Episode 12 Make Me an Egghead

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, do you have the brains to join them?

Hello and welcome to Make Me An Egghead.

We have launched a nationwide search

to find the greatest quiz brains in Britain.

By the end of the series,

two people will emerge as champions and win the ultimate prize for

quizzing enthusiasts -

a place on the most fearsome quiz team in history,

the Eggheads.

Are you going to be able to fit somebody in there, Eggs?

Yes, of course. OK.

Let's meet today's contestants, both hoping they've got what it takes to become an Egghead.

I'm Nicki Cockburn,

I'm a volunteer radio presenter and I'm from Cardiff.

Hi, I'm Katy Williams. I'm a HR and payroll officer from Hereford.

Welcome, Nicki and Katy.

Two quizzers, I know.

So, Nicki first.

Tell us about your quizzing and why you enjoy it.

I just love quizzes, watching them.

I've been on a few TV quizzes -

Two Tribes, Wright Around The World with Ian Wright, and The Chase.

And I just loved every minute of it.

It's something about just amassing random information, isn't it?

I heard you love to read Wikipedia?

I do, yeah. And I love the fact that when a question is asked,

sometimes your brain just pops out the answer and you think,

"Where did I get that from?"

It might be something that's not important

for your life to know about, but yet it just happens.

I wish my brain would do that, I must say.

Katy, what about you?

Yeah, I've loved quizzing from a young age.

I go to a quiz with my friends twice a week

and also have been on the Eggheads show before.

I'm hoping you're going to say you beat them.

We didn't, unfortunately.

We got beaten in the final on Sudden Death.

They held you back till the final, didn't they?

That's right. Good stuff.

And I know you were also - this will embarrass you -

voted "most likely to become Prime Minister".

At school, yeah. That hasn't quite come about just yet,

but there's still time.

And, Nicki, I should say you're two players today.

Yes, I have my guide dog under the desk with me today, Jeremy,

and his name is James.

And he's a two-year-old yellow Labrador.

All right. Well, I hope he enjoys the quiz as well.

Thank you, both of you. Good luck. Thank you.

So this is where you need to prove that you could be an Egghead.

Just like on Eggheads,

both of you will compete over a series of different rounds,

where your knowledge will be tested on the regular Eggheads categories.

The first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Arts Books.

And I'm going to ask each of you

three multiple-choice questions in turn.

Whoever answers the most questions correctly wins the round.

The prize for winning a round on Make Me An Egghead

is that you gain one of those brains over there,

who will help you in the final.

So, before the show, we tossed a coin

and, as a result of that, Katy, you have the option

as to whether you would like to play first or second.

I'll go first, please.

So, good luck, both.

Here's your first question, Katy.

Of which institution

did Rufus Norris become Artistic Director in 2015?

OK. I'm not too sure on this one.

I don't think it's the Royal Opera House.

I don't think it's the British Museum either.

I'm going to go for the National Theatre,

but I'm not too sure.

National Theatre is the right answer. Well done. Thank you.

Nicki, over to you.

Last Man In Tower is the title of the second novel

by which Booker Prize-winning author?

Nicki, is it...

And it's the second novel? Yeah, the second novel.

I shall say Arundhati Roy.

Let's see whether the Eggheads know this one. Eggheads?

I think it's Aravind Adiga.

I suspect this is one of those

that you've either come cross or you haven't, basically.

With Rushdie, his novels are quite well-known.

As between the other two, that's very tricky.

Nicki, the answer is Aravind Adiga. OK.

Katy, your second question.

In Renaissance art, what term is used

to refer to the long, decorated strip at the base of an altarpiece?

OK. Another tricky one.

I can't even really work out from those words

which...which one it could be.

So, I think...mainly based on the fact that it has "pre" at the front,

I'm going to go for predella.

And the logic of that is...?

It's probably not the best logic. Just because pre means "front".

In front of or before. Yeah. I see.

Predella is quite right.

That's a nice bit of quizzing there.

OK, back to you, Nicki.

Which crime writer created the character

of the corrupt Irish-American cop, Dudley Smith?

Erm, right. Oh, goodness...

I started listening to a Desert Island Discs programme

about James Ellroy...

And I didn't listen to the whole thing.

So I don't know whether he's Irish.

Oh!

I'm going to have to say James Ellroy.

James Ellroy. Katy, do you know this one?

I don't, no, but I would have gone for Patterson, as a guess.

OK, let's just check with the Eggheads. Eggheads?

James Ellroy. James Ellroy's right!

Well done. Oh, thank you, James.

I don't know whether he is himself Irish or Irish-American or what.

