ROUND 1 - Paired with Rounds 2 and 3

1.

Which fictional character was elected MP for Haltemprice in 1987 at the age of 31 with the largest majority in the House of Commons?

2.

Which virus is named after a river in Zaire near where an outbreak of serious disease was first described in 1976?

3.

In which year of the 1990s did Esha Ness win 'the Grand National that never was'?

4.

Who is the author of the acclaimed 2007 novel A Thousand Splendid Suns?

5.

In Morse code which number is indicated by 'dot dot dot dot dot'?

6.

Who is the only African-born winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress?

7.

Which Manchester born physicist won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics for demonstrating that the electron was a particle?  His son was to win the 1937 Prize for demonstrating the electron was also a wave.

8.

In which modern EU country is the largest part of the ancient Roman province of Dacia?

1.

Which statesman’s head was buried in 1960 near the antechapel of Sidney Sussex College Cambridge where he had one time been an undergraduate?

2.

Barbara Millicent Roberts who made her first appearance on the world stage in 1959 is better known to girls around the world as whom?

3.

Which actor, who came to fame in a US 1960s medical drama series, played Pyotr Tchaikovsky in the 1970 Ken Russell film The Music Lovers?

4.

Le Dejeuner Sur l’Herbe (Luncheon on the Grass) and Olympia are controversial works by which French artist who died in 1883?

5.

Which punk band modelled an album cover based on Manet’s Le Dejeuner Sur l’Herbe causing some controversy as their naked female lead singer was 14 when the picture was taken?

6.

Which actor, who came to fame in the 1970 BBC TV science fiction series Doomwatch, but latterly better known for his role in Holby City, played Gustav Mahler in the 1974 Ken Russell film Mahler?

7.

Mattel’s Barbie had Ken as a boyfriend but who was the boyfriend of Pedigree Toy’s Sindy?

8.

Which naval administrator and former President of the Royal Society bequeathed his library and papers to Magdalene College Cambridge where he had one time been an undergraduate?

1.

In which modern EU country is the largest part of the ancient region of Thrace (Northern Thrace)?

2.

Which overseas born one-time Manchester University lecturer won the 1922 Nobel Prize in physics for work on atomic theory?  His son was to win the 1975 prize for further development of the theory.

3.

Who is the only Israeli-born winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress?

4.

What is Morse code for the letter 'V'?

5.

Who is the author of the acclaimed 2010 novel The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet?

6.

In which year of the 1990s did Lord Gyllene win the Grand National on a Monday following its abandonment on Saturday because of a bomb threat?

7.

Which bacterial disease was first described in Philadelphia in 1976 following an outbreak at a meeting of armed forces veterans?

8.

Which fictional character saw his former girlfriend become a 'Blair Babe' when she was elected MP for Ashby-de-la-Zouch in 1997 at the age of 30?

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

Which Australian bowler caused an international incident in 1981 when he bowled underarm on the last ball of a game against New Zealand to prevent them hitting a winning six (an action though legal condemned as not cricket)? (forename and surname needed)

2.

Which Caerphilly MP resigned from the cabinet in 1998 following a 'moment of madness' on Clapham Common?

3.

Which Roman Catholic born in York in 1570 has lent his name to Britain’s leading political blog site which includes popular features such as a weekly caption contest and 'Tottywatch' (pictures of people at political meetings)?

4.

She sang on six UK Number 1 hits, the first in 1979 and the last in 1999 when she was 53.  Who is she?

5.

Which actor’s character was senior partner to Bill Simpson’s Dr Finlay in the 1960s BBC television series? (actor and character required)

6.

Which actress, born 1967, has starred in Cold Feet (1998-2003), Wire in the Blood (2002-05) and Spooks (2005-9)?

7.

What was the family name of the Earl of Warwick, known as the 'Kingmaker', who died in battle in 1471?

8.

Complete the following observation of Captain Edmund Blackadder: “The Germans are a cruel race - their operas last for six hours and they have no word for ......”.

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

Which singer-songwriter performed Leonard Cohen’s Halleluja at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver?

2.

Who was Britain’s only medallist at the 2010 Winter Olympics winning the gold in the skeleton bob?

3.

Which five times married comedian, chairman of the British Forces Foundation, lived in Dubai from 2004-10 saying “I might as well go to Dubai and be an ethnic minority there than wait five years and become one here”?

4.

Which singer and entertainer who died in 2010 was married five times firstly to actress Debbie Reynolds, secondly to actress Elizabeth Taylor, thirdly to actress Connie Stevens and subsequently to two women not famous enough to have a Wikipedia biography?

5.

Two men have won the Booker Prize for fiction twice.  One is J M Coetzee.  Who is the other?

6.

Which former 20th century British Prime Minister died at sea on the liner Reina del Pacifico?  The cruise had been intended as a health restoring trip.

7.

Which is the oldest and largest of Bristol’s railway stations?

8.

Who was US ambassador to Ghana 1974-6 and to Czechoslovakia 1989-92?

ROUND 6 - Paired Pictures

1.

In which American city would you be if you were watching the American football and ice hockey teams with these logos?

2.

In which American city would you be if you were watching the American football and basketball teams with these logos?

3.

Of which British heavy metal band that signed to EMI in 1979 are these two album covers?

4.

Of which indie-rock band formed in Glasgow in 1984 are these two album covers?

5.

Of which Asian country is this the national flag?  Its official name Druk-Yul translates into 'The Realm of the Dragon'? There are 24 indigenous languages in the country.

6.

Of which African country is this the national flag?  Its name means 'the land where the sun is reflected in the water like fire'.  The national languages are English & Chewa.

7.

These 4 pictures represent 4 characters from which Dickens novel?

8.

These 5 pictures represent 4 characters from which Dickens novel? (NB The last two pictures are the forename & surname of one character)

ROUNDS 7 & 8 - 'Pick Your Own'

1.

Conspiracy Theory

In which conspiracy theory does 'the girl in the polka dot dress' play a prominent role?

2.

AIDS

Which House of Commons Hansard reporter became one of the first people to die of AIDS in the UK in July 1982?

3.

Royal Wedding

Who gave away Princess Margaret at her marriage to Tony Armstrong-Jones in 1960?

4.

River

Which river flows through Avignon?  In 1348 Pope Clement VI consecrated it as a graveyard so that Black Death victims could be given a decent Christian burial by being chucked in the river.

5.

Children’s TV BBC 1970s

Fred Mumford, Hubert Davenport and Timothy Claypole were unusual employees in which 1970s BBC children’s television series?

6.

Children’s TV ITV 1970s

Which Yorkshire TV 1970’s children’s television series followed four generations of schoolboys having derring-do adventures, had as its theme music the fourth movement of Prokoviev’s First Symphony?

7.

Drinking in Dublin

Bewley’s of Grafton Street, Dublin is Ireland’s longest established coffee and tea shop.  The founders are members of which Protestant sect?

8.

Eating in Dublin

Ivan Beshoff who founded Beshoff’s Fish and Chip Shop in Dublin and who died in 1987 aged 102 is thought to be the last surviving crew member of which famous ship (and it’s not the Titanic!)?

9.

Uranus

Name two of the three most abundant gases emanating from Uranus.

10.

Yale

Who said of a Yale prom “If all the girls attending it were laid end to end I wouldn’t be at all surprised”?

11.

Weird Fiction

Which aristocratic writer of weird and horror fiction who died in 1957 was the great uncle of current Dorset South MP Richard Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (the only Tory MP with a quadruple barrelled surname)?

12.

Operetta

How is Hanna Glawari known in the title of a 1905 operetta by Franz Lehar?

13.

Cricketer

Which former Test cricketer and commentator died in a house fire at his home on 10th February 2011?

14.

Kiss

Which medical drama was set in Oxbridge General Hospital and featured the first inter-racial kiss on British television?

15.

Aussie Politics

Who is currently Australian Foreign Minister?

16.

Players

How many players are there in a women’s lacrosse team?

17.

Puppet Controversy

Despite internet rumours to the contrary which Sesame Street puppets did NOT have a civil partnership ceremony this summer?

18.

Molotov

In which decade of the 1900s did the Russian Bolshevik and former foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov die?

19.

1685

1685 is often called an Annus Mirabilis in musical circles because it was the year of the birth of three great composers. Name any two. (surnames only required)

20.

1905

1905 is often called Einstein’s Annus Mirabilis as he published four ground breaking papers that year.  Name any two of the four subjects of these works.

Spares

1.

Which US writer of weird and horror fiction who died in 1937 is best remembered for his Cthulhu Mythos?

2.

How many players are there in a water polo team?

3.

Which shipping forecast area was renamed Fitzroy in 2002?

4.

Who directed the films Bean and The Tall Guy and co-wrote and starred in Morons from Outer Space?

5.

Which Scottish aristocrat was murdered in Happy Valley, Kenya in 1935 an event fictionalised in the 1987 film White Mischief?

ROUND 1 - Paired with Rounds 2 and 3

1.

Which fictional character was elected MP for Haltemprice in 1987 at the age of 31 with the largest majority in the House of Commons?

Alan B’Stard

2.

Which virus is named after a river in Zaire near where an outbreak of serious disease was first described in 1976?

Ebola

3.

In which year of the 1990s did Esha Ness win 'the Grand National that never was'?

1993

4.

Who is the author of the acclaimed 2007 novel A Thousand Splendid Suns?

Khaled Hosseini

5.

In Morse code which number is indicated by 'dot dot dot dot dot'?

5

6.

Who is the only African-born winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress?

Charlize Theron

7.

Which Manchester born physicist won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics for demonstrating that the electron was a particle?  His son was to win the 1937 Prize for demonstrating the electron was also a wave.

J J Thompson

8.

In which modern EU country is the largest part of the ancient Roman province of Dacia?

Romania

1.

Which statesman’s head was buried in 1960 near the antechapel of Sidney Sussex College Cambridge where he had one time been an undergraduate?

Oliver Cromwell

2.

Barbara Millicent Roberts who made her first appearance on the world stage in 1959 is better known to girls around the world as whom?

Barbie

3.

Which actor, who came to fame in a US 1960s medical drama series, played Pyotr Tchaikovsky in the 1970 Ken Russell film The Music Lovers?

Richard Chamberlain

4.

Le Dejeuner Sur l’Herbe (Luncheon on the Grass) and Olympia are controversial works by which French artist who died in 1883?

Edouard Manet

5.

Which punk band modelled an album cover based on Manet’s Le Dejeuner Sur l’Herbe causing some controversy as their naked female lead singer was 14 when the picture was taken?

Bow Wow Wow

6.

Which actor, who came to fame in the 1970 BBC TV science fiction series Doomwatch, but latterly better known for his role in Holby City, played Gustav Mahler in the 1974 Ken Russell film Mahler?

Robert Powell

7.

Mattel’s Barbie had Ken as a boyfriend but who was the boyfriend of Pedigree Toy’s Sindy?

Paul

8.

Which naval administrator and former President of the Royal Society bequeathed his library and papers to Magdalene College Cambridge where he had one time been an undergraduate?

Samuel Pepys

1.

In which modern EU country is the largest part of the ancient region of Thrace (Northern Thrace)?

Bulgaria

2.

Which overseas born one-time Manchester University lecturer won the 1922 Nobel Prize in physics for work on atomic theory?  His son was to win the 1975 prize for further development of the theory.

Niels Bohr

3.

Who is the only Israeli-born winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress?

Natalie Portman

4.

What is Morse code for the letter 'V'?

'dot dot dot dash'

5.

Who is the author of the acclaimed 2010 novel The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet?

David Mitchell

6.

In which year of the 1990s did Lord Gyllene win the Grand National on a Monday following its abandonment on Saturday because of a bomb threat?

1997

7.

Which bacterial disease was first described in Philadelphia in 1976 following an outbreak at a meeting of armed forces veterans?

Legionnaire’s disease

8.

Which fictional character saw his former girlfriend become a 'Blair Babe' when she was elected MP for Ashby-de-la-Zouch in 1997 at the age of 30?

Adrian Mole

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

Which Australian bowler caused an international incident in 1981 when he bowled underarm on the last ball of a game against New Zealand to prevent them hitting a winning six (an action though legal condemned as not cricket)? (forename and surname needed)

Trevor Chappell

2.

Which Caerphilly MP resigned from the cabinet in 1998 following a 'moment of madness' on Clapham Common?

Ron Davies

3.

Which Roman Catholic born in York in 1570 has lent his name to Britain’s leading political blog site which includes popular features such as a weekly caption contest and 'Tottywatch' (pictures of people at political meetings)?

Guido Fawkes

(accept Guy Fawkes)

4.

She sang on six UK Number 1 hits, the first in 1979 and the last in 1999 when she was 53.  Who is she?

Deborah Harry

5.

Which actor’s character was senior partner to Bill Simpson’s Dr Finlay in the 1960s BBC television series? (actor and character required)

Andrew Cruikshank’s Dr Cameron

6.

Which actress, born 1967, has starred in Cold Feet (1998-2003), Wire in the Blood (2002-05) and Spooks (2005-9)?

Hermione Norris

7.

What was the family name of the Earl of Warwick, known as the 'Kingmaker', who died in battle in 1471?

Neville

8.

Complete the following observation of Captain Edmund Blackadder: “The Germans are a cruel race - their operas last for six hours and they have no word for ......”.

Fluffy

Theme: Each answer contains the names of characters and magical animals from the Harry Potter world:

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

Which singer-songwriter performed Leonard Cohen’s Halleluja at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver?

k d lang

2.

Who was Britain’s only medallist at the 2010 Winter Olympics winning the gold in the skeleton bob?

Amy Williams

3.

Which five times married comedian, chairman of the British Forces Foundation, lived in Dubai from 2004-10 saying “I might as well go to Dubai and be an ethnic minority there than wait five years and become one here”?

Jim Davidson

4.

Which singer and entertainer who died in 2010 was married five times firstly to actress Debbie Reynolds, secondly to actress Elizabeth Taylor, thirdly to actress Connie Stevens and subsequently to two women not famous enough to have a Wikipedia biography?

Eddie Fisher

5.

Two men have won the Booker Prize for fiction twice.  One is J M Coetzee.  Who is the other?

Peter Carey

6.

Which former 20th century British Prime Minister died at sea on the liner Reina del Pacifico?  The cruise had been intended as a health restoring trip.

Ramsay McDonald

7.

Which is the oldest and largest of Bristol’s railway stations?

Temple Meads

8.

Who was US ambassador to Ghana 1974-6 and to Czechoslovakia 1989-92?

Shirley Temple Black

(accept Shirley Temple)

ROUND 6 - Paired Pictures

1.

In which American city would you be if you were watching the American football and ice hockey teams with these logos?

Detroit

(The Lions,

 and The Redwings)

2.

In which American city would you be if you were watching the American football and basketball teams with these logos?

Philadelphia

(The Eagles

and The 76ers)

3.

Of which British heavy metal band that signed to EMI in 1979 are these two album covers?

Iron Maiden

(Powerslave, No.2 in '84 ,

7th Son of a 7th Son, No.1 in '88 )

4.

Of which indie-rock band formed in Glasgow in 1984 are these two album covers?

Primal Scream

(Screamadelica, No.8 in '91,

Give Out But Don't Give Up, No.2
in '94 )

5.

Of which Asian country is this the national flag?  Its official name Druk-Yul translates into 'The Realm of the Dragon'? There are 24 indigenous languages in the country.

Bhutan

6.

Of which African country is this the national flag?  Its name means 'the land where the sun is reflected in the water like fire'.  The national languages are English & Chewa.

Malawi

7.

These 4 pictures represent 4 characters from which Dickens novel?

Bleak House

(Hyacinth Bucket – Inspector Bucket;

a deadlock – Sir & Lady Dedlock;

Nemo - Captain Hawdon aka Nemo;

County Clare – Ada Clare)

8.

These 5 pictures represent 4 characters from which Dickens novel? (NB The last two pictures are the forename & surname of one character)

The Old Curiosity Shop

(Kit the car from NightRider - Kit Nubbles;

brass instruments – Samson & Sarah Brass;

Little Nell the actress – Nell Trent;

Richard Nixon & a swivel chair - Dick Swiveller)

ROUNDS 7 & 8 - 'Pick Your Own'

1.

Conspiracy Theory

In which conspiracy theory does 'the girl in the polka dot dress' play a prominent role?

The assassination of Robert Kennedy

2.

AIDS

Which House of Commons Hansard reporter became one of the first people to die of AIDS in the UK in July 1982?

Terence (Terry) Higgins

3.

Royal Wedding

Who gave away Princess Margaret at her marriage to Tony Armstrong-Jones in 1960?

Prince Philip

4.

River

Which river flows through Avignon?  In 1348 Pope Clement VI consecrated it as a graveyard so that Black Death victims could be given a decent Christian burial by being chucked in the river.

Rhone

5.

Children’s TV BBC 1970s

Fred Mumford, Hubert Davenport and Timothy Claypole were unusual employees in which 1970s BBC children’s television series?

Rentaghost

6.

Children’s TV ITV 1970s

Which Yorkshire TV 1970’s children’s television series followed four generations of schoolboys having derring-do adventures, had as its theme music the fourth movement of Prokoviev’s First Symphony?

The Flaxton Boys

7.

Drinking in Dublin

Bewley’s of Grafton Street, Dublin is Ireland’s longest established coffee and tea shop.  The founders are members of which Protestant sect?

Quakers

(Society of Friends)

8.

Eating in Dublin

Ivan Beshoff who founded Beshoff’s Fish and Chip Shop in Dublin and who died in 1987 aged 102 is thought to be the last surviving crew member of which famous ship (and it’s not the Titanic!)?

The Battleship Potemkin

9.

Uranus

Name two of the three most abundant gases emanating from Uranus.

(2 from)

Hydrogen,

Helium,

Methane

10.

Yale

Who said of a Yale prom “If all the girls attending it were laid end to end I wouldn’t be at all surprised”?

Dorothy Parker

11.

Weird Fiction

Which aristocratic writer of weird and horror fiction who died in 1957 was the great uncle of current Dorset South MP Richard Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (the only Tory MP with a quadruple barrelled surname)?

Lord Dunsany

12.

Operetta

How is Hanna Glawari known in the title of a 1905 operetta by Franz Lehar?

The Merry Widow

13.

Cricketer

Which former Test cricketer and commentator died in a house fire at his home on 10th February 2011?

Trevor Bailey

14.

Kiss

Which medical drama was set in Oxbridge General Hospital and featured the first inter-racial kiss on British television?

Emergency Ward 10

15.

Aussie Politics

Who is currently Australian Foreign Minister?

Kevin Rudd

16.

Players

How many players are there in a women’s lacrosse team?

12

17.

Puppet Controversy

Despite internet rumours to the contrary which Sesame Street puppets did NOT have a civil partnership ceremony this summer?

Bert and Ernie

18.

Molotov

In which decade of the 1900s did the Russian Bolshevik and former foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov die?

1980s

(in 1986 aged 96)

19.

1685

1685 is often called an Annus Mirabilis in musical circles because it was the year of the birth of three great composers. Name any two. (surnames only required)

(2 from)

(G F) Handel,

(J S) Bach,

(G D) Scarlatti

20.

1905

1905 is often called Einstein’s Annus Mirabilis as he published four ground breaking papers that year.  Name any two of the four subjects of these works.

(2 from)

Special Relativity,

Photoelectric Effect,

Brownian Motion,

Energy-Mass equivalence

(e=mc squared)

Spares

1.

Which US writer of weird and horror fiction who died in 1937 is best remembered for his Cthulhu Mythos?

H P Lovecraft

2.

How many players are there in a water polo team?

7

3.

Which shipping forecast area was renamed Fitzroy in 2002?

Finisterre

4.

Who directed the films Bean and The Tall Guy and co-wrote and starred in Morons from Outer Space?

Mel Smith

5.

Which Scottish aristocrat was murdered in Happy Valley, Kenya in 1935 an event fictionalised in the 1987 film White Mischief?

Earl of Erroll