Episode 77 Eggheads

These five 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've won some of the country's toughest quiz shows.

They are the Eggheads.

Challenging our quiz Goliaths today are Original Approach,

a team of good friends who frequently win the quiz

at their local pub, the Approach, in Bethnal Green, east London.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm Miranda, I'm 24, and I'm a fund-raising assistant.

Hi, I'm Kieran, I'm 24 and I work in social housing.

Hi, I'm Erin, I'm 26 and I'm a charity fundraiser.

Hi, I'm Richard, I'm 22 and I'm a graduate student.

I'm Sinead. I'm 24 and I'm a sales executive.

Welcome to you, Original Approach. You get the team name from the pub.

-How competitive is this quiz?

-Fairly competitive.

-Yeah. We get quite into it.

-And how did you all get together?

Was it quizzing, university, or is there a family connection?

I went to university with Sinead.

She's the twin sister of Kieran.

I live with Erin, and Richard and Kieran went to university together.

You've come together to try to beat the Eggheads today. Let's see if you can do it.

Every day there's £1,000 up for grabs for our challengers. However, if they fail

to defeat the Eggheads, the prize money rolls over to the next show.

Original Approach, the challengers actually won the last game, proving it can be done.

That means £1,000 says you cannot beat the Eggheads.

Let's see if you can. Here's our first category.

It's arts and books.

Who would like to play this?

Is that going to be you, Miranda?

I'd rather not, but if no one else wants to do it, I will.

-No-one else wants to?

-Don't think so.

-I will do it by default.

-All right, Miranda, and I suppose

by starting off the game, you have got any Egghead you like to play.

I'll take on Chris, please.

Chris, OK, arts and books.

Let's see how you do. Can I ask you to go to the question room

so you can't confer with your team-mates?

It's arts and books. Would you like to go first or second, Miranda?

I'll go second, please.

Second it is, then.

Eggheads first. Chris...

what is the term for the part of a book that faces out when the book is on a shelf

and typically bears the title and author's name?

Nicely blocked in gold if you're lucky - it's the spine.

The spine it is, of course. That is the right answer.

Miranda, first question to you, then.

What name was given to the artistic movement of the 1950s that focused

on the grimy realities of working-class life in Britain?

I'm fairly sure that is kitchen-sink movement.

That's the right answer.

Won't dwell on the outdoor toilet one. OK. Chris.

Second question. Who wrote

the racy novel, Lace, first published in 1982?

Hmm. It's not my sort of thing at all.

Before the choices came up, I thought Shirley Conran,

so I'll go with Shirley Conran.

A "racy" novel. I love that- racy!

A racy, lacy novel!

And it is the right answer. Shirley Conran is correct.

Author of Lace. Second question, Miranda.

The kindly Mr Brownlow is a character in which Charles Dickens novel?

Oh dear. I'm awful on Dickens.

It's going to be a complete guess.

I'm going to go with...

Hmm. A Tale Of Two Cities.

The kindly Mr Brownlow is a character in Oliver Twist,

not A Tale Of Two Cities.

Chris, having been put in first and got two correct

means you win it if you give me the correct answer on this one.

Which Nobel Prize winner wrote the series of science fiction books

entitled Canopus In Argos?

Oh!

I don't think it was Gunter Grass.

He specialises in German angst rather than sci-fi.

I don't think Doris Lessing, who's an old lady, would write sci-fi.

I will go, just on a pure hunch, with Toni Morrison.

OK, Toni Morrison, Canopus In Argos,

it's Doris Lessing. So, let off there, Miranda.

Facing ejection. This will keep you in, take us to sudden death.

Which artist's sculpture of his head made out of nine pints

of his frozen, congealed blood was rumoured to have melted

when Charles Saatchi and Nigella Lawson's freezer was unplugged by builders?

OK. Sounds interesting.

I've really got no idea again.

Oh, complete guess, Gavin Turk.

OK, Gavin Turk, you think,

did this rather grisly sculpture

rumoured to have melted after the unplugging of a freezer.

It's by Marc Quinn, not Gavin Turk, which means you are through, anyway,

Chris. The two you got

is enough to book you a place in the final round.

You won't be playing, Miranda. Would you rejoin your teams?

A valiant attempt to see off the reigning International Mastermind

but it was not to be for you, Miranda.

It means you won't play in the final round.

We move on to our next head to head today, it's entertainment.

Who would like to play this?

Sinead works in media.

Doesn't mean I'll get it right, but I'll give it a go.

All right, Sinead? Which Egghead would you like to play?

-It can't be Chris.

-Kevin, I think, yeah.

-Kevin, on entertainment.

Three times World Quiz champion.

See if you can do it, Sinead. Please take your positions in the question room.

Sinead, I understand you run marathons, including the London Marathon.

-Yes, I ran that recently.

-Do you train really hard?

Not as hard as I perhaps should, but I've done a few long runs beforehand to prepare.

So, how did you do? What was your time?

I did it in three hours 38.

Crikey!

-You are impressive.

-It was good fun.

-Good fun?

And you do other charity fund-raising activities

including some rather weird glass walking?

I did fire walking and glass walking last year

for a local East End charity.

-How do you do it?

-It's all in the mind, really.

-No, it's on the feet.

You have to be mentally prepared more than anything else.

It's not as hard as it looks.

You could combine it with the marathon. 26.2 miles of that?

-That might be more of a challenge.

-This is a challenge as well.

You have the three times World Quiz champion facing you.

-Do you want to go first or second?

-I would like to go first.

Good luck.

Which TV game show featured Aztec, Futuristic and Medieval zones?

It was a favourite game show of mine as a child - the Crystal Maze.

The Crystal Maze it was. That's the right answer. Good start.

OK, Kevin...

the fourth Rambo film released in 2008

depicts the Vietnam war veteran on a rescue mission in which country?

The fourth Rambo film, released in 2008,

depicts the Vietnam war veteran on a rescue mission in which country?

-It's Burma.

-That is the right answer.

Sinead, second question.

Which female singer featured on the Pet Shop Boys' 1987 UK Top 10 hit single,

What Have I Done To Deserve This?

Um, I don't know. I'm a bit young.

I don't think it was Lulu because she's done stuff with other...

um...boy bands and stuff, although she's probably a good choice. Um...

I think I'm going to go with Dusty Springfield.

OK, What Have I Done To Deserve This was the Pet Shop Boys and...

Dusty Springfield.

It's the right answer.

It reached two in the charts and was the first of those collaborations

in the early '90s

because then the KLF did it with Tammy Wynette, Take That with Lulu.

It was really the first one to take that sort of style.

OK, Kevin, second question.

What was the name of the dummy of ventriloquist, Ray Allen?

That goes back a bit, doesn't it?

He had more than one dummy, but his most famous one was

this aristocratic character, and I think it was Lord Charles.

Think?

I'm not 100 per cent certain, but I think it was Lord Charles.

Yes it was. Lord Charles is correct. OK, Sinead.

In which European country did Charlie Chaplin die?

Oh God, I don't know. Um...

Um...I'm going to go with Spain.

-Don't really have a good reason.

-OK. No reason. Charlie Chaplin died...

in Switzerland.

Where he lived for some years, didn't he?

He died on Christmas Day 1977, I think.

That's when Elvis went too, didn't he?

WC Fields died on Christmas Day 1945. So there.

Right, the Eggheads showing their rather bizarre knowledge

of celebrity death dates. Kevin...

who released the hip-hop albums, Fear Of A Black Planet

and It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back?

I don't actually know this one.

The title of the first album doesn't ring any bells at all.

Somewhere, I've heard of It Takes A Nation Of Millions.

I'm going to go for Public Enemy.

Something in there, because it's the right answer.

Yes, Public Enemy is correct.

Sinead just edged out there on the last question by Kevin.

You won't be playing in the final round. Please rejoin your teams.

Original Approach, you've lost two brains from the final round.

The Eggheads haven't lost any.

And this head-to-head is science.

Who would like to play this? Kieran, Erin or Richard?

-Richard, I think, because he's a graduate.

-I think that's me.

And which Egghead? It can't be Chris or Kevin.

Daphne, CJ or Judith.

I think I'd like to take on CJ.

Look at that stare - look at his face.

It's starting before we get in the question room.

Better get you in there quickly. Richard and CJ, please.

Richard, there seems to be a marathon theme creeping in here.

-You've run the London Marathon?

-Twice now.

-What was your time? Did you beat Sinead?

-I didn't, unfortunately.

-Hey, Sinead there! Sub four hours, was it?

-Yes, I got 3.50.

OK. That's good. CJ, have you run the London Marathon?

I've never run the London. I've done seven marathons, but never London.

But you're going to put that right, aren't you?

I promise I will run the 2009 London Marathon.

Is this going to be an Eggheads team?

Well, Daphne's certainly coming.

-No way!

-You could carry her on your back.

-No thank you!

OK. Let's play the round.

It's Science. Would you like to go first or second, Richard?

I would like to go first.

Here you go, Richard. Best of luck with this. What is honeysuckle?

It's really not my strong point,

flowers and associated things.

I will go with a hunch, I think it is a shrub.

Work it out the other way. It's not a fungus or a moss.

It is the right answer, yes. Honeysuckle.

CJ, a root canal is a cavity in which part of the human body?

I'm just trying to visualise a root canal in the eye.

I think it might be a tooth.

It just might. That is the right answer.

OK, Richard,

what is the name of the pivot about which a lever turns?

Well, it's not the plane.

Um...

I've never heard of axis used in that context,

so I'm going to go with fulcrum.

The pivot about which a lever turns is a fulcrum.

It's correct, Richard. Two to you.

CJ...

Corriedale and Polwarth are varieties of which animal?

I hate these. I don't know this one.

Corriedale, it's up north, they like sheep, so it's sheep.

It is sheep.

Yes. It is the right answer.

OK.

Richard, what is the only artery in the human body which does not carry

oxygenated blood?

Er...the pulmonary vein...

is the main vein carrying...

..oxygen-depleted blood back to the heart, but I wasn't sure

that could also be called the pulmonary artery.

I'll go with pulmonary artery

because artery and vein are probably interchangeable.

Pulmonary is probably the important word there.

It is. It's the right answer. Well done, Richard.

It puts you in a strong position. If CJ doesn't get this,

you will be in the final round. CJ...

after oxygen, what is the most abundant element

found in the earth's crust?

That is silicon.

It is silicon. That is correct.

Well done, CJ.

That takes us for the first time to sudden death.

That means, Richard, we take away those multiple choices

and I'll just hear an answer from you. Here you go.

To which family of birds does the jay belong?

J-A-Y. To which family of birds does the jay belong?

-Is it a pigeon?

-Is that your answer?

I don't even know whether a pigeon is a family of birds.

Um...

I really have no idea, I'm afraid.

So, are you going to have a guess, Richard?

I'm going to have to go with pigeon.

OK, take that as your answer. Pigeon.

No.

It's not, indeed, the family of pigeons.

You really don't know your birds, do you? CJ?

-I would go for crow.

-Yes, it's a crow. Corvidae.

A chance for CJ to take the round.

In 2006, which country overtook the United States

as the world's biggest producer of carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas?

I think that's probably China.

It is definitely China, CJ, you're through to the final round.

Bad luck, Richard. Thought you'd do it.

You did really well with your pulmonary artery

but you didn't know your pigeons from your crows.

Would you both please go back and join your teams?

Well, Original Approach, this is quite an original approach to playing Eggheads,

lulling them into a false sense of security.

You have lost three brains from the final round

and the Eggheads are all still there. This is your last chance to knock an Egghead out.

Politics is the subject.

Who'd like to play, from Erin or Kieran?

-I did politics as a degree, so...

-Go for it.

OK, Erin, who would you like to play from the Eggheads? Judith or Daphne?

-Daphne, I guess.

-Let's have Erin and Daphne into the question room.

Erin, you are from the United States. What brought you to this country?

-I came here to do a degree, actually, last year.

-A postgrad?

-Yes.

You mentioned politics. Was your postgrad in politics?

No, that was my undergraduate. I did a development studies degree.

-Would you like to go first or second?

-I will go first, please.

Best of luck, here you go.

What term has come to mean that an MP has changed political parties?

I'm not sure.

I don't know too much about British politics, unfortunately.

I'm going to go with crossing the Chamber.

OK, if you don't know too much about it, they're all plausible,

but it's crossing the floor, the floor of the house.

Means an MP has changed political party.

So, Daphne, which term refers to a government comprising members of

two or more parties formed because no party has an outright majority?

It's a coalition, Dermot.

It is a coalition. I'm sure franchising

will come somewhere, sometime. Erin, let's get you off the mark.

Which Conservative politician lost his Putney seat in the 1997 election

to slow hand-clapping and jeers of "Out, out, out!"

from the multi-millionaire James Goldsmith?

Again, since I know so much about British politics... Goodness!

I'm going to have to do a guess, unfortunately,

and I will try David Mellor.

OK. Have you heard of any of those three?

-I'm afraid not.

-No, OK.

In 1997. Long before you came to this country.

But it is David Mellor. It is a good guess.

It is the right answer.

OK, so one to you. Daphne...

which Labour politician has often been said

to resemble the children's TV character, the Demon Headmaster?

I've no idea!

I have never seen the Demon Headmaster.

Jack Straw.

It is Jack Straw. If you have seen the Demon Headmaster...

I have never heard that before. It's the glasses.

It couldn't possibly be John Prescott, could it?

Jack Straw is correct.

A guess by Daphne. I thought it was good news for Erin.

It means you've got to get this, then, Erin.

In 2007, Wendy Alexander became the leader of which political group?

The Scottish National Party?

It's the Scottish Labour Party. Wendy Alexander took over as leader

of the Scottish Labour Party, which means we end the round there,

after Daphne got her Demon Headmaster right,

which means she has assembled enough ticks to put her

through to the final round. Those questions really didn't fall your way,

Erin, with your international political background.

Three straight questions about British politics.

It means you won't play in the final round.

Would you both please come back and join your teams?

This is what we have been playing towards.

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

But those who lost the head-to-heads

can't take part in this round, so Miranda , Erin, Richard

and Sinead, would you all leave the studio now, please?

Kieran, you're playing to win Original Approach £1,000. Eggheads,

you're playing for something money can't buy - your reputation.

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

The questions are all general knowledge and you can confer.

Kieran, the question is, is your one brain better than the Eggheads' five?

-Do you want to go first or second?

-I will go first, please, Dermot.

OK, Kieran, you have decided to go first. It's general knowledge. Let's see if you can beat the Eggheads.

First question coming your way now.

To which part of London did Rupert Murdoch move his newspaper business overnight in 1986,

sparking a bitter industrial dispute?

I'm pretty sure that in 1986 they moved the headquarters of

News International to Wapping.

Sinead nodding there, she should know.

She works for News International.

It's the right answer. Wapping is correct.

OK, Eggheads, what is the name of the West Indian Dance

in which dancers bend over backwards and pass under a pole that is lowered slightly each time?

That is limbo.

Limbo is correct. Eggheads, it is 1-1. OK, Kieran,

in March 2004, which country became the first in the world

to impose an outright ban on smoking in workplaces?

OK. I know quite a few countries now have a ban on smoking in workplaces.

The Americans are traditionally quite anti-smoking,

apart from the southern states which produce a lot of tobacco.

However, New Zealand, they are all quite fit and running about and stuff

and jumping up and down off bridges, that kind of thing.

So they wouldn't smoke.

Having said that, for some reason in the back of my mind

I've got this little Irish voice telling me that it was there.

I'm going to go for Ireland.

Is that in your background, with a name like yours?

I'm from an Irish family, yes.

And it is Ireland, it is the answer, yes. In March 2004.

An outright ban on smoking in workplaces.

You're in the lead. Eggheads,

fashion designer Philip Treacy specialises in which item of clothing?

He specialises in hats.

How many of his have you got?

I haven't got any, I'd love to have his hats, but I haven't got any.

Philip Treacy specialises in designing hats, so it's 2-2.

Kieran, see if you can get this

and put pressure on the Eggheads.

In Arthurian legend, who is the keeper of the Holy Grail?

Hmm. Very difficult question.

The Lady of the lake gave Arthur Excalibur.

She might also have kept the Grail

to have a drink every now and then or something

but the Fisher King doesn't ring any bells at all.

The Green Knight?

Again, it sounds like Greenpeace's new picture slogan or something.

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

-..the lady of the lake.

-The Lady of the Lake, keeper of the Holy Grail.

The keeper of the Holy Grail is the Fisher King.

The Fisher King. They're all in Arthurian legend.

-The Lady of the Lake has got the sword.

-Yes.

-And the Green Knight fought Sir Gawain.

-And the Fisher King?

-Permanently wounded.

-I see.

He has a wound that can only be healed by the true finder

-of the Holy Grail.

-I see.

You have a chance to win again, Eggheads.

Which architect, famous for the Seagram Building in New York,

used the term "skin and bones"

to describe the steel covered with glass structure of his building?

THEY CONFER

-It's certainly not Aalto.

-No.

Are we done?

We think it's Mies van der Rohe.

It is the right answer, Eggheads. You have won.

They're back on form.

A full set of Eggheads, Kieran, brains humming like little generators there again,

eager to avenge their last defeat. You ran into them

hungry for a victory. So you won't be going home with the money today.

Thanks to all of you sitting behind there, Original Approach, for playing Eggheads today.

The Eggheads have done what comes naturally to them. They reign supreme over quiz land once again.

I'm afraid you don't go home with the £1,000, so the money rolls over to our 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.

£2,000 says they don't. Until then, goodbye.

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