Episode 4 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've launched a nationwide search

to find the greatest quiz brains in Britain.

By the end of our 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.

-You love that build-up, don't you?

-Oh, yes.

So, let's meet today's contestants,

both hoping they've got what it takes to become an Egghead.

Hi. I'm Nancy Dickmann. I'm a freelance author and editor.

I live in Islip in Oxfordshire,

but I'm originally from St Louis in the States.

Hi. I'm Nicola Morgan.

I'm a former teaching assistant

and I'm from Hedgerley Green in Buckinghamshire.

Welcome to you both. Nicola, you start.

Tell us about your quizzing background.

My quizzing background. Well, I play in a local quiz league.

I play in school quizzes and I've done a bit of TV quizzing too -

Only Connect and the National Lottery quiz show

-a few years ago...

-Right.

..which was fun, cos we won a lot of money.

OK. Good.

And, Nancy, I know your big thing is being Mastermind, is that right?

Yeah, that's right. I was Mastermind Champion in 2009.

I've also done Only Connect.

I've done Brain Of Britain,

and like Nicola, I play in a quiz league.

I noticed the American accent. You said you're from St Louis.

Yeah, I'm from St Louis. I've been here about 14 years.

-Was it love that brought you over or work?

-Love made me stay.

I came over from my job and I met my husband

while I was over here, so I ended up staying.

OK. Well, good luck to you both.

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 Film & TV.

I'll ask each of you three multiple-choice questions

in turn.

Whoever answers the most questions correctly wins the round,

and the prize for winning a round - this is crucial -

is that you gain an extra brain for the final.

Not just any old brain.

You can choose one of the Eggheads to play with you in the final round.

Now, before the show, we tossed a coin,

and as a result of that, Nancy,

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

I'll go first, please.

OK, good luck to you both. Here we are with your first question.

Who wrote the drama series Happy Valley?

Ooh.

I didn't watch it. I know what it was.

I know Abi Morgan is a screenwriter.

I've never heard of Heidi Thomas.

I think it might be Sally Wainwright.

Sally Wainwright is your answer.

Do you know this, Nicola?

I think you're right.

Oh.

Sally Wainwright is the right answer.

Fantastic.

OK, your question, Nicola.

Who played Private Frazer in the TV comedy series Dad's Army?

Well, I know it wasn't Clive Dunn.

James Beck, I think, was Private Walker.

I'm going to go with the very Scottish John Laurie.

"We're all doomed."

John Laurie is your answer.

-Is it right, Eggheads?

-It is.

-That's correct.

Yes. And he is the one who goes, "We're all doomed!"

"We're doomed!"

John Laurie is correct. Well done.

So, one each. Back to you, Nancy.

Who directed the 1973 film The Exorcist?

I'm very pleased to see William Friedkin come up

because I'm just about positive it's him.

I'm sure it's not Stanley Kubrick.

Michael Camino is best known for The Deer Hunter,

but, no, I'm sure it's William Friedkin.

William Friedkin is correct.

Nicola, who wrote the musical TV film That Day We Sang,

first shown in 2014 starring Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton?

Well, I know Tim Minchin wrote Matilda.

Peter Kay, I don't think he writes for other people,

but Victoria Wood is what I'm going for.

You're playing well, both of you. That's correct as well.

So, two points each. Victoria Wood.

Your third question, Nancy.

In the cartoon series

Top Cat, what is the name of the pink cat who wears a white top?

I have not watched Top Cat for an embarrassing number of years,

probably since I was about six.

There is one called Spook.

There probably is a cat called all three of those.

Spook is the only one I can remember.

A white top makes sense with Spook. I'm going to go for Spook.

-The answer is Choo-Choo.

-Argh.

-You got two out of three.

So, Nicola, your chance to win the round

and win the brain of an Egghead.

In the 1960 film Butterfield 8 starring Elizabeth Taylor,

what does Butterfield 8 refer to?

I have read the novel

and I remember that it is a telephone exchange

so people could get in touch with Elizabeth Taylor's character.

A telephone exchange is the right answer.

Nicola, you've got three out of three.

Nicely done. Congratulations. You've won the first head-to-head.

Now, that means you gain an Egghead to help you in the final round.

You've got five to choose from. Who would you like?

Goodness. What a choice.

I'm going to go for the man in the middle.

I'm going to choose Kevin.

-Yeah.

-OK.

So, as it stands, Nancy has not got an Egghead to help her in the final.

Nicola has one, and your next category, ladies, is History.

So, Nicola, you won the last round so you get to decide if you want

to go first or second.

I think I'll go second.

So, Nancy, here is your history question.

In 1647, Charles I escaped from Hampton Court to which of these?

Oh. I don't know this.

Ah. Lindisfarne seems a very odd place to escape to.

Anglesey. Isle of Wight would be the easiest to get to.

I will say Isle of Wight. I don't actually know, though.

-Isle of Wight is correct.

-Oh, fantastic.

-Well done.

First question to you, Nicola.

Which of these rivers was a part of the Mesopotamian civilisation?

Don't think it was the Ganges.

The Danube is too European, I think.

Tigris and Euphrates are coming to mind,

so I'm going to say the Tigris.

-Eggheads, is she right?

-Yep.

-Yeah.

They all agree. It is the Tigris.

One each. Back to you, Nancy.

In the 1930s, which museum acquired The Great Bed of Ware - W-A-R-E -

a 16th century bed that can reputedly accommodate

at least four couples?

Right.

The Ashmolean is in Oxford where I live

and I've been there many times and surely a bed that big

I would've seen.

I don't think it's there.

Likewise, I've been to the British Museum a bunch

and I don't remember seeing it, so I don't...

The V&A has lots of home furnishings.

I think they're most likely to have a giant bed,

and I've been to that only once

so I wouldn't be surprised if I hadn't seen it.

I'm going to go for the V&A.

V&A is correct. Back to you, Nicola.

Eleanor of Castile lived during which century?

This is not a period I studied at school,

so I'm going to have to work it out.

Eleanor of Castile.

I am going to say...

the 12th century.

-12th is your answer.

-12th is my answer.

Now, Judith, you've got a bit of history with Eleanors, haven't you?

Yes, there are far too many to remember who they all are.

You've got a favourite Eleanor who helped you win a million.

-Eleanor of Aquitaine.

-Yeah.

-She was Henry II.

-This is not this Eleanor.

-No, this is Castile.

I think it's 13th century.

-Mm. It is the 13th.

-Oh.

Judith is right.

Nancy, get this right and you will have the chance

to choose an Egghead.

Henry III had a mural painted in his bedchamber

at the Palace of Westminster that depicted which monarch

who was said to have died in a room that previously occupied the site?

Oh.

Well, it couldn't be Richard the Lionheart, cos he,

as far as I know, didn't die in England.

Edward the Confessor was born in my little tiny village

just down the road from me, but I haven't a clue where he died,

which is embarrassing.

Oh, William the Conqueror, he, I believe, died in London.

I'm going to say William the Conqueror.

I thought you might. Any way of guessing this, Eggheads?

Yeah, the only one who died in England.

Richard the Lionheart died in France.

William the Conqueror also died in France?

-And he died in Normandy.

-In Normandy?

-Yes.

Edward the Confessor, he was the holy one

that he would've wanted as a mural in his bedroom.

If I've got a question with Edward the Confessor wrong,

I'm not going to be allowed to go back to my village.

Edward the Confessor is the right answer.

You haven't quite clinched it and Nicola has a chance to come back.

Which Egyptian Pharaoh was the father of Tutankhamen?

Oh, gosh. Now...

Can't think of...

anything that's going to lead me, so I'm going to say Thutmose.

Sounds similar.

Thutmose. Eggheads?

It's Akhenaten.

-He's right.

-Ah.

-It's Akhenaten.

-Oh.

-So, Nancy, well done.

-Thanks.

You've taken that round. You've won the head-to-head.

And that means

you now gain an Egghead.

You can't have Kevin, but anybody else there.

-I'll have Chris, please.

-Chris The Locomotive Hughes.

-Indeed.

You've chosen a great fighter there.

As it stands, Nancy has an Egghead to help her in the final.

Nicola has an Egghead too. Couldn't be tighter.

And we now go to the last of our head-to-heads,

and it's Arts & Books.

So, Nancy, you won the previous round.

-You can decide to play first or second.

-I'll go first again, please.

And here we go with your first Arts & Books question.

