Episode 156 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 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 quizzes.

They are the Eggheads.

And taking on the awesome might of our quiz Goliaths today are

Crewes Control. The team have all worked

for the same luxury car manufacturer in Cheshire,

and team-captain, Ken, decided to hold a quiz

to see who was worthy enough to take on the Eggheads.

This is the result. Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Ken. I'm 58, and I'm now a white-van man.

Hi, I'm Tracey.

I'm 41, and I'm a receptionist.

Hello, I'm John. I'm 59, and I'm a material coordinator.

Hi, I'm Paul.

I'm 37, and I'm a supplier production preparation manager.

Hello, I'm Justine. I'm 40, and I'm a legal adviser.

Crewes Control, welcome.

You held a quiz...

to see who was... going to take part today.

Tell us about that.

I actually put an advert on the company intranet system,

and asked for some volunteers,

and I got six replies. And I held a quiz

to find out who was going to be reserve.

-One person...

-Unfortunately...

Fallen by the wayside. They'll be laughing if you lose!

-Yes.

-Yes.

-ALL CHUCKLE

-Well, good luck today.

-Thank you.

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

If they don't defeat the Eggheads,

the money rolls over to the next show.

So, the Eggheads have won the last three games,

which means

£4,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

The first head-to-head battle will be on Arts & Books.

Challengers, who wants to play?

Ooh, Justine.

ALL CONFER

-Or Tracey.

-Do you want me to? I don't mind.

-If you want to go for that, it's fine.

-Oooh!

-Yeah. You said you'd do that.

-Go on, then.

-Yeah. Justine.

Who do you fancy taking it against?

-Um...

-Justine.

OK, Justine, who's a legal adviser for the company...against?

-Um...

-Who looks non-literary? Who looks under-read?

-THEY CHUCKLE

-ALL: Chris?

-Yes.

We'll give Chris a go.

To ensure no conferring,

take your positions in the question room.

So, Justine, we should say you're called Crewes Control,

but we haven't misspelt "Crewes", have we?

No. No, you haven't. Crewe's where we're all based, with work.

-And a lot of railway stuff in Crewe?

-There is, yes.

-Well, Chris, that's up your street, or down your track.

-Yeah.

There was virtually nothing there until 1839.

There was the two villages - Monks Coppenhall, Church Coppenhall, couple of farms,

a few cottages, and that was it.

Crewe Hall was the local big house,

then Grand Junction Railway moved their locomotive workshops from Edge Hill, Liverpool,

to a greenfield site in Crewe,

-and the town grew up around the railway works.

-Quite amazing.

Justine, will you choose the first or second set of questions?

I'm going to go first, I think, and get it out of the way.

So, good luck.

The novelist John Buchan was born in which country?

I know one of the novels he wrote, but...

I don't know where he came from.

It sounds Scottish to me, so I'll go for Scotland.

Scotland is right.

Nifty bit of logic there. Chris.

Over to you. Who created the character Squirrel Nutkin?

Squirrel Nutkin. She's one of Beatrix Potter's, isn't she?

It's not Kenneth Grahame. He was Wind In The Willows,

and I don't think it's Enid Blyton, so I'll go with Beatrix Potter.

Is absolutely right. Beatrix Potter.

Back to you, Justine.

As You Came From The Holy Land

is a poem by which explorer?

I don't know...

SHE SIGHS

I'll try and narrow it down to between Drake and Raleigh.

Umm...

I'm going to go with Francis Drake.

-You narrowed it down so well, and then chose the wrong one.

-Oh!

Walter Raleigh is the answer.

OK, Chris.

The Last Judgment is a famous fresco by which Italian artist?

Well, there's several Last Judgments, aren't there?

Um...

Not very well up on Italian religious art of the Renaissance.

So, I'll have to go with Michelangelo.

Yeah, and Michelangelo is correct.

So, it's two for the Eggheads, one for the challengers, which means,

Justine, you've gotta get it right,

or Chris will be in the final.

Which work by Ernest Hemingway takes its title

from a 16th-century poem by the English dramatist, George Peele?

I haven't heard of Islands In The Stream,

-apart from the Dolly Parton song!

-SHE LAUGHS

But, er...

A Farewell To Arms.

-Got it right.

