ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Which Susan Hill book has recently been made into a film after having been a West End play for many years?

2.

John Bonham and John Paul Jones were members of which band?

3.

Which TV show originally introduced the characters of Windy Miller and PC McGarry?

4.

Which 1966 album contained the tracks Eleanor Rigby and Yellow Submarine?

5.

What comic character was a Red Indian of the Smellyfeet tribe?

6.

Which 1973 hit song refers to “the man at the back” and “the girl in the corner”?

7.

Which TV show is presented by James Martin?

8.

By what name is Llanelli Rugby Club now known?

Sp1

What type of creature is a polyplectron napoleonis?

Sp2

Who is the England and Durham Left-Hand Bat and Wicketkeeper known as Colonel?

1.

Which American author created the criminal psychologist Alex Delaware?

2.

Which American author has recently published the books No Time for Goodbye, Too Close to Home, Never Look Away and Fear the Worst?

3.

Which 2008 novel tells the tale of a former Prime Minister writing his memoirs in Martha’s Vineyard out of season?

4.

Which 2005 novel concerns a journalist retained to find the missing niece of a wealthy businessman?

5.

Why did Rosie achieve notoriety in January and February 2012?

6.

Why was Uggie famous in January and February 2012?

7.

Complete the following sequence: Michelle, Laura, Hillary, Barbara, Nancy and …

8.

Complete the following sequence: Samantha, Sarah. Cherie, Norma, Denis and …

Sp1

Who was the winner of the first series of Strictly Come Dancing?

Sp2

Who was the winner of the first series of Dancing on Ice?

ROUND 3 - Pairs

1.

Much of the action of which novel takes place in or near Kellynch Hall in Somerset, the home of its main character?

2.

The entirety of which novel’s action takes place in Egdon Heath, part of Wessex?

3.

Which Devon-based singer was the intended victim of an alleged kidnap and murder plot which was narrowly foiled last year?

4.

Which band from Teignmouth in Devon has almost monopolised the 'Best Live Act' and 'Best Live Band' awards in the music press in the years when they have been eligible?

5.

What is the name given to the group of three stone circles in Cornwall, half a mile west of the village of Minions on the eastern flank of Bodmin Moor?

6.

What is the name of the World Heritage Site which lies roughly between Exmouth in Devon and Swanage in Dorset?

7.

Which Somerset town is sometimes claimed to be the birthplace of Quakerism (aka The Society Of Friends) and is definitely the birthplace of Clark's Shoes?

8.

In which Devon town was William of Orange first proclaimed king, the spot near St Leonard’s Tower now being marked by a plaque?

Sp.

Cornish Rex and Devon Rex are breeds of which animal?

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

The film Blade Runner is based on which novel by Philip K Dick, published in 1968?

2.

Which town in Derbyshire is at the confluence of the rivers Goyt and Sett and stands above The Torrs, a 70 ft. deep gorge?

3.

The settlement by which Henry III’s barons imposed constitutional limitations on the English crown in 1258, regarded by some as England’s first written constitution, is known as the Provisions of what?

4.

Which Australian band had little success apart from a number three hit single in 1972 featuring Rod Stewart as guest vocalist and released after they had split up?

5.

What is the name of the character played by Russell Crowe in the film Gladiator? 

6.

What is the name of the Australian international who has won several titles with FC Basel and helped to knock United out of this year’s Champions League?

7.

Which vehicle is said to have been the brainchild of Nicolas Hayek, the CEO of Swatch, and was launched in October 1998?

8.

Which production opened at the London Palladium in 1981 and earned Michael Crawford his first Olivier award for best actor in a musical?

Sp

Which London thoroughfare is believed to have derived its name from the word for a fashionable 'stiff collar with scalloped edges and a broad lace or perforated border'?

ROUND 5 - Pairs

1.

Who was the runner of the anchor leg when the British men’s 4 x 100m relay team won gold at the Athens Olympics?

2.

Who was the runner of the anchor leg when the British men’s 4 x 400m relay team famously beat the American quartet into second place at the 1991 World Championships?

3.

Which female singer, who had most of her chart success in the 1960s but continued to make critically acclaimed albums well beyond then, is a distant relative of the Austrian nobleman, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, from whom the word 'masochism' is derived?

4.

Which group was forced to apologise in the High Court and make substantial payments to charity as a result of its promotional caricature of Harold Wilson in the nude in 1967?

5.

In Egyptian mythology which god was depicted with the head of a jackal and guided souls to the next world? 

6.

In Greek mythology who was the daughter of King Minos who helped Theseus escape from the Labyrinth and later married Dionysus?