The South African-born British nun Sr Wendy Beckett

is best known for presenting television shows on what subject?

I am just about positive it's art.

She talks about paintings and such.

Art is the right answer. Yes, Sr Wendy.

OK, Nicola,

Larry McMurtry's 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel

Lonesome Dove is an example of what literary genre?

I do know this one, although I'm not a massive fan of this genre,

but I have been told that it's definitely worth reading,

Lonesome Dove, as an example of westerns.

Western is your answer, and it's quite right. One each.

Back to you, Nancy. What is the name of the painting technique

whereby paint is applied to the canvas in sufficient quantities

to make it physically stand out from the surface?

I was hoping that impasto would come up.

It's definitely not chiaroscuro. That's a style of lighting.

Ooh, sgraffito. Oh.

No. I have to go with my gut. My gut is impasto.

That's what I thought before the answers came up.

Your gut is right. Impasto it is. Well done.

Nancy, you got two points. Nicola, you got one.

Here's your question, Nicola.

Which American author wrote the horror novellas

At The Mountains Of Madness and The Shadow Over Innsmouth?

I don't think it was Poe.

He was more traditional scary horror.

Fritz Lieber, I don't know.

My son is a fan of HP Lovecraft. I'm going to go with HP Lovecraft.

That's very good play. It is HP Lovecraft.

So, you're level after two. This is tight.

Back to you, Nancy.

Trent's Last Case by EC Bentley

is a detective novel first published in which decade?

Dear me. I've never heard of EC Bentley.

I think the 1870s is way too early for that

cos detective novels were just getting started back then

with Wilkie Collins.

EC Bentley.

It sounds 1950s.

If you asked me why, I couldn't give you a reason,

-but it sounds 1950s to me. I'll go with that.

-Eggheads?

-1910s.

-1910s...

-Argh. OK.

-..is the answer.

All right, so,

the score is level at 2-2, but, Nicola, you have a chance

to take the round on this question.

What name did the American proto-pop artist Robert Rauschenberg

coin for his artworks made up of such objects

as Coca-Cola bottles,

traffic barricades and stuffed birds?

Oh, goodness.

They are combinations of things, they are amalgams of things,

but do they all tie together to a unity?

Gosh.

I'm going to go straight down the middle

and go with amalgams.

-Amalgams is wrong. It's combines.

-Ooh!

After three questions each, the scores are level.

Sudden Death. Gets a bit harder. I don't give you alternatives.

Nancy, Kathakali is one of the main forms

of classical dance drama of which country?

I've heard of it.

I think...

I think it's India.

India is right.

Back to you, Nicola. Sudden Death we're on.

Third round.

The Colossus, published in 1960,

was the debut collection by which female American poet?

Going by the date...

I'm going to say Sylvia Plath.

Sylvia Plath is quite right.

Back to you, Nancy.

Which American female writer

and humorist critiqued Katharine Hepburn's performance

in a 1934 play by saying,

"She ran the gamut of emotions from A to B."

I love this quote.

I'm just about positive it's Dorothy Parker.

It is Dorothy Parker. Well done.

I didn't know that was her. How funny.

OK, Nicola, to stay in.

What is the title of the longest book

in JK Rowling's series of seven Harry Potter novels?

I can see them all on my son's bookshelf.

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix.

That is the right answer.

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix.

Your question, Nancy.

Which bestselling novelist was a reporter for Panorama

and in 1987 became political editor of the Observer?

Oh, dear. I haven't a clue.

A bestselling novelist who used to be a journalist.

I will say Jeffrey Archer. I really don't know. I'm sure that's wrong.

No, it's Robert Harris.

Oh, of course it is. Argh!

Nicola, you can take the round with this.

Gilbert Markham and Arthur Huntingdon are characters

in which novel by Anne Bronte?

Well, I think Anne only wrote one -

The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall.

Brilliant. You got it right.

So, congratulations, Nicola. You've won the final head-to-head.

So, it may give you an edge

in the final cos you can choose another Egghead for that round.

Who would you like? Can't be Kevin or Chris.

Oh, I think a bit of female solidarity here.

-I think I'm going to go with Judith.

-Thank you.

So, Nancy, you've got Chris in the final round.

Nicola, you've got Kevin and Judith.

Why don't we play that 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.

Nancy and Nicola, I will ask each of you three questions in turn.

This time,

the questions are all General Knowledge.

In this final round, you will no longer be playing alone, though.

You're going to have the backing of the Eggheads that you've won

over the course of the show, so, Nancy, you'll have Chris, and,

Nicola, you will have Kevin and Judith back there.

You'll be able to call on your respective Eggheads

for advice before giving an answer to a question.

However, you can ask them for help only once,

so use them wisely.

Nicola, you won the last round,

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

Seems to be working so far. I'll go second.

Nancy, your first question. Good luck.

In April, 2016 what did new dog owners become required to do

before their animals are eight weeks old?

I'm sure it's not neuter them cos that's a bit...

Microchip them. It's definitely microchip.

Microchip is the right answer.

Nicola, which national daily newspaper closed its print edition

and went online only in March, 2016?

Well, as far as I'm aware,

The Guardian and The Times are still publishing.

I know The Independent did stop printing.

Just hoping that it was March, 2016. The Independent.

The Independent is correct.

One each. Back to you, Nancy.

Which of these is the name of a deadly type of mushroom

found in North America?

I have never heard of avenging spirit or marauding demon.

I'm pretty sure there's one called a destroying angel. I'll go for that.

OK, still not calling your Egghead.

Playing with confidence.

You're right. It is destroying angel.

So, two to Nancy.

Nicola, which of these cities in Andalusia

is situated further south?

I'm trying to picture the map up in my head.

I think I'm going to call on Kevin's help here.

I have a feeling it's Malaga,

but I think I'd like a bit of help, please.

OK, so, you're calling in one of your Eggheads. Kevin?

I'm not entirely sure here, I'm afraid.

It's actually very tight.

I don't think it's Granada.

I think that's certainly north of Malaga,

and I think it's probably, if you draw a line across,

it's probably north of Seville as well.

But problem here is between the other two.

Malaga is right on the coast, but the coast curves.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Gosh, yes.

That was my logic too.

And I suppose if it was me, I might...

I might go for Malaga, but it's... I don't know.

Let's do it. Let's go with my first thought, which is Malaga.

OK. Kevin thinks it's Malaga, but really 50-50, Malaga/Seville.

You were on Malaga at the start actually, in fairness.

That was your first instinct. Your instinct was right. Well done.

Malaga is right.

So, Nancy has two, Nicola has two. Back with you, Nancy.

Which of these is the name for a small spinning top

with four or more sides used for playing games,

especially games of chance?

Oh. I was hoping dreidel might pop up, but it hasn't.

Espinole. I have never heard of any of those.

Cryptoscope, just going from the word origin,

doesn't seem to have anything to do with a top.

Espinole...

A teetotum sounds like one of those funny little made-up words

for a little thingamajig.

I think at this stage of the game, I probably better ask Chris.

OK, Chris. You're being called in.

Knowing you as I do, I think it's the kind of thing you do know.

It is the kind of thing I do know, Jeremy.

It's a teetotum.

Ah. He reacted with great certainty there.

You don't have to take his answer. Up to you.

That's what I was leaning towards as well.

I'll go with teetotum.

OK. He's got it right, you've got it right.

It is teetotum. Well done.

So, you've got three out of three there, and that puts you under

a little bit of pressure, Nicola.

You get this wrong and you are out of the contest.

In his sophomore year at Harvard University,

Bill Gates and his friend Paul Allen adapted which computer language,

then popularly used on large computers,

for use on microcomputers?

Oh, gosh. Absolutely not my subject.

I know that COBOL and BASIC are both programming languages.

I don't know ALGOL..

I don't know if this is your thing either, Judith,

but I'm going to call on you to give me a hand here.

I'm going towards...

BASIC...

..but I'd like your input, please.

I just wouldn't dare risk having any opinion on this at all

cos it's absolutely not my territory.

I think you must go with your basic instincts.

-Ah.

-Is there a clue in the answer there?

No, that just was an unfortunate slip of the tongue.

Oh, now, I was watching the film The Social Network

in which Bill Gates' character

briefly appears talking about setting up Microsoft,

and I have a feeling that he mentioned BASIC.

I'm going to go with BASIC.

BASIC is your answer.

If it is wrong, then the contest is over for you.

-The answer is BASIC.

