Episode 82 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 as they are goliaths in the world of TV quiz shows. They are the Eggheads.

Taking on the might of our quiz goliaths today

are the Lobster Men From Mars. The team are all

friends from Aberdeen who regularly win the pub quizzes they compete in.

Let's meet them.

Hi, I'm David. I'm 38 and I'm a university researcher.

Hi, I'm George. I'm 67 and I'm a retired school teacher.

Hi, I'm Phil, I'm 53 and I'm an engineer.

Hi, I'm Dan. I'm 38 and I'm a senior operations technician.

Hi, I'm Alan. I'm 51 and I'm an internet dispatcher.

Lobster Men From Mars, I'm assuming there's a

-fishing connection of some kind.

-No.

It's the name of a very cheesy '80s sci-fi sort of, well it's meant to be

a sort of take-off of sort of '50s science fiction B-movies,

starring Tony Curtis and I think it's got Patrick Macnee in it.

They'll tell you. Who's in Lobster Men From Mars?

-Kevin?

-Well, Lobster MAN From Mars was the film.

-We don't know.

-No? You're drawing a blank on them already.

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

However, if they fail to defeat the Eggheads, the prize money rolls over to the next show.

So, Lobster Men From Mars, the Eggheads have won the

last five games, which means £6,000 says you can't beat them.

The first head to head battle will be on the subject of

Film and Television so, challengers,

which one of you wants to play this and who do you want to play against?

I think we'll go for Dan, shall we?

Dan, yes.

We have a game plan so er...

OK. Who do you want to take on then?

Try Judith.

OK, so it's

Dan from Lobster Men From Mars versus Judith from the Eggheads.

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

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

I'd like to go first please, Jeremy.

Dan, your first question. "You're fired"

is a phrase used regularly in which TV series?

Um, I know it's not Strictly Come Dancing

because I've never watched it.

Um, and I seem to recall that The Apprentice is with Alan Sugar

and I believe that that is his catchphrase at the end of each

-show. So my answer is The Apprentice.

-You're absolutely right. Well done.

We would have worried if you hadn't got that one. Dan, off the blocks.

Your question now, Judith. Who won the Best Actor Oscar in 2008?

I think that was Daniel Day-Lewis.

You're absolutely right, Judith.

Back to Dan from the Lobster Men From Mars.

In which country was Mel Gibson born, Dan?

Um, by the process of elimination, I don't think he was born in Italy.

Um I think the impression is, they give the impression that he's

Australian, given the Mad Max films that he did but I think, hopefully,

I'm going to plump for the USA. I believe he was born in the USA.

-That's your answer?

-Yes, it is.

You're right. It is the USA. Well done Dan.

Team doing well over here.

The Lobster Men are doing well with their claws.

Judith, which two characters returned

to EastEnders in March 2008?

I adore EastEnders, I'm completely

-gripped by it and it was Ricky and Bianca.

-You're completely right.

Well done, Judith. You have that question taped.

Next to Dan.

Which Oscar-winning film director narrated the TV

sitcom Arrested Development?

You'll have to forgive me for this because I don't actually

watch the programme or never ever seen it so it would be

an educated guess really.

Um, Ron Howard... because I believe he used to be

previously an actor whereas the other two I don't recall them being actors.

I know he was in Happy Days so

that's the only reason I can go for that answer.

Your answer is Ron Howard?

-Yes.

-It's correct. You're absolutely right.

Yeah, former actor. OK Kevin, that was a good stab at it wasn't it?

Yeah Ron Howard was Ritchie Cunningham in Happy Days.

He was, he started out as an actor then turned to directing so...

Next question, Judith.

which film does Sydney Greenstreet play the villainous Kasper Gutman?

Um, oh, lor'.

Um, I don't think it's

The Maltese Falcon.

I think it might be The Big Sleep.

-No, you're wrong. Judith, it's The Maltese Falcon.

-Oh, bother.

Well, bother for them gives you

first blood, well done to the Lobster Men From Mars.

Well done, Dan. You took on...

very exciting for our challengers,

took on one of the Eggheads and emerged triumphant.

Good news for the Lobster Men. It means you'll be able to play, Dan,

in today's final round.

Congratulations and would you both please come back

and join your teams.

Exciting start here. As it stands the Eggheads have lost one brain

from the final round, Judith, while the challengers haven't lost any.

The next subject is Science.

Who from the challengers will be playing from this round and

who would you like to nominate?

I guess it's either George or me, is it?

It's George or Dave. But I think George is, do you fancy a go George?

-Yeah.

-OK? Yeah we're going to go for George.

-George.

And I think it's CJ on science.

OK, let's go for CJ on science.

To ensure there's no conferring, would you please take your

positions in the question room?

George would you like the first set

-of questions or the second set?

-I'll go first.

George, your first question.

The potato is considered by botanists

to be native to which continent?

Well, my understanding is that the native home of the potato

is in the Andes, which are in South America

so I'll go for South America.

Your answer is correct, George.

Well done. Spot on. Good start.

CJ, first question, the Shetland is a

very small breed of which creature?

Um, I think that might be the horse, Jeremy.

You're right, CJ. Well done.

Well done.

George, second question to you.

In which decade was the world's first commercial industrial robot

deployed in a car factory?

I think the '40s is a bit too early and I'm pretty sure they were in

operation by the '80s so I'll go for the 1960s.

That's your answer, the 60s?

-Yeah.

-Well done, George. Two points to you.

CJ.

Project Sign, Project Grudge and Project Blue Book were set up by the

US Air Force to investigate which phenomena?

I haven't heard of Sign and Grudge but I have heard of Blue Book and I

think... I think that's UFOs.

You're right. It was UFOs. Two all.

Nail-biting stuff. Back to George.

Here's your question, George.

Which metal, discovered in 1735 by the Swedish chemist Georg Brandt

has the atomic number 27?

Well, it's certainly not copper. Copper goes way, way back to the

mists of time, so it's either cobalt or nickel

and honestly I'm not too sure.

Um...

I think I shall go for nickel.

You haven't got a question wrong so far

but you have now. I'm afraid it's not nickel, it's cobalt.

The first slight stumble by our challengers.

So for this round, CJ, you have to answer this question.

Here it is - in 1939, which

chemist was the first to discover the insecticidal properties of DDT?

Well, I'd be very surprised if it was Wankel simply because he's more

associated with engines.

Freyssinet or Muller?

Um, I don't know this but I'm going to go for Paul Hermann Muller.

Paul Hermann Muller is your answer?

-Yeah.

-You're correct. What took you to Muller and not Freyssinet, CJ?

Um, I thought he was, it was closer to his field.

Um, I don't know that much about Freyssinet but, um

it's more Muller's field so I assumed he'd be associated with it.

Well done, CJ. George, you were beaten by our Egghead.

As a result, you will not be able to help your team in the final round.

Sorry about that. Would you both please come back

and join your teams?

So as it stands the challengers and the Eggheads have lost one

brain each from the final round. The next subject is Arts and Books.

Who from the challengers

will be playing in this round and who would you like to play against?

George was going to be our first choice on that.

It sounds like I'm going to be

taking the short straw here so who do we want to play?

-Obviously can't be Judith or CJ.

-OK, so we'll go for Chris, I think.

-Chris. Give it a go.

-Yeah, Chris.

So it is David from Lobster Men From Mars versus Chris from the Eggheads.

To ensure there's no conferring would you please take your positions

in the question room.

So David, you have to

choose whether you want the first set or the second set of questions.

Er...OK, I'll go second just to make a change.

All right.

So, first question to you, Chris.

Which writer created the half-man half-goat character Mr Tumnus?

Oh, he's one of the inhabitants of Narnia, isn't he, so it's CS Lewis.

-That's your answer?

-It is.

You're spot on. Well done. First to you.

OK David, your question. The novel

Doctor Zhivago is set during a revolution in which country?

I don't really know the book that well but it was written by a Russian

so I hope it's the Russian, or in Russia.

You believe Russia?

-I believe Russia.

-You're right.

Point to you as well.

One all. Back to our Egghead. Chris,

Adam Bede and Daniel Deronda are novels by which 19th-century author?

They're by George Eliot who was actually a woman

called Mary Ann Evans, but George Eliot's the answer.

Have you read them both?

I've seen adaptations of them on the telly.

-Does that count, anybody on this side?

-It does.

It doesn't, counters Kevin. I'm sorry Chris, it doesn't count.

Still, you get the point anyway.

Next to you, David. The Courtauld Institute art gallery

is located in which city?

Right, um I don't really have much of an idea.

I assume it's probably not Rome with a name like that and

I think I'll try New York

because I haven't heard of a London gallery called Courtauld.

Go for New York.

The Courtauld Institute art gallery

-is located in London, David.

-Oh.

-Sorry about that.

Which gives the Eggheads the edge in this round.

Chris, At Risk is a 2006 novel by which author?

At Risk is a 2006 novel by which author?

Well, I don't know, but it doesn't sound like Jilly Cooper.

It's not jolly hockey sticks enough for Jilly Cooper.

I don't think it's Patricia Cornwell either, who tends

to write sort of espionage type things if I remember correctly.

I've an idea it's James Patterson but

I may be wrong but James Patterson's my answer.

Chris, you're wrong. It's Patricia Cornwell.

Oh, right.

So you're still in with a chance David. You can breathe a sigh of

-relief there. You didn't think that was going to happen did you?

-No.

Sometimes it does.

Your question. What name was give to the exclusive

intellectual society that was formed in Cambridge in 1820 for the purpose

of friendship and formal discussion?

What name was given to the exclusive intellectual society that was formed

in Cambridge in 1820 for the purpose of friendship and formal discussion?

I think I've vaguely heard of this somewhere before.

I've just got a feeling it's the Apostles but I'm not 100% sure.

I'm not even 75% sure but I'll go for the Apostles.

You're right, it was the Apostles. You're back in there.

Great relief among the challengers.

After three questions each the scores are level so we

go to sudden death now.

Just to make it that bit harder these questions will

not be multiple choice.

Chris, your question, sudden death.

"To the red country and part of the grey country of Oklahoma the

"last rains came gently and they did not cut the scarred earth"

is the opening line of which John Steinbeck novel?

Ah, well, it's obviously the dustbowl depression of the '30s

and the main Steinbeck novel that deals

with that is The Grapes of Wrath so I'll say The Grapes of Wrath.

You're quite right, it was The Grapes of Wrath. First point to you.

So David, you need this to stay in.

The international bestseller World Without End is a sequel to which

-Ken Follett novel?

-Ah.

I can't even think of any Ken Follett novels off the top of my head at all.

He's going to be devastated if he's watching.

Yeah, very sorry, um...

No.

World Without End was the sequel.

-Sequel to which Ken Follett novel.

-Right, OK.

I'll go for World Without Beginning just as a total guess but...

Oh, it would be so great if it was right

-but I'm afraid it's Pillars of the Earth.

-Never heard of it I'm afraid.

And of course that means that Chris has stopped you

from taking part in the final round and the Eggheads have won that round

and I'll ask you both if you can please return to your teams.

David, I hope you're not feeling sore about that?

-Oh, it's all right.

-You have got something in common with Chris

because Chris loves his trains...

-Right.

-And you recently did an amazing train journey.

Well, it was a couple of years ago.

I took a train from London to Shanghai. Sort of...

It wasn't non-stop. We stopped off for a

few days here and there but yeah, through Russia

-and China and Mongolia on the way.

-Chris, respect? London to Shanghai.

-Oh, respect, yeah.

-So as it stands the challengers have

lost two brains from the final round whilst the Eggheads have lost one.

Pressure on you guys now. Lobster brains get going.

The last subject is politics.

Who from our Lobster Men From Mars wants to

tangle with the Eggheads on politics and who do you want to tangle with?

It can't be David, George or Dan.

-I think it was a 50/50, wasn't it? Um, I think...

-No, no.

I decided that politics wasn't...

-OK, it's going to have to be me then.

-OK, Phil then.

"It's going to have to be me" is your...

Does that inspire confidence? Who do you want to be up against?

-Ah we actually had a plan before we started.

-Has it fallen apart?

It's totally fallen apart.

The people that we had for various subjects have either already played

or...the only one for politics was David.

Ah anyway, as a poor substitute I'll try...

Can't be Chris, can't be CJ, can't be Judith.

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

If I win, at least I've got some glory.

To ensure there's no conferring,

please take your positions in the question room.

Phil, you get to choose whether you get the first set

or the second set of questions.

Um, OK I'll go first, put the pressure on.

Phil, "Dubya" is the nickname of which politician?

Ah right, well Dubya is the W in his name, it's George Bush.

Absolutely right. Well done. What does the W stand for anybody?

-Walker.

-Walker.

You said in a really exasperated voice CJ.

-OK Kevin...

-Don't bother us with such trifles.

Kevin, are you ready?

-Yeah.

-Your question. In which year was the politician Nick Clegg born?

Well, he's not 80

and I don't think he's 60 so I'm going to have to go for 1967.

You're right, Kevin. He's a very young man. 1967.

Phil, next question for you, here we go, your second.

In 2004 Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero became prime minister

of which country?

OK, well, I really, um,

I can't answer that one straight away, I'm going to

have to a little bit of elimination.

I'm going to eliminate Italy because of the root of the name

and it sounds very Hispanic so it's either Spain or Portugal.

Zapatero.

Um, I'm tossing a mental coin and I'm coming up with Portugal.

It's not Portugal, it's Spain, Phil.

Never mind, you're still in there.

-Zapatero means shoemaker.

-Zapatero

means shoemaker, says CJ just to rub it in, just to make you feel better.

Next question to you, Kevin.

Who did Harold Wilson once

memorably describe as "a shiver looking for a spine to run up?"

I don't know.

Logically it should be Heath,

as being of his, of his period as it were.

Although of course he was around until the mid-90s.

You've got to

go for Edward Heath there. I may be wrong,

-you've got to go for Edward Heath.

-Edward Heath is your answer?

-Yeah.

Spot on. Well done. Great quote as well.

All right, so two to the Eggheads, one to the challengers.

Phil, this is your moment to stay in, save the team.

Which area in the Balkans declared its independence from Serbia

in February 2008?

Um, OK. Kosovo was independent before then so I think we'll

ah, um, so I'm left with a choice again.

Ah, I believe I've read somewhere that the latest country

or state was Montenegro so I'm going to try Montenegro.

-Your answer is Montenegro.

-For what it's worth.

Sorry to say it's the wrong answer.

-It was actually Kosovo.

-Oh, really?

So it was just a few months back

that it had its official moment of independence.

So Eggheads two, challengers one.

Well done Kevin. Phil, you were beaten by our Egghead

and as a result you won't be able to help your team in the final round.

Would you both please come back and join your teams.

So this is what we've been playing towards.

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

but those who lost your head to heads won't be allowed to take part

this round so David, George and Phil from the Lobster Men From Mars

and Judith from the Eggheads, would you please leave the studio.

Dan and Alan, you are playing to win the Lobster Men From Mars £6,000.

Kevin, CJ, Daphne and Chris, you are playing for something

which money can't buy and that is the Eggheads' reputation.

As usual I'll ask each team three questions in turn. This time the

questions are all general knowledge and you are allowed to confer.

Lobster Men From Mars, the question is - are your two brains better

than the Eggheads' four?

And so first of all would you like to go first or second?

We've conferred, haven't we? We're going to go first.

You're going first.

And your question is this.

Slavin Bilic was appointed as manager of which

national football side in 2006?

Yes, I know the answer to this one. Do you want to confer?

I would say it would be Croatia.

-And you would be right.

-Yeah, we'll go for that.

Our answer is Croatia.

Your answer is Croatia and you're spot on with that. Well done.

Well done.

Eggheads, what was the name of Ricky Gervais's third stand-up tour

which began in January 2007?

What was the name of Ricky Gervais's third stand-up tour

which began in January 2007?

That's also been a tour but I'm reasonably sure it's not that.

As soon as I saw the options, I think he's done one called Fame.

If it was me I'd pick Fame.

Well, go with that.

-You heard CJ.

-Don't blame me for all of this.

-Daphne, have you got a view here Daphne?

-No.

CJ says

it's Fame.

You're saying Fame, that's your answer?

-That's what we're going for.

-Yes.

-You're hiding behind your hand now.

-Yes.

-But you're right.

Well done. You're right.

Oh, what a pity!

One all. Challengers, here we go.

Which was the only structure in the UK to make it to the shortlist of

the new seven wonders of the world?

Do you have any joy on this one, any idea?

-I don't.

-For some reason, I don't know why, St Paul's.

-Do you want to go for that?

-Your instincts would say Stonehenge

-wouldn't it?

-Yeah.

-Because it would be

but I, I think I can discount Hadrian's Wall.

For some reason something just sticks

in my head with St Paul's but unless you've got any...

Well, I'm not sure.

-I trust you on that one.

-For some reason I think it's St Paul's.

It was mentioned, um, I read something or saw something about it.

My heart says Stonehenge but my head thinks it's St Paul's.

-Are we going to do that?

-Yeah.

We'll go, we'll say St Paul's.

It's wrong. It's Stonehenge.

Your heart was right. How many times has that happened?

The heart has been right, the head has been wrong.

Yeah. It's just something I thought I'd read so you go with your,

-you get torn between the two.

-And that's a tricky one because

it was a shortlist only and then it didn't make the final seven.

Next question to you Eggheads.

Which property in Kent became the home of Winston Churchill in 1922?

That's Chartwell. I've been there.

And did you know

Winston Churchill always insisted there was a ginger cat at Chartwell

and he had to be called Jock?

And is the cat still there?

About the fourth Jock but he's not allowed in the house

in case he scratches the furniture.

Yes, it's Chartwell, with or without the cat.

Well done, Eggheads.

So you need this, challengers.

Lobster Men From Mars, here's your question.

In which industry did a saggar maker's bottom knocker

traditionally work?

I've heard of this before. Do you know this?

-What'll it be.

-If you go with your instincts and we

guess what your instincts would be?

-I know, I believe I know what it is.

-You know what it is?

Yeah.

I'm pretty certain that it's to do with pottery.

The potteries, they used to knock

the bottom of the pots or something

or how they stack them, something to do with that.

Yeah, seems a good assumption.

-All right. OK.

-Go for that.

Believe pottery is the answer.

You're right, it is pottery.

Well done.

Give us any knowledge you have about the saggar maker's bottom knocker

or even just about bottom knockers.

Yeah, well, the saggar is the sort of shelf they stack the raw pottery on

in the kiln before they fire it up and obviously saggars had to be made

by a saggar maker and a saggar maker's bottom knocker

I believe was a man

who used to clean the saggars by knocking the bottom with a hammer,

get the clinker and stuff off them.

-He would have used a saggar maker's bottom knocker hammer.

-Yeah...

-Any hammer will do, you know.

-That's a question for another day.

It became famous in the 1950s on What's My Line

because where they had to guess people's occupations and they had

one of those who came on so you can

imagine what it was like trying to actually get to the bottom of that.

-Brilliant.

-We feel totally filled in on the pottery now, right?

It's a revelation.

The next question is for the Eggheads.

Wolof is a language spoken by people on which continent?

-Could you spell it?

-W. O. L. O. F.

-Africa.

Yeah, oh, yes, it is isn't it.

That would be Africa, I'm afraid, Jeremy.

Why are you afraid?

Oh, because it's the right answer.

It is the right answer. Don't be afraid. You've won.

Commiserations, challengers. The Eggheads have done

what comes naturally to them and their winning streak continues.

I'm afraid you won't be going home with the £6,000 which means that the

money rolls over to the next show.

Eggheads, congratulations to you.

Who will beat you?

Join us next time to see if the new

challengers have the brains to defeat the Eggheads.

£7,000 says they don't.

Till then, goodbye.

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