-Yeah.

-Well done.

Chris.

Your question, to take the round.

The title of William Faulkner's 1929 novel The Sound And The Fury

is taken from a speech in which Shakespeare play?

Ah, it's a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

signifying nothing. It's Macbeth.

Chris, you're quite right.

It is Macbeth. Well done to you,

taking that round. Justine, sorry.

You won't be in the final round. Chris will.

Do both of you come back and rejoin your teams.

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

The Eggheads have lost no brains. Our next subject is Geography.

You make cars, drive around, see places,

-you're good at geography.

-THEY CONFER

-Afraid so.

-What if history comes up?

-Tracey's all right on history.

-THEY CONFER

-OK.

-Go for it.

-I'll do geography.

-Paul.

-Who d'you fancy taking on?

-I'll take...

-Barry!

Judith, please.

So, it's Paul from Crewes Control

versus Judith from the Eggheads.

And again, to ensure there's no conferring,

please go to the question rooms.

Paul, would you like the first or second set of questions?

I'll go second, please.

Judith, first question.

In which US state is the city of San Francisco located?

I'm fairly sure that that is California.

California is correct. Judith, well done.

Over to you, Paul.

Scotland's River Tay flows into which body of water?

You'll never know from listening to me,

but I am born and bred in Scotland -

I'll be in trouble if I do get it wrong.

And the Tay flows into the North Sea.

Absolutely right. Well done.

Judith, over to you.

In which ocean

is the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe located?

Oh, dear.

Well, I mean, the rule is, with islands,

and I presume it is an island...

Oh, can you say it? Sao Tome and what?

-Sao Tome and Principe.

-And Principe.

The Democratic Republic of.

Islands live in the Pacific.

HE CHUCKLES

I knew you were going to do that!

This is quizzer's rule we've established... If in doubt, answer -

the Pacific, cheese, or Handel.

I've watched them at work. That's what they do.

The funny thing is, you're wrong.

-Oh, no!

-Yes, there is justice in the world.

-You're wrong. It's the Atlantic.

-Is it?

Well, where is it? Tell me, so that I can learn.

You look at a map, there's a lot of blue,

and a dot in it. That's it. Moving on.

-You don't know.

-Shh!

Paul.

What is the name given to a protective structure

of wood, stone, or concrete

that extends from the shore into the water to prevent longshore drift?

I've never heard of a groyne, but a weir is...used in a river,

a sluice gate would be in a...

some sort of waterworks, I'd imagine, so I will go with groyne.

You're right. Groyne is correct.

It's a breakwater, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-The same as a breakwater.

Yeah.

Your question.

Which European capital city

has an airport named after the scientist Nikola Tesla?

I can't remember where he came from.

Um...

And his name doesn't really give anything much away.

Um...

What about Belgrade?

That's the correct answer.

Paul, your question. The Ghan

is a 48-hour, 2,979km

train journey through which country?

How long was the journey again, Jeremy?

48 hours, 2,979km.

A 2,000-mile train journey. Um...

It sounds like a word that would be...Chinese.

In Russia, I think, the only long one would be the Trans-Siberian...

I don't know if Australia actually has got a train journey that long,

so I will go with China.

China is the wrong answer.

Which one do you think it is, team?

-Australia.

-Australia's right, yeah.

Sorry, Paul! Australia.

The name is actually short for Afghan.

And the journey runs along the south-eastern coast

and then, about halfway up the country,

goes straight north towards Alice Springs.

The only way they could supply Alice Springs

before the railway was by camel train -

they actually brought over Afghan camel-drivers

-to take caravans of camels across the desert to Alice.

-Extraordinary.

After three questions each,

the scores are level, so we go to sudden death.

It's not multiple choice - it gets harder. Your question, Judith.

The Tropic Of Cancer passes through which Latin American country?

The equator goes through Ecuador. I think that's why it's called Ecuador.

So, it's a bit above that.

Panama?

HE MOUTHS

No. Mexico.

-Oh.

-You're wrong.

-Higher up.

-Judith - you'll be out of the final,

if Paul gets this right. Paul, get this right, you're in the final.

Here's your question.

If you were to hop over the wall at the bottom of the garden of 10 Downing Street,

which open-air London tourist attraction would you find yourself standing in?

Number 10 Downing Street.

Um...

I'm just trying to picture it on a map, now.

I would say...

Horse Guards Parade.

Paul, you are...

-right.

-Ooh!

-Horse Guards Parade.

-APPLAUSE

So very, very well played.

Getting them on sudden death is not easy.

We know that.

That means Paul will be in the final. Judith, you won't.

Do both come back and join your teams.

-Judith, the islands were in the Gulf of Guinea.

-The Gulf of Guinea.

-I've just remembered.

-I'll never forget it.

-As it stands,

the challengers have lost one brain. The Eggheads have also lost one brain. Next -

Film & Television.

Which of the challengers wants this one,

-and against who?

-CHUCKLING

-I'll go.

-You.

-I'll go.

-Sure?

-Yes.

-OK, Tracey.

-Who do you want?

-I'll go,

and I will take on...

-Daphne, please.

-Tracey from Crewes Control against Daphne

from the Eggheads.

Please go to the question room.

Tracey, would you like the first or second set of questions?

I'll go first, please.

Good luck to you,

and your team. What is the name of the Great Dane who arrived on Coronation Street

in 2004?

I do actually know this one, because I'm a bit of a Corrie freak, so...

I know it's not Ronaldinho, and it's definitely not Zidane.

I'm going for Schmeichel.

Yes, absolutely right. Schmeichel is correct.

Daphne -

which film director was known as "the master of suspense"?

Well, it's Alfred Hitchcock, isn't it? Yes.

Alfred Hitchcock is correct.

Over to you then, Tracey.

Which actor played the title role in the US TV series,

Doogie Howser, MD?

I know absolutely nothing about American TV.

It just doesn't interest me at all.

Erm...

Fred Savage.

It's Neil Patrick Harris

who was the actor.

It would have stumped me. Daphne.

Which TV show has been presented by Kriss Akabusi,

Linford Christie, and Ronald Reagan Jr?

SHE EXHALES

I don't think it's Magpie.

Oh...Gladiators...

I don't know. I've never seen Gladiators.

Erm...

I'm at a complete loss, so...

Record Breakers.

Is she right?

THEY MURMUR

-Where'd she dig that from?

-Yeah. You know, it's a mystery.

Nine out of ten Daphne-guesses are correct.

-You're right, Daphne.

-Oh!

I thought you were going to say this was the tenth.

-No, it's a complete mystery.

-Ah.

You're almost more likely to get it right if you don't know the answer.

Yes, yes!

Tracey, get this one right, please,

or you're not in the final.

Which Oscar-winning director appeared in Stanley Kubrick's

final film, Eyes Wide Shut?

I said this wasn't my favourite subject.

Erm...

Francis Ford Coppola.

The director,

who's also an actor, died quite recently.

His name was Sydney Pollack.

-SHE MOUTHS

-So...

Coppola was wrong.

Sorry, Tracey. Means you won't be in the final. Well done, Daphne.

Egghead in the final, there.

Come back and join your teams.

Sorry about that, Tracey.

Never mind.

Mugged by Miss Marple.

-That's how we like to describe it.

-LAUGHTER

At least I can use that as my claim to fame now.

You're in a long line of people to whom the same thing has happened.

She smiles sweetly, then bang!

As it stands, the challengers

have lost two brains. The Eggheads have lost one.

The last subject is Sport.

Were you holding back for sport?

-Here you are, Ken.

-Ken.

-It's you.

-Ken's our sport man.

-Ken.

-Self-described white-van man?

-Yes.

-OK.

-Which Egghead do you want?

-CJ, please.

-LAUGHTER

-No hesitation!

It's Ken from Crewes Control, against CJ from the Eggheads.

To ensure no conferring,

please take your positions now.

Ken, you're not at the car company now?

No, I left in January.

You're driving a van around for the bakery?

Yes, a white-van man. Crazy white-van man.

So, early morning bread rolls and all that?

5.15am start, yes.

-And every day, day-in-day-out. Same bakery?

-Same bakery, yes.

A one man band, but he's a good boss.

He's given me today off anyway, so he must be all right.

Let's see how you do. Three questions on sport, in turn.

Ken, you can choose the first or the second set.

The first set, please.

