ROUND 1 - Stockport format - Verbal

1.

Who stepped down as CEO of the NatWest Bank following the Nigel Farage affair earlier this year?

2.

In 1987 which country became the first winners of the Rugby Union World Cup?

3.

Which state of the USA has had the official nickname 'The Volunteer State' since 1812?

4.

Whose new book Walk Yourself Happy was released earlier this month?

5.

Which EFL football league team plays their home games at The Globe Arena?

6.

Which author created the character Inspector George Gently?

7.

Give a year in the life of scientist Robert Boyle.

8.

The geological period from about 250 to 290 million years ago, which saw a mass extinction of marine life, is given what name taken from a province of Imperial Russia?

9.

For which film did Katherine Hepburn win the first of her four Best Actress Oscars?

10.

Strelitzia is a genus of house plants more commonly known by what name?

11.

In which year did Greenwich Mean Time become the standard time across Great Britain?

12.

If he had still been alive how old would Freddie Mercury have been this year?

13.

The White Hrat is currently the fourth most popular pub name in the UK.  It was named from the badge of which English king?

14.

Winning in 2000 and 2011 who is the only person to have won the Mercury Music prize on  more than one occasion?

15.

Michael Parkinson died in August this year.  His last regular talk show on ITV was in 2007 when he had 8 of his favourite guests on his show.  Who was the only real woman in the list of 8?

16.

... and who was the only sportsman in the list of 8?

17.

Who, in 1975, became the first winners of the ICC cricket World Cup?

18.

Who stepped down as leader of Plaid Cymru after a review earlier this year found evidence of misogyny, harassment and bullying?

19.

Whose new book Who Am I? was release earlier this month?

20.

Which US state has had the official nickname 'The Equality State' since giving women the vote in 1869?

21.

Which author created  the character Inspector Jack Frost?

22.

For what film did Spencer Tracy win the first of his two Best Actor Oscars?

23.

The geological period from about 201 to 145 million years ago, which is the middle period of the Mesozoic period, is given which name taken from a range of mountains?

24.

Give a year in the life of scientist Joseph Priestley.

25.

Spathiphyllium is a genus of house plant commonly known by what name?

26.

In which year was the Speaking Clock first introduced to the UK?

27.

If he had still been alive how old would Jimi Hendrix have been this year?

28.

Which EFL football team play their home games at The New Lawn?

29.

Who won the 2006 Mercury Music prize for Best Album for Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not?

30.

The White Lion is the 24th most popular pub name in the UK.  Most White Lions take their name from the emblem of which English king?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Stockport format - Written

1.

A sophomore is a second year student in college.  The word comes from two Greek words: 'sophos' and 'moros'.  What do these two words mean?

2.

In 1962 who became the first woman to be named Sportsview Personality of the Year?

3.

Who sang the theme song in 1967 film In the Heat of the Night?

4.

On what body of water was John Cobb killed while trying to break the World Water Speed record in 1952?

5.

In Greek mythology King Midas was the ruler of which kingdom?

6.

In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell what type of animal was Benjamin?

7.

The restaurant on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower is named after which author?

8.

Born in Terrell in Texas in 1967, how is Oscar winner Eric Marlon Bishop better known?

9.

What was Charles Dickens' first novel?

10.

The first four Olympic gold medals in ice hockey were won by Canada.  Which country beat them in the 1936 Olympics to end that run?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - WithQuiz format - Blockbuster Bingo with a Blue tinge

Choose your own question.  The answer begins with the letter(s) given.  Where the required answer is a person’s name both the first and surnames must be given.  Three questions relate to last season’s treble winners.

BBT

Played the part of Lorne Malvo in a TV series based on a Coen Brothers film; he was once married to Angelina Jolie.

YSMSA

The title of the recently published autobiography of former City goalkeeper Alex Williams. The title is particularly poignant given that Alex played for City and was the first top Division black goalkeeper in the English game.

DR

1965 music track of 11 minutes 21 seconds duration which starts with the lyrics:
“They're selling postcards of the hanging / They're painting the passports brown”?

ACO

Nadsat is a teen language spoken by characters in this book/film.

TGBSB

Patrick Grant, May Martin and Esme Young have appeared regularly in this.

RABT

The name given to a high point on the A83 between Campbeltown and Loch Lomond at the head of Glen Croe in the Arrochar Alps.

TSI

The nickname given to City star Phil Foden at 17 which likened him to a renowned Barcelona player.

RSAP

 Scottish constituency represented by David Steel between 1965 and 1983.

TLA

Story involving Englishwoman Jean Paget who becomes romantically involved with a former prisoner of war (John Harman) and moves to be with him in a small outback community on the other side of the world.

UDCSTB

The 6 flavours of quark.

RAGAD

Play by Tom Stoppard set in the wings of a theatre.

TABCM

Which work of fiction starts with the mysterious case of Alice Ascher being killed in her tobacconist shop in Andover?

ST

Song written and performed by Flanders and Swann to bemoan the passing of hundreds of local railway stations and branch lines in the Beeching cuts of the 1960s.

WLLITDB

The first lines of Walt Whitman’s poem mourning the loss of Abraham Lincoln.

CTCAA

With a bow to a much-loved local band, the title of the chant City fans use whenever their team is beating Tottenham, Fulham, Chelsea or similar.

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - WithQuiz format - Announced theme

Each answer contains a name given by farmers to one of the year’s full moons

1.

With a chemical formula of (Fe,Mn)WO4 which tungsten ore mineral has many uses including the manufacture of electric filaments and armour-piercing ammunition?

2.

Which Beatles song recalls John Lennon’s childhood memories of playing in a Liverpool garden, and was recorded using a Mellotron to make flute sounds and an Indian swarmandal, as well as including a cello and brass backing?

3.

What was the name of the ITV comedy drama first broadcast in 1985 and set in the East End of London shortly after the Second World War starring Maggie Steed and Kenneth Cranham? It was written by Lawrence Marks and Maurice Gran.

4.

What is the name of Joe Biden’s second son whose tax affairs have been under federal criminal investigation since 2018?

5.

Who was British Minister of Aircraft Production during World War 2?

6.

Actor Kit Harington played the part of the Bastard of Winterfell in the TV adaptation of Game of Thrones. What was the proper name of this character?

7.

Who moved out of Bute House on March 29th 2023?

8.

In Graham Greene’s novel Brighton Rock what’s the name of the violent gang leader played in the film version by a young Richard Attenborough? (forename and surname required)

9.

Which 20th century American is widely credited with having popularized the geodesic dome?

10.

Which famous Post Office engineer designed and built Colossus, the world's first programmable electronic computer, to help decipher encrypted German messages during World War 2?

11.

Absinthe is a drink made chiefly from sweet fennel, green anise and which other plant?

12.

The ‘Cock’, a famous glider, never actually flew. Where was it built?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - WithQuiz format - Picture Round
Each question shows the outline of an English county along with one of that county’s smaller settlements.  Simply name the county.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - WithQuiz format - Hidden theme

All the answers share a common feature

1.

Voice actors Peter Hawkins and David Graham alongside scriptwriter Terry Nation were responsible for which enduring TV favourite?

2.

What word precedes the names of a number of types of fish that jump out of, or swim on the surface of the water?

3.

Which former controller of BBC2 and then BBC1, who grew up in Didsbury, became the presenter of the arts show Imagine?

4.

The French dessert, crepes Suzettes, are traditionally topped with a dash of which liqueur?

5.

Which film directed by Robert Redford won the Best Film and Best Director award at the 1981 Oscars ceremony?

6.

Late actor Leslie Phillips had two notable catchphrases he used whenever he could weave them into his script. One was a languid and sexy “Hello” - what was the other?

7.

Which 20th century poet, author of The Cantos, spent World War 2 in Italy collaborating with Mussolini’s fascist regime?

8.

Released in 2012 what was the title of Olly Murs’ best-selling single? It debuted at Number One in the charts the week of its release.

9.

What is the portmanteau word made up during World War 2 to describe the invasion of other parts of the world by American culture and values?

10.

Robert Browning’s poem A Toccata of Galuppi’s is based on the work of 18th century Italian composer, Baldassare Galippi. In the poem Browning refers to “Shylock’s Bridge”. How is this structure better known?

11.

Which book published in 1865 was conceived during a boat trip up the Thames from Oxford to Godstow taken by the author, the Reverend Robinson Duckworth and the three daughters of the Dean of Christ Church in Oxford?

12.

Oney, dooey, tray, quarter, chinker, say, setter, otter, nobber and daiture are the words for the numbers one to nine in this language.

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

Spares

1.

In April this year who became the first person to score 100 tries in the Gallagher Premiership?

2.

In which year was the Turner prize first awarded?

3.

In which decade did Catherine the Great become the first Empress of Russia?

4.

In the film Oppenheimer released earlier this year who played the part of Albert Einstein?

5.

Go to Spare questions with answers

Tiebreaker

Teams confer - nearest to the answer wins

Go to Tiebreaker question with answer

ROUND 1 - Stockport format - Verbal

1.

Who stepped down as CEO of the NatWest Bank following the Nigel Farage affair earlier this year?

Dame Alison Rose

2.

In 1987 which country became the first winners of the Rugby Union World Cup?

New Zealand

3.

Which state of the USA has had the official nickname 'The Volunteer State' since 1812?

Tennessee

4.

Whose new book Walk Yourself Happy was released earlier this month?

Julia Bradbury

5.

Which EFL football league team plays their home games at The Globe Arena?

Morecambe

6.

Which author created the character Inspector George Gently?

Alan Hunter

7.

Give a year in the life of scientist Robert Boyle.

1627 to 1691

8.

The geological period from about 250 to 290 million years ago, which saw a mass extinction of marine life, is given what name taken from a province of Imperial Russia?

Permian

9.

For which film did Katherine Hepburn win the first of her four Best Actress Oscars?

Morning Glory

(1933)

10.

Strelitzia is a genus of house plants more commonly known by what name?

Bird of Paradise plant

(accept Crane plant)

11.

In which year did Greenwich Mean Time become the standard time across Great Britain?

1880

12.

If he had still been alive how old would Freddie Mercury have been this year?

77

13.

The White Hrat is currently the fourth most popular pub name in the UK.  It was named from the badge of which English king?

Richard II

14.

Winning in 2000 and 2011 who is the only person to have won the Mercury Music prize on  more than one occasion?

P J Harvey

15.

Michael Parkinson died in August this year.  His last regular talk show on ITV was in 2007 when he had 8 of his favourite guests on his show.  Who was the only real woman in the list of 8?

Judy Dench

16.

... and who was the only sportsman in the list of 8?

David Beckham

17.

Who, in 1975, became the first winners of the ICC cricket World Cup?

West Indies

18.

Who stepped down as leader of Plaid Cymru after a review earlier this year found evidence of misogyny, harassment and bullying?

Adam Price

19.

Whose new book Who Am I? was release earlier this month?

Danny Cipriani

20.

Which US state has had the official nickname 'The Equality State' since giving women the vote in 1869?

Wyoming

21.

Which author created  the character Inspector Jack Frost?

R D Wingfield

22.

For what film did Spencer Tracy win the first of his two Best Actor Oscars?

Captains Courageous

(1937)

23.

The geological period from about 201 to 145 million years ago, which is the middle period of the Mesozoic period, is given which name taken from a range of mountains?

Jurassic

24.

Give a year in the life of scientist Joseph Priestley.

1733 to 1804

25.

Spathiphyllium is a genus of house plant commonly known by what name?

Peace lily

26.

In which year was the Speaking Clock first introduced to the UK?

1936

27.

If he had still been alive how old would Jimi Hendrix have been this year?

81

28.

Which EFL football team play their home games at The New Lawn?

Forest Green Rovers

29.

Who won the 2006 Mercury Music prize for Best Album for Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not?

Arctic Monkeys

30.

The White Lion is the 24th most popular pub name in the UK.  Most White Lions take their name from the emblem of which English king?

Edward IV

ROUND 2 - Stockport format - Written

1.

A sophomore is a second year student in college.  The word comes from two Greek words: 'sophos' and 'moros'.  What do these two words mean?

Wise & foolish

2.

In 1962 who became the first woman to be named Sportsview Personality of the Year?

Anita Lonsbrough

3.

Who sang the theme song in 1967 film In the Heat of the Night?

Ray Charles

4.

On what body of water was John Cobb killed while trying to break the World Water Speed record in 1952?

Loch Ness

5.

In Greek mythology King Midas was the ruler of which kingdom?

Phyrgia

6.

In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell what type of animal was Benjamin?

Donkey

7.

The restaurant on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower is named after which author?

Jules Verne

8.

Born in Terrell in Texas in 1967, how is Oscar winner Eric Marlon Bishop better known?

Jamie Foxx

9.

What was Charles Dickens' first novel?

Pickwick Papers

10.

The first four Olympic gold medals in ice hockey were won by Canada.  Which country beat them in the 1936 Olympics to end that run?

Great Britain

Choose your own question.  The answer begins with the letter(s) given.  Where the required answer is a person’s name both the first and surnames must be given.  Three questions relate to last season’s treble winners.

BBT

Played the part of Lorne Malvo in a TV series based on a Coen Brothers film; he was once married to Angelina Jolie.

Billy Bob Thornton

(the TV series was Fargo)

YSMSA

The title of the recently published autobiography of former City goalkeeper Alex Williams. The title is particularly poignant given that Alex played for City and was the first top Division black goalkeeper in the English game.

You Saw Me Standing Alone

DR

1965 music track of 11 minutes 21 seconds duration which starts with the lyrics:
“They're selling postcards of the hanging / They're painting the passports brown”.

Desolation Row

(by Bob Dylan)

ACO

Nadsat is a teen language spoken by characters in this book/film.

A Clockwork Orange

(spoken by Droogs)

TGBSB

Patrick Grant, May Martin and Esme Young have appeared regularly in this.

The Great British Sewing Bee

RABT

The name given to a high point on the A83 between Campbeltown and Loch Lomond at the head of Glen Croe in the Arrochar Alps.

Rest and Be Thankful

(from an inscription placed on a stone by the soldiers who built the road in the 18th century)

TSI

The nickname given to City star Phil Foden at 17 which likened him to a renowned Barcelona player.

'The Stockport Iniesta'

RSAP

 Scottish constituency represented by David Steel between 1965 and 1983.

Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles

TLA

Story involving Englishwoman Jean Paget who becomes romantically involved with a former prisoner of war (John Harman) and moves to be with him in a small outback community on the other side of the world.

A Town Like Alice

(by Nevil Shute)

UDCSTB

The 6 flavours of quark.

Up, Down, Charm, Strange, Top, Bottom

RAGAD

Play by Tom Stoppard set in the wings of a theatre.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

TABCM

Which work of fiction starts with the mysterious case of Alice Ascher being killed in her tobacconist shop in Andover?

The ABC Murders

(by Agatha Christie)

ST

Song written and performed by Flanders and Swann to bemoan the passing of hundreds of local railway stations and branch lines in the Beeching cuts of the 1960s.

Slow Train

WLLITDB

The first lines of Walt Whitman’s poem mourning the loss of Abraham Lincoln.

“When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d”

CTCAA

With a bow to a much-loved local band, the title of the chant City fans use whenever their team is beating Tottenham, Fulham, Chelsea or similar.

City Tearing Cockneys Apart Again

(cf Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart)

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - WithQuiz format - Announced theme

Each answer contains a name given by farmers to one of the year’s full moons

1.

With a chemical formula of (Fe,Mn)WO4 which tungsten ore mineral has many uses including the manufacture of electric filaments and armour-piercing ammunition?

Wolframite

(Wolf Moon - January)

2.

Which Beatles song recalls John Lennon’s childhood memories of playing in a Liverpool garden, and was recorded using a Mellotron to make flute sounds and an Indian swarmandal, as well as including a cello and brass backing?

Strawberry Fields Forever

(Strawberry Moon - June)

3.

What was the name of the ITV comedy drama first broadcast in 1985 and set in the East End of London shortly after the Second World War starring Maggie Steed and Kenneth Cranham? It was written by Lawrence Marks and Maurice Gran.

Shine on Harvest Moon

(Harvest Moon – Sept.)

The answer here is wrong.  It should have been 'Shine on Harvey Moon' but of course this would have been at odds with the theme word 'harvest' which was the one intended for this question. Apologies from the setter!

4.

What is the name of Joe Biden’s second son whose tax affairs have been under federal criminal investigation since 2018?

Hunter Biden

(Hunter Moon – October)

5.

Who was British Minister of Aircraft Production during World War 2?

Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook

(just ‘Lord Beaverbrook’ will suffice)

(Beaver Moon – November)

6.

Actor Kit Harington played the part of the Bastard of Winterfell in the TV adaptation of Game of Thrones. What was the proper name of this character?

Jon Snow

(Snow Moon – February)

7.

Who moved out of Bute House on March 29th 2023?

Nicola Sturgeon

(Bute House is the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland)

(Sturgeon Moon – August)

8.

In Graham Greene’s novel Brighton Rock what’s the name of the violent gang leader played in the film version by a young Richard Attenborough? (forename and surname required)

Pinkie Brown

(Pink Moon – April)

9.

Which 20th century American is widely credited with having popularized the geodesic dome?

Buckminster Fuller

(Buck Moon – July)

10.

Which famous Post Office engineer designed and built Colossus, the world's first programmable electronic computer, to help decipher encrypted German messages during World War 2?

Tommy Flowers

(Flower Moon – May)

11.

Absinthe is a drink made chiefly from sweet fennel, green anise and which other plant?

Wormwood

(Worm Moon – March)

12.

The ‘Cock’, a famous glider, never actually flew. Where was it built?

Inside Colditz Castle

(by inmates of the POW camp in World War 2)

(Cold Moon – December)

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - WithQuiz format - Picture Round

Each question shows the outline of an English county along with one of that county’s smaller settlements.  Simply name the county.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - WithQuiz format - Hidden theme

All the answers share a common feature

1.

Voice actors Peter Hawkins and David Graham alongside scriptwriter Terry Nation were responsible for which enduring TV favourite?

The Daleks

(in Doctor Who)

2.

What word precedes the names of a number of types of fish that jump out of, or swim on the surface of the water?

Skipjack

(as in skipjack tuna)

3.

Which former controller of BBC2 and then BBC1, who grew up in Didsbury, became the presenter of the arts show Imagine?

Alan Yentob

4.

The French dessert, crepes Suzettes, are traditionally topped with a dash of which liqueur?

Grand Marnier

5.

Which film directed by Robert Redford won the Best Film and Best Director award at the 1981 Oscars ceremony?

Ordinary People

6.

Late actor Leslie Phillips had two notable catchphrases he used whenever he could weave them into his script. One was a languid and sexy “Hello” - what was the other?

“Ding-dong”

7.

Which 20th century poet, author of The Cantos, spent World War 2 in Italy collaborating with Mussolini’s fascist regime?

Ezra Pound

8.

Released in 2012 what was the title of Olly Murs’ best-selling single? It debuted at Number One in the charts the week of its release.

Troublemaker

9.

What is the portmanteau word made up during World War 2 to describe the invasion of other parts of the world by American culture and values?

Cocacolonisation

10.

Robert Browning’s poem A Toccata of Galuppi’s is based on the work of 18th century Italian composer, Baldassare Galippi. In the poem Browning refers to “Shylock’s Bridge”. How is this structure better known?

The Rialto

(Bridge - in Venice)

11.

Which book published in 1865 was conceived during a boat trip up the Thames from Oxford to Godstow taken by the author, the Reverend Robinson Duckworth and the three daughters of the Dean of Christ Church in Oxford?

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

12.

Oney, dooey, tray, quarter, chinker, say, setter, otter, nobber and daiture are the words for the numbers one to nine in this language.

Polari

(a secret language used by the gay subculture as well as others principally in the entertainment industry)

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a unit of currency…

Lek (Albania), Kip (Laos), Yen (Japan), Rand (South Africa), Dinar (Bosnia-Herzegovina, etc.), Dong (Vietnam), Pound (UK, etc.), Rouble (Russia, etc.), Colon (Costa Rica, etc.), Rial (Saudi Arabia, etc.), Won (South Korea), Lari (Georgia)

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

Spares

1.

In April this year who became the first person to score 100 tries in the Gallagher Premiership?

Chris Ashton

2.

In which year was the Turner prize first awarded?

1984

3.

In which decade did Catherine the Great become the first Empress of Russia?

1760s

(1762)

4.

In the film Oppenheimer released earlier this year who played the part of Albert Einstein?

Tom Conti

5.

Kenneth Branagh

Go back to Spare without answers

Tiebreaker

Teams confer - nearest to the answer wins

How long is the Channel Tunnel in metres?

Go back to Tiebreaker question without answer