Episode 17 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?

Well, hello and welcome to Make Me An Egghead.

We've 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!

Joining you. And we know how much fun that is.

It's excellent fun.

Let's meet today's contestants both hoping they've got what it takes

to become an Egghead.

Hello, I'm Brian Davis. I'm an accountant from Yate, near Bristol.

Hi, I'm Michael McPartland, a civil servant from Middlesbrough.

So, Brian and Michael, welcome.

And essentially, you've both

competed on the normal Eggheads, haven't you?

Brian first, twice? Yes, the team's called Black Horses and yes,

thoroughly enjoyed it. Really, really good.

And you want to tell us the result?

We weren't successful, but we had a great time,

which was the important thing.

Often the way. Michael, what about you?

My team was called Lightning Can Strike Twice.

And it went pretty well, I think, overall.

Ended up being my own, unfortunately, but somehow

I became one of the very few people to beat all five Eggheads on my own.

Oh, so that's a bit of history there.

Cos we don't often see that, do we?

No, no. Five on one and you lose.

Exclusive club, there's only about 17 people ever done it.

Is that right? Since the very start?

My goodness. So Mastermind features for you both, I know, Brian?

Yes, I was in the semifinal in 2014.

I did the life and career of Sir Robert Peel

and also Martin Frobisher cos I quite like a bit of history.

And your specialised subjects on Mastermind?

I got in the grand final in 2014,

and one of my subjects was Father Ted,

which Pat did when he was on it.

Is that right? Yes. My final subject was Father Ted.

Good luck, guys. Thank you.

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.

So, the first head-to-head battle is on the subject of Art Books.

I'm going to ask each of you three multiple-choice questions

on Arts Books 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 an extra brain for the final.

Not just any old brain, either.

It's one of these five mega brains over here.

Before the show, we tossed a coin and as a result of that, Brian, you

have the option as to whether you would like to go first or second.

Can I go first, please, Jeremy?

Paula Hawkins's novel The Girl On The Train

is set in which country?

Ooh. Um, funnily enough, I was looking at the book cover of this.

I'm not completely sure.

But I think it's the UK, so I'm going to go for the UK.

UK is right. She's on a commute and she see something.

Anyone read it? Yup.

Me too. Although actually, I say I've read it.

I've had it... I have an audio book of it.

Does that count as reading? No.

For you, you've got to read it on a piece of paper,

it's not the same if you listen to it?

It sort of depends whose writing, to be honest.

There are some writers I find impenetrable,

where audio books are very useful.

But, no, with this one I think you needed pages.

OK, your first question now, Michael.

Where is the Venus De Milo statue currently displayed?

I think it's in France.

And the Louvre's the only French museum there.

So I'll go for the Louvre.

Louvre is correct.

OK, your question, Brian.

Which of these characters appears in the Arthur Miller play All My Sons?

That's Willy Loman.

OK, now my memory of my English degree many years ago is that he was

in Death Of A Salesman. Oh.

So I think they're probably all Arthur Miller characters. Mm-hm.

Eddie Carbone. View From A Bridge.

Ah, The View From A Bridge.

So the answer is Joe Keller.

Right. So your second question now, Michael.

Which of these authors of detective novels died in 2015?

Stieg Larsson died quite a few years ago, I think.

I have the feeling it might be Henning Mankell, but not 100% on it.

Who was his famous detective?

He was Wallander.

Yes, that's right, played by Kenneth Branagh as well.

Henning Mankell is right, well done.

OK, Brian, back to you.

You need to get this one right.

In which year was the Booker prize first awarded?

Oh, right.

Certainly don't think it was '76.

It's a question of the other two.

I'm inclined towards the late '60s.

I think I'll go from 1969.

You're absolutely right, it is 1969.

Well done. So you're still in it.

But, Michael, you have a chance now to take the round.

Interchange, which sold for approximately $300 million in 2015,

is a painting by which artist?

This one passed me by, unfortunately.

I'm trying to think which of the artist is more likely to sell

something at that price.

I think a Jasper Johns would probably sell for the most,

so I'll try that.

Jasper Johns.

Brian, do you know this one? I would have guessed Mark Rothko,

but I can see why you'd gone for Johns.

It's hard, isn't it? Interchange sounds a bit like Rothko.

Any Eggheads? I'd have guessed de Kooning, he's had huge prices.

I'd have guessed Jasper,

I'd go with Michael.

So we're all over the place here.

Willem de Kooning is the right answer.

Willem de Kooning, Pat got it right there.

You've both got two out of three.

Scores level after our multiple choice question

it gets a bit harder.

We go to Sudden Death. I don't give you alternative answers.

Brian, "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs

"and blaming it on you,"

are the opening lines to a poem by which writer?

Rudyard Kipling.

Rudyard Kipling is quite right.

Michael, to stay in. In the title of the early

17th century play believed

to have been at least partially written by Shakespeare,

Pericles is the Prince of where?

He's a Prince of Tyre, I think.

Tyre is right.

Brian, back to you. Sudden Death.

In which 1897 Gothic horror novel

does a Russian ship called the Demeter

run aground on the shores of Whitby?

That's Dracula. It is Dracula.

Michael. The Venetian painter Tintoretto,

also known as Jacopo Robusti,

lived during which century?

I think it's either the 16th or 17th.

I'll try the 17th.

OK, if you've got this wrong...

..then the round is over.

17th, you say.

As in, the 1600s.

Now, was he not a contemporary of Michelangelo and all that lot?

Or was he after that?

Well, he was a contemporary for a while.

So it's Titian, Tintoretto, there's a whole load of them, Veronese.

Yeah. Go on, give us the dates, Kevin. You can do this.

Tintoretto was 1518 to '94.

1518 to 1594, you're absolutely right.

So 16th century.

So on Sudden Death, Brian has pulled ahead.

Well done, Brian, you've won the first head-to-head!

You gain an Egghead and you have first dibs. Who do you want?

Can I go for Kevin, please?

Brian, you've chosen Kevin. You'll have him in the final round.

And so far, Michael, nobody on your side.

Let's see if you can change that.

We go to Politics, gentlemen.

And, Brian, because you won the first head-to-head,

you can choose whether you now go first or second.

Can I go first, please?

And here we go. In March 2016,

Iain Duncan Smith resigned as head of which government department?

That was Work and Pensions.

Yes, it was Work and Pensions. Well done.

Michael, what was the average age of an MP

at the 2015 election, according to official figures?

I don't think it'll be as high as 60.

I think there's a fair amount of younger MPs.

But there isn't a massive amount under 40, I would have thought.

So I'll plump for the middle and go for 50.

You are right. 50.

Convenient and memorable figure.

Back to you, Brian. In which city

was Angela Merkel born in 1954?

Ooh, that's a very good question.

As I was thinking of it as you asked the question,

Hamburg was coming into my mind.

And, you know, I always associate her with the east of the country,

I don't know why.

But I think I'll trust my instinct and go for Hamburg.

Hamburg is correct.

So she was a West German. Yes.

In those days when it was split.

Her father, I think, was a Lutheran minister.

And I think he went off to East Germany. Oh, really?

Because I've always thought of her as a bit East German.

So she did have some... I think she was raised in East Germany.

But she was born in Hamburg. Right!

But Hamburg was in the West?

Oh, very much. Yeah. Funny to think back to two countries, isn't it?

How relatively recent it was that it was split.

Back to you, Michael. In 2016,

an aunt of which world leader was revealed to be running a

dry cleaning business in the United States?

It's an interesting question.

I don't think that many people left North Korea,

having had been quite closed.

So might rule Kim Jong Un out for that.

I think it's most likely

Vladimir Putin would have an aunt in America, I think.

So I'll try Vladimir Putin.

Do you know this, Brian? Possibly would go for Mugabe,

but it's a guess.

I thought I had a Mugabe connection in my mind.

This is a great question. Anyone else?

I'd go with the North Korean.

I thought it was Kim Jong Un.

Yeah, it is. It's Kim Jong Un.

Brian, you've got two points. Michael, you've got one.

Your third question, Brian, can give you the round and another Egghead.

In 2016, Barack Obama became the first US president to visit Cuba

since which other in 1928?

That's a very good question.

I'm just trying to go through my US presidents at the moment.

I'm just trying to go through my US presidents at the moment.

I think it's a bit too early for Warren G Harding.

It's either Hoover or Coolidge.

Right, I'm going to go for Calvin Coolidge.

You've got your president dates in your mind, have you? I have.

I think it's '23 to '28.

Is he right? Yes.

You are right. Thank you. Calvin Coolidge it is.

And what were Coolidge's years, anyone?

Well, that's... Because Harding died.

Harding was the previous president, Coolidge was his vice president.

Took over. Right. So he was actually there from...

He won an election in '24 and then he was still in office, of course,

because the inauguration of the new president...

But Hoover won the '28 election,

but Coolidge was still there until early into '29.

OK, so almost one of the last things he did was to go and visit Cuba?

Yeah. Well done, Brian. Thank you. You've won the head-to-head.

So, you can choose another Egghead.

You've already got Kevin. Who would you like now?

Could I choose Pat, please? You can.

