They say that when you get old you fall into routines that hardly change from day to day. That might be happening to us. When we're at home, I'll ask Marilyn, "Would you like to watch something with lunch? Invariably, the reply is, "Let's have an Eggheads."
Yes, we've become addicted to Eggheads, that quintessentially British institution, even to the point where Marilyn worries about what we will do when its run comes to an end.
The Eggheads, themselves, are a group of unprepossessing citizens who happen to have won one or two major quiz programs, which the Poms take very seriously. They include Kevin, whose specialty is dates. "When did Hans Holbein the Younger die?" 1453. Chris is an overweight railway nerd, with an unruly haircut and a propensity to break into song, or a funny voice.
CJ is insufferable. He hates to lose and is prone to make exaggerated head-slapping gestures if someone gives the wrong answer. Daphne is everyone's idea of a maiden aunt and shows a preference for hand-embroidered blouses. Judith has won Who Wants to be a Millionaire? but is the Egghead most likely to get beaten.
The contestants, in teams of five come from all over the UK hoping to win a few dollars. Some are serious quizzers; others might work together or are a group of old codgers who meet at the Bowls Club every Tuesday. There seems to some competition to find the stangest team name. Today's group was a Roller Derby team called the Tiger Bay Brawlers. Sporting orange shirts and lots of tattoos, they had nicknames like Shahn of the Dead and Ariel, the Little Murder-Maid.
Surprisingly, they did quite well. One of them eliminated Judith but knowledge paid off in the end and the Eggheads won. I don't know why we watch it, but we are addicted. And it's part of our routine.
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