Episode 86 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.

They are Goliaths in the world of TV quiz shows. They are the Eggheads.

Taking on our quiz Goliaths are the Suedeheads.

The team are fans of the ex-Smiths frontman Morrissey and know each other through an on-line fan forum.

I'm Peter, 40, and I'm a development manager.

I'm Tess, I'm 40, and I'm a part-time primary school assistant and a mum.

I'm Kraig, 24, and I'm an administrator.

I'm Hayley, I'm 27. I'm a special constable and a PA.

I'm Phill, I'm 45. I'm a writer and a youth worker.

So, Peter, Morrissey and The Smiths, two of you are 40, Phill on the end, you're 45.

But you two are in your 20s. The Smiths had been and gone by the time you were born. It's not your era.

I have to say that I have always been slightly bizarre in my music tastes. I'm very eclectic.

And when my friends were into Kylie and Jason,

I was already into things like Kate Bush and The Smiths.

-Do you want to pick the defining Smiths track that you'll sing if you beat this lot?

-It must be Suedehead.

-We can't go for a Smiths track.

-Hang The CJ!

-Hang The CJ!

-Our personal favourite.

-Sorry, CJ.

-I'm used to it by now.

-You've taken an early hit.

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

If they can't beat the Eggheads, the money rolls over to the next show.

Suedeheads, the Eggheads have won the last two games,

so £3,000 says you can't beat the Eggheads.

The first head-to-head battle will be on Music.

Who wants to play this category?

A tough choice. Which Egghead do you want to take on?

-I'm prepared to...

-Give it a go.

-..stake my reputation on the line.

-Hayley?

-Yeah.

-Who do you want to take on?

-Um...

-Daphne, I think.

Yeah, I think I'm gonna go for Daphne. Cos she's nice and I won't feel so bad when she beats me.

Hayley from the Suedeheads against Daphne from the Eggheads,

would you please take your positions in the question room?

-Hayley, the first or second set of questions?

-I'd like to go first.

For which part of the music industry are the Ivor Novello Awards given?

For which part of the music industry are the Ivor Novello Awards given?

OK, well, I have heard of them which is a positive start.

However, what are they for?

Um...

It seems like it should be Composing and Songwriting,

but I'm feeling Marketing and Promotion. I'm not convinced.

-I'm gonna go for Composing and Songwriting.

-Bang on. Well done.

Daphne, your first question.

Which member of a pop group would play the floor tom?

I don't know. It sounds like a drum to me. So, drummer?

Tom-toms? Probably wrong. Don't know.

-Drummer's your answer?

-Yes.

-Drummer's right.

Hayley, your second question.

Invisible Touch, Turn It On Again and I Can't Dance

were hit singles for which group?

Well, I do like all of those bands.

I have quite a lot of this band's albums. The answer is Genesis.

Genesis is right. Well done.

Not Morrissey, not The Smiths. We're still waiting for that question.

-Don't give it to me.

-You'll probably get it, Daphne.

Ronnie Hazlehurst, who died in 2007, was best known for writing what pieces of music?

I have heard of him and I'm sure it wasn't in connection with hymns.

Certainly not national anthems, so TV theme tunes.

TV theme tunes is right, Daphne. Well done again.

So, two points apiece. Hayley, your third question.

Consisting mostly of gongs and other metal instruments, gamelan is a type of orchestra

indigenous to which part of the world?

-That's a very good question.

-Thank you.

I'm going to have to take a guess at this.

I'm going to go for Mali.

-Just as a wild guess.

-You're going for Mali?

-Yeah.

It was a bit too wild. It was Indonesia.

It's not over yet. Daphne, your third question.

Which Oscar-winning composer provided the scores for numerous films,

including Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo and Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver?

I don't know.

I do remember

Bernard Herrmann wrote a lot of scores for Alfred Hitchcock,

so I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope it's Bernard Herrmann.

That is a very useful fact because it was Bernard Herrmann

who wrote the scores for those two films. Well done, Daphne.

Hayley, you were beaten by our Egghead.

You will not be able to help your team in the final round. Please come back and rejoin your team-mates.

The Challengers have lost one brain from the final round while the Eggheads have lost none.

Next subject is Science. Who wants to play Science?

And tell us who against.

-You said Science.

-Yeah.

-Gonna give it a go?

-Yeah. Who shall I take on?

-They're all very good. I'll go for Chris.

-You can't take Daphne.

-Who is it?

-I'm going to take Chris, please.

Tess versus Chris on Science. OK, please go to our question room now.

Quite brave, Tess, cos this is one of Chris's favourite subjects.

-Did you know that?

-No, but I do now.

He's played it 14 times and he's only lost it once.

-OK.

-Don't worry. Your team have got their heads in their hands, but it's too early for that.

-You each get three questions. You choose whether you have the first or second set.

-I'll take the first set.

Which word taken from the Greek for "living together" describes the co-existence and interaction

of two separate species who live in close proximity?

OK, um...

Prepare yourself for a masterclass in educated guesswork here.

I don't think...

When you think of "parasite",

you think of something that lives on something, but not in harmony,

so I'm going to go for symbiosis.

Symbiosis is right, Tess. Well done.

Chris, how is the collection of genetic information of an interbreeding population known?

That's known as the gene pool.

If it gets too small, you get genetic problems.

-Then it becomes the gene sink.

-Yeah.

-Chris, well done, you're right.

Which subatomic particle derives its name from the Greek for "first"?

Which subatomic particle derives its name from the Greek for "first"?

OK, I don't know the answer to this.

I'm trying to apply some logic and that's not proving very easy.

OK, I don't think it's electron.

So I'll rule that one out.

And of the other two, I'm being drawn towards neutron.

-That's my answer.

-Neutron is your answer?

-It is.

It's wrong. The answer was proton. I guess from prototype and all that?

That's the word root, yes. "Proto" means "first".

There we are.

Chris, invented in 1884 by the German engineeer Paul Nipkow,

the Nipkow disc, a rotating disc with one or more series of spiral apertures,

was central to the development of which system?

Nuclear fission was much later.

That was Rutherford, early years of the 20th century.

Genetic fingerprinting wasn't around at that time,

but if I remember right, the first televisions in '26

by John Logie Baird did have a rotating disc on it,

so I'll say it was the genesis of television.

Chris, you're right. It was television.

So, Eggheads have two,

Challengers have one. Tess, you need this, it's your third question.

Copper, iron and cobalt all belong

to which series of elements in the Periodic Table?

OK, I'll have to guess again and I'll say Alkaline Earth Metals.

Wrong answer, Tess. It is Transition Metals. Tough question though.

Chris, well done. You won't need your third question.

Tess, you will not be able to help your team in the final round.

So will you both please come back and join your teams?

So the Challengers have lost two brains from the final round whilst the Eggheads have lost none.

The next subject is Geography. Who is it gonna be and who against?

-OK. Against? Take your pick.

-Definitely not Kevin.

-I hear a loud sigh and the words "definitely not Kevin".

-I thought you should go for Judith.

-Judith.

-Go on then.

-Why me?

-Why not?

Phill Gatenby against Judith from the Eggheads... Let's ensure there's no conferring.

Would you please take your positions in the question room?

-Phill, you've written books on Morrissey?

-Yes, they're both guides.

Morrissey referenced lots of places and other areas of his life and fans like to visit them,

like the Salford Lads Club, the Holy Name Church and the Iron Bridge in Stretford.

-I wrote books guiding people to each place.

-The Iron Bridge is in a song, "Under the Iron Bridge we kissed"?

-Yeah.

-Very good.

-I'm a fan too. "Under the Iron Bridge we kissed and I ended up with sore lips"?

-Yeah.

Sadly, I can't score any points. Phill, would you like the first or second set of questions?

We've gone first both times so far, so I think I'll go second.

Judith, I turn to you. What's the capital of Nicaragua?

What is the capital of Nicaragua, Judith?

Well, Buenos Aires is Argentina.

And Lima is Peru, so it's Managua.

Yes, it is Managua. Well done.

So to you, Phill.

First question - by what name is the region of Anatolia

between Turkey's Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea coasts more commonly known?

Well, Siberia's way up in Russia. Mongolia's a lot further south.

In Biblical times, Asia Minor was always referred to

as the Turkish-Greek area, so I'll go for Asia Minor.

You're right, Phill. It was Asia Minor.

-Not one of the places Morrissey's visited?

-He's played Turkey twice.

I stand corrected. You've tracked his movements since he was five?

-You're making me look sad now.

-We're probably all sad!

Judith, if you want to out yourself as a Smiths fan, just go ahead. Time's running out on that.

What is the second longest river in France?

Oh, Lord! I live in France too.

And I'm so bad at French geography!

I think the Loire is the longest river. I think it might be the Seine.

-You're right. It is the Seine.

-Good. Thank goodness for that!

Your second question, Phill.

Which Persian Gulf state has land borders with Saudi Arabia and Iraq?

Now, if my brother was here, cos he lives in Dubai...

Definitely not Qatar. I think that's a bit further down.

Certainly Iran borders Iraq.

But maybe not Saudi Arabia. I think I'll go for Kuwait.

That's the correct answer. Well done.

Two points apiece.

Third question now for you, Judith.

Ceuta is a Spanish enclave, free port and military post on the coast of which North African country?

-Is it C-E-U-T-O?

-C-E-U-T-A.

-..T-A.

Ceuta is a Spanish enclave and military post on the coast

of which North African country?

-I think that's Morocco.

-You're quite right. It is Morocco. Well done.

So, Phill, you need this to go to Sudden Death with Judith,

otherwise you won't be in the final.

Which Greek island, the most easterly in the Aegean Sea, lies ten miles off the Turkish coast?

I've been to all three and...

Rhodes is where I was last summer

and that's definitely ten miles off the coast.

But I'm thinking I'm going for Crete cos it's a bit further over.

It's Crete or Rhodes.

Flip! Yeah, I'm gonna go for...Crete.

-You're going for Crete?

-Yeah, 60% Crete.

I've got to take 100% Crete if that's your answer and it's Rhodes.

Never mind, Phill. Well done, Judith.

Phill, you were beaten by our Egghead, so you won't be able to help your team in the final round.

Both of you please come back and join your team-mates.

So the Challengers have lost three brains from the final round, the Eggheads have lost none.

The last subject is Food And Drink.

We haven't even had a question and you're looking disappointed.

Who from the Challengers wants to take on which Egghead?

-It's gonna be Kraig.

-Yeah, I'll bite the bullet.

Kraig, OK. And you've got CJ and Kevin to choose from here. CJ and Kevin.

-Really?

-Yeah. Be brave.

-Nice, easy one. I'll pick Kevin, please.

A nice, easy one. Kevin, Food And Drink, where are we on that today?

-Not my favourite.

-You won your last two, so don't be too modest.

It's Kraig from the Suedeheads against Kevin from the Eggheads on Food And Drink.

No conferring, so please do go to the question room.

Kevin, you may not be very good on Food And Drink, but your "not very good" is other people's "brilliant"?

No, it's by no means a strong subject for me. It is quite a weak subject really.

I've not any great interest in it.

Let's see, Kraig, if you can force the advantage here.

-You can take the first or second set of questions.

-I'll go first.

Kraig, Cajun cuisine originated in the south-east of which country?

Cajun cuisine originated in the south-east of which country?

I'm quite partial to an Indian or two and I'm pretty sure it's India.

It's not India. It's the United States.

Kevin, your first question.

Frizzante is a term normally relating to what kind of beverage?

Frizzante is a term normally related to what kind of beverage?

It refers to "sparkling" and it's wine.

It is wine. Well done.

Kraig, what is the main ingredient in the Indian dish chana dal?

What is the main ingredient in the Indian dish chana dal?

Having said I like Indian, I've got no idea,

so it's gonna be a complete guess.

I'm gonna guess courgette.

Your answer is courgette...

I'm sorry. It's chick peas.

We've got to get on to that side of the menu next time we eat Indian.

Kevin, what type of food is the German Kuchen?

What type of food is the German Kuchen?

-K-U-C-H-E-N?

-K-U-C-H-E-N, exactly.

It's just a generic term for cake.

It is. Well done. You have two points.

That means, Kevin, you've beaten Kraig.

The Egghead has beaten the Suedehead, so, Kraig, you won't be in the final round.

Both of you please come back and rejoin your team-mates.

So, poor old Suedeheads, heaven knows they're miserable now!

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

But those of you who lost your head-to-heads can't take part.

So, Tess, Kraig, Hayley and Phill from the Suedeheads, would you please leave the studio?

Peter, you are playing to win the Suedeheads £3,000.

Judith, Kevin, CJ, Daphne and Chris, you are playing for something money can't buy - your reputation.

I will ask each team three questions in turn, all general knowledge, and you are allowed to confer,

which doesn't help you much.

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

-Peter, would you like to go first or second?

-I'd like to go first.

Your team-mates are watching nervously behind. Good luck.

What is an establishment that employs only union members?

It's certainly not work to rule.

Work to rule is exactly what it says

where you play by the rules

with no, um...

..flexibility.

-Closed shop is the answer.

-Closed shop is right, well done.

What is the Cockney spiv character in the St Trinian's books and films?

What is the Cockney spiv character in the St Trinian's books and films?

-As played in the original films by George Cole, Flash Harry.

-Yes.

Well done, CJ. Your question...

Peter, what is Helvetica, designed in 1957 by Max Miedinger?

What is Helvetica, designed in 1957 by Max Miedinger?

OK, well, anybody who's ever used any word processing program at all

will pick from the drop-down menu

and Helvetica is a font or a typeface.

It's definitely a typeface.

It definitely is. Point to you.

You're in the lead.

"We're caught in a trap" is the first line

of which Elvis Presley hit?

-Suspicious Minds?

-Yes.

We think that's Suspicious Minds.

It is. Can you now sing it, CJ?

I could, but I'm not going to. Covered by The Fine Young Cannibals.

Yeah, you're right.

Peter, 01792 is the dialling code for which Welsh city?

I used to think there was a strange logic behind these numbers

in that if they were earlier alphabetically,

they'd be earlier numerically as well.

So going on that rationale,

I'm gonna say Swansea.

I'm trying to follow that. There must be something before Swansea?

I don't know whether this is true or not,

but I thought there was a system

whereby the earlier alphabetically the name was, the lower the number.

The "1" was added several years ago, so it would've begun with "7".

Going on that rationale, I'll say Swansea...please?

Well, "please" has got it. Swansea is the correct answer. Well done.

Is that true, Eggheads?

If you take out "01", you get "7",

7's a higher number, so it's an "S"?

I suppose so. I don't know.

When the system was first designed, it worked broadly in that way.

Over the years, with so many more numbers needed,

-there's been some in-filling and mucking about.

-Fascinating.

What is the term for the small, intricately carved ivory toggles

used to fasten a pouch to a kimono sash?

-Ryokan?

-That would be strange.

What are the small, intricately carved ivory toggles

-used to fasten a pouch to a kimono sash?

-Netsuke?

-Yes.

We think that's a netsuke or however you want to pronounce it.

-How do YOU want to pronounce it?

-I normally pronounce it "netski".

-That's how I've heard it pronounced as well.

-You're right.

It is..."net-su-kay".

So you're on your own against them and you're holding your own.

The scores are level. We now go to Sudden Death.

-These questions are not multiple choice. This is where you feel the lack of being able to confer.

-OK.

Here we go. "Died 14th of January, 1872, aged 16 years, let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all"

is the inscription on the gravestone of which famous animal?

-Could you repeat that, please?

-Yeah.

"Died 14th of January, 1872, aged 16 years, let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all"

is the inscription on the gravestone of which famous animal?

It sounds like it could be something military.

I'm really not good on history and dates.

I don't know why,

but I've got a feeling it's a horse, some famous military chap's horse.

Um... But I'm struggling to think who it could be.

I don't know. Maybe Wellington's horse or something like that.

I can't bring any names to... I can't bring any names to mind.

So I'm really sorry. I can't give you an answer there.

Are you gonna try any name, any animal, in history?

I don't know. Lassie?

It's not Lassie. It's Greyfriars Bobby.

-Oh, the dog.

-Yeah, Skye terrier.

He stood by his... Is it in Glasgow?

-Edinburgh.

-Stood by the grave.

For years. People came and fed him and he became a mascot.

It was the first thing that came through my mind when you asked that question and then I veered off.

You're not out yet. Let's see if the Eggheads can win the contest.

Eggheads, halcyon is a poetic name for which bird?

It's the kingfisher, Jeremy.

It is the kingfisher. Congratulations, you've won.

Commiserations to the Challengers. The Eggheads still reign supreme over quizland.

You won't be going home with £3,000, so it rolls over to the next show.

Eggheads, congratulations. Who will beat you?

Join us next time to see if the new Challengers can defeat the Eggheads.

£4,000 says they can't. Until then, goodbye.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2008

Email [email protected]