ROUND 1 - 'Loose Connections'

1.

Which film actor, born in Withington in 1905, won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1939 beating off Clark Gable’s performance in Gone with the Wind?

2.

Which actor, born in Salford in 1944 and educated at Manchester Grammar School, married Babs Lord (a dancer with Pan’s People)?

3.

Robert Donat and Robert Powell have played the same character in different versions of the same film.  Who is the character (not the film)?

4.

John Buchan was elevated to the peerage as Lord Tweedsmuir and became Governor-General of which country?

5.

Canada is divided into 3 territories and how many provinces?

6.

General Wolf captured Quebec in a major battle in which War?

7.

The Six Days War between Israel and her Arab neighbours took place in which year?

8.

The shortest war in recorded history lasted 38 minutes.  It took place on 27 August 1896.  Which were the 2 countries involved?

ROUND 2 - 'Work it out for Yourselves'

1.

Who composed White Christmas?

2.

Who co-starred with Gene Hackman in The Crimson Tide?

3.

What was the name of Rigsby’s cat in Rising Damp?

4.

Who wrote Call of the Wild and White Fang?

5.

In the late 1960s Frank Sinatra made 2 films playing the part of a Miami Beach private eye.  The second co-starred Raquel Welch in The Lady in Cement; the first was named after the character he played.  What was this character called?

6.

What was the name of Wellington’s horse at the Battle of Waterloo?

7.

Which piece of music was composed by the British composer Richard Addinsell for the 1941 film Dangerous Moonlight?

8.

Who is the wife of King Juan Carlos of Spain?

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme - 'Naughty but Nice'

1.

Scotland’s fourth largest city lies on the banks of the River Tay.  What is it?

2.

Rivers in this area include the Danube, Enz, Kinzig, Murg, Neckar, and Rench.  It is part of the continental divide between the Atlantic Ocean catchment area and the Black Sea catchment area.  What is the area called?

3.

One of the most ancient port cities in the world - some believe it to be named after Japheth one of the sons of Noah.  What is it?

4.

Whilst on tour in the Netherlands, this woman was in a train which was derailed.  Dressed only in pyjamas and a light scarf, she got out and walked the length of the train to see what had happened.  Three weeks later she was dead of pneumonia, just short of her 50th birthday.  Approaching death she is reported as saying “If I can’t dance then I’d rather be dead”.  Who was she?

5.

Which small territory of Australia is located in the Indian Ocean, 2600 kilometres (1600 miles) northwest of Perth and 500 kilometres (300 miles) south of Jakarta?

6.

Two young girls, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright, took two photographs in 1917 to prove to their parents that they really had been outside in the garden playing with what?

7.

Prince Louis relinquished his German titles in 1917, took the surname Mountbatten, and was created 1st Marquis of Milford Haven.  What was his previous surname?   

8.

He was a child pretender to the throne of England; along with Perkin Warbeck he was an impostor who threatened the rule of King Henry VII during the last part of the 15th century.  Who was he?

ROUND 4 - 'Necessity is the Mother of Invention'

1.

Which now world-famous creation of Atlanta chemist John Pemberton went on sale in May 1896, advertised as 'an esteemed brain tonic and intellectual beverage'?

2.

Invented by Mary Anderson in 1903 - before there was a mass market for them - many people use them today to help improve their vision.  What are they?

3.

The first ones were made from hand-sewn silk muslin bags (patents for these date from early as 1903).  They first appeared commercially around 1904.  A novel four-sided version was invented and patented in 1954.  What are they?

4.

In 1901, the just-add-hot water version was invented by a Japanese American chemist, Satori Kato of Chicago.  In 1906 English chemist George Constant Washington invented the first mass-produced instant version.  What is it?

5.

When a pot of boiled wheat accidentally boiled dry and the result was rolled and dried this product was invented.  What is it?

6.

Arthur Wynne, who was an immigrant to the United States, wrote the first one for an American newspaper called the New York World.  It was published on Sunday, December 21, 1913.  What was it?

7.

Invented by Earle Dickson in 1921 because his wife Josephine Dickson was always cutting her fingers in the kitchen when preparing food - what is it?         

8.

In AD 391, in China, the Bureau of Imperial Supplies began producing this for use solely by the Emperors.  Each item measured two feet by three feet.  Now we all use it (or should).  What is it?

ROUND 5 - Have I Got News For You'

All the questions derive from recent news items

1.

The King of Saudi Arabia made a state visit to this country recently. What is his name?

2.

Who was the commander of the B29 bomber, nicknamed ‘Enola Gay’, which dropped the first Atomic Bomb, who died recently?

3.

A survey was published recently identifying the best and worst places to live in the UK.  Which city came top and which town came bottom?

4.

Who is the Chief Executive of Marks and Spencer?

5.

Eduard Koltsov, a retired Russian diver, was in the news last week.  Why?

6.

Who is the Minister for National Security who last week dramatically changed his mind on the appropriate time to hold terror suspects without charge after just a 45 minute breakfast at No 10?

7.

Who was, until last Friday, the Chief Executive of Northern Rock?

8.

Which two National Football League teams from the US recently played the first ever official season league game at Wembley stadium?

ROUND 6

1.

What are the first names of Starsky & Hutch?

2.

In which opera is Mercedes a character?

3.

Who was the 2006 Sportsview Personality of the Year?

4.

John Alderton played schoolteacher Bernard Hedges trying to tame unruly Form 5C - at which school?

5.

How is Cho-Cho-San better known?

6.

What are the first names of Cagney & Lacey?

7.

Wilfred, Toots, Danny & Plug have been pupils since 1954 at which school?

8.

Who was the last Englishman to manage an FA Cup winning side?

ROUND 7 - 'So You Think You Know Manchester'

1.

Leaving Piccadilly station on the Metrolink going towards Altrincham, how many stations will I pass in reaching Sale?  (do not include Piccadilly Station or Sale themselves)

2.

Leaving Piccadilly station on the Metrolink going towards Bury, how many stations will I pass in reaching Heaton Park?  (do not include Piccadilly Station or Heaton Park themselves)

3.

There are 3 blue plaques on the front of the Opera House.  One of them commemorates a Goon.  Which Goon?

4.

There are 5 statues in Albert Square.  One is obviously Prince Albert; another two are James Fraser (a former Bishop of Manchester) and Oliver Heywood.  Who are the final two?

5.

Who is the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester?

6.

Who is leader of Manchester City Council?

7.

What is the date of the Peterloo Massacre?  (allow 2 years either way)

8.

There is a plaque in the entrance to the Midland Hotel commemorating the meeting of Rolls and Royce.  In which year did this happen?  (allow 1 year either way)

ROUND 8 - Picture Round - 'Bob's Your Uncle'

Identify these Roberts or Bobs

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

1.

Which US State has the Union Jack on its flag?

2.

Sir Winston Churchill is an old boy of which school?

3.

Who was cast away on a desert island last Sunday having recently retired as Head of MI5?

4.

Who is the MP for Manchester Blackley?

5.

On her 21st birthday Barbara Hutton became one of the world’s most eligible heiresses when she inherited $20 million from her grandfather.  Who was he?

6.

At which venue did Sandy Lyle win the Open Championship?

7.

In the 1967 BBC adaptation of the Forsyte Saga which actor played Soames Forsyte?

8.

John F Kennedy was one of how many children?

9.

Which Governor of Sumatra was responsible for founding Singapore?

10.

Which Africa capital derives its name from the amharic word meaning ‘new flower’?

ROUND 1 - 'Loose Connections'

1.

Which film actor, born in Withington in 1905, won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1939 beating off Clark Gable’s performance in Gone with the Wind?

Robert Donat

(the film was Goodbye Mr Chips)

2.

Which actor, born in Salford in 1944 and educated at Manchester Grammar School, married Babs Lord (a dancer with Pan’s People)?

Robert Powell

3.

Robert Donat and Robert Powell have played the same character in different versions of the same film.  Who is the character (not the film)?

Richard Hannay

(in The 39 Steps by John Buchan)

4.

John Buchan was elevated to the peerage as Lord Tweedsmuir and became Governor-General of which country?

Canada

5.

Canada is divided into 3 territories and how many provinces?

10 

(British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador - the last 2 form a single Province)

6.

General Wolf captured Quebec in a major battle in which War?

The Seven Years War

7.

The Six Days War between Israel and her Arab neighbours took place in which year?

1967

8.

The shortest war in recorded history lasted 38 minutes.  It took place on 27 August 1896.  Which were the 2 countries involved?

UK and Zanzibar

ROUND 2 - 'Work it out for Yourselves'

1.

Who composed White Christmas?

Irving Berlin

2.

Who co-starred with Gene Hackman in The Crimson Tide?

Denzell Washington

3.

What was the name of Rigsby’s cat in Rising Damp?

Vienna

4.

Who wrote Call of the Wild and White Fang?

Jack London

5.

In the late 1960s Frank Sinatra made 2 films playing the part of a Miami Beach private eye.  The second co-starred Raquel Welch in The Lady in Cement; the first was named after the character he played.  What was this character called?

Tony Rome

6.

What was the name of Wellington’s horse at the Battle of Waterloo?

Copenhagen

7.

Which piece of music was composed by the British composer Richard Addinsell for the 1941 film Dangerous Moonlight?

The Warsaw Concerto

8.

Who is the wife of King Juan Carlos of Spain?

Queen Sofia

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme - 'Naughty but Nice'

1.

Scotland’s fourth largest city lies on the banks of the River Tay.  What is it?

Dundee

2.

Rivers in this area include the Danube, Enz, Kinzig, Murg, Neckar, and Rench.  It is part of the continental divide between the Atlantic Ocean catchment area and the Black Sea catchment area.  What is the area called?

The Black Forest

3.

One of the most ancient port cities in the world - some believe it to be named after Japheth one of the sons of Noah.  What is it?

Jaffa

4.

Whilst on tour in the Netherlands, this woman was in a train which was derailed.  Dressed only in pyjamas and a light scarf, she got out and walked the length of the train to see what had happened.  Three weeks later she was dead of pneumonia, just short of her 50th birthday.  Approaching death she is reported as saying “If I can’t dance then I’d rather be dead”.  Who was she?

Anna Pavlova

5.

Which small territory of Australia is located in the Indian Ocean, 2600 kilometres (1600 miles) northwest of Perth and 500 kilometres (300 miles) south of Jakarta?

Christmas Island

6.

Two young girls, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright, took two photographs in 1917 to prove to their parents that they really had been outside in the garden playing with what?

Fairies

7.

Prince Louis relinquished his German titles in 1917, took the surname Mountbatten, and was created 1st Marquis of Milford Haven.  What was his previous surname?   

Battenburg

8.

He was a child pretender to the throne of England; along with Perkin Warbeck he was an impostor who threatened the rule of King Henry VII during the last part of the 15th century.  Who was he?

Lambert Simnel

Theme: Each answer references the name of a cake

HM Customs and Revenue classify cakes and ordinary biscuits as zero-rated for the purposes of levying VAT, but applies standard rate VAT to chocolate biscuits as they are deemed a luxury item.  They regarded Jaffa cakes as chocolate biscuits.  McVitie’s argued that the distinction between cakes and biscuits is simply that biscuits go soft when stale, whereas cakes go hard.  It was demonstrated that Jaffa Cakes become hard when stale and McVitie’s won the case.  Jaffa Cakes are now zero-rated!!

ROUND 4 - 'Necessity is the Mother of Invetion'

1.

Which now world-famous creation of Atlanta chemist John Pemberton went on sale in May 1896, advertised as 'an esteemed brain tonic and intellectual beverage'?

Coca-Cola

2.

Invented by Mary Anderson in 1903 - before there was a mass market for them - many people use them today to help improve their vision.  What are they?

Windscreen wipers

3.

The first ones were made from hand-sewn silk muslin bags (patents for these date from early as 1903).  They first appeared commercially around 1904.  A novel four-sided version was invented and patented in 1954.  What are they?

Tea bags

4.

In 1901, the just-add-hot water version was invented by a Japanese American chemist, Satori Kato of Chicago.  In 1906 English chemist George Constant Washington invented the first mass-produced instant version.  What is it?

Instant coffee

5.

When a pot of boiled wheat accidentally boiled dry and the result was rolled and dried this product was invented.  What is it?

Cornflakes

6.

Arthur Wynne, who was an immigrant to the United States, wrote the first one for an American newspaper called the New York World.  It was published on Sunday, December 21, 1913.  What was it?

Crossword puzzle

7.

Invented by Earle Dickson in 1921 because his wife Josephine Dickson was always cutting her fingers in the kitchen when preparing food - what is it?         

Band Aid sticking plaster

8.

In AD 391, in China, the Bureau of Imperial Supplies began producing this for use solely by the Emperors.  Each item measured two feet by three feet.  Now we all use it (or should).  What is it?

Toilet paper

ROUND 5 - Have I Got News For You'

All the questions derive from recent news items

1

The King of Saudi Arabia made a state visit to this country recently. What is his name?

Abdullah

2.

Who was the commander of the B29 bomber, nicknamed ‘Enola Gay’, which dropped the first Atomic Bomb, who died recently?

Paul Tebbets

3.

A survey was published recently identifying the best and worst places to live in the UK.  Which city came top and which town came bottom?

Best – Edinburgh;

Worst - Middlesbrough

4.

Who is the Chief Executive of Marks and Spencer?

Stuart Rose

5.

Eduard Koltsov, a retired Russian diver, was in the news last week.  Why?

He admitted responsibility for killing British frogman Lionel ‘Buster’ Crabb in 1956

6.

Who is the Minister for National Security who last week dramatically changed his mind on the appropriate time to hold terror suspects without charge after just a 45 minute breakfast at No 10?

Lord West

(accept Admiral West)

7.

Who was, until last Friday, the Chief Executive of Northern Rock?

Adam Applegarth

8.

Which two National Football League teams from the US recently played the first ever official season league game at Wembley stadium?

Miami Dolphins and

New York Giants

ROUND 6

1

What are the first names of Starsky & Hutch?

David (Starsky)

Ken (Hutchinson)

2.

In which opera is Mercedes a character?

Carmen

3.

Who was the 2006 Sportsview Personality of the Year?

Zara Phillips

4.

John Alderton played schoolteacher Bernard Hedges trying to tame unruly Form 5C - at which school?

Fenn Street

5.

How is Cho-Cho-San better known?

Madam Butterfly

6.

What are the first names of Cagney & Lacey?

Chris (Cagney)

Mary Beth (Lacey)

7.

Wilfred, Toots, Danny & Plug have been pupils since 1954 at which school?

Bash Street

8.

Who was the last Englishman to manage an FA Cup winning side?

Joe Royle

(Everton 1995)

ROUND 7 - 'So You Think You Know Manchester'

1.

Leaving Piccadilly station on the Metrolink going towards Altrincham, how many stations will I pass in reaching Sale?  (do not include Piccadilly Station or Sale themselves)

9

(Piccadilly Gardens, Moseley Street, St. Peters Square, G-Mex, Cornbrook, Trafford Bar, Old Trafford, Stretford, Dane Road)

2.

Leaving Piccadilly station on the Metrolink going towards Bury, how many stations will I pass in reaching Heaton Park?  (do not include Piccadilly Station or Heaton Park themselves)

7

(Piccadilly Gardens, Market Street, Shudehill, Victoria Station, Woodlands Road, Crumpsall, Bowker Vale)

3.

There are 3 blue plaques on the front of the Opera House.  One of them commemorates a Goon.  Which Goon?

Sir Harry Secombe

4.

There are 5 statues in Albert Square.  One is obviously Prince Albert; another two are James Fraser (a former Bishop of Manchester) and Oliver Heywood.  Who are the final two?

William Gladstone and John Bright

5.

Who is the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester?

Mike Todd

6.

Who is leader of Manchester City Council?

Sir Richard Leese

7.

What is the date of the Peterloo Massacre?  (allow 2 years either way)

1819

8.

There is a plaque in the entrance to the Midland Hotel commemorating the meeting of Rolls and Royce.  In which year did this happen?  (allow 1 year either way)

1904

ROUND 8 - Picture Round - 'Bob's Your Uncle'

Identify these Roberts or Bobs

1.

Robert Stack

(who played Elliot Ness in The Untouchables and also starred in Airplane)

2.

Robert Newton

(who starred in Treasure Island and Around the World in 80 Days)

3.

Robert J Oppenheimer

(‘Father’ of the atomic bomb)

4.

Roberto Calvi

(‘Gods Banker’ found hanging under Waterloo Bridge)

5.

Robert McNamara

(Defence Secretary in John F Kennedy’s US Administration)

6.

Bob Dole

(Senator for Kansas and losing candidate in 1996 to Bill Clinton in the Presidential elections)

7.

Bobby Darin

(US pop singer who was married to Sandra Dee and who had a hit with, amongst others, Mack the Knife)

8.

Robert Baden-Powell

(founder of the Scout movement who held Ladysmith during its siege in the Boer War)

1.

Which US State has the Union Jack on its flag?

Hawaii

2.

Sir Winston Churchill is an old boy of which school?

Harrow

3.

Who was cast away on a desert island last Sunday having recently retired as Head of MI5?

Dame Elizabeth Manningham-Buller

4.

Who is the MP for Manchester Blackley?

Graham Stringer

5.

On her 21st birthday Barbara Hutton became one of the world’s most eligible heiresses when she inherited $20 million from her grandfather.  Who was he?

F W Woolworth

6.

At which venue did Sandy Lyle win the Open Championship?

Sandwich

7.

In the 1967 BBC adaptation of the Forsyte Saga which actor played Soames Forsyte?

Eric Porter

8.

John F Kennedy was one of how many children?

9

9.

Which Governor of Sumatra was responsible for founding Singapore?

Thomas Stanford Raffles

10.

Which Africa capital derives its name from the amharic word meaning ‘new flower’?

Addis Adaba

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