Here we go.

Which Olympic gold-medal-winning athlete

resigned from his job as a presenter on Songs Of Praise in 2007,

after losing his faith in Christianity?

I'm pretty sure it's Jonathan Edwards.

Jonathan Edwards.

I'll go with that. My first instinct.

You're absolutely right. It's the correct answer.

Over to you, CJ.

Which sport

is believed to take its name from the French for

"to hold"?

Oh.

The French for "to hold" is tenir, but I've just never heard it.

It must be tennis,

but I've just never heard that.

Tennis is the correct answer. Judith -

the connection? You hold a racquet? That simple?

I was just wondering why on earth it could be called ten...

I mean, tennis would derive from tenir - to hold.

It goes back to real tennis,

-and when they serve, they say, "Tenez!"

-Oh.

-As in, "Take that"?

-Yeah.

As in, "Cop hold of that, John."

-There we are.

-Take hold.

-Glad I asked.

-You're so graphic!

-LAUGHTER

Can you stand up and do that, Chris?

No, his trousers fall down.

LAUGHTER

Has that happened before?

OK, Ken. Here we go. In which year

did the British driver John Surtees become Formula One World Champion?

My first instinct is that it's not '74.

I think '69's too late.

I'll go for '64. 1964.

Spot on! Great answer.

1964.

CJ, your question. He's playing well, isn't he?

Unfortunately.

Which Test batsman

captained England on 31 occasions, but only averaged 22 with the bat,

and never scored a century?

I really don't know. I'll try Mike Gatting.

It's Mike Brearley,

so you fall behind.

And that means,

Ken, if you get this right,

you've beaten the Egghead.

Here's your question.

How many Olympic medals did the Soviet gymnast

Larissa Latynina win during her career?

I'll be honest. I've never heard of the individual, so...

My gut instinct, again, is 12.

I'll go with my first instinct. 12.

She won nine gold, five silver, and four bronze.

That's 18 medals, Ken.

CJ, if you get this right, we go to sudden death.

If you get it wrong, you're out of the final.

In 2008,

who became the first rugby union player to make

200 appearances in the Guinness Premiership?

No, don't have a clue.

Well, there's only one name that's jumping out at me, so I will...

try Gareth Llewellyn.

Llewellyn. Why is that jumping out at you?

It's the only name I've heard of.

It's the wrong name, though.

Simon Shaw is the correct answer.

So, Ken, well done.

Your boss at the bakery will be watching and cheering at this very moment,

and he gave you a day off for good reason.

Good news for our challengers. Ken will be in the final round.

Bad news for the Eggheads, because CJ won't.

Please come back, join your teams.

This is what we've been playing towards. Time for the final round - which is General Knowledge.

Those of you who lost your head-to-heads

aren't allowed to take part in this round.

So Tracey and Justine from Crewes Control,

and also CJ and Judith from the Eggheads,

please leave the studio.

So here we are. Ken, John and Paul,

you are playing to win Crewes Control £4,000.

You'll know you're coming off the back of a period where

the Eggheads plunged into some mortal depression and lost,

not three in a row, but three in less than a fortnight.

See if they're out of it. Daphne, Chris, Barry -

you're playing for something money can't buy -

the Eggheads' reputation.

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

Questions are general knowledge -

and you are allowed to confer.

Crewes Control - are your three brains better than the Eggheads' three?

Ken, John and Paul,

-first or second?

-We'll go first, please.

And good luck.

Which month of the year is known as enero in Spanish?

THEY CONFER

-I think it's January.

-It sounds like it would be.

-I haven't a clue,

I'll be honest with you.

-I don't think it's March or May. I'd go for January.

-I'd go for January.

Group decision. We think January.

It is January.

Over to you, Eggheads. The singer

Craig David was born in 1981, in which city?

Gosh. I haven't a clue.

No.

THEY MURMUR

I have no idea whatsoever.

Right, what do we know about him?

I think I might have heard of it if it had been Bath.

Because that's round your neck of the woods? Yeah.

-It rings a bell with Southampton.

-It's a port city.

So, it'd be more cosmopolitan than the other two.

I'm getting firmer on Southampton.

OK. You go for it.

We're not 100% sure, but we're going to go for Southampton.

The singer Craig David

-was born in 1981 in Southampton. You're right.

-Oh!

-Pure guess.

-What a shame -

-SHE CHUCKLES

knocking them out on the first question is handy.

Crewes Control. What nationality is the supermodel Heidi Klum?

-You've been there.

-I've been?

-Klum.

-Pretty sure she's German.

-I would have thought the same.

-She's married to Mr Seal now, isn't she?

-OK. Fine with me.

-We think it's German.

It's German. You're right.

Two points to you.

Back to you, Eggheads.

Which wrestler played the part of Fezzick

in the 1987 film, The Princess Bride?

I'm 95% certain that it was Andre the Giant.

Hulk Hogan wouldn't be in anything with the word Princess in,

it just wouldn't come right,

and Jesse Ventura was the governor of Minnesota,

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

-Go for that.

We'll go for Andre the Giant.

Quite right. Andre the Giant is correct.

-Well done!

-You need this, guys.

You need this question.

"Look at the stars,

"Look how they shine for you,"

is the opening line from which Coldplay single?

-I know that. I know that.

-I was about to sing that,

but I'll just keep my voice down a little bit.

-It's definitely Yellow.

-Is it?

-# It's all yellow. #

-Definitely.

Yes. 100%.

I bow to experience. It's Yellow.

Right. Well done.

Yellow is the answer.

Eggheads, you get this wrong,

you've lost again. Here's your question.

"The stakes are too high for you to stay at home,"

was the 1964 presidential campaign slogan for whom?

'64.

-Barry Goldwater...

-So...

-'64's too early for Nixon, isn't it?

-Well, '64 was Lyndon Johnson,

-after...

-It was - Kennedy was assassinated in '63, so Johnson...

Barry Goldwater was standing on a right wing, Bomb The Reds ticket.

Yes.

So...um...

there was a real danger that voter-apathy would let Goldwater in.

-It's got to be Lyndon Johnson. All agreed?

-Yes.

-Yes.

We're all agreed that it's Lyndon B Johnson.

Johnson is correct - it was early for Nixon.

Sudden death now, OK?

Not multiple choice any more.

Here's your question.

What is the name of the small hammer,

traditionally used by judges and auctioneers?

-It's a gavel, isn't it?

-A gavel.

-Gavel.

-Definitely.

-It's a gavel.

Gavel is correct.

Eggheads.

Which supermodel was arrested

on suspicion of assaulting a police officer

at London's Heathrow airport in April 2008?

It's the delectable Naomi Campbell.

Naomi Campbell is the right answer.

Sudden death, remember.

Here's your question. Tongue-Tied - Fifty Years Of Friendship

In A Subnormality Hospital

is an autobiographical work by which man,

a minor celebrity in the 1980s, thanks to the TV show, Blue Peter?

-Erm...

-I'm trying to rack my brains.

In the '80s. Pick somebody out of Blue Peter.

-Would it be a presenter, or someone who appeared...?

-Peter Duncan?

Well, I don't think that was Duncan.

-Pardon?

-He was quite well known, wasn't he?

-Peter Duncan.

-Was it?

-Peter Duncan.

-Yeah, it won't be him, but go for it anyway.

The only one we can think of is Peter Duncan.

Wasn't Peter Duncan.

-No.

-His name was Joey Deacon.

He suffered from cerebral palsy,

dictated his life story, one letter at a time.

There we are.

So, with this answer,

you can take the contest,

but will you take it? Let's see.

What was the first name of the comic-book character

created by Norman Pett,

who had a pet daschund named Fritz,

and appeared in the Daily Mirror newspaper between 1932 and 1959?

-We're all agreed?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

We're all agreed on Jane.

You said that with some certainty.

We all remember Jane. We're all of an age.

-THEY CHUCKLE

-Even me.

Your answer is correct,

so congratulations, Eggheads. You've won.

Well done, Eggheads.

Commiserations, challengers. Been good to have you.

You ran them close, but the Eggheads

have done what comes naturally to them, and they reign over quizland.

Maybe they are getting over that bad patch.

I'm afraid you won't go home with £4,000,

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

Join us next time to see if a new team have the brains

to defeat the Eggheads.

£5,000 says they don't.

Until then, goodbye.

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