1.

What is notably absent from both Ernest Wright’s 1939 novel Gadsby and Georges Perec’s 1969 French novel La Disparition (with the exception of the front cover in both cases)?

2.

Today is the 217th anniversary of the Anglo-French naval battle that became known as The Glorious First of June.  Who commanded the British fleet during the battle?

3.

Which American composer wrote (or co-wrote) the television theme music for The Rockford Files, Magnum P.I., The A-Team and Hill Street Blues?

4.

The Watsons and Sanditon are two unfinished works by which well-known English novelist?

5.

Which journalist and broadcaster presented the BBC TV series How TV Ruined Your Life earlier this year?

6.

On a standard UK computer keyboard, which symbol is generated by simultaneously pressing the shift key and the 8 key?

7.

What name is shared by an English river, a 1960s radio and television personality and an English mathematician and astronomer during the reign of Elizabeth I?

8.

What happened for the first time in Vienna in 1967, followed by Madrid in 1969, The Hague in 1976 and Dublin in 1981?  It happened again in Dublin in 1997 and has not happened since.

9.

Which word is common to the titles of UK top ten hits for The Small Faces, Morrissey, Oasis and Dawn featuring Tony Orlando?

10.

Which Australian author has won the Booker Prize twice: for Oscar and Lucinda in 1988 and for True History of the Kelly Gang in 2001?

11.

The Battle of the White Mountain took place near Prague during which war of the seventeenth century?

12.

The satirical magazine Private Eye features a regular feature called Nooks & Corners.  Originally penned by John Betjeman and now written by historian Gavin Stamp under the name Piloti, what is the column’s principal theme?

13.

What name do we give to the social activity known to Germans as kneipenbummel, to the Spanish as chateo and to Welsh speakers as gropian tafarn?

14.

Which UK number one single of 1979 was inspired by the actions of sixteen-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer?

15.

Despite using a so-called ‘super-injunction’ Ryan Giggs has spectacularly failed to suppress news of his alleged affair with which former Big Brother contestant?

16.

Why was Justine Thornton in the news last week?

17.

Which 20th century event was the inspiration for Manic Street Preachers’ 1998 UK number one hit, If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next?

18.

The French call this type of event a vide-grenier, which means ‘empty attic’.  What do we call it?

19.

When describing improper sexual relationships the satirical magazine Private Eye often employs a euphemism in which the participants are said to be involved in 'discussions' about which African country?

20.

The Thirty Years’ War ended following the signing of a series of treaties which were known collectively as The Peace of…where?

21.

Which author, who was born in South Africa but is now an Australian citizen, has won the Booker prize twice: for Life & Times of Michael K in 1983 and for Disgrace in 1999?

22.

Which word is common to the titles of UK top ten hits for Sandie Shaw, The Bee Gees, The Specials and Electronic?

23.

Which was the first British town or city - other than London - to host the Eurovision Song Contest?

24.

What name is shared by an English river, an honorary European title and a popular variation of the trick-taking card game Phat?

25.

In most commonly-used Microsoft software applications (such as Word, Excel and Internet Explorer), what operation is performed by simultaneously pressing the Control (Ctrl) key and the 'V' key?

26.

Destiny, Stardust, Falling, and Messengers were the four episodes of which 2011 BBC TV series that was presented by physicist Professor Brian Cox?

27.

Which well-known novelist and poet wrote the 1867 debut novel The Poor Man and the Lady? The book was never published, although some of the material was re-used in the author’s later works, including a poem of the same name.

28.

Which Australian-born composer wrote the television theme music for Tales of the Unexpected, Steptoe and Son, The Prisoner and Doctor Who?

29.

Who was the most famous casualty when German fighters shot down BOAC flight 777 over the Bay of Biscay sixty eight years ago today?

30.

Which part of speech is completely absent from French author Michel Thaler’s 233-page novel The Train from Nowhere, which was published in 2004?

1.

Fulham Broadway is the closest London Underground station to which Premier League football ground?

2.

