ROUND 1 - "Can you see the hidden theme?"

1.

Which was director Stanley Kubrick’s last film completed only six days before his death in 1999?

2.

Which film of 2001 starred Jim Broadbent as real-life Oxford academic John Bayley?  He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal.

3.

Which well-loved and long-running children’s television programme was hosted by Pat Keysell and a male colleague from 1964-1976?

4.

Which Dutch group had their biggest singles chart success in the UK with Sylvia in 1972 when it reached Number 4?

5.

Which town in Northern France has hosted Euro and FIFA World Cup games as well as Rugby World Cup matches?  In Euro 2016 England beat Wales there 2-1.

6.

Which sports format officially debuted in England on June 13th 2003 and internationally on August 5th 2004?

7.

Suzanne Richards, Luthfur Rahman and Abid Chohan are Manchester City Councillors representing which ward?

8.

When sailing down the length of the Nile from Khartoum apart from crocodiles what might impair one’s stately progress on three occasions (formerly on six occasions)?

Sp.

Which actor won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor?  Formerly married to Claire Bloom he was the father of her only child.

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

Which song that reached No 2 in 1984 inspired a future American Grammy and Oscar winner to adopt a particular stage name?  The song had a video, the rights of which had to be purchased from the then East German government.

2.

Which 1945 song was sung by the character Nellie Fowler to comfort her cousin Julie Jordan after her husband Billy falls on his knife after a failed robbery?  The song is heard regularly in Dortmund and Glasgow, amongst other places.

3.

Which company is the world’s largest toy distributor with 1.5 billion toys annually?  Although founded in 1955 it did not start toy distribution until 1979

4.

Which UK food product is thought to be named after the elite guard of Italian kings?  The term was used in Italy to signify anything thought special and was adopted by sellers of this product.

5.

Where am I?  A country more interested in GNH (Gross National Happiness) than GDP and as yet it has no traffic lights.  It is the most carbon neutral country in the world and has the highest average altitude of any country.  It is known as 'Druk Yul' in its native language.

6.

Where am I?  I am standing on a British island inhabited by seabirds such as gannets and puffins.  Colloquially known as 'Paddy’s Milestone' this is where granite for curling stones is obtained.  John Keats wrote a poem about the island in 1818.  The island has a connection with Dickenson Road.

7.

In Arthurian legend what is the name of the vacant seat at the Round Table reserved for whoever finds the Holy Grail?  To sit in it undeservedly was said to be a fatal act.

8.

What is the commonly used three-letter name for King Arthur’s lance?  It was reputedly used by Arthur in his fatal battle with Mordred.  Its name is derived from the shortening of the original Welsh name

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - "Complete the list"

Each question is a list of 5 items with a missing BLANK answer - what is the missing item in each list?

1.

Wishing You Were Here; BLANK; The Wall; The Final Cut; A Momentary Lapse of Reason

2.

Chuckchi Sea; East Siberian Sea; Laptev Sea; Kara Sea; BLANK

3.

The Moon; Io; BLANK; Titan; Ganymede

4.

World Trade Centre; Sears Tower; Petronas Towers; BLANK; Burj Khalifa

5.

Mili Smith; Hailey Duff; Vicky Wright; Eve Muirhead; BLANK

6.

Jack Niklaus 18; Tiger Woods 15; Walter Hagen 11; Ben Hogan 9; BLANK 9

7.

Banks Island; Newfoundland; Victoria Island; BLANK; Baffin Island

8.

Lily; Herman; Grandpa; Marilyn; BLANK

Sp1

William Henry Harrison; BLANK; Abraham Lincoln; James Garfield; William McKinley

Sp2

Curling; Skeleton; Figure Skating; Bobsleigh; BLANK

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - "Non-PC to PC to Wokery"

1.

Starring Jack Smethurst, Rudolph Walker, Nina Baden-Semper and Kate Williams which Thames Television comedy series, written by Vince Powell and Harry Driver, ran for eight series from 1972 to 1976?  Enormously popular at the time any re-showings are preceded by a warning that language might cause offence.

2.

Starring Barry Evans as teacher Jeremy Brown which London Weekend Television comedy, written by Vince Powell, ran from 1977 to 1979 and revived in 1985?  It was cancelled by Michael Grade, despite having 18 million viewers, because he considered the stereotyping offensive?  Ironically the show sold well to overseas broadcasters.

3.

Which actress has caused controversy by suggesting that if Jewishness or ethnicity is so integral to, or drives, a role, then that role is best played by someone who is actually Jewish or of that ethnicity, citing the recent portrayal of Golda Meir by (non-Jewish) Helen Mirren?

4.

Which writer insisted that all the gay characters in his highly-acclaimed 2021 drama series It’s A Sin be played by gay actors?

5.

Two of the Beano’s Bash Street Kids have had a name change after 65 years.  Give EITHER of the new names of the boys formerly known as 'Fatty' and 'Spotty'.

6.

Two girls have been added to the Bash Street Kids: Mandira Sharma and Harsha Chandra.  They join the only other original girl in the class - a tomboy who is the similarly dressed twin sister of Sidney.  What is her nickname (for now…)?

7.

Which Russell Group University, located in what is said to be England’s most woke city, has issued guidance on the use of pronouns and emojis for non-binary individuals?  This includes not only people who are 2SLBQTQQIAP+ but also those who are 'xenic' (identify with other species).

8.

Helpfully Bristol University has suggested the pronouns 'nya' and 'nyan' for those individuals who identify as cats or other large felines.  Nya and nyan mean 'Meow' in which foreign language?

Sp.

Which 1969 London Weekend television comedy series, written by Johnny Speight, starred a blacked-up Spike Milligan as an Irishman of Pakistani ethnicity named Kevin O’Grady and nicknamed Paki-Paddy?  It was regarded as so stereotypically racist that it was ordered to be pulled by the ITA after six episodes.

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - "Some questions to occupy you"

1.

Which fictional character was born on 31st July 1980 to parents James and Lily?

2.

Who is Chief Officer of the Cheshire Association of Local Councils who also now has a national profile?

3.

Which 1972 film starring Charles Bronson and Jan-Michel Vincent was remade in 2011 starring Jason Statham and Ben Foster?

4.

Which 1946 film starring John Garfield and Lana Turner was remade in 1981 starring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange?

5.

Which cabinet minister introduced five in-service training days for teachers in 1988 to promote continuing professional development?

6.

Which singer had We’ve Only Just Begun as her first dance at her wedding in 1980 and played a new song Because We Are In Love at the reception?  Sadly, the marriage failed after a year.

7.

Who was wicket keeper of the Indian cricket test team 1961-75 but is also fondly remembered for his time with Lancashire County Cricket Club 1968-76?

8.

Who is the only cricketer to have played Test cricket (1950-63) whilst being an ordained minister (in Holy Orders)?  He also captained his country on two occasions.

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

The only loan word in English from the Nenets language of North Russia gives its name to which item of clothing which was essential winter wear for 1970s boys?

2.

Which item of clothing became the 'must have' Christmas present for boys following a Disney television series and 1955 film performance by actor Fess Parker?

3.

Andy Murray has won BBC Sports Personality of the Year on three occasions.  Four people have won it twice.  Name any TWO of them.

4.

Since 2000 only three Welsh people have been BBC Sports Personality of the Year.  Name any ONE.

5.

Five countries have won the Eurovision Song Contest with a song sung in French.  France, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg are four of them.  Which is the fifth?

6.

Six countries have won the Eurovision Song Contest on five or more occasions.  Ireland, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands and the UK are five of them.  Which is the sixth?

7.

Which US state was the first to resume executions following the reinstatement of the death penalty in the USA in 1976?

8.

Which state has recently abandoned offering a choice of a last meal to condemned prisoners on grounds of expense and waste as prisoners invariably ordered too much and then seemed to lose their appetite when the food arrived?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - "1972 Vintage"

Young David is young no more!  Who else was born in 1972?  They might be successful in other fields, but would any have been any good in a quiz team?

1.

Born Feb 11th he played for Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Manchester City.  He is the most decorated English footballer to have played for an overseas club and is now a co-commentator. Who is he?

2.

Born November 4th he is a winner of the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year.  He has played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona and in 2000 he set a world transfer fee record of 62 million Euros.  Who is he?

3.

Born September 6th this actor came to prominence as Stringer Bell in The Wire and he has played Nelson Mandela on film.  In 2018 he was voted 'Sexiest Man Alive' by People magazine.  Who is he?

4.

Born November 6th this actress has received a BAFTA for Crash and has portrayed Condoleezza Rice on film.  She also played DCI Huntley in Line of Duty.  Who is she?

5.

Born March 25th who is the current Prime Minister of Israel?

6.

Born September 15th who is the present Queen of Spain?

7.

Born August 6th this singer has had success both in a group and as a solo artiste.  She is mother to Bluebell Madonna and Montague.  She has been a guest judge on The X-Factor and has authored several children’s books with the title character Ugenia Lavender.  Who is she?

8.

Born December 22nd this singer has had international success since she was 14.  From 1998-2012 she was in a relationship with actor Johnny Depp with whom she has had two children called Lily-Rose and Jack.  Who is she?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Beginnings and Endings Bingo

Pick a number from 1-12 for your question

1.

Two books of the Bible start with “In the beginning…”.  One is in the Old Testament and one is in the New Testament.  Name both.

2.

Which poem by T S Eliot starts:

“In my beginning is my end”

and ends with

“In my end is my beginning”?

3.

Which popular song from 1977 which became even more popular in 2012 starts with the following lines:

“I, I will be king,
And you, you will be queen,
Though nothing will drive them away,
We can beat them, just for one day.”

Occasionally the singer started with the second verse’s lyrics as heard on video as:

“I, I wish you could swim,
Like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim."?

4.

Which 1968 novel starts with the line:

“The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended.”

and ends with the line:

“But he would think of something.”?

5.

Which 1971 novel starts with the line:

”Like the brief doomed flare of exploding suns that registers dimly on blind men’s eyes, the beginning of the horror passed almost unnoticed; in the shriek of what followed, in fact, was forgotten and perhaps not connected to the horror at all.”?

6.

Which film of 1982 had as its final voiceover:

“Tyrell had told me Rachael was special - no termination date.  I didn’t know how long we had together.  Who does?”?

7.

Which five words follow the opening line:

“Wait a minute, wait a minute”

in a film from 1927?

8.

Which 1959 film ends with the line:

“Well nobody’s perfect”?

9.

About which battle did Churchill say:

“Now, this is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end.  But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning”?

10.

Which writer finally won the Booker Prize for his novel A Sense of an Ending in 2011 having previously been on the shortlist three times for other works?

11.

Which 'remarkable' book of 1929 ends with the line:

“Turning him over one saw that he could not have suffered long; his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come.”?

12.

Which novel sequence of eight books ends, suggesting hope for the future, with the last lines:

“I was still there, sitting under the swaying willow, when Pandora’s Audi sped up the drive, bouncing over the potholes, and drew to a halt outside the house.  I got up and started to walk towards her.”?

(Name the series not the individual book)

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

Spare Round

1.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge put her Grade 5 piano playing to good use when she accompanied which singer at the 2021 Westminster Abbey Carol Service?

2.

The former cable TV actress known as Meghan Markle has had a more muted response to her 2021 birthday appeal to celebrities and others to mentor girls and women re-entering the workplace.  What was this initiative called?

3.

Which French estuary is formed by the confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne north of Bordeaux? 

4.

Probably set in 1980s republican West Belfast (though the city and narrator is never named) what is the title of the 2018 Booker Prize winning novel by Irish author Anna Burn?

5.

What is the stage name of the singer (and occasional presenter) Graham McPherson?

6.

Which whisky is produced by the Distillers of Tain?

7.

Who is the only Mancunian to win a Nobel and an Ignobel Prize?

8.

Yesterday was 'Two’s Day' (22/02/2022).  We hope tonight was '2s night' for all you quizzers. 22022022 is both a palindrome (reading the same from left to right and right to left) but also an ambigram (reading the same upside down with usual digital clock figures font).  What date was the last palindrome/ambigram?  When will the next one be?

(Something to work out over drinks maybe?)

Go to Spare Round questions with answers

ROUND 1 - "Can you see the hidden theme?"

1.

Which was director Stanley Kubrick’s last film completed only six days before his death in 1999?

Eyes Wide Shut

2.

Which film of 2001 starred Jim Broadbent as real-life Oxford academic John Bayley?  He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal.

Iris

3.

Which well-loved and long-running children’s television programme was hosted by Pat Keysell and a male colleague from 1964-1976?

Vision On

4.

Which Dutch group had their biggest singles chart success in the UK with Sylvia in 1972 when it reached Number 4?

Focus

5.

Which town in Northern France has hosted Euro and FIFA World Cup games as well as Rugby World Cup matches?  In Euro 2016 England beat Wales there 2-1.

Lens

6.

Which sports format officially debuted in England on June 13th 2003 and internationally on August 5th 2004?

Twenty20 Cricket

7.

Suzanne Richards, Luthfur Rahman and Abid Chohan are Manchester City Councillors representing which ward?

Longsight

8.

When sailing down the length of the Nile from Khartoum apart from crocodiles what might impair one’s stately progress on three occasions (formerly on six occasions)?

Cataracts

Sp.

Which actor won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor?  Formerly married to Claire Bloom he was the father of her only child.

Rod Steiger

Theme: Each answer contains a reference to matters optical...

eyes, iris, vision, focus, lens, 20/20, long sight, cataracts and rods

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

Which song that reached No 2 in 1984 inspired a future American Grammy and Oscar winner to adopt a particular stage name?  The song had a video, the rights of which had to be purchased from the then East German government.

Radio Gaga

(video was from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis)

2.

Which 1945 song was sung by the character Nellie Fowler to comfort her cousin Julie Jordan after her husband Billy falls on his knife after a failed robbery?  The song is heard regularly in Dortmund and Glasgow, amongst other places.

You’ll Never Walk Alone

(from Carousel)

3.

Which company is the world’s largest toy distributor with 1.5 billion toys annually?  Although founded in 1955 it did not start toy distribution until 1979

McDonalds

(every Happy Meal comes with a toy)

4.

Which UK food product is thought to be named after the elite guard of Italian kings?  The term was used in Italy to signify anything thought special and was adopted by sellers of this product.

5.

Where am I?  A country more interested in GNH (Gross National Happiness) than GDP and as yet it has no traffic lights.  It is the most carbon neutral country in the world and has the highest average altitude of any country.  It is known as 'Druk Yul' in its native language.

('Druk Yul' means 'Land of the Thunder Dragon')

6.

Where am I?  I am standing on a British island inhabited by seabirds such as gannets and puffins.  Colloquially known as 'Paddy’s Milestone' this is where granite for curling stones is obtained.  John Keats wrote a poem about the island in 1818.  The island has a connection with Dickenson Road.

(name of a GP surgery in Longsight)

7.

In Arthurian legend what is the name of the vacant seat at the Round Table reserved for whoever finds the Holy Grail?  To sit in it undeservedly was said to be a fatal act.

(also accept 'The Perilous Seat')

8.

What is the commonly used three-letter name for King Arthur’s lance?  It was reputedly used by Arthur in his fatal battle with Mordred.  Its name is derived from the shortening of the original Welsh name

(full name Rhongomyniad)

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - "Complete the list"

Each question is a list of 5 items with a missing BLANK answer - what is the missing item in each list?

1.

Wishing You Were Here; BLANK; The Wall; The Final Cut; A Momentary Lapse of Reason

Animals

(consecutive Pink Floyd albums 1975-1987)

2.

Chuckchi Sea; East Siberian Sea; Laptev Sea; Kara Sea; BLANK

Barents Sea

(east to west the five seas bordering north Russian coast)

3.

The Moon; Io; BLANK; Titan; Ganymede

Callisto

(in ascending order the five largest satellites)

4.

World Trade Centre; Sears Tower; Petronas Towers; BLANK; Burj Khalifa

Taipei 101

(last five holders of world’s highest inhabited building)

5.

Mili Smith; Hailey Duff; Vicky Wright; Eve Muirhead; BLANK

Jennifer Dodds

(team GB curling Olympic Gold medallists)

6.

Jack Niklaus 18; Tiger Woods 15; Walter Hagen 11; Ben Hogan 9; BLANK 9

Gary Player

(golfers with most Majors)

7.

Banks Island; Newfoundland; Victoria Island; BLANK; Baffin Island

Ellesmere Island

(in ascending order Canada’s largest islands)

8.

Lily; Herman; Grandpa; Marilyn; BLANK

Eddie

(family members of the Munsters)

Sp1

William Henry Harrison; BLANK; Abraham Lincoln; James Garfield; William McKinley

(from earliest first five US presidents to die in office)

Sp2

Curling; Skeleton; Figure Skating; Bobsleigh; BLANK

Ice Hockey

(Winter Olympic Sports where team GB have won gold - Ice Hockey gold was in 1936)

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - "Non-PC to PC to Wokery"

1.

Starring Jack Smethurst, Rudolph Walker, Nina Baden-Semper and Kate Williams which Thames Television comedy series, written by Vince Powell and Harry Driver, ran for eight series from 1972 to 1976?  Enormously popular at the time any re-showings are preceded by a warning that language might cause offence.

2.

Starring Barry Evans as teacher Jeremy Brown which London Weekend Television comedy, written by Vince Powell, ran from 1977 to 1979 and revived in 1985?  It was cancelled by Michael Grade, despite having 18 million viewers, because he considered the stereotyping offensive?  Ironically the show sold well to overseas broadcasters.

Mind Your Language

3.

Which actress has caused controversy by suggesting that if Jewishness or ethnicity is so integral to, or drives, a role, then that role is best played by someone who is actually Jewish or of that ethnicity, citing the recent portrayal of Golda Meir by (non-Jewish) Helen Mirren?

4.

Which writer insisted that all the gay characters in his highly-acclaimed 2021 drama series It’s A Sin be played by gay actors?

5.

Two of the Beano’s Bash Street Kids have had a name change after 65 years.  Give EITHER of the new names of the boys formerly known as 'Fatty' and 'Spotty'.

6.

Two girls have been added to the Bash Street Kids: Mandira Sharma and Harsha Chandra.  They join the only other original girl in the class - a tomboy who is the similarly dressed twin sister of Sidney.  What is her nickname (for now…)?

7.

Which Russell Group University, located in what is said to be England’s most woke city, has issued guidance on the use of pronouns and emojis for non-binary individuals?  This includes not only people who are 2SLBQTQQIAP+ but also those who are 'xenic' (identify with other species).

8.

Helpfully Bristol University has suggested the pronouns 'nya' and 'nyan' for those individuals who identify as cats or other large felines.  Nya and nyan mean 'Meow' in which foreign language?

Sp.

Which 1969 London Weekend television comedy series, written by Johnny Speight, starred a blacked-up Spike Milligan as an Irishman of Pakistani ethnicity named Kevin O’Grady and nicknamed Paki-Paddy?  It was regarded as so stereotypically racist that it was ordered to be pulled by the ITA after six episodes.

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - "Some questions to occupy you"

1.

Which fictional character was born on 31st July 1980 to parents James and Lily?

Harry Potter

2.

Who is Chief Officer of the Cheshire Association of Local Councils who also now has a national profile?

Jackie Weaver

3.

Which 1972 film starring Charles Bronson and Jan-Michel Vincent was remade in 2011 starring Jason Statham and Ben Foster?

The Mechanic

4.

Which 1946 film starring John Garfield and Lana Turner was remade in 1981 starring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange?

The Postman Always Rings Twice

5.

Which cabinet minister introduced five in-service training days for teachers in 1988 to promote continuing professional development?

Kenneth Baker

6.

Which singer had We’ve Only Just Begun as her first dance at her wedding in 1980 and played a new song Because We Are In Love at the reception?  Sadly, the marriage failed after a year.

Karen Carpenter

7.

Who was wicket keeper of the Indian cricket test team 1961-75 but is also fondly remembered for his time with Lancashire County Cricket Club 1968-76?

Farokh Engineer

8.

Who is the only cricketer to have played Test cricket (1950-63) whilst being an ordained minister (in Holy Orders)?  He also captained his country on two occasions.

David Sheppard

Theme: Each answer contains the name of an occupation:

Potter, Weaver, Mechanic, Postman, Baker, Carpenter, Engineer, Shepherd

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

The only loan word in English from the Nenets language of North Russia gives its name to which item of clothing which was essential winter wear for 1970s boys?

Parka

(as in parka jacket)

2.

Which item of clothing became the 'must have' Christmas present for boys following a Disney television series and 1955 film performance by actor Fess Parker?

The Davy Crockett hat

3.

Andy Murray has won BBC Sports Personality of the Year on three occasions.  Four people have won it twice.  Name any TWO of them.

Henry Cooper

4.

Since 2000 only three Welsh people have been BBC Sports Personality of the Year.  Name any ONE.

Geraint Thomas (2018)

5.

Five countries have won the Eurovision Song Contest with a song sung in French.  France, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg are four of them.  Which is the fifth?

(winner in 1971)

6.

Six countries have won the Eurovision Song Contest on five or more occasions.  Ireland, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands and the UK are five of them.  Which is the sixth?

(with six wins)

7.

Which US state was the first to resume executions following the reinstatement of the death penalty in the USA in 1976?

Utah

8.

Which state has recently abandoned offering a choice of a last meal to condemned prisoners on grounds of expense and waste as prisoners invariably ordered too much and then seemed to lose their appetite when the food arrived?

Texas

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - "1972 Vintage"

Young David is young no more!  Who else was born in 1972?  They might be successful in other fields, but would any have been any good in a quiz team?

1.

Born Feb 11th he played for Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Manchester City.  He is the most decorated English footballer to have played for an overseas club and is now a co-commentator. Who is he?

Steve McManaman

2.

Born November 4th he is a winner of the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year.  He has played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona and in 2000 he set a world transfer fee record of 62 million Euros.  Who is he?

Luis Figo

3.

Born September 6th this actor came to prominence as Stringer Bell in The Wire and he has played Nelson Mandela on film.  In 2018 he was voted 'Sexiest Man Alive' by People magazine.  Who is he?

Idris Elba

4.

Born November 6th this actress has received a BAFTA for Crash and has portrayed Condoleezza Rice on film.  She also played DCI Huntley in Line of Duty.  Who is she?

Thandiwe (or Thandi) Newton

5.

Born March 25th who is the current Prime Minister of Israel?

Naftali Bennett

6.

Born September 15th who is the present Queen of Spain?

Queen Letizia

7.

Born August 6th this singer has had success both in a group and as a solo artiste.  She is mother to  2 children: Bluebell Madonna and Montague.  She has been a guest judge on The X-Factor and has authored several children’s books with the title character Ugenia Lavender.  Who is she?

(accept also Geri Horner or Ginger Spice)

8.

Born December 22nd this singer has had international success since she was 14.  From 1998-2012 she was in a relationship with actor Johnny Depp with whom she has had two children called Lily-Rose and Jack.  Who is she?

Vanessa Paradis

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - Beginnings and Endings Bingo

Pick a number from 1-12 for your question

1.

Two books of the Bible start with “In the beginning…”.  One is in the Old Testament and one is in the New Testament.  Name both.

2.

Which poem by T S Eliot starts:

“In my beginning is my end”

and ends with

“In my end is my beginning”?

3.

Which popular song from 1977 which became even more popular in 2012 starts with the following lines:

“I, I will be king,
And you, you will be queen,
Though nothing will drive them away,
We can beat them, just for one day.”

Occasionally the singer started with the second verse’s lyrics as heard on video as:

“I, I wish you could swim,
Like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim."?

4.

Which 1968 novel starts with the line:

“The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended.”

and ends with the line:

“But he would think of something.”?

5.

Which 1971 novel starts with the line:

”Like the brief doomed flare of exploding suns that registers dimly on blind men’s eyes, the beginning of the horror passed almost unnoticed; in the shriek of what followed, in fact, was forgotten and perhaps not connected to the horror at all.”?

6.

Which film of 1982 had as its final voiceover:

“Tyrell had told me Rachael was special - no termination date.  I didn’t know how long we had together.  Who does?”?

7.

Which five words follow the opening line:

“Wait a minute, wait a minute”

in a film from 1927?

8.

Which 1959 film ends with the line:

“Well nobody’s perfect”?

9.

About which battle did Churchill say:

“Now, this is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end.  But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning”?

10.

Which writer finally won the Booker Prize for his novel A Sense of an Ending in 2011 having previously been on the shortlist three times for other works?

11.

Which 'remarkable' book of 1929 ends with the line:

“Turning him over one saw that he could not have suffered long; his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come.”?

12.

Which novel sequence of eight books ends, suggesting hope for the future, with the last lines:

“I was still there, sitting under the swaying willow, when Pandora’s Audi sped up the drive, bouncing over the potholes, and drew to a halt outside the house.  I got up and started to walk towards her.”?

(Name the series not the individual book)

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers

Spare Round

1.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge put her Grade 5 piano playing to good use when she accompanied which singer at the 2021 Westminster Abbey Carol Service?

2.

The former cable TV actress known as Meghan Markle has had a more muted response to her 2021 birthday appeal to celebrities and others to mentor girls and women re-entering the workplace.  What was this initiative called?

40 X 40

3.

Which French estuary is formed by the confluence of the Dordogne and Garonne north of Bordeaux? 

Gironde

4.

Probably set in 1980s republican West Belfast (though the city and narrator is never named) what is the title of the 2018 Booker Prize winning novel by Irish author Anna Burn?

Milkman

5.

What is the stage name of the singer (and occasional presenter) Graham McPherson?

Suggs

6.

Which whisky is produced by the Distillers of Tain?

Glenmorangie

7.

Who is the only Mancunian to win a Nobel and an Ignobel Prize?

Andrei Geim

8.

Yesterday was 'Two’s Day' (22/02/2022).  We hope tonight was '2s night' for all you quizzers. 22022022 is both a palindrome (reading the same from left to right and right to left) but also an ambigram (reading the same upside down with usual digital clock figures font).  What date was the last palindrome/ambigram?  When will the next one be?

(Something to work out over drinks maybe?)

Go back to Spare Round questions without answers