1.

Irish PM Brian Cowen’s nickname 'Biffo' reflects his origins, coming as he does from which county?

2.

In 1975 where would you be going musically with Captain Tobias Wilcox of Coconut Airways?

3.

In which country was the concert pianist Martha Argerich born in 1941?

4.

Which is the only team to have lost four FA Charity/Community Shields in consecutive years?

5.

Which 1960s action/adventure TV series starred William Gaunt, Stuart Damon and Alexandra Bastedo?

6.

Whose statue is on top of Trajan’s Column in Rome?

7.

Still a popular girls’ name, in Irish mythology who was the lover of Naoise (pronounced approximately as Neeshoo), nephew of the King of Ulster?

8.

Which film of 1980 includes a Country and Western band called The Good Ol’ Boys, the Illinois Nazis, the Reverend Cleophas James and Sister Mary Stigmata?

1.

Which film of 1978 includes a band called Otis Day and the Knights, a dead horse, a 13 year old Lolita called Clorette DePasto and a Reserve Officers Training Corps leader subsequently killed in Vietnam by his own troops?

2.

Still a popular boys’ name, in Irish mythology who was the lover of Grainne (pronounced approximately as Gron-ya), daughter of Cormac mac Airt?

3.

Whose statue was on top of the Pillar in O’Connell Street, Dublin until 8th March 1966?

4.

Which 70s action/adventure TV series featured the characters Danny Wilde, Brett Sinclair and Judge Fulton?

5.

Which is the only team to have been undefeated in four FA Charity/Community Shields in consecutive years?

6.

In which country, formerly in the Soviet Union, was the concert pianist Valentina Lisitsa born in 1973?

7.

In 1999 where would you be going musically with Captain Kim of Venga Airways?

8.

By what name is new peer of the realm Lord Bannside better known?

1.

Name the Coalition cabinet member.

2.

Name the Coalition cabinet member.

3.

Who is this Major winning golfer?

4.

Who is this Major winning golfer?

5.

Who is this handsome lad?

6.

Who is this comely lass?

7.

Who is this author who died in 1863 - described by Charlotte Bronte as a 'Titan' she dedicated the second edition of Jane Eyre to him?

8.

Who is this author who died in 1889 - he wrote over 30 novels and 14 plays and was a friend of, and collaborator with, Charles Dickens?

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

There is a pattern in the answers

1.

Which drink, popular in the United States, is made from an extract of the sassafras tree?

2.

What name is given to the body of water separating North and South Islands of New Zealand?

3.

What slang name is given by Scousers to people from areas around Liverpool such as Runcorn, Widnes and the Wirral?

4.

What is the name of the 1981 Rolling Stones album which features the songs Hang Fire, Waiting for a Friend and Start Me Up?

5.

What word links the UK girl band duo whose biggest hit single was Trouble in 1994; and a 1975 film set in the 24 hour period in 1968 on the eve of the US presidential election?

6.

Name the Hanna Barbera cartoon which started in 1974 and featured a canine hero voiced by the actor and singer-musician Scatman Crothers.

7.

Name the region of space, a hypothesised sphere, about a light year from the sun, from which many long period comets are believed to originate.

8.

Which British aquatic bird with the Latin name 'Gallinula chloropus' is a member of the rail family and sometimes referred to as a gallinule?

1.

In which century AD did the following events all occur:

• The wheelbarrow was invented in China;

• The city of Chichen is founded by the Mayans;

• The Kingdom of Korea moves its capital to Pyongyang;

• The Vandals besiege the city of Hippo during which St Augustine dies?

2.

In which century AD did the following events all occur:

• The first terraced stone pyramid is built at Angkor Wat in Cambodia;

• A carrier pigeon messaging service is established in Arab territories;

• The archbishopric of Lichfield is abolished in England;

• Pope John VIII crowns Charles the Fat as Holy Roman Emperor?

3.

Which British island is thought to have derived its name from the old Norse words for 'puffin' and 'island'?

4.

Which word is common to: the old Norse derived legal system found in the Orkneys, Shetlands and the Isle of Man; and an English spin bowler born in Farnborough in 1969 who captained Middlesex?

5.

Who is the only US president to have served two separate terms of office, as opposed to consecutive of which there have been many?

6.

Which US president is missing from this list: Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, and Theodore Roosevelt?

7.

In which sport might you see 'a clean backside' and a 'nosebonk'?

8.

What is the sport shown in the photograph?

1.

What name is given to the class of drugs that lower cholesterol levels?

2.

In Greek mythology by what collective name are Zetes, Tiphys, Hylas and 47 others known?

3.

Which prime minister who died in 1978 was born in Kiev, then in the Russian empire, in 1898?

4.

In the Evelyn Waugh novel Scoop who was the owner of the Daily Brute?

5.

Which novel by Ted Hughes is subtitled A Children’s Story in Five Nights?

6.

In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Attwood the United States has been replaced by which theocratic totalitarian state?

7.

On which television channel did the programmes Zoe 101, iCarly and Drake and Josh first appear?

8.

What pejorative term has been applied to (amongst others) the Freedom Party of Austria, the Bosnian Movement of National Pride, the Free German Workers’ Party and the Russian National Unity Group?

ROUND 7 - Announced theme

Each answer includes the surname of one of the members of the Order of Merit (OM) as of 1^st October 2010 - two of the names are 'sound-alikes'

1.

Whose novels include Crome Yellow (1921), Eyeless in Gaza (1936) and Ape and Essence (1948)?

2.

Name either of the co-founders of Wikipedia.

3.

Formerly called Barrogill Castle what was the name of the Queen Mother’s summer residence in Caithness?

4.

Which popular 1970s TV legal drama had as its theme tune The Land of the Mountain and the Flood by Hamish MacCunn?

5.

Which former MP, wit and polymath had printed on the Order of Service of his funeral “Best before 15th April 2009”?

6.

Which actress, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2005 (awarded at the ceremony in 2006), made her debut in 1991 at 14 in the film The Man in the Moon?

7.

Which actor, who died in 2002, is best remembered for his role as Inspector Van der Valk in the TV series of the 70s and 90s?

8.

Who is the most recent person to have been created an hereditary baronet?

ROUND 8 - Pot luck Bingo

Choose  a number between 1 and 15

1.

Who is currently the longest continuously serving female MP ('The Mother of the House') having been elected at a by-election in 1982?

2.

Which drink, popular for over eight hundred years, is derived from the plants Taraxacum officinale and Arctium lappa?

3.

Which Australian bowler holds the record for the highest score by a night watchman in a Test match, a magnificent 201 not out, set in 2006?

4.

Who said “A woman’s preaching is like a dog’s walking on its hinder legs.  It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all”?

5.

Which king unexpectedly stood up at the start of the Hallelujah Chorus during a performance of Handel’s Messiah thus setting the tradition that audiences always stand when it is played?

6.

Whose Third piano concerto is regarded as one of the most technically difficult?  It was never played in public by Josef Hofmann, to whom it was dedicated; the pianist Gary Grafmann lamented he had not learned it as a student when he was “still too young to know fear”?

7.

The Sheffield band Heaven 17 and Anglo-Irish duo Moloko both derive their names from which 1962 novel?

8.

By what name is the essential food component ascorbic acid better known?

9.

What musically connects London, Edinburgh, Brighton, Harrogate and Birmingham?

10.

Name any two of the four female colleagues of fighter pilot Destiny Angel (all of whom have musical names) who featured in the 1960s Gerry Anderson supermarionation TV series Captain Scarlet.

11.

The jostaberry is a cross between two fruits.  Name either.

12.

What was Bartolomeo Cristofori’s major contribution to music?

13.

Which celebrity is married to Miss World 1975?

14.

Juan Ponce de Leon was the first known European to set foot on which future US state?

15.

What happened to a Roman slave if he underwent manumission?

1.

Irish PM Brian Cowen’s nickname 'Biffo' reflects his origins, coming as he does from which county?

Offaly

2.

In 1975 where would you be going musically with Captain Tobias Wilcox of Coconut Airways?

Barbados

3.

In which country was the concert pianist Martha Argerich born in 1941?

Argentina

4.

Which is the only team to have lost four FA Charity/Community Shields in consecutive years?

Manchester United

(98/99/00/01)

5.

Which 1960s action/adventure TV series starred William Gaunt, Stuart Damon and Alexandra Bastedo?

The Champions

6.

Whose statue is on top of Trajan’s Column in Rome?

St Peter

7.

Still a popular girls’ name, in Irish mythology who was the lover of Naoise (pronounced approximately as Neeshoo), nephew of the King of Ulster?

Deirdre

8.

Which film of 1980 includes a Country and Western band called The Good Ol’ Boys, the Illinois Nazis, the Reverend Cleophas James and Sister Mary Stigmata?

The Blues Brothers

1.

Which film of 1978 includes a band called Otis Day and the Knights, a dead horse, a 13 year old Lolita called Clorette DePasto and a Reserve Officers Training Corps leader subsequently killed in Vietnam by his own troops?

Animal House

2.

Still a popular boys’ name, in Irish mythology who was the lover of Grainne (pronounced approximately as Gron-ya), daughter of Cormac mac Airt?

Diarmuid

(pronounced approximately and anglicised as Dermot)

3.

Whose statue was on top of the Pillar in O’Connell Street, Dublin until 8th March 1966?

Horatio, Lord Nelson

4.

Which 70s action/adventure TV series featured the characters Danny Wilde, Brett Sinclair and Judge Fulton?

The Persuaders

5.

Which is the only team to have been undefeated in four FA Charity/Community Shields in consecutive years?

Everton

(84/85/86/87)

6.

In which country, formerly in the Soviet Union, was the concert pianist Valentina Lisitsa born in 1973?

Ukraine

7.

In 1999 where would you be going musically with Captain Kim of Venga Airways?

Ibiza

8.

By what name is new peer of the realm Lord Bannside better known?

Ian Paisley

1.

Name the Coalition cabinet member.

Danny Alexander

2.

Name the Coalition cabinet member.

Michael Gove

3.

Who is this Major winning golfer?

Martin Kaymer

(he won USPGA in 2010)

4.

Who is this Major winning golfer?

Graeme McDowell

(he won US Open in 2010)

5.

Who is this handsome lad?

Justin Bieber

6.

Who is this comely lass?

Miley Cyrus

7.

Who is this author who died in 1863 - described by Charlotte Bronte as a 'Titan' she dedicated the second edition of Jane Eyre to him?

William Makepeace Thackeray

8.

Who is this author who died in 1889 - he wrote over 30 novels and 14 plays and was a friend of, and collaborator with, Charles Dickens?

Wilkie Collins

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

There is a pattern in the answers

1.

Which drink, popular in the United States, is made from an extract of the sassafras tree?

Root Beer

2.

What name is given to the body of water separating North and South Islands of New Zealand?

Cook Strait

3.

What slang name is given by Scousers to people from areas around Liverpool such as Runcorn, Widnes and the Wirral?

Woollybacks

4.

What is the name of the 1981 Rolling Stones album which features the songs Hang Fire, Waiting for a Friend and Start Me Up?

Tattoo You

5.

What word links the UK girl band duo whose biggest hit single was Trouble in 1994; and a 1975 film set in the 24 hour period in 1968 on the eve of the US presidential election?

Shampoo

6.

Name the Hanna Barbera cartoon which started in 1974 and featured a canine hero voiced by the actor and singer-musician Scatman Crothers.

Hong Kong Phooey

7.

Name the region of space, a hypothesised sphere, about a light year from the sun, from which many long period comets are believed to originate.

Oort Cloud

8.

Which British aquatic bird with the Latin name 'Gallinula chloropus' is a member of the rail family and sometimes referred to as a gallinule?

Moorhen

1.

In which century AD did the following events all occur:

• The wheelbarrow was invented in China;

• The city of Chichen is founded by the Mayans;

• The Kingdom of Korea moves its capital to Pyongyang;

• The Vandals besiege the city of Hippo during which St Augustine dies?

5th century

(400s AD)

2.

In which century AD did the following events all occur:

• The first terraced stone pyramid is built at Angkor Wat in Cambodia;

• A carrier pigeon messaging service is established in Arab territories;

• The archbishopric of Lichfield is abolished in England;

• Pope John VIII crowns Charles the Fat as Holy Roman Emperor?

9th century AD

(800s AD)

3.

Which British island is thought to have derived its name from the old Norse words for 'puffin' and 'island'?

Lundy

4.

Which word is common to: the old Norse derived legal system found in the Orkneys, Shetlands and the Isle of Man; and an English spin bowler born in Farnborough in 1969 who captained Middlesex?

Udal

5.

Who is the only US president to have served two separate terms of office, as opposed to consecutive of which there have been many?

Grover Cleveland

6.

Which US president is missing from this list: Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, and Theodore Roosevelt?

Lyndon Johnson

(all VPs who took office after assassinations)

7.

In which sport might you see 'a clean backside' and a 'nosebonk'?

Snowboarding

8.

What is the sport shown in the photograph?

Octopush

(also accept 'underwater hockey')

1.

What name is given to the class of drugs that lower cholesterol levels?

Statins

2.

In Greek mythology by what collective name are Zetes, Tiphys, Hylas and 47 others known?

The Argonauts

3.

Which prime minister who died in 1978 was born in Kiev, then in the Russian empire, in 1898?

Golda Meir

4.

In the Evelyn Waugh novel Scoop who was the owner of the Daily Brute?

Lord Zinc

5.

Which novel by Ted Hughes is subtitled A Children’s Story in Five Nights?

The Iron Man

6.

In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Attwood the United States has been replaced by which theocratic totalitarian state?

Gilead

7.

On which television channel did the programmes Zoe 101, iCarly and Drake and Josh first appear?

Nickelodeon

8.

What pejorative term has been applied to (amongst others) the Freedom Party of Austria, the Bosnian Movement of National Pride, the Free German Workers’ Party and the Russian National Unity Group?

Neo-nazi

ROUND 7 - Announced theme

Each answer includes the surname of one of the members of the Order of Merit (OM) as of 1^st October 2010 - two of the names are 'sound-alikes'

1.

Whose novels include Crome Yellow (1921), Eyeless in Gaza (1936) and Ape and Essence (1948)?

Aldous Huxley

2.

Name either of the co-founders of Wikipedia.

(either)

Jimmy Wales

(or)

Larry Sanger

3.

Formerly called Barrogill Castle what was the name of the Queen Mother’s summer residence in Caithness?

Castle of Mey

4.

Which popular 1970s TV legal drama had as its theme tune The Land of the Mountain and the Flood by Hamish MacCunn?

Sutherland’s Law

5.

Which former MP, wit and polymath had printed on the Order of Service of his funeral “Best before 15th April 2009”?

Clement Freud

6.

Which actress, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2005 (awarded at the ceremony in 2006), made her debut in 1991 at 14 in the film The Man in the Moon?

Reese Witherspoon

7.

Which actor, who died in 2002, is best remembered for his role as Inspector Van der Valk in the TV series of the 70s and 90s?

Barry Foster

8.

Who is the most recent person to have been created an hereditary baronet?

Sir Dennis Thatcher

(in 1990)

ROUND 8 - Pot luck Bingo

Choose a number between 1 and 15

1.

Who is currently the longest continuously serving female MP ('The Mother of the House') having been elected at a by-election in 1982?

Harriet Harman

2.

Which drink, popular for over eight hundred years, is derived from the plants Taraxacum officinale and Arctium lappa?

Dandelion and burdock

3.

Which Australian bowler holds the record for the highest score by a night watchman in a Test match, a magnificent 201 not out, set in 2006?

Jason Gillespie

4.

Who said “A woman’s preaching is like a dog’s walking on its hinder legs.  It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all”?

Dr Samuel Johnson

5.

Which king unexpectedly stood up at the start of the Hallelujah Chorus during a performance of Handel’s Messiah thus setting the tradition that audiences always stand when it is played?

George II

(second)

6.

Whose Third piano concerto is regarded as one of the most technically difficult?  It was never played in public by Josef Hofmann, to whom it was dedicated; the pianist Gary Grafmann lamented he had not learned it as a student when he was “still too young to know fear”?

Sergei Rachmaninoff

7.

The Sheffield band Heaven 17 and Anglo-Irish duo Moloko both derive their names from which 1962 novel?

A Clockwork Orange

8.

By what name is the essential food component ascorbic acid better known?

Vitamin C

9.

What musically connects London, Edinburgh, Brighton, Harrogate and Birmingham?

They hosted the Eurovision Song Contest when it was held in the UK

10.

Name any two of the four female colleagues of fighter pilot Destiny Angel (all of whom have musical names) who featured in the 1960s Gerry Anderson supermarionation TV series Captain Scarlet.

(2 from)

Symphony, Rhapsody, Melody or Harmony

11.

The jostaberry is a cross between two fruits.  Name either.

(either)

Gooseberry

(or)

Blackcurrant

12.

What was Bartolomeo Cristofori’s major contribution to music?

He invented the piano

13.

Which celebrity is married to Miss World 1975?

Bruce Forsyth

14.

Juan Ponce de Leon was the first known European to set foot on which future US state?

Florida

15.

What happened to a Roman slave if he underwent manumission?

He was freed