Episode 9 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.

Yes, a place on the most fearsome quiz team in history, the Eggheads.

Are you looking forward to being joined by somebody

at the end of all this? Absolutely. Yeah.

OK. Well, let's meet today's contestants, both hoping

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

Hi, I'm Gary Grant. I'm a GP and I'm originally from Aberdeen.

Hello, my name is Martyn Oram. I am a supermarket cashier

and I'm from Pencoed, in South Wales.

Martyn, Gary, welcome.

So, I'm guessing you both love to quiz.

We do... Well, certainly I do, yeah. Yes, absolutely.

Let's start with you, Gary. What have you done on TV and so on?

I've been on Are You An Egghead? So, I've tried this process before.

I got to the semifinals and I came up against an immovable rock

called Pat Gibson. Ah-ha!

So, there's a bit of history there. Yeah.

I've been on Mastermind, which I was fortunate enough to win in 2012.

And I've been on Only Connect and Fifteen to One and The Weakest Link

and I won shows on all of them, as well.

OK. So, Martyn, you have, I know, been on Eggheads.

Indeed, yes, back in the day.

We put a team in from our local rugby club and we called ourselves

the Midweek Marauders and we obviously must have caught

the Eggheads on a bad day that day because we actually came away

with a prize and it was a very healthy ?10,000. Lovely.

And not easily done. We sit here and I do Egghead after Egghead addition.

I know how hard that is, so, well done. Good luck to you both.

Contestants, 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, I can tell you,

will be on the subject of Film Television.

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

questions on that subject in turn.

Whoever answers the most questions correctly

wins the round, obviously. But here, the prize for winning a round

is that you gain an extra brain for the final.

Not just any old brain, either. Not my brain,

or an underperforming brain like that.

One of these five brains, you can gain,

and bring onto your side of the final.

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

Gary, you got the option to decide whether,

in this first head-to-head, you want to go first or second.

I tossed a coin again to decide and it decided for me

that I would go first.

Good luck to you both and here is your question.

Prior to selling his first screenplays,

Quentin Tarantino famously worked in what type of establishment?

Erm... Well, a butcher's shop would certainly fit with the amount

of blood that are in his movies.

I would probably think that the most likely thing is video store,

so I will hazard a bit of a guess at video store.

Video store is correct.

Over to you, Martyn.

In the 1995 crime thriller The Usual Suspects,

by what name is Kevin Spacey's character known?

Well, I have watched the film.

Erm, I know they're all after Keyser Soze, I think,

was the name that was cropping up on many occasion.

The only one there, I think, that's going to pop out is Verbal.

Any Eggheads know? Verbal. Verbal is right. Well done.

Keyser Soze. You're absolutely right.

That is the name of the scary person.

OK, second question to you,

Gary. What is the name of the character played by Barbra Streisand

in her 1968 feature film debut Funny Girl

and in its 1975 sequel Funny Lady?

Of those names, the one that I recognise...

I certainly don't recognise the first two at all.

But Fanny Brice...is ringing the tiniest, faintest of bells

somewhere very distantly in my brain.

So, I think the character she plays is called Fanny Brice.

Fanny Brice is correct.

Martyn, in the BBC's mid-'70s adaptation

of I, Claudius, which actor played the Emperor Augustus?

It's funny, actually, because I, Claudius is one of the sort of

shows that I watched that you learn so much about the Roman Empire

and the Roman dynasty. And I loved watching it

and it was one of my favourite programmes when it was on,

and I know that Brian Blessed is the...

Hopefully! Bigging myself up.

..is the correct answer.

Emperor Augustus was played by Brian Blessed. You're quite right.

So, you're both playing well. Two points each.

Back to you, Gary. Who took over the role of the cat burglar

Sir Charles Lytton from David Niven in the 1975 film

The Return Of The Pink Panther?

Wow. Erm...

I've got to say I don't know that at all.

They're all very eminent actors, aren't they? So...

I don't know. I don't know.

This is really a bit of a stab in the dark.

I'll go with Christopher Plummer. Christopher Plummer.

Martyn, do you know this one? It's Christopher Plummer.

Yes, it is Christopher Plummer. Sorry. Sorry.

OK, Martyn, you need this

to stay in the round.

Which of these actresses spent much of her childhood

touring with her German opera singer mother

and occasionally appearing in operatic productions herself?

Right, OK. I'm getting nothing at all from that, unfortunately.

Purely on the basis that Basinger sounds more German

than anything else, I'm going to go with Kim Basinger.

I think I probably would've done, as well.

Let's see. Gary, is he right?

Sandra Bullock? Anyone?

Sandra Bullock. It is Sandra Bullock.

Sorry, Martyn. No, no.

Gary has won the first head-to-head.

As a result, you gain an Egghead for the final round,

so you have the pick of these five amazing brains.

Perhaps, to no great surprise, I'd like to pick Kevin, please.

Kevin, do you do anything to get focused for the final round?

No, I don't think there's much you can, really,

because you don't know what you're going to be hit with.

It's going to be one question and it could be anything.

So, just in a sense, of feeling generally focused, that's all.

That's all you can do. Excellent. Well, Kevin will be trying

to help you out in the final round. Good choice, Gary, I'm sure.

You've got one Egghead there. Martyn doesn't have one yet.

Let's see what happens in our next category, which is History.

Gary, because you won the first head-to-head,

you can choose. Do you want to go first or second?

Why break a winning habit? Let's go first again.

Here is your first question, Gary. Good luck.

Which historical figure was the founder

of the international Communist organisation known as Comintern?

Erm...

Comintern has to be far too late for...

or far too early, sorry, for Khruhschev.

And I'm going to say it was an early thing and we're going to say Lenin.

Lenin is correct.

Martyn, in the run-up to the Iraq War,

the Swedish diplomat Hans Blix was the United Nations head

of what type of activity?

OK, I do remember this.

Massively in the news back in the day.

He was in charge of the weapons inspection department.

He was indeed. Yes, you're right.

OK, Gary, your question.

At the Battle of Agincourt, Henry V's army numbered

roughly how many men?

Well, I'm immediately going to exclude 600

because it would be far more than that.

60,000's a very high number...

..especially because they would have had to go to France for it.

I think a reasonable number...

It's not something I know, but I think a reasonable number for this

would be 6,000, so we'll say 6,000. Let's see if our boffins know.

Spot-on. Spot-on. 6,000 is right. Well done.

Martyn, your second question.

Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty,

the founding document of NATO, states that,

"An armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America

"shall be considered an attack against who?"

Right, just for clarification, once more, please, Jeremy.

Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty,

the founding document of NATO, states that,

"An armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America

"shall be considered an attack against who?"

Thank you for the clarification.

On that basis, I'm going to go with them all.

Them all is quite right.

Gary, of the five landing beaches

used on D-Day in 1944, which was the easternmost?

Crikey.

Right. They...

I may have this hopelessly wrong, but I think the two American beaches

were to the west, Juno and Omaha...

..which would mean it's got to be Gold or Sword.

I don't know the order they were in. I can't imagine a map.

I'm going to have to hope that there was some sort of alphabetical order

involved left-to-right and say Sword.

Sword is your answer. I'm looking at Martyn thinking, "Do you know?"

If it had been my question, it would have been my answer - Sword.

Can we picture them here, anyone? We've no Chris today. Kevin?

As far as the British and Canadian beaches are concerned,

that is the order, from west to east, in which they sit.

So, the westernmost beach was the American, Utah, then Omaha,

and then Gold, Juno, Sword. So, Sword is the easternmost.

There we are. From the man himself.

Sword is the right answer. You've got three out of three.

Martyn, there's still the pressure on you.

Now, you've got to stay in with this answer.

Who defeated the Saxons at the Battle of Maldon in 991?

It's too late for the Romans, it's too early for the Normans

because they didn't darken our shores until around 1066,

if I'm not mistaken.

The basis of elimination, or the process of elimination,

takes me towards the Vikings.

Vikings is right. You're playing really well, both of you.

So, you've got three out of three, both of you.

It gets a bit harder now - we go to Sudden Death

and I do not give you alternative answers.

Gary, are you ready? I am.

The International Brigades was the name given to the groups

of foreign volunteers who fought on the Republican side,

against the Nationalists, in which country's civil war?

Oh, well, I think George Orwell was part of the International Brigades

and that was in Spain's civil war.

Spain is right.

Martyn, Sudden Death. Walter Mondale

served as US vice president during whose presidency?

Right, OK. Erm...

It's not that far back.

I'm torn here between Bush Sr and possibly Reagan.

And I might even have to borrow Gary's coin here

to decide which one it is.

I will go for...

Bush Sr.

I would ask you for the full name. George Bush Sr.

His was Dan Quayle, actually. OK. And then Reagan's was Bush Sr.

And Mondale was a Democrat.

Carter, then. It is Jimmy Carter, yeah.

Sorry, you're behind. It's Sudden Death.

You can't afford a wrong answer. We say congratulations, Gary.

You've won that head-to-head, as well.

And you can choose a second Egghead to help you in the final.

OK. I've already picked one. You've picked Kevin. Yeah.

I've picked one world quiz champion, I'll pick another one now,

so I'll pick Pat, thank you.

Right. So, as it stands, Gary has two Eggheads to help him

in the final. Martyn doesn't have any yet.

We have got another head-to-head, Martyn, fear not.

Food Drink

is the topic. And, Gary, again,

cos you won the last one, you can choose - first or second?

This is going to be my weakest subject,

so it's not going to make any difference, but I'll go first again.

Food Drink, and your first question, Gary.

Which foodstuff was the subject of a 1957 hoax documentary

shown on Panorama for April Fool's Day?

Now, there's... Again, there's a...

..a tiny bell ringing in my head here,

and I think it's something to do with growing them on trees.

And I think it's spaghetti.

So, I think the answer's spaghetti.

Anyone confirm? Absolutely.

None of us have seen it, have we?

I've seen things of it cos it was Richard Dimbleby, wasn't it?

Yes, it was Richard. In 1957. And,

obviously, at the time, because he was the big voice

of, you know, seniority and truth,

it did look a very good, you know, spoof documentary.

If Jeremy Vine was telling you about spaghetti trees,

you wouldn't believe him, would you? I'd believe him.

Yes, it is spaghetti. It was done very well.

Well done. Spaghetti it was.

OK, Martyn,

the dish of bird's nest soup, considered a delicacy,

health booster, life prolonger and aphrodisiac,

is most associated with which continent?

Well, the way you described it, it sounds very tasty.

I'm pretty sure it's from Asia.

Asia's correct. Has anyone here had bird's nest soup?

I've had it once and I think the bird involved is a swift.

So, there was a bird used in it?

I think it's the saliva that holds the nest together,

which is used to make the soup. Oh, really? Yes.

Was that in one of your Japan travels, Barry?

No, it was in a Chinese restaurant in my home town. What, in Bradford?

Leeds. JEREMY LAUGHS

Leeds near Shanghai. Oh, great.

Here's your second question, Gary.

Baloney is a type of what?

I only know baloney in terms of the thing that I normally talk,

and certainly what the answer I'm going to give will be baloney,

I think, cos I've never heard of it as a food.

I'm going to say baloney is a sausage.

LAUGHTER Sausage.

Well, Judith's rule is, if cheese is up there, you always choose cheese.

Ah. That's the rule of Keppel.

But cheese would have been wrong. Martyn, you know.

Yeah, I do. Yeah, and it's sausage.

I'm so sorry! You haven't got an answer wrong yet.

You're playing well.

OK, Martyn, your question.

Which of these is a form of green tea used in Japanese tea ceremonies?

I do drink tea. None of that stuff, though.

Builder's tea for me, thank you very much.

I'm going to go with goma.

I'm going to check this with Barry cos I reckon you'll know this.

Well, I've drunk green tea in the shogun's summer residence

in the Central Park, in Tokyo.

That's not in Leeds? That's not in Leeds.

This one is definitely in Japan.

I have a vague recollection that it was made from matcha.

The answer is matcha. Yeah.

So, let's see if that was

an expensive error. If you get this right, Gary, you've taken the round.

In champagne production, what is the English term for the process

of moving sediment to the neck of the bottle so it can be removed?

Oh, wow. When you said that, I thought,

"Oh, yeah, I'll know that when it comes up," and I don't.

But there is, again, something.

This little bell keeps going off in my head.

Where it's coming from, I've no idea.

And this time, it's saying riddling, so I'll have to go with that.

I've certainly heard that as a process.

It's something, so we'll say riddling.

If you've got this right, Gary, then you've taken the third

of the head-to-heads.

The answer is riddling.

You have got it right.

And congratulations, we say. You've won the final head-to-head.

So sorry.

All right... No, you don't need to apologise.

You're not triumphant yet.

So, you've got Kevin, you've got Pat.

You can choose one more Egghead and leave Martyn bereft.

It is a tricky one. There's a case for all three, but I'd probably say

Barry, if that's all right. Sure. Yeah, we know Barry's strengths.

They're very familiar. The history, the opera,

the albums of the Sugababes.

So, Gary, you've got Kevin, Pat and Barry in the final round.

Martyn, you don't have any Eggs, but it's not over,

not by any manner of means. Let's now see what happens in the final.

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.

Gary and Martyn, I'm going to ask each of you three questions in turn,

and this time, the questions are all

General Knowledge. In this final round,

you will have the backing of the Eggheads you've won over the course

of the show. So, Gary, you're going to have Kevin and Pat and Barry

back there. Martyn, sadly, you're on your own!

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

You'll be able to call on your respective Eggheads, Gary,

for advice before giving an answer to a question.

However, you can ask them only once, so you've got to use them

very wisely. So, you both happy with that? Yeah.

All right. Gary, you won the last round, you get to choose

whether you want to go first or second.

This time, Jeremy, I'll go second, please.

OK. Martyn, your first question.

In February 2015, Colin Graves was elected to be the chairman

of the governing body of which sport in England and Wales?

I love my sport. Very sport-orientated.

I've played cricket. I've played cricket for over 40 years.

Erm, tennis is not...

..not my forte, got to be honest with you.

Colin Graves.

It's a very familiar-sounding name...

..and I am leaning towards cricket.

Cricket is correct.

You're on your way.

Gary, what is the English translation of the name

of the Italian newspaper La Stampa?

Oh.

I've done a little bit of Italian

and I have a little inkling, but...

..I think, with three Eggheads sat there, it would be very foolish

of me not to use one of them.

And I'm hopeful that if I ask...

..Kevin, he will confirm what I'm already thinking.

So, Kevin, what is the English translation

of the name of the Italian newspaper La Stampa?

Well, I think it's sort of a mechanical process.

I think it is the press.

He says the press. You don't have to accept that, but was that

what you were thinking? It was actually, yes.

I know it's not the truth.

So, yeah, because we both think the same thing,

I think, yeah, I'll save my other two Eggheads,

hope it's correct and say the press.

And the press is right. Stampa sounds a bit like press, doesn't it?

Thank you, Kevin. Martyn, your second question.

H1N1 is the scientific designation for a subtype of which virus?

HN...? H1N1.

Now, that's very familiar in terms of, if I'm not mistaken,

a few years back, there was quite an epidemic

and it was surrounding, if I'm not mistaken again, bird flu.

So, I will go with influenza.

Your logic is impeccable. Influenza is the right answer.

Back to you, Gary.

Jumpman was an early name of which video game character?

Right, this is where...

..I ride my bicycle along the ragged edge of disaster

because I think, with two Eggheads, I might just...

..go for this, actually.

See, Sonic the Hedgehog is a hedgehog...

..and isn't a man.

Clearly, it's designed to be a hedgehog.

Similarly, the Crash Bandicoot is a bandicoot.

Whereas Mario is a man.

This may be something I regret...

..but...

..I'm going to say Mario. JEREMY LAUGHS

Mario is right. Well done.

I loved that.

A very serious application of logic to those video game characters.

So, your question, Martyn. Third question in the final round.

The timing of which of the Apollo moon missions

meant that the astronaut crew had to spend Christmas Day in space?

OK, right. Well...

Apollo 13 was the ill-fated mission that was...

..made into a film with Tom Hanks.

Apollo 17 was the last of the Apollo missions.

Purely because of the disaster that occurred

to the Apollo 13 mission...

..I will go with Apollo 13.

Gary, do you know this one?

I'll be honest, I don't, no. No?

Any Eggs know this? I think it's eight. I think it's eight.

I think it's eight. I seem to remember a Christmas broadcast

from Apollo 8.

Yeah, the Eggheads have got it. Apollo 8 is the answer. OK.

So, with this, your third question, Gary,

you can take the contest.

Which Hindu festival is sometimes referred to

as the Festival of Colours,

after the practice of participants throwing coloured powders

over each other?

Right.

I've travelled to India and I was there when they did this.

You get covered in

multicoloured powder

and it's great fun and it's Holi.

OK. You're not going to consult Pat or Barry?

I probably should have done, shouldn't I?

Well, if you're right, we're not going to hear from them again.

Yeah. If we go to Sudden Death, I've still got them, haven't I?

Yeah, Holi.

It won't be necessary. The answer is Holi.

So, after three questions, we say, Gary, congratulations, you have won.

And I'm just realising, Martyn,

he didn't get a single question wrong in the whole show.

Well, thanks for reminding me, Jeremy. That's very kind of you.

Sometimes, a player just does that and there's no stopping them.

Absolutely. Fair play. He did very, very well.

Well, brilliant. I hope you've enjoyed your visit.

I've had a fabulous time. I've had an absolute whale of a time,

thank you. And well done, Gary. 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 over yet.

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

so that's a very handy nine points.

And you're 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'll see where your final score puts you on our leaderboard.

Now, the top four places at the end of the heats

will make it through to the semifinals.

Take a look at the leaderboard.

We've already got four names up there.

Maybe, after your quickfire round, you will displace one of them.

We shall see. But you've got to be in the top four at the end

of the whole process to get to the semifinals.

All to play for. Are you ready to play? I certainly am. OK.

Good luck. Your time starts now.

Made famous after the 1970s scandal involving President Nixon,

the Watergate complex is a group of buildings in which city?

Washington DC. Correct.

Which stage musical features the character Jean Valjean?

Les Miserables. Correct.

In which TV drama series did Craig Parkinson play

the police officer Matthew Dot Cottan?

Heartbeat. No, Line Of Duty.

What was the surname of the title character in the British comic strip

Roy Of The Rovers?

Roy Race. Correct.

The wrestler who used the ring name Big Daddy was called Shirley what?

Crabtree. Correct.

Grantham, famous as the birthplace of Margaret Thatcher,

is a town in which county?

Lincolnshire. Correct.

Which 1981 UK number one

was a collaboration between Queen and David Bowie?

Under Pressure. Correct.

Which 1989 Disney animation features the characters

Ariel, Flounder and Scuttle?

The Little Mermaid. Correct.

The Canadian city of Toronto is situated on which of the five

Great Lakes of North America?

Ontario. Correct.

What colour are the 50 stars on the national flag of the USA?

White. Correct.

The llama is native to which continent?

South America. Correct.

Of which Pulitzer Prize-winning novel

is Jean Louise Scout Finch the main narrator?

To Kill A Mockingbird. Correct.

Which musical features the songs With A Little Bit Of Luck

and I Could Have Danced All Night?

Oh, Carousel. No. My Fair Lady.

In which play by Shakespeare is a pound of flesh demanded

for non-payment of a debt?

The Merchant Of Venice. Correct.

In which country was the composer Edvard Grieg born?

Norway. Correct.

The catchphrase that became most associated with Max Bygraves was,

"I want to tell you a..." what?

Story. Correct.

The spirit tequila is named after a location in which country?

Mexico. Correct.

What was the first name of the poet WB Yeats?

Er, William. Correct.

The racing driver Jacques Villeneuve, born in 1971,

won the Formula One world championship in which decade?

The '90s. Correct.

Which saint is celebrated on the 15th of July

and is associated with a custom that

if it rains on this day, it will rain for 40 days?

Swithin. Correct.

What is the first name of the EastEnders character

played by Ross Kemp?

Grant. Correct.

What is the star sign of someone born on April the 10th?

Taurus. END OF ROUND BUZZER

No, that last one was wrong. Aries. It was Aries. Yeah.

You did a storming performance there. My goodness.

So, you've done very, very well.

I'm thinking this looks very good for you, Gary. You scored 19 points.

That gives you a grand total of 28.

So, let's see the leaderboard now

and we're going to see something quite dramatic here.

Gary comes on and you're right at the top with 28 points.

I don't know how anyone's going to push you out of the top four

in the next few days, but let's see.

All right, well, we're working out how this works.

It's very exciting. Thank you, both. Great quizzing, guys, both of you.

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

to become an Egghead.

I wonder if tomorrow's will be just as tense? 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.

What happens?

BUZZER THIS happens.

16? Yes!

Which country does this flag belong to?

Belgium.

I'm feeling quite happy.

IT'S A TRIUMPH!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE