ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

Which thrice married politician missed the birth of his third child because he was delivering a lecture to NUPE trade union officials at the same hospital!

2.

From which Shakespeare play do the following quotes come:

3.

Ant and Dec are regulars on ITV entertainment now (well Dec is).  Under which names did they have a brief pop career in the 1990s?

4.

Which Hamburg-born composer did Peter Tchaikovsky describe in 1886 as a "talentless bastard"?

5.

Which future composer was the only student to be awarded an A+++++ (five pluses) by Peter Tchaikovsky for his playing in his finals exams?

6.

Ant and Dec started their careers in BBC’s adolescent drama series Byker Grove.  Which actress who went on to starring roles in Coronation Street, EastEnders and Waterloo Road and who won the second Strictly Come Dancing final, also had her first role in Byker Grove?

7.

8.

Prince William did not miss the birth of his third child.  What is the name of the private facility, named after a benefactor, at St Mary’s Hospital London where Prince Louis was born?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

Which actor plays the villainous Sir Percival Glyde in the BBC 2018 adaptation of The Woman in White?

2.

Twin Peaks - the Return was the television event of 2017 (in the opinion of the setter).  Who composed the theme music?

3.

Which unsettling novel starts with lines: "Light of my life, fire of my loins.  My sin, my soul."?

4.

Which political party leader, an honorary colonel of the 32nd Signals Regiment, is engaged to Irish born Jen Wilson?

5.

Actor and producer Trevor Engelson was married to which actress in 2011; the marriage was dissolved in 2013?

6.

Which popular memoir starts with the lines: "I was set down from the carrier’s cart at the age of three; and there with a sense of bewilderment and terror my life in the village began."?

7.

Who composed the theme music for the detective drama series Inspector Morse which features a motif based on the morse code for the word 'Morse'?

8.

Which actor played the lead role of solicitor Arthur Kipps in the 2012 film adaptation of The Woman in Black?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Announced theme

It might help (or not) to know that every answer contains the name of a Grand National winner since 1950

1.

Thomas Jefferson appears on the $2 bill and which other US currency?

2.

Which 1973 film starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman has been pointlessly remade starring Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek?

3.

What is the name of the rocky extreme south west point of the island of Jersey?  The name means 'the place where crows gather'.

4.

Which mountain, long thought to a Munro, was found to be 12 feet short of the required 3000 feet when surveyed in 2007?

5.

In the Harry Potter novels what is the forename of Draco Malfoy’s father?

6.

What was the name of the comedy series running from 1961 to 1963 on BBC starring Peter Jones as a factory owner and Miriam Karlin as a shop steward?  It was pointlessly remade by ITV with a similar cast and ran from 1971 to 1973.

7.

What name connects the National Lottery, the forerunner of Air New Zealand, and an organo-aluminium compound?

8.

Which British food company (alongside Odol Mouthwash and Indian Foot Powder) was one of the sponsors of the 1908 London Olympic Games?  They supplied the marathon runners with drinks to fortify them.

Sp1

Betula pendula is the scientific name for which tree native to Europe and Asia?

Sp2

Which Canadian drinks company, founded in 1857, crashed and burned in 2000 following ill-fated diversification into film, entertainment and the chemical industries?

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme with the hint: 'Entertainment 1950 style'

The usual rules of sound-alikes and other acceptable trickery might apply

1.

Which 1975 British film starred John Wayne and Richard Attenborough as rather unlikely mis-matched police officers?  The film was directed by Douglas Hickox and was set principally in London.

2.

What is the name of the civic art gallery of Bradford?  With a permanent collection of Victorian and Edwardian works it stands in Lister Park with scenic views of the city.

3.

Which political wife is the founder and president of the children’s charity Theirworld which campaigns for global health and education?

4.

What was the character name of the Bond girl who ended up dying after being painted all over in gold in the film Goldfinger?

5.

Which historic area in Manhattan features some of the oldest architecture in downtown Manhattan?  It is bounded by the Financial District to the west, southwest and north, the East River to the southeast and Two Bridges to the northeast.

