Episode 159 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?

Hello and 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, as they've won some of the country's toughest

quiz shows... they are the Eggheads.

And taking on our awesome quiz champions today are Eclectic Mix,

the team are an assortment of family, friends and work

colleagues who've previously quizzed in different combinations,

but have now come together to take on the Eggheads. Let's meet them.

Hello, I'm Nicola, I'm 40 and I'm a tax accountant.

Hello, I'm Denise, I'm 37 and I'm a retail manager.

Hi, I'm Ben, I'm 29 and I'm an actor.

Hello, my name's Linda, I'm 55 and I work in training and recruitment.

Hi, I'm Richard, I'm 37 and I'm a tax technical manager.

So welcome, Eclectic Mix, nice to see you all.

I'm trying to work out how you know each other,

because you all seem to be disconnected.

Denise is my sister, and Denise works with Linda

and Ben is Linda's son, and right at the very end is Richard, and Richard

and I used to work together.

And there is strength in being an eclectic mix, Nicola, right?

-Because...

-Of course there is.

-you need every subject covered.

We hope we've done our practice correctly, yes.

-You've been practising?

-Swotting up.

Let's see how it's gone, and how it goes. Every day there's

£1,000 worth of cash up for grabs for our challengers, however if they

fail to defeat the Eggheads, the prize money, as you know, rolls over

to the next show, so Eclectic Mix, I can tell you that the Eggheads have

won the last six games, which means £7,000 says you can't beat them.

The first head to head battle is on the subject

of arts and books, which of you wants this?

-Arts and books?

-Well, that's either me or Linda.

-Go on, Linda.

-It's up to you at the end.

-What do you think?

Do you want to stay for the last one?

I don't mind.

-I'm going for it.

-Nicola, OK, against which Egghead?

-Right,

who are we picking for arts and books?

Shall we go with Barry?

OK, we'll choose Barry to go head to head with me.

OK, Nicola from the Eclectic Mix versus Barry from the Eggheads,

and to ensure there's no conferring, would you please take your positions

in the question room?

We're going to play our round now, Nicola, good luck,

three multiple choice questions on arts and books in turn.

Whoever answers the most questions

correctly is the winner, and Nicola, your choice,

would you like to go for the first or second set of questions?

I'd like to go first, please.

So your first question is this: what is the title of the sequel

to Michael Crichton's novel Jurassic Park?

Is it Congo, The Lost World or The Andromeda Strain?

My first instinct was to go for

The Lost World, so that's what I'm choosing.

And you're quite right, well done, The Lost World it is.

Barry, Gollum is a character

in a series of books by which writer

AA Milne, CS Lewis or JRR Tolkien?

JRR Tolkien, not a shadow of a doubt.

Yes, they may get harder.

Nicola, which stand-up comic wrote the hit West End plays Gasping

and Silly Cow? Was it Ben Elton, Lee Evans or Jack Dee?

I think I've read some of the novels

by this writer, so I'm choosing Ben Elton.

Yeah, a very creative man, and you're quite right, Ben Elton it is,

novels, plays, comedy.

Over to you, Barry. Which war poet died of septicaemia

on a hospital ship off the island of Skyross in 1915?

Was it Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon or Wilfred Owen?

Well, I believe Wilfred Owen died

in the last week of the war, and I don't think it was

Siegfried Sassoon, so my answer is Rupert Brooke.

Rupert Brooke is correct.

So two points each. Nicola, which poet and dramatist wrote

Gypsy Ballads and Blood Wedding?

Was it Pablo Neruda, Frederico Garcia Lorca, or Mario Vargas Llosa?

Right, unfortunately, this will

have to be a complete guess and I will go for Mario Vargas Llosa?

It was actually, I'm sorry to say, Frederico Garcia Lorca

who wrote Gypsy Ballads and Blood Wedding, so you got that

wrong, which means Barry,

get this right, you are in the final round and Nicola is not.

Here's your question: "The Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor

"without a flutter of the sails and was at rest"

is the opening line of which line by Joseph Conrad?

