ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Where in London would you find Rotten Row?

2.

What is hypermetropia?

3.

What is the name of the end opposite the Pavilion end at Trent Bridge cricket ground?

4.

Who wrote the play St Joan in 1924?

5.

Which 1983 play starred Toyah Wilcox as a wrestler?

6.

In the 2000 film The Beach, who played Sal, the leader of the traveller community?

7.

What is the common name for the viral condition epidemic parotitis?

8.

What is the common name for Vitamin B deficiency?

ROUND 2

1.

How is Northern Rhodesia now known?

2.

What year saw the release of Vertigo, Bridge on the River Kwai winning the Oscar for Best Picture and the death of Charles Laughton?

3.

In the Monty Python sketch Election Night Special, who took Oldham for the Stone Dead Party?

4.

In 1871 Antonio Meucci filed the original patent for which device, which was first shown to work by someone else 5 years later?

5.

Orpington, Beckenham, Maidstone and Oxford all turned this woman down. Where, finally, said yes?

6.

What are the postcode letters for Bristol?

7.

Which company owned the chemical plant that leaked toxic waste into Bhopal in 1984?

8.

What year saw Larry Homes defeat Ken Norton, and Leon Spinks beat (and later lose to) Muhammed Ali?

ROUND 3

1.

What feature was first added to a clock by Huygens in 1656?

2.

Which people plundered Rome in 390 BC?

3.

Sir James Black invented beta-blockers whilst working for which company?

4.

After whom is Genoa’s airport named?

5.

Whose horse was named Al Borak?

6.

What occupation did Sid James, Michael Barrymore and Danny DeVito all share before becoming famous?

7.

What do Sheffield, Lisbon, Prague and Jerusalem have in common (along with several other cities)?

8.

Whose list of wives was this: Carolyn Mitchell, Marge Lane, Carolyn Hockett, Jan Chamberlin, Ava Gardner, Betty Jane Rase, Martha Vickers and Elaine Davis?

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

Who wrote the autobiography of Alice B Toklas, first published in 1933?

2.

Who did Patsy Palmer play in EastEnders? (first name only will suffice)

3.

Which dog was voiced by Cate Bauer in the 1961 cartoon of 101 Dalmatians?

4.

Who married Arthur, Prince of Wales, in November 1501?

5.

Who was described by Gore Vidal as “a masterpiece of the embalmer’s art”?

6.

Which scientist at King’s College, London, carried out the actual experiments that led to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA?

7.

Which UK TV show, which ran from 1980 to l985, featured a female police Inspector?

8.

Which Blax-ploitation film of 1973 starred Tamara Dobson and Shelley Winters?

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

How is the city locally called Abertawe, more widely known?

2.

What is the dried fish bummalo more commonly called?

3.

What is the name of the UK’s most recent commercial airport?

4.

What is the real name of The Artful Dodger in Dickens’ Oliver Twist?

5.

For which Rugby Union club does Gavin Henson play?

6.

What was the name of the 70s sitcom starring Shirley Jones and Danny Bonaduce?

7.

What is the name of the strap fastened between bridle and girth to prevent a horse rearing?

8.

What word links Richard Bucket, Yahoo and Waterland?

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1.

Who wrote Moll Flanders?

2.

Which pop and country singer had a hit with Wichita Lineman?

3.

Which batsman hit 100 off just 56 balls against England in 1986?

4.

Who was the mistress of Louis XV from the early 1760s until his death in 1774?

5.

Which former BBC political editor wrote As It Seemed to Me?

6.

Which part of North London is between Finsbury Park, Hornsey and Highgate?

7.

What 1970s play, later filmed, dealt with the persecution of gay people by the Nazis?

8.

Which Unionist leader was the QC who prosecuted Oscar Wilde in 1895?

ROUND 7

1.

How is Bechuanaland now known?

2.

What year saw the release of the film Lolita, West Side Story winning the Oscar as Best Picture and the birth of Jodie Foster?

3.

In Monty Python’s Election Night Special, what took Barrow-in-Furness as a gain for the liberals?

4.

What was invented by the Xerox Corporation and first used on a commercial device in 1983?

5.

Whom did Mrs Thatcher famously exclude from her Who’s Who entry?

6.

What are the postcode letters for Sunderland?

7.

Which Italian town was contaminated with dioxin in 1976?

8.

Which year saw boxers Marvin Hagler beat Thomas Hearns, and Barry McGuigan defeat Eusebio Pedrosa?

ROUND 8

1.

In which English building is the world’s oldest striking clock?

2.

Which people plundered Rome in AD 455?

3.

Tamoxifen is the biggest selling drug for what specific condition?

4.

After whom is Venice’s airport named?

5.

Whose horse was named Sleipnir?

6.

What occupation was shared by Terry Wogan, Ronnie Barker and T S Eliot before they became famous?

7.

What have Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Rawalpindi and Krakow got in common (along with several other cities)?

8.

Which person had the following husbands: George Richey, Michael Tomlin, George Jones, Don Chapel & Euple Byrd?

1.

Which is the only institution to win University Challenge in two consecutive years?

2.

Which sport can boast the fastest ever recorded ball speed?

3.

Which Australian city was devastated by cyclone Tracey on Christmas Day 1974?

4.

In which Virginian town were 347 settlers killed by native Americans?

5.

What number for emergency calls was adopted, alongside 999, in 1992?

6.

Whose real name was Margarita Carmen Cansino?

ROUND 1

1.

Where in London would you find Rotten Row?

Hyde Park

(If anyone is certain that there’s another Rotten Row somewhere else give them a spare - and a thick ear!)

2.

What is hypermetropia?

Long-sightedness

3.

What is the name of the end opposite the Pavilion end at Trent Bridge cricket ground?

The Radcliffe Road End

4.

Who wrote the play St Joan in 1924?

George Bernard Shaw

5.

Which 1983 play starred Toyah Wilcox as a wrestler?

Trafford Tanzi

6.

In the 2000 film The Beach, who played Sal, the leader of the traveller community?

Tilda Swinton

7.

What is the common name for the viral condition epidemic parotitis?

Mumps

8.

What is the common name for Vitamin B deficiency?

Beriberi

ROUND 2

1.

How is Northern Rhodesia now known?

Zambia

2.

What year saw the release of Vertigo, Bridge on the River Kwai winning the Oscar for Best Picture and the death of Charles Laughton?

1958

3.

In the Monty Python sketch Election Night Special, who took Oldham for the Stone Dead Party?

Sir Alec Douglas-Home

4.

In 1871 Antonio Meucci filed the original patent for which device, which was first shown to work by someone else 5 years later?

The Telephone

5.

Orpington, Beckenham, Maidstone and Oxford all turned this woman down. Where, finally, said yes?

Finchley

(Mrs Thatcher attempted to be adopted as a candidate by all of the above)

6.

What are the postcode letters for Bristol?

BS

7.

Which company owned the chemical plant that leaked toxic waste into Bhopal in 1984?

Union Carbide

8.

What year saw Larry Homes defeat Ken Norton, and Leon Spinks beat (and later lose to) Muhammed Ali?

1978

ROUND 3

1.

What feature was first added to a clock by Huygens in 1656?

The pendulum

2.

Which people plundered Rome in 390 BC?

The Gauls

(Celts is also acceptable)

3.

Sir James Black invented beta-blockers whilst working for which company?

ICI

(AstraZeneca is acceptable)

4.

After whom is Genoa’s airport named?

Christopher Columbus

5.

Whose horse was named Al Borak?

The prophet Mohammed’s

6.

What occupation did Sid James, Michael Barrymore and Danny DeVito all share before becoming famous?

Hairdressers

7.

What do Sheffield, Lisbon, Prague and Jerusalem have in common (along with several other cities)?

They are all built on seven hills

8.

Whose list of wives was this: Carolyn Mitchell, Marge Lane, Carolyn Hockett, Jan Chamberlin, Ava Gardner, Betty Jane Rase, Martha Vickers and Elaine Davis?

Mickey Rooney

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

Who wrote the autobiography of Alice B Toklas, first published in 1933?

Gertrude Stein

2.

Who did Patsy Palmer play in EastEnders? (first name only will suffice)

Bianca Jackson

3.

Which dog was voiced by Cate Bauer in the 1961 cartoon of 101 Dalmatians?

Perdita

4.

Who married Arthur, Prince of Wales, in November 1501?

Katharine of Aragon

5.

Who was described by Gore Vidal as “a masterpiece of the embalmer’s art”?

Ronald Reagan

6.

Which scientist at King’s College, London, carried out the actual experiments that led to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA?

Rosalind Franklin

(Watson, Crick and Wilkins never did an experiment between them!)

7.

Which UK TV show, which ran from 1980 to l985, featured a female police Inspector?

Juliet Bravo

8.

Which Blax-ploitation film of 1973 starred Tamara Dobson and Shelley Winters?

Cleopatra Jones

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1

How is the city locally called Abertawe, more widely known?

Swansea

2.

What is the dried fish bummalo more commonly called?

Bombay duck

3.

What is the name of the UK’s most recent commercial airport?

Robin Hood

(Doncaster)

4.

What is the real name of The Artful Dodger in Dickens’ Oliver Twist?

Jack Dawkins

5.

For which Rugby Union club does Gavin Henson play?

(Neath-Swansea) Ospreys

6.

What was the name of the 70s sitcom starring Shirley Jones and Danny Bonaduce?

The Partridge Family

7.

What is the name of the strap fastened between bridle and girth to prevent a horse rearing?

Martingale

8.

What word links Richard Bucket, Yahoo and Waterland?

Swift

(Clive, Jonathon and Graham)

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1

Who wrote Moll Flanders?

Daniel Defoe

2.

Which pop and country singer had a hit with Wichita Lineman?

Glen Campbell

3.

Which batsman hit 100 off just 56 balls against England in 1986?

Sir Vivian Richards

4.

Who was the mistress of Louis XV from the early 1760s until his death in 1774?

Madame du Barry

5.

Which former BBC political editor wrote As It Seemed to Me?

John Cole

6.

Which part of North London is between Finsbury Park, Hornsey and Highgate?

Crouch End

(or Crouch Hill)

7.

What 1970s play, later filmed, dealt with the persecution of gay people by the Nazis?

Bent

8.

Which Unionist leader was the QC who prosecuted Oscar Wilde in 1895?

Edward Carson

ROUND 7

1.

How is Bechuanaland now known?

Botswana

2.

What year saw the release of the film Lolita, West Side Story winning the Oscar as Best Picture and the birth of Jodie Foster?

1962

3.

In Monty Python’s Election Night Special, what took Barrow-in-Furness as a gain for the liberals?

A little pink pussy cat

(at least 3 of these words should be mentioned in the answer)

4.

What was invented by the Xerox Corporation and first used on a commercial device in 1983?

A computer mouse

5.

Whom did Mrs Thatcher famously exclude from her Who’s Who entry?

Her mother

6.

What are the postcode letters for Sunderland?

SR

7.

Which Italian town was contaminated with dioxin in 1976?

Seveso

8.

Which year saw boxers Marvin Hagler beat Thomas Hearns, and Barry McGuigan defeat Eusebio Pedrosa?

1985

ROUND 8

1.

In which English building is the world’s oldest striking clock?

Salisbury Cathedral

2.

Which people plundered Rome in AD 455?

The Vandals

3.

Tamoxifen is the biggest selling drug for what specific condition?

Breast cancer

(not just cancer)

4.

After whom is Venice’s airport named?

Marco Polo

5.

Whose horse was named Sleipnir?

Odin

6.

What occupation was shared by Terry Wogan, Ronnie Barker and T S Eliot before they became famous?

Bank clerks

7.

What have Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Rawalpindi and Krakow got in common (along with several other cities)?

They were all former capitals of their countries

8.

Which person had the following husbands: George Richey, Michael Tomlin, George Jones, Don Chapel & Euple Byrd?

Tammy Wynette

1.

Which is the only institution to win University Challenge in two consecutive years?

Magdalen College, Oxford

2.

Which sport can boast the fastest ever recorded ball speed?

Golf

(204 mph - Pelotta is second at 188mph)

3.

Which Australian city was devastated by cyclone Tracey on Christmas Day 1974?

Darwin

4.

In which Virginian town were 347 settlers killed by native Americans?

Jamestown

5.

What number for emergency calls was adopted, alongside 999, in 1992?

112

6.

Whose real name was Margarita Carmen Cansino?

Rita Hayworth

Go back to Spare questions without answers