6.

Name the Queen Consort and the king she was married to, after whom the capital of South Australia is named?

7.

According to the Second Book of Samuel (in the Old Testament) which prophet, often associated with Zadok the Priest, reprimanded King David for committing adultery with Bathsheba while she was still another’s wife?

8.

Released in 1970 what was the debut album of the band Lindisfarne?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme with the hint: 'Everton have had hard times before'

The usual rules of sound-alikes and other acceptable trickery might apply

1.

Which cleric was advisor to Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare’s play and accidentally (spoiler alert) brings about the lovers’ deaths?

2.

Who is the only British politician (so far) to have held all four of the Great Offices of State?

3.

Which journalist and political aide is the Labour Party’s Director of Strategy and Communication since October 2015?

4.

Which 1964 play by Peter Shaffer concerns the conquest of Peru?

5.

Which poet, whose first works were published in 1889 was the unsuccessful suitor of Maud Gonne who went on to marry Irish revolutionary Sean McBride?

6.

Which athlete won the 200m in the 1968 Mexico Olympics.  His salute with John Carlos on the medal podium was a defining moment in the history of the Black Power Movement?

7.

Which University of Cambridge College was founded by Lady Margaret Beaufort in 1511 (after her death)? Alumni include ten Nobel Prize winners, seven prime Ministers, twelve archbishops, at least two princes and three saints.

8.

Who was the 23rd Vice president of the United States (1893-97)?  His grandson was to be defeated in two 20th century Presidential elections.

Sp1

Which Spanish hotel chain founded in Palma de Mallorca by Gabriel Escarrer Julia in 1956 is now one of Spain’s largest domestic operators of holiday resorts and the 17th biggest hotel chain worldwide?

Sp2

Which pop trio formed in April 1977 is named after the bumbling detectives in The Adventures of Tin Tin?

Sp3

Which US rock and roll singer from New Orleans is best remembered for his 1958 single Lights Out?  (if remembered at all!)

Sp4

Which novel by Sinclair Lewis won the Pulitzer prize in 1926?  Lewis declined the prize.

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

In what respect was the conviction of Colin Pitchfork for murder a legal first?

2.

Which Prime Minister is the only one to appear in Wisden having played for Middlesex, and in 1926 toured Argentina with the MCC?

3.

Which rock band derived their name from a disliked gym teacher at their high school? Their touring came to an abrupt halt in 1977.

4.

Which snooker commentator once said "Fred Davis, the doyen of snooker, now 67 years of age and too old to get his leg over, prefers to use his left hand."?

5.

About which golfer did a commentator say, when he and his caddy were lining up a putt, "Some weeks he likes to use Fanny, other weeks he prefers to do it himself."?

6.

Which rock band derived their name from beams seen on a pair of open hay loft doors?

7.

Which Nobel Prize winner is the only one to appear in Wisden having played for Dublin University against Northamptonshire in 1926?

8.

In which respect was the acquittal of Baron de Clifford for manslaughter (following a road traffic accident) a legal last?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - A tribute to Peter Morgan

Historyman Peter Morgan died last month - to mark his passing this round has questions on eight other Morgans

1.

The De Morgan Medal is awarded every third year for outstanding contributions to which subject?  Past winners have included Lord Rayleigh, Godfrey Hardy, Bertrand Russell, Michael Atiyah and Roger Penrose.

2.

Originally produced by Seagram, Captain Morgan Rum is now produced by which company that was formed by the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan?

3.

Morgan Phillips was a prominent figure in the British Labour Party (he was its General Secretary) and Socialist International (he was its founding Chairman).  Who was his daughter who was an MP between 1966 and 1970 and again between 1974 and her death in 2008?

4.

Morgan Freeman has been nominated for five Academy Awards and won once.  Name two of the five films.

5.

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth and Gerald of Wales what relation is the enchantress Morgan le Fay to King Arthur?

6.

The Morgan Motor Company is based in which English town?

7.

Cliff Morgan was a prominent broadcaster and executive after his retirement from rugby.  He was a team captain in the first six years of A Question Of Sport.  Who was the opposing team captain during these years?

8.

Dermot Morgan played Father Ted Crilly in Father Ted.  What was the name of the rabbit-fearing bishop who had exiled him to Craggy island?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Random Bingo

Pick a number between 1 and 13 to get your question

1.

Which has been the commonest forename of the 44 US Presidents so far?

2.

What is the name of Blackburn Rovers Fanzine which was relaunched in September 2017 after a four year dormancy?

3.

Which broadcaster has a name from the Old Testament Book of Ruth but it was misspelled on her birth certificate?

4.

The most visited country in the Caribbean is also the only country in the world with a Bible on its national flag. Which country?

5.

What is the name of artist Grayson Perry’s female alter ego?

6.

The Parramatta River flows through which city?

7.

In which Dennis Potter 1978 TV series did Bob Hoskins play salesman Arthur Parker?  It was one of Hoskins' first starring roles.

8.

Who comes next in this sequence: Sarah Teather Jo Swinson Chloe Smith Pamela Nash, and -------?

9.

Recently named, Tennessine is the 11th chemical element to start with the letter T.  Can you name five of the other ten?

10.

Which artist, who died in 1520, is the only artist to be interred in the Pantheon in Rome?

11.

Who was the librettist for Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro?

12.

Which Scottish football club have the distinction of being the only club to sack Alex Ferguson?

13.

In which part of the human body would you find the columella just above the philtrum?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

Tiebreaker

What was John Bercow’s majority in his Buckingham seat at the last General Election?

Go to Tiebreaker question with answer

ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

Which thrice married politician missed the birth of his third child because he was delivering a lecture to NUPE trade union officials at the same hospital!

Jeremy Corbyn

2.

From which Shakespeare play do the following quotes come:

Macbeth

3.

Ant and Dec are regulars on ITV entertainment now (well Dec is).  Under which names did they have a brief pop career in the 1990s?

PJ and Duncan

4.

Which Hamburg-born composer did Peter Tchaikovsky describe in 1886 as a "talentless bastard"?

Johannes Brahms

5.

Which future composer was the only student to be awarded an A+++++ (five pluses) by Peter Tchaikovsky for his playing in his finals exams?

Sergei Rachmaninoff

6.

Ant and Dec started their careers in BBC’s adolescent drama series Byker Grove.  Which actress who went on to starring roles in Coronation Street, EastEnders and Waterloo Road and who won the second Strictly Come Dancing final, also had her first role in Byker Grove?

Jill Halfpenny

7.

Julius Caesar

8.

Prince William did not miss the birth of his third child.  What is the name of the private facility, named after a benefactor, at St Mary’s Hospital London where Prince Louis was born?

Lindo Wing

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

Which actor plays the villainous Sir Percival Glyde in the BBC 2018 adaptation of The Woman in White?

Stephen Dougray Scott

2.

Twin Peaks - the Return was the television event of 2017 (in the opinion of the setter).  Who composed the theme music?

Angelo Badalamenti

3.

Which unsettling novel starts with lines: "Light of my life, fire of my loins.  My sin, my soul."?

Lolita

4.

Which political party leader, an honorary colonel of the 32nd Signals Regiment, is engaged to Irish born Jen Wilson?

Ruth Davidson

5.

Actor and producer Trevor Engelson was married to which actress in 2011; the marriage was dissolved in 2013?

Meghan Markle

6.

Which popular memoir starts with the lines: "I was set down from the carrier’s cart at the age of three; and there with a sense of bewilderment and terror my life in the village began."?

Cider With Rosie

7.

Who composed the theme music for the detective drama series Inspector Morse which features a motif based on the morse code for the word 'Morse'?

Barrington Pheloung

8.

Which actor played the lead role of solicitor Arthur Kipps in the 2012 film adaptation of The Woman in Black?

Daniel Radcliffe

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Announced theme

It might help (or not) to know that every answer contains the name of a Grand National winner since 1950

1.

Thomas Jefferson appears on the $2 bill and which other US currency?

Nickel coin

(Nickel Coin 1951)

2.

Which 1973 film starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman has been pointlessly remade starring Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek?

Papillon

(Papillon 2000)

3.

What is the name of the rocky extreme south west point of the island of Jersey?  The name means 'the place where crows gather'.

(La) Corbiere

(Corbiere 1983)

4.

Which mountain, long thought to a Munro, was found to be 12 feet short of the required 3000 feet when surveyed in 2007?

Foinavon

(Foinavon 1967)

5.

In the Harry Potter novels what is the forename of Draco Malfoy’s father?

Lucius

(Lucius II 1978)

6.

What was the name of the comedy series running from 1961 to 1963 on BBC starring Peter Jones as a factory owner and Miriam Karlin as a shop steward?  It was pointlessly remade by ITV with a similar cast and ran from 1971 to 1973.

The Rag Trade

(Rag Trade 1976)

7.

What name connects the National Lottery, the forerunner of Air New Zealand, and an organo-aluminium compound?

Teal

(Teal 1952)

8.

Which British food company (alongside Odol Mouthwash and Indian Foot Powder) was one of the sponsors of the 1908 London Olympic Games?  They supplied the marathon runners with drinks to fortify them.

Sp1

Betula pendula is the scientific name for which tree native to Europe and Asia?

Silver Birch

(Silver Birch 2007)

Sp2

Which Canadian drinks company, founded in 1857, crashed and burned in 2000 following ill-fated diversification into film, entertainment and the chemical industries?

Seagram

(Seagram 1991)

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme with the hint: 'Entertainment 1950 style'

The usual rules of sound-alikes and other acceptable trickery might apply

1.

Which 1975 British film starred John Wayne and Richard Attenborough as rather unlikely mis-matched police officers?  The film was directed by Douglas Hickox and was set principally in London.

Brannigan

2.

What is the name of the civic art gallery of Bradford?  With a permanent collection of Victorian and Edwardian works it stands in Lister Park with scenic views of the city.

Cartwright Hall

3.

Which political wife is the founder and president of the children’s charity Theirworld which campaigns for global health and education?

Sarah (Jane) Brown

4.

What was the character name of the Bond girl who ended up dying after being painted all over in gold in the film Goldfinger?

5.

Which historic area in Manhattan features some of the oldest architecture in downtown Manhattan?  It is bounded by the Financial District to the west, southwest and north, the East River to the southeast and Two Bridges to the northeast.

South Street Seaport

6.

Name the Queen Consort and the king she was married to, after whom the capital of South Australia is named?

7.

According to the Second Book of Samuel (in the Old Testament) which prophet, often associated with Zadok the Priest, reprimanded King David for committing adultery with Bathsheba while she was still another’s wife?

8.

Released in 1970 what was the debut album of the band Lindisfarne?

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme with the hint: 'Everton have had hard times before'

The usual rules of sound-alikes and other acceptable trickery might apply

1.

Which cleric was advisor to Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare’s play and accidentally (spoiler alert) brings about the lovers’ deaths?

Friar Laurence

2.

Who is the only British politician (so far) to have held all four of the Great Offices of State?

3.

Which journalist and political aide is the Labour Party’s Director of Strategy and Communication since October 2015?

4.

Which 1964 play by Peter Shaffer concerns the conquest of Peru?

5.

Which poet, whose first works were published in 1889 was the unsuccessful suitor of Maud Gonne who went on to marry Irish revolutionary Sean McBride?

6.

Which athlete won the 200m in the 1968 Mexico Olympics.  His salute with John Carlos on the medal podium was a defining moment in the history of the Black Power Movement?

7.

Which University of Cambridge College was founded by Lady Margaret Beaufort in 1511 (after her death)? Alumni include ten Nobel Prize winners, seven prime Ministers, twelve archbishops, at least two princes and three saints.

8.

Who was the 23rd Vice president of the United States (1893-97)?  His grandson was to be defeated in two 20th century Presidential elections.

Sp1

Which Spanish hotel chain founded in Palma de Mallorca by Gabriel Escarrer Julia in 1956 is now one of Spain’s largest domestic operators of holiday resorts and the 17th biggest hotel chain worldwide?

Sp2

Which pop trio formed in April 1977 is named after the bumbling detectives in The Adventures of Tin Tin?

Sp3

Which US rock and roll singer from New Orleans is best remembered for his 1958 single Lights Out?  (if remembered at all!)

(Gerard Donald) 'Jerry' Byrne

Sp4

Which novel by Sinclair Lewis won the Pulitzer prize in 1926?  Lewis declined the prize.

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

In what respect was the conviction of Colin Pitchfork for murder a legal first?

2.

Which Prime Minister is the only one to appear in Wisden having played for Middlesex, and in 1926 toured Argentina with the MCC?

3.

Which rock band derived their name from a disliked gym teacher at their high school? Their touring came to an abrupt halt in 1977.

4.

Which snooker commentator once said "Fred Davis, the doyen of snooker, now 67 years of age and too old to get his leg over, prefers to use his left hand."?

5.

About which golfer did a commentator say, when he and his caddy were lining up a putt, "Some weeks he likes to use Fanny, other weeks he prefers to do it himself."?

6.

Which rock band derived their name from beams seen on a pair of open hay loft doors?

7.

Which Nobel Prize winner is the only one to appear in Wisden having played for Dublin University against Northamptonshire in 1926?

8.

In which respect was the acquittal of Baron de Clifford for manslaughter (following a road traffic accident) a legal last?

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - A tribute to Peter Morgan

Historyman Peter Morgan died last month - to mark his passing this round has questions on eight other Morgans

1.

The De Morgan Medal is awarded every third year for outstanding contributions to which subject?  Past winners have included Lord Rayleigh, Godfrey Hardy, Bertrand Russell, Michael Atiyah and Roger Penrose.

2.

Originally produced by Seagram, Captain Morgan Rum is now produced by which company that was formed by the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan?

3.

Morgan Phillips was a prominent figure in the British Labour Party (he was its General Secretary) and Socialist International (he was its founding Chairman).  Who was his daughter who was an MP between 1966 and 1970 and again between 1974 and her death in 2008?

4.

Morgan Freeman has been nominated for five Academy Awards and won once.  Name two of the five films.

5.

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth and Gerald of Wales what relation is the enchantress Morgan le Fay to King Arthur?

6.

The Morgan Motor Company is based in which English town?

7.

Cliff Morgan was a prominent broadcaster and executive after his retirement from rugby.  He was a team captain in the first six years of A Question Of Sport.  Who was the opposing team captain during these years?

8.

Dermot Morgan played Father Ted Crilly in Father Ted.  What was the name of the rabbit-fearing bishop who had exiled him to Craggy island?

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - Random Bingo

Pick a number between 1 and 13 to get your question

1.

Which has been the commonest forename of the 44 US Presidents so far?

2.

What is the name of Blackburn Rovers Fanzine which was relaunched in September 2017 after a four year dormancy?

3.

Which broadcaster has a name from the Old Testament Book of Ruth but it was misspelled on her birth certificate?

4.

The most visited country in the Caribbean is also the only country in the world with a Bible on its national flag. Which country?

5.

What is the name of artist Grayson Perry’s female alter ego?

Claire

6.

The Parramatta River flows through which city?

Sydney

7.

In which Dennis Potter 1978 TV series did Bob Hoskins play salesman Arthur Parker?  It was one of Hoskins' first starring roles.

Pennies From Heaven

8.

Who comes next in this sequence: Sarah Teather Jo Swinson Chloe Smith Pamela Nash, and -------?

9.

Recently named, Tennessine is the 11th chemical element to start with the letter T.  Can you name five of the other ten?

10.

Which artist, who died in 1520, is the only artist to be interred in the Pantheon in Rome?

Raphael

11.

Who was the librettist for Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro?

12.

Which Scottish football club have the distinction of being the only club to sack Alex Ferguson?

St Mirren

13.

In which part of the human body would you find the columella just above the philtrum?

The nose

(it is the fleshy part separating the nostrils)

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers