Episode 6 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 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.

Let's meet today's contestants,

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

Hello, I'm Diane Hallagan.

I'm an assistant accountant from Leeds.

Hi, I'm Kit Lommerud-Olsen.

I'm a waitress from Ashford, in Kent.

Welcome to you both.

Thank you for coming. So, Diane first,

I know you've done a lot of quizzing, notably Mastermind.

Yes, three times on Mastermind, yeah.

And the result being?

-Did you win?

-The first time I got the semifinal and each of the other

times I got to the final, but didn't win, unfortunately.

What is it about quizzing that makes

it fun to know stuff and answer questions?

It's a show-off thing, isn't it?

It's saying, "I know things and other people don't."

Knowledge is power and it's great to go up against the best in the world.

That is for sure. So another Mastermind veteran, Kit.

Yeah, after a fashion.

I went out in the first round, though.

-I came third.

-What was your specialist subject?

It was Alan Bennett's Talking Heads.

-You have a law degree, is that right?

-Yeah, absolutely.

And are you planning on going into law at some point?

I think that ship's sailed, actually.

I was a paralegal for a time but I now work as a waitress.

I've got two small children, so it fits rather better in with that.

OK, well, good luck here.

Good luck to you both.

Contestants, this is where you need to prove 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 will be on the subject of Politics.

I will ask each of you three multiple-choice questions

on Politics, in turn.

Whoever answers the most questions correctly, wins the round.

The prize for winning a round on Make Me An Egghead

is rather special.

You gain one of these brains and you can use them in the final round.

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

you have the option as to whether

you would like to play first or second.

I'd like to go second.

Starting with you, Diane.

Your question - in France,

what was the length of a presidential term of office

until it was reduced by a referendum in 2000?

OK, before the options came up, I thought it was seven.

And certainly, ten and 12 both seem much too long,

so I'm going to go for seven years.

Seven years is your answer.

Eggheads, do we know what it was reduced to?

-Five.

-Five.

Stands to reason.

Seven is right.

Kit, when citing criminal law cases in the UK,

the letter R stands for which Latin word?

That's Regina.

Regina is correct - as in the Queen.

Diane, who became the first Lord of the Treasury in May 2010?

Well, John Bercow's the Speaker,

or was the Speaker certainly at one point.

George Osborne was the Chancellor.

-But you've got it wrong.

-Oh, OK.

Because the title is Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.

Of right, of course it is.

-Idiot.

-So it's David Cameron.

Is it even written on the door of Number Ten or something strange?

-Yes.

-Is it on the letterbox?

-I think it's on the...

-It's actually on the brass letterbox.

-Yeah.

-I thought I'd seen it there, yeah.

OK, so to take the lead, Kit, your question.

How many US Presidents have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize during

their time in office?

I thought it was two, so that doesn't help me tremendously.

Let's think about this.

I think it's two, does that mean there's one more?

I shall have to bite the bullet and say three.

Three is correct.

So, it's Barack Obama and...?

-Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.

-Roosevelt and Wilson.

Was Roosevelt your other one?

The third one, for some reason, I thought was Jimmy Carter.

I thought Jimmy Carter had,

although not during his time in office.

It was much later, long after.

During their time in office was the key. So Carter is right

but not in this context.

-Oh, well.

-So, three is correct.

Back to you, Diane.

In May 2016, Alexander Van der Bellen won

a very narrow victory in the election to become president

of which country?

And you need to get this right.

I do.

Unfortunately, I don't know.

But the name suggests Netherlands

and it's all I've got to go with

so I'll say the Netherlands.

Alexander Van der Bellen from the Netherlands.

Is this right, Eggheads?

No, it's Austria, unfortunately.

It is, he became president of Austria, Diane.

Sorry. Kit, that means there's no way back for Diane.

So congratulations, you've won the first head-to-head.

As a result, you're going to gain an Egghead.

So you have the pick of the bunch here.

Any one of the five to help you in the final round.

I'm going to take Kevin.

I'm going to take the world champion, if I may.

Thank you. Thanks.

Because you watch Eggheads, do you?

I think you'd have to be living under a rock not to know that

Kevin's pretty much, you know,

awfully good at this.

Kevin, any particular tactics that you use in there?

You've got to stay constantly focused, haven't you?

Oh, yes, absolutely. No, you've got to always listen to the question,

that's the crucial... I guess,

well, it's try and pick up on anything that might be in there

that could possibly help at all. It's not always the case.

Sometimes there are things that you simply either know or you don't and

there's no way really to get at them if you haven't come across them.

Usually, there's something you can get at.

And a reminder of what a big prize it is at the end of all this.

Yes, I think it's great. It's fantastic really

to try and join this team.

It's an institution. I think what Kit's just said indicates that.

It's something that's part of the public consciousness now.

If you love quizzing, that's the place to be every working day.

OK, as it stands, Diane doesn't have an Egghead yet but Kit has one -

she has Kevin, and we play on.

The next category is Sport.

So, Kit, you won that head-to-head.

You can choose whether you go first or second.

I shall go first, please.

And here we go. As of 1st January, 2016,

how many Formula 1 World Championships

has Fernando Alonso won?

I'm very poor at Formula 1.

How many has he won? World Championships?

Yes, Formula 1 World Championships.

Four seems awfully high.

That seems an awful lot.

Does three seem like an awful lot?

Three seems like an awful lot.

I'm going to say two. And going to say two.

-Do you know this one, Diane?

-I have no idea,

but I would have said two as well.

Two is correct.

Two is right. You're playing well over there, Kit.

OK, Diane, your question.

At the 1984 Winter Olympics,

Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean

wore what colour outfits for their gold-medal winning Bolero routine?

I do remember this. I am quite old. It was definitely purple.

It was indeed purple.

Well done.

Your question, Kit.

At the Tour de France,

what jersey is worn by the King of the Mountains classification leader?

I... I know very little about...

..about Tour de France either,

but I have a suspicion - and it's popped into my

head that it's polka dot for King of the Mountains.

So because it has popped into my head,

I can do nothing else but say polka-dot, I think.

Polka-dot is the right answer.

Well done. Back to you, Diane.

Which of these sportsmen was the founder of the

English Bowling Association in 1903 and served as its first president?

OK, Eric Liddell was involved in the Chariots of Fire race and was...

..a runner.

Fred Perry played tennis

and I think both of those are possibly slightly later,

and the first thing that came into my head was that it was going to

possibly be WG Grace, and that's what I'm going for.

Eggheads, is she right?

-Yes.

-Yes, you're right. Well done.

Kit, your third question. If you get this right, you put the pressure on.

The tennis player Leandra Paes was born in which country?

Paes is P-A-E-S.

I've got the feeling he's Indian. I think I can picture him.

I'm going to say it cos I can picture him, that he's Indian.

But I don't know, but I'm going to say that.

Indian.

You're playing really well, India is correct.

Oooh! That is ridiculous! That is ridiculous!

So up against it here slightly, Diane.

Get this one right any you take it to Sudden Death.

Which city hosted the 1968 Winter Olympics?

It's definitely not Sapporo,

that was quite late on.

I don't think it was Oslo, either.

It was held in Grenoble around about that time, I think.

I have to go for Grenoble.

Grenoble.

-Was Sapporo recent?

-That was '72.

-'72?

-Oh, not quite as far back...

-Oslo?

-'52.

'52.

So this was a difficult bunch of options, but you got it right.

Grenoble is the right answer.

After three questions each, the scores are level.

We go to Sudden Death. Just to make it that big harder,

these questions are not multiple-choice.

I don't give you alternatives.

Kit, we start with you.

In 2004, which boxer became an Olympic silver medal winner

for Great Britain at the age of 17?

Prince Naseem?

No. Amir Khan.

So Sudden Death. You have a chance now, Diane, to take the round.

In 2013, who did Greg Dyke replace

as chair of the Football Association?

I hate football!

I can't think of anything at all.

Erm...

I'm really sorry, I can't think of anything at all.

-Sorry.

-It's David Bernstein.

OK, we're on Sudden Death.

Your question, Kit. The European football team

known as PSG is based in which country?

PSG is Paris St Germain, so that's France.

France is correct.

So pressure on you, Diane. You've got to get this right to stay in.

In which decade did South Africa host the Rugby Union World Cup?

OK, I'm torn between a couple.

I'll say the 2000s.

I think this is famous because...

