ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Nathaniel, or 'Natty' Bumppo, the chief protagonist in the Leatherstocking Tales pentalogy, is, confusingly, known by a nickname in the third tale, which is rarely, if ever, used in the other four.  What is that nickname?

2.

Correctly called Primula Veris how is the wild flower pictured more commonly known?

3.

Correctly called Adiantum Pedatum, how is the plant pictured more commonly known?

4.

Name the player in the 1973 Barbarians side that beat the All Blacks 23-11 who later wrote an autobiography entitled Dai for England.

5.

Name the building pictured.

6.

Name the Arsenal and England centre half pictured.

7.

For which 1939 film did Withington-born actor Robert Donat win an Oscar for best actor?

8.

Which 1966 novel by Jean Rhys serves as a prequel to Jane Eyre by chronicling the history of the mad woman in Mr Rochester's attic?

Sp.

Which city is the capital of the German federal state of Lower Saxony and also the burial site of a British king?

ROUND 2 - 'Following on'

The Round 1 theme continues....

1.

Which philosopher, born in Amsterdam in 1632 to Portugese migrant parents fleeing religious persecution, had his magnum opus Ethica Ordine Geometrica Demonstrata published posthumously in 1677?

2.

Which actor played the adult Batman in Batman Begins?

3.

What do the initials LLP stand for in the world of British commercial law?

4.

Name the author and magistrate who founded the Bow Street Runners in 1749.

5.

What method of proportional representation has been used to elect members of the Dail in general elections in the Republic of Ireland since 1919?

6.

Austrian Anton Karas both composed and played the distinctive theme tune for which 1949 film?

7.

Which luxurious train, inaugurated in 1902, ran virtually non stop from New York Central to Lasalle Street, Chicago and is often credited with being the origin of the red carpet treatment on account of the plush crimson carpets laid along the platform for its arrival and departure?

8.

Which 1978 blockbusting novel by Mary Margaret Kaye, was made into a television series in 1984 starring Ben Cross, Omar Sharif and Christopher Lee and is largely set in colonial India?

Sp.

From what, or where, is the following taken "We hold these truths to be self evident, all men are created equal…..."?

ROUND 3 - 'Let's meet the conspicuous Coles'

1.

Stephanie Cole, iconic actress and grumpy old woman……but in which television series did she play Dr Beatrice Mason from 1981 to 1984?

2.

Lloyd Cole, ace lyricist and the only Buxton boy to have made good……but what sort of weekend did he spend in a hotel in Amsterdam with double pneumonia in a single room, according to his popular hit of 1985?

3.

Cole Porter, American and songwriter……but which one of his musicals was inspired by Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew?

4.

George Cole, character actor and diamond geezer..….but what was the catchphrase he used in a television advertisement of the late eighties to promote the Leeds Permanent Building Society?

5.

Norris Cole, stationer and busybody……but what was the name of his late ex-wife from whom he was divorced in 1999?

6.

Old King Coal, pensioner and party animal……but what three things did he call for?

7.

Bernhard Kohl, King of the mountains and national disgrace……but what was the variant of the banned drug EPO which was later found in a blood test and resulted in his disqualification from the 2008 Tour de France?

8.

USS Cole, American warship and a sitting duck……but in which port was it attacked and holed in a terrorist attack launched from a small craft?

Sp.

Helmut Kohl, chubby German and long serving Chancellor……but in which year did his sixteen year reign in the post begin?

ROUND 4 - 'Oh no, the entire league has gone punk'

We have devised this round to celebrate the fact that one of our fellow teams is named after a slightly dodgy and rather obscure post-punk band.

(Sadly the team who took their name from the maiden aunt of some dead French sculptor do not feature - and some other teams have to make do with turning frothy pop. Sorry.)

All references to chart positions refer to the official UK singles chart

1.

Are Friends Electric? was a number one hit in 1979 for which army?

2.

Which Stranglers single, which reached number 8 in 1977, included the lines “Oh no there goes the charabanc - what a bummer - we could be stuck here all summer"?

3.

Gotta Getaway was released as a single in 1979 by which Belfast-based band?

4.

What meteorological event, according to a number 2 hit of 1982, was going to happen for the first time in history around about half past ten?

5.

What was the title of the Landscape single of 1981 which reached number 5 and included the lines "You'd better watch out - you'd better beware – ‘cos Albert says e equals mc squared"?

6.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun was a debut solo hit for which artiste, reaching number 2 in 1983?

7.

Generation X, Patti Smith and Thin Lizzy all released singles with titles which started with the word "Dancing" in 1978, 1979 and 1977 respectively.  Complete one of the three titles.

8.

The Korgis reached number 5 in 1980 with a song that could serve as a motto for Opsimaths Anonymous if such an august body existed.  What was the title of the song?

Sp.

The real The Men They Couldn't Hang's classic paean to the seventies Dennis Law, Ali McGraw, and all of Hattie Jacques bizarrely never charted anywhere. Can you decipher two lines taken from this song from the picture book shown below?

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

What remained trapped in Pandora's box after all the troubles in the world had escaped?

2.

What annual event was won by Daniel O Rourke in 1852, Captain Cuttle in 1922, and Owen Tudor in 1941?

3.

Name the presenter of the BBC series Taboo who was famously described by Frank Muir as "thinking man's crumpet".

4.

Name this sportsman: played in the back row for England 24 times, toured with the Lions in1974, held ambitions to be a rowing blue for Cambridge when aged 50, his recent autobiography was subtitled The Rugby Icon's Ultimate Victory Over Cancer.

5.

Who was Member of Parliament for North Devon from 1959 to 1979?

6.

Born William Lamb, how is the politician who served as Prime Minister in 1834, and from 1835 to 1841 better known?

7.

Who directed the film Maybe, Baby having already written the novel Inconceivable on which the film is based?

8.

Name the author of the 2003 Whitbread book of the year The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.

Sp.

Who was the original bass player for the Sex Pistols, who left the band in February 1977 to be replaced by Sid Vicious?

ROUND 6 - Picture Round

Identify the personalities from a photograph in which the head has been removed

No celebrities were harmed in the making of this round - which in some cases may be unfortunate

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Sp.

ROUND 7 - 'If you go down to the woods today'

Each question contains the word ‘wood’

1.

Which Victorian cultural colossus resided in a house called Brantwood beside Lake Coniston from 1871 until his death in 1900?

2.

Who played the eponymous Karen Silkwood in the 1983 film?

3.

Which English town with a population of 60,000 is home to a University and Charnwood Borough Council?

4.

According to the popular Victorian song what would you be going to see if you boarded the heavily laden omnibus at Balmbra's and travelled down the Scotswood Road?

5.

Which was the only county Harold Larwood played for during his long cricketing career?

6.

Who, or what, came whiffling through the Tulgy wood?

7.

Clare Short is the current Member of Parliament for Birmingham Ladywood but which politician, destined to be Prime Minister, held the seat from 1918 to 1929?

8.

Sir Frances Dashwood founded the Order of Saint Francis of Wycombe in circa 1749 as a club for disreputable young rakes.  How was it commonly known?

Sp.

Which part did Richard Burton take in both the original 1954 BBC radio version, and the 1972 film version, of Under Milk Wood?

ROUND 8 - 'Down on the Farm'

All the answers contain some reference to farming

1.

Which river, the only English tributary of the Tweed, flows through Flodden?

2.

On which English fell would you find the oxymoronically named Innominate Tarn, where the writer Alfred Wainwright's ashes are scattered?

3.

Name the British General who surrendered at Yorktown thereby effectively ending the American War of Independence.

4.

What name is shared by an opening move in Chess (pawn to f3 - considered by many to be the worst possible opening move), a suburb of London in the Borough of Richmond, and a character in the television series Dallas?

5.

Name the character played by Simon Rouse in a television police drama series since 1990.

6.

Which river, a tributary of the Dove, flows through the town of Leek?

7.

The construction of which building, sanctioned by the French National Assembly on the 27th July 1873, was specifically to expiate the alleged crimes of the Communards?

8.

What is the common name for vinyl benzene, a hydrocarbon with the molecular formula C8H8?

Sp.

Name the MP for Huddersfield who is the Chair of the House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee

Spares

1.

Where is the junction of the A66 and AI(M)?

2.

What substance are fingernails made of?

3.

Of All the People in All the World is an exhibition, currently being shown in Birmingham, which explores statistics about humanity using what to represent one person?

4.

Which African nation was known as French Sudan until its independence in 1960?

5.

What bird was formerly known as a halcyon?

6.

The Royal Society for Chemistry is currently offering an appropriate prize of three nights for 2 in Turin in a competition to find the best solution to which problem?

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Nathaniel, or 'Natty' Bumppo, the chief protagonist in the Leatherstocking Tales pentalogy, is, confusingly, known by a nickname in the third tale, which is rarely, if ever, used in the other four.  What is that nickname?

Hawkeye

(Last of the Mohicans being the third book)

2.

Correctly called Primula Veris how is the wild flower pictured more commonly known?

Cowslip

3.

Correctly called Adiantum Pedatum, how is the plant pictured more commonly known?

Maiden Hair Fern

4.

Name the player in the 1973 Barbarians side that beat the All Blacks 23-11 who later wrote an autobiography entitled Dai for England.

David Duckham

(nicknamed Dai because of his flamboyant ‘Welsh’ skill)

5.

Name the building pictured.

Hampton Court

6.

Name the Arsenal and England centre half pictured.

Steve Bould

7.

For which 1939 film did Withington-born actor Robert Donat win an Oscar for best actor?

Goodbye Mr Chips

8.

Which 1966 novel by Jean Rhys serves as a prequel to Jane Eyre by chronicling the history of the mad woman in Mr Rochester's attic?

The Wide Sargasso Sea

Sp.

Which city is the capital of the German federal state of Lower Saxony and also the burial site of a British king?

Hanover

ROUND 2 - 'Following on'

The Round 1 theme continues....

1.

Which philosopher, born in Amsterdam in 1632 to Portugese migrant parents fleeing religious persecution, had his magnum opus Ethica Ordine Geometrica Demonstrata published posthumously in 1677?

(Baruch or Benedict) Spinoza

2.

Which actor played the adult Batman in Batman Begins?

Christopher Bale

3.

What do the initials LLP stand for in the world of British commercial law?

Limited Liability Partnership

4.

Name the author and magistrate who founded the Bow Street Runners in 1749.

Henry Fielding

5.

What method of proportional representation has been used to elect members of the Dail in general elections in the Republic of Ireland since 1919?

Single Transferable Vote

(but apparently not in bye-elections!)

6.

Austrian Anton Karas both composed and played the distinctive theme tune for which 1949 film?

The Third Man

7.

Which luxurious train, inaugurated in 1902, ran virtually non stop from New York Central to Lasalle Street, Chicago and is often credited with being the origin of the red carpet treatment on account of the plush crimson carpets laid along the platform for its arrival and departure?

The Twentieth Century Limited

8.

Which 1978 blockbusting novel by Mary Margaret Kaye, was made into a television series in 1984 starring Ben Cross, Omar Sharif and Christopher Lee and is largely set in colonial India?

The Far Pavilions

Sp.

From what, or where, is the following taken "We hold these truths to be self evident, all men are created equal…..."?

The (American) Declaration of Independence

ROUND 3 - 'Let's meet the conspicuous Coles'

1.

Stephanie Cole, iconic actress and grumpy old woman……but in which television series did she play Dr Beatrice Mason from 1981 to 1984?

Tenko

2.

Lloyd Cole, ace lyricist and the only Buxton boy to have made good……but what sort of weekend did he spend in a hotel in Amsterdam with double pneumonia in a single room, according to his popular hit of 1985?

'Lost'

3.

Cole Porter, American and songwriter……but which one of his musicals was inspired by Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew?

Kiss Me Kate

4.

George Cole, character actor and diamond geezer..….but what was the catchphrase he used in a television advertisement of the late eighties to promote the Leeds Permanent Building Society?

“You're laughing all the way with the Leeds”

5.

Norris Cole, stationer and busybody……but what was the name of his late ex-wife from whom he was divorced in 1999?

Angela (Hawthorne)

6.

Old King Coal, pensioner and party animal……but what three things did he call for?

His pipe, his bowl, his fiddlers three

7.

Bernhard Kohl, King of the mountains and national disgrace……but what was the variant of the banned drug EPO which was later found in a blood test and resulted in his disqualification from the 2008 Tour de France?

Cera

8.

USS Cole, American warship and a sitting duck……but in which port was it attacked and holed in a terrorist attack launched from a small craft?

Aden

Sp.

Helmut Kohl, chubby German and long serving Chancellor……but in which year did his sixteen year reign in the post begin?

1982

ROUND 4 - 'Oh no, the entire league has gone punk'

We have devised this round to celebrate the fact that one of our fellow teams is named after a slightly dodgy and rather obscure post-punk band.

1.

Are Friends Electric? was a number one hit in 1979 for which army?

The Tubeway Army

2.

Which Stranglers single, which reached number 8 in 1977, included the lines “Oh no there goes the charabanc - what a bummer - we could be stuck here all summer"?

(Walking on the beaches, looking at the) Peaches

3.

Gotta Getaway was released as a single in 1979 by which Belfast-based band?

Stiff Little Fingers

4.

What meteorological event, according to a number 2 hit of 1982, was going to happen for the first time in history around about half past ten?

It's going to start Raining Men

5.

What was the title of the Landscape single of 1981 which reached number 5 and included the lines "You'd better watch out - you'd better beware – ‘cos Albert says e equals mc squared"?

Einstein a Go Go

6.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun was a debut solo hit for which artiste, reaching number 2 in 1983?

Cyndi Lauper

7.

Generation X, Patti Smith and Thin Lizzy all released singles with titles which started with the word "Dancing" in 1978, 1979 and 1977 respectively.  Complete one of the three titles.

(one of)

Dancing with Myself (Generation X)

or

Dancing Barefoot

(Patti Smith)

or

Dancing in the Moonlight (Thin Lizzy)

8.

The Korgis reached number 5 in 1980 with a song that could serve as a motto for Opsimaths Anonymous if such an august body existed.  What was the title of the song?

Everyone's Got to Learn Sometime

Sp.

The real The Men They Couldn't Hang's classic paean to the seventies Dennis Law, Ali McGraw, and all of Hattie Jacques bizarrely never charted anywhere. Can you decipher two lines taken from this song from the picture book shown below?

“Armchair revolutionaries never go to war, Edward Heath and three day weeks ain't worth fighting for”

(Trotsky, Che Guevara, Castro, The River Neva, Steve Waugh, ‘The Grocer’ himself, Doris, Robin and Mervyn Day, Everton Weekes, Harry Worth, The Fighting Temeraire and the Gang of Four)

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1

What remained trapped in Pandora's box after all the troubles in the world had escaped?

Hope

2.

What annual event was won by Daniel O Rourke in 1852, Captain Cuttle in 1922, and Owen Tudor in 1941?

The (Epsom) Derby

(they are horses not jockeys - and yes I too was surprised that there was a derby in 1941)

3.

Name the presenter of the BBC series Taboo who was famously described by Frank Muir as "thinking man's crumpet".

Joan Bakewell 

4.

Name this sportsman: played in the back row for England 24 times, toured with the Lions in1974, held ambitions to be a rowing blue for Cambridge when aged 50, his recent autobiography was subtitled The Rugby Icon's Ultimate Victory Over Cancer.

Andy Ripley

5.

Who was Member of Parliament for North Devon from 1959 to 1979?

Jeremy Thorpe

6.

Born William Lamb, how is the politician who served as Prime Minister in 1834, and from 1835 to 1841 better known?

(Viscount) Melbourne

7.

Who directed the film Maybe, Baby having already written the novel Inconceivable on which the film is based?

Ben Elton

8.

Name the author of the 2003 Whitbread book of the year The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.

Mark Haddon

Sp.

Who was the original bass player for the Sex Pistols, who left the band in February 1977 to be replaced by Sid Vicious?

Glenn Matlock

(allegedly sacked for saying "I like the Beatles" and washing his feet)

ROUND 6 - Picture Round

Identify the personalities from a photograph in which the head has been removed

1

Cristiano Ronaldo

2.

Jonathan Ross

3.

Peter Mandelson

(do serious men wear a pullover under their jacket?)

4.

Vicky Pendleton

5.

Steve Fossett

6.

Philip Glenister

(accept Gene Hunt)

7.

Yves Rossy

8.

Victoria Beckham

(high heels without heels - what a clever idea!)

Sp.

Colin Montgomerie

ROUND 7 - 'If you go down to the woods today'

Each question contains the word ‘wood’

1.

Which Victorian cultural colossus resided in a house called Brantwood beside Lake Coniston from 1871 until his death in 1900?

John Ruskin

2.

Who played the eponymous Karen Silkwood in the 1983 film?

Meryl Streep

3.

Which English town with a population of 60,000 is home to a University and Charnwood Borough Council?

Loughborough

4.

According to the popular Victorian song what would you be going to see if you boarded the heavily laden omnibus at Balmbra's and travelled down the Scotswood Road?

The Blaydon Races

5.

Which was the only county Harold Larwood played for during his long cricketing career?

Nottinghamshire

6.

Who, or what, came whiffling through the Tulgy wood?

The Jabberwock

(do not accept Jabberwocky which is the name of the poem not the creature)

7.

Clare Short is the current Member of Parliament for Birmingham Ladywood but which politician, destined to be Prime Minister, held the seat from 1918 to 1929?

Neville Chamberlain

8.

Sir Frances Dashwood founded the Order of Saint Francis of Wycombe in circa 1749 as a club for disreputable young rakes.  How was it commonly known?

The Hellfire Club

Sp.

Which part did Richard Burton take in both the original 1954 BBC radio version, and the 1972 film version, of Under Milk Wood?

First Voice

ROUND 8 - 'Down on the Farm'

All the answers contain some reference to farming

1.

Which river, the only English tributary of the Tweed, flows through Flodden?

River Till

2.

On which English fell would you find the oxymoronically named Innominate Tarn, where the writer Alfred Wainwright's ashes are scattered?

Haystacks

3.

Name the British General who surrendered at Yorktown thereby effectively ending the American War of Independence.

Cornwallis

4.

What name is shared by an opening move in Chess (pawn to f3 - considered by many to be the worst possible opening move), a suburb of London in the Borough of Richmond, and a character in the television series Dallas?

Barnes

5.

Name the character played by Simon Rouse in a television police drama series since 1990.

DCI Jack Meadows

(in The Bill)

6.

Which river, a tributary of the Dove, flows through the town of Leek?

River Churnet

7.

The construction of which building, sanctioned by the French National Assembly on the 27th July 1873, was specifically to expiate the alleged crimes of the Communards?

Sacré Coeur Basilica

(only the winners get to write history!)

8.

What is the common name for vinyl benzene, a hydrocarbon with the molecular formula C8H8?

Styrene

Sp.

Name the MP for Huddersfield who is the Chair of the House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee

Barry Sheerman

1.

Where is the junction of the A66 and AI(M)?

Scotch Corner

2.

What substance are fingernails made of?

Keratin

3.

Of All the People in All the World is an exhibition, currently being shown in Birmingham, which explores statistics about humanity using what to represent one person?

A grain of rice

4.

Which African nation was known as French Sudan until its independence in 1960?

Mali

5.

What bird was formerly known as a halcyon?

Kingfisher

6.

The Royal Society for Chemistry is currently offering an appropriate prize of three nights for 2 in Turin in a competition to find the best solution to which problem?

How to get the gold off the bus at the end of The Italian Job

(the rules stipulate that the use of helicopters is forbidden)

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