Is it Lord Jim, Nostromo, or Heart of Darkness?

Lord Jim was about a sailor, so I shall go for Lord Jim.

Great use of logic and completely the wrong answer,

it's Heart of Darkness.

Two points apiece, and that means we move to sudden death.

Nicola, no multiple choice on this, it gets harder. Maggie Tulliver is

the central character of which George Eliot novel?

Luckily for me, I read this for one of my set pieces

for my A level exams, and it's The Mill on the Floss?

It is The Mill on the Floss, you're right.

So the pressure's on you Barry now.

Which term did Douglas Coupland use

in his 1991 book Generation X to describe a low paid, menial job?

Ah, I believe he was talking about people who worked in

places like McDonald's, so I think he would have used the term McJob.

He did use the term McJob, you're right. Back to you, Nicola.

Lady Lansing was the working title for which 1895 stage play?

1895 was in the era that Oscar Wilde was writing, so I'm going to take

a stab in the dark and say Lady Windermere's Fan?

I wish you'd got it, you were

so close, and you're absolutely right on the author, but it's

The Importance of Being Earnest.

Barry, over to you. A famous 1921 play by Luigi Pirandello is called

Six Characters in Search of... what?

That's Six Characters in Search of an Author.

An author is correct, so Barry,

well done, hard fought round, but our Egghead came through,

and Nicola, that means you won't be in the final, I'm afraid.

Do please both of you come back and rejoin your teams.

So as it stands, the challengers have lost one brain from the final

round, whilst the Eggheads have lost no brains. Next subject is politics.

-Who is political?

-Easy choice.

-Yes.

-Off you go, Richard.

-Richard on politics.

-My time has come.

-And an Egghead you've got to choose now.

You've got to decide which Egghead to go for.

-Who do we think?

-Shall we go for CJ?

-We'll have CJ.

-Right,

Richard from Eclectic Mix against CJ from the Eggheads, and to ensure

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

Richard, would you like the first

-or second set of questions?

-I'd like to go first, please.

So here we go. According to

the political abbreviation, an MEP is a member of which parliament?

Eastern, English or European?

Right, it's definitely not English, because there isn't

an English parliament,

similarly Eastern doesn't make sense, so it's European.

Yes, European is the correct answer, well done.

CJ, how many general elections

did Tony Blair win as leader of the Labour Party?

Two, three or four?

It should be three, but let me just check... 1997, '01 and '05,

so it's three.

It is indeed three elections.

OK, on with your question,

Richard... which phrase, taken from a children's game, refers to the

armaments build up that occurs when countries continually try to ensure

that their weapons arsenal is bigger and better than their competitors?

Leap-frogging, hopscotching or kiss chasing?

I'm going to go for leap-frogging, because it sounds like

the people are trying to go one above each other in

how much armaments they've got, so that's my answer.

Leap-frogging is your answer, and is correct.

CJ, who was appointed the Secretary of State for Health in June 2007?

Was it Des Browne, Alan Johnson or David Miliband?

I'm reasonably sure it's Alan Johnson, but I'm just going to check,

just so I don't make a stupid mistake.

Yes, I think it's Alan Johnson.

You're right, well done, Alan Johnson's the right answer.

So, two points each. Over to you, Richard.

Edward Tibson's victory in the 2008 Crewe and Nantwich by-election

was the Conservative Party's first by-election gain from Labour

in how many years?

Ten, twenty or thirty?

From Labour,

OK,

well, the last time they won a by-election, and took it

from another party, was in 1982,

which was from the SDP,

and that was, so that would be 1982, 2008, so that's 26 years,

so if it was taken from Labour, it must have been even further,

so I'm going to go for thirty.

You know your politics, don't you?

-I try.

-Thirty years is correct, Richard, well done.

Thank you.

CJ, who was Ronald Reagan's democratic rival in the 1980

US presidential election?

Was it Jimmy Carter, Michael Dukakis

or Walter Mondale?

Well, Walter Mondale was '84, so it's not him.

