ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

If a champagne is described as 'Blanc de Blancs', from what grape is it made?

2.

Syrah is a grape variety originating from the Rhone region of France.  By what name is it grown under in Australia?

3.

By what title is the British Prime Minister William Lamb better known?

4.

By what title is the British Prime Minister George Hamilton Gordon better known?

5.

In which Dickens novel does much of the plot take place in the Marshalsea prison?

6.

In which Dickens novel is a leading character imprisoned in the Fleet prison for refusing to pay compensation for an alleged breach of promise of marriage?

7.

The Ruins of Athens is incidental music written in 1811 to accompany a play of the same name.  Who is the composer?

8.

The Pines of Rome, The Fountains of Rome and Roman Festival are three works by which 20th-century  composer?

1.

Which district takes its name from a company that used to deliver fruit from Tenerife?

2.

Which part of London gets its name from a Dominican Priory built at Ludgate Hill?

3.

What is the proper name of the tallest tower at Canary Wharf, currently the UK’s tallest completed building?  Both Trinity Mirror and the Telegraph Group have offices there.

4.

What is the name of the building that upon completion in 2012 will become the tallest building in the UK (and indeed the EU)?

5.

Hornsea Lane connects Highgate and Crouch Hill in North London.  It passes over the infamous ‘suicide bridge’, which offers a great view of the City of London and the aforementioned towers.  How are this bridge, the local area and local tube station more properly known?

6.

Waterlow Park, on the Highgate Hill side of Archway offers a similar view, once contemplated by a historical Londoner.  What is the name of the hospital adjacent to the park?

7.

Which ex-Metropolitan police officer was the Liberal Democrat candidate in the 2008 London mayoral election?

8.

Labour have chosen Ken Livingstone to fight the 2012 mayoral election.  Which ex-East London MP did he beat in the selection process, which was announced the same day as the Labour leadership result in September 2010?

Sp1

Which part of London gets its name from a traveller's inn, the name of which was a corruption of the official title of a number of Spanish princesses?

Sp2

Which other area of East London may also have taken its name from the Canary Islands (or Insula Canaria)?

1.

Who are the only 2 people to share the Sports Personality of the Year Award?  

2.

Which is the main river flowing through Wensleydale? 

3.

Which classical singer famously chose 7 of her own records on Desert Island Discs?            

4.

How are the Danish West Indies now known?

5.

What is the nickname of the Ivory Coast football team? 

6.

Who replaced Carol Vordeman on Countdown?                       

7.

Which Berkshire building was used as the setting for Downton Abbey? 

8.

Who had a hit record in 1984 with Agadoo?

ROUND 4

1.

There are four racecourses in East and West Sussex, Goodwood and Brighton being probably the most well-known.  Name one of the other two.

2.

In which song composed in 1879 was the Victorian soldier Sir Garnet Wolseley celebrated?

3.

What is the French cooking term for 'in the style of the barge man's wife'?

4.

"Every word she writes is a lie including 'and' and 'the'".  These words were spoken by one US female literary figure about another US female literary figure on the Dick Cavett Show and she was promptly sued.  Name either.

5.

Which crop-plant, the current price of which is approximately $3700 per tonne, did the biologist Linnaeus give the name Theobroma, 'food of the gods', when he classified it?

6.

In the same way as Wilhelmstrasse was used to refer to the German government, which administration was referred to as the Porte?

7.

The director Joseph L Mankiewicz said about his 1972 film that it was the only one ever made in which all the cast were nominated for individual acting Oscars.  The film was remade in 2007 with one of the original cast members.  Which film was it?

8.

Which 19th-century novel published in 1848 finishes with the following lines: "Come, children, let us shut up the box and the puppets, for our play is played out."?

ROUND 5 - 'Pot pourri'

1.

Who is the English inventor of the wind-up radio?

2.

In the 1970’s TV series Police Woman what character was played by Angie Dickinson?

3.

Which infectious disease is spread to humans by tick bites in woodland and heathland areas?

4.

In the Archers, Robert Snell has 2 daughters - Leonie is one, what is the name of the other?

5.

Warren Buffet, the American investor, is often referred to by which nickname?

6.

Which 12 volume cycle of novels by Anthony Powell was published between 1951 and 1975?

7.

In the long running TV series Gun Smoke (1955 to 1975) James Arness played which character?

8.

In a Midsummers Night’s Dream, Titania has four fairy attendants.  Peasblossom, Cobweb, and Moth are three of them.  Who is the fourth?

Sp.

