ROUND 1 - Announced Theme - All answers contain the name of a UK brewery past or present

1.

In 1996, Nelson Mandela symbolically signed the new South African constitution in which township in Gauteng where, on 21 March 1960, police had massacred 69 black people during a protest about freedom of movement?

2.

A temporary morgue was set up in the curling rink of the Mayflower Curling Club in Halifax to accommodate victims of what event?

3.

Which title has been won by, amongst others, Barry Simmons, Pat Gibson, Daphne Fowler and Mike Clark but is currently held by Clive Dunning?

4.

What is the name of the wealthy young investment banker and first person narrator of the novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis?

5.

Which Mancunian comedian, a regular guest on 5 Live’s Fighting Talk, first came to prominence playing Young Kenny in Phoenix Nights?  

6.

What was the family name of Aunt Vivian, Uncle Philip and cousins Hilary, Ashley and Carlton with whom Will is sent to live in the 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?

7.

Archie, Tina, Gordon, Clarence, Maurice, Sydney and Gaffer are the animated characters used to advertise which product?  First appearing in 1973 they were not used from 2001 to 2010.

8.

Which Greater Manchester football team, best known for a historic drubbing, were founded in 1919 and are nicknamed The Tigers? They play at Ewen Fields and their main rivals are Droylsden and Stalybridge Celtic.

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Announced theme - All answers are musical instruments

2.

In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, what is the disguised Cesario’s real name?

2.

Jazz musician George Chisholm was mainly associated with which instrument?

3.

The name of which instrument is derived from a French word meaning high wood?

4.

What was the title of the early 1980s drama series set aboard a North Sea ferry?

5.

Which instrument played the main tune in the theme music for the 1960s TV series Hancock’s Half Hour?

6.

In Ken Dodd’s 1960 hit, love is compared to which member of the string family?

7.

In A Midsummer Night’s Dream what is the name of the bellows-mender?

8.

At the end of Pilgrim’s Progress, what instruments sound for Christian as he 'passes over'?

Sp1

Naker is an alternative name for which kind of musical instrument?

Sp2

Which instrument does Anne Denholm play in her position in the Prince of Wales’s household?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Announced Theme - Each answer contains three adjacent, consecutive letters of the alphabet

For example, 'hijab'

First and surnames are required where appropriate

1.

What was the condition now known as 'bipolar disorder' formerly called?

2.

In 1991, Robert Maxwell fell to his death from a yacht named after his youngest child.  What was the yacht called?

3.

In October 2010 a British nuclear-powered submarine ran aground on Skye, causing major embarrassment and minor damage.  What was it called, perhaps a little inappropriately?

4.

Which non-departmental public body, established in 1949, was replaced in 1999 by the Competition Commission, itself superseded in 2014 by the Competition and Markets Authority?

5.

Which racing driver was the youngest to compete, the youngest to score points, the youngest to achieve a podium place and the youngest to win a race, all in Formula 1?

6.

What post is held by Jim 'Mad Dog' Mattis?

7.

Of which republic is Ashraf Chani president?

8.

Which country came into existence as a British colony on 1st January 1976 by the splitting into two of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands?  It became an independent country two years later.

Sp1

Which three pieces for piano by Erik Satie, later orchestrated by Debussy, were named after an ancient Greek festival?

Sp2

What abbreviation represents the system of character coding used in, amongst others, IBM mainframe computers?

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Bingo

1.

NAME THE OPERA

In which opera do the characters Senta, Daland, Mary and Erik appear?

2.

FRIENDS

Who wrote the book How to win friends and influence people?

3.

ABBREVIATION 1

What is the full name of the luxury goods company LVMH?

4.

EXPRESSIONS

What common expression derives from a cartoon in Punch whose caption ended "Oh, no, my Lord, I assure you that parts of it are excellent!"?

5.

FORMS OF?
Of what mineral are crocidolite, amosite and chrysotile forms?

6.

BEGINNING AND END
Who composed the ballet La Création du Monde?

7.

LINKS 1

What name links the opera Hansel and Gretel and the recording of Release Me which was the UK’s highest-selling single of 1967?

8.

LINKS 2

What conferred title linked the authors P D James and Ruth Rendell?

9.

PRESIDENT WHEN...

Who was the US President when Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act?

10.

CURVES

What name is given to the curve formed by a chain hanging under its own weight while supported at each end?

11.

LAST LINES

Which poem ends with the words "Boundless and bare, the lone and level sands stretch far away"?  (title and author required)

12.

ABBREVIATIONS 2

FOBTs are to be found in certain types of shop on many high streets.  What does FOBT stand for?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Bingo

1.

NAME THE OPERA

In which opera do the characters Susanna, Cherubino, Marcellina and Barbarina appear?

2.

FRIENDS

Who wrote the book How to lose friends and alienate people?

3.

ABBREVIATIONS 1

What was the full name of the company GKN, the subject of a controversial takeover in March 2018 by Melrose Industries?

4.

EXPRESSIONS

What common expression derives from the continuation of a peeved exclamation by a frustrated playwright on hearing that a theatrical special effect he had invented was being used by someone else: "Damn them! They will not let my play run but…"?

5.

FORMS OF?

Of what element are fullerenes composed?

6.

BEGINNING AND END

Who composed the piece Quatuor pour le fin du temps?

7.

LINKS 1

What name links the bass-baritone who was president of the Royal Northern College of Music from 2009 to 2016 and a character in a James Bond film who was loosely modelled on Howard Hughes?

8.

LINKS 2

What name links an American legal warning and the musical Hamilton?

9.

PRESIDENT WHEN...

Who was the US president when Congress passed the National Prohibition Act, implementing the 18th Amendment?

10.

CURVES

What name is given to the curve described by a point on the rim in a vehicle wheel as the vehicle moves (without skidding)?

11.

LAST LINES

Which poem ends with the words: "And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor, shall be lifted – nevermore."  (title and author required)

12.

ABBREVIATIONS 2

What is the full name of the man known as MBS, who is causing quite a stir in the Middle East?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Run Ons

The last word of the first answer is the first (or the first part of the first, at least) of the second: for example, innocuous statue and Irish actor would be Venus de Milo O’Shea.

First names (or initials) and last names of people are required unless otherwise specified.

Some homonyms have been used.

1.

Novel by Kazuo Ishiguro which won the Booker Prize in 1989;

Novel by Frederick Forsyth, filmed starring Edward Fox

2.

Novel by Henry James, filmed in 1996 starring Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich;

1955 animation about two dogs

3.

Play by Peter Shaffer set during the Spanish conquest of Peru in which the Incan king Atahualpa is killed;

Founder of the Unification Church

4.

Maiden name of the founder of the HuffPost website;

Title of the book from which the term 'Shangri-La' originates

5.

Title of the aristocrat for whom J S Bach wrote a set of six concertos

6.

Author of a novella whose title mentions a gigantic gemstone;

Businessman whose downfall followed an overly honest description of his own jewellery company’s products

7.

1977 romantic comedy for which Richard Dreyfuss won a best actor Oscar;

2015 thriller by Paula Hawkins, filmed starring Emily Blunt

8.

American contestant in child beauty pageants, murdered at the age of six in 1996;

First Labour Prime Minister of the UK

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - 'Size Matters'

1.

In 1999 Michael J Fox provided the voice for which screen rodent?

2.

Which group sang about 'Whiskey in the jar'?

3.

Which 1995 film (set in Las Vegas) co-starred John Travolta, Danny de Vito, Gene Hackman and Rene Russo?

4.

In show business how are Cyril Mead and Edward McGuinness better known?

5.

Who got to No.1 in 1967 with the song Let the Heartaches Begin?

6.

How was wrestler Martin Austin Ruane better known?

7.

Philip Marlowe first appeared in which novel published in 1939?

8.

Which 1980 gangster film starred Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren?

Sp1

American musician, singer and songwriter J P Richardson Jnr who died in a plane crash in 1959 was better known by what name?

Sp2

What is the state capital of Arkansas?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - 'Born on this day'

1.

Born on this day in 1954, which rock singer is known for his love of mountain climbing – he was filmed scaling the Half Dome peak in Yosemite National Park for the video of his biggest solo UK hit, 1988’s Just Like Paradise?

2.

Born on this day in 1935, which Withington Girls school-educated woman has been married to sports commentator Neil Durden-Smith since 1964?  She has presented Come Dancing and Woman’s Hour.

3.

The airport in Parma, Italy is named after which man, born on this day in 1813?

4.

Born on this day in 1923, which presenter once held the record for the longest after-dinner speech before it was reclaimed by former holder Gyles Brandreth.  At eleven hours long, it significantly exceeded the period of time he is best known for presiding over.

5.

Born on this day in 1825 and nicknamed 'Oom' or 'Uncle', who came to international prominence as the face of the Boer cause in the late 19th century?  He was President of the Transvaal (officially called the 'South African Republic') from 1883 to 1900.

6.

Born on this day in 1923, which sports commentator was known for his preference for standing when commentating?  In the early part of his career, he combined his reporting with a role as an account director for an advertising company – most notably coining the slogan "made to make your mouth water" for Opal Fruits.

7.

Born on this day in 1964, which actress’s two biggest TV roles of recent years have been in two Sally Wainwright-penned drama series both set in Yorkshire?

8.

Which man, born on this day in 1953, co-wrote the second-biggest selling single in UK chart history?  His stage name is a phonetic reversal of the diminutive of his real name, James.

Sp

Born on this day in 1946, which actor’s roles include Alistair Denniston in The Imitation Game, Benedict in Last Action Hero and Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones?  His big break came in a 1984 Granada TV series which also starred Geraldine James and Tim Piggot-Smith.

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Announced Theme - All answers contain the name of a UK brewery past or present

1.

In 1996, Nelson Mandela symbolically signed the new South African constitution in which township in Gauteng where, on 21 March 1960, police had massacred 69 black people during a protest about freedom of movement?

Sharpeville

(Sharp’s – Rock, Cornwall)

2.

A temporary morgue was set up in the curling rink of the Mayflower Curling Club in Halifax to accommodate victims of what event?

Sinking of the Titanic

(Titanic – Burslem)

The curling club is in Halifax, Nova Scotia

3.

Which title has been won by, amongst others, Barry Simmons, Pat Gibson, Daphne Fowler and Mike Clark but is currently held by Clive Dunning?

Brain of Britain

(Brains – Cardiff)

4.

What is the name of the wealthy young investment banker and first person narrator of the novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis?

Patrick Bateman

(Batemans – Wainfleet, Lincs)

5.

Which Mancunian comedian, a regular guest on 5 Live’s Fighting Talk, first came to prominence playing Young Kenny in Phoenix Nights?  

Justin Moorhouse

(Moorhouse’s, Burnley)

6.

What was the family name of Aunt Vivian, Uncle Philip and cousins Hilary, Ashley and Carlton with whom Will is sent to live in the 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?

Banks

(Banks’s – Wolverhampton)

7.

Archie, Tina, Gordon, Clarence, Maurice, Sydney and Gaffer are the animated characters used to advertise which product?  First appearing in 1973 they were not used from 2001 to 2010.

Tetley Tea

8.

Which Greater Manchester football team, best known for a historic drubbing, were founded in 1919 and are nicknamed The Tigers? They play at Ewen Fields and their main rivals are Droylsden and Stalybridge Celtic.

Hyde (United)

Hydes – originally Moss Side, now moved to Salford

ROUND 2 - Announced theme - All answers are musical instruments

1.

In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, what is the disguised Cesario’s real name?

Viola

2.

Jazz musician George Chisholm was mainly associated with which instrument?

Trombone

3.

The name of which instrument is derived from a French word meaning high wood?

Oboe

(hautbois)

4.

What was the title of the early 1980s drama series set aboard a North Sea ferry?

Triangle

(starred Michael Craig and Larry Lamb)

5.

Which instrument played the main tune in the theme music for the 1960s TV series Hancock’s Half Hour?

Tuba

6.

In Ken Dodd’s 1960 hit, love is compared to which member of the string family?

Violin

7.

In A Midsummer Night’s Dream what is the name of the bellows-mender?

Flute

8.

At the end of Pilgrim’s Progress, what instruments sound for Christian as he 'passes over'?

Trumpets

Sp1

Naker is an alternative name for which kind of musical instrument?

Kettledrum

Sp2

Which instrument does Anne Denholm play in her position in the Prince of Wales’s household?

Harp

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Announced Theme - Each answer contains three adjacent, consecutive letters of the alphabet

For example, 'hijab'

First and surnames are required where appropriate

1.

What was the condition now known as 'bipolar disorder' formerly called?

Manic depression

2.

In 1991, Robert Maxwell fell to his death from a yacht named after his youngest child.  What was the yacht called?

(The) Lady Ghislaine

(do not accept 'Ghislaine' alone)

3.

In October 2010 a British nuclear-powered submarine ran aground on Skye, causing major embarrassment and minor damage.  What was it called, perhaps a little inappropriately?

HMS Astute

4.

Which non-departmental public body, established in 1949, was replaced in 1999 by the Competition Commission, itself superseded in 2014 by the Competition and Markets Authority?

The Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Commission

(accept Monopolies Commission or Monopolies and Mergers Commission)

5.

Which racing driver was the youngest to compete, the youngest to score points, the youngest to achieve a podium place and the youngest to win a race, all in Formula 1?

Max Verstappen

6.

What post is held by Jim 'Mad Dog' Mattis?

Secretary of Defense

(United States)

7.

Of which republic is Ashraf Chani president?

Afghanistan

8.

Which country came into existence as a British colony on 1st January 1976 by the splitting into two of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands?  It became an independent country two years later.

Tuvalu

Sp1

Which three pieces for piano by Erik Satie, later orchestrated by Debussy, were named after an ancient Greek festival?

Gymnopédies

Sp2

What abbreviation represents the system of character coding used in, amongst others, IBM mainframe computers?

EBCDIC

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Bingo

1.

NAME THE OPERA

In which opera do the characters Senta, Daland, Mary and Erik appear?

The Flying Dutchman

2.

FRIENDS

Who wrote the book How to win friends and influence people?

Dale Carnegie

3.

ABBREVIATION 1

What is the full name of the luxury goods company LVMH?

Louis Vuitton Möet Hennessy

4.

EXPRESSIONS

What common expression derives from a cartoon in Punch whose caption ended "Oh, no, my Lord, I assure you that parts of it are excellent!"?

A curate’s egg

5.

FORMS OF?
Of what mineral are crocidolite, amosite and chrysotile forms?

Asbestos

6.

BEGINNING AND END
Who composed the ballet La Création du Monde?

(Darius) Milhaud

7.

LINKS 1

What name links the opera Hansel and Gretel and the recording of Release Me which was the UK’s highest-selling single of 1967?

Engelbert Humperdinck

8.

LINKS 2

What conferred title linked the authors P D James and Ruth Rendell?

Baroness

9.

PRESIDENT WHEN...

Who was the US President when Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act?

Clinton

10.

CURVES

What name is given to the curve formed by a chain hanging under its own weight while supported at each end?

Catenary

11.

LAST LINES

Which poem ends with the words "Boundless and bare, the lone and level sands stretch far away"?  (title and author required)

Ozymandias by Shelley

12.

ABBREVIATIONS 2

FOBTs are to be found in certain types of shop on many high streets.  What does FOBT stand for?

Fixed odds betting terminal

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Bingo

1.

NAME THE OPERA

In which opera do the characters Susanna, Cherubino, Marcellina and Barbarina appear?

The Marriage of Figaro

2.

FRIENDS

Who wrote the book How to lose friends and alienate people?

Toby Young

(accept also Irving Tressler)

3.

ABBREVIATIONS 1

What was the full name of the company GKN, the subject of a controversial takeover in March 2018 by Melrose Industries?

Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds

4.

EXPRESSIONS

What common expression derives from the continuation of a peeved exclamation by a frustrated playwright on hearing that a theatrical special effect he had invented was being used by someone else: "Damn them! They will not let my play run but…"?

"Steal my thunder"

5.

FORMS OF?

Of what element are fullerenes composed?

Carbon

6.

BEGINNING AND END

Who composed the piece Quatuor pour le fin du temps?

Olivier Messaien

7.

LINKS 1

What name links the bass-baritone who was president of the Royal Northern College of Music from 2009 to 2016 and a character in a James Bond film who was loosely modelled on Howard Hughes?

Willard White/Whyte

8.

LINKS 2

What name links an American legal warning and the musical Hamilton?

Miranda

9.

PRESIDENT WHEN...

Who was the US president when Congress passed the National Prohibition Act, implementing the 18th Amendment?

Woodrow Wilson

10.

CURVES

What name is given to the curve described by a point on the rim in a vehicle wheel as the vehicle moves (without skidding)?

Cycloid

11.

LAST LINES

Which poem ends with the words: "And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor, shall be lifted – nevermore."  (title and author required)

The Raven by Poe

12.

ABBREVIATIONS 2

What is the full name of the man known as MBS, who is causing quite a stir in the Middle East?

Mohammed bin Salman

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Run Ons

The last word of the first answer is the first (or the first part of the first, at least) of the second: for example, innocuous statue and Irish actor would be Venus de Milo O’Shea.

First names (or initials) and last names of people are required unless otherwise specified.

Some homonyms have been used.

1.

Novel by Kazuo Ishiguro which won the Booker Prize in 1989;

Novel by Frederick Forsyth, filmed starring Edward Fox

Remains of the Day of the Jackal

2.

Novel by Henry James, filmed in 1996 starring Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich;

1955 animation about two dogs

The Portrait of a Lady and the Tramp

3.

Play by Peter Shaffer set during the Spanish conquest of Peru in which the Incan king Atahualpa is killed;

Founder of the Unification Church

The Royal Hunt of the Sun-Myung Moon

4.

Maiden name of the founder of the HuffPost website;

Title of the book from which the term 'Shangri-La' originates

Arianna Stassinopoulos/Lost Horizon

5.

Title of the aristocrat for whom J S Bach wrote a set of six concertos

Countess of Mar/Margrave of Brandenburg

6.

Author of a novella whose title mentions a gigantic gemstone;

Businessman whose downfall followed an overly honest description of his own jewellery company’s products

F Scott Fitzgerald/Gerald Ratner

7.

1977 romantic comedy for which Richard Dreyfuss won a best actor Oscar;

2015 thriller by Paula Hawkins, filmed starring Emily Blunt

The Goodbye Girl on a Train

8.

American contestant in child beauty pageants, murdered at the age of six in 1996;

First Labour Prime Minister of the UK

JonBenét Ramsey/Ramsay MacDonald

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - 'Size Matters'

1.

In 1999 Michael J Fox provided the voice for which screen rodent?

Stuart Little

2.

Which group sang about 'Whiskey in the jar'?

Thin Lizzy

3.

Which 1995 film (set in Las Vegas) co-starred John Travolta, Danny de Vito, Gene Hackman and Rene Russo?

Get Shorty

4.

In show business how are Cyril Mead and Edward McGuinness better known?

Little and Large

5.

Who got to No.1 in 1967 with the song Let the Heartaches Begin?

Long John Baldry

6.

How was wrestler Martin Austin Ruane better known?

Giant Haystacks

7.

Philip Marlowe first appeared in which novel published in 1939?

The Big Sleep

8.

Which 1980 gangster film starred Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren?

The Long Good Friday

Sp1

American musician, singer and songwriter J P Richardson Jnr who died in a plane crash in 1959 was better known by what name?

The Big Bopper

Sp2

What is the state capital of Arkansas?

Little Rock

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - 'Born on this day'

1.

Born on this day in 1954, which rock singer is known for his love of mountain climbing – he was filmed scaling the Half Dome peak in Yosemite National Park for the video of his biggest solo UK hit, 1988’s Just Like Paradise?

David Lee Roth

2.

Born on this day in 1935, which Withington Girls school-educated woman has been married to sports commentator Neil Durden-Smith since 1964?  She has presented Come Dancing and Woman’s Hour.

Judith Chalmers

3.

The airport in Parma, Italy is named after which man, born on this day in 1813?

Giuseppe Verdi

4.

Born on this day in 1923, which presenter once held the record for the longest after-dinner speech before it was reclaimed by former holder Gyles Brandreth.  At eleven hours long, it significantly exceeded the period of time he is best known for presiding over.

Nicholas Parsons

5.

Born on this day in 1825 and nicknamed 'Oom' or 'Uncle', who came to international prominence as the face of the Boer cause in the late 19th century?  He was President of the Transvaal (officially called the 'South African Republic') from 1883 to 1900.

Paul Kruger

6.

Born on this day in 1923, which sports commentator was known for his preference for standing when commentating?  In the early part of his career, he combined his reporting with a role as an account director for an advertising company – most notably coining the slogan "made to make your mouth water" for Opal Fruits.

Murray Walker

7.

Born on this day in 1964, which actress’s two biggest TV roles of recent years have been in two Sally Wainwright-penned drama series both set in Yorkshire?

Sarah Lancashire

8.

Which man, born on this day in 1953, co-wrote the second-biggest selling single in UK chart history?  His stage name is a phonetic reversal of the diminutive of his real name, James.

Midge Ure

Sp

Born on this day in 1946, which actor’s roles include Alistair Denniston in The Imitation Game, Benedict in Last Action Hero and Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones?  His big break came in a 1984 Granada TV series which also starred Geraldine James and Tim Piggot-Smith.

Charles Dance

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers