ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Which American soul singer / songwriter died in a plane crash in December 1967?

2.

Which Danish king oversaw Denmark's conversion to Christianity, and may have been overthrown by his son Sweyn Forkbeard?

3.

John Clayton III, hero of a series of novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, was holder of which noble title?

4.

Aaron Paul won three Emmys for which role, which he played between 2008 and 2013?

5.

David Miranda, who was detained at Heathrow Airport in 2013, is the partner of which journalist, who specialises in global surveillance and the activities of the NSA?

6.

Which triathlete helped a fellow competitor over the finishing line of the final race of the 2016 World Triathlon Series? (full name required)

7.

Name the author of Pig Heart Boy and Dead Gorgeous who was the Children's Laureate from 2013 to 2015?

8.

Which artist, famous for her cast sculptures, became the first woman to win the Turner Prize in 1993?

Sp.

Which title is usually used to refer to two Stadtholders of the Dutch Republic?  One was nicknamed 'the Silent', and the other is more famous as the holder of another royal position.

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Paired

1.

Which Scottish golf course hosted the 2016 Open Championship?  It had hosted the tournament eight times previously, the last of which was in 2004, when Todd Hamilton beat Ernie Els in a play-off.

2.

Which English golf course will host the 2017 Open Championship?  The last time this course hosted the tournament, in 2008, Padraig Harrington finished four shots clear of Ian Poulter.

3.

With which 20th century novel would you associate the following: Obstacle Golf, Helmholtz Watson, Lenina Crowne and Charing-T Tower?

4.

With which 20th century novel would you associate the following: Castle Rock, Jack Merridew, a conch shell, and the twin brothers Sam and Eric?

5.

The Twelve Caesars is the best-known work of which Roman historian?  The emperor Hadrian dismissed him from an imperial position in 122 AD?

6.

Which historian, born around 460 BC, is still renowned for his History of the Peloponnesian War?  He served in the war and was exiled by his fellow Athenians after failing to stop the Spartan general Brasidas from capturing Amphipolis.

7.

Which shipping forecast area takes its name from that of the most northerly part of the island of Ireland, which lies on the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal?

8.

Which shipping forecast area takes its name from that of the most southerly point of the Irish Republic, a rocky island around 6.5 miles to the southwest of Cape Clear on the Irish mainland?

Sp1

Which shipping forecast area takes its name from the founder of the Met. Office?

Sp2

What was the name of the biographer and essayist, born in Greece in 45 AD, whose works included the Parallel Lives and the Moralia?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Given theme

All the answers in this round will reference some aspect of a popular pantomime.  Some pantomimes will be referenced more than once.  I hope league members will forgive me for this premature dose of festive cheer!

1.

What is the name of the David Bowie single, released in 1972 and taken from the album Aladdin Sane, whose title Bowie claimed was a "clumsy pun" on the name of a Twentieth century French author, probably best known for his novel Our Lady of the Flowers?

2.

Which 1981 single by Adam and the Ants, which gave the band their second consecutive British number one, was accompanied by a video inspired by the fairytale from which it takes its name?

3.

What is the title of the 1934 musical film starring Laurel and Hardy, based on a 1903 operetta of the same name by Victor Herbert, in which the duo play incompetent toy-makers living in a land populated by nursery rhyme characters?

4.

What was the stage name of the American actor, born Aaron Chwatt in 1919, who hosted an eponymous variety television show in the 1950s and won a best supporting actor Oscar for his role in the 1957 film Sayonara?

5.

What fairytale-inspired name is sometimes given to the 'Circumstellar Habitable Zone', an area in a star's orbit where the conditions necessary to support life can be present?

6.

Cutis anserina is the medical name for which physical phenomenon?

7.

Which Stephen Sondheim musical, following the less than 'happily ever after' outcomes of characters from well-known fairytales, features the songs Giants in the Sky, Our Little World and Maybe They're Magic?

8.

Which hit 2005 musical is based on a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, which tells the origin stories of several key characters from a very famous book and its still more famous 1939 film adaptation?

Sp.

Deidra Roper was a member of the 1990s all-female hip-hop band Salt-N-Pepa who often performed under a pseudonym that was a pun on which famous fairytale character's name?

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Given theme

This round is all about people born on this day, October 5th.  In each case name the person from the description.

1.

An American president born in 1829.  He succeeded to the presidency when the incumbent died after being shot by an assassin in Washington, DC.

2.

A royal figure born in northern Italy in 1658.  She later became the second wife of James II / VII and was the mother of the 'Old Pretender', James Edward Stuart. (you need to provide a three-word name here, including a given name and a city name)

3.

An entrepreneur born in Illinois in 1902.  The fast-food franchise he developed features in Morgan Spurlock's 2004 film Super Size Me.

4.

An actor born at Worksop in 1919.  He played Blofeld in You Only Live Twice and the forger Cohn Blythe in The Great Escape.

5.

A football manager, born in South Lanarkshire in 1922.  His statue may be seen at Celtic Park.

6.

A literary and political figure born in Central Europe in 1936.  English titles of his works include Memorandum and The Increased Difficulty of Concentration.

7.

An astrophysicist born in New York in 1958.  He is the presenter of the documentary series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.

8.

An historian and classicist born in 1946.  His works include Alexander the Great and The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian.  His daughter, Martha, is a cofounder of lastminute.com.

Sp1

A singer and political activist born in Dun Laoghaire in 1951.  His band's early Top 40 hits include: Lookin' After Number One and Mary of the Fourth Form.

Sp2

A cricketer and politician born in Lahore.  He made his test debut in 1971 at the age of 18.

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Given theme

This round is on railway stations in Greater Manchester and their three-letter codes - Piccadilly, for example, is MAN whilst Oxford Road is MCO

1.

Which station appropriately shares its code with a major US airline hub in Florida?

2.

Which railway junction's three-letter code spells the start of the surname of the Chancellor of the Exchequer who, in 1925, returned Britain to the Gold Standard?

3.

Which station (in Bolton) has a code that is the abbreviation of the national sporting association whose headquarters are on Burton Road, not far from this pub?  It is set to change its name to 'Climb Britain'.

4.

Which station (in Trafford) has a three-letter code that spells a style of top-fermented beer particularly associated with the city of Düsseldorf?

5.

Which quiet station (on the Buxton line) has a three-letter code that is also the Roman numeral for 1550?

6.

Which station's code is the abbreviation for a local authority in South East England?  The authority's flag bears three swords on a red background.

7.

Situated in the far northwest of Greater Manchester, which station has a code that spells the name of a character in Catch-22?  He repeatedly crashes into the sea and "sees flies" in Appleby's eyes.

8.

Which station in South Manchester has a three-letter code that abbreviates a collective term used historically for territories including Upper Canada, Lower Canada and Rupert's Land?

Sp.

Not far from the Derbyshire border, which station's code could be an abbreviation for public libraries in the home cities of the Twins and the Brewers (the baseball teams, that is)?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Science pairs

1.

Add together the number of legs on a scorpion, the number of chromosomes in a human sperm cell and the number of moons of Mars.

2.

Add together the number of legs on a perch, the number of chromosomes in a human red blood cell and the number of moons of Mercury.

3.

The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded to Yoshinori Oshumi.  For what biological process, from the Greek meaning 'eating oneself', was Oshumi awarded this prize?

4.

Name any of the three scientists awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics for "theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter".

5.

Chinese white, short-beaked and spinner are all species of which animal?

6.

European fire-bellied, midwife, and desert rain are all species of which animal?

7.

Name either of the two letters not presented in the chemical symbol of an element on the periodic table?

8.

'J' is also absent from the list of single letter codes for amino acids, along with 'X' and 'Z'.  Name any of the remaining three letters not used to represent an amino acid.

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUNDS 7 & 8 - 'A Millinery of Hats' Bingo

1.

Party Hat

Who punched a wall at this year's Labour Party Conference?  He was elected MP for Norwich South in 2015.

2.

Bicorne

What UK Royal Navy rank comes between Captain and Rear Admiral?

3.

Top hat

For what 1930 film did Marlene Dietrich receive her only Academy Award nomination, in which she performs a song in a man's white tie dress?

4.

Pork pie hat

Which pork pie hat-wearing businessman and former Chancellor of the University of Manchester began his property career subletting unit space in Affleck's Palace?

5.

Hard hat

Which television character can usually be found with Scoop, Muck, Dizzy, Roley and Pilchard the cat?

6.

Flat cap

Which actress plays the matriarchal figure of Aunt Polly Gray in the television series Peaky Blinders?

7.

Beret

Che Guevara's travels around South America in 1952 were published as a memoir in 1993 under what title?

8.

Phrygian

Which television programme would you be watching if all bar one of the eponymous  characters was wearing a white Phrygian hat?

9.

Tricorn

Earlier this year, who became the first female Lord Chancellor?

10.

Crash helmet

Which Fl driver announced his retirement last month?  He was involved in a serious crash in the second round of qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, when a suspension spring went through his helmet.

11.

Mitre

Pope Francis is the first non-European Pope since whom?  Born in Syria, they reigned from 731 to 741.

12.

Bucket

Which Oasis song opens with the lyrics: "I sold my soul for the second time, 'cos the man, he don't pay me."?

13.

Bowler hat

What is the name of the venue where you would find Sally Bowles, most famously portrayed by Liza Minnelli, performing?

14.

Turban

Known for his particularly large one who was the longest reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire?

15.

Deerstalker

In the Sherlock Homes story, what was the eponymous 'Speckled Band'?

16.

Crown

The crown at the centrepiece of the coronation regalia is named after which English king?

17.

Chef's hat

Which TV celebrity chef received a police caution in 2012 for stealing cheese and wine from a branch of Tesco's?

18.

Sorting hat

Which of the four founders of Hogwarts was the original owner of the sorting hat?

Go to Rounds 7 & 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Which American soul singer / songwriter died in a plane crash in December 1967?

Otis Redding

2.

Which Danish king oversaw Denmark's conversion to Christianity, and may have been overthrown by his son Sweyn Forkbeard?

Harald Bluetooth

3.

John Clayton III, hero of a series of novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, was holder of which noble title?

Lord Greystoke

4.

Aaron Paul won three Emmys for which role, which he played between 2008 and 2013?

Jesse Pinkman

5.

David Miranda, who was detained at Heathrow Airport in 2013, is the partner of which journalist, who specialises in global surveillance and the activities of the NSA?

Glenn Greenwald

6.

Which triathlete helped a fellow competitor over the finishing line of the final race of the 2016 World Triathlon Series? (full name required)

Alistair Brownlee

7.

Name the author of Pig Heart Boy and Dead Gorgeous who was the Children's Laureate from 2013 to 2015?

Malone Blackman

8.

Which artist, famous for her cast sculptures, became the first woman to win the Turner Prize in 1993?

Rachel Whiteread

Sp.

Which title is usually used to refer to two Stadtholders of the Dutch Republic?  One was nicknamed 'the Silent', and the other is more famous as the holder of another royal position.

William of Orange

Theme: Each answer contains a surname that contains a colour

(Red, Blue, Grey, Pink, Green, Brown, Black, White and Orange)

Go back to Round 1 questions without answers

ROUND 2 - Paired

1.

Which Scottish golf course hosted the 2016 Open Championship?  It had hosted the tournament eight times previously, the last of which was in 2004, when Todd Hamilton beat Ernie Els in a play-off.

Royal Troon

2.

Which English golf course will host the 2017 Open Championship?  The last time this course hosted the tournament, in 2008, Padraig Harrington finished four shots clear of Ian Poulter.

Royal Birkdale

3.

With which 20th century novel would you associate the following: Obstacle Golf, Helmholtz Watson, Lenina Crowne and Charing-T Tower?

Brave New World

4.

With which 20th century novel would you associate the following: Castle Rock, Jack Merridew, a conch shell, and the twin brothers Sam and Eric?

Lord of the Flies

5.

The Twelve Caesars is the best-known work of which Roman historian?  The emperor Hadrian dismissed him from an imperial position in 122 AD?

Suetonius

6.

Which historian, born around 460 BC, is still renowned for his History of the Peloponnesian War?  He served in the war and was exiled by his fellow Athenians after failing to stop the Spartan general Brasidas from capturing Amphipolis.

Thucydides

7.

Which shipping forecast area takes its name from that of the most northerly part of the island of Ireland, which lies on the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal?

Malin

8.

Which shipping forecast area takes its name from that of the most southerly point of the Irish Republic, a rocky island around 6.5 miles to the southwest of Cape Clear on the Irish mainland?

Fastnet

Sp1

Which shipping forecast area takes its name from the founder of the Met. Office?

Fitzroy

Sp2

What was the name of the biographer and essayist, born in Greece in 45 AD, whose works included the Parallel Lives and the Moralia?

Plutarch

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Given theme

All the answers in this round will reference some aspect of a popular pantomime.  Some pantomimes will be referenced more than once.  I hope league members will forgive me for this premature dose of festive cheer!

1.

What is the name of the David Bowie single, released in 1972 and taken from the album Aladdin Sane, whose title Bowie claimed was a "clumsy pun" on the name of a Twentieth century French author, probably best known for his novel Our Lady of the Flowers?

The Jean Genie

(named after Jean Genet)

2.

Which 1981 single by Adam and the Ants, which gave the band their second consecutive British number one, was accompanied by a video inspired by the fairytale from which it takes its name?

Prince Charming

3.

What is the title of the 1934 musical film starring Laurel and Hardy, based on a 1903 operetta of the same name by Victor Herbert, in which the duo play incompetent toy-makers living in a land populated by nursery rhyme characters?

Babes in Toyland

(the panto being referred to is Babes in the Wood)

4.

What was the stage name of the American actor, born Aaron Chwatt in 1919, who hosted an eponymous variety television show in the 1950s and won a best supporting actor Oscar for his role in the 1957 film Sayonara?

Red Buttons

5.

What fairytale-inspired name is sometimes given to the 'Circumstellar Habitable Zone', an area in a star's orbit where the conditions necessary to support life can be present?

Goldilocks Zone

6.

Cutis anserina is the medical name for which physical phenomenon?

Goose bumps

(the panto being referenced is Mother Goose)

7.

Which Stephen Sondheim musical, following the less than 'happily ever after' outcomes of characters from well-known fairytales, features the songs Giants in the Sky, Our Little World and Maybe They're Magic?

Into the Woods

8.

Which hit 2005 musical is based on a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, which tells the origin stories of several key characters from a very famous book and its still more famous 1939 film adaptation?

Wicked

(the panto villain being referred to here can be the wicked queen from Snow White, the wicked fairy of Sleeping Beauty, the wicked stepmother from Cinderella or any number of other panto villains)

Sp.

Deidra Roper was a member of the 1990s all-female hip-hop band Salt-N-Pepa who often performed under a pseudonym that was a pun on which famous fairytale character's name?

Cinderella

(she was often billed as DJ Spinderella)

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Given theme

This round is all about people born on this day, October 5th.  In each case name the person from the description.

1.

An American president born in 1829.  He succeeded to the presidency when the incumbent died after being shot by an assassin in Washington, DC.

(Chester A) Arthur

2.

A royal figure born in northern Italy in 1658.  She later became the second wife of James II / VII and was the mother of the 'Old Pretender', James Edward Stuart. (you need to provide a three-word name here, including a given name and a city name)

Mary of Modena

3.

An entrepreneur born in Illinois in 1902.  The fast-food franchise he developed features in Morgan Spurlock's 2004 film Super Size Me.

(Ray) Kroc

4.

An actor born at Worksop in 1919.  He played Blofeld in You Only Live Twice and the forger Cohn Blythe in The Great Escape.

Donald Pleasance

5.

A football manager, born in South Lanarkshire in 1922.  His statue may be seen at Celtic Park.

Jock Stein

6.

A literary and political figure born in Central Europe in 1936.  English titles of his works include Memorandum and The Increased Difficulty of Concentration.

Václav Havel

7.

An astrophysicist born in New York in 1958.  He is the presenter of the documentary series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.

(Neil) deGrasse Tyson

8.

An historian and classicist born in 1946.  His works include Alexander the Great and The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian.  His daughter, Martha, is a cofounder of lastminute.com.

Robin Lane Fox

Sp1

A singer and political activist born in Dun Laoghaire in 1951.  His band's early Top 40 hits include: Lookin' After Number One and Mary of the Fourth Form.

Bob Geldof

Sp2

A cricketer and politician born in Lahore.  He made his test debut in 1971 at the age of 18.

Imran Khan

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Given theme

This round is on railway stations in Greater Manchester and their three-letter codes - Piccadilly, for example, is MAN whilst Oxford Road is MCO

1.

Which station appropriately shares its code with a major US airline hub in Florida?

Manchester Airport

(MIA - Miami)

2.

Which railway junction's three-letter code spells the start of the surname of the Chancellor of the Exchequer who, in 1925, returned Britain to the Gold Standard?

Cheadle Hulme

(CHU - Churchill)

3.

Which station (in Bolton) has a code that is the abbreviation of the national sporting association whose headquarters are on Burton Road, not far from this pub?  It is set to change its name to 'Climb Britain'.

Bromley Cross

(BMC - British Mountaineering Council)

4.

Which station (in Trafford) has a three-letter code that spells a style of top-fermented beer particularly associated with the city of Düsseldorf?

Altrincham

(ALT - Alt beer)

5.

Which quiet station (on the Buxton line) has a three-letter code that is also the Roman numeral for 1550?

Middlewood

(MDL)

6.

Which station's code is the abbreviation for a local authority in South East England?  The authority's flag bears three swords on a red background.

Eccles

(ECC - Essex County Council)

7.

Situated in the far northwest of Greater Manchester, which station has a code that spells the name of a character in Catch-22?  He repeatedly crashes into the sea and "sees flies" in Appleby's eyes.

Orrell

(ORR)

8.

Which station in South Manchester has a three-letter code that abbreviates a collective term used historically for territories including Upper Canada, Lower Canada and Rupert's Land?

Burnage

(BNA - British North America)

Sp.

Not far from the Derbyshire border, which station's code could be an abbreviation for public libraries in the home cities of the Twins and the Brewers (the baseball teams, that is)?

Marple

(MPL - Minnesota / Milwaukee)

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Science pairs

1.

Add together the number of legs on a scorpion, the number of chromosomes in a human sperm cell and the number of moons of Mars.

33

(8 + 23 +2)

2.

Add together the number of legs on a perch, the number of chromosomes in a human red blood cell and the number of moons of Mercury.

0

(0+0+0)

3.

The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded to Yoshinori Oshumi.  For what biological process, from the Greek meaning 'eating oneself', was Oshumi awarded this prize?

Autophagy

4.

Name any of the three scientists awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics for "theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter".

(Any of) Haldane, Thouless or Kosterlitz

5.

Chinese white, short-beaked and spinner are all species of which animal?

Dolphin

6.

European fire-bellied, midwife, and desert rain are all species of which animal?

Toad or Frog (both acceptable)

7.

Name either of the two letters not presented in the chemical symbol of an element on the periodic table?

'J' or 'Q'

('Q' was included in the temporary-element-name 'ununquadiurn', which was late renamed 'flerovium')

8.

'J' is also absent from the list of single letter codes for amino acids, along with 'X' and 'Z'.  Name any of the remaining three letters not used to represent an amino acid.

'B', 'O', 'U'

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUNDS 7 & 8 - 'A Millinery of Hats' Bingo

1.

Party Hat

Who punched a wall at this year's Labour Party Conference?  He was elected MP for Norwich South in 2015.

Clive Lewis

(Shadow Defence Secretary)

2.

Bicorne

What UK Royal Navy rank comes between Captain and Rear Admiral?

Commodore

3.

Top hat

For what 1930 film did Marlene Dietrich receive her only Academy Award nomination, in which she performs a song in a man's white tie dress?

Morocco

4.

Pork pie hat

Which pork pie hat-wearing businessman and former Chancellor of the University of Manchester began his property career subletting unit space in Affleck's Palace?

Tom Bloxham

5.

Hard hat

Which television character can usually be found with Scoop, Muck, Dizzy, Roley and Pilchard the cat?

Bob the Builder

6.

Flat cap

Which actress plays the matriarchal figure of Aunt Polly Gray in the television series Peaky Blinders?

Helen McCrory

7.

Beret

Che Guevara's travels around South America in 1952 were published as a memoir in 1993 under what title?

The Motorcycle Diaries

8.

Phrygian

Which television programme would you be watching if all bar one of the eponymous  characters was wearing a white Phrygian hat?

The Smurfs

9.

Tricorn

Earlier this year, who became the first female Lord Chancellor?

Liz Truss

10.

Crash helmet

Which Fl driver announced his retirement last month?  He was involved in a serious crash in the second round of qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, when a suspension spring went through his helmet.

Felipe Massa

11.

Mitre

Pope Francis is the first non-European Pope since whom?  Born in Syria, they reigned from 731 to 741.

Pope Gregory III

12.

Bucket

Which Oasis song opens with the lyrics: "I sold my soul for the second time, 'cos the man, he don't pay me."?

The Importance of Being Idle

13.

Bowler hat

What is the name of the venue where you would find Sally Bowles, most famously portrayed by Liza Minnelli, performing?

The Kit Kat Klub

14.

Turban

Known for his particularly large one who was the longest reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire?

Suleiman the Magnificent

15.

Deerstalker

In the Sherlock Homes story, what was the eponymous 'Speckled Band'?

A snake

16.

Crown

The crown at the centrepiece of the coronation regalia is named after which English king?

Edward the Confessor

(St Edward's Crown)

17.

Chef's hat

Which TV celebrity chef received a police caution in 2012 for stealing cheese and wine from a branch of Tesco's?

Anthony Worrali Thompson

18.

Sorting hat

Which of the four founders of Hogwarts was the original owner of the sorting hat?

Godric Gryffindor

Go back to Rounds 7 & 8 questions without answers