Anthony Burgess, Bernard Hill, Caroline Aherne and Shaun Wright-Phillips all attended which educational establishment in Rusholme?

3.

What is the name of the Japanese nuclear reactor which was severely damaged by the earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011?

4.

The sixth Baronet of Ancoats (1896–1980) was better known by which name?

5.

Stinking Bishop cheese takes its unusual name from a variety of which fruit, which is used during manufacture of the cheese?

6.

Which Macclesfield-born fashion designer, who is currently creative director for Alexander McQueen, designed the dresses worn by Kate and Pippa Middleton at this year’s royal wedding?

7.

Built in 1817 to celebrate the victory at Waterloo, what two-word name is commonly given to the unusual monument that overlooks the Cheshire town of Bollington?

8.

Who plays Uncle Bryn in the BBC TV comedy Gavin & Stacey?

9.

Which star of silent films played the character Lonesome Luke in dozens of short comedies released between 1915 and 1917?

10.

The mother of Daily Mirror football writer Oliver Holt has played which Coronation Street character since 1961?

1.

Following the 1851 coup that brought Napoleon III to power, which author left France and eventually settled on Guernsey, where he spent fifteen years in exile and produced many works denouncing the new French regime?

2.

In which Ray Bradbury novel is the central character Guy Montag, a ‘fireman’ whose job is to burn books?

3.

Which James Bond film features two female bodyguards called Bambi and Thumper, two henchmen called Mr Wint and Mr Kidd and a character called Plenty O’Toole?

4.

In Greek mythology who was appointed by Zeus to choose the most beautiful of Athena, Aphrodite and Hera; his choice of Aphrodite led indirectly to the Trojan War?

5.

Which band’s albums include Warsaw, Closer and Unknown Pleasures?

6.

What name is commonly given to dried latex obtained from the plant Papaver somniferum?

7.

Which 1953 film, for which Fred Zinnemann and Frank Sinatra won respective Oscars for Best Director and Best Supporting Actor, was based on a James Jones novel set in Hawaii?

8.

Which song, originally composed in 1949, provided UK number one hits for Lou Bega in 1999 and Bob the Builder in 2001?

ROUND 4 - WithQuiz style - 'That There London'

Answers contain the name of a town or district in Greater London

1.

Who was the last goalkeeper to win the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award?

2.

If Jan Francis was Penny Warrender, who was Paul Nicholas?

3.

Who is the only player to have been World Championship runner-up in both snooker and billiards without winning either title?

4.

Which cricketer, who captained Lancashire during the late 1970s, scored 106 not out on his England Test debut against the West Indies in 1973?

5.

Which regular panellist on Any Questions? and What’s My Line? during the 1950s and ‘60s committed suicide in 1980, a few days after being convicted of shoplifting?

6.

Which Canadian city hosted the 1978 Commonwealth Games?

7.

The BBC documentary series The Birth of Hollywood, which began last week, is presented by which comedian?

8.

Which local building opened in the late 1870s and closed in 1999, since when it has housed Kosovan refugees, been illegally occupied by travellers and featured on Living TV’s Most Haunted Live?

ROUND 5 - WithQuiz style - Hidden theme

1.

Which metal, atomic number 28, is used in alloys and the production of magnets, rechargeable batteries and coins and takes its name from the Swedish for ‘copper-coloured ore’?

2.

Which supermarket chain opened its first store in Germany in 1973 and the first of its more than 500 British stores in 1994?

3.

As ‘third choice’, after William Walton and Malcolm Arnold both turned it down, Maurice Jarre composed the musical score for which Oscar-winning film of 1962?

4.

In Radio 4’s The Archers, Brian, his wife Jennifer, daughters Kate and Alice and his illegitimate son Ruairí (pronounced ‘Rory’) are members of which family?

5.

Who was the most recent MP to hold the office of Prime Minister whilst representing a Welsh constituency?

6.

Which Canadian rock band’s albums include 2112 (pronounced ‘twenty-one twelve’), Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures?

7.

Which ITV Sunday night programme, a mixture of hymns and chat, ran from 1983 to 1993 and was presented by Sir Harry Secombe?

8.

Which American pop band is made up of three brothers: Isaac, Taylor and Zac?

Identify the events from the dates on which they started and finished

1.

Which event of 1967 began on 5 June and ended on 10 June?

2.

In 1990 which local event that also made national headlines began on 1 April and finished twenty five days later?

3.

Which event in London in 1980 started on 30 April and ended on 5 May?

4.

What lasted from 4 May 1979 to 28 November 1990?

5.

What started on 12 June 1964 and ended on 11 February 1990?

6.

What began on 20 June 1837 and finished on 22 January 1901?

7.

In 2002 what opened on 25 July and closed on 4 August?

8.

What famously ended after 44 days on 12 September 1974?

1.

What has species called Cherry, Chinook, Chum, Pink and Sockeye?

2.

Depicted twice as herself and once as a doll wearing a 'Welcome The Rolling Stones' jumper, who is the only person to appear three times on the cover of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band?

3.

As featured in the popular French-language children’s song of the same name, what sort of bird is an 'alouette'?

4.

Which British actor’s films include The Third Man, The Cockleshell Heroes, Ryan’s Daughter, Gandhi, The Battle of Britain and The Great Muppet Caper?

5.

What name links former Arsenal manager George Graham and the oldest member of the team in the BBC TV series Hustle?

6.

Created by Alf Prøysen and known as The Teaspoon Lady in the author’s native Norwegian, what is the English name of the central character of numerous children’s books who has the ability to shrink herself and to converse with animals?

7.

The R.E.M. hit Man on the Moon makes several references to which controversial American comedian?

8.

Mozart’s Symphony No. 38 in D major is popularly named after which European capital city?

9.

Who is the eponymous central character in the children’s BBC TV programme which also features the characters Scratchy, Zoomer, Bandulu the Cook, Bagga-T and President Wensley Dale?

10.

Which footballer earned the nickname 'The Non-Flying Dutchman' due to his fear of air travel and insistence on going to away games by road or rail?

1.

Which region in the south west of France contains the départements Dordogne and Gironde?

2.

Rick Witter was the lead singer of which 1990s British rock band, whose UK chart hits include Getting Better, Going for Gold, On Standby and Chasing Rainbows?

3.

Which cricketer holds the world record for captaining his country in 93 consecutive Test matches?

4.

What was the collective name of the group that included Dicky Mint, Mick the Marmalizer and Nigel Ponsonby-Smallpiece?

5.

What is the nationality of the referee who took charge of last Saturday’s UEFA Champions’ League Final?

1.

How long (in miles) is the coastline of Japan?

2.

What were the total career winnings of the racehorse Red Rum?

1.

What is notably absent from both Ernest Wright’s 1939 novel Gadsby and Georges Perec’s 1969 French novel La Disparition (with the exception of the front cover in both cases)?

The letter ‘e’

2.

Today is the 217th anniversary of the Anglo-French naval battle that became known as The Glorious First of June.  Who commanded the British fleet during the battle?

Lord Howe

3.

Which American composer wrote (or co-wrote) the television theme music for The Rockford Files, Magnum P.I., The A-Team and Hill Street Blues?

Mike Post

4.

The Watsons and Sanditon are two unfinished works by which well-known English novelist?

Jane Austen

5.

Which journalist and broadcaster presented the BBC TV series How TV Ruined Your Life earlier this year?

Charlie Brooker

6.

On a standard UK computer keyboard, which symbol is generated by simultaneously pressing the shift key and the 8 key?

An asterisk (or star)

7.

What name is shared by an English river, a 1960s radio and television personality and an English mathematician and astronomer during the reign of Elizabeth I?

Dee

8.

What happened for the first time in Vienna in 1967, followed by Madrid in 1969, The Hague in 1976 and Dublin in 1981?  It happened again in Dublin in 1997 and has not happened since.

The UK won the Eurovision Song Contest

9.

Which word is common to the titles of UK top ten hits for The Small Faces, Morrissey, Oasis and Dawn featuring Tony Orlando?

Sunday
(Lazy Sunday; Everyday Is Like Sunday; Sunday Morning Call; What Are You Doing Sunday)

10.

Which Australian author has won the Booker Prize twice: for Oscar and Lucinda in 1988 and for True History of the Kelly Gang in 2001?

Peter Carey

11.

The Battle of the White Mountain took place near Prague during which war of the seventeenth century?

Thirty Years’ War

12.

The satirical magazine Private Eye features a regular feature called Nooks & Corners.  Originally penned by John Betjeman and now written by historian Gavin Stamp under the name Piloti, what is the column’s principal theme?

Architecture

(accept ‘buildings’)

13.

What name do we give to the social activity known to Germans as kneipenbummel, to the Spanish as chateo and to Welsh speakers as gropian tafarn?

Pub crawl

14.

Which UK number one single of 1979 was inspired by the actions of sixteen-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer?

I Don’t Like Mondays

(her only reason for a school shooting spree was she "didn’t like Mondays")

15.

Despite using a so-called ‘super-injunction’ Ryan Giggs has spectacularly failed to suppress news of his alleged affair with which former Big Brother contestant?

Imogen Thomas

16.

Why was Justine Thornton in the news last week?

She married Ed Milliband

17.

Which 20th century event was the inspiration for Manic Street Preachers’ 1998 UK number one hit, If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next?

Spanish Civil War

(the title was taken from a Republican poster)

18.

The French call this type of event a vide-grenier, which means ‘empty attic’.  What do we call it?

A car boot or jumble sale

19.

When describing improper sexual relationships the satirical magazine Private Eye often employs a euphemism in which the participants are said to be involved in 'discussions' about which African country?

Uganda

20.

The Thirty Years’ War ended following the signing of a series of treaties which were known collectively as The Peace of…where?

Westphalia

21.

Which author, who was born in South Africa but is now an Australian citizen, has won the Booker prize twice: for Life & Times of Michael K in 1983 and for Disgrace in 1999?

J.M Coetzee

22.

Which word is common to the titles of UK top ten hits for Sandie Shaw, The Bee Gees, The Specials and Electronic?

Message

(Message Understood; I've Gotta Get A Message To You; A Message To You Rudy; Get The Message)

23.

Which was the first British town or city - other than London - to host the Eurovision Song Contest?

Brighton

(in 1974, when ABBA won)

24.

What name is shared by an English river, an honorary European title and a popular variation of the trick-taking card game Phat?

Don

25.

In most commonly-used Microsoft software applications (such as Word, Excel and Internet Explorer), what operation is performed by simultaneously pressing the Control (Ctrl) key and the 'V' key?

Paste

26.

Destiny, Stardust, Falling, and Messengers were the four episodes of which 2011 BBC TV series that was presented by physicist Professor Brian Cox?

Wonders of the Universe

27.

Which well-known novelist and poet wrote the 1867 debut novel The Poor Man and the Lady? The book was never published, although some of the material was re-used in the author’s later works, including a poem of the same name.

Thomas Hardy

28.

Which Australian-born composer wrote the television theme music for Tales of the Unexpected, Steptoe and Son, The Prisoner and Doctor Who?

Ron Grainer

29.

Who was the most famous casualty when German fighters shot down BOAC flight 777 over the Bay of Biscay sixty eight years ago today?

Leslie Howard

30.

Which part of speech is completely absent from French author Michel Thaler’s 233-page novel The Train from Nowhere, which was published in 2004?

Verbs

1.

Fulham Broadway is the closest London Underground station to which Premier League football ground?

Stamford Bridge

(accept ‘Chelsea’)

2.

Anthony Burgess, Bernard Hill, Caroline Aherne and Shaun Wright-Phillips all attended which educational establishment in Rusholme?

Xaverian College

3.

What is the name of the Japanese nuclear reactor which was severely damaged by the earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011?

Fukushima

4.

The sixth Baronet of Ancoats (1896–1980) was better known by which name?

Sir Oswald Mosley

5.

Stinking Bishop cheese takes its unusual name from a variety of which fruit, which is used during manufacture of the cheese?

Pear
(Perry made from Stinking Bishop pears is used to wash the cheese)

6.

Which Macclesfield-born fashion designer, who is currently creative director for Alexander McQueen, designed the dresses worn by Kate and Pippa Middleton at this year’s royal wedding?

Sarah Burton

7.

Built in 1817 to celebrate the victory at Waterloo, what two-word name is commonly given to the unusual monument that overlooks the Cheshire town of Bollington?

White Nancy

8.

Who plays Uncle Bryn in the BBC TV comedy Gavin & Stacey?

Rob Brydon

9.

Which star of silent films played the character Lonesome Luke in dozens of short comedies released between 1915 and 1917?

Harold Lloyd

10.

The mother of Daily Mirror football writer Oliver Holt has played which Coronation Street character since 1961?

Emily Bishop

(or Nugent)

1.

Following the 1851 coup that brought Napoleon III to power, which author left France and eventually settled on Guernsey, where he spent fifteen years in exile and produced many works denouncing the new French regime?

Victor Hugo

2.

In which Ray Bradbury novel is the central character Guy Montag, a ‘fireman’ whose job is to burn books?

Fahrenheit 451

3.

Which James Bond film features two female bodyguards called Bambi and Thumper, two henchmen called Mr Wint and Mr Kidd and a character called Plenty O’Toole?

Diamonds Are Forever

4.

In Greek mythology who was appointed by Zeus to choose the most beautiful of Athena, Aphrodite and Hera; his choice of Aphrodite led indirectly to the Trojan War?

Paris

5.

Which band’s albums include Warsaw, Closer and Unknown Pleasures?

Joy Division

6.

What name is commonly given to dried latex obtained from the plant Papaver somniferum?

Opium

7.

Which 1953 film, for which Fred Zinnemann and Frank Sinatra won respective Oscars for Best Director and Best Supporting Actor, was based on a James Jones novel set in Hawaii?

From Here to Eternity

8.

Which song, originally composed in 1949, provided UK number one hits for Lou Bega in 1999 and Bob the Builder in 2001?

Mambo No. 5

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a well-known brand of perfume:

ROUND 4 - WithQuiz style - 'That There London'

Answers contain the name of a town or district in Greater London

1.

Who was the last goalkeeper to win the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award?

Neville Southall

(in 1985)

2.

If Jan Francis was Penny Warrender, who was Paul Nicholas?

Vince Pinner

(in Just Good Friends)

3.

Who is the only player to have been World Championship runner-up in both snooker and billiards without winning either title?

Eddie Charlton

4.

Which cricketer, who captained Lancashire during the late 1970s, scored 106 not out on his England Test debut against the West Indies in 1973?

Frank Hayes

5.

Which regular panellist on Any Questions? and What’s My Line? during the 1950s and ‘60s committed suicide in 1980, a few days after being convicted of shoplifting?

Lady Isobel Barnett

6.

Which Canadian city hosted the 1978 Commonwealth Games?

Edmonton

7.

The BBC documentary series The Birth of Hollywood, which began last week, is presented by which comedian?

Paul Merton

8.

Which local building opened in the late 1870s and closed in 1999, since when it has housed Kosovan refugees, been illegally occupied by travellers and featured on Living TV’s Most Haunted Live?

Barnes Hospital

(in Cheadle)

1.

Which metal, atomic number 28, is used in alloys and the production of magnets, rechargeable batteries and coins and takes its name from the Swedish for ‘copper-coloured ore’?

Nickel

2.

Which supermarket chain opened its first store in Germany in 1973 and the first of its more than 500 British stores in 1994?

Lidl

3.

As ‘third choice’, after William Walton and Malcolm Arnold both turned it down, Maurice Jarre composed the musical score for which Oscar-winning film of 1962?

Lawrence of Arabia

4.

In Radio 4’s The Archers, Brian, his wife Jennifer, daughters Kate and Alice and his illegitimate son Ruairí (pronounced ‘Rory’) are members of which family?

Aldridge

5.

Who was the most recent MP to hold the office of Prime Minister whilst representing a Welsh constituency?

Jim Callaghan

6.

Which Canadian rock band’s albums include 2112 (pronounced ‘twenty-one twelve’), Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures?

Rush

7.

Which ITV Sunday night programme, a mixture of hymns and chat, ran from 1983 to 1993 and was presented by Sir Harry Secombe?

Highway

8.

Which American pop band is made up of three brothers: Isaac, Taylor and Zac?

Hanson

Theme: Each answer contains the name (or the sound of a name) of a former Liverpool footballer:

Steve Nichol, Billy Liddell, Tommy Lawrence, John Aldridge, Ian Callaghan, Ian Rush, Steve Heighway, Alan Hansen

ROUND 6 - WithQuiz style - 'End to end stuff'

Identify the events from the dates on which they started and finished

1.

Which event of 1967 began on 5 June and ended on 10 June?

The Six-Day War

(or Arab-Israeli War)

2.

In 1990 which local event that also made national headlines began on 1 April and finished twenty five days later?

The Strangeways Riot

3.

Which event in London in 1980 started on 30 April and ended on 5 May?

The Iranian Embassy siege

4.

What lasted from 4 May 1979 to 28 November 1990?

Margaret Thatcher’s term as Prime Minister

5.

What started on 12 June 1964 and ended on 11 February 1990?

Nelson Mandela’s prison sentence

6.

What began on 20 June 1837 and finished on 22 January 1901?

Reign of Queen Victoria

7.

In 2002 what opened on 25 July and closed on 4 August?

The (Manchester) Commonwealth Games

8.

What famously ended after 44 days on 12 September 1974?

Brian Clough’s ‘reign’ as Leeds United manager

1.

What has species called Cherry, Chinook, Chum, Pink and Sockeye?

Salmon

2.

Depicted twice as herself and once as a doll wearing a 'Welcome The Rolling Stones' jumper, who is the only person to appear three times on the cover of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band?

Shirley Temple

3.

As featured in the popular French-language children’s song of the same name, what sort of bird is an 'alouette'?

Skylark

4.

Which British actor’s films include The Third Man, The Cockleshell Heroes, Ryan’s Daughter, Gandhi, The Battle of Britain and The Great Muppet Caper?

Trevor Howard

5.

What name links former Arsenal manager George Graham and the oldest member of the team in the BBC TV series Hustle?

Stroller

(Graham’s nickname and Albert Stroller played by Robert Vaughn)

6.

Created by Alf Prøysen and known as The Teaspoon Lady in the author’s native Norwegian, what is the English name of the central character of numerous children’s books who has the ability to shrink herself and to converse with animals?

Mrs Pepperpot

7.

The R.E.M. hit Man on the Moon makes several references to which controversial American comedian?

Andy Kaufman

8.

Mozart’s Symphony No. 38 in D major is popularly named after which European capital city?

Prague

9.

Who is the eponymous central character in the children’s BBC TV programme which also features the characters Scratchy, Zoomer, Bandulu the Cook, Bagga-T and President Wensley Dale?

Rastamouse

10.

Which footballer earned the nickname 'The Non-Flying Dutchman' due to his fear of air travel and insistence on going to away games by road or rail?

Dennis Bergkamp

1.

Which region in the south west of France contains the départements Dordogne and Gironde?

Aquitaine

2.

Rick Witter was the lead singer of which 1990s British rock band, whose UK chart hits include Getting Better, Going for Gold, On Standby and Chasing Rainbows?

Shed Seven

3.

Which cricketer holds the world record for captaining his country in 93 consecutive Test matches?

Allan Border

4.

What was the collective name of the group that included Dicky Mint, Mick the Marmalizer and Nigel Ponsonby-Smallpiece?

(Ken Dodd’s) Diddy Men

5.

What is the nationality of the referee who took charge of last Saturday’s UEFA Champions’ League Final?

Hungarian

1.

How long (in miles) is the coastline of Japan?

21,593

2.

What were the total career winnings of the racehorse Red Rum?

£146,410