ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

Why has Hans Neimann been in the news recently?

2.

What was the name of the Acts of Parliament of 1799 and 1800 that effectively made trade unions illegal?

3.

Who proposed the existence of a teapot in orbit around the sun to illustrate that the burden of proof lies upon the person making unfalsifiable claims, rather that shifting the burden of disproof to others?

4.

Who has recently been replaced by Sally Lindsay, Stephen Mangan, Konnie Huq, Alex Brooker, Lauren Laverne and Ed Gamble?

5.

In which 1970s TV series did the computers called Zen and Orac appear?

6.

In which 1970s TV series did characters travel by ‘jaunting’?

7.

Which village in Berkshire gave its name to a system of economic relief for the poor?  It was superseded by the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834?

8.

What is the name of the spoof religion that worships The Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Sp1

In the Roman Republic, it was sometimes deemed necessary to appoint an extraordinary magistrate with full authority over all others, to deal with a specific problem, usually for a time limited period.  What was the title given to the holder of such an office?

Sp2

Which city stands at the confluence of the Amazon and the Rio Negro?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Pairs

With each pair featuring a different style of question

1.

Europe’s largest bank by asset value (and one of its largest money launderers by level of fines imposed);

&

Character appearing in nine films across a 42 year period, portrayed by the same actor in every film.

2.

Separated by a wall and 245 years from a neighbour in broadly the same profession;

&

Largest Scandinavian bank by asset value.

Who were they then?

3.

Earl of Beaconsfield was the title taken by which prime minister?

4.

Earl of Avon was the title taken by which prime minister?

Spot the connection

5.

Politically what connects Oldham, Dundee, Epping and Woodford?

6.

What connects Fontevraud Abbey in 1199 with Leicester cathedral in 2015?

'It happened again'

7.

It allegedly took place at Pisa between 1589 and 1592.  More than three hundred and eighty years later and a long way away it definitely took place.  What was it?

8.

It happened at Seoul in 1988 and again at Sydney in 2000.  What?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - 'Peaky Blinders' - a round about the Peak District

1.

What is the largest town located within the Peak District National Park?

2.

What is the significance of Flash, a Staffordshire village between Leek and Buxton?

3.

This much-loved actor was born in the Derbyshire village of Hayfield in 1915.  He appeared in Coronation Street from 1960 to 1966.  His films include Spring and Port Wine, O Lucky Man! and No Sex Please We’re British.  Who is he?

4.

Which Booker Prize winning author was born in Glossop in 1952 and was brought up in the Derbyshire village of Hadfield?

5.

What phrase links a woodland perennial with the Latin name Polemonium Caeruleum and a section of the Pennine Way above Edale?

6.

What name links a wildflower with the Latin name Veronica Officianalis and a cavern outside Castleton?

7.

What is the symbol of the Peak District National Park?

8.

There are 26,000 miles of this man-made feature in the Peak District.  What is it?

Sp.

Which fashion designer was born in the Derbyshire village of Tintwistle in 1941?  She has a shop on Spring Gardens in Manchester city centre.

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - 'When you thought things couldn't get worse' - Hidden theme

Usual caveats apply (soundalikes etc.)

1.

Which single by the Psychedelic Furs starts with the lines:

"Caroline laughs and it’s raining all day / She loves to be one of the girls."?

2.

What surname was shared by a long standing mistress of Charles II and the Duke of Buckingham who served in the Cabal Ministry under him?

3.

Who was credited as the first signer of the American Declaration of Independence?  His name has become American slang for a signature.  (surname is sufficient)

4.

Which blues harmonica player had the nickname 'Sonny Boy'?  (surname is sufficient)

5.

Who won the 2005 Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in the film Walk the Line.  Her other films include (appropriately, given the theme) Cruel Intentions followed by Election.

6.

Which single by Blur starts with the lines:

"Do you feel like a chain store / Practically floored / One of many zeroes / Kicked around bored"?

7.

What name is given to a substance which combines with a dye or stain to fix it in a material?  The word can also be used to describe a sardonic sense of humour.

8.

 What has been the official motto of the USA since 1956 when it replaced 'E Pluribus Unum'?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

Usual caveats apply (soundalikes etc.)

1.

Who was the first bowler to take 500 wickets in Test cricket?

2.

Who was the first England football manager to select a black player to represent his country?

3.

This futurist art deco building in Manchester was completed in 1939.  It is the youngest Grade Two listed building in the city centre.  It was designed by Sir Owen Williams and influenced the work of Norman Foster.  What is it?

4.

What is the only private residence of a head of state that is open to the public free of charge?

5.

Which director’s films include Thelma and Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down?

6.

Who links Mick Jagger, Heath Ledger and Peter Carey?

7.

Which song begins with the lyrics:

“Is it a kind of dream? / Floating out on the tide, / Following the river of death downstream, / Oh is it a dream?”

It was the best selling single of 1979.

8.

How do boxing, judo, taekwondo and wrestling differ from other Olympic events?

Sp.

Which Cumbrian town has a view from its churchyard which was painted by Turner and is known as Ruskin’s View?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1.

What is the trade name for a follow spotlight used in stadium, concert and special event lighting which makes the performer on stage shine but also temporarily blinds them at the same time?

2.

What could be defined as: 'Tricks used to deceive, or words used to hide what is happening, sleight of hand, nonsense or sham used to cloak deception'?

3.

What is being described here: 'It produces sound by a hand-cranked-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings'?

4.

What is being described here: 'A colourful confectionery containing various chopped, usually candied fruits.  It is often found in the form of ice cream; the flavours used most often being cherries, watermelon, raisins and pineapple, frequently accompanied by chopped nuts'?

5.

This 'minced oath' is also the title of a 2001 American horror film which was the first in a series of four films, commercially successful despite their relatively low budgets?

6.

The first one appeared at Blackpool in 1906 quickly followed by others at Margate and Weston-super-Mare.  Jute or sisal was essential for them to be enjoyed.  What are they?

7.

What could be defined as: 'Showy appearance or performance intended to attract attention or cause confusion'?

8.

What has been a nickname for LSD, a nickname for dried banana peel fibres (smoking which was thought to produce a similar effect to using LSD) and also the trade name of a vibrator?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - Pairs

1.

How has composer Judith Weir’s job description recently changed?

2.

Which Italian city is known as the fat, the red and the learned city because of its reputation for good food, its red buildings and as the site of Europe’s oldest university?

3.

Which Sicilian city was the home of Archimedes?  Its name appears in the title of a musical by Rogers and Hart based on the Comedy of Errors.

4.

Whose law of physics states that the extension of a spring is directly proportional to the force applied?

5.

Whose law of physics states that the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage between the two points?

6.

Which Salford born composer preceded Judith Weir as Master of the Queen’s Music?  His works include Eight Songs for a Mad King.

7.

The battle ship USS Missouri is most famous for what event?

8.

The aircraft nicknamed Bockscar was the second to do what in wartime?

Sp1

In which Italian city is Atalanta football club based?

Sp2

Which Master of the King’s Music composed The Dream of Gerontius?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Hidden theme

Usual caveats apply (soundalikes etc.) - and a transatlantic perspective may come in handy

1.

Which 2021 film, starring Colin Firth, Kelly Macdonald and Matthew Macfadyen retold the true WWII story previously told in 1955’s The Man Who Never Was?

2.

Which classic dish consists of a puree of potatoes, egg yolk and butter, piped into swirls and baked in a hot oven until golden?

3.

Which city in the south of France, famed for its medieval walls, is the prefecture of the department of Aude?

4.

Which 1982 comedy-drama starring Anthony Higgins, Janet Suzman and Hugh Fraser, was the first conventional feature film written and directed by Peter Greenaway?

5.

Which Roman politician and general was responsible for the conquest of much of the province of Britannia and was its governor from CE77to CE85?

6.

Colin Sell is the musical accompanist on which long running radio show?

7.

Which play, first performed in 1952, cannot be licenced for performance by amateurs?

8.

Which 1965 song contains the line: “She would never be free when I was around”?

Sp1

Which 1925 film by Sergei Eisenstein portrays events during the Russian Revolution of 1905?

Sp2

Which short-lived band released the album Layla and Other Assorted Loves Songs in 1970?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

Why has Hans Neimann been in the news recently?

He has been accused of cheating at chess

(by the World Champion, Magnus Carlsen)

2.

What was the name of the Acts of Parliament of 1799 and 1800 that effectively made trade unions illegal?

3.

Who proposed the existence of a teapot in orbit around the sun to illustrate that the burden of proof lies upon the person making unfalsifiable claims, rather that shifting the burden of disproof to others?

Bertrand Russell

4.

Who has recently been replaced by Sally Lindsay, Stephen Mangan, Konnie Huq, Alex Brooker, Lauren Laverne and Ed Gamble?

Richard Osman

(as co-presenter of Pointless)

5.

In which 1970s TV series did the computers called Zen and Orac appear?

Blake’s 7

6.

In which 1970s TV series did characters travel by ‘jaunting’?

The Tomorrow People

7.

Which village in Berkshire gave its name to a system of economic relief for the poor?  It was superseded by the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834?

Speenhamland

8.

What is the name of the spoof religion that worships The Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Pastafarianism

Sp1

In the Roman Republic, it was sometimes deemed necessary to appoint an extraordinary magistrate with full authority over all others, to deal with a specific problem, usually for a time limited period.  What was the title given to the holder of such an office?

Dictator

Sp2

Which city stands at the confluence of the Amazon and the Rio Negro?

Manaus

ROUND 2 - Pairs

With each pair featuring a different style of question

Run Ons: 'A Run on the Banks'

Usual Run Ons rules apply

1.

Europe’s largest bank by asset value (and one of its largest money launderers by level of fines imposed);

&

Character appearing in nine films across a 42 year period, portrayed by the same actor in every film.

HSBC3PO

2.

Separated by a wall and 245 years from a neighbour in broadly the same profession;

&

Largest Scandinavian bank by asset value.

George Frideric Handelsbanken

(Jimi Hendrix lived in the London house next door)

Who were they then?

3.

Earl of Beaconsfield was the title taken by which prime minister?

Disraeli

4.

Earl of Avon was the title taken by which prime minister?

Anthony Eden

Spot the connection

5.

Politically what connects Oldham, Dundee, Epping and Woodford?

They were the seats represented by Winston Churchill in parliament

6.

What connects Fontevraud Abbey in 1199 with Leicester cathedral in 2015?

The burial places of English monarchs named Richard

(the first and third in this case)

'It’s happened again'

7.

It allegedly took place at Pisa between 1589 and 1592.  More than three hundred and eighty years later and a long way away it definitely took place.  What was it?

A gravitational experiment to prove that objects of different masses fall with the same acceleration

(the second experiment took place on the moon in 1971)

8.

It happened at Seoul in 1988 and again at Sydney in 2000.  What?

Olympic gold medals for the 100 metres being stripped for drug offences

(the answer must refer to gold medals and athletics -  do not accept just drug cheating at the Olympics)

The people in question were Ben Johnson in 1988 and Marion Jones in 2000. Jones also lost the 200 metres gold for the same offence and the bronze in the long jump. Americans always have to go one better don’t they?

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - 'Peaky Blinders' - a round about the Peak District

1.

What is the largest town located within the Peak District National Park?

Bakewell

2.

What is the significance of Flash, a Staffordshire village between Leek and Buxton?

It is the highest village in Britain

(it is 1519 feet above sea level)

3.

This much-loved actor was born in the Derbyshire village of Hayfield in 1915.  He appeared in Coronation Street from 1960 to 1966.  His films include Spring and Port Wine, O Lucky Man! and No Sex Please We’re British.  Who is he?

Arthur Lowe

4.

Which Booker Prize winning author was born in Glossop in 1952 and was brought up in the Derbyshire village of Hadfield?

Hilary Mantel

5.

What phrase links a woodland perennial with the Latin name Polemonium Caeruleum and a section of the Pennine Way above Edale?

Jacob's Ladder

6.

What name links a wildflower with the Latin name Veronica Officianalis and a cavern outside Castleton?

Speedwell

7.

What is the symbol of the Peak District National Park?

A millstone

8.

There are 26,000 miles of this man-made feature in the Peak District.  What is it?

Dry stone walls

Sp.

Which fashion designer was born in the Derbyshire village of Tintwistle in 1941?  She has a shop on Spring Gardens in Manchester city centre.

Vivienne Westwood

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - 'When you thought things couldn't get worse' - Hidden theme

Usual caveats apply (soundalikes etc.)

1.

Which single by the Psychedelic Furs starts with the lines:

"Caroline laughs and it’s raining all day / She loves to be one of the girls."?

Pretty in Pink

2.

What surname was shared by a long standing mistress of Charles II and the Duke of Buckingham who served in the Cabal Ministry under him?

Villiers

3.

Who was credited as the first signer of the American Declaration of Independence?  His name has become American slang for a signature.  (surname is sufficient)

(John) Hancock

4.

Which blues harmonica player had the nickname 'Sonny Boy'?  (surname is sufficient)

(John Lee Curtis) Williamson

5.

Who won the 2005 Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in the film Walk the Line.  Her other films include (appropriately, given the theme) Cruel Intentions followed by Election.

Reese Witherspoon

6.

Which single by Blur starts with the lines:

"Do you feel like a chain store / Practically floored / One of many zeroes / Kicked around bored"?

Coffee and TV

7.

What name is given to a substance which combines with a dye or stain to fix it in a material?  The word can also be used to describe a sardonic sense of humour.

Mordant

8.

 What has been the official motto of the USA since 1956 when it replaced 'E Pluribus Unum'?

'In God We Trust'

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a minister who served under Boris Johnson - half of them are still in power

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

Usual caveats apply (soundalikes etc.)

1.

Who was the first bowler to take 500 wickets in Test cricket?

Courtney Walsh

2.

Who was the first England football manager to select a black player to represent his country?

Ron Greenwood

(he selected Viv Anderson in 1978)

3.

This futurist art deco building in Manchester was completed in 1939.  It is the youngest Grade Two listed building in the city centre.  It was designed by Sir Owen Williams and influenced the work of Norman Foster.  What is it?

The Daily Express Building

(on Great Ancoats Street)

4.

What is the only private residence of a head of state that is open to the public free of charge?

The White House

5.

Which director’s films include Thelma and Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down?

Ridley Scott

6.

Who links Mick Jagger, Heath Ledger and Peter Carey?

Ned Kelly

(Mick Jagger and Heath Ledger have played him in films and Peter Carey wrote the novel True History of the Kelly Gang)

7.

Which song begins with the lyrics:

“Is it a kind of dream? / Floating out on the tide, / Following the river of death downstream, / Oh is it a dream?”

It was the best selling single of 1979.

Bright Eyes

(a number one for Art Garfunkel)

8.

How do boxing, judo, taekwondo and wrestling differ from other Olympic events?

Two bronze medals are awarded

(to the losing semi-finalists)

Sp.

Which Cumbrian town has a view from its churchyard which was painted by Turner and is known as Ruskin’s View?

Kirkby Lonsdale

Theme: Each answer contains the surname of a member of England Women’s Football Team (the Lionesses) that won the 2022 European Championships:

Keira WALSH, Alex GREENWOOD, Rachel DALY, Ellen WHITE, Jill SCOTT, Chloe KELLY, Millie BRIGHT, Lucy BRONZE and Fran KIRBY

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1.

What is the trade name for a follow spotlight used in stadium, concert and special event lighting which makes the performer on stage shine but also temporarily blinds them at the same time?

 Super Trouper

2.

What could be defined as: 'Tricks used to deceive, or words used to hide what is happening, sleight of hand, nonsense or sham used to cloak deception'?

Hocus Pocus

3.

What is being described here: 'It produces sound by a hand-cranked-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings'?

Hurdy Gurdy

4.

What is being described here: 'A colourful confectionery containing various chopped, usually candied fruits.  It is often found in the form of ice cream; the flavours used most often being cherries, watermelon, raisins and pineapple, frequently accompanied by chopped nuts'?

Tutti Frutti

5.

This 'minced oath' is also the title of a 2001 American horror film which was the first in a series of four films, commercially successful despite their relatively low budgets?

Jeepers Creepers

(the minced oath being a substitute for Jesus Christ)

6.

The first one appeared at Blackpool in 1906 quickly followed by others at Margate and Weston-super-Mare.  Jute or sisal was essential for them to be enjoyed.  What are they?

Helter Skelter

7.

What could be defined as: 'Showy appearance or performance intended to attract attention or cause confusion'?

Razzle Dazzle

8.

What has been a nickname for LSD, a nickname for dried banana peel fibres (smoking which was thought to produce a similar effect to using LSD) and also the trade name of a vibrator?

Mellow Yellow

Theme: Each answer is a 'flip-flop' word and a song title (Hurdy Gurdy Man in the case of question three)

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - Pairs

1.

How has composer Judith Weir’s job description recently changed?

She was Master of the Queen’s Music now she's Master of the King’s Music

2.

Which Italian city is known as the fat, the red and the learned city because of its reputation for good food, its red buildings and as the site of Europe’s oldest university?

Bologna

(the red also applies to its reputation as a hotbed of communism)

3.

Which Sicilian city was the home of Archimedes?  Its name appears in the title of a musical by Rogers and Hart based on the Comedy of Errors.

Syracuse

(The Boys from Syracuse)

4.

Whose law of physics states that the extension of a spring is directly proportional to the force applied?

Hooke

5.

Whose law of physics states that the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage between the two points?

Ohm

6.

Which Salford born composer preceded Judith Weir as Master of the Queen’s Music?  His works include Eight Songs for a Mad King.

Peter Maxwell Davies

7.

The battle ship USS Missouri is most famous for what event?

The scene of the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II

8.

The aircraft nicknamed Bockscar was the second to do what in wartime?

Drop an atomic bomb

Sp1

In which Italian city is Atalanta football club based?

Bergamo

Sp2

Which Master of the King’s Music composed The Dream of Gerontius?

Elgar

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

Usual caveats apply (soundalikes etc.) - and a transatlantic perspective may come in handy

1.

Which 2021 film, starring Colin Firth, Kelly Macdonald and Matthew Macfadyen retold the true WWII story previously told in 1955’s The Man Who Never Was?

Operation Mincemeat

2.

Which classic dish consists of a puree of potatoes, egg yolk and butter, piped into swirls and baked in a hot oven until golden?

Duchess Potatoes

3.

Which city in the south of France, famed for its medieval walls, is the prefecture of the department of Aude?

Carcassonne

4.

Which 1982 comedy-drama starring Anthony Higgins, Janet Suzman and Hugh Fraser, was the first conventional feature film written and directed by Peter Greenaway?

The Draughtsman’s Contract

5.

Which Roman politician and general was responsible for the conquest of much of the province of Britannia and was its governor from CE77to CE85?

Agricola

6.

Colin Sell is the musical accompanist on which long running radio show?

I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue

7.

Which play, first performed in 1952, cannot be licenced for performance by amateurs?

The Mousetrap

(apparently to avoid giving away the ending)

8.

Which 1965 song contains the line: “She would never be free when I was around”?

Ticket to Ride

Sp1

Which 1925 film by Sergei Eisenstein portrays events during the Russian Revolution of 1905?

Battleship Potemkin

Sp2

Which short-lived band released the album Layla and Other Assorted Loves Songs in 1970?

Derek and the Dominoes

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a board game

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers