ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

All the usual caveats apply

1.

This novel, topped only by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the second biggest selling book of 2003.  A thriller, it follows the investigations of symbologist, Robert Langdon, and cryptologist, Sophie Neveu.  What is it called?

2.

Which actress, who died in 2014, appeared in numerous film and TV roles including All Creatures Great and Small playing Helen Herriott, Doctor Who, Second Thoughts and Faith in the Future.  She is perhaps best known as the star of a long-running series of TV ads which she fronted from 1983 to 1999?

3.

Which Vietnam War battle took place from the 13th to 20th May 1969 and involved a frontal assault by US forces on a heavily fortified ridge held by the Viet Cong.  It was controversial as the ridge was of little strategic value and extensive casualties were caused on both sides?

4.

What was the biggest selling car brand in both the Netherlands and Norway in 2022?

5.

What is the name of the ground where Premiership rugby union club Northampton Saints play their home games?

6.

In tennis, who was John McEnroe’s doubles partner with whom McEnroe won 7 Grand Slam titles? (forename and surname required)

7.

Which playwright, critic and polemicist won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925?

8.

Which series of 24 children’s novels were written by Anthony Buckeridge and document the humorous escapades of a schoolboy at an English prep school?

Sp.

Which comedian, writer and radio DJ was a team captain on Shooting Stars from 1995 to 1997 and hosted Never Mind the Buzzcocks from 1996 to 2005?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

Only three capital cities in the world start with the letter 'O' in English.  Oslo and Ottawa are two. What and where, is the third?

2.

Vaduz, (Lichtenstein), Vienna (Austria), Valletta (Malta) and Vatican City (ditto ) are four capital cities with names starting with 'V' in English.  Name one of the other three and its location.

3.

Alan Partridge called his chat show, Knowing Me, Knowing You.  What did he call his son?

4.

A Spanish term of endearment meaning ’little one’ was the title of which Abba song?

5.

What does 'LG' stand for in LG Electronics?

6.

The name of which global tech company translates as three stars?

7.

Zabid, the hottest city on earth, is in which country?

8.

Oymyakon, the coldest city in the world, is in which country?

Sp.

What is the name of the Daily Telegraph journalist who released Matt Hancock’s text messages to the public last week?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 & 4 - Bingo Round - 'I died since Christmas 2022 but did you read my obituary?'

Choose your question from the initials shown

1.

RW

In which 1966 film did American actress, Raquel Welch, who has died aged 82, star as a cavewoman?  The poster of her from the film was on Tim Robbins wall in The Shawshank Redemption.

2.

JM

In virtually all of the online and print versions of John Motson’s obituary there is a 1990 photo of Mottie wearing his trademark sheepskin coat reporting in a blizzard.  At which football ground did this take place?  The team that plays there is currently in League One having been relegated last season.

3.

BBB

Baroness Betty Boothroyd, first female Speaker in Parliament, has died aged 93.  Which constituency did she represent in the House of Commons?

4.

JB

Guitarist Jeff Beck has died aged 78.  Who was the vocalist in The Jeff Beck Group?

5.

AP

Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters has died aged 74.  Name any two of their four 1970s and 1980s UK top twenty hits.

6.

SBI

Sir Bernard Ingham, who has died aged 90, was born in which Yorkshire town that has been in the headlines in 2023, culminating on Sunday, 12th February, and which he previously bemoaned for its alternative lifestyles?

7.

GV

Gianluca Vialli has died aged 58.  He played for Chelsea but where else could he be found in London on 11th July 2021?

8.

FW

Novelist Fay Weldon has died aged 91.  Patricia Hodge, Dennis Waterman and Julie Wallace starred in a 1983 TV adaptation of which of her novels?

9.

PZ

Who was he referring to?

10.

