Eggheads

Host

Jeremy Vine (in rotation with Murnaghan, 2008-)

Co-hosts

Eggheads:
Kevin Ashman (2003-),
Christopher Hughes (2003-),
Daphne Fowler (2003-),
Judith Keppel (2003-),
CJ De Mooi (2003-12),
Barry Simmons (2008-),
Pat Gibson (2010-)

Broadcast

12 Yard for BBC One, 10 November 2003 to 16 December 2004

12 Yard for BBC Two, 23 May 2005 to present

Synopsis

Typical 12-Yard fare, five amateur quizzers take on five quiz professionals in a big money quiz.

In the first four rounds the challengers are given a category and must decide which one of them will take it and which of the Eggheads they want to take on. Each Egghead normally has some kind of weakness, so boning up by watching past episodes is a must.

"...That's the way we all became The Brady Bunch."
Top: Chris, CJ; Middle: Barry, Pat, Judith; Bottom: Daphne, Kevin.

Because there is to be no conferring, the selected players are moved to a separate "question room" and are shown on a large screen behind the rest of the team. Each person is fired three multiple choice questions and whoever gets the most correct wins the duel. In the case of a tie, sudden death non-choice questions are asked until there is a winner. Losing the duel means not being involved in the all important final round.

The options appear on screen. This question asked which band recorded the album "Through the Barricades".

The prizemoney increases £1,000 every day the Eggheads aren't beaten in the final round. All losing duelists are banished to the "question room" and appear on the large screen behind the rest of the players. The remains of each team are now asked three multiple-choice questions as before but now they can confer with anyone left in the game. (A brief series of 45-minute editions shown in 2005 had five questions per team in this final round, which helps to stretch out the show, but does add to the ever-increasing roster of shows which have this exact format for the final.) Again, ties are broken by non-choiced sudden death questions. If the challengers win then they win the Jackpot. If the Eggheads win then their reputation stays intact.

The progress of this round is summarised over a wide shot of the studio.

The production team have come under fire from many in the quizzing community over the vetting of contestants. Anyone who sounds as though they might be a 'professional quizzer' seems to be vetted in favour of the average pub team who doesn't try out for many television programmes. Whilst this does make a slight mockery of the "can nobody beat these Eggheads" idea, it does turn the show into an intellectual version of Gladiators which for some is where its strength lies.

Catchphrase

Dermot to the Eggheads: "You're playing for something money can't buy - the Eggheads' reputation."

"Can nobody beat these Eggheads?"

Inventor

12 Yard format

Trivia

The record win is £75,000, won by a team of five Oxford Brookes University students called "Beer Today, Gone Tomorrow".

Jade Goody once appeared with a team from her beauty salon, and through a series of lucky guesses managed to singlehandedly take the Eggheads to sudden death in the final round.

How to Apply

Visit 12yard.com/eggheads to fill out an application form online.

Alternatively you can email: eggheads@12yard.com

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