1.

Which cricket ground will stage the first Test match of this summer’s Ashes series?

2.

Which iconic singer was a guest vocalist on the Pet Shop Boys’ 1987 UK Top Ten hit What Have I Done to Deserve This?

3.

Which three words that are anagrams of each other may be defined as:

• a ruler;

• a winter weather phenomenon;

• an area of boggy ground?

4.

Which African country has borders with Senegal, Mali and Algeria?

5.

In 1978 two members of which band were convicted of criminal damage after shooting pigeons on a London rooftop?  What they thought were wild birds turned out to be valuable racing pigeons and the incident partly inspired the track Guns on the Roof on their album Give 'Em Enough Rope?

6.

Which author's Epistle to Doctor Arbuthnot in 1735 featured the first use of the metaphor that refers to 'breaking a butterfly on a wheel'?

7.

Which drug is the main active ingredient in the painkillers Calpol and Tylenol?

8.

The New York City borough of Brooklyn is home to a neighbourhood called DUMBO, which is an acronym derived from its location.  What do the 'M' and 'B' represent in this acronym?

9.

This year sees the 100th anniversary of the first crossing by air of the Mediterranean Sea, from France to Tunisia.  Which French aviator, whose name is best known these days in a completely different context, achieved this feat?

10.

Which British author is currently in the Waterstones best-seller list with his latest novel A Delicate Truth?

11.

Which ruminant mammal that is found throughout the UK, but mostly in southern England, has the Latin name Dama dama?

12.

In a recent second XI game against Yorkshire, which Lancashire player became the first English cricketer to hit six sixes in one over in a professional game?

13.

The official flag of which English county features three leopard heads?

14.

Which battle of October 1346 near Durham saw the English rout their Scottish opponents and capture King David II?

15.

Manchester’s now-defunct Factory Records had a famous catalogue that featured not only musical releases, but also other notable items and events in the life of the label. Examples are FAC 61, a lawsuit against record producer Martin Hannett and FAC 99, a dentist’s bill. Arguably the best-known item in the catalogue and to be found in Manchester city centre, what was FAC 51?

16.

What, rather fittingly, is the final item listed in the Factory Records catalogue: FAC 501?

17.

Which naval battle off the coast of Flanders in June 1340 was the French fleet completely destroyed, giving England total control of the Channel?

18.

The official flag of which English county features an image of a Great Bustard?

19.

Against which county did Lancashire record their first County Championship win of the new cricket season?

20.

Which rodent, found throughout Europe and a few parts of the British Isles, has the Latin name Sciurus vulgaris?

21.

Which American author is currently in the Waterstones best-seller list with the novels Stay Close and Six Years?

22.

This year sees the 100th anniversary of premiere of which ballet by Igor Stravinsky?  Its modern nature saw the audience riot at its first performance in Paris.

23.

Which street, which can also be found in city centre Manchester, gives its name to the Lower Manhattan neighbourhood Tribeca, which is probably best known for its film festival?

24.

Which drug is the main active ingredient in the painkillers Nurofen, Brufen and Advil?

25.

Which expression, based on the practices of a Cambridge stable-owner, first appeared in writing in a 1660 work by Samuel Fisher?  It is also the title of a 1954 David Lean  'romcom' starring Charles Laughton and John Mills.

26.

As dramatised in the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People, members of which band fed poisoned bread to pigeons, resulting in the streets of Manchester being littered with hundreds of feathered corpses?

27.

Which African country has borders with Nigeria, Chad and Gabon?

28.

Which three words that are anagrams of each other may be defined as:

• flat, shallow vessels;

• wander aimlessly;

• a woodland spirit?

29.

Which 1993 UK number one single by Take That featured Lulu as a guest vocalist?

30.

ROUND 2 - Stockport style - Written

1.

Which British naturalist developed a theory of natural selection independently of Charles Darwin and was the subject of a recent BBC documentary presented by Bill Bailey?

2.

What was the real first name of the twentieth century businessman 'Tiny' Rowland?

3.

Who is the only man to have managed both Manchester United (1903–12) and Manchester City (1912–24)?

4.

The rarely-used drug known as Laudanum is produced by dissolving which other drug in alcohol?

5.

Which film set in the year 2077 and starring Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman is a current box office hit?

6.

Menelik Watson, a former resident of Longsight and old boy of Burnage High School, was recently selected by which team during the 2013 NFL draft?

7.

In which TV sitcom did the late Richard Briers play Martin Bryce?

8.

The 600 or so species that belong to the plant family Papaveraceae are commonly known by what name?

9.

A brouhaha followed which American comedian's liberal use of 'the N word' during his performance at the recent Professional Footballers' Association awards dinner?

10.

ROUND 3 - WithQuiz style - Stated theme

Each answer contains somewhere in it the name of an animal

1.

Equally Cursed and Blessed and International Velvet were 1990s UK number one albums by which band?

2.

In Much Ado About Nothing, which incompetent constable is the chief of Messina's night-watch police?

3.

Which 1986 thriller, set in a New York City District Attorney's Office, starred Robert Redford, Debra Winger, Terence Stamp and Daryl Hannah?

4.

The Maly Theatre, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and the Resurrection Gate are visitor attractions in which European city?

5.

The name of which beast, mentioned in Chapter 40 of the Book of Job, has come to mean any large or powerful entity?

6.

Which former Manchester United player scored for Newcastle United in their 2-1 defeat by Manchester City in the 1976 League Cup Final?

7.

8.

ROUND 4 - WithQuiz style - 'Wigan'

A Wigan-related round, in recognition of Wigan Athletic reaching their first FA Cup Final (and in appreciation of City not having to face bogey team Everton or the delightful Millwall at Wembley)

1.

2.

Of the ten boroughs that comprise Greater Manchester, Wigan is the second-most populous, exceeded only by Manchester itself.  Which borough has the smallest population?

3.

Which world championship is held annually at Harry's Bar on Wallgate, Wigan?

4.

Which Wigan nightclub began life as the Empress Ballroom, was named 'Best Disco in the World' by Billboard magazine in 1978, burnt down in 1982 and is now the site of the Grand Arcade shopping centre?

5.

Wigan was home to an early twentieth century music hall dance act known as The Eight Lancashire Lads.  Who was their most famous member, who made his stage debut with them at the age of ten?

6.

Which bookmaker that was established in 1928 has its headquarters in Wigan?

7.

The well-known visitor attraction Wigan Pier is on which waterway?

8.

ROUND 5 - WithQuiz style - Hidden theme

...with some 'soundalikes'

1.

Jack Dorsey is the Chairman and co-founder of which social networking service?

2.

Which racetrack in Louisville stages the Kentucky Derby?

3.

What is the name of Edinburgh's second-largest railway station?

4.

His name appears in the title of a Tom Stoppard play and his works have featured in or inspired album covers by Jackson Browne and The Jeff Beck Group.  His better known works include The Son of Man, The Listening Room and Golconde.  Who is this twentieth century artist?

5.

Who was the fifteenth President of the United States?  His term in office was from 1857 to 1861 and he is still the only unmarried President in American history.

6.

Which 1970s children's TV character lived at 52 Festive Road?

7.

Which four words complete the title of the 1982 film that was the second of the motion pictures based on the original television series, Star Trek II:...?

8.

ROUND 6 - WithQuiz style - Hidden theme - 'You don't know the half of it'

1.

Created by American author Edward L Stratemeyer, how are the teenage brothers and amateur detectives Joe and Frank collectively known?

2.

Which Viz character is best known for his double entendres? (full name required)

3.

Which British singer-songwriter's albums include When I Was Cruel, The Juliet Letters and Spike?

4.

Which Hungarian-born American physicist was known as 'the father of the hydrogen bomb'?

5.

Which river, the ninth-longest in Britain, is formed by the confluence of two streams: the Daer Water and the Potrail Water?

6.

The 1960 film The Entertainer, starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright, was filmed on location in which English town?

7.

Who is the main character and anti-hero in Graham Greene's Brighton Rock? (full name required)

8.

1.

In which Dickens novel would you find a character named Montague Tigg?

2.

Who plays Scott in the ITV police drama series Scott and Bailey?

3.

The northern end of the Limestone Way is in which Derbyshire village?

4.

What is the title of Tony Blair’s memoir that was published in September 2010?

5.

In the TV series M*A*S*H who played the cross-dressing Corporal Klinger?

6.

Which football team won their only major trophy by beating QPR 3-0 in the 1986 League Cup Final?

7.

What is the first name of the Peter Sellers character Inspector Clouseau?

8.

In the 2013 IPL competition, which non-Indian cricketer is captain of the Mumbai Indians?

9.

In which city in Southern Germany could you visit the world's tallest church?

10.

1.

The newly-established Shipwrights Way is a long-distance walking route in which English county?

2.

American comedian Steve Martin also has a musical career.  With which instrument is he particularly associated?

3.

The idiom 'white elephant', for a valuable but useless and costly-to-maintain possession, originated from the practice of giving elephants in which country?

4.

Which now-defunct brewery was based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire until being bought out by Greene King 2000?  Its most notable product was Old Speckled Hen.

5.

They are known to the French as feux de circulation.  What do we call them?

6.

1.

In which year was construction of the Grade II-listed Daily Express Building in Ancoats completed?

2.

1.

Which cricket ground will stage the first Test match of this summer’s Ashes series?

Trent Bridge

2.

Which iconic singer was a guest vocalist on the Pet Shop Boys’ 1987 UK Top Ten hit What Have I Done to Deserve This?

Dusty Springfield

3.

Which three words that are anagrams of each other may be defined as:

• a ruler;

• a winter weather phenomenon;

• an area of boggy ground?

Emir;

rime;

mire

4.

Which African country has borders with Senegal, Mali and Algeria?

Mauretania

5.

In 1978 two members of which band were convicted of criminal damage after shooting pigeons on a London rooftop?  What they thought were wild birds turned out to be valuable racing pigeons and the incident partly inspired the track Guns on the Roof on their album Give 'Em Enough Rope?

The Clash

6.

Which author's Epistle to Doctor Arbuthnot in 1735 featured the first use of the metaphor that refers to 'breaking a butterfly on a wheel'?

Alexander Pope

7.

Which drug is the main active ingredient in the painkillers Calpol and Tylenol?

Paracetamol

(also accept acetaminophen)

8.

The New York City borough of Brooklyn is home to a neighbourhood called DUMBO, which is an acronym derived from its location.  What do the 'M' and 'B' represent in this acronym?

Manhattan Bridge

(Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass)

9.

This year sees the 100th anniversary of the first crossing by air of the Mediterranean Sea, from France to Tunisia.  Which French aviator, whose name is best known these days in a completely different context, achieved this feat?

Roland Garros

10.

Which British author is currently in the Waterstones best-seller list with his latest novel A Delicate Truth?

John le Carré

11.

Which ruminant mammal that is found throughout the UK, but mostly in southern England, has the Latin name Dama dama?

Fallow Deer

(don't accept just 'Deer')

12.

In a recent second XI game against Yorkshire, which Lancashire player became the first English cricketer to hit six sixes in one over in a professional game?

Jordan Clark

13.

The official flag of which English county features three leopard heads?

Shropshire

14.

Which battle of October 1346 near Durham saw the English rout their Scottish opponents and capture King David II?

Neville's Cross

15.

Manchester’s now-defunct Factory Records had a famous catalogue that featured not only musical releases, but also other notable items and events in the life of the label. Examples are FAC 61, a lawsuit against record producer Martin Hannett and FAC 99, a dentist’s bill. Arguably the best-known item in the catalogue and to be found in Manchester city centre, what was FAC 51?

The Haçienda

16.

What, rather fittingly, is the final item listed in the Factory Records catalogue: FAC 501?

Tony Wilson’s coffin

(accept funeral)

17.

Which naval battle off the coast of Flanders in June 1340 was the French fleet completely destroyed, giving England total control of the Channel?

Sluys

18.

The official flag of which English county features an image of a Great Bustard?

Wiltshire

19.

Against which county did Lancashire record their first County Championship win of the new cricket season?

Glamorgan

20.

Which rodent, found throughout Europe and a few parts of the British Isles, has the Latin name Sciurus vulgaris?

Red squirrel

(don't accept just 'squirrel')

21.

Which American author is currently in the Waterstones best-seller list with the novels Stay Close and Six Years?

Harlan Coben

22.

This year sees the 100th anniversary of premiere of which ballet by Igor Stravinsky?  Its modern nature saw the audience riot at its first performance in Paris.

The Rite of Spring

23.

Which street, which can also be found in city centre Manchester, gives its name to the Lower Manhattan neighbourhood Tribeca, which is probably best known for its film festival?

Canal Street

(Triangle Below Canal Street)

24.

Which drug is the main active ingredient in the painkillers Nurofen, Brufen and Advil?

Ibuprofen

25.

Which expression, based on the practices of a Cambridge stable-owner, first appeared in writing in a 1660 work by Samuel Fisher?  It is also the title of a 1954 David Lean  'romcom' starring Charles Laughton and John Mills.

Hobson's Choice

26.

As dramatised in the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People, members of which band fed poisoned bread to pigeons, resulting in the streets of Manchester being littered with hundreds of feathered corpses?

The Happy Mondays

27.

Which African country has borders with Nigeria, Chad and Gabon?

Cameroon

28.

Which three words that are anagrams of each other may be defined as:

• flat, shallow vessels;

• wander aimlessly;

• a woodland spirit?

Trays;

stray;

satyr

29.

Which 1993 UK number one single by Take That featured Lulu as a guest vocalist?

Relight My Fire

30.

Brisbane

ROUND 2 - Stockport style - Written

1.

Which British naturalist developed a theory of natural selection independently of Charles Darwin and was the subject of a recent BBC documentary presented by Bill Bailey?

Alfred Russell Wallace

2.

What was the real first name of the twentieth century businessman 'Tiny' Rowland?

Roland

(born Roland Walter Fuhrop and took his Uncle's surname, Rowland)

3.

Who is the only man to have managed both Manchester United (1903–12) and Manchester City (1912–24)?

Ernest Mangnall

4.

The rarely-used drug known as Laudanum is produced by dissolving which other drug in alcohol?

Opium

5.

Which film set in the year 2077 and starring Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman is a current box office hit?

Oblivion

6.

Menelik Watson, a former resident of Longsight and old boy of Burnage High School, was recently selected by which team during the 2013 NFL draft?

Oakland Raiders

7.

In which TV sitcom did the late Richard Briers play Martin Bryce?

Ever Decreasing Circles

8.

The 600 or so species that belong to the plant family Papaveraceae are commonly known by what name?

Poppy

9.

A brouhaha followed which American comedian's liberal use of 'the N word' during his performance at the recent Professional Footballers' Association awards dinner?

Reginald D. Hunter

10.

University College London

(accept UCL)

ROUND 3 - WithQuiz style - Stated theme

Each answer contains somewhere in it the name of an animal

1.

Equally Cursed and Blessed and International Velvet were 1990s UK number one albums by which band?

Catatonia

2.

In Much Ado About Nothing, which incompetent constable is the chief of Messina's night-watch police?

Dogberry

3.

Which 1986 thriller, set in a New York City District Attorney's Office, starred Robert Redford, Debra Winger, Terence Stamp and Daryl Hannah?

Legal Eagles

4.

The Maly Theatre, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and the Resurrection Gate are visitor attractions in which European city?

Moscow

5.

The name of which beast, mentioned in Chapter 40 of the Book of Job, has come to mean any large or powerful entity?

Behemoth

6.

Which former Manchester United player scored for Newcastle United in their 2-1 defeat by Manchester City in the 1976 League Cup Final?

Alan Gowling

7.

Batavia

8.

Yakovlev

(accept 'Yak')

ROUND 4 - WithQuiz style - 'Wigan'

A Wigan-related round, in recognition of Wigan Athletic reaching their first FA Cup Final (and in appreciation of City not having to face bogey team Everton or the delightful Millwall at Wembley)

1.

(two from)
Bournemouth,

Macclesfield,

Huddersfield

2.

Of the ten boroughs that comprise Greater Manchester, Wigan is the second-most populous, exceeded only by Manchester itself.  Which borough has the smallest population?

Bury

3.

Which world championship is held annually at Harry's Bar on Wallgate, Wigan?

World Pie-eating Championship

4.

Which Wigan nightclub began life as the Empress Ballroom, was named 'Best Disco in the World' by Billboard magazine in 1978, burnt down in 1982 and is now the site of the Grand Arcade shopping centre?

Wigan Casino

5.

Wigan was home to an early twentieth century music hall dance act known as The Eight Lancashire Lads.  Who was their most famous member, who made his stage debut with them at the age of ten?

Charlie Chaplin

6.

Which bookmaker that was established in 1928 has its headquarters in Wigan?

The Tote

7.

The well-known visitor attraction Wigan Pier is on which waterway?

Leeds-Liverpool Canal

8.

Limahl

(of Kajagoogoo; real name Chris Hamill)

ROUND 5 - WithQuiz style - Hidden theme

...with some 'soundalikes'

1.

Jack Dorsey is the Chairman and co-founder of which social networking service?

Twitter

2.

Which racetrack in Louisville stages the Kentucky Derby?

Churchill Downs

3.

What is the name of Edinburgh's second-largest railway station?

Haymarket

4.

His name appears in the title of a Tom Stoppard play and his works have featured in or inspired album covers by Jackson Browne and The Jeff Beck Group.  His better known works include The Son of Man, The Listening Room and Golconde.  Who is this twentieth century artist?

René Magritte

5.

Who was the fifteenth President of the United States?  His term in office was from 1857 to 1861 and he is still the only unmarried President in American history.

James Buchanan

6.

Which 1970s children's TV character lived at 52 Festive Road?

Mr Benn

7.

Which four words complete the title of the 1982 film that was the second of the motion pictures based on the original television series, Star Trek II:...?

The Wrath of Khan

8.

Mick Mills

Theme: Each answer contains the surname of a British boxing world champion:

Junior Witter, Terry Downes, David Haye, Charlie Magri, Ken Buchanan, Nigel Benn, Amir Khan and Freddie Mills

ROUND 6 - WithQuiz style - Hidden theme - 'You don't know the half of it'

1.

Created by American author Edward L Stratemeyer, how are the teenage brothers and amateur detectives Joe and Frank collectively known?

The Hardy Boys

2.

Which Viz character is best known for his double entendres? (full name required)

Finbarr Saunders

3.

Which British singer-songwriter's albums include When I Was Cruel, The Juliet Letters and Spike?

Elvis Costello

4.

Which Hungarian-born American physicist was known as 'the father of the hydrogen bomb'?

Edward Teller

5.

Which river, the ninth-longest in Britain, is formed by the confluence of two streams: the Daer Water and the Potrail Water?

River Clyde

6.

The 1960 film The Entertainer, starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright, was filmed on location in which English town?

Morecambe

7.

Who is the main character and anti-hero in Graham Greene's Brighton Rock? (full name required)

Pinkie Brown

8.

Mortimer Wheeler

Theme: Each answer contains the name of one half of a well-known double act/partnership:

Laurel and...; French and...; Abbott and...; Penn and...; Bonnie and...; …and Wise; ...and Perky; Reeves and...

1.

In which Dickens novel would you find a character named Montague Tigg?

Martin Chuzzlewit

2.

Who plays Scott in the ITV police drama series Scott and Bailey?

Lesley Sharp

3.

The northern end of the Limestone Way is in which Derbyshire village?

Castleton

4.

What is the title of Tony Blair’s memoir that was published in September 2010?

A Journey

5.

In the TV series M*A*S*H who played the cross-dressing Corporal Klinger?

Jamie Farr

6.

Which football team won their only major trophy by beating QPR 3-0 in the 1986 League Cup Final?

Oxford United

7.

What is the first name of the Peter Sellers character Inspector Clouseau?

Jacques

8.

In the 2013 IPL competition, which non-Indian cricketer is captain of the Mumbai Indians?

Ricky Ponting

9.

In which city in Southern Germany could you visit the world's tallest church?

Ulm

10.

Blood

1.

The newly-established Shipwrights Way is a long-distance walking route in which English county?

Hampshire

2.

American comedian Steve Martin also has a musical career.  With which instrument is he particularly associated?

Banjo

3.

The idiom 'white elephant', for a valuable but useless and costly-to-maintain possession, originated from the practice of giving elephants in which country?

Siam

(accept 'Thailand')

4.

Which now-defunct brewery was based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire until being bought out by Greene King 2000?  Its most notable product was Old Speckled Hen.

Morland

5.

They are known to the French as feux de circulation.  What do we call them?

Traffic lights

6.

Maicon

1.

In which year was construction of the Grade II-listed Daily Express Building in Ancoats completed?

1939

2.

33