7.

Which famous novel begins: “My father had a small estate in Nottinghamshire; I was the third of five sons”?

8.

Which famous novel begins: “I was born in the Year 1632, in the City of York, of a good Family, tho' not of that Country, my Father being a Foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull”?

Sp1

Which famous novel begins with the dialogue: “What’s it going to be then, eh?”?

Sp2

Which famous novel begins: “Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically”?

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1.

Who remained in the command module of Apollo 11 when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made their historic moon landing?

2.

Yamoussoukro is the capital of which country?

3.

This character appeared in a long running children’s TV series (first screened between 1964 -1971) and was originally called Flappy.  Who is it?

4.

Which Merseyside township is by-passed by the A570, which popularly bears its name?

5.

The Coat of Arms of a Greater Manchester Borough punningly features the Mountain Ash or Rowan Tree.  By what other name is the Mountain Ash known which gives rise to the pun?

6.

What was known to the Romans as Aquae Sulis?

7.

Who is credited with the discovery of Greenland in 892?

8.

This woman’s suitor agreed to work for her father for seven years to gain her hand in marriage, only to be cheated when her cross-eyed elder sister Leah was presented for the marriage in disguise.  He then had to work another seven years to finally marry her.  Who was she?

Sp

What, in Criminal Law, is the test for a finding of insanity?

ROUND 7 - Themed questions

1.

What is the famous landmark located on the South West side of Great Gable?

2.

What did Walter Hunt invent in 1849, selling the patent to W R Grace and Company for $10,000?

3.

What gift to Britain as a thank you for winning the Battle of Aboukir Bay, was lost in the Bay of Biscay?

4.

What famous landmark is situated 8 kilometres WSW of Yarmouth?

5.

Binn Bahn (also called Benbaun) is the highest peak in which Range of Mountains in Northern Galway?

6.

Rip van Winkle heard thunder in the Catskill Mountains.  What caused the thunder?

7.

Henry Vlll’s favourite wife was responsible for introducing a French invention into England and, inadvertently, created a well appreciated women’s perquisite.  What do we call the unintended consequence?

8.

What is the title of Ken Follett’s first successful novel, originally entitled Storm Island and later made into a film starring Donald Sutherland, which concerns a German spy’s efforts to reveal the truth about Operation Fortitude?

Sp.

What is paraesthesia?

ROUND 8 - Pairs on Favourites & Favouritism

1.

Which 17th century royal favourite had five streets named after him between the Strand and the Embankment in London?

2.

Who was the favoured minister of Louis XIII from 1624 until his death in 1642?

3.

Which was voted the UK’s favourite book in a 2003 BBC poll?

4.

Which was voted the favourite British film of all time in a 1999 BFI poll? (n.b. ‘British’ doesn’t have to mean filmed in Britain)

5.

In a notorious example of favouritism, the Trinidad and Tobago team had four goals disallowed in a crucial qualifier for the 1974 World Cup.  Who were their 'ref-intimidating' opponents?

6.

There was a possible conflict of interest in the 2004 Perugia v Juventus game when one of the Perugia squad owned 7.5% of Juventus.  Give the surname of this, literally, influential player.

7.

Which Eurovision Song Contest competing nation received 12 points from Germany on six occasions between 1997 and 2007?

8.

Which country has Turkey given 12 points to (and received 12 in return) in all 3 Eurovision Song Contests which they have both entered?

Sp.

Which Derby favourite suffered a shock defeat by Sharastani in 1986?

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Which Susan Hill book has recently been made into a film after having been a West End play for many years?

The Woman in Black

2.

John Bonham and John Paul Jones were members of which band?

Led Zeppelin

3.

Which TV show originally introduced the characters of Windy Miller and PC McGarry?

Camberwick Green

4.

Which 1966 album contained the tracks Eleanor Rigby and Yellow Submarine?

Revolver

5.

What comic character was a Red Indian of the Smellyfeet tribe?

Little Plum

6.

Which 1973 hit song refers to “the man at the back” and “the girl in the corner”?

Ballroom Blitz

7.

Which TV show is presented by James Martin?

Saturday Kitchen

8.

By what name is Llanelli Rugby Club now known?

The Scarlets

Sp1

What type of creature is a polyplectron napoleonis?

Peacock

Sp2

Who is the England and Durham Left-Hand Bat and Wicketkeeper known as Colonel?

Phil Mustard

1.

Which American author created the criminal psychologist Alex Delaware?

Jonathan Kellerman

2.

Which American author has recently published the books No Time for Goodbye, Too Close to Home, Never Look Away and Fear the Worst?

Linwood Barclay

3.

Which 2008 novel tells the tale of a former Prime Minister writing his memoirs in Martha’s Vineyard out of season?

The Ghost

(by Robert Harris)

4.

Which 2005 novel concerns a journalist retained to find the missing niece of a wealthy businessman?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

(by Stieg Larsson)

5.

Why did Rosie achieve notoriety in January and February 2012?

She was Harry Redknapp’s dog who had her own bank account in Monaco

6.

Why was Uggie famous in January and February 2012?

He was the dog in the film The Artist

7.

Complete the following sequence: Michelle, Laura, Hillary, Barbara, Nancy and …

Rosalynn

(they are the wives of the last 6 American Presidents working backwards in time)

8.

Complete the following sequence: Samantha, Sarah. Cherie, Norma, Denis and …

Audrey

(they are the spouses of the last 6 UK Prime ministers also working backwards in time)

Sp1

Who was the winner of the first series of Strictly Come Dancing?

Natasha Kaplinsky

Sp2

Who was the winner of the first series of Dancing on Ice?

Gaynor Faye

ROUND 3 - Pairs with a West Country flavour

1.

Much of the action of which novel takes place in or near Kellynch Hall in Somerset, the home of its main character?

Persuasion

(by Jane Austen)

2.

The entirety of which novel’s action takes place in Egdon Heath, part of Wessex?

The Return of the Native

(by Thomas Hardy) 

3.

Which Devon-based singer was the intended victim of an alleged kidnap and murder plot which was narrowly foiled last year?

Joss Stone

4.

Which band from Teignmouth in Devon has almost monopolised the 'Best Live Act' and 'Best Live Band' awards in the music press in the years when they have been eligible?

Muse

5.

What is the name given to the group of three stone circles in Cornwall, half a mile west of the village of Minions on the eastern flank of Bodmin Moor?

The Hurlers

6.

What is the name of the World Heritage Site which lies roughly between Exmouth in Devon and Swanage in Dorset?

Jurassic Coast

7.

Which Somerset town is sometimes claimed to be the birthplace of Quakerism (aka The Society Of Friends) and is definitely the birthplace of Clark's Shoes?

Street

8.

In which Devon town was William of Orange first proclaimed king, the spot near St Leonard’s Tower now being marked by a plaque?

Newton Abbot

Sp.

Cornish Rex and Devon Rex are breeds of which animal?

Cat

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

The film Blade Runner is based on which novel by Philip K Dick, published in 1968?

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

2.

Which town in Derbyshire is at the confluence of the rivers Goyt and Sett and stands above The Torrs, a 70 ft. deep gorge?

New Mills

3.

The settlement by which Henry III’s barons imposed constitutional limitations on the English crown in 1258, regarded by some as England’s first written constitution, is known as the Provisions of what?

Oxford

4.

Which Australian band had little success apart from a number three hit single in 1972 featuring Rod Stewart as guest vocalist and released after they had split up?

Python Lee Jackson

5.

What is the name of the character played by Russell Crowe in the film Gladiator? 

Maximus Decimus Meridius

(accept just Maximus)

6.

What is the name of the Australian international who has won several titles with FC Basel and helped to knock United out of this year’s Champions League?

Scott Chipperfield

7.

Which vehicle is said to have been the brainchild of Nicolas Hayek, the CEO of Swatch, and was launched in October 1998?

Smart Car

8.

Which production opened at the London Palladium in 1981 and earned Michael Crawford his first Olivier award for best actor in a musical?

Barnum

Sp.

Which London thoroughfare is believed to have derived its name from the word for a fashionable 'stiff collar with scalloped edges and a broad lace or perforated border'?

Piccadilly

ROUND 5 - Pairs

1.

Who was the runner of the anchor leg when the British men’s 4 x 100m relay team won gold at the Athens Olympics?

Mark Lewis-Francis

2.

Who was the runner of the anchor leg when the British men’s 4 x 400m relay team famously beat the American quartet into second place at the 1991 World Championships?

Kris Akabusi

3.

Which female singer, who had most of her chart success in the 1960s but continued to make critically acclaimed albums well beyond then, is a distant relative of the Austrian nobleman, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, from whom the word 'masochism' is derived?

Marianne Faithfull

4.

Which group was forced to apologise in the High Court and make substantial payments to charity as a result of its promotional caricature of Harold Wilson in the nude in 1967?

The Move

5.

In Egyptian mythology which god was depicted with the head of a jackal and guided souls to the next world? 

Anubis

6.

In Greek mythology who was the daughter of King Minos who helped Theseus escape from the Labyrinth and later married Dionysus?

Ariadne

7.

Which famous novel begins: “My father had a small estate in Nottinghamshire; I was the third of five sons”?

Gulliver’s Travels

8.

Which famous novel begins: “I was born in the Year 1632, in the City of York, of a good Family, tho' not of that Country, my Father being a Foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull”?

Robinson Crusoe

Sp1

Which famous novel begins with the dialogue: “What’s it going to be then, eh?”?

A Clockwork Orange

Sp2

Which famous novel begins: “Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically”?

Lady Chatterley’s Lover

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1.

Who remained in the command module of Apollo 11 when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made their historic moon landing?

Michael Collins

2.

Yamoussoukro is the capital of which country?

Cote d’Ivoire

(accept Ivory Coast - Abidjan is no longer the Capital)

3.

This character appeared in a long running children’s TV series (first screened between 1964 -1971) and was originally called Flappy.  Who is it?

Dylan

4.

Which Merseyside township is by-passed by the A570, which popularly bears its name?

Rainford

5.

The Coat of Arms of a Greater Manchester Borough punningly features the Mountain Ash or Rowan Tree.  By what other name is the Mountain Ash known which gives rise to the pun?

The Wiggin Tree

(Wigan)

6.

What was known to the Romans as Aquae Sulis?

Bath

7.

Who is credited with the discovery of Greenland in 892?

Eric the Red

8.

This woman’s suitor agreed to work for her father for seven years to gain her hand in marriage, only to be cheated when her cross-eyed elder sister Leah was presented for the marriage in disguise.  He then had to work another seven years to finally marry her.  Who was she?

Rachel

Sp.

What, in Criminal Law, is the test for a finding of insanity?

The McNaghten Rules

ROUND 7 - Themed questions

1.

What is the famous landmark located on the South West side of Great Gable?

Nape’s Needle

2.

What did Walter Hunt invent in 1849, selling the patent to W R Grace and Company for $10,000?

The Safety Pin

3.

What gift to Britain as a thank you for winning the Battle of Aboukir Bay, was lost in the Bay of Biscay?

Cleopatra’s Needle

4.

What famous landmark is situated 8 kilometres WSW of Yarmouth?

The Needles

(not Great Yarmouth which is in Norfolk)

5.

Binn Bahn (also called Benbaun) is the highest peak in which Range of Mountains in Northern Galway?

The Twelve Pins

(also called the Twelve Bens)

6.

Rip van Winkle heard thunder in the Catskill Mountains.  What caused the thunder?

A group of dwarves playing nine-pins

(the noise was the sound of the rolling of their bowling balls)

7.

Henry Vlll’s favourite wife was responsible for introducing a French invention into England and, inadvertently, created a well appreciated women’s perquisite.  What do we call the unintended consequence?

Pin Money

(Jane Seymour is credited with being the first to import pins and shortly thereafter housewives began to receive money of their own to purchase this now sought after aid to dressmaking)

8.

What is the title of Ken Follett’s first successful novel, originally entitled Storm Island and later made into a film starring Donald Sutherland, which concerns a German spy’s efforts to reveal the truth about Operation Fortitude?

The Eye of a Needle

Sp.

What is paraesthesia?

Pins and Needles

ROUND 8 - Pairs on Favourites & Favouritism

1.

Which 17th century royal favourite had five streets named after him between the Strand and the Embankment in London?

The Duke of Buckingham

2.

Who was the favoured minister of Louis XIII from 1624 until his death in 1642?

Cardinal Richelieu

3.

Which was voted the UK’s favourite book in a 2003 BBC poll?

The Lord of the Rings

4.

Which was voted the favourite British film of all time in a 1999 BFI poll? (n.b. ‘British’ doesn’t have to mean filmed in Britain)

The Third Man

5.

In a notorious example of favouritism, the Trinidad and Tobago team had four goals disallowed in a crucial qualifier for the 1974 World Cup.  Who were their 'ref-intimidating' opponents?

Haiti

6.

There was a possible conflict of interest in the 2004 Perugia v Juventus game when one of the Perugia squad owned 7.5% of Juventus.  Give the surname of this, literally, influential player.

Ghadaffi

7.

Which Eurovision Song Contest competing nation received 12 points from Germany on six occasions between 1997 and 2007?

Turkey

8.

Which country has Turkey given 12 points to (and received 12 in return) in all 3 Eurovision Song Contests which they have both entered?

Azerbaijan

Sp.

Which Derby favourite suffered a shock defeat by Sharastani in 1986?

Dancing Brave