(that's Scotland to you less poetical types)

1.

A total of 6 single malt whiskies are produced on 5 Scottish islands, excluding Islay (which produces 8).  Name any 3 of these whiskies.

2.

Haggis is made principally from sheep’s pluck, onion, oatmeal and suet.  Of which 3 organs does the pluck consist?

3.

O Flower of Scotland is one of several unofficial national anthems of Scotland.  Which battle does it commemorate?

4.

Where in Scotland would you find the National Wallace Monument?

5.

Whilst appearing in the BBC production of Gormenghast in 2000 and also briefly in Shaun of the Dead, which Scottish actor is better known for his roles as Rab C Nesbitt and Para Handy?

6.

Who was the only Scotsman to captain England at Test Cricket?

7.

Under what name did John Stuart become the first Scottish born British prime minister?  He held office from 1762 to 1763.

8.

Three Scottish kings and three Russian Czars shared this name.  What was it?

Sp1

Excluding sea lochs, Loch Ness is the largest by volume, Loch Lomond the largest by area but which loch is the longest?

Sp2

The late lamented Iain Banks (who died in 2013) started his literary career with which book published in 1984?

ROUND 2 - The 'Innggeerrlluunndd' Round

(or England for those of us not possessed by biennial football madness)

1.

Which Devon harbour is overlooked by a statue of William of Orange, a reminder of his landing here in 1688 to claim the crown of England as William The Third?

2.

Brixham, Torquay and which other resort are collectively known as Torbay, an area perhaps optimistically described as The English Riviera?

3.

The largest clock faces in England are to be seen on which Lancashire landmark building?

4.

What Lancashire building was opened in 1969 and has twice survived attempts by the local council to pull it down because of its ugliness and ungainly size.  The Twentieth Century Society came to its rescue in 2012 by describing it as 'one of the most significant Brutalist buildings in the UK' and in 2013 it was granted Grade 2 listed building status.

5.

What surname is shared by the poet and critic who first described Oxford as the 'city of dreaming spires' and the English composer who won an Oscar for his film score for The Bridge on the River Kwai?

6.

In 1949 a Lower Broughton born playwright, singer/songwriter and communist activist wrote which now famous song as interlude music for his play Landscape With Chimneys?

7.

Name this town:

Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Stanley Baldwin and Gary Numan of Tubeway Army fame were born there.  Perhaps showing better judgement Ronnie Kray, Peter Osgood and Ernie Wise chose to die here.  And, possibly in retaliation for her wayward lifestyle, the royal family had Princess Margaret cremated here.

8.

In 1982 a fresh faced couple of students at Hull University were passing Turner’s Furniture store on Beverley Road when they were inspired by the advertising slogan over the shop.  Thus was born the name of a popular and critically acclaimed musical duo.  Supply the last four words of the slogan which became the group’s name:

'For all your bedroom needs we sell …. …. …. ……'.

Sp.

If you hopped on a train at Citadel Rail Station and sauntered off at Paragon Rail station you would have travelled from which city to which town?

ROUND 3 - Paired with Round 4

1.

Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and Shutter Island are all films based on the novels of which writer?

2.

Which singer played the part of Jareth, the Goblin King in the 1986 film Labyrinth?

3.

Name the year all these events took place:
Space shuttle Colombia disintegrated on re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere on its final journey; Rowan Williams was enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury and Lionel Messi signed for Barcelona.

4.

What was the main material used by Art Deco designer Rene Lalique?

5.

What connects the following people: Jezebel, Actaeon and Kim Jung Un’s uncle?

6.

Of which song are these the opening lines:

“Strolling along , minding my own business.  Well there goes a girl and a half.”?

7.

The Reverend Richard Coles was one half of which pop duo?

8.

Which American Actor, who died in 2008, appeared in the films How the West Was Won, The Long Ships, Who Dares Wins and Against all Odds?

ROUND 4 - Paired with Round 3

1.

Which American Country singer/ songwriter played the part of Abraham Whistler in the Blade trilogy?

2.

Which prolific fantasy writer, famous for his Elric novels, wrote a Dr Who novel in 2010 entitled The Coming of the Terraphiles?

3.

With which artistic medium was Clarice Cliff associated?

4.

Name the year in which the following events took place:
Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU; Smoking was banned in public in the UK and Shilpa Shetty was racially abused by Jade Goody amongst others on Celebrity Big Brother

5.

From which 1968 song do these lyrics come:

“People say believe half of what you see son and none of what you hear - I can’t help being confused.”?

6.

Connect the following people: Otman Bakkal, Branislav Ivanovic and Giorgio Chielini.

7.

Which actor, who died in 2008, starred in the films, Exodus and Road to Perdition?

8.

Who wrote Father Ted along with Graham Lineham?

Sp1

A Refusal to Mourn the Death of a Child by Fire in London is one of the more cheery works of which poet, born in 1914 ?

Sp2

Connect the following: a Russian monk, Jesus, the Jews in exile and a US crime family.

ROUND 5 - The 'We'll Keep a Welcome in the Hillside' Round

(that's Wales for those of you who don't care for cheesy nonsense of that kind)

1.

Which famous Scottish Labour politician actually served as MP for the now defunct dual-member constituency of Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare from 1900 to 1915?

2.

Which famous English-born politician served as MP for the now defunct Welsh constituency of Carnarvon Boroughs from 1890 to 1945?

3.

Which actor, comedian, broadcaster and the voice of Toilet Duck was, in 2012, voted the 46th sexiest man in Wales?

4.

Whose larger than life bronze statue stands sentinel outside the walls of Caerphilly castle?  The statue, unveiled in 2008 by Anthony Hopkins, commemorates one of the town’s most entertaining sons.

5.

Which Welsh rock band was said to have got its name when its lead singer, while busking one day in Cardiff, got into an altercation with a homeless man who asked him: "What are you, boyo, some kind of ....... ...... ......?"

6.

On coming across a word they originally thought to mean 'a sense of extreme pleasure and sleep' this Welsh rock band originally called themselves 'Sweet ....'.  On discovering the real meaning of the word (i.e. 'a psychiatric symptom of certain mental disorders') they dropped the prefix 'sweet'.  Who are they?

7.

Rather confusingly, the London Welsh Rugby Union team play their home games in neither London nor Wales.  In which city would you find their home ground.

8.

Born in Llandudno in 1958 which former bin man has won a record 92 caps playing for the Welsh football team? Although by his own admission he was a quiet teetotaller and a bit of a loner his autobiography The Bin Man Chronicles was nevertheless, one of the most critically acclaimed sports books of 2012.

Sp.

Three English kings were born in Wales. Name any 2 of them.

ROUND 6 - The 'Norn Iron' Round

(or for those of us not familiar with regional accents 'The Northern Ireland Round')

1.

In 1981 Francis Hughes was the second and he was followed by eight more.  A week earlier who had been the first?

2.

Who, in 1995, turned on Belfast City’s Christmas lights from behind a bulletproof screen?

3.

Which Belfast born actor was nominated for an Oscar for his lead role in the 1992 film The Crying Game?  He was also employed to speak the words of Gerry Adams when Sinn Fein was under a broadcast ban.

4.

Who played serial killer Paul Spector in the TV drama The Fall and is currently starring as Christian Gray in the film of Fifty Shades of Grey?

5.

Two non-Ulster counties in the Irish Republic have a border with Northern Ireland.  One is in Leinster and one is in Connacht.  Both counties begin with the same letter.  Name either of them.

6.

Saint Columb’s rill exclusively supplies the main ingredient of which world famous Northern Irish product.

7.

In which town would you find the Portora Royal School?  It was founded in 1618 by a Royal Charter signed by King James the First.  Two of its most famous old boys are Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett.

8.

Name this footballer:  Born near Enniskillen in 1977 - he has won trophies with Manchester United and Olympiacos - he is still a regular in the Northern Irish International squad - his 2011 managerial record at Barnet is brief but impeccable reading 'Games managed 1, Trophies won 1.

Sp.

What 'TDB' was the three-word phrase frequently used by the Rev Ian Paisley to describe alcohol, especially Guinness, the whiff of which he all too often detected on the breath of journalists and Roman Papists.

ROUND 7 - The 'What the Hell Let's Have a Quickie Blockbuster' Round' Round

1.

CC

Popular governor of New Jersey and the undisputed favourite to nab the 2016 Republican presidential nomination until the news broke that members of his office had orchestrated a days-long traffic jam as political payback against a mayor who had refused to endorse the governor's re-election campaign.

2.

BH

More than 200 Nigerian girls and women are still missing after being abducted by this radical Nigerian group in April.  Though some have escaped, the majority are still believed to be held.

3.

TSAN

Popular long-running BBC programme currently presented by Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Chris Lintott.

4.

JB

The name by which Pope Francis was known prior to his election.

5.

JL

The leader of the Scottish Labour Party who resigned last Friday after accusing the UK party of treating Scotland like a "branch office". 

6.

SW

Tennis player who beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal back-to-back to win the 2014 Australian Open in January.

7.

DF

Play first published in 1604, in which Helen of Troy was first described as "the face that launched a 1,000 ships".

8.

TTOM

Famous painting by Francisco de Goya depicting the execution by firing squad of Spanish partisans by French troops following Napoleon's invasion of Spain in 1808.

9.

TSIBDTTY

Title of a memoir by the late Lynda Bellingham describing how she came to terms with terminal cancer published shortly before her death earlier this month.

10.

CPLC

The final novel by Agatha Christie depicting her Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot.  It was filmed for TV starring David Suchet in 2013.

ROUND 8 - The 'Fright Night' Round

(it's time to hide behind that beer mat!)

1.

Which band had a UK Top 10 hit in 1970 with Paranoid?

2.

Which band had a UK Top 10 hit in 1978 with Hong Kong Garden?

3.

In which 1999 film does Christopher Walken lose his head?

4.

In which 1987 film does Jack Nicholson play the devil?

5.

Which British female writer published her novel The Winter Ghosts in 2009?  It is set in the French Pyrenees ten years after the end of World War 1.

6.

And also in 2009 which British female writer was short listed for the Booker Prize for her novel The Little Stranger.  Set in a crumbling Warwickshire manor house it is a chilling exploration of evil, madness and changing social values in post war Britain.

7.

A 1963 episode of The Twilight Zone was called The Printer’s Devil and Susan Hill has just published a novel called Printer’s Devil Court, but what traditionally is a 'printer’s devil'?

8.

An exhibition currently on show at the Museum of London is entitled 'The Man Who Never Lived and Who Will Never Die'.  Who is the man in question?

Sp.

Which 1859 poem, teeming with repressed feminist and sexual symbolism, is the story of two sisters, one of whom gets sick after gorging herself on fruit bought from a supernatural source and is healed because of her sister’s bravery?

ROUND 1 - The 'Alba' Round

(that's Scotland to you less poetical types)

1.

A total of 6 single malt whiskies are produced on 5 Scottish islands, excluding Islay (which produces 8).  Name any 3 of these whiskies.

(three from)

Arran, Jura, Tobermory (from Mull),

Highland Park, Scapa (from Orkney),

Talisker (from Skye)

2.

Haggis is made principally from sheep’s pluck, onion, oatmeal and suet.  Of which 3 organs does the pluck consist?

Heart, lungs and liver

3.

O Flower of Scotland is one of several unofficial national anthems of Scotland.  Which battle does it commemorate?

The Battle of Bannockburn

(1314)

4.

Where in Scotland would you find the National Wallace Monument?

Sterling

5.

Whilst appearing in the BBC production of Gormenghast in 2000 and also briefly in Shaun of the Dead, which Scottish actor is better known for his roles as Rab C Nesbitt and Para Handy?

Gregor Fisher

6.

Who was the only Scotsman to captain England at Test Cricket?

Mike Denness

(from 1973-1975)

7.

Under what name did John Stuart become the first Scottish born British prime minister?  He held office from 1762 to 1763.

Earl of Bute

8.

Three Scottish kings and three Russian Czars shared this name.  What was it?

Alexander

Sp1

Excluding sea lochs, Loch Ness is the largest by volume, Loch Lomond the largest by area but which loch is the longest?

Loch Awe

(in Argyll and Bute which is 41km long)

Sp2

The late lamented Iain Banks (who died in 2013) started his literary career with which book published in 1984?

The Wasp Factory

ROUND 2 - The 'Innggeerrlluunndd' Round

(or England for those of us not possessed by biennial football madness)

1.

Which Devon harbour is overlooked by a statue of William of Orange, a reminder of his landing here in 1688 to claim the crown of England as William The Third?

Brixham

2.

Brixham, Torquay and which other resort are collectively known as Torbay, an area perhaps optimistically described as The English Riviera?

Paignton

3.

The largest clock faces in England are to be seen on which Lancashire landmark building?

The Liver Building

(in Liverpool)

4.

What Lancashire building was opened in 1969 and has twice survived attempts by the local council to pull it down because of its ugliness and ungainly size.  The Twentieth Century Society came to its rescue in 2012 by describing it as 'one of the most significant Brutalist buildings in the UK' and in 2013 it was granted Grade 2 listed building status.

Preston Bus Station

5.

What surname is shared by the poet and critic who first described Oxford as the 'city of dreaming spires' and the English composer who won an Oscar for his film score for The Bridge on the River Kwai?

Arnold

(Matthew and Malcolm)

6.

In 1949 a Lower Broughton born playwright, singer/songwriter and communist activist wrote which now famous song as interlude music for his play Landscape With Chimneys?

Dirty Old Town

(by Ewan MacColl)

7.

Name this town:

Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Stanley Baldwin and Gary Numan of Tubeway Army fame were born there.  Perhaps showing better judgement Ronnie Kray, Peter Osgood and Ernie Wise chose to die here.  And, possibly in retaliation for her wayward lifestyle, the royal family had Princess Margaret cremated here.

Slough

(as the poet said “swarm over death” )

8.

In 1982 a fresh faced couple of students at Hull University were passing Turner’s Furniture store on Beverley Road when they were inspired by the advertising slogan over the shop.  Thus was born the name of a popular and critically acclaimed musical duo.  Supply the last four words of the slogan which became the group’s name:

'For all your bedroom needs we sell …. …. …. ……'.

Everything But The Girl

Sp.

If you hopped on a train at Citadel Rail Station and sauntered off at Paragon Rail station you would have travelled from which city to which town?

Carlisle to Hull

ROUND 3 - Paired with Round 4

1.

Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and Shutter Island are all films based on the novels of which writer?

Dennis Lehane

2.

Which singer played the part of Jareth, the Goblin King in the 1986 film Labyrinth?

David Bowie

3.

Name the year all these events took place:
Space shuttle Colombia disintegrated on re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere on its final journey; Rowan Williams was enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury and Lionel Messi signed for Barcelona.

2003

4.

What was the main material used by Art Deco designer Rene Lalique?

Glass

5.

What connects the following people: Jezebel, Actaeon and Kim Jung Un’s uncle?

All fed to dogs

(accept eaten by dogs)

6.

Of which song are these the opening lines:

“Strolling along , minding my own business.  Well there goes a girl and a half.”?

Peaches

(by The Stranglers)

7.

The Reverend Richard Coles was one half of which pop duo?

The Communards

8.

Which American Actor, who died in 2008, appeared in the films How the West Was Won, The Long Ships, Who Dares Wins and Against all Odds?

Richard Widmark

ROUND 4 - Paired with Round 3

1.

Which American Country singer/ songwriter played the part of Abraham Whistler in the Blade trilogy?

Kris Kristofferson

2.

Which prolific fantasy writer, famous for his Elric novels, wrote a Dr Who novel in 2010 entitled The Coming of the Terraphiles?

Michael Moorcock

3.

With which artistic medium was Clarice Cliff associated?

Ceramics or Pottery

4.

Name the year in which the following events took place:
Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU; Smoking was banned in public in the UK and Shilpa Shetty was racially abused by Jade Goody amongst others on Celebrity Big Brother

2007

5.

From which 1968 song do these lyrics come:

“People say believe half of what you see son and none of what you hear - I can’t help being confused.”?

I Heard It Through The Grapevine

6.

Connect the following people: Otman Bakkal, Branislav Ivanovic and Giorgio Chielini.

All bitten by Luis Suarez

7.

Which actor, who died in 2008, starred in the films, Exodus and Road to Perdition?

Paul Newman

8.

Who wrote Father Ted along with Graham Lineham?

Arthur Matthews

Sp1

A Refusal to Mourn the Death of a Child by Fire in London is one of the more cheery works of which poet, born in 1914 ?

Dylan Thomas

Sp2

Connect the following: a Russian monk, Jesus, the Jews in exile and a US crime family.

They are all the subjects of Boney M songs

ROUND 5 - The 'We'll Keep a Welcome in the Hillside' Round

(that's Wales for those of you who don't care for cheesy nonsense of that kind)

1.

Which famous Scottish Labour politician actually served as MP for the now defunct dual-member constituency of Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare from 1900 to 1915?

Keir Hardie

2.

Which famous English-born politician served as MP for the now defunct Welsh constituency of Carnarvon Boroughs from 1890 to 1945?

David Lloyd George

(Mancunian by birth of course)

3.

Which actor, comedian, broadcaster and the voice of Toilet Duck was, in 2012, voted the 46th sexiest man in Wales?

Rob Brydon

4.

Whose larger than life bronze statue stands sentinel outside the walls of Caerphilly castle?  The statue, unveiled in 2008 by Anthony Hopkins, commemorates one of the town’s most entertaining sons.

Tommy Cooper

5.

Which Welsh rock band was said to have got its name when its lead singer, while busking one day in Cardiff, got into an altercation with a homeless man who asked him: "What are you, boyo, some kind of ....... ...... ......?"

Manic Street Preachers

6.

On coming across a word they originally thought to mean 'a sense of extreme pleasure and sleep' this Welsh rock band originally called themselves 'Sweet ....'.  On discovering the real meaning of the word (i.e. 'a psychiatric symptom of certain mental disorders') they dropped the prefix 'sweet'.  Who are they?

Catatonia

7.

Rather confusingly, the London Welsh Rugby Union team play their home games in neither London nor Wales.  In which city would you find their home ground.

Oxford

(the Kassam stadium)

8.

Born in Llandudno in 1958 which former bin man has won a record 92 caps playing for the Welsh football team? Although by his own admission he was a quiet teetotaller and a bit of a loner his autobiography The Bin Man Chronicles was nevertheless, one of the most critically acclaimed sports books of 2012.

Neville Southall

Sp.

Three English kings were born in Wales. Name any 2 of them.

(two from)

Edward II (born at Caernarvon in 1284),

Henry V (born at Monmouth in 1386),

Henry VII (born at Pembroke in 1457)

ROUND 6 - The 'Norn Iron' Round

(or for those of us not familiar with regional accents 'The Northern Ireland Round')

1.

In 1981 Francis Hughes was the second and he was followed by eight more.  A week earlier who had been the first?

Bobby Sands

(Republican prisoners who died on hunger strike)

2.

Who, in 1995, turned on Belfast City’s Christmas lights from behind a bulletproof screen?

Bill Clinton

3.

Which Belfast born actor was nominated for an Oscar for his lead role in the 1992 film The Crying Game?  He was also employed to speak the words of Gerry Adams when Sinn Fein was under a broadcast ban.

Stephen Rea

4.

Who played serial killer Paul Spector in the TV drama The Fall and is currently starring as Christian Gray in the film of Fifty Shades of Grey?

Jamie Dornan

5.

Two non-Ulster counties in the Irish Republic have a border with Northern Ireland.  One is in Leinster and one is in Connacht.  Both counties begin with the same letter.  Name either of them.

(either)

Louth

(or)

Leitrim

6.

Saint Columb’s rill exclusively supplies the main ingredient of which world famous Northern Irish product.

Bushmills Whiskey

7.

In which town would you find the Portora Royal School?  It was founded in 1618 by a Royal Charter signed by King James the First.  Two of its most famous old boys are Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett.

Enniskillen

8.

Name this footballer:  Born near Enniskillen in 1977 - he has won trophies with Manchester United and Olympiacos - he is still a regular in the Northern Irish International squad - his 2011 managerial record at Barnet is brief but impeccable reading 'Games managed 1, Trophies won 1.

Roy Carroll

(in his only game as Caretaker Manager he led Barnet to victory against Stevenage in the Hertfordshire Cup Final)

Sp.

What 'TDB' was the three-word phrase frequently used by the Rev Ian Paisley to describe alcohol, especially Guinness, the whiff of which he all too often detected on the breath of journalists and Roman Papists.

'The Devil’s Buttermilk'

ROUND 7 - The 'What the Hell Let's Have a Quickie Blockbuster Round' Round

1.

CC

Popular governor of New Jersey and the undisputed favourite to nab the 2016 Republican presidential nomination until the news broke that members of his office had orchestrated a days-long traffic jam as political payback against a mayor who had refused to endorse the governor's re-election campaign.

Chris Christie

2.

BH

More than 200 Nigerian girls and women are still missing after being abducted by this radical Nigerian group in April.  Though some have escaped, the majority are still believed to be held.

Boko Haram

3.

TSAN

Popular long-running BBC programme currently presented by Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Chris Lintott.

The Sky At Night

4.

JB

The name by which Pope Francis was known prior to his election.

Jorge Bergoglio

5.

JL

The leader of the Scottish Labour Party who resigned last Friday after accusing the UK party of treating Scotland like a "branch office". 

Johann Lamont

6.

SW

Tennis player who beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal back-to-back to win the 2014 Australian Open in January.

Stan Wawrinka

7.

DF

Play first published in 1604, in which Helen of Troy was first described as "the face that launched a 1,000 ships".

Doctor Faustus

(by Christopher Marlowe who had died in a stabbing incident 11 years earlier)

8.

TTOM

Famous painting by Francisco de Goya depicting the execution by firing squad of Spanish partisans by French troops following Napoleon's invasion of Spain in 1808.

The Third Of May

9.

TSIBDTTY

Title of a memoir by the late Lynda Bellingham describing how she came to terms with terminal cancer published shortly before her death earlier this month.

There's Something I've Been Dying To Tell You

10.

CPLC

The final novel by Agatha Christie depicting her Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot.  It was filmed for TV starring David Suchet in 2013.

Curtains: Poirot's Last Case

ROUND 8 - The 'Fright Night' Round

(it's time to hide behind that beer mat!)

1.

Which band had a UK Top 10 hit in 1970 with Paranoid?

Black Sabbath

2.

Which band had a UK Top 10 hit in 1978 with Hong Kong Garden?

Siouxsie and the Banshees

3.

In which 1999 film does Christopher Walken lose his head?

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

4.

In which 1987 film does Jack Nicholson play the devil?

The Witches of Eastwick

5.

Which British female writer published her novel The Winter Ghosts in 2009?  It is set in the French Pyrenees ten years after the end of World War 1.

Kate Mosse

6.

And also in 2009 which British female writer was short listed for the Booker Prize for her novel The Little Stranger.  Set in a crumbling Warwickshire manor house it is a chilling exploration of evil, madness and changing social values in post war Britain.

Sarah Waters

7.

A 1963 episode of The Twilight Zone was called The Printer’s Devil and Susan Hill has just published a novel called Printer’s Devil Court, but what traditionally is a 'printer’s devil'?

The name given to a printer’s apprentice.

8.

An exhibition currently on show at the Museum of London is entitled 'The Man Who Never Lived and Who Will Never Die'.  Who is the man in question?

Sherlock Holmes

Sp.

Which 1859 poem, teeming with repressed feminist and sexual symbolism, is the story of two sisters, one of whom gets sick after gorging herself on fruit bought from a supernatural source and is healed because of her sister’s bravery?

Goblin Market

(by Christina Rossetti)