Well, Barry will know this. It's the Mandela moment, isn't it?

-Yes.

-He dressed in the Springboks' jersey.

-Yes, indeed.

-Who was it? Was Pienaar the captain?

-Yes, Francois Pienaar.

-Francois Pienaar.

-1990s.

-1990s is the answer, Diane.

You got that wrong. So, Kit, you've taken the round on Sudden Death.

As a result, you can choose another Egghead to help you in the final round.

Which of them would you like? It can't be Kevin.

I will take Pat, if I may?

-If that's all right?

-Pat, how are you feeling about that?

No, he can't refuse, actually.

-He's not allowed to.

-I'll do what I can.

Do you and Kevin have any complementary areas or areas that don't overlap?

We're both general knowledge quizzers.

I don't think there are huge differences.

That's looking as if it might be OK, but we'll see.

As it stands, Diane still waiting

for that first Egghead to help her in the final.

Kit has two and we've got one more head-to-head to play.

It's Food and Drink and, Kit,

you can choose because you won the last one,

who goes first and who goes second.

I'll go first I think, please.

And here is your first question.

The leaves of which herb are used to make a classic mojito cocktail?

I've imbibed a few in my time.

That's mint in a mojito.

You find it with lime juice.

I forget the spirit, actually but, yeah, it's mint.

Mint is the correct answer, and you are a waitress, right?

-I am, I am.

-But you don't serve...

-No, not my establishment.

..mojito cocktails?

-No, no.

-OK, so, Diane... here's your question.

Which part of turmeric plant is ground into powder?

I could be wrong, but I don't think it's the bark.

I will say seed.

It's the rhizome.

Back to Kit.

In 1957,

which type of produce from the Bresse district of France

was granted AOC status?

Saltmarshes... Of course, it can be...

We have them in my neck of the woods in Romney Marsh.

For some reason I think Bresse is chicken.

So I'm thinking poultry.

I guess poultry, I don't know.

-Judith, you'd know cos you're part French.

-Yes, it's chicken.

Chicken is right. Poultry is the right answer.

So that means you need to get this one right, Diane.

What is cooked with rice in the Italian dish Risi e bisi?

So it's R-I-S-I and then E and the B-I-S-I.

Risi e bisi.

Hooray! It's peas.

Hooray!

Saved yourself in this round. That's good. Peas is correct.

Still in it. Diane,

you've one point there but Kit can win the round with this question.

In Japanese cuisine, what are the thin slices or pouches

called "aburaage" made from?

Oh, I don't know.

You can't slice tofu that thin, I think.

I do eat it.

I'm inclined to say lotus but with absolutely no reason for that beyond

that I think you can slice it quite thinly.

Deep-fried tofu is the right answer.

-Wow.

-So, Diane, get this right and stay in the game.

Which herb is also known as sea parsley?

I'm sure I'm going to get this wrong.

I don't really think it's chervil, but it could be.

The one that I'm slightly drawn to of those three...

..is savory, but I'm really not sure.

It could be lovage.

No, lovage is a herb garden thing.

I'll say savory but I'm not so sure.

OK, savory is your answer. Let me throw it over to the Eggheads.

Anyone know? They're drawing a bit of a blank here.

Sea parsley.

Well, it's not lovage.

-Sea parsley...

-It's not lovage because lovage is...

-What is lovage?

-It's rougher, isn't it?

Is it? Cos lovage is the right answer!

Lovage it is.

Well done, Kit. You've won the final head-to-head.

So you're going to have three Eggheads in the final.

Who is your third?

I don't know! I'm going to take Barry.

I like his stripy shirt.

And the brain, of course. Known as Barry "The Brain" Simmons.

Absolutely. Just caught my eye.

Of course, you were selected through Are You An Egghead - the first one.

-Indeed I was, yes.

-So you know what they're going through over here.

Yes, and I feel for both of them.

All right, so, Diane, you don't have any Eggheads in the final round.

Kit, you now have Kevin, Pat and Barry.

Let's 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.

Diane and Kit, I'm going to ask each of the three questions in turn.

This time the questions are all general knowledge.

And in this final round,

you will have the backing of the Eggheads

you've won over the course of the show. Which means, Diane,

for you, you'll be going it alone

and, Kit, you will have the help of Pat, Barry and Kevin here.

So you will be able to call on your respective Eggheads for advice

before giving an answer to a question.

However, you can ask each of them for help only once.

I'm sorry you haven't got any assistance on that side,

but it doesn't mean you can't win.

So, Kit, as you won the last head-to-head,

you get to choose whether to go first or second.

I'm going to go first, please.

And here is your first question.

In 2013, the Bank of England announced that which British Prime Minister

would appear on the new plastic £5 banknote?

It sounds absurd, but I actually don't know the answer.

I think it might be Churchill.

I don't think it's Churchill...

I don't think it's... I think it is Churchill

but I don't know if that's a bit too obvious.

So I'm going to ask for some help, if I may?

You may. Which one do you want?

I'm going to ask Pat what he thinks.

All right, it's the kind of thing Pat will know.

-Pat?

-I'm pretty sure it's going to be Winston Churchill.

-OK.

-You don't have to take his advice.

No, that's good enough for me. That's what I mean...

That's what I thought

but then you start to second-guess yourself with something

maybe a little bit more esoteric.

But, yeah, that's fine, I shall say Churchill.

Winston Churchill is correct.

Diane, over to you.

With which symbol are National Trail signs marked in

England and Wales?

I don't 100% know this but one sort of seems a bit more obvious than the

others, so I'm going to have to say the acorn.

Acorn is right.

Diane, well done. Kit, back to you.

You've got two Eggheads left now.

The annual Henley Regatta was first held in which year?

See, again, I'd be inclined to say the 1800, but I don't know.

I don't know. I'm going to ask Kevin.

OK, Kevin, the annual Henley Regatta was first held in which year?

Tell me if you need the options.

No, I don't need... I believe that Kit is right there,

that it's the 19th century one.

I believe it's 1839.

-So Kevin says 1839. Is that what you were thinking?

-It is.

I'm very happy to go along with that one.

1839 is the right answer.

OK, Diane, you get this right, you draw level.

Most of the historical region of Silesia now lives in which country?

I don't think it's Austria.

So now I'm a bit torn between the other two.

I'm going to say Poland.

Poland is correct.

Well done, Diane. You've saved the petrol for the right moment here.

So it's 2-2 and we go to the third question.

You've got one Egghead left.

That Egghead is Barry, Kit.

Your question, Kit, is this.

Which country had an infamous secret police service called the Securitate

between 1948 and 1991?

See, this is where I have... I really do not know.

An infamous secret police?

Till '91?

That makes me think it might be Romania, that might be Ceausescu.

I'm going to ask Barry.

I think it's Romania, but I don't know.

Barry, you've been called in.

Kit is right. The Securitate were the secret police that kept

Ceausescu in power in Romania.

I thought it was Romania,

Barry thinks it's Romania, let's go Romania.

And the Eggheads have had certainty on all three so far.

Romania is the right answer.

OK, Diane, you need to get this one right.

Which of the creatures encountered by Hercules during his 12 Labours

was associated with Lake Lerna?

It's the Nemean Lion,

it's the Erymanthian Boar and it's the Lernaean Hydra.

So my answer is hydra.

You can see Barry enjoying that one back there.

He's very impressed.

Hydra is the right answer.

Well played!

With no Eggheads, you have effectively drawn level.

All the Eggheads are out of the game now.

Diane got all of her three answers right, as did you, Kit.

So you are level. We go to Sudden Death.

It gets a bit harder, I don't give you alternative answers.

You're on your own now.

Kit, Roddy Doyle's novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

is set in a suburb of which city?

I think that's Dublin.

I think that's Dublin. I'm going to say Dublin.

Dublin is the right answer.

Diane, this is to stay in the contest.

The Acqua Alta, or high water,

is the usual name given to a particularly high tide,

often famously causing extensive flooding in which Italian city?

Well, they have a lot of floods in Venice.

I'm going to say Venice.

Venice is right.

Absolutely even now.

Nothing to show between you.

So tight, this contest.

Kit, le renard is the French word for which creature?

-It's a fox.

-It is a fox.

Back to you, Diane.

The city of Luang Prabang, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,

is located in which south east Asian country?

So it is two words, L-U-A-N-G and then P-R-A-B-A-N-G.

Just going on the spelling and the words, the sound of the words,

I'm going to have to try something and I'm going to have to say...

Sorry...

I was going to plump for something here but it doesn't seem the sort of

place that would have a lot of World Heritage Sites.

It sounds Indonesian or Malaysian.

I'm going to say...

Indonesia.

Indonesia is your answer.

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

If you've got it wrong...

the contest is Kit's.

-Do you know this?

-I don't.

It's in that neck of the woods but then we did say south east Asia and

it's not Indonesia, it's Laos.

OK.

So on Sudden Death we say congratulations, Kit, you have won!

You played really well because you came back from what seemed like a

hopeless position and you were one question away

from taking the whole contest.

Diane, I hope that wasn't too stressful over there.

-It was!

-We needed you to have at least one Egghead there.

Kit, you used them up.

Absolutely, I would have foundered without them, absolutely.

I think you knew the answers but just wanted certainty there.

I thought I knew them. Yes, that's crazy.

That's ludicrous. I can't believe I've won. That's madness!

Well, congratulations, you have proved that winning comes as naturally to you, Kit,

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,

that's rather healthy nine points you've got already.

You're now going to get the chance to add to those points by answering

quickfire questions for two minutes.

We'll give you one point for each correct answer

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

Have a look at the leaderboard.

We've only had two contestants go before you, Marianne and Nancy.

So you've got a pretty good chance of being in the top four,

whether you stay there when all ten names are in, we shall see.

The top four places at the end of the heats

will make it through to the semifinals.

All to play for. Are you ready to go for it?

Absolutely.

Good luck. Your time starts now.

Which dessert takes its name from the old French

for white food or white eating?

-Blancmange.

-Correct.

Which Shakespeare character says the line,

"Out, damned spot. "Out, I say!"

Lady Macbeth.

Correct. What is the surname of Phil

who forms a frequent TV presenting partnership with Kirstie Allsopp?

-Spencer.

-Correct.

In which country is the Maasai Mara Game Reserve?

-Kenya.

-Correct.

In British history, Henry VIII died in which century?

-16th.

-Correct.

The first line of Herman Melvin's novel Moby Dick is, "Call me..."

-what?

-Ishmael.

Correct. Which British city hosted both the 1970

and the 1986 Commonwealth Games?

-Glasgow.

-No, Edinburgh.

What is the first name of the grandchild of the Queen,

born on 8th November, 2003?

-Pass.

-Louise.

In travel, what three letters make up the airport code specifically for

Gatwick?

-GTW.

-No, LGW.

In which 1949 film does Orson Welles play the role

of the villainous Harry Lime?

-Third Man.

-Correct.

For what does the letter O stand in the name of the psychological

disorder, abbreviated to OCT?

-Obsessive.

-Correct.

Which Welsh town is home to the National Library of Wales?

I don't know. Sorry, pass.

Aberystwyth.

What is the first name of Gulliver,

the title character in Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels?

-Pass.

-It's Lemuel.

With which UK chart-topping group did Noddy Holder achieve fame?

-Slade.

-Correct. According to legend,

on which of Rome's seven hills

were the city's founders Romulus and Remus cared for by a she-wolf?

Forth.

No, the Palatine Hill.

Inhabitants of which English county are known as salopians?

-Slough.

-No, Shropshire.

The function of which human organ if faulty

can be performed by a dialysis machine?

-Kidneys.

-Correct.

Which music features the song Mr Cellophane and All That Jazz?

-Chicago.

-Correct.

In which city did Oscar Wilde die in 1900?

I don't know.

The answer I wanted was Paris.

OK, Kit, you scored 11 points,

giving you a grand total of 20 points.

Let's have a look at our all-important leaderboard here and see your name arrive.

So you've got 20 points.

You're in second because your last correct answer came a little bit later than Marianne's.

-Right.

-But you're up there.

-Yeah!

-And 20 is a very, very handy score.

You may well still be in the green.

The crucial thing is staying in the green as we get other competitors through. Well played.

Now you can breathe.

-SHE SIGHS

-I might cry!

I think I might cry. Crikey! Thank you.

All right, thank you for playing. You, too, Diane.

Join us next time to find out who else might have what it takes to become an Egghead.

What a contest today!

Until then, goodbye.