Eggheads (TV series)
Eggheads is a British quiz show from the BBC. It was first broadcast in 2003 chaired by Dermot Murnaghan. In 2008 Jeremy Vine became joint chair, and subsequently sole chair. In each episode, a team of five quiz and game show champions is challenged by a team of five contestants for prize money.
The most prize money that has been won is £75,000, in 2007. Some teams have been reduced to one contestant for the final round, but have still beaten five Eggheads. Occasionally, one remaining Egghead will beat five challengers. Only once have the Eggheads lost four games in succession and only four times has a team of all five challengers won the final round.
Occasional teams of celebrities challenge the Eggheads in short series, with their own rolling prize fund.
The show has resulted in three spinoff series: Are You an Egghead?, Revenge of the Egghead and Make Me an Egghead.
Hosts
The show began in 2003 with Dermot Murnaghan as the presenter. From 2008, Jeremy Vine presented when Murnaghan was hosting the spinoff series. After the spin-off show finished, Murnaghan and Vine continued to host the series on a rotational basis, with Murnaghan typically hosting the first half of each series and Vine taking over for the second half. From series 16 Vine became the sole presenter.Format
Rounds
The show is played in five rounds. The first four rounds each focus on one subject category while the final round tests general knowledge. In the first four rounds, the challengers choose a member of their own team to play, and an Egghead against whom they wish to compete. The players for that round then leave the studio to go into the "Question Room". The challenger is given the choice of going first or second. Both players are asked in turn three multiple-choice questions. If there is no winner, the round goes into sudden death with no choices given for answers.The player who wins each round earns a place in the final round, while the losing players are eliminated from the game.
The general knowledge round is then played the same way as the previous rounds but challengers, if more than one remains, can confer. If they win they take the prize money; if the Eggheads win, the prize money is increased by £1,000 for the next quiz.
Subjects
There are nine possible subjects for the first rounds. They are:- Arts & Books
- Entertainment
- Film & Television
- Food & Drink
- Geography
- History
- Music
- Politics
- Science
- Sport
"Eggheads"
In the first eight series, the team consisted of only five Eggheads who each appeared in every episode and did not rotate. At the end of 2008, a sixth Egghead was added and appearances rotated. From series 15, five of eight possible Eggheads appear each episode, and later in 2016, two brand-new Eggheads joined the panel after a spin-off series entitled Make Me an Egghead.Current Eggheads
- Kevin Ashman is the eight-time winner of the British Quiz Championship, the winner of the third series of Fifteen to One in 1989, the 1995 Mastermind, the 1996 Brain of Britain, its 3-yearly Brain of Brains and 9-yearly Top Brain in 1998, the Fifteen to One: Millenium Edition in 1999, the thirteen time Brain of London winner, the twice Gold Medallist for quizzing at the Mind Sports Olympiad, the two time Master Brain, and the winner of Sale of the Century, Quiz Night, Trivial Pursuit and The Great British Quiz. Since joining Eggheads, he has won six European Quizzing Championships and six World Quizzing Championships as well as being the Captain of the England quiz team and being ranked the number one quizzer in the world.
- Chris Hughes won £100 on The Sky's the Limit in the 1970s, Top of the World in 1982, Mastermind and International Mastermind in 1983 and participated on The Weakest Link in 2001 where despite answering every question correctly, was the last contestant voted off. Since joining Eggheads, he won Brain of Britain in 2005.
- Judith Keppel was the first British winner of £1,000,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2000.
- Barry Simmons won £64,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2005, a winning member of Masterteam in 2006 and a semi-finalist on Mastermind. He joined Eggheads in 2008 after winning the first series of Are You an Egghead? beating in the final Shaun Wallace, who would become one of two original chasers in The Chase. Since joining Eggheads, he won Brain of Britain in 2013 which garnered controversy amongst listeners. He is currently a member of the Scotland Quiz Team.
- Pat Gibson won £1,000,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2004, Mastermind in 2005 and Brain of Britain in 2006. He is a four-time winner of the British Quiz Championship, and a four-time winner of the World Quizzing Championships. He took part in Are You an Egghead? twice, losing in the quarter-finals to Mark Kerr in the first series in 2008, but winning the second series in 2009 beating David Edwards in the final to join the Eggheads. He also won Mastermind Champion of Champions in 2010. He has amassed 21 international quizzing medals and was ranked the second strongest quizzer in the UK, behind Kevin Ashman.
- Lisa Thiel, a previous contestant on The Weakest Link in 2001 where she made the final but lost, The Chase in 2012 and part of a winning team on the Egghead's spinoff Revenge of the Egghead in 2014.
- Steve Cooke, winner of the men's contest in Make Me an Egghead. He is a member of Mensa who previously won £12,900 on The People Versus in 2001.
- Beth Webster, winner of the women's contest in Make Me an Egghead. She is active on the Quizzing Grand Prix Circuit in the United Kingdom, and in The Quiz League of London. She was ranked as a "Sage" in the 2012 Order of Merit listings of the British Quiz Association.
Former Eggheads
- CJ de Mooi won the original The Weakest Link Bad Loser Special in 2000,100% in 2001, Beat the Nation in 2002 and Fifteen to One. He is also a Mensa chess champion. He took a break from the show from August 2012 until May 2014. His last appearance on his first run on the show was on 31 August 2012 during Series 13. He was the sole Egghead on Revenge of the Egghead, which aired on BBC2 in 2014. In May 2016, he confirmed on Twitter that he was leaving the show again to pursue an acting career in South Africa.
- Daphne Fowler won Going for Gold in 1988, Brain of Britain in 1997 and two series of Fifteen to One in 2001. She has now retired from Eggheads, with her last appearance being in May 2014. She was replaced in the team by returning Egghead CJ de Mooi.
- David Rainford appeared on Remote Control in 1991 and won £250,000 on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in 2005. He was a previous contestant on Are You An Egghead where he was a semi-finalist in the first series in 2008, losing to eventual winner Barry Simmons, and a quarter-finalist in the second series in 2009, losing to David Edwards. He replaced CJ de Mooi. He earned himself the nickname "Tremendous Knowledge Dave". On 7 March 2020, it was reported that Rainford had died, after illness had prevented him appearing on the show since 2018.
Graphical representation
Teams who have defeated the Eggheads
The highest amount any team has won to beat the Eggheads is £75,000 in 2007 by a team of Oxford Brookes University students, Beer Today, Gone Tomorrow.| Team name | Episode | Prize money | Cumulative | Notes |
| Unicorn Inn | Series 1, Episode 13 | £13,000 | ||
| Folically Challenged | Series 1, Episode 15 | £2,000 | ||
| Unlikely Lads | Series 1, Episode 21 | £6,000 | £21,000 | |
| Streatham Massive | Series 2, Episode 11 | £20,000 | ||
| Spaghetti | Series 2, Episode 30 | £19,000 | £60,000 | |
| The Rotor Heads | Series 3, Episode 21 | £21,000 | £81,000 | |
| Densa | Series 4, Episode 11 | £20,000 | ||
| Wapping Black Sheep | Series 4, Episode 14 | £3,000 | £104,000 | |
| Radio Ga Ga | Series 5, Episode 6 | £17,000 | £121,000 | |
| Second Class | Series 6, Episode 3 | £37,000 | ||
| Mancunian Candidates | Series 6, Episode 10 | £7,000 | ||
| Russell's Raiders | Series 6, Episode 14 | £4,000 | £169,000 | |
| West Yorkies | Series 7, Episode 18 | £29,000 | ||
| Seville Servants | Series 7, Episode 19 | £1,000 | £199,000 | #1 Eggheads lose twice in a row |
| Beer today, Gone tomorrow | Series 8, Episode 14 | £75,000 | Biggest win on the show so far | |
| Preston Quizmasters | Series 8, Episode 17 | £3,000 | ||
| Museum of London/Museum in Docklands team | Series 8, Episode 50 | £33,000 | ||
| Taxidermists | Series 8, Episode 51 | £1,000 | #2 Eggheads lose twice in a row | |
| Blue Vibe | Series 8, Episode 63 | £12,000 | ||
| Beer and Skittles | Series 8, Episode 68 | £5,000 | £328,000 | |
| Weakly Players | Series 9, Episode 15 | £27,000 | ||
| Sean and the Sheep | Series 9, Episode 35 | £20,000 | ||
| Tap Heads | Series 9, Episode 48 | £13,000 | ||
| The Rat Pack | Series 9, Episode 54 | £5,000 | Eggheads lose to a single opponent for the first time | |
| Lads Wot Lunch | Series 9, Episode 65 | £12,000 | ||
| South Wales Warriors | Series 9, Episode 70 | £5,000 | ||
| Loser's Corner | Series 9, Episode 76 | £6,000 | ||
| Meet your Waterloo | Series 9, Episode 83 | £7,000 | #2 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| Flexi Funksters | Series 9, Episode 99 | £16,000 | #3 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| Cubbington Players | Series 9, Episode 112 | £13,000 | ||
| Act One | Series 9, Episode 120 | £8,000 | Final team to play the original set of 5 Eggheads | |
| Bere Heads | Series 9, Episode 145 | £25,000 | ||
| The Abbey Revellers | Series 9, Episode 146 | £1,000 | #3 Eggheads lose twice in a row | |
| The Bald & The Beautiful | Series 9, Episode 152 | £6,000 | ||
| Eclectic Mix | Series 9, Episode 159 | £7,000 | £499,000 | |
| The Oxford Imps | Series 10, Episode 2 | £3,000 | ||
| Chummie Brummies | Series 10, Episode 31 | £29,000 | ||
| One Sense Less | Series 10, Episode 54 | £23,000 | ||
| The Midweek Marauders | Series 10, Episode 64 | £10,000 | ||
| Beached Boys | Series 10, Episode 66 | £2,000 | ||
| Sally Warboys | Series 10, Episode 69 | £3,000 | ||
| The Hanging Gale | Series 10, Episode 82 | £13,000 | ||
| The Cartoonists | Series 10, Episode 91 | £9,000 | First team with all five challengers to win the final round against single Egghead | |
| Insight Radio | Series 10, Episode 92 | £1,000 | #4 Eggheads lose twice in a row & #4 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| Ocean's Five | Series 10, Episode 93 | £1,000 | #1 Eggheads lose three times in a row | |
| Bognor Regis + 2 | Series 10, Episode 94 | £1,000 | #1 Eggheads lose four times in a row | |
| The Eggitors | Series 10, Episode 98 | £4,000 | ||
| Pembroke Globetrotters | Series 10, Episode 115 | £17,000 | ||
| PRS Plus | Series 10, Episode 121 | £6,000 | £621,000 | |
| The Wise Owls | Series 11, Episode 3 | £37,000 | ||
| Work I.T. Out | Series 11, Episode 5 | £2,000 | ||
| Shabba | Series 11, Episode 35 | £30,000 | #5 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| The Black & White Stripes | Series 11, Episode 52 | £17,000 | ||
| Loiners by Proxy | Series 11, Episode 57 | £5,000 | ||
| The Middleton Moonrakers | Series 11, Episode 58 | £1,000 | #7 Eggheads lose twice in a row | |
| Scrum 5 | Series 11, Episode 72 | £14,000 | ||
| Comedy of Errors | Series 11, Episode 75 | £3,000 | #6 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| Glamorgan Poppies | Series 11, Episode 86 | £11,000 | ||
| The Apple Turnovers | Series 11, Episode 93 | £7,000 | ||
| Get It With Letters | Series 11, Episode 122 | £29,000 | ||
| Chessboxers | Series 11, Episode 124 | £2,000 | ||
| The Flying Doctors | Series 11, Episode 130 | £6,000 | #7 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| Lancashire Hotpots | Series 11, Episode 141 | £11,000 | #8 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| Bar 5 | Series 11, Episode 157 | £16,000 | £812,000 | |
| Living by Numbers | Series 12, Episode 6 | £9,000 | ||
| Culture Vultures | Series 12, Episode 24 | £18,000 | ||
| Who Cares Wins | Series 12, Episode 38 | £14,000 | ||
| The Internal Marketeers | Series 12, Episode 63 | £25,000 | ||
| Chad Acad | Series 12, Episode 66 | £3,000 | ||
| Cornish Monkeys | Series 12, Episode 72 | £6,000 | ||
| Millennium Marvels | Series 12, Episode 84 | £12,000 | ||
| Loose Connection | Series 12, Episode 85 | £1,000 | #8 Eggheads lose twice in a row | |
| She Who Must Be Obeyed | Series 12, Episode 91 | £6,000 | ||
| The Tramlines | Series 12, Episode 96 | £5,000 | ||
| The Lions' Den | Series 12, Episode 97 | £1,000 | #9 Eggheads lose twice in a row | |
| 5 A Day | Series 12, Episode 124 | £27,000 | ||
| Blackpool Rockers | Series 12, Episode 141 | £17,000 | ||
| The Five Marketeers | Series 12, Episode 145 | £4,000 | #9 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| The Brocketeers | Series 12, Episode 149 | £4,000 | £964,000 | |
| The Royal Harmonics | Series 13, Episode 12 | £23,000 | ||
| Dobbin | Series 13, Episode 19 | £7,000 | ||
| Shelford 5 | Series 13, Episode 22 | £3,000 | ||
| The Wonderyears | Series 13, Episode 30 | £8,000 | Over £1,000,000 has now been paid out in prize money since show first started | |
| Phoenix Nights | Series 13, Episode 37 | £7,000 | ||
| The Bell Boys | Series 13, Episode 38 | £1,000 | #10 Eggheads lose twice in a row | |
| A Tale of Two Families | Series 13, Episode 41 | £3,000 | ||
| Bucks Quiz | Series 13, Episode 44 | £3,000 | ||
| The Melting Pot | Series 13, Episode 47 | £3,000 | ||
| Lightning Can Strike Twice | Series 13, Episode 53 | £6,000 | #10 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| The Family Connection | Series 13, Episode 65 | £12,000 | ||
| Dad's Army | Series 13, Episode 83 | £18,000 | #11 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| The Hole in the Wall Gang | Series 13, Episode 85 | £2,000 | ||
| UNOS | Series 13, Episode 89 | £4,000 | ||
| The Quad Runners | Series 13, Episode 118 | £29,000 | #12 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| Handel with Care | Series 13, Episode 120 | £2,000 | ||
| Team Scotia | Series 13, Episode 136 | £16,000 | £1,111,000 | |
| Two and a Half Tandems | Series 14, Episode 22 | £26,000 | ||
| Bright Sparks | Series 14, Episode 33 | £11,000 | ||
| Streetwise | Series 14, Episode 49 | £16,000 | ||
| The Business Men | Series 14, Episode 90 | £41,000 | 2nd highest amount won by a challenging team. #13 Eggheads lose to a single opponent. 100th team to defeat the Eggheads. | |
| The Crooked Spires | Series 14, Episode 95 | £5,000 | ||
| The Clevelanders | Series 14, Episode 106 | £11,000 | ||
| Beer Run Quizzers | Series 14, Episode 108 | £2,000 | ||
| Doctors' Notes | Series 14, Episode 113 | £5,000 | ||
| Business Belles | Series 14, Episode 119 | £6,000 | ||
| No Direction | Series 14, Episode 130 | £11,000 | #14 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| Neither Big Nor Clever | Series 14, Episode 134 | £4,000 | ||
| The Sensational Alex Fairley Band | Series 14, Episode 136 | £2,000 | #2 Eggheads get first 2 questions wrong in the final round. Has happened once before in Series 11, Episode 154. | |
| Rambling Badgers | Series 14, Episode 139 | £3,000 | £1,254,000 | |
| Green Giants | Series 15, Episode 12 | £13,000 | #2 All five challengers win the final round against a single Egghead | |
| The Amnesiacs | Series 15, Episode 17 | £5,000 | ||
| The Hound Dogs | Series 15, Episode 20 | £3,000 | ||
| Cardigan Carnage | Series 15, Episode 22 | £2,000 | ||
| The Soroptimists | Series 15, Episode 31 | £9,000 | ||
| Collegiate Quizzers | Series 15, Episode 44 | £13,000 | ||
| Stumped | Series 15, Episode 53 | £9,000 | ||
| Burns Baby Burns | Series 15, Episode 55 | £2,000 | ||
| Meat Bingo | Series 15, Episode 69 | £14,000 | ||
| Team 42 | Series 15, Episode 70 | £1,000 | #11 Eggheads lose twice in a row | |
| Cave Aged | Series 15, Episode 77 | £7,000 | ||
| Shipmates | Series 15, Episode 81 | £4,000 | £1,336,000 | |
| Quizzical | Series 16, Episode 6 | £25,000 | ||
| The Courtiers | Series 16, Episode 19 | £13,000 | ||
| Five Diamonds | Series 16, Episode 30 | £11,000 | ||
| Capita Ovorum | Series 16, Episode 31 | £1,000 | #12 Eggheads lose twice in a row | |
| Golden Girls | Series 16, Episode 36 | £5,000 | ||
| The Baked Bean Tin | Series 16, Episode 46 | £10,000 | ||
| Washy Posse | Series 16, Episode 49 | £3,000 | ||
| Ducking and Diving | Series 16, Episode 57 | £8,000 | ||
| The Lumberjacks | Series 16, Episode 59 | £2,000 | ||
| Words in Action | Series 16, Episode 75 | £16,000 | ||
| Bob's Buddies | Series 16, Episode 91 | £16,000 | £1,446,000 | |
| A Clearer Head | Series 17, Episode 20 | £29,000 | ||
| The Westenders | Series 17, Episode 29 | £9,000 | ||
| Hayling Hackers | Series 17, Episode 34 | £5,000 | #15 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| Ludophiles | Series 17, Episode 37 | £3,000 | ||
| The Simms Roaders | Series 17, Episode 48 | £11,000 | ||
| The Criminal Element | Series 17, Episode 62 | £14,000 | Team consisting of crime writers Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, Martyn Waites & Doug Johnstone | |
| We Quiz You Not | Series 17, Episode 70 | £8,000 | #16 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| Acorn Antiques | Series 17, Episode 85 | £15,000 | #17 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| He is Heavy, He's my Father | Series 17, Episode 95 | £10,000 | £1,550,000 | #18 Eggheads lose to a single opponent |
| Rambling Away | Series 18, Episode 2 | £7,000 | ||
| Harwell and the Dekatrons | Series 18, Episode 6 | £4,000 | ||
| Peter's Griffin | Series 18, Episode 10 | £4,000 | ||
| Soft Boiled | Series 18, Episode 15 | £5,000 | #19 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| 2Morrows' People | Series 18, Episode 33 | £18,000 | ||
| T'Villidge Fowk | Series 18, Episode 39 | £6,000 | ||
| Abide With Us | Series 18, Episode 40 | £1,000 | #13 Eggheads lose twice in a row | |
| Top Spinners | Series 18, Episode 43 | £3,000 | #20 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| Queen Bee's Cs | Series 18, Episode 61 | £18,000 | 150th team to defeat the Eggheads | |
| Cabbies | Series 18, Episode 62 | £1,000 | £1,617,000 | #14 Eggheads lose twice in a row & #3 Eggheads get first 2 questions wrong in the final round |
| Old Dorks | Series 19, Episode 3 | £26,000 | ||
| Knights Templeman | Series 19, Episode 8 | £5,000 | ||
| The Barrycudas | Series 19, Episode 14 | £6,000 | ||
| All Saints | Series 19, Episode 36 | £22,000 | ||
| Compulsory Mantis Shrimp | Series 19, Episode 38 | £2,000 | ||
| Burnley is Babylon | Series 19, Episode 42 | £4,000 | ||
| Tasselled Wobbegongs | Series 19, Episode 52 | £10,000 | ||
| The Great Grandsons | Series 19, Episode 69 | £17,000 | ||
| Gli Italiani | Series 19, Episode 70 | £1,000 | #15 Eggheads lose twice in a row | |
| Suspicious Looking Sausages | Series 19, Episode 73 | £3,000 | ||
| Percies | Series 19, Episode 86 | £13,000 | £1,726,000 | |
| Doing it for the Craic | Series 20, Episode 13 | £22,000 | ||
| Give us a T! | Series 20, Episode 20 | £7,000 | #21 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| Pat's People | Series 20, Episode 24 | £4,000 | #3 All five challengers win the final round against a single Egghead | |
| Team 4x4 | Series 20, Episode 50 | £26,000 | ||
| Eclection | Series 20, Episode 58 | £8,000 | #22 Eggheads lose to a single opponent | |
| Always Game | Series 20, Episode 70 | £12,000 | ||
| Shotley Open Spacers | Series 20, Episode 81 | £11,000 | #4 All five challengers win the final round against a single Egghead | |
| Grout Expectations | Series 20, Episode 91 | £10,000 | ||
| The Stockport Hatters | Series 20, Episode 95 | £4,000 | £1,830,000 | |
| Think Outside the Box | Series 21, Episode 3 | £3,000 | ||
| Phil's Phab Phive | Series 21, Episode 16 | £13,000 | ||
| The Gomersal Westenders | Series 21, Episode 21 | £5,000 |