Carter's the obvious answer,

because he was the sitting incumbent at the time, the one term president,

and I've got it in my head that Dukakis is '88,

but I'm not sure about that,

so I'm going to go for Jimmy Carter, but I'm not sure.

Jimmy Carter is the right answer, well done,

who was beaten by Reagan.

-OK, we go to sudden death. Richard, are you ready?

-Yep.

How many years is a standard

presidential term in the Republic of Ireland?

I'm just going to go, because it's fairly consistent with European,

so for example French, I'm going to go for five years.

It's longer, actually, seven years.

Seven years. Over to you, CJ,

get this and you've got the round and you're in the final.

Who was elected as the second president of Germany in 1925?

Paul Von Hindenburg.

Paul Von Hindenburg is the correct answer, CJ,

well done, good play by you, you're through to the final. Richard,

you were beaten by our Egghead there, so you won't be able to

help your team in the final round, please both of you come back to us.

The challengers have lost two brains

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

Our next subject is sport, are you ready for this?

-It's a bit of a no-brainer, isn't it?

-It is.

-Linda, Ben or Denise?

Judith, definitely.

It's Ben, and I think Ben's going to choose Judith.

All right, Ben from Eclectic Mix versus Judith from the Eggheads,

please go to the question room now.

-Ben, would you like the first or second set?

-I'll go first, please.

So your first question: which snooker player was world champion

between 1992 and 1996?

Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry or Jimmy White?

Right, well, Steve Davis won it a bit earlier than that I think, and then

he won it a bit later after that, so I don't think it's him.

Jimmy White unfortunately, the hero that he is, has never won it, so I'm

going to go with Stephen Hendry.

Total conviction, well done!

Stephen Hendry is right.

Judith, which French defender who earned a record 142 caps during his

career, retired from international football following his side's

first round exit at the 2008 European championships?

Was it William Gallas, Willy Sagnol or Lilian Thuram?

Is there really a footballer called Lilian in France?

I've never heard of any of those,

funnily enough, I mean surprise, surprise, so

I'm going to go for Willy down the middle Sagnol.

You're going for Willy down the middle Sagnol?

Yes, I shall scream if it's Lilian!

I know, because you should have just done Lilian for a joke, and everyone

would have laughed, and anyway it's right, so why didn't you do Lilian?

-Lilian is the correct answer.

-Oh, I don't believe it!

Yes, he is, OK.

Ben, your question... in which year did England

cricket captain Michael Vaughan make his test debut against South Africa?

Was it 1999, 2001 or 2003?

I'm going to go for 2003.

No, I'm sorry, it was 1999.

Letting Judith back in, tennis, Judith... how many

grand slam singles titles did Virginia Wade win during her career?

Was it one, two or three?

Three.

Is right!

Well done, so you've come back into it. Third question for you now, Ben.

Which horse ridden by Kevin Manning

and trained by Jim Bolger won the 2008 Epsom Derby?

Was it Casual Conquest, Doctor Freemantle or New Approach?

I'm going to go for New Approach.

Well done, you've got it right... New Approach.

Judith, in pool what term is used to describe a foul

when a player pockets the cue ball?

Scratch, scrape or scrunch?

Maybe it's scratch, because you have to go back to the beginning,

or something?

I'm going to say scratch.

The term used to describe a foul when a player pockets the cue ball

in pool is scratch, well done.

So, two points each, and we go to sudden death.

OK, Ben, your question...

the Olympic gold medal winning athlete born Frances Morgan Thompson

is better known by what name?

Well, I can only think gold medal winning Thompson,

I don't know, so I'm going to hazard a guess with Daley Thompson?

And you're completely right, Daley Thompson!

Judith again, get this wrong, you're not in the final round.

Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve

called off his engagement to which Australian pop star in 2001?

Kylie Minogue.

You're wrong, but you were halfway right, it was her sister Dannii.

-Oh, how annoying!

-With two Ns and two Is, Dannii Minogue

was engaged to Jacques Villeneuve.

So Judith, that means you have lost this round on sport, and that means

Ben, you will play with your team in the final, so well done to you,

please both of you, come back to the studio.

So, this is where we are, the challengers have lost

two brains from the final round, the Eggheads have lost one brain.

Last subject is film and television.

A bit no-brainer again.

-Linda or Denise?

-Daphne or Kevin?

Do you want to go against Kevin maybe, I'd just give

a chance of getting him out of the final?

Yes, always save Daphne.

-You're that confident, are you?

-I'm just saying, you know.

So Linda's doing this round, she'd like to challenge Kevin.

Linda from Eclectic Mix versus Kevin from the Eggheads, to ensure

there's no conferring, please take your positions.

Linda, you can choose the first or second set.

I'd like to go first, please.

So your question, which TV game show offered a consolation prize

of a chequebook and pen?

Was it Celebrity Squares, Bullseye or Blankety Blank?

Well, I do remember this, I remember all of those three programmes,

and it was the famous Blankety Blank chequebook and pen.

Yes, it was!

Kevin, your question... who played the title role

in the American comedy series The Fresh Prince of Bel Air?

Was it Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence or Will Smith?

Pretty sure that one was Will Smith, so Will Smith.

It is Will Smith, you're right.

Linda, which Neighbours' character was washed out to sea and presumed

dead in 1991, but reappeared five years later

as an amnesia-suffering Salvation Army volunteer called Ted?

Was it Harold Bishop, Lou Carpenter or Jim Robinson?

Well, I did used to watch Neighbours at the time,

I don't watch it any more,

and I'm almost sure it was Harold Bishop.

That's 100% right, Harold Bishop.

Well done.

Kevin, "That's all, folks!"

is the catchphrase of which Looney Tunes cartoon character?

Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig or Foghorn Leghorn?

It's not Foghorn Leghorn,

it's a long time since I've seen any of these and I'm trying to visualise

now between Elmer Fudd, the hunter,

and Porky Pig. Do you know, I'm not too sure?

I'll say Porky Pig.

Even when you don't know, you know. Porky Pig is right, well done.

OK, over to you, Linda.

Who was reportedly paid more than

a million pounds for his script for the 1991 film The Last Boy Scout?

Jim Cash, Shane Black or Michael McDowell?

I think I'm going to go for Michael McDowell.

Shane Black is the answer, so if you get this right,

Kevin, you take the round.

Your question, to what was Arnold Schwarzenegger's surname changed

in the credits for his 1970 film acting debut, Hercules in New York?

Was it Brawn, Power or Strong?

I'm hoping it might be Power, so I'm going Power.

CJ knows the answer, which is?

-It's Arnold Strong.

-Arnold Strong, Kevin.

We go to sudden death, Linda, your question...

who played Max Bialystock in the 1968 film The Producers?

I'm going to say Gene Wilder, because I think he was in it,

but I'm not sure what his character was called.

Gene Wilder is the wrong answer, it was Zero Mostel.

Kevin, your question, if you get this right you are in the final,

and here it is. The TV series Porridge and The Likely Lads

were written by Dick Clement and which other writer?

Ian La Frenais.

Absolutely right.

Kevin has won the round, sorry, Linda, you did almost knock him

out, it was very well worth trying to do, but as a result Linda,

you won't be in the final.

Please both of you come back and rejoin your teammates.

OK, this is what we've been playing towards, it is time for that 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 Nicola, Linda and Richard from Eclectic Mix

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

Denise and Ben, you're playing to win Eclectic Mix £7,000,

we wish you all the best with that. Barry, Kevin, CJ and Daphne, you're

playing for something which money can't buy: the Eggheads' reputation.

I'll ask each team three questions

in turn, this time the questions are all general knowledge,

and you are allowed to confer, so Eclectic Mix, the question is,

are your two brains better than the Eggheads' four brains?

Denise and Ben, first or second?

We'll go first please, Jeremy.

Here we go, what is the French term for an action that has already been

completed and cannot be altered?

Is it fait accompli, faux pas or force majeure?

Don't think it's faux pas, faux pas is you've made a mistake.

Fait accompli rings a bell.

We'll go with fait accompli, yes?

Jeremy, we'll go with fait accompli.

Fait accompli is quite right.

OK, your question, Eggheads, "Water, water everywhere, nor any

"drop to drink" is an example of which literary term?

Paradigm, paradox or parody?

It's not a paradigm and it's not a parody.

It's a paradox.

That would be a paradox.

Daphne, you're right, it is.

OK, Eclectic Mix, Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo

and Bette Davis are all mentioned in the lyrics of which Madonna song?

Like a Prayer, Material Girl or Vogue?

I haven't a clue.

-I think it's Vogue.

-Vogue is your answer, Vogue is correct, well done.

So back to you, Eggheads. In Greek mythology, who was the mother of

Aeneas?

Was it Aphrodite, Artemis or Athena?

-That's Aphrodite.

-I think it was Aphrodite.

Yes, and Pisces was her father, but Aphrodite's the mother.

That's fair enough.

Aphrodite.

You are quite right, well done, Aphrodite is the right answer.

Third question.

On average, approximately how many times does a human heart

beat in a day?

10,000, 100,000,

or a million?

I think it's more than 10,000.

I think we'll go with more than 10,000... maybe not?

I think a million, you might be dead.

-Yes, I think a million's a bit too fast.

-Shall we go down the middle?

Go down the middle, we'll go with 100,000, Jeremy.

100,000 is the correct answer, so three out of

three for you, great stuff.

What is the name of the fictional

scorer on the radio comedy series, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue,

to whom Humphrey Lyttleton would frequently allude?

Is it Donna, Priscilla or Samantha?

Samantha.

-Yes, Samantha.

-Samantha.

-Samantha is quite right, you knew it

before I gave you the options.

OK, so it's level, we move to sudden death.

Your question, Eclectic Mix...

which fictional overweight schoolboy with a sister named Bessie

celebrated his 100th birthday in February 2008?

-Billy Bunter? Fat with a little hat?

-I'd go with Billy Bunter.

-Billy Bunter?

-Yes, shall we go with that? We'll go with Billy Bunter.

-Billy Bunter is the right answer.

-Excellent.

Over to you, Eggheads, which word in the English language

is derived from the Latin for "That which is to be done"?

-Amen.

-No.

-Which word?

-Which word in the English language

is derived from the Latin for "That which is to be done"?

Is it just demonstration?

Maybe demonstration might be a guess.

-Because a demonstration, you have to show it.

-I'm sure that's not right.

Don't you think so?

Well, he's done something like facet?

No, that's made.

-Yes.

-We will need an answer.

-That which has to be done?

And in the Latin, that's...

why isn't it demonstration?

Yes, quad,

-that which is to be...

-Shown, it's a demonstration.

Demonstrate or demonstration?

I think it's demonstration.

I don't think it is demonstration, but we've got nothing else to offer,

have we?

No, as you can see, we're absolutely foxed

and the only thing we can come up with is demonstration?

-You think it's demonstration?

-No, we don't.

-No, we don't.

-You don't even think it's demonstration?

-But we can't even think what it is.

-You've almost passed,

-you've given me demonstration, have you?

-Yes.

-That's your answer?

-Yes.

-OK, and if you get it wrong, you will have been beaten, and

-our brilliant Eclectic Mix go home with £7,000. You know that?

-Yes.

The Latin word

is "agendum".

Oh!

The answer is agenda. Well done, challengers, you've won!

What are you going to do with the money?

Give it to my mum and dad!

-Ben doesn't pay any rent, so he needs to pay up.

-Buy a pacemaker!

-I'd like to go to the South Pole, but I need more.

-You took them to sudden death

in every round, so you played a really really strong game with

us today, and I hope you enjoy your winnings, and great to have you.

-Thank you.

-So you are officially cleverer than the Eggheads,

you've proved they can be beaten,

join us next time on Eggheads to see if a new team of challengers will be

just as successful. Until then, great game, wasn't it? Goodbye.

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