

I'll go for Brabham.

Absolutely right.

So, over to you, Kevin. It is tight this round.

Katherine Grainger is an Olympic medal winner and four times world champion, in which sport?

She is a rower, Jeremy.

She is a rower.

You are quite right, it's rowing.

So Terry, if you don't get this right, you won't be in the final.

Everyone has got their fingers crossed for you.

Which golfer prevented Jack Nicholas from winning

a record-breaking fifth US Open in 1982 with an amazing 17th hole chip in?

Guess again - Lee Trevino.

-Now, that is wrong.

-Right.

It was Tom Watson.

The answer is wrong. So Kevin, you are in the final.

Terry, I'm sorry to say you are not. Please, both of you, come back to the studio.

This is what we have been playing towards, it's time for our final round.

I'm afraid those of you who lost your Head-to-Heads won't be allowed to take part in this round.

Diana and Terry from the Terriers

and also CJ and Barry from the Eggheads, would you now please leave the studio.

Neil, Stanley and Mike, you are playing to win the Huddersfield Terrier's £3,000.

Mike, you kept yourself out of the play so far,

and you are now here in the final.

-Yes.

-Strategy?

Slightly, I hope!

Your interests are amazing - you make scale models of houses, you play the guitar, well travelled,

you did a theology degree.

You have got quite a lot cornered.

Erm, a fair amount.

I was glad I didn't have to go on the music one.

Well, I'm not good on pop.

I could have bluffed my way on classical, I think.

Is there a weakness on this side now, a bit of sport lacking?

Oh, definitely, yes.

And modern pop music.

Sport and pop music.

-I'm still in the Glenn Miller era.

-Glen Miller, yeah!

Good luck. Kevin, Daphne and Chris, you are playing for something money can't buy -

the Eggheads' reputation.

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

The questions are all general knowledge.

You are allowed to confer.

So, Huddersfield Terriers,

the question is, are your three brains better than the Eggheads' three?

Would you like to go first or second?

-What do you think?

-What should we do?

-Stay with second or change?

I would say go first.

OK, if you think so, yeah.

We've decided that we'll go first this time, Jeremy.

All the best to you.

What name is used colloquially to refer to a woman in Australia?

ALL: Sheila, isn't it? Yeah.

That's a Sheila.

Bang on. Sheila is right!

Good start.

First question for the Eggheads.

Which fairytale features the line, "Grandmother, what big eyes you have!"

That would be Little Red Riding Hood.

Indeed, Grandmother!

You don't mind me saying that... Great Grandmother, Daphne!

Already or soon?

Already and another one on the way.

Great. Let us know when it happens.

Back to you, Terriers.

James McEvoy married which fellow actor in 2006?

Oh!

Have you any bright ideas?

It's a difficult one, isn't it?

I think Rachel Weisz has been married for some time

unless it's her second marriage.

-I don't know...

-To be honest, I don't know the other two at all.

The only name I recognise is Rachel Weisz.

-What do we do? Draw a straw, toss a coin?

-I haven't a clue.

I haven't a clue.

If in doubt, go down the middle.

What do you think?

We'll go for Rachel Weisz, I think.

-OK.

-We'll risk Rachel Weisz.

-On the basis that that's the one you've heard of.

-Yes.

You've got it wrong.

It was Anne-Marie Duff who married James McEvoy.

So Eggheads, your chance to take the lead.

The coffee plant is native to which continent?

THEY MUMBLE

I'm wondering if it's Yemen

because there are different varieties of coffee, aren't they?

And Yemen, that's Asia, isn't it?

I think it's Africa.

You think it's Africa?

-I think it's native to Africa, yeah.

-You don't it's native?

-I do.

OK, that's fine.

Well a slight difference of opinion but we're going for Africa.

Africa is your answer?

What is the difference of opinion?

I'm trying to work it out. Someone said Yemen.

I thought it came from Yemen which would make it Asia

but I don't know, that's just an inkling - no.

I've gone with Africa as well.

Right, it was Africa. Well done, Eggheads.

Which means...

you need to get this one right, challengers, to have a chance,

otherwise they've won.

Don't get it wrong!

What was the name of the ginger cat

used in a series of public information films

warning children against the dangers

of such things as strangers and matches?

-Oh, dear.

-I hadn't...

I don't think a cat'd be Benny, do you?

Well, there was a cat called Benny

in what d'you call it?

You know, in Tom Cat. There were a cat there called Benny.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Benny.

-I'm...

-I'm not sure. I'm tending to say Archie.

I think it's Benny meself.

-I mean... It were at a time when Tom Cat...

-Top Cat.

-..was on television.

And there were a cat in there called Benny.

Well, I'm not sure.

I can't help on that one, I'm afraid.

-Shall we go with Stanley, then?

-Yeah, go on, we might as well.

-Stanley?

-Yeah.

Jeremy, we think it's Benny.

I was listening. We had Archie pop in from Neil,

and Benny popped in from Stanley.

And where was Charley in all of that?

THEY CHUCKLE

-Up there!

-Charley's the answer, I'm sorry to say.

Yes, they went, "Charley says never..."

I don't honestly recall that ad at all.

I remember my children watching them.

Bad luck, challengers. The Eggheads have taken it.

Congratulations, you have won.

Strong play at the start from the Terriers.

Then just couldn't quite sustain it. Is that fair?

You asked the wrong questions, Jeremy!

That's what they always say.

-It's just the luck of the draw.

-That's all it came down to.

They always say it's the luck of the draw, but they know a lot.

Commiserations to you, you came on strong.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally.

They still reign supreme over quiz land.

I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £3,000,

so the money rolls over to our next show.

Eggheads, congratulations. Who will beat you?

Join us next time to see if a new team of challengers

have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£4,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.

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