So Brian has now got Kevin and Pat. Michael, no Eggheads yet.

Don't be disheartened. I'll keep trying.

That's the way! Last head-to-head category now for you,

and it is on Sport.

Brian, again, you have the chance

to decide whether you go first or second cos you won the last one.

I'll carry on with the current trend and go first, please.

And here we go with your first Sport question.

In which year were the Wimbledon Tennis Championships

first held?

Well, 1927 is far too late,

because it's certainly been going longer than that.

So I'm really choosing between '27 and '77.

1827 sounds a bit early.

I associate it with sort of a lot of the sporting events that happened

in the 1870s, like the FA Cup final, for example.

So on that basis, I'll go for 1877.

1877 is right, well done.

Michael.

The boxer Marven Hagler was a world champion in which weight division?

I'm a big boxing fan.

He wasn't heavyweight. He was quite big, so middleweight, he was.

Middleweight is the right answer.

That was the famous match, was it Sugar Ray Leonard, Dave?

Yes it was, yeah. They just went toe to toe, went at it and...

One of the greats. Yeah, well he's had some great fights.

Hagler Hearns was a brilliant fight as well. Yeah.

And then, famously, because he came over to Wembley,

beat Alan Minter as well.

But what a great boxer. OK, thank you.

Brian, which of these football teams was relegated from the English

Premier League at the end of the 2015/16 season?

That was Newcastle United.

It was indeed.

OK, your question, Michael.

Which English rugby union team defeated Racing 92 to win their

first European Champions Cup in 2016?

I think there were all-conquering last year, this team. Saracens.

Saracens is right.

And now we go to you, Brian.

What was the length of

Greg Rutherford's gold medal-winning long jump at the 2012 Olympics?

Oh, that's a good question.

I'm just trying to work it out in my mind now, in terms of distances.

So you're talking about 21...

Nine sounds too much.

I'm tending towards eight cos I seem to think something like

they keep mentioning eight metres whenever I see an athletics event.

But I'm hoping I've got the right event.

So I'll go for 8m 31cm.

I was looking at all of them, thinking I don't know how anyone

jumps even 21 feet, let alone seven, eight or nine metres.

But you're right, you've got it. 8m 31cm, well done.

And now your question, Michael,

to stay in this round.

Which of these England cricketers is a left-handed batsman?

Oh, dear. I was hoping you would have one I definitely know

is left-handed, like Alastair Cook.

I'm just trying to think of the way

they stand when they're at the wicket.

Because you stand a different way when you're left-handed.

Something in the back of my mind tells me Ben Stokes

bowls right-handed but bats left-handed.

Hopefully I remembered that rightly.

I'm not very confident, but I'll try Ben Stokes.

Ben Stokes is the answer, well done.

It's a very, very good quiz, this.

You're again level after three multiple-choice questions.

Again, it gets a bit harder.

We go to Sudden Death. I don't give you alternative choices.

Brian, in April 2016,

Danny Willett became only the second English golfer to win which major?

Right. It's either the US Open or the US Masters,

I'm trying to think which one it is.

I'm going to go for the US Open.

You've gone the wrong way. Oh. It's the Masters. Right.

So you have a chance now, Michael.

Does the whole contest hinge on this question?

In men's football, which is the only international team

to have won two European Championships in a row?

I think that would have been... 2008 and 2012 were both won by Spain.

Yes, I'll go for Spain. Spain is your answer.

Brian is nodding. I think he's right, yes.

Spain is the right answer. Well done, Michael.

So, on Sudden Death you've taken it, you've won the final head-to-head.

I know you were probably desperate for this moment. Absolutely, yes.

So well done, you can choose any of the remaining three.

That's Lisa, Dave or Judith.

I think I'll pick the person who fills the most gaps I have.

I think that's probably going to be Lisa.

History, or...

History I'm OK. Food and Drink, I'm not particularly good at.

Food and Drink. Celebrity kids, fashion.

All the stuff... Yeah, good on Corrie!

Fashion, yeah. EastEnders, Corrie.

OK, fine. Michael, you've got Lisa in the final round.

Brian, you've got Kevin and Pat. Why don't we play that final round?

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.

Brian and Michael, I'll ask each of you three questions in turn.

This time the questions are all

General Knowledge.

In this final round, you will of course

have the backing of the Eggheads that you've won

over the course of the show.

Brian, you're going to have the help of Kevin and Pat back there,

looking very intelligent.

And, Michael, there's Lisa looking similarly astute,

ready to come to your aid.

So, you can call on your respective Eggheads any time,

but you can only call on them once.

Brian, if you're in a situation where you're really stuck,

you can use them both for one question.

But use them wisely, that's the key, key piece of advice.

Well, Michael, as you won the last round,

you get to choose whether you want to play first or second.

I think I'll go first this time.

And here is your first question, Michael.

The rapper Drake had a UK number one single in 2016 with which song?

I've not come across this.

I...

Hopefully Lisa's up-to-date

on her rap acts and I'll ask her.

Ah, so you're calling Lisa straight in.

I'm afraid so. I could see that coming from a long way off,

like a runaway train.

I don't think the end result is going to be any prettier than

if we were hit by a runaway train either. Sorry, Michael.

So, apply what logic I can.

No Money is not ringing bells.

One Dance and Light It Up are both ringing bells.

Now which one is ringing bells for Drake?

OK, on first glance...

..I thought it might be One Dance.

And then I had a little waver to Light It Up.

In that situation,

generally I will revert to my first instinct and go for One Dance,

but I would caution you. OK.

There'd be a very hefty pinch of salt attached to that, my love.

I'm very sorry. OK, you tried your best.

I have no clue, so I'll go with One Dance.

OK, you don't have to choose what Lisa chose,

and she was leaning rather than choosing there.

It's a stinker, really, if you don't know your rap.

And you brought Lisa in for her cultural awareness.

You've done it, Lisa. Well done. Woohoo! Thanks, Lisa.

One Dance is right!

OK.

So you're down to no Eggheads now, Michael.

And, Brian, you've still got two.

Your first question. Which of these sharks poses the least danger

to humans?

That's the whale shark.

OK, you don't need to check that with your Eggs.

Whale shark is correct.

So one each.

Michael, back to you.

In the United States,

what is a 401(k) plan set up to provide primarily?

I have heard the expression, but I've not heard what it is.

Is the answer something to do

with housing?

I'm not sure, I'll try mortgage.

Because it's got a vague hint,

it might be something to do with housing.

Ooh, no, it's not mortgage.

In the States, it's an almost interchangeable term for pension.

401(k) plan.

So...

Brian has a chance to take the lead.

Which song won the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest?

I think I know, but I think I'm going to ask Kevin on this one,

as I have the feeling that Eurovision is a subject

close to his heart.

So, Kevin?

OK, Kevin, you've been brought in on high culture here. Yeah.

Which song won the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest?

Can I just say first,

I wouldn't describe Eurovision as being a subject close to my heart.

Sorry, Kevin! No, that's all right.

I think I'm OK here.

Boom Bang-A-Bang I think was... That was Lulu.

Yes. The other two were both winning songs, I think.

But of the two...

..I think Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley was later.

I think that was possibly in the early '80s.

I think Ding-A-Dong was the... It's a Dutch one.

I think it was 1975.

Yeah. OK, thanks, Kevin. That was my instinct as well.

I think it was by... I think it was Teach-In or something.

Teach-In, Teach-In, that's right. So, Ding-A-Dong.

Wow, you've got the name of the band as well.

So, well done, Kevin, and well done, Brian.

Ding-A-Dong it is.

So you've taken the lead, and that means,

Michael, you've got to get this one right.

Which of these monarchs reigned as King of England for the longest?

Well, William I obviously came in in 1066.

I think he was still going for about 20-odd years, maybe.

William II, I don't think lasted

particularly long.

When did William III come in?

He died just after the beginning of the 18th century.

I've a feeling that William I was there for about 20-odd years,

so I think he'll probably be the longest, so I'll try him.

Brilliant, William I it is, well done.

So you've got two out of three.

So, you have a chance now, Brian, to take the round and the contest...

..with this question.

Which of these Brazilian cities is located on the Atlantic Ocean?

OK, I'm going to call on Pat.

Again, I think I've got an idea,

but, Pat, I know you're very good at geography.

So have you any thoughts on that one?

Well, I know that Manaus is, I think, over 1,000 miles inland

on the Amazon.

It's bang in the heart of the country, so it doesn't qualify.

I think Belo Horizonte is north of Rio,

but I have a feeling it's inland.

So of the three there, I would have a preference for Fortaleza.

I'm just thinking about Belo Horizonte.

I think it's inland.

It's the fourth, or third or fourth biggest city in Brazil,

it's a big place.

My feeling is that Belo Horizonte is inland, so by elimination

I think I'd go for Fortaleza, but I have some slight worries.

But of those three I would go for Fortaleza.

That sounds to me like at least an 80-20 from Pat.

Yes. Again, it's definitely not Manaus, as Pat says.

So Pat's saying Fortaleza.

So, yeah, go for Fortaleza, please.

Is that what you were thinking?

I couldn't really decide between the two, in all honesty.

Between Belo and Fortaleza? Between Belo and Fortaleza.

So again, I've got that nagging fear that Belo is on the coast,

but I think Fortaleza definitely is.

So agree with Pat, go for Fortaleza.

OK, Fortaleza is your answer.

Did you know this one, Kevin?

Yes, it is Fortaleza.

I think it's "Belohorizanche" is how they pronounce it locally.

It is inland, it's well inland.

The correct answer is Fortaleza.

So we say, Brian, congratulations. You have won!

Thank you.

Thank you, Mike.

Well, he's a very good quizzer, isn't he, Michael?

He is indeed, yes.

There were a couple of answers you might have given differently

on another day? I was 50-50 on a couple of them, yeah.

I hope you've enjoyed it, Michael. It's been a good day, yes.

Good, good, good. Brian, well done to you. Yeah.

And thank you very much indeed to Kevin and Pat

for their invaluable help, as ever! Great.

So you've proved that winning comes as naturally to do as it does

to our Eggheads.

You are one step closer to actually joining our quiz Goliaths on

the table, with a permanent chair.

But your work for today isn't quite done.

So what we're going to do, Brian,

is give you three points for each round you've won today.

That's a very handy six points you've got already.

You now get the chance to add

to those points with a quick-fire round.

So I'll ask you two minutes of questions.

We give you one point for each correct answer.

We add the scores together,

and we see where you end up on our leaderboard.

Now, if you take a look at the

leaderboard, the top four places

in green are the names that will

go through to the semifinal.

So you want to be scoring ideally

above 27, don't you,

to be perched nicely

in a safe position up there.

So if you're not in the green, you're not in the semifinal.

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

Yes I am, Jeremy. OK.

All the very best, Brian.

Your time starts now.

What is the second closest planet to the sun in our solar system?

Venus. Correct.

Which group had a UK number one single in 1992 with Good Night Girl?

Pass. Wet Wet Wet.

Gettysburg, where Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg address,

is in which US state? Pennsylvania. Correct.

In which sport is play called an alley-oop,

closely combined with a slam dunk, most typically seen?

Basketball. Correct.

Which 1942 film features the line,

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world,

"she walks into mine"?

Casablanca. Correct.

In 1483, who reigned as the uncrowned king of England

for less than three months?

Richard III. No, Edward V.

The prestigious Leander Club has produced many world and Olympic

champions in which sport?

Rowing. Correct.

In the TV sitcom Fawlty Towers,

what was the name of the Spanish waiter played by Andrew Sachs?

Manuel. Correct.

In Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book, what type of creature is Kaa?

Snake. Correct.

The island of Martinique in the

Caribbean Sea is an overseas region of which country?

France. Correct.

Which Cole Porter stage musical features the song We Open In Venice?

Funny Girl. No, Kiss Me Kate.

In 2007, Jacqui Smith became the first woman to hold which position

in the British Cabinet?

Home Secretary. Correct.

What is the capital of the Australian state of Victoria?

Pass. Melbourne.

The tennis player Ivan Lendl was twice the runner-up in the Wimbledon

men's singles final in which decade?

The 1990s. No, the '80s.

In 1845, which state became the 28th

to be admitted to the United States of America?

Pass. Texas.

In which 1999 film did Brad Pitt

play a character called Tyler Durden?

Fight Club. Correct.

In imperial measurement, a furlong is equal to 220 what?

Yards. Correct.

In the TV series Sherlock,

what is the first name of Sherlock's older brother,

played by Mark Gatiss?

Pass. Mycroft.

Which county in the Republic of Ireland features

the Dingle Peninsula?

That's Clare. No, County Kerry.

Which country is the setting for Puccini's Opera Madame Butterfly?

China. Japan.

Which fruit is dried to make raisins?

Not enough time for that answer.

You can tell me if you want.

It's dried to make raisins? Grape. Grapes.

You scored 11 points there, Brian,

giving you a grand total of 17 points.

I felt you didn't quite... Yeah, it... ..get a grip on it.

I didn't get a grip on it, yes, I agree. The speed of it is not easy.

Quite intense, yeah.

So let's have a look at the leaderboard.

you're not in the top four there,

so you're not going to

qualify for the semifinals.

But just to get onto it,

believe me, the level of quizzing we've had in the last few days

has just been extraordinary. You can feel proud about that.

Thank you. Thank you very much for coming in, Brian.

Thank you, Michael, as well. Thank you.

There we go. It's getting hot and heavy on the leaderboard, isn't it?

Join us next time to find out who else might have what it takes

to become an Egghead. Until then, goodbye.