He's American. James Ellroy is firmly American.

Yeah. Dudley Smith appears in...

Well, probably the best-known, because it was made into

a very successful film, LA Confidential.

Oh, yes, of course. With Guy Pearce. Yeah.

Played by James Cromwell in the film.

But he also appears in a number of other historically set novels.

It was set in Los Angeles.

Interesting. Well done, Nicki.

Katy, back to you. Third question.

Who wrote "No man has tasted differing fortunes more

"And 13 times I have been rich and poor"?

Is it...

OK. Again, I'm not sure, but I think...

Well, it obviously rhymes, so it's poetry.

Samuel Pepys is a diarist.

Daniel Defoe is more of a novelist.

So I'll go for Alexander Pope.

I love your ruthless logic there.

But that's the wrong answer.

It's Daniel Defoe.

So you've both got one wrong so far.

Nicki, we go back to you.

Get this right, we go to Sudden Death.

Which actor gave the first performances

of many of Shakespeare's great roles,

such as Hamlet, Richard III and Othello?

Was the actor...

Ooh... I've heard of Richard Burbage and I don't know why.

Right, well, because in the bowels of my brain

I have heard of Richard Burbage, I think...I will say -

without any conviction at all and just hope it's right -

I shall say Richard Burbage.

Eggs? Yeah. Yay!

HIGH-PITCHED: Ohhh! Gosh!

You hit a certain note there brilliantly.

I did, yes. Sorry, I think I woke my dog up!

All right, so you're equal after three multiple-choice questions.

It gets a bit harder. Katy, I don't give you alternatives.

Sudden Death we're on, now.

Here is your question.

"The only good human being is a dead one"

is a quote from which novel by George Orwell?

OK. Well...

Is it going to be his famous novel?

It sort of fits, I think, with the story of that.

So I'll go for that. I'll go for Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Very interesting question, this. Nicki, do you know this one?

I would say Animal Farm. Yeah, Animal Farm is...

Because they were against the humans.

And Animal Farm is the right answer, actually. Although, I could see...

I recently saw a stage production of Nineteen Eighty-Four

and I can see how that line would fit in,

but it is not Nineteen Eighty-Four. Animal Farm.

So, on Sudden Death, Nicki, you have a chance to take the round.

Which English landscape painter said in a letter to a friend in 1821,

"I should paint my own places best",

in a reference to the area in which he grew up?

Oh, gosh. Erm...

Landscape is people like Constable,

Gainsborough...

Constable did paint lots of pictures of where he lived.

But then so did Lowry.

I shall say John Constable only because my dad was called John.

And I think it's more likely that it was him.

OK. I don't know if the dates fit, though.

So your answer is...? John Constable. John Constable.

You were just toying with Lowry there.

But, 1821, when was Lowry, Eggheads?

20th century. He was 20th century.

So he's completely out of the question. Right.

Some people would have said Constable and struggled for

the first name, so you have your dad to thank for this.

John Constable is right, and well done, Nicki.

On Sudden Death, you have taken the first round.

A bit of a comeback there.

Yeah. I was worried when I got the first one wrong.

OK, in front of you, you have Barry, Chris, Judith, Kevin and Dave.

You can choose one Egghead to help you in the final.

May I have Kevin, please?

Yes, of course you may. Thank you.

Kevin... Mm-hm. Hopefully, I'll be able to help out.

OK. Thank you.

As it stands, Nicki has one Egghead to help her in the final.

Katy doesn't have one yet. We have our second head-to-head now.

The category is Science.

Nicki, because you won the first one,

you can decide whether you go first or second.

I would like to go first, please, Jeremy.

So, Science, and here we go. Good luck to you both.

The analgesic drug morphine was discovered by the German chemist

FWA Serturner when he isolated it from what substance?

Right. Well, morphine is,

I believe, an opiate.

Or of that family.

And so I shall say opium.

Opium is the right answer.

Over to you, Katy.

What is the natural habitat of the type of snail

known as the abalone?

Hmm. OK.

Are snails likely to live in the desert?

I don't know, possibly.

But I think the most likely answer is sea.

I'm going to go for sea.

Sea is correct.

So you're equal after one.

Your second question, Nicki.

The material, lucite,

is more commonly known by which trademarked name?

Goodness. And there's no clue...

Lucite...

Oh, Perspex, you can see through.

So I wonder if that's anything to do with light. Erm...

And nylon, and what was the other one?

Formica, Perspex or nylon.

I shall say Perspex. OK.

Perspex is the right answer.

Ohhh!

Two out of two.

Katy, your question. The mineral siderite is an ore of which metal?

Again, the name isn't giving a lot away there.

Er... Could you spell it for me, please?

S-I-D-E-R-I-T-E.

All one word - siderite.

Trying to think if there's anything from the...

..chemical symbols for any of them, but I don't think so.

Based on the fact that you get a lot of things derived from it,

I'll go for iron. Let's see if the Eggheads know.

Barry will know this. Barry? My first thought was zinc.

But I'm thinking siderite might be an ore of iron.

So I think I would agree with that.

I think it's iron. Yeah?

It's a mineral that is often found in meteorites.

Iron is right.

Playing well, here, both of you. Two points each.

Nicki, your question.

What type of creature is a gnatcatcher?

Erm... Right, well...

Gnats are obviously those little fly things.

You do get a bird which is called a flycatcher.

Again, it could easily be an amphibian.

But I think they tend to be newts or frogs or toads.

So just on the basis that there's a flycatcher and it could be, like,

a different breed, I'm going to say a bird.

I'm going to say it's a bird.

OK. So you moved between the two, amphibian and bird.

You never thought about fish?

Not really. No.

Bird is right.

You got three out of three. Well done. Well played.

Katy, back to you.

What is the term for a pattern or group of stars that belong to one

or more constellations?

And you have to get this right, Katy.

OK. So asterism, I'm thinking, sounds like asteroid.

Galaxian sounds like it is to do with the whole galaxy.

So I think I'll rule those two out and go for the middle one,

stellamaris.

Stellamaris is your answer.

Let's see. If you've got this right, we go to Sudden Death.

If you've got it wrong, another round goes to Nicki.

Eggheads?

It's an asterism. Ah, Barry...

I think perhaps the most famous one is the Summer Triangle,

which has stars from three constellations.

Barry bringing his enormous brain to bear.

Can lead him astray sometimes.

But he's right, actually. It is asterism.

Nicki is ahead after three questions.

We say well done, you've won another head-to-head.

So you can choose another Egghead.

You've got Kevin already.

Yes. We have left Barry, Chris, Judith and Dave.

Let's have Dave, please, Jeremy.

OK. Nicki has two Eggheads to help her in the final.

Katy, come on - we're at the third round, now -

and get yourself an Egghead for the final.

The last head-to-head is Music.

So, Nicki, you won the last one.

You can choose whether you go first or second.

Can I go first again, please, Jeremy?

Here we go.

Which musical features songs called Naughty and When I Grow Up?

Oh, it was Tim Minchin.

Lovely, funny Tim Minchin had a hand in producing it.

I think he wrote it. I don't know, I might be totally wrong.

But, anyway, I think it's Matilda.

Matilda is right, and it was Tim Minchin

who wrote all the music.

Katy.

What is the full first name of the singer known as Ed Sheeran?

I think I have heard this before and I am quite a fan of his.

If I get this wrong, I'll look a bit silly,

but I think it's Edwin.

It's not. Oh, no! It's Edward.

It's Edward. Oh, dear.

Nicki, the musette de cour is most similar to which musical instrument?

"Musette" makes me think of folding up things.

I don't know whether it's that, because bagpipes kind of expand.

But then "cour" makes me think of circles

and I think an ocarina is like a little round thing.

I used to have one when I was younger.

But it was always called an ocarina, never anything else.

And "cour" might be like concertina, which again you would squeeze.

Oh, goodness,

I shall just put myself out of my misery and say bagpipes.

So that is really just a lunge at the answer?

Let's just see... Yeah. Bagpipes.

Bagpipes is right. Oh!

OK, Katy, hold steady there.

Here's your question. Which Gilbert and Sullivan operetta features

the line, "They are all noblemen who have gone wrong"?

OK, I guess there's maybe a clue in that.

Pirates are bad guys that have perhaps gone wrong.

I guess yeomen could sort of apply to that as well.

But I think I will go for The Pirates Of Penzance.

OK. I thought, with your logic,

you were taking me off to Yeomen Of The Guard there.

But you're right. Pirates Of Penzance is correct.

So you're still in it.

Nicki, if you get this right, the third round will be yours.

The duo Smith and Burrows comprises Andy Burrows,

a former member of Razorlight, and Tom Smith, from which group?

I have a radio show that I present each week,

and I played a Toploader track the other day.

And I just skipped through it.

I just found out, you know, what was on the album,

I didn't look at who the person was.

But I seem to think, in my deep, dark recesses...

The guy in the Editors, I think his name was Tom Smith.

But, again, I'm not a fan of theirs.

I have no idea why I think that.

So, I'm not going to talk myself out of it, I'll just say Editors.

That's a stunning bit of quizzing, if I may say so,

because you're absolutely spot-on.

It is Tom Smith from the Editors.

You got three out of three there

and you've beaten Katy in the third head-to-head.

Doesn't mean you're out of it, Katy, but, Nicki,

you have a chance to choose another Egghead.

You've got Kevin and Dave.

You've got Barry, Chris and Judith left.

Oh, gosh... All powerful brains.

I'll have Barry, I think, please.

Yeah. Barry. All right.

So, Nicki, you have now got Kevin, Dave and Barry in the final round.

Katy, you don't have any Eggheads to help you.

Let's play the final round now.

So, this is what we have been playing towards.

It is time to find out who is one step closer to becoming an Egghead

and who will be eliminated from our search.

Nicki and Katy, I will ask each of you three questions in turn.

This time, the questions are all General Knowledge.

In this final round,

you will have the backing of the Eggheads you have won

in the course of the show.

So, Nicki, behind you, you have Barry and Dave and Kevin,

and Katy, you will be going it alone.

So you can call on those Eggheads, Nicki.

You can only use them once, so use them wisely.

That's the key thing. Here we go.

Nicki, as you won the last round,

you get to choose whether you go first and second.

I think I'll continue the trend and go first, please, Jeremy.

Nicki, here is your first question.

The American comedy Us And Them is based on which British TV series?

Ah, now, Being Human...

..makes me think that...

..Being Human is not a human thing.

Oh, gosh, that's so stupid.

Erm, can I have a chat to Dave?

Yes, you can. Dave is sitting in the middle behind you.

Hi, Nicki. Hi, Dave.

Right, now, my logic to this led me to one particular answer,

because I did watch the British version of this.

Oh! Now, if you think about Gavin Stacey,

it's based on a family in Essex and a family in Barry, South Wales,

with differences in terms of how they get along.

And Us And Them suggests that it is about two sets of families,

a relationship where two people fall in love

from totally different backgrounds.

So, my hunch, with all of that,

and I do believe there has been an American remake,

is Gavin Stacey.

OK, so Dave has given his view.

You can accept or reject it.

It's a guide rather than answer.

I will accept Dave's answer

and I will go with Gavin Stacey.

OK. It is Gavin Stacey.

Thank you, Dave!

Not a problem. My pleasure, Nicki.

We go to Katy. Your first question.

Which of the following is the 18th-century English craftsman

William Caslon famous for creating?

Caslon is C-A-S-L-O-N.

C-A-S-L-O-N.

OK, I'm trying to think of any

typefaces that sound like that.

I can't really think of any.

I think, out of the three, I will go for...cabinets,

but I don't have a lot of logic

to go for on that one.

Let's see if the Eggheads know. Which one is it?

Caslon, anyone know? Typefaces.

Ah. Typefaces is the answer.

So, you're ahead, Nicki,

and this is your second question.

Who replaced Nick Robinson as the BBC's political editor in July 2015?

Right. Um...

He went to The Today Programme,

I think. And I...

I remember all the talk about the euro.

I think that Laura Kuenssberg

was in there a lot.

I have heard of her more on the telly than I have the other two.

I'll be honest and say I haven't heard of Allegra Stratton.

I'm awfully sorry, if she's watching.

And Lucy Manning, I think I have,

but I'm not sure that she doesn't do more foreign things.

So I believe it could be Laura Kuenssberg.

Laura Kuenssberg is the right answer. Well done.

You saved an Egghead there, maybe for Sudden Death, if it happens.

Katy, your question.

Which property investor brothers, with a net worth of ?13.1 billion,

were number one on the 2016 Sunday Times Rich List?

OK, I do try and pay attention to that list when it comes out.

I'm pretty sure the Barclay brothers

have been on it before.

I don't know whether it's this year.

Not heard of the middle ones.

I've heard of the first ones.

I think, based on the fact

I'm pretty sure they've been on it before,

I'll go for Frederick and David Barclay.

OK, you need to get this right to stay in.

You have said Frederick and David Barclay.

The Barclay brothers. Twins, aren't they?

Let's see. Eggs?

I'm not sure. I was inclined to Barclays before it came up.

I was inclined to David and Simon Reuben.

Were you, Barry? Why's that?

It just rings a vague bell, that they're property magnates.

I was thinking we were going to see the Candy brothers on the list,

but we didn't.

If you have got it wrong, the contest is over.

If you've got it right, we play on. The answer is...

David and Simon Reuben.

OK.

Sorry, Katy!

No way back.

And we say congratulations, Nicki, you have won.

Thank you. Well done.

Thank you.

Commiserations, Katy.

Thank you. We're seeing a pattern now where no-one has yet overpowered

the other person with three.

But I know you're a great quizzer.

And, Nicki, well done to you. Thank you.

I'm thinking James, below the desk, will be very pleased. I hope so.

Is it quite a tense feeling, even though you had the Eggheads?

It is. I was more nervous in the second part.

Even though I knew I had the option of asking the three Eggheads,

I was more nervous.

Well done, Katy, though. It was fun. Thank you.

Well done to you. All right. You've proved, Nicki,

that winning comes as naturally to you as it does to our Eggheads.

You are one step closer to joining our quiz goliaths.

But your work for today isn't quite done.

We're going to give you three points for each Egghead you won

in the head-to-head rounds, so that's nine points.

Very, very useful.

And you're now going to get the chance to add to those points

by answering quickfire questions for two minutes.

For each correct answer, you will score one point.

I've got to accept your first answer.

We will see where your final score puts you on our leaderboard.

The top four places at the end of the heats

will make it through to the semifinals.

The top score to beat is Frankie Fanko, who scored 24.

And in fourth position, Amber Marshall is on 16 points.

All to play for. Nicki, are you ready to play?

I'm ready. OK.

All the best to you.

Your time starts now.

On which continent is the Atacama Desert?

South America.

In which country was the athlete Mo Farah born?

Kenya.

No, Somalia.

In the Harry Potter books, what is the surname of the character Draco?

Pass.

Malfoy.

Which Robbie Williams song contains the line "I'm a burning effigy of

"everything I used to be"?

Let Me Entertain You.

Which country of the UK is home to the delicacy of laver bread?

Wales.

In geometry, how many sides does a rhombus have?

Four.

In which 1988 film does Kathleen Turner provide the

speaking voice for Jessica Rabbit?

Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Which city hosted the Winter Olympics

at which Torvill and Dean won their gold medal?

Sarajevo.

What type of beverage is most likely to be made in a percolator?

Coffee.

Which chemical element with the atomic number 15 takes its name from

the Greek for "light-bringing"?

Pass. Phosphorus.

What is the first name of PG Wodehouse's celebrated

fictional valet, Jeeves?

Pass. Reginald.

In which US state did the actor James Dean die

in a car crash in 1955?

New York. No, California.

In which TV drama series does Jenny Agutter play Sister Julienne?

Call The Midwife.

In which English county is Blenheim Palace?

Oxfordshire. Correct.

Stevie Wonder released the 1976 album Songs In The Key Of what?

Life.

Which Roald Dahl book features the cruel characters

Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge?

James And The Giant Peach.

How many planets in our solar system have names beginning with a vowel?

One... Two. I have to accept one. Sorry, it's two.

The Republic of San Marino is completely surrounded by

which other country?

Italy.

Which TV soap features the characters Marlon and Cain Dingle?

Emmerdale.

The UK number one single Take My Breath Away, by Berlin,

was on the soundtrack to which 1986 film?

Top Gun.

Which sign of the zodiac is represented by a goat?

Capricorn.

The plot of which cult television series

centred around the death of Laura Palmer?

Oh, Twin Peaks.

My goodness, you were storming through there.

I'm thrilled for you. Thank you.

You must feel you did really well. I hope so.

I enjoyed it. I settled into it, yes.

So, look, you got 16, which is brilliant.

16 correct answers? Yes.

Gosh! Because you had three Eggheads from the three successful

head-to-heads, we add nine to that.

We get a grand total of 25 points.

And we now bring up the leaderboard.

You're not just in the top four, you're number one, Nicki.

Well done. LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

Well done! We have got to see James at this point.

James, are you excited by that? I think he is. Thank you.

He's come out from behind the desk.

So, Nicki, you're number one with 25 points.

In second place is Frankie with 24, and then below you and Frankie

is Marianne and Kit.

They have 20 points each.

Oh, gosh! That was very doughty quizzing.

Thank you.

My goodness, Katy, you have been beaten by a great quizzer here.

Yes, very good. Very well done.

Thank you. The quickfire is very, very hard.

How do you feel, Nicki?

Um, relieved, but really nervous at the prospect of possibly having to do it again.

Well, it's going to heat up, that's for sure.

Join us next time to find out

who else might have what it takes to become an Egghead.

Till then, goodbye.

Start the clock. Name this show.

BUZZER Top Class.

What is it?

BUZZER A new quiz show.

Which channel is it on?

BUZZER CBBC.