ZM

Major Zbibniew Mieczkowski has died aged 100.  In August 1944 he was a Polish tank commander fighting the Germans in France.  General Montgomery described the soldiers of the 1st Polish Armoured Division:

“The Germans were trapped as if in a bottle. You were the cork in that bottle”

What is the name of the town where this decisive battle took place thus giving its name to this turning point in the war?

11.

PBX

Pope Benedict XVI has died aged 95.  What nationality was he?

12.

EADN

Edson Arantes do Nascimento has died aged 82.  He played for only two clubs in his illustrious career.  Which were they?

13.

SS

Sylvia Syms has died aged 89.  Name any one of her three main co-stars in the 1958 film Ice Cold in Alex.

14.

BB

Burt Bacharach has died aged 94.  What was the name of his song writing partner with whom he collaborated on classics such as Walk on By and Anyone Who Had a Heart?

15.

GL

Gina Lollabrigida has died aged 95.  Which film director and aviator tried to force her to divorce her husband so that she could marry him when she first arrived in Hollywood in the 1950s?

16.

DC

David Crosby has died aged 81.  Following his departure from The Byrds, with which three artists did he perform at the 1969 Woodstock Festival?  (surnames only required)

17.

PR

Paco Rabane has died aged 88.  For which iconic 1968 sci-fi film did he design the costumes?

18.

TV

Tom Verlaine has died aged 73.  He was lead singer of which New York rock group whose debut album in 1977 was entitled Marquee Moon?

19.

DG

Businessman David Gold has died aged 88.  His Gold Group International (GGI) is the parent company of the two high street retailers.  Name either.

20.

GR

Gary Rossington has died aged 71.  He was the guitarist and last surviving member of which ill-starred rock group?

Go to Round 3 & 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Pairs about health

1.

Name the daughter of Asclepios (Greek god of healing) who is associated in English with cleanliness.

2.

Name his other daughter associated with a cure-all.

3.

What is the medical link between the health of Vivien Leigh, George Orwell and Molière?

4.

What links the deaths of the mothers of Snow White, Oliver Twist and Lord Voldemort?

5.

Name the reservoir constructed in 1894, a miracle of Victorian engineering, which brought clean water 96 miles to a fountain in Albert Square, Manchester.

6.

Name the reservoir linked to Manchester, which in the 2020 drought, revealed the flooded villages of Measand and Mardale Green.

7.

By what name is the disease infectious mononucleosis better known?

8.

Which virus is a primary cause of Glandular Fever?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Highbrow / Lowbrow Run-on round

The first part of each question may require a little more erudition than the second part

Definite / indefinite articles may be ignored where necessary

1.

Classic 1934 Frank Capra romantic comedy starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert,

&

1984 Wes Craven slasher horror film that spawned a successful franchise.

2.

The home of the gods in Norse mythology,

&

Irish actor who portrayed Thermoman in an early 2000’s sit-com.

3.

One of the 'Four Great Inventions' of ancient China alongside paper, printing and gunpowder,

&

The main fruit ingredient of a Pornstar Martini.

4.

Shakespeare character who delivers the seven ages of man speech in As You Like It,

&

Long running BBC quiz show first presented in 1970 by David Vine.

5.

Nickname of the incidental music to Mendelsohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Opus 61, regularly heard in English churches,

&

Eastenders character played by Larry Lamb between 2008 and 2010.

6.

Short-lived art movement of the mid-Victorian period,

&

British pop group of the 70’s and 80’s whose hits included: United We Stand, Angelo and Figaro.

7.

Final book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy,

&

Nickname acquired by cricketer Ashley Giles after an infamous spelling mistake on his testimonial merchandise in 2000.

8.

19th century novelist, several of whose works were turned into operas by composers such as Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti and Bizet,

&

TV detective series starring Lesley Sharp and Suranne Jones in the title roles.

Sp1

14th century allegorical English poem by William Langland where the eponymous character is a farm worker

&

Filipino politician and former 12-time world boxing champion.

Sp2

Country with the greatest number of pyramids,

&

Actress, mother of Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne.

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - Pairs

1.

A country singer with a number of crossover chart hits, Eileen Edwards, is better known as who?

2.

A country singer with a number of crossover chart hits, Henry Deutschendorf, is better known as who?

3.

Which book of the bible between Jeremiah and Ezekiel consists of a series of poems concerning the destruction of Judah, Jerusalem and The Temple by the Babylonians?

4.

Which book of the Bible between Ecclesiastes and Isaiah consists of a number of love poems narrated by a man and a woman?

5.

The novel was published in 1929, swiftly followed by a cinema adaptation in 1930 which became the first film to win Oscars for both Best Picture & Best Director.  A new version of the film, released last year, has won 7 BAFTAs and been nominated in 9 categories at next Sunday’s Oscars, including Best Picture.  Name the novel/film.

6.

At next Sunday’s Oscars one film matches All Quiet On The Western Front’s 9 nominations and one tops it with 11.  Name either film.

7.

In which English cathedral is the altar centrepiece the 23 metres tall by 12 metres wide Tapestry of Christ in Glory by Graham Sutherland?  It is also where Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem was first performed.

8.

In which English cathedral is Edward II buried? (conveniently for the sweeper-uppers, given his grisly demise in the same county.)

Sp.

A chef’s hat or toque has a hundred pleats to symbolise the hundred ways a chef can cook what?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - 'Little & Large'

Each answer contains a synonym of one of these two words

1.

Which micro-brewery based at Newport South Wales makes Cwtch Red Ale and Clwb Tropica IPA?

2.

Which children’s story by Oscar Wilde tells of an ogre who builds a wall round his garden to stop children playing there?

3.

What is the American name for the constellation known in the UK as The Plough?

4.

The commander of the 14th Army in Burma during WWII this much decorated career soldier later became Governor General of Australia and was created a Viscount in 1960.  Who was he?

5.

This pioneer rock and roll singer songwriter and pianist’s hits include Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Ain’t That a Shame and Walkin’ To New Orleans.  He died in 2017 at the age of 89.  Who was he?

6.

This Canadian comedian and actor is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, the films The Three Amigos, Mars Attacks and The Spiderwicke Chronicles.  Who is he?

7.

Which waterway runs from Warwick Bar in Birmingham to the River Thames at Brentford?

8.

Which record by Cab Calloway, the best-selling song of 1931, tells of a dancer with a cocaine and opium habit.  It has featured in many films and TV programmes including The Blues Brothers and Jeeves and Wooster.

Sp.

What is the architectural term for a circular building with a domed roof?  Famous examples include the Capitol Building in Washington DC and the Pantheon in Rome.

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

All the usual caveats apply

1.

This novel, topped only by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the second biggest selling book of 2003.  A thriller, it follows the investigations of symbologist, Robert Langdon, and cryptologist, Sophie Neveu.  What is it called?

The Da Vinci Code

2.

Which actress, who died in 2014, appeared in numerous film and TV roles including All Creatures Great and Small playing Helen Herriott, Doctor Who, Second Thoughts and Faith in the Future.  She is perhaps best known as the star of a long-running series of TV ads which she fronted from 1983 to 1999?

Lynda Bellingham

3.

Which Vietnam War battle took place from the 13th to 20th May 1969 and involved a frontal assault by US forces on a heavily fortified ridge held by the Viet Cong.  It was controversial as the ridge was of little strategic value and extensive casualties were caused on both sides?

Battle of Hamburger Hill

4.

What was the biggest selling car brand in both the Netherlands and Norway in 2022?

Tesla

5.

What is the name of the ground where Premiership rugby union club Northampton Saints play their home games?

Franklin Gardens

6.

In tennis, who was John McEnroe’s doubles partner with whom McEnroe won 7 Grand Slam titles? (forename and surname required)

Peter Fleming

7.

Which playwright, critic and polemicist won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925?

George Bernard Shaw

8.

Which series of 24 children’s novels were written by Anthony Buckeridge and document the humorous escapades of a schoolboy at an English prep school?

The Jennings series

Sp.

Which comedian, writer and radio DJ was a team captain on Shooting Stars from 1995 to 1997 and hosted Never Mind the Buzzcocks from 1996 to 2005?

Mark Lamarr

Theme: Each answer contains the surname of an inventor...

 Leonardo Da Vinci (helicopter, parachute etc), Rowland Hill (postage stamp), Nikolas Tesla (induction motor),

Benjamin Franklin (lightning conductor), Alexander Fleming (penicillin), Alexander Graham Bell (telephone),

Thomas L Jennings (dry cleaning), Hedy Lamarr (radio guidance system)

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

Only three capital cities in the world start with the letter 'O' in English.  Oslo and Ottawa are two. What and where, is the third?

Ougadougou

(Burkina Faso)

2.

Vaduz, (Lichtenstein), Vienna (Austria), Valletta (Malta) and Vatican City (ditto ) are four capital cities with names starting with 'V' in English.  Name one of the other three and its location.

Vientiane (Laos)

or Vilnius (Lithuania)

or Victoria (Seychelles)

3.

Alan Partridge called his chat show, Knowing Me, Knowing You.  What did he call his son?

Fernando

4.

A Spanish term of endearment meaning ’little one’ was the title of which Abba song?

Chiquitita

5.

What does 'LG' stand for in LG Electronics?

Lucky – Goldstar

6.

The name of which global tech company translates as three stars?

Samsung

7.

Zabid, the hottest city on earth, is in which country?

Yemen

8.

Oymyakon, the coldest city in the world, is in which country?

Russia

Sp.

What is the name of the Daily Telegraph journalist who released Matt Hancock’s text messages to the public last week?

Isabel Oakeshott

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 & 4 - Bingo Round - 'I died since Christmas 2022 but did you read my obituary?'

Choose your question from the initials shown

1.

RW

In which 1966 film did American actress, Raquel Welch, who has died aged 82, star as a cavewoman?  The poster of her from the film was on Tim Robbins wall in The Shawshank Redemption.

One Million Years BC

2.

JM

In virtually all of the online and print versions of John Motson’s obituary there is a 1990 photo of Mottie wearing his trademark sheepskin coat reporting in a blizzard.  At which football ground did this take place?  The team that plays there is currently in League One having been relegated last season.

Adams Park

(do not accept Wycombe Wanderers)

3.

BBB

Baroness Betty Boothroyd, first female Speaker in Parliament, has died aged 93.  Which constituency did she represent in the House of Commons?

West Bromwich

4.

JB

Guitarist Jeff Beck has died aged 78.  Who was the vocalist in The Jeff Beck Group?

Rod Stewart

5.

AP

Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters has died aged 74.  Name any two of their four 1970s and 1980s UK top twenty hits.

Slowhand,

or Automatic, Jump,

or I’m So Excited

6.

SBI

Sir Bernard Ingham, who has died aged 90, was born in which Yorkshire town that has been in the headlines in 2023, culminating on Sunday, 12th February, and which he previously bemoaned for its alternative lifestyles?

Hebden Bridge

7.

GV

Gianluca Vialli has died aged 58.  He played for Chelsea but where else could he be found in London on 11th July 2021?

Wembley Stadium

(by the side of Italian Coach Roberto Mancini as they beat England in the European final)

8.

FW

Novelist Fay Weldon has died aged 91.  Patricia Hodge, Dennis Waterman and Julie Wallace starred in a 1983 TV adaptation of which of her novels?

The Life and Loves of a She-Devil

9.

Earl Mountbatten

10.

ZM

Major Zbibniew Mieczkowski has died aged 100.  In August 1944 he was a Polish tank commander fighting the Germans in France.  General Montgomery described the soldiers of the 1st Polish Armoured Division:

“The Germans were trapped as if in a bottle. You were the cork in that bottle”

What is the name of the town where this decisive battle took place thus giving its name to this turning point in the war?

Falaise

(i.e. Pocket)

11.

PBX

Pope Benedict XVI has died aged 95.  What nationality was he?

German

12.

EADN

Edson Arantes do Nascimento has died aged 82.  He played for only two clubs in his illustrious career.  Which were they?

Santos and New York Cosmos

13.

SS

Sylvia Syms has died aged 89.  Name any one of her three main co-stars in the 1958 film Ice Cold in Alex.

John Mills

or Anthony Quayle

or Harry Andrews

14.

BB

Burt Bacharach has died aged 94.  What was the name of his song writing partner with whom he collaborated on classics such as Walk on By and Anyone Who Had a Heart?

Hal David

15.

GL

Gina Lollabrigida has died aged 95.  Which film director and aviator tried to force her to divorce her husband so that she could marry him when she first arrived in Hollywood in the 1950s?

Howard Hughes

16.

DC

David Crosby has died aged 81.  Following his departure from The Byrds, with which three artists did he perform at the 1969 Woodstock Festival?  (surnames only required)

(Stephen) Stills,

(Graham) Nash,

(Neil) Young

17.

PR

Paco Rabane has died aged 88.  For which iconic 1968 sci-fi film did he design the costumes?

Barbarella

18.

TV

Tom Verlaine has died aged 73.  He was lead singer of which New York rock group whose debut album in 1977 was entitled Marquee Moon?

Television

19.

DG

Businessman David Gold has died aged 88.  His Gold Group International (GGI) is the parent company of the two high street retailers.  Name either.

Ann Summers

or Knickerbox

20.

GR

Gary Rossington has died aged 71.  He was the guitarist and last surviving member of which ill-starred rock group?

Lynrd Skynrd

Go back to Round 3 & 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Pairs about health

1.

Name the daughter of Asclepios (Greek god of healing) who is associated in English with cleanliness.

Hyigiea

2.

Name his other daughter associated with a cure-all.

Panacea (or Panakeia)

3.

What is the medical link between the health of Vivien Leigh, George Orwell and Molière?

They all died of Tuberculosis

4.

What links the deaths of the mothers of Snow White, Oliver Twist and Lord Voldemort?

They all died in childbirth

5.

Name the reservoir constructed in 1894, a miracle of Victorian engineering, which brought clean water 96 miles to a fountain in Albert Square, Manchester.

Thirlmere

6.

Name the reservoir linked to Manchester, which in the 2020 drought, revealed the flooded villages of Measand and Mardale Green.

Haweswater

7.

By what name is the disease infectious mononucleosis better known?

Glandular Fever

8.

Which virus is a primary cause of Glandular Fever?

The Epstein-Barr virus

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Highbrow / Lowbrow Run-on round

The first part of each question may require a little more erudition than the second part

Definite / indefinite articles may be ignored where necessary

1.

Classic 1934 Frank Capra romantic comedy starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert,

&

1984 Wes Craven slasher horror film that spawned a successful franchise.

It Happened One Night / Nightmare on Elm Street

2.

The home of the gods in Norse mythology,

&

Irish actor who portrayed Thermoman in an early 2000’s sit-com.

Asgard /

Ardal O’Hanlon

3.

One of the 'Four Great Inventions' of ancient China alongside paper, printing and gunpowder,

&

The main fruit ingredient of a Pornstar Martini.

The compass /

Passion fruit (or Passoã liqueur)

4.

Shakespeare character who delivers the seven ages of man speech in As You Like It,

&

Long running BBC quiz show first presented in 1970 by David Vine.

Jaques /

A Question of Sport

5.

Nickname of the incidental music to Mendelsohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Opus 61, regularly heard in English churches,

&

Eastenders character played by Larry Lamb between 2008 and 2010.

The Wedding March /

Archie Mitchell

6.

Short-lived art movement of the mid-Victorian period,

&

British pop group of the 70’s and 80’s whose hits included: United We Stand, Angelo and Figaro.

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood /

Brotherhood of Man

7.

Final book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy,

&

Nickname acquired by cricketer Ashley Giles after an infamous spelling mistake on his testimonial merchandise in 2000.

Return of The King /

King of Spain

8.

19th century novelist, several of whose works were turned into operas by composers such as Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti and Bizet,

&

TV detective series starring Lesley Sharp and Suranne Jones in the title roles.

Sir Walter Scott /

Scott and Bailey

Sp1

14th century allegorical English poem by William Langland where the eponymous character is a farm worker

&

Filipino politician and former 12-time world boxing champion.

Piers Plowman /

Manny Pacquiao

Sp2

Country with the greatest number of pyramids,

&

Actress, mother of Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne.

Sudan /

Angelina Jolie

(Sudan has 255 compared to 118 in Egypt)

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - Pairs

1.

A country singer with a number of crossover chart hits, Eileen Edwards, is better known as who?

Shania Twain

2.

A country singer with a number of crossover chart hits, Henry Deutschendorf, is better known as who?

John Denver

3.

Which book of the bible between Jeremiah and Ezekiel consists of a series of poems concerning the destruction of Judah, Jerusalem and The Temple by the Babylonians?

Lamentations

4.

Which book of the Bible between Ecclesiastes and Isaiah consists of a number of love poems narrated by a man and a woman?

Song of Solomon

5.

The novel was published in 1929, swiftly followed by a cinema adaptation in 1930 which became the first film to win Oscars for both Best Picture & Best Director.  A new version of the film, released last year, has won 7 BAFTAs and been nominated in 9 categories at next Sunday’s Oscars, including Best Picture.  Name the novel/film.

All Quiet on The Western Front

6.

At next Sunday’s Oscars one film matches All Quiet On The Western Front’s 9 nominations and one tops it with 11.  Name either film.

The Banshees of Inisherin (9)

or

Everything Everywhere All At Once (11)

7.

In which English cathedral is the altar centrepiece the 23 metres tall by 12 metres wide Tapestry of Christ in Glory by Graham Sutherland?  It is also where Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem was first performed.

Coventry Cathedral

8.

In which English cathedral is Edward II buried? (conveniently for the sweeper-uppers, given his grisly demise in the same county.)

Gloucester Cathedral

Sp.

A chef’s hat or toque has a hundred pleats to symbolise the hundred ways a chef can cook what?

An egg

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - 'Little & Large'

Each answer contains a synonym of one of these two words

1.

Which micro-brewery based at Newport South Wales makes Cwtch Red Ale and Clwb Tropica IPA?

Tiny Rebel

2.

Which children’s story by Oscar Wilde tells of an ogre who builds a wall round his garden to stop children playing there?

The Selfish Giant

3.

What is the American name for the constellation known in the UK as The Plough?

The Big Dipper

4.

The commander of the 14th Army in Burma during WWII this much decorated career soldier later became Governor General of Australia and was created a Viscount in 1960.  Who was he?

William 1st Viscount Slim

5.

This pioneer rock and roll singer songwriter and pianist’s hits include Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Ain’t That a Shame and Walkin’ To New Orleans.  He died in 2017 at the age of 89.  Who was he?

Antoine 'Fats' Domino

6.

This Canadian comedian and actor is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, the films The Three Amigos, Mars Attacks and The Spiderwicke Chronicles.  Who is he?

Martin Short

7.

Which waterway runs from Warwick Bar in Birmingham to the River Thames at Brentford?

Grand Union Canal

8.

Which record by Cab Calloway, the best-selling song of 1931, tells of a dancer with a cocaine and opium habit.  It has featured in many films and TV programmes including The Blues Brothers and Jeeves and Wooster.

Minnie the Moocher

Sp.

What is the architectural term for a circular building with a domed roof?  Famous examples include the Capitol Building in Washington DC and the Pantheon in Rome.

Rotunda

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers