ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

Which British actor became, in 2003, the first black actor to play Henry V on stage?

2.

Which American actor became, in 1995, the first black actor to play Othello in a major studio film?

3.

Which German Europop song of 1983 envisages a childish prank which leads to a war lasting nearly a century which destroys civilisation?

4.

Which French Europop song of 1987 describes the life of a Parisian driver who knows the city well, likes to drink rum and dreams of going to the Amazon?

5.

Which emperor was overthrown on 20 September 1979?

6.

Which emperor was overthrown on 12 September 1974?

7.

The Penitentes of Mexico and New Mexico practice an extreme  method of mortifying the flesh.  What is it?

8.

In 1993, eighty three members of a religious sect were killed during a siege of its headquarters in Waco, Texas by federal authorities.  What was the name of the sect?

ROUND 2 - Hidden theme

...with a homophone or two

1.

What was the assumed surname (actually the occupation) of the character played by Peter Sellers in the film Being There?

2.

Apart from Isaac Wolfson and Jesus Christ, only one man has colleges named after him in both Oxford and Cambridge.  What is the one in Oxford called?

3.

Which state governor, known for his girth, was a contender for the Republican presidential nomination until he left the race on 10 February 2016?

4.

What film gave the man later known as The Governator (amongst other things) his big break in 1982?  The sequel in 1984 was rather less successful.

5.

Who wrote the political treatise The True Law of Free Monarchy?  He was no competitor as a writer to his contemporary, the author of Macbeth.

6.

Which racing driver unmasked himself as 'The Stig' in his autobiography, published in 2010, despite the BBC’s attempts to prevent it?

7.

Which former prop forward, who held the record for most international caps until 2005, is the president of the Rugby Football Union‘?

8.

Who is the lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Metallica, having previously been a founder member of the band Exodus?

Sp.

Who won the Best Actress Oscar in 2016?

ROUND 3 - 'Raiders of the Lost Albert' - the Archaeology Round

1.

In 1925, Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett disappeared in the Amazon jungle while looking for the mythical lost city of Z.  His life inspired which popular novel?

2.

Born in 1868, she founded the Baghdad Archaeological Museum and was instrumental in creating the modern state of Iraq.  In 2015, she was portrayed by Nicole Kidman in the feature film Queen of the Desert.  Who is she?

3.

The wreck of which 17th century warship was raised from the Baltic in 1961 and can currently be seen on display in Stockholm?

4.

The remains of which of the original Seven Wonders of the World are to be found under water?

5.

The burial suits of China’s Han Dynasty aristocrats were made of which precious substance?

6.

In battle, it is claimed that a Spartan warrior would be forgiven if he lost his helmet or breastplate but would be disgraced if he lost his shield.  Why?

7.

Found in Suffolk in 1942 and currently displayed in the British Museum, the Mildenhall Treasure consists of what?

8.

In which 2007 film does Benjamin Gates, played by Nicholas Cage, solve a series of historical puzzles which leads him to the lost city of gold, Cibola?

Sp.

Which ancient empire which endured from the 25th century BC to the 6th century BC, at its height stretched from Cyprus to Persia, and from Armenia to Libya?

ROUND 4 - 'All Mixed Up'

Each answer has two answers - the second is an anagram of the first

1.

What Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, lacked.

The act of taking something from someone illegally.

2.

One of the four languages of Switzerland.

Royal personnel.

3.

The surname of a famous fictional crime solver.

The surname of a golfing legend.

4.

The horse that won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1966.

The surname of the founder of Skytrain.

5.

Surname of a famous multi-Oscar winning American actress.

A footballer who played for England in the 1966 World Cup.

6.

The full name of a former US Vice President.

The surname of a Bond girl.

7.

A dessert the Italians call zuppa inglese.

A device designed to block certain objects or substances while letting others through.

8.

The surname of an Oscar Wilde character.

A cheese with a coating of nettles.

Sp1

Any one of the floor levels in a high-rise building.

An edible bi-valve mollusc.

Sp2

An Italian city associated with violin making.

Alternative spelling of the most northerly Balearic island.

ROUND 5 - Pairs

1.

Which footballer played for, among others, Brisbane Lions, Hong Kong Panthers and the Jewish Guild?

2.

Which footballer designed a percussion instrument which he has played on stage with Ocean Colour Scene?  During his playing days he was notorious for being generously endowed.  When asked if these rumours were true, Alex Ferguson is reported to have said of him "X in the shower is a quite magnificent sight".

3.

Lapine was a fictional language used in which 1972 novel?

4.

What was the name of the book published in 1979 by the artist Kit Williams, which took the form of a treasure hunt to find a real golden hare, buried somewhere in the UK?

5.

Which politician owned a cat named Harold Wilson?

6.

Graca Machel, the widow of Nelson Mandela, has a unique political status.  What is it?

7.

What shared achievement can be claimed by British troops in 1814 and the aliens in the film Independence Day?

8.

Although not actors, boxer Billy Wells, wrestler Ken Richmond and strongman Carl Dane had a recurring role in British films.  What was it?

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

...with a multitude of homophones

1.

Who succeeded Mario Draghi as chairman of the G20 Financial Stability Board in 2011 but is best known as the first foreign holder of a prominent office in the UK?

2.

What was the stage name of Leonard Alfred Schneider, an American comedian sentenced to four months in a workhouse on being convicted of obscenity in 1964?  He died on bail before his appeal could be heard and was given the first ever posthumous pardon by the Governor of New York State in 2003.

3.

What activity first took place on 18 March 1965 and lasted for 20 minutes?

4.

Who resigned as secretary of a well known campaigning organisation in January 2016?  She was once described as the most dangerous woman in Britain.

5.

What is the oldest peerage in the UK?  Its current holder, a countess, sits as an elected cross-bench peer.

6.

Whose official car which used to be a Rolls Royce but is now a Volvo, has the registration number N10?

7.

Who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2010, 32 years after his work had made him famous?  He died in 2013.

8.

Which resident of 10 Downing Street left shortly after the 1997 General Election, supposedly because the new Prime Minister’s wife did not like him?

Sp.

What is the family name of the Dukes of Manchester?

ROUND 7 - 'Before or after having a Bath'

Part of each answer can be preceded or followed by the word 'bath'

1.

Which politician was registered with the Football League as an honorary player with Plymouth Argyle?

2.

Which current affairs magazine evolved from a publication at Shrewsbury School in the 1950s?

3.

Which Swedish tennis player won seven Grand Slam Singles titles between 1982 and 1988?

4.

Which l953 biblical epic film starred Richard Burton, Jean Simmons and Victor Mature?

5.

Which antipodean band, formerly known as Split Enz, played for 250,000 people at their farewell concert outside Sydney Opera House in 1996?

6.

What was the name of the hideously ugly member of the Beano’s Bash Street Kids (who became handsome when he pulled a face)?

7.

What was the name given to the Rugby Union scandal involving a fake injury by Tom Williams in the Heineken Cup?

8.

What was the title of a 2014 American black comedy drama film starring Michael Keaton as a faded Hollywood actor, best known for playing the superhero of the title?

Sp.

What is the name of the gelatinous sweet traditionally made of syrup and comflour dusted with icing sugar?

ROUND 8 - Pot pourri

1.

Which Russian city changes its name for 6 days every year?

2.

L S Lowry’s painting Going to the Match features which football ground?  (just giving the name of the club will not suffice)

3.

The name of which former Home Secretary was rendered phonetically by the French press into a nickname translating as King John XV?

4.

Officially it was called the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart, but what was it usually called?

5.

"9st 3lbs (but post-Christmas)" are the opening words of which novel?

6.

What ended on Black Tot Day in 1970?

7.

Which musical duo first met at a Patti Smith gig in 1978?

8.

What nickname was shared by Dr Kananga in Live and Let Die and John Preston in Sex and the City?

ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

Which British actor became, in 2003, the first black actor to play Henry V on stage?

Adrian Lester

2.

Which American actor became, in 1995, the first black actor to play Othello in a major studio film?

Laurence Fishburne

3.

Which German Europop song of 1983 envisages a childish prank which leads to a war lasting nearly a century which destroys civilisation?

99 Red Balloons

(or Luft Ballons in German)

4.

Which French Europop song of 1987 describes the life of a Parisian driver who knows the city well, likes to drink rum and dreams of going to the Amazon?

Joe Le Taxi

5.

Which emperor was overthrown on 20 September 1979?

Bokassa I

(of the Central African Empire)

6.

Which emperor was overthrown on 12 September 1974?

Haile Selassi

(of Ethiopia)

7.

The Penitentes of Mexico and New Mexico practice an extreme  method of mortifying the flesh.  What is it?

On Good Friday a selected member is crucified for two hours

8.

In 1993, eighty three members of a religious sect were killed during a siege of its headquarters in Waco, Texas by federal authorities.  What was the name of the sect?

The Branch Dravidian sect

ROUND 2 - Hidden theme

...with a homophone or two

1.

What was the assumed surname (actually the occupation) of the character played by Peter Sellers in the film Being There?

Gardener

2.

Apart from Isaac Wolfson and Jesus Christ, only one man has colleges named after him in both Oxford and Cambridge.  What is the one in Oxford called?

St Peter’s

(the two St John’s are different St Johns, as are the two Pembrokes)

3.

Which state governor, known for his girth, was a contender for the Republican presidential nomination until he left the race on 10 February 2016?

Chris Christie

4.

What film gave the man later known as The Governator (amongst other things) his big break in 1982?  The sequel in 1984 was rather less successful.

Conan the Barbarian

5.

Who wrote the political treatise The True Law of Free Monarchy?  He was no competitor as a writer to his contemporary, the author of Macbeth.

King James I

6.

Which racing driver unmasked himself as 'The Stig' in his autobiography, published in 2010, despite the BBC’s attempts to prevent it?

Ben Collins

7.

Which former prop forward, who held the record for most international caps until 2005, is the president of the Rugby Football Union‘?

Jason Leonard

8.

Who is the lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Metallica, having previously been a founder member of the band Exodus?

Kirk Hammett

Sp.

Who won the Best Actress Oscar in 2016?

Brie Larson

ROUND 3 - 'Raiders of the Lost Albert' - the Archaeology Round

1.

In 1925, Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett disappeared in the Amazon jungle while looking for the mythical lost city of Z.  His life inspired which popular novel?

The Lost World

(by Arthur Conan Doyle)

2.

Born in 1868, she founded the Baghdad Archaeological Museum and was instrumental in creating the modern state of Iraq.  In 2015, she was portrayed by Nicole Kidman in the feature film Queen of the Desert.  Who is she?

Gertrude Bell

3.

The wreck of which 17th century warship was raised from the Baltic in 1961 and can currently be seen on display in Stockholm?

The Vasa

4.

The remains of which of the original Seven Wonders of the World are to be found under water?

The Pharos of Alexandria

5.

The burial suits of China’s Han Dynasty aristocrats were made of which precious substance?

Jade

6.

In battle, it is claimed that a Spartan warrior would be forgiven if he lost his helmet or breastplate but would be disgraced if he lost his shield.  Why?

The helmet and breastplate protected the warrior himself but the shield protected not only the individual but the man to his left when fighting in formation

7.

Found in Suffolk in 1942 and currently displayed in the British Museum, the Mildenhall Treasure consists of what?

Roman silverware

8.

In which 2007 film does Benjamin Gates, played by Nicholas Cage, solve a series of historical puzzles which leads him to the lost city of gold, Cibola?

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

Sp.

Which ancient empire which endured from the 25th century BC to the 6th century BC, at its height stretched from Cyprus to Persia, and from Armenia to Libya?

Assyria

ROUND 4 - 'All Mixed Up'

Each answer has two answers - the second is an anagram of the first

1.

What Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, lacked.

The act of taking something from someone illegally.

Genitals;

Stealing

2.

One of the four languages of Switzerland.

Royal personnel.

Romansch;

Monarchs

3.

The surname of a famous fictional crime solver.

The surname of a golfing legend.

Marple;

Palmer

4.

The horse that won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1966.

The surname of the founder of Skytrain.

Arkle;

Laker

5.

Surname of a famous multi-Oscar winning American actress.

A footballer who played for England in the 1966 World Cup.

Streep;

Peters

6.

The full name of a former US Vice President.

The surname of a Bond girl.

Al Gore;

Galore

7.

A dessert the Italians call zuppa inglese.

A device designed to block certain objects or substances while letting others through.

Trifle;

Filter

8.

The surname of an Oscar Wilde character.

A cheese with a coating of nettles.

Gray;

Yarg

Sp1

Any one of the floor levels in a high-rise building.

An edible bi-valve mollusc.

Storey;

Oyster

Sp2

An Italian city associated with violin making.

Alternative spelling of the most northerly Balearic island.

Cremona;

Menorca

ROUND 5 - Pairs

1.

Which footballer played for, among others, Brisbane Lions, Hong Kong Panthers and the Jewish Guild?

George Best

2.

Which footballer designed a percussion instrument which he has played on stage with Ocean Colour Scene?  During his playing days he was notorious for being generously endowed.  When asked if these rumours were true, Alex Ferguson is reported to have said of him "X in the shower is a quite magnificent sight".

Dion Dublin

(the percussion instrument was called the ‘Dube’)

3.

Lapine was a fictional language used in which 1972 novel?

Watership Down

4.

What was the name of the book published in 1979 by the artist Kit Williams, which took the form of a treasure hunt to find a real golden hare, buried somewhere in the UK?

Masquerade

5.

Which politician owned a cat named Harold Wilson?

Jeremy Corbyn

6.

Graca Machel, the widow of Nelson Mandela, has a unique political status.  What is it?

She has been the first lady of two different Republics - South Africa and Mozambique

7.

What shared achievement can be claimed by British troops in 1814 and the aliens in the film Independence Day?

The destruction of the White House

8.

Although not actors, boxer Billy Wells, wrestler Ken Richmond and strongman Carl Dane had a recurring role in British films.  What was it?

They were the ‘gong men’ at the beginning of J Arthur Rank films

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

...with a multitude of homophones

1.

Who succeeded Mario Draghi as chairman of the G20 Financial Stability Board in 2011 but is best known as the first foreign holder of a prominent office in the UK?

Mark Carney

2.

What was the stage name of Leonard Alfred Schneider, an American comedian sentenced to four months in a workhouse on being convicted of obscenity in 1964?  He died on bail before his appeal could be heard and was given the first ever posthumous pardon by the Governor of New York State in 2003.

Lenny Bruce

3.

What activity first took place on 18 March 1965 and lasted for 20 minutes?

The space walk

4.

Who resigned as secretary of a well known campaigning organisation in January 2016?  She was once described as the most dangerous woman in Britain.

Shami Chakrabati

5.

What is the oldest peerage in the UK?  Its current holder, a countess, sits as an elected cross-bench peer.

Earldom (Countess) of Mar

6.

Whose official car which used to be a Rolls Royce but is now a Volvo, has the registration number N10?

The Lord Mayor of Manchester

7.

Who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2010, 32 years after his work had made him famous?  He died in 2013.

Sir Robert Edwards

8.

Which resident of 10 Downing Street left shortly after the 1997 General Election, supposedly because the new Prime Minister’s wife did not like him?

Humphrey the cat

Sp.

What is the family name of the Dukes of Manchester?

Montagu

ROUND 7 - 'Before or after having a Bath'

Part of each answer can be preceded or followed by the word 'bath'

1.

Which politician was registered with the Football League as an honorary player with Plymouth Argyle?

Michael Foot

2.

Which current affairs magazine evolved from a publication at Shrewsbury School in the 1950s?

Private Eye

3.

Which Swedish tennis player won seven Grand Slam Singles titles between 1982 and 1988?

Mats Wilander

4.

Which l953 biblical epic film starred Richard Burton, Jean Simmons and Victor Mature?

The Robe

5.

Which antipodean band, formerly known as Split Enz, played for 250,000 people at their farewell concert outside Sydney Opera House in 1996?

Crowded House

6.

What was the name of the hideously ugly member of the Beano’s Bash Street Kids (who became handsome when he pulled a face)?

Plug

7.

What was the name given to the Rugby Union scandal involving a fake injury by Tom Williams in the Heineken Cup?

Bloodgate

8.

What was the title of a 2014 American black comedy drama film starring Michael Keaton as a faded Hollywood actor, best known for playing the superhero of the title?

Birdman

Sp.

What is the name of the gelatinous sweet traditionally made of syrup and comflour dusted with icing sugar?

Turkish Delight

ROUND 8 - Pot pourri

1.

Which Russian city changes its name for 6 days every year?

Volgograd

(to Stalingrad - to commemorate the siege)

2.

L S Lowry’s painting Going to the Match features which football ground?  (just giving the name of the club will not suffice)

Burnden Park

(formerly the home of Bolton Wanderers)

3.

The name of which former Home Secretary was rendered phonetically by the French press into a nickname translating as King John XV?

Roy Jenkins

(Roi Jean Quinze)

4.

Officially it was called the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart, but what was it usually called?

The Berlin Wall

5.

"9st 3lbs (but post-Christmas)" are the opening words of which novel?

Bridget Jones’ Diary I

6.

What ended on Black Tot Day in 1970?

The Royal Navy daily rum ration

7.

Which musical duo first met at a Patti Smith gig in 1978?

Morrissey and Johnny Marr

8.

What nickname was shared by Dr Kananga in Live and Let Die and John Preston in Sex and the City?

Mr Big