-Ooh!

-Well done. You're still in it.

So, you're level after three. It gets a bit harder now.

I don't give you alternatives.

This is Sudden Death in our final round.

Nancy, back to you.

In which country did the 1950 Population Registration Act

classify every person by racial group?

It sounds like South Africa.

I'm hoping that's not too obvious an answer.

I'm just trying to think if there's anywhere else

that might have been doing apartheid-y things.

I can't think of anything better. I'll go with South Africa.

South Africa is correct. It was the beginning of apartheid.

Nicola, which nation's

women's football team won its third World Cup in 2015?

Not a great football fan.

I know that it doesn't necessarily follow

that the male dominating teams don't necessarily follow through

to the women who are good.

I am...going to say Spain.

If you've got this right, we play on.

If you've got it wrong, the contest is over.

The answer is the United States.

-Well...

-So, I'm sorry, Nicola.

We say congratulations, Nancy. You have won.

Well played, both of you.

Very, very tight game, and congratulations, Nancy.

-How do you feel?

-A bit relieved.

-I didn't think it was going that way.

-Well done, Nancy.

You've proved 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 is not quite done.

We give you three points for each round you've won today,

so that's three points you've got already,

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

by answering quickfire questions for two minutes.

We give you one point for each correct answer,

and we see where your final score puts you on our leaderboard.

If you take a look at the leaderboard,

you're going to be in the top four cos

-we've only got one other name on it.

-Excellent.

But as we go through the contest, we will see who ends up

in the top four to go through to the semifinals.

-All to play for. Are you ready to play?

-I'm ready.

OK.

Good luck, Nancy.

Your time starts now.

In metres, what is the distance of the swimming section

of an Olympic triathlon?

1,500.

Correct.

In 1983, Bonnie Tyler had a UK number one single

with Total Eclipse Of The...what?

-Heart.

-Correct.

In 2005, which major sporting event was delayed by 25 minutes

due to the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles?

FA Cup Final.

No, Grand National.

The island of Penang is a major tourist destination

-belonging to which country?

-Indonesia.

No, Malaysia.

In which 1990 film does Tom Cruise play a character

called Cole Trickle?

-Oh, Days Of Thunder.

-Correct.

In which decade was the Cricket World Cup first held?

1980s.

No, 1970s.

In which Shakespeare's play does the character Caliban feature?

-The Tempest.

-Correct.

Which shipping area is named after the founder of the Met Office?

-FitzRoy.

-Correct.

What is the surname of the One Direction member

with the first name Liam?

Liam Payne.

Correct.

Which English King was defeated

by Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn?

-Edward III.

-No, Edward II.

Mr Rochester is the hero of which 1847 novel?

-Jane Eyre.

-Correct.

For which English football team did Billy Bremner

make over 580 league appearances?

-Manchester United.

-No, Leeds United.

Which TV series first seen in 2006

starred John Simm as a man named Sam Tyler?

-Life On Mars.

-Correct.

In 1936, what became an official language of Afghanistan?

-Urdu.

-No, Pashto.

What was the first name of the composer Mahler?

-Gustav.

-Correct.

Dry ice is the solid form of which gas?

-Carbon dioxide.

-Correct.

Greta Garbo said, "I want to be alone," in which 1932 film?

-Grand Hotel.

-Correct.

What colour is the snooker ball that has a value of four points

when it is potted?

-Pink.

-No, brown.

What range of mountains and hills is often referred to as

the backbone of England?

-Pennines.

-Correct.

The 1969 film Kes was based on the book A Kestral For A...what?

Boy.

-No, the answer was Knave.

-Knave, that's right.

So, I can tell you you scored 12 points there,

giving you a grand total of 15 points

cos we add in the three points you got from your round.

Was that pressure there?

Yeah, it was very reminiscent of being on Mastermind, I have to say.

You did brilliantly, and you were so focused throughout it.

Let's have a look at our leaderboard.

Marianne is there with 20.

-And on you go just below her...

-Ah!

..in second place, Nancy, with 15,

and we'll see where you are when we've got all ten names up there.

-Well, thank you. Thanks both for playing. Cheers, Nicola.

-Thank you.

Lovely to see you both. That was a tight old contest, wasn't it?

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

to become an Egghead.

Until then, goodbye.