ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Which dance troupe was formed in 1932 by Margaret Kelly (later Margaret Leibovici) and still performs in Paris?

2.

Give the royal title and full christian names of the member of the British royal family born on 21st August 1930.

3.

Which English king was the son of Eleanor of Provence and husband of Eleanor of Castille?

4.

Which town in Cornwall has a bridge named after the town’s Saxon name of Dunheved and the suffix St Mary Magdalene in its full civil parish name?

5.

What homophone connects a classification of wading birds, a British military operation in World War 2, and a suburb of Southampton?

6.

Which bird's scientific name is anas platyrhynchos and has an alternative common name shared with a celebrated play by Henrik Ibsen?

7.

Which 2 Devon towns are, along with Totnes, starting points for the Round Robin triangular estuary tour that combines coach, train & ferry transport modes?

8.

What was the name of the last steam locomotive to be built by British Railways in 1960 (ex- Swindon works)?

1.

Which pioneering cookery writer born in Sussex in 1913 published the seminal works A Book of Mediterranean Food in 1950, French Country Cooking in 1951 and Italian Food in 1954?

2.

Which tennis player, the British No.1 from 1964 to 1975, reached the semi finals of Wimbledon three times in 1967, 1970 and 1973 and won the US Open Doubles title in 1971 and 1972?

3.

Which singer had the first No.1 by a UK female artist in the United States Singles Chart since Kim Wilde in 1987 with the song Bleeding Love in 2008?

4.

Which slang phrase in the English language originated with the brutal murder of an 8 year old girl in the town of Alton in Hampshire in August 1867?

5.

Which brewery was founded in Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1838 and brewed continually until its closure in 1996.  Its brands and tied estate were well known throughout the country in the 1960s and 70s but all are now defunct? 

6.

Which scientist born near Batley in West Yorkshire in 1733 is credited with the discovery of oxygen in 1775?

7.

Which composer born in 1902 in Oldham whose works include a celebrated 1929 Viola Concerto, the 1931 choral work Belshazzar’s Feast and the 1954 opera Troilus and Cressida, died on the Italian island of Ischia in 1983, aged 80?

8.

Which novelist born in Cheetham Hill in 1849 before emigrating to the United States in 1865 wrote the children’s book The Secret Garden?

Sp.

Which Labour politician, MP for Leeds South from 1963 to 1992, was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 1974 to 1976 and Home Secretary from 1976 to 1979?

1.

What title connects works by the writer Johann von Goethe, the composer Paul Dukas and the film maker Walt Disney?

2.

Which National Trust property, offering spectacular views across three counties, and named after the nearby town, is topped by a fifteenth century tower and sits at Ordnance Survey reference ST 51.2 38.5?

3.

Who is missing from this list of Premier League footballers: Alan Shearer, Andy Cole, Thierry Henry?

4.

Which prominent politician of the 1970’s and ’80’s said "if the fence is strong enough I’ll sit on it"?

5.

Eaton Hall in Cheshire is the country estate of which member of the nobility?

6.

Which mineral with the chemical formula Al2SiO4 sits at No.8 on the Mohs Hardness Scale?

7.

What French phrase, literally meaning a flash of lightning, is used to mean love at first sight, or a sudden event?

8.

What connects the following – Venice, Athens, Tyre, Verona, Windsor?

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

A US city’s baseball team are the Red Sox and its hockey team are the Bruins.  What is the name of its basketball team?

2.

Similarly, another US city’s American football team are the Bears and its hockey team are the Blackhawks.  What is the name of its basketball team?

3.

Name the Gloucestershire and England cricketer who was one of Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year in 1990.

4.

What is the name of the Wes Anderson’s 2009 stop-motion animated film based on a Roald Dahl novel of the same name and staring George Clooney in the title role?

5.

According to the International Bartenders Association, which after-dinner cocktail is made by pouring 5cl Vodka and 2cl coffee liqueur into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice cubes?

6.

What is the title of the 1949 novel by Paul Bowles that was adapted into a film of the same name by Bernardo Bertolucci in 1990?  The film starred Debra Winger and John Malkovich.

7.

Name the village located at north end of Kirkstone Pass, a mile south of Ullswater, and a popular starting point for an ascent of Helvellyn via Striding Edge.

8.

After Theresa May had walked from a conference speech to one of his band’s songs, lead singer, Courtney Taylor-Taylor, was moved to write: "Why don't these assholes have right-wing bands make them some right-wing music for their right-wing jerkoff politics?  Oh, because right wing people aren't creative, visionary or any fun to be around."  What is the name of his band?

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

Which charitable organisation founded on March 4th 1824 has its HQ at Poole in Dorset and is credited with saving over 139,000 lives?

2.

What is the title of the book by James Audubon that set a world record when it sold for over £7.3m at Sotheby’s in December 2010?

3.

What is the name for that area of the House of Commons to which the general public are allowed access in order to observe parliamentary debates?

4.

Which song, released in 1977 contains the lines: “I can’t sleep ‘cause my bed’s on fire, Don’t touch me I’m a real live wire’’?

5.

On which island could you visit, Dunn’s River Falls in Ochos Rios, Negril Beach and Ian Fleming’s house – Goldeneye?

6.

Best known for her collaborations with Steve Coogan and Armando Ianucci, and especially for her role as MP Nicola Murray in The Thick Of It what is the name of this London-born comedy actress?

7.

In 1906, what did Roald Amundsen become the first to do after over 400 years of unsuccessful attempts by the likes of Cook, Frobisher, Bering and Hudson?

8.

Known as the 'Voice of Hollywood'’, which US soprano provided the vocals for Deborah Kerr in The King And I, Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady?

Sp.

Which 2009 film starred Jamal Wood as rapper Christopher Wallace a.k.a Biggie Smalls?

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

One of the answer requires the two words linked to the theme to be reversed in order to honour the theme

1.

Who was the British politician forced to resign his post as paymaster-General in 1999 after it was revealed he had lent his government colleague Peter Mandelson £373k to buy a house?

2.

What is the popular name given to a Beethoven piano composition completed in 1801 and dedicated to his pupil Countess Giuletta Guicciardi?

3.

Who was the only Englishman in the Barbarians' back division in their celebrated 23-11 victory over the All Blacks at Cardiff Arms Park in 1973?

4.

Which 2 iconic British car manufacturers merged in 1960?

5.

Which Japanese company is the world's largest manufacturer of photocopiers, having acquired since the 1990's such companies as Gestetner, Rex-Rotary, Nashuatec, IKON & Danka?

6.

What is the title of the 1960 British cult film, a psychological thriller directed by Michael Powell, about a serial killer who murders women and uses a portable movie camera to record their dying expressions of terror?

7.

Which 1977 pop song features the following lyrics;

                   “Running down the avenue

                   See how the sun shines brightly

                   In the city

                   On the streets where once was pity”?

8.

By what name is the wife of the Earl of Mercia in the first half of the 11th century better known?

ROUND 7 - Paired with Round 3

1.

What title connects a 1979 hit song by The Cure and a 1999 film that starred Hilary Swank and Chloe Sevigny?

2.

Sitting at Ordnance Survey reference SY 95.8 82.3 which National Trust castle, demolished by the Parliamentarians in 1646, lies on the Isle of Purbeck?

3.

Who is missing from this list: Jonny Wilkinson, Dan Carter, Diego Dominguez, Neil Jenkins?

4.

Which prominent Labour politician of the forties and fifties said: “We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run down”?

5.

Stratfield Saye House in Hampshire is the family seat of which member of the English aristocracy?

6.

Which mineral with the chemical formula CaF2 sits at No.4 on the Mohs Hardness Scale?

7.

What French phrase, literally meaning 'nothing further goes', is a roulette term indicating no bets are to be placed?

8.

What connects the following – 1958, 1963, 1978, 1978, 2005?

ROUND 8 - Hidden theme

1.

Rising out of the Atlantic Ocean to a height of 137m, the UK's tallest sea stack  was originally an arch with two 'legs'.  What's its name?

2.

Which northwest football ground has been referred to as the 'Grand Old Lady' and features the Gwladys Street end?

3.

In 1998, for the 10th anniversary of Red Dwarf, which TV chef presented a special edition of his own show called Can’t Smeg, Won’t Smeg with the cast of Red Dwarf cooking a meal while remaining in character?

4.

Which Hollywood Director is best known for his 'Dead' pentalogy?

5.

Which historic Cheshire property was built on the site of a hunting lodge which stood in the forest of Macclesfield in the year 1040 and has been home to the Legh family since 1315?

6.

Name the inner city area of Salford, about 2 miles from Manchester city centre.  It has two colleges; and is where Salford's largest shopping precinct, Salford Shopping City, is located.  The A6 dual carriageway skirts the east of the district.

7.

In this 1989 film Peter Greenaway uses specific colours to represent each set of the film: the exterior of Le Hollandais is predominantly blue, the kitchen is mostly green, the seating area of the restaurant is red and the toilets are stark white.  What Is the film?

8.

Name two of the following characters from The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher:

• the no. 1 blue engine,

• the no. 6 green engine, the junior member of the Fat controller’s railway,

• the no. 5 red engine, which has a fine scarlet coat and brass dome.

Spares

1.

In which best Picture Oscar winning film of 1971 does Fernando Rey play the part of 'Frog One'?

2.

Which river flows through Melbourne, Australia?

3.

Montagues and Capulets from the ballet Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev is the theme tune to which BBC TV programme?

4.

Which substance, well known to the Romans but largely forgotten until its re-introduction by Leeds-born engineer John Smeaton in the late 18th century is now the most widely used man-made material in the world?

5.

Who was the most famous creation of the artist and writer Mary Tourtel?

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Which dance troupe was formed in 1932 by Margaret Kelly (later Margaret Leibovici) and still performs in Paris?

The Bluebell Girls

2.

Give the royal title and full christian names of the member of the British royal family born on 21st August 1930.

Princess Margaret Rose

(just Princess Margaret is not acceptable)

3.

Which English king was the son of Eleanor of Provence and husband of Eleanor of Castille?

King Edward I

4.

Which town in Cornwall has a bridge named after the town’s Saxon name of Dunheved and the suffix St Mary Magdalene in its full civil parish name?

Launceston

5.

What homophone connects a classification of wading birds, a British military operation in World War 2, and a suburb of Southampton?

Bittern(e)

6.

Which bird's scientific name is anas platyrhynchos and has an alternative common name shared with a celebrated play by Henrik Ibsen?

Mallard

(do not accept Wild Duck - if that is the answer given, they haven't listened closely enough to the question - or you haven't read it out clearly enough)

7.

Which 2 Devon towns are, along with Totnes, starting points for the Round Robin triangular estuary tour that combines coach, train & ferry transport modes?

Paignton & Dartmouth

(need both)

8.

What was the name of the last steam locomotive to be built by British Railways in 1960 (ex- Swindon works)?

Evening Star

1.

Which pioneering cookery writer born in Sussex in 1913 published the seminal works A Book of Mediterranean Food in 1950, French Country Cooking in 1951 and Italian Food in 1954?

Elizabeth David

2.

Which tennis player, the British No.1 from 1964 to 1975, reached the semi finals of Wimbledon three times in 1967, 1970 and 1973 and won the US Open Doubles title in 1971 and 1972?

Roger Taylor

3.

Which singer had the first No.1 by a UK female artist in the United States Singles Chart since Kim Wilde in 1987 with the song Bleeding Love in 2008?

Leona Lewis

4.

Which slang phrase in the English language originated with the brutal murder of an 8 year old girl in the town of Alton in Hampshire in August 1867?

Sweet Fanny Adams

5.

Which brewery was founded in Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1838 and brewed continually until its closure in 1996.  Its brands and tied estate were well known throughout the country in the 1960s and 70s but all are now defunct? 

Webster’s

6.

Which scientist born near Batley in West Yorkshire in 1733 is credited with the discovery of oxygen in 1775?

Joseph Priestley

7.

Which composer born in 1902 in Oldham whose works include a celebrated 1929 Viola Concerto, the 1931 choral work Belshazzar’s Feast and the 1954 opera Troilus and Cressida, died on the Italian island of Ischia in 1983, aged 80?

William Walton

8.

Which novelist born in Cheetham Hill in 1849 before emigrating to the United States in 1865 wrote the children’s book The Secret Garden?

Frances Hodgson-Burnett

Sp.

Which Labour politician, MP for Leeds South from 1963 to 1992, was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 1974 to 1976 and Home Secretary from 1976 to 1979?

Merlyn Rees

1.

What title connects works by the writer Johann von Goethe, the composer Paul Dukas and the film maker Walt Disney?

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

2.

Which National Trust property, offering spectacular views across three counties, and named after the nearby town, is topped by a fifteenth century tower and sits at Ordnance Survey reference ST 51.2 38.5?

Glastonbury Tor

3.

Who is missing from this list of Premier League footballers: Alan Shearer, Andy Cole, Thierry Henry?

Robbie Fowler

(all have scored over 150 Premier League goals)

4.

Which prominent politician of the 1970’s and ’80’s said "if the fence is strong enough I’ll sit on it"?

Cyril Smith

5.

Eaton Hall in Cheshire is the country estate of which member of the nobility?

Duke of Westminster

6.

Which mineral with the chemical formula Al2SiO4 sits at No.8 on the Mohs Hardness Scale?

Topaz

7.

What French phrase, literally meaning a flash of lightning, is used to mean love at first sight, or a sudden event?

Coup de foudre

8.

What connects the following – Venice, Athens, Tyre, Verona, Windsor?

All places mentioned in the titles of Shakespeare plays

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

A US city’s baseball team are the Red Sox and its hockey team are the Bruins.  What is the name of its basketball team?

Boston Celtics

(both words needed)

2.

Similarly, another US city’s American football team are the Bears and its hockey team are the Blackhawks.  What is the name of its basketball team?

Chicago Bull

(both words needed)

3.

Name the Gloucestershire and England cricketer who was one of Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year in 1990.

Jack Russell

4.

What is the name of the Wes Anderson’s 2009 stop-motion animated film based on a Roald Dahl novel of the same name and staring George Clooney in the title role?

Fantastic Mr Fox

5.

According to the International Bartenders Association, which after-dinner cocktail is made by pouring 5cl Vodka and 2cl coffee liqueur into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice cubes?

Black Russian

6.

What is the title of the 1949 novel by Paul Bowles that was adapted into a film of the same name by Bernardo Bertolucci in 1990?  The film starred Debra Winger and John Malkovich.

A Sheltering Sky

7.

Name the village located at north end of Kirkstone Pass, a mile south of Ullswater, and a popular starting point for an ascent of Helvellyn via Striding Edge.

Patterdale

8.

After Theresa May had walked from a conference speech to one of his band’s songs, lead singer, Courtney Taylor-Taylor, was moved to write: "Why don't these assholes have right-wing bands make them some right-wing music for their right-wing jerkoff politics?  Oh, because right wing people aren't creative, visionary or any fun to be around."  What is the name of his band?

The Dandy Warhols

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

Which charitable organisation founded on March 4th 1824 has its HQ at Poole in Dorset and is credited with saving over 139,000 lives?

Royal National Lifeboat Institution

2.

What is the title of the book by James Audubon that set a world record when it sold for over £7.3m at Sotheby’s in December 2010?

Birds of America

3.

What is the name for that area of the House of Commons to which the general public are allowed access in order to observe parliamentary debates?

Strangers' Gallery

4.

Which song, released in 1977 contains the lines: “I can’t sleep ‘cause my bed’s on fire, Don’t touch me I’m a real live wire’’?

Psycho Killer

(by Talking Heads)

5.

On which island could you visit, Dunn’s River Falls in Ochos Rios, Negril Beach and Ian Fleming’s house – Goldeneye?

Jamaica

6.

Best known for her collaborations with Steve Coogan and Armando Ianucci, and especially for her role as MP Nicola Murray in The Thick Of It what is the name of this London-born comedy actress?

Rebecca Front

7.

In 1906, what did Roald Amundsen become the first to do after over 400 years of unsuccessful attempts by the likes of Cook, Frobisher, Bering and Hudson?

Sail through the North West Passage

8.

Known as the 'Voice of Hollywood'’, which US soprano provided the vocals for Deborah Kerr in The King And I, Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady?

Marni Nixon

Sp.

Which 2009 film starred Jamal Wood as rapper Christopher Wallace a.k.a Biggie Smalls?

Notorious B.I.G.

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1.

Who was the British politician forced to resign his post as paymaster-General in 1999 after it was revealed he had lent his government colleague Peter Mandelson £373k to buy a house?

Geoffrey Robinson

2.

What is the popular name given to a Beethoven piano composition completed in 1801 and dedicated to his pupil Countess Giuletta Guicciardi?

Moonlight Sonata

3.

Who was the only Englishman in the Barbarians' back division in their celebrated 23-11 victory over the All Blacks at Cardiff Arms Park in 1973?

David Duckham

4.

Which 2 iconic British car manufacturers merged in 1960?

Jaguar-Daimler

5.

Which Japanese company is the world's largest manufacturer of photocopiers, having acquired since the 1990's such companies as Gestetner, Rex-Rotary, Nashuatec, IKON & Danka?

Ricoh

6.

What is the title of the 1960 British cult film, a psychological thriller directed by Michael Powell, about a serial killer who murders women and uses a portable movie camera to record their dying expressions of terror?

Peeping Tom

7.

Which 1977 pop song features the following lyrics;

                   “Running down the avenue

                   See how the sun shines brightly

                   In the city

                   On the streets where once was pity”?

Mr. Blue Sky

8.

By what name is the wife of the Earl of Mercia in the first half of the 11th century better known?

Lady Godiva

ROUND 7 - Paired with Round 3

1.

What title connects a 1979 hit song by The Cure and a 1999 film that starred Hilary Swank and Chloe Sevigny?

Boys Don’t Cry

2.

Sitting at Ordnance Survey reference SY 95.8 82.3 which National Trust castle, demolished by the Parliamentarians in 1646, lies on the Isle of Purbeck?

Corfe Castle

3.

Who is missing from this list: Jonny Wilkinson, Dan Carter, Diego Dominguez, Neil Jenkins?

Ronan O’Gara

(all have scored over 1,000 points in International Rugby Union)

4.

Which prominent Labour politician of the forties and fifties said: “We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run down”?

Aneurin Bevan

5.

Stratfield Saye House in Hampshire is the family seat of which member of the English aristocracy?

The Duke of Wellington

6.

Which mineral with the chemical formula CaF2 sits at No.4 on the Mohs Hardness Scale?

Fluorite

7.

What French phrase, literally meaning 'nothing further goes', is a roulette term indicating no bets are to be placed?

'Rien ne va plus'

8.

What connects the following – 1958, 1963, 1978, 1978, 2005?

Dates of the last 5 papal elections

ROUND 8 - Hidden theme

1.

Rising out of the Atlantic Ocean to a height of 137m, the UK's tallest sea stack  was originally an arch with two 'legs'.  What's its name?

Old Man of Hoy

2.

Which northwest football ground has been referred to as the 'Grand Old Lady' and features the Gwladys Street end?

Goodison Park

3.

In 1998, for the 10th anniversary of Red Dwarf, which TV chef presented a special edition of his own show called Can’t Smeg, Won’t Smeg with the cast of Red Dwarf cooking a meal while remaining in character?

Ainsley Harriott

4.

Which Hollywood Director is best known for his 'Dead' pentalogy?

George A Romero

5.

Which historic Cheshire property was built on the site of a hunting lodge which stood in the forest of Macclesfield in the year 1040 and has been home to the Legh family since 1315?

Adlington Hall

6.

Name the inner city area of Salford, about 2 miles from Manchester city centre.  It has two colleges; and is where Salford's largest shopping precinct, Salford Shopping City, is located.  The A6 dual carriageway skirts the east of the district.

Pendleton

7.

In this 1989 film Peter Greenaway uses specific colours to represent each set of the film: the exterior of Le Hollandais is predominantly blue, the kitchen is mostly green, the seating area of the restaurant is red and the toilets are stark white.  What Is the film?

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover

8.

Name two of the following characters from The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher:

• the no. 1 blue engine,

• the no. 6 green engine, the junior member of the Fat controller’s railway,

• the no. 5 red engine, which has a fine scarlet coat and brass dome.

(two from)

Thomas,

Percy,

James

Spares

1.

In which best Picture Oscar winning film of 1971 does Fernando Rey play the part of 'Frog One'?

The French Connection

2.

Which river flows through Melbourne, Australia?

The Yarra

3.

Montagues and Capulets from the ballet Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev is the theme tune to which BBC TV programme?

The Apprentice

4.

Which substance, well known to the Romans but largely forgotten until its re-introduction by Leeds-born engineer John Smeaton in the late 18th century is now the most widely used man-made material in the world?

Concrete

5.

Who was the most famous creation of the artist and writer Mary Tourtel?

Rupert the Bear