ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

Forename and surname are required for all answers where a person's name is required

1.

This musical opened on Broadway in 1950 and won the Tony Award for Best Musical of that year.  It was made into a Hollywood film in 1955 starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons and Vivien Blaine.  It features, amongst others, the song Luck Be a Lady.  What is its name?

2.

Which classic of children’s fiction written by Anne Holm in 1963 tells the story of a young boy who escapes from a 1st World War concentration camp in Eastern Europe and travels circuitously to Denmark where he finally meets his estranged mother?

3.

This US politician was senator for Colorado from 1975 to 1987 and twice ran in the US presidential election race in 1984 and again in 1988.  In 1988 he was the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination until his extra marital affair with model Donna Rice put paid to his chances.  Who is he?

4.

For which 1996 film did Cuba Gooding Jr win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar?

5.

This former England rugby union international is currently Director of Operations at the RFU.  He played 70 times for England between 1985 and 1997 and scored 396 international points.  Who is he?

6.

Solving 'whodunit' crimes with his wife 'Steve' this amateur detective was created by Francis Durbridge for the BBC.  Since his debut in 1938 he has featured in over 30 BBC radio dramas, a BBC television series, 4 British feature films and several novels.  What is his name?

7.

(In true 'The Men They Couldn’t Hang style': 'You buy one you get one free')

What are the real names of TV chefs nicknamed The Hairy Bikers?

8.

Who is missing from the original line up of this 1960s pop/rock band: Ray Davies, Dave Davies, Mick Avory and…?

Sp1

Who is lead singer of the rock band Elbow?

Sp2

Which British actor and screenwriter played Montgomery Scott in the 2009 film Star Trek and its 2013 sequel Star Trek Into Darkness?

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

Who invented the electric guitar?

2.

The distinctive F-Bowed bass guitar played by Paul McCartney in the Beatles and still used by him to this day is made by which company?

3.

In finance what does the acronym EBITDA stand for?

4.

In finance what does the acronym ROCE stand for?

5.

What is the name of the new BBC sitcom written by and featuring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer which began last week?

6.

Which TV sitcom which ran from 2006 to 2013 was set largely in the basement of the fictional Reynholm Industries?

7.

What does CT stand for in CT scan ?

8.

What does MRI stand for in MRI scan ?

Sp1

In mathematics what process is used to determine the gradient of a curved line on a graph?

Sp2

In mathematics what process is used to establish the area bounded by a curved line and the axes on a graph?

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

Three of the theme clues are spread across 2 answers and there are sound-alikes

1.

Which London Underground line has only 9 of its 34 stations below ground, connects Buckinghamshire to central London and to the City, and had the inner tracks of its former 4-tracks sections transferred to the Jubilee line in 1979?

2.

Name this Manchester landmark, considered to be one of the finest examples of high Victorian Gothic architecture in the world (incongruously so, some might think, given its location).

3.

Which multinational pharmaceutical company's consumer brands include Alka-Seltzer, Berocca, Baby Bio and Sanatogen?

4.

Which English premium beer is advertised as 'Bedford's Finest On Parade' and features the beer and comedian Rik Mayall, both labelled as 'English, ever reliable and damned tasty'?

5.

Of which animal is there a particular type called a Bactrian, which is native to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia?

6.

Name the English 2012 Paralympics and 2013 World Championships T44 gold medal winner.

7.

What did military inventor Ernest Swinton invent in 1916?

8.

Which TV sitcom, ran between 1986 and 1991, was set in South London and featured the amorous adventures of house painter Jacko, with Dexy's Midnight Runners' Because Of You as its theme song?

Sp1

Which Manchester district was home to Manchester United for 17 years between their first home in Newton Heath and their move to Old Trafford in 1910, is only a mile from where Manchester City were formed in West Gorton and borders City's current home?

Sp2

The Star Trek character Spock is a hybrid of human and which extra-terrestrial species?

ROUND 4 - Pairs

1.

Which comedian said, “I grew up in Slough in the 1970s.  If you want to know what Slough was like in the 1970s go there now!”?

2.

In which year was John Betjeman’s infamous poem Slough first published as part of the Continual Dew collection? (allow one year either way)

3.

Name the year:

• Amelie Mauresmo wins the Wimbledon Women’s Singles title;

• Leona Lewis has the Christmas No.1 with A Moment Like This;

• Reading are promoted to the Premier League as winners of the Football League Championship.

4.

Name the year:

• Petra Kvitova wins the Wimbledon Womens Singles title;

• The Military Wives have the Christmas No.1 with Wherever You Are;

• Queens Park Rangers are promoted to the Premier League as winners of the Football League Championship.

5.

Billy Joe Armstrong, Mike Dimt and Tre Cool are the founder members of which rock band?

6.

Tom De Longe, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker are the members of which rock band?

7.

Who wrote the 1929 play Toad Of Toad Hall?

8.

Which author was commissioned by the Conan Doyle estate to write a new Sherlock Holmes story, House Of Silk, which was published in 2011?

Sp1

In which town is the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District Council?

Sp2

In which town is the administrative headquarters of North Yorkshire County Council?  It is also the county town of North Yorkshire.

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

There are sound-alikes

1.

What was officially used in Britain for the first time on at Epsom, Surrey on April 22nd 1947?

2.

What are four-in-hand, Windsor and shell?

3.

Which shipping forecast area was originally known as Heligoland?

4.

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach”

...is the most famous quotation from which poetic work by Elizabeth Barrett Browning?

5.

Which 8 year long conflict which included the War of Jenkins Ear was ended by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748?

6.

What term is used (mainly in business and the law) to denote the barriers set up within an organisation to ensure that information which might cause a conflict of interest cannot be transferred between different departments of that organisation?

7.

Which term, first in common usage in the 1970s, refers to unofficial working arrangements which have developed through custom rather than specific contracts; such as the opportunity to leave work early if work has been completed?

8.

Which novel first published in 1934 tells the story of John Flory an English timber merchant and U Po Kyin a corrupt local magistrate during the decline of the British Raj?

Sp1

What culinary name is given to the dish comprising scrambled eggs and anchovy paste served on toasted bread?

Sp2

Which Beatles song from the 1965 Rubber Soul album is subtitled This Bird Has Flown?

ROUND 6 - Top to Tail

The first letter of each answer is the same as the last letter of the previous answer - similarly the first letter of the answer to question 1 is the same as the last letter of the answer to question 8

1.

Whose book The Prince has just celebrated 500 years since its publication? (forename and surname needed for the letter link)

2.

3.

What word describes a person of erratic mind, a compound of genius and fool?

4.

What is the surname of the Indian-born keyboard player with The Specials who wrote the song Too Much Too Young?

5.

Which Woody Allen film of 1973 had an energetic score by The Preservation Hall Jazz Band?

6.

Quoted in Alex Ferguson's autobiography, who was Roy Keane talking about when he said: "Just because you are paid a hundred and twenty thousand pounds a week and play well for twenty minutes against Tottenham, you think you're a superstar"?  (forename and surname needed for the letter link)

7.

Which town sits immediately to the north of the junction of the A1(M) and the M18?

8.

What was the trading name of the company Broadcast Relay Service Ltd formed in 1928?  The name means simply 'broadcasting again'.  The company went on, with others, to launch a television broadcasting franchise in 1955.

ROUND 7 - Pairs

1.

Which three words, consecutive in the dictionary, mean:

• something which has grown bigger or louder;

• fainting fit;

• to come down with the rush of a bird of prey?

2.

Which three words, consecutive in the dictionary, mean:

• growing gradually smaller towards the end

• a textile fabric with design used for covering walls

• a starch substance in hard white grains got be heating cassava?

3.

Whose novels include Take a Girl Like You, Jake's Thing and The Old Devils?

4.

Whose novels include The British Museum is Falling Down, How Far Can You Go? and Nice Work?

5.

Which local National Trust property - within ten miles of all our quiz teams - was transformed into Stamford Military Hospital between 1917 and 1919?

6.

In which Lakeland village is the National Trust's Beatrix Potter Gallery?

7.

Which Oscar nominated film stars Christian Bale and Amy Adams?

8.

Who is the male lead actor in Oscar nominated The Wolf of Wall Street?

Sp.

Which 25,000 acre National Trust property near Keswick, home to visitor attraction Force Crag mine, was described by Wainwright as "the loveliest square mile in Lakeland"?

ROUND 8 - Hidden theme

Forename and surname are required wherever a person's name is required; there are sound-alikes

1.

What name connects a country singer/songwriter, who was the writer of many of Nancy Sinatra's hits and co-performed on some, and a footballer of the 60's and 70's who scored 234 goals in 469 club appearances, 10 goals in 27 games for England and won league titles with 2 different clubs?

2.

What name connects a Preston museum and art gallery and a Chelsea footballing legend of the 1960's?

3.

With local government re-organisation in 1974, Stockport MBC assumed ownership from Cheadle & Gatley UDC of which house, hitherto used as Cheadle Town Hall

4.

Name the freshwater fish whose scientific name is Rutilus rutilus.

5.

Built from the 1920's and worked specifically as express passenger trains until the demise of steam in the 1960's, this GWR class of locomotive, the biggest locos ever built by the GWR, is known by what popular name?

6.

Coldplay's Chris Martin has called himself "a poor man's Fran Healy" and said that Healy's band "invented Coldplay".  Named after a character in the film Paris, Texas what was the name of Healy's band?

7.

What is the name of the animal from Middle Ages satire, depicted as part-hero, part-trickster.  Much of the narrative concerns his fractious relationship with his uncle, Isengrin the wolf, and culminates in his surviving an assassination attempt by Chanticleer the rooster ?

8.

What name connects:

• a negro spiritual that was a no.1 hit in the UK & USA in 1961;

• Coventry Cathedral;

• a cousin of the Queen?

Sp.

What name connects:

• the Elizabethan 1st Earl of Leicester;

• the birthplace of football manager Sam Allardyce;

• Bert Tilsley in Coronation Street?

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

Forename and surname are required for all answers where a person's name is required

1.

This musical opened on Broadway in 1950 and won the Tony Award for Best Musical of that year.  It was made into a Hollywood film in 1955 starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons and Vivien Blaine.  It features, amongst others, the song Luck Be a Lady.  What is its name?

Guys and Dolls

2.

Which classic of children’s fiction written by Anne Holm in 1963 tells the story of a young boy who escapes from a 1st World War concentration camp in Eastern Europe and travels circuitously to Denmark where he finally meets his estranged mother?

I Am David

3.

This US politician was senator for Colorado from 1975 to 1987 and twice ran in the US presidential election race in 1984 and again in 1988.  In 1988 he was the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination until his extra marital affair with model Donna Rice put paid to his chances.  Who is he?

Gary Hart

4.

For which 1996 film did Cuba Gooding Jr win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar?

Jerry Maguire

5.

This former England rugby union international is currently Director of Operations at the RFU.  He played 70 times for England between 1985 and 1997 and scored 396 international points.  Who is he?

Rob Andrew

6.

Solving 'whodunit' crimes with his wife 'Steve' this amateur detective was created by Francis Durbridge for the BBC.  Since his debut in 1938 he has featured in over 30 BBC radio dramas, a BBC television series, 4 British feature films and several novels.  What is his name?

Paul Temple

7.

(In true 'The Men They Couldn’t Hang style': 'You buy one you get one free')

What are the real names of TV chefs nicknamed The Hairy Bikers?

Dave Myers and Si King

8.

Who is missing from the original line up of this 1960s pop/rock band: Ray Davies, Dave Davies, Mick Avory and…?

Pete Quaife

(from the Kinks)

Sp1

Who is lead singer of the rock band Elbow?

Guy Garvey

Sp2

Which British actor and screenwriter played Montgomery Scott in the 2009 film Star Trek and its 2013 sequel Star Trek Into Darkness?

Simon Pegg

Theme: How well do you know your opposition?  Each answer contains the forename of a key member of the Electric Pigs quiz team from the last 20 years (narcissistic or what?):

Guy Creswell; Dave McColm; Gary Donely; Gerry Hennessy; Andrew Simcock; Paul Gilmour; Dave McColm; Si Lea; Pete Dodd

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

Who invented the electric guitar?

Adolph Rickenbacker

(accept just Rickenbacker)

2.

The distinctive F-Bowed bass guitar played by Paul McCartney in the Beatles and still used by him to this day is made by which company?

Epiphone

3.

In finance what does the acronym EBITDA stand for?

'Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation'

4.

In finance what does the acronym ROCE stand for?

'Return On Capital Employed'

5.

What is the name of the new BBC sitcom written by and featuring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer which began last week?

House of Fools

6.

Which TV sitcom which ran from 2006 to 2013 was set largely in the basement of the fictional Reynholm Industries?

The IT Crowd

7.

What does CT stand for in CT scan ?

Computerised Tomography

8.

What does MRI stand for in MRI scan ?

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Sp1

In mathematics what process is used to determine the gradient of a curved line on a graph?

Differentiation

Sp2

In mathematics what process is used to establish the area bounded by a curved line and the axes on a graph?

Integration

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

Three of the theme clues are spread across 2 answers and there are sound-alikes

1.

Which London Underground line has only 9 of its 34 stations below ground, connects Buckinghamshire to central London and to the City, and had the inner tracks of its former 4-tracks sections transferred to the Jubilee line in 1979?

Metropolitan

2.

Name this Manchester landmark, considered to be one of the finest examples of high Victorian Gothic architecture in the world (incongruously so, some might think, given its location).

3.

Which multinational pharmaceutical company's consumer brands include Alka-Seltzer, Berocca, Baby Bio and Sanatogen?

Bayer

4.

Which English premium beer is advertised as 'Bedford's Finest On Parade' and features the beer and comedian Rik Mayall, both labelled as 'English, ever reliable and damned tasty'?

Bombardier

5.

Of which animal is there a particular type called a Bactrian, which is native to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia?

Camel

6.

Name the English 2012 Paralympics and 2013 World Championships T44 gold medal winner.

Jonnie Peacock

7.

What did military inventor Ernest Swinton invent in 1916?

The tank

8.

Which TV sitcom, ran between 1986 and 1991, was set in South London and featured the amorous adventures of house painter Jacko, with Dexy's Midnight Runners' Because Of You as its theme song?

Brush Strokes

Sp1

Which Manchester district was home to Manchester United for 17 years between their first home in Newton Heath and their move to Old Trafford in 1910, is only a mile from where Manchester City were formed in West Gorton and borders City's current home?

Clayton

Sp2

The Star Trek character Spock is a hybrid of human and which extra-terrestrial species?

Vulcan

Theme: Each answer contains reference to a British train manufacturer (whether defunct or still going):

Metropolitan-Cammell; Gorton Tank; Beyer-Peacock; Bombardier; Brush Traction; Clayton Equipment Co.; Vulcan Foundry

ROUND 4 - Pairs

1.

Which comedian said, “I grew up in Slough in the 1970s.  If you want to know what Slough was like in the 1970s go there now!”?

Jimmy Carr

2.

In which year was John Betjeman’s infamous poem Slough first published as part of the Continual Dew collection? (allow one year either way)

1937

3.

Name the year:

• Amelie Mauresmo wins the Wimbledon Women’s Singles title;

• Leona Lewis has the Christmas No.1 with A Moment Like This;

• Reading are promoted to the Premier League as winners of the Football League Championship.

2006

4.

Name the year:

• Petra Kvitova wins the Wimbledon Womens Singles title;

• The Military Wives have the Christmas No.1 with Wherever You Are;

• Queens Park Rangers are promoted to the Premier League as winners of the Football League Championship.

2011

5.

Billy Joe Armstrong, Mike Dimt and Tre Cool are the founder members of which rock band?

Green Day

6.

Tom De Longe, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker are the members of which rock band?

Blink 182

7.

Who wrote the 1929 play Toad Of Toad Hall?

A A Milne

8.

Which author was commissioned by the Conan Doyle estate to write a new Sherlock Holmes story, House Of Silk, which was published in 2011?

Anthony Horowitz

Sp1

In which town is the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District Council?

Blandford Forum

Sp2

In which town is the administrative headquarters of North Yorkshire County Council?  It is also the county town of North Yorkshire.

Northallerton

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

There are sound-alikes

1.

What was officially used in Britain for the first time on at Epsom, Surrey on April 22nd 1947?

A photo-finish to determine the outcome of a sporting contest

(the Grand Metropolitan Handicap at Epsom)

2.

What are four-in-hand, Windsor and shell?

Ways of knotting a tie

3.

Which shipping forecast area was originally known as Heligoland?

German Bight

4.

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach”

...is the most famous quotation from which poetic work by Elizabeth Barrett Browning?

Sonnets From The Portuguese

5.

Which 8 year long conflict which included the War of Jenkins Ear was ended by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748?

The War of the Austrian Succession

6.

What term is used (mainly in business and the law) to denote the barriers set up within an organisation to ensure that information which might cause a conflict of interest cannot be transferred between different departments of that organisation?

Chinese Wall

7.

Which term, first in common usage in the 1970s, refers to unofficial working arrangements which have developed through custom rather than specific contracts; such as the opportunity to leave work early if work has been completed?

Spanish practices

8.

Which novel first published in 1934 tells the story of John Flory an English timber merchant and U Po Kyin a corrupt local magistrate during the decline of the British Raj?

Burmese Days

Sp1

What culinary name is given to the dish comprising scrambled eggs and anchovy paste served on toasted bread?

Scotch Woodcock

Sp2

Which Beatles song from the 1965 Rubber Soul album is subtitled This Bird Has Flown?

Norwegian Wood

Theme: Each answer contains the adjectival form of a country

ROUND 6 - Top to Tail

The first letter of each answer is the same as the last letter of the previous answer - similarly the first letter of the answer to question 1 is the same as the last letter of the answer to question 8

1.

Whose book The Prince has just celebrated 500 years since its publication? (forename and surname needed for the letter link)

Niccolo Machiavelli

2.

Iridium

3.

What word describes a person of erratic mind, a compound of genius and fool?

Mattoid

4.

What is the surname of the Indian-born keyboard player with The Specials who wrote the song Too Much Too Young?

Dammers

5.

Which Woody Allen film of 1973 had an energetic score by The Preservation Hall Jazz Band?

Sleeper

6.

Quoted in Alex Ferguson's autobiography, who was Roy Keane talking about when he said: "Just because you are paid a hundred and twenty thousand pounds a week and play well for twenty minutes against Tottenham, you think you're a superstar"?  (forename and surname needed for the letter link)

Rio Ferdinand

7.

Which town sits immediately to the north of the junction of the A1(M) and the M18?

Doncaster

8.

What was the trading name of the company Broadcast Relay Service Ltd formed in 1928?  The name means simply 'broadcasting again'.  The company went on, with others, to launch a television broadcasting franchise in 1955.

Rediffusion

ROUND 7 - Pairs

1.

Which three words, consecutive in the dictionary, mean:

• something which has grown bigger or louder;

• fainting fit;

• to come down with the rush of a bird of prey?

Swollen;

swoon;

swoop

2.

Which three words, consecutive in the dictionary, mean:

• growing gradually smaller towards the end

• a textile fabric with design used for covering walls

• a starch substance in hard white grains got be heating cassava?

Taper;

tapestry;

tapioca

3.

Whose novels include Take a Girl Like You, Jake's Thing and The Old Devils?

Kingsley Amis

4.

Whose novels include The British Museum is Falling Down, How Far Can You Go? and Nice Work?

5.

Which local National Trust property - within ten miles of all our quiz teams - was transformed into Stamford Military Hospital between 1917 and 1919?

Dunham Massey

6.

In which Lakeland village is the National Trust's Beatrix Potter Gallery?

Hawkshead

7.

Which Oscar nominated film stars Christian Bale and Amy Adams?

American Hustle

8.

Who is the male lead actor in Oscar nominated The Wolf of Wall Street?

Leonardo DiCaprio

Sp.

Which 25,000 acre National Trust property near Keswick, home to visitor attraction Force Crag mine, was described by Wainwright as "the loveliest square mile in Lakeland"?

Borrowdale

ROUND 8 - Hidden theme

Forename and surname are required wherever a person's name is required; there are sound-alikes

1.

What name connects a country singer/songwriter, who was the writer of many of Nancy Sinatra's hits and co-performed on some, and a footballer of the 60's and 70's who scored 234 goals in 469 club appearances, 10 goals in 27 games for England and won league titles with 2 different clubs?

Lee

(Hazelwood and Francis Lee - Hazelwood is an unasked for additional connecting name, being the company Francis Lee sold his bog paper business to)

2.

What name connects a Preston museum and art gallery and a Chelsea footballing legend of the 1960's?

Harris

(the eponymous museum in Preston & Ron 'Chopper' Harris)

3.

With local government re-organisation in 1974, Stockport MBC assumed ownership from Cheadle & Gatley UDC of which house, hitherto used as Cheadle Town Hall

Abney Hall

4.

Name the freshwater fish whose scientific name is Rutilus rutilus.

5.

Built from the 1920's and worked specifically as express passenger trains until the demise of steam in the 1960's, this GWR class of locomotive, the biggest locos ever built by the GWR, is known by what popular name?

King class

(all named after British kings)

6.

Coldplay's Chris Martin has called himself "a poor man's Fran Healy" and said that Healy's band "invented Coldplay".  Named after a character in the film Paris, Texas what was the name of Healy's band?

Travis

7.

What is the name of the animal from Middle Ages satire, depicted as part-hero, part-trickster.  Much of the narrative concerns his fractious relationship with his uncle, Isengrin the wolf, and culminates in his surviving an assassination attempt by Chanticleer the rooster ?

Reynard The Fox

8.

What name connects:

• a negro spiritual that was a no.1 hit in the UK & USA in 1961;

• Coventry Cathedral;

• a cousin of the Queen?

Michael

(Michael Row The Boat Ashore; Cathedral Church of St. Michael; Prince Michael of Kent)

Sp.

What name connects:

• the Elizabethan 1st Earl of Leicester;

• the birthplace of football manager Sam Allardyce;

• Bert Tilsley in Coronation Street?

Dudley

(Robert, unrequited suitor of Elizabeth 1; the Black Country town; actor Peter Dudley)

(Dave) Lee Travis; (Rolf) Harris; (Stuart) Hall; (William) Roach; (Jonathan) King; (Chris) Rennard; (George) Michael