Which actor and film star had the forenames John Uhler?

1.

In 1999, Time Magazine published a list of the 100 most important and influential figures of the 20th Century.  Which classical composer was the only one listed?

2.

Who was Time Magazine’s number one person of the 20th Century in the same list of important and influential figures?  He was not a politician.

3.

Which wrist bone has gained the reputation as been the 'most litigious bone in the body'?

4.

Two medical specialties attract the highest medico-legal fees in the UK for private work with the Medical Protection Society.  Name either of them.

5.

Who is the Secretary of State at DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)? 

6.

Who is the Secretary of State at DECC (Department for Energy and Climate Change)?

7.

In which year of the 1950s did composer Jean Sibelius, Senator Joseph McCarthy and film pioneer Charles Pathé die?

8.

In which year of the 1950s were conductor Simon Rattle, President Nicholas Sarkozy, and comic actor Rowan Atkinson all born?

Sp1

James has a fibreglass-bodied, Ford V6-powered sports car in his garage which was built in Tamworth.  The patron of his professional body is also associated with this car.  What model of car does James have, and therefore who is the patron of the College of Emergency Medicine?

Sp2

Apart from the scaphoid (named after a skiff) what other bone in the body is named after a boat?

ROUND 7

1.

Before the 1908 Olympics the marathon was run over a distance of 25 miles.  After personal intervention by the king and queen the distance was extended to 26 miles 385 yards which was adopted as the standard distance in 1924.  Give one of the two reasons for the extension.

2.

Which journalist and Radio 4's Moral Maze panellist, is married to the journalist and broadcaster Joshua Rozenberg, the presenter of Law in Action on Radio 4?

3.

What did the 'V' mean in the names of the V1 and V2 rockets?

4.

How is the victor of the battles of Custova in 1848 and Novara in 1849 celebrated in music?

5.

Once frequently seen on British Railways it is known as a caboose on the US railway networks.  What is it?

6.

The French resistance were known as the Maquis in the Second World War.  From where does the word originate?

7.

Although common in United States for many years the first one in the UK opened in Fallowfield in 1986.  What is it?

8.

Before amalgamation in 1923 the Midland Railway and the LNWR both served the Midlands and the North.  The LNWR engineering works were at Crewe; in which city were the headquarters and main engineering works of the Midland Railway?

ROUND 8

1.

Which football league team was founded in 1907 and went into liquidation in 1974? 

2.

Being a natural habitat for the barnacle goose where is the world's largest national park? 

3.

In music how are Scott Engel, John Maus and Gary Leeds better known?           

4.

On which Yorkshire river is there a series of waterfalls called the Strid?

5.

Who plays Prospera, the Duchess of Milan, in the new film version of The Tempest? 

6.

Who had a British hit with Guantanamera? 

7.

Literally what does Apocrypha mean? 

8.

Who was the last Prime Minister to lead his party to victory at a General Election whilst representing a Scottish Constituency?

Spares

1.

In which sport would you use a stimpmetre?  

2.

Who was the first President of Ireland, from 1938 to 1945?

3.

Who commanded 11 Group of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and is widely credited with its successful outcome?

ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

If a champagne is described as 'Blanc de Blancs', from what grape is it made?

Chardonnay

2.

Syrah is a grape variety originating from the Rhone region of France.  By what name is it grown under in Australia?

Shiraz

3.

By what title is the British Prime Minister William Lamb better known?

Viscount Melbourne

4.

By what title is the British Prime Minister George Hamilton Gordon better known?

Earl of Aberdeen

5.

In which Dickens novel does much of the plot take place in the Marshalsea prison?

Little Dorrit

6.

In which Dickens novel is a leading character imprisoned in the Fleet prison for refusing to pay compensation for an alleged breach of promise of marriage?

The Pickwick Papers

7.

The Ruins of Athens is incidental music written in 1811 to accompany a play of the same name.  Who is the composer?

Beethoven

8.

The Pines of Rome, The Fountains of Rome and Roman Festival are three works by which 20th-century  composer?

Respighi

1.

Which district takes its name from a company that used to deliver fruit from Tenerife?

Canary Wharf

2.

Which part of London gets its name from a Dominican Priory built at Ludgate Hill?

Blackfriars

3.

What is the proper name of the tallest tower at Canary Wharf, currently the UK’s tallest completed building?  Both Trinity Mirror and the Telegraph Group have offices there.

One Canada Square

(QM discretion  – mention of Canada gets the points)

4.

What is the name of the building that upon completion in 2012 will become the tallest building in the UK (and indeed the EU)?

The Shard

(at London Bridge)

5.

Hornsea Lane connects Highgate and Crouch Hill in North London.  It passes over the infamous ‘suicide bridge’, which offers a great view of the City of London and the aforementioned towers.  How are this bridge, the local area and local tube station more properly known?

Archway

6.

Waterlow Park, on the Highgate Hill side of Archway offers a similar view, once contemplated by a historical Londoner.  What is the name of the hospital adjacent to the park?

The Whittington (Hospital)

(mention of Dick Whittington gets the point)

7.

Which ex-Metropolitan police officer was the Liberal Democrat candidate in the 2008 London mayoral election?

Brian Paddick

8.

Labour have chosen Ken Livingstone to fight the 2012 mayoral election.  Which ex-East London MP did he beat in the selection process, which was announced the same day as the Labour leadership result in September 2010?

(now The Right Honourable Baroness King of Bow for her troubles - poor Brian Paddick is still Brian Paddick)

Sp1

Which part of London gets its name from a traveller's inn, the name of which was a corruption of the official title of a number of Spanish princesses?

Elephant and Castle

(from Via La Infanta de Castilla)

Sp2

Which other area of East London may also have taken its name from the Canary Islands (or Insula Canaria)?

(canis being dog rather than bird)

1.

Who are the only 2 people to share the Sports Personality of the Year Award?  

Torvill and Dean

2.

Which is the main river flowing through Wensleydale? 

River Ure        

3.

Which classical singer famously chose 7 of her own records on Desert Island Discs?            

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

4.

How are the Danish West Indies now known?

US Virgin Islands

5.

What is the nickname of the Ivory Coast football team? 

Elephants

6.

Who replaced Carol Vordeman on Countdown?                       

Rachel Riley

7.

Which Berkshire building was used as the setting for Downton Abbey? 

Highclere Castle

8.

Who had a hit record in 1984 with Agadoo?

Black Lace

ROUND 4

1.

There are four racecourses in East and West Sussex, Goodwood and Brighton being probably the most well-known.  Name one of the other two.

(either)

Fontwell

(or)

Plumpton

2.

In which song composed in 1879 was the Victorian soldier Sir Garnet Wolseley celebrated?

I am the Model of a Modern Major-General

3.

What is the French cooking term for 'in the style of the barge man's wife'?

Marinière

4.

"Every word she writes is a lie including 'and' and 'the'".  These words were spoken by one US female literary figure about another US female literary figure on the Dick Cavett Show and she was promptly sued.  Name either.

(either)

Mary McCarthy

(or)

about Lillian Hellman

5.

Which crop-plant, the current price of which is approximately $3700 per tonne, did the biologist Linnaeus give the name Theobroma, 'food of the gods', when he classified it?

Cocoa

(or cacao)

6.

In the same way as Wilhelmstrasse was used to refer to the German government, which administration was referred to as the Porte?

The Ottoman Empire

(accept Turkey)

7.

The director Joseph L Mankiewicz said about his 1972 film that it was the only one ever made in which all the cast were nominated for individual acting Oscars.  The film was remade in 2007 with one of the original cast members.  Which film was it?

Sleuth

8.

Which 19th-century novel published in 1848 finishes with the following lines: "Come, children, let us shut up the box and the puppets, for our play is played out."?

Vanity Fair

ROUND 5 - 'Pot pourri'

1.

Who is the English inventor of the wind-up radio?

Trevor Bayliss

2.

In the 1970’s TV series Police Woman what character was played by Angie Dickinson?

Sergeant Pepper Anderson

3.

Which infectious disease is spread to humans by tick bites in woodland and heathland areas?

Lyme Disease

4.

In the Archers, Robert Snell has 2 daughters - Leonie is one, what is the name of the other?

Coriander

5.

Warren Buffet, the American investor, is often referred to by which nickname?

The 'Sage of Omaha'

(accept 'Oracle of Omaha')

6.

Which 12 volume cycle of novels by Anthony Powell was published between 1951 and 1975?

A Dance to the Music of Time

7.

In the long running TV series Gun Smoke (1955 to 1975) James Arness played which character?

Marshal Matt Dillon

8.

In a Midsummers Night’s Dream, Titania has four fairy attendants.  Peasblossom, Cobweb, and Moth are three of them.  Who is the fourth?

Mustardseed

Sp.

Which actor and film star had the forenames John Uhler?

Jack Lemmon

In this case 'Pot pourri' doesn't mean a random selection of questions but that....

 Each answer contains the name (or the sound of a name) of a herb

1.

In 1999, Time Magazine published a list of the 100 most important and influential figures of the 20th Century.  Which classical composer was the only one listed?

Igor Stravinsky

2.

Who was Time Magazine’s number one person of the 20th Century in the same list of important and influential figures?  He was not a politician.

Albert Einstein

(joint runners up Ghandi and Roosevelt)

3.

Which wrist bone has gained the reputation as been the 'most litigious bone in the body'?

Scaphoid

4.

Two medical specialties attract the highest medico-legal fees in the UK for private work with the Medical Protection Society.  Name either of them.

(either)

Obstetrics

(NOT gynaecology)

(or)

Neuro /Spinal surgery

(The consequences of errors in either can lead to huge settlements in £millions for lifelong care due to cerebral palsy or quadriplegia; the settlements for failed Cosmetic/Plastic Surgery are much much less in £thousands)

5.

Who is the Secretary of State at DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)? 

Caroline Spelman

6.

Who is the Secretary of State at DECC (Department for Energy and Climate Change)?

Chris Huhne

7.

In which year of the 1950s did composer Jean Sibelius, Senator Joseph McCarthy and film pioneer Charles Pathé die?

1957

8.

In which year of the 1950s were conductor Simon Rattle, President Nicholas Sarkozy, and comic actor Rowan Atkinson all born?

1955

Sp1

James has a fibreglass-bodied, Ford V6-powered sports car in his garage which was built in Tamworth.  The patron of his professional body is also associated with this car.  What model of car does James have, and therefore who is the patron of the College of Emergency Medicine?

Reliant Scimitar; Princess Anne

Sp2

Apart from the scaphoid (named after a skiff) what other bone in the body is named after a boat?

The Navicular bone

(a bone in the foot ...and yes to doctors, the scaphoid is sometimes still called the os navicularis manus)

ROUND 7

1.

Before the 1908 Olympics the marathon was run over a distance of 25 miles.  After personal intervention by the king and queen the distance was extended to 26 miles 385 yards which was adopted as the standard distance in 1924.  Give one of the two reasons for the extension.

(either)

The Queen wished to see the start of the race (at Windsor Castle)

(or)

and the king wanted the race to finish in front of his box (at White City)

2.

Which journalist and Radio 4's Moral Maze panellist, is married to the journalist and broadcaster Joshua Rozenberg, the presenter of Law in Action on Radio 4?

Melanie Phillips

3.

What did the 'V' mean in the names of the V1 and V2 rockets?

Vergeltungswaffe

(Retribution, vengeance or a retaliation weapon, or words to that effect - accept either English or German versions)

4.

How is the victor of the battles of Custova in 1848 and Novara in 1849 celebrated in music?

By the Radetsky March

5.

Once frequently seen on British Railways it is known as a caboose on the US railway networks.  What is it?

Guard's van

6.

The French resistance were known as the Maquis in the Second World War.  From where does the word originate?

It refers to scrubland

(found in Corsica where bandits used to hide)

7.

Although common in United States for many years the first one in the UK opened in Fallowfield in 1986.  What is it?

A drive-through McDonald's

(accept drive-through fast-food outlet)

8.

Before amalgamation in 1923 the Midland Railway and the LNWR both served the Midlands and the North.  The LNWR engineering works were at Crewe; in which city were the headquarters and main engineering works of the Midland Railway?

Derby

ROUND 8 - Pot pourri

1.

Which football league team was founded in 1907 and went into liquidation in 1974? 

Bradford Park Avenue

2.

Being a natural habitat for the barnacle goose where is the world's largest national park? 

Greenland

3.

In music how are Scott Engel, John Maus and Gary Leeds better known?           

The Walker Brothers

4.

On which Yorkshire river is there a series of waterfalls called the Strid?

The Wharfe

5.

Who plays Prospera, the Duchess of Milan, in the new film version of The Tempest? 

Helen Mirren

6.

Who had a British hit with Guantanamera? 

Sandpipers

7.

Literally what does Apocrypha mean? 

Secret or Hidden

8.

Who was the last Prime Minister to lead his party to victory at a General Election whilst representing a Scottish Constituency?

Andrew Bonar Law in 1922

(he represented Glasgow Central)

Spares

1.

In which sport would you use a stimpmetre?  

Golf

(it measures the pace of the putting greens)

2.

Who was the first President of Ireland, from 1938 to 1945?

Douglas Hyde

3.

Who commanded 11 Group of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and is widely credited with its successful outcome?

Keith Park