ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

Unless stated otherwise a single word answer is required

1.

With the scientific name gulo gulo, which is Latin for 'glutton', what is the common name for the animal which has the alternative names carcajou and quickhatch?

2.

By what name was the United Kingdoms ballistic missile system known between 1968 and 1996?  It used submarine based nuclear missiles.

3.

What television programme that ran from 1999-2004 was originally a spin off from Buffy the Vampire Slayer?  Starring David Boreanz as the titular character it was set in Los Angeles.

4.

Which American aerospace manufacturer was founded in 1926 and existed until 1995 when it merged with Martin Marietta?  Originally founded by a man named Allan, it took his surname and was based in Hollywood, before moving 2 years later to Burbank, California.

5.

What was constructed in 280BC to celebrate the repulsion of an invading force led by Demetrios I of Macedon?  It was destroyed in an earthquake around 50 years later.

6.

What phenomena were first observed around 800 BCE, and can range from between 16km to 160,000km in length?  Often visible to the naked eye they are regions of reduced surface temperature, (caused by concentrations of magnetic flux) that inhibit convection.

7.

Portrayed by Gareth Hunt, which character was paired with Joanna Lumley’s 'Purdy' in The New Avengers series of 1976?  He was brought on board as an action hero over concerns that at 53 Patrick McNee was too old for many of the stunts required.  (surname only required)

8.

Siblings Cyril, Jane, Robert and Anthea (alongside with their baby brother) discover an egg wrapped in a rug that hatches into what kind of creature?  Along with the item the egg arrives in, it gives its name to this novel of 1904, the second in a trilogy by Edith Nesbit.

Sp1

What 2009 film stars Jake Gyllenhall, as a 'stringer', a photo journalist who sells increasingly risky and dangerous footage to news stations of crime, car crashes and police encounters?  It also stars Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed and was one of Bill Paxton's final films.

Sp2

What was the name of Lance Henriksen’s Android character in the Alien series of films?  Along with Ripley, Newt and Hicks, he was one of the few survivors from the second film.  In an earlier iconic scene he famously plays pinfinger with the character of Hudson, played by Bill Paxton.

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Pairs - 'Women in History'

Only surnames needed unless otherwise specified

1.

Which American lawyer was awarded the Presidential medal of freedom by Barack Obama in 2009? Born in 1930 she was the first woman to become a member of the supreme court, in which she sat between 1981 and 2006.  She is now the only surviving member of the Burger court.

2.

Which current female MP has sat in parliament longer than any other female MP in parliament at the moment?  She has served as an MP longer than Harriet Harman who is the female MP with the longest continuous service.

3.

Led by their female head of state, which country became the latest to join NATO, doing so on 4th April 2023?

4.

Julia Gillard, the first woman to serve as deputy prime minister of Australia and subsequently prime minister of Australia, was born in which Commonwealth country that has a population of 3.1 million?  Her family emigrated in 1966 to Adelaide and she subsequently became a partner in law firm Slater and Gordon.

5.

Which scientist was born in Vienna in 1878 and died in Cambridge in 1968?  During WW2 she fled to Sweden by pretending to be the wife of Dutch Physicist Dirk Coster, and she was famously snubbed for the Nobel prize in Chemistry when it was awarded solely to Otto Hahn.

6.

The French-American journalist Eve Labouisse who died in New York in 2007 was the daughter of which award winning scientist?  After the death of her father when she was just over a year old she was raised for a time by her grandfather.  During WW2 she spent a lot of time in the United Kingdom and met with Churchill and Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as travelling as a war correspondent and meeting the Shah of Iran and Mahatma Ghandi.  (full name required)

7.

Which Oscar-winning actress born in Mexico City in 1983 where her father was posted overseas, has a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a voice role in the recent Stars Wars films?  She beat Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts, Sally Hawkins and June Squibb to best supporting actress, and the film, for which she won her first major cinematic role, won the best film that year?

8.

Which Oscar-winning actress was born in New York City in 1964 and has a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?  She beat Judy Davies, Joan Plowright, Vanessa Redgrave and Miranda Richardson to win her Oscar for best supporting actress back in 1993, although the film for which she won didn’t win any other awards.  Subsequently she has received two further nominations for In The Bedroom and The Wrestler.

Sp.

Former Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice is now head of the Hoover Institute, an American think tank that is formally part of which university, consistently ranked in the top 5 on the world?  Herbert Hoover was one of the first graduates of this institution in 1895.

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Pot pourri

Each question is accompanied by an extra clue in the form of a pun on the answer

1.

Which character created by Reg Smythe for the Daily Mirror is immortalised in a statue in Hartlepool?

&

It's a cockney's description of an event such as the Grand National.

2.

What is the title of the tune to which the song Danny Boy is set?

&

It could be a French person's description of an Eastender's bottom, for example.

3.

What was the original subtitle of the Great British Bake Off spin-off that is now subtitled The Professionals?

&

It could refer to the best little incinerator.

4.

Which city is home to the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and housed the world's tallest building from 2004 until it was superseded by the Burj Khalifa in 2010?

&
It could describe remuneration in bahts.

5.

Which film directed by Tom Hooper won the Oscar for Best Picture of 2010?

&
If the monarch were to be seen in possession of a Prunus persica, it could be called this.

6.

Who wrote the 2010 memoir With Just a Touch of Hesitation, Repetition and Deviation?

&
American clerics who have no 5 cent coins could be described thus.

7.

This is an historical term for black bile, an excess of which was believed to cause depression.

&
This could be a hybrid fruit/vegetable of the genera Cucumis and Brassica.

8.

What 12-letter adjective describes celebrations held in honour of the Roman god of wine and ecstasy?

&
It could mean to lend support to a foreigner.

Sp.

The name of which bodily disorder is derived from the Greek words for 'flow' and 'through'?

&

Ménière's disease could cause this condition in one of a pair of organs.

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Pairs

1.

Notwithstanding their recent by-election successes the Labour party suffered a 44% swing against them in a by-election in Bermondsey in 1983.  Who was the unsuccessful Labour candidate who is a well-known human rights activist and co-founder of the direct action group OutRage!?

2.

The Labour Party also suffered a 44% swing against them in the Bradford West constituency in 2012.  George Galloway won the seat for which party?

3.

What is the main ingredient of the Portuguese dish caldeirada?

4.

What is the main ingredient of the Greek dish stifado?

5.

Which of this group of 5 did not belong to the so-called Mighty handful of Russian composers:

Mily Balakirev,

Mikhail Glinka,

Modest Mussorgsky,

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov,

Alexander Borodin?

6.

Which of this group of 5 did not belong to the Cabal:

Clarendon,

Ashley,

Buckingham,

Arlington,

Lauderdale?

7.

The city of Lyon in France is well known for the production of which type of material?

8.

The city of Bruges in Belgium is well known for the production of which type of material?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

Which mathematical constant is the base of natural logarithms?

2.

H L Mencken is credited with coining the word 'ecdysiast' as a more dignified way to refer to which type of performance for which Gypsy Rose Lee was famous?

3.

Who has been the travel correspondent for The Independent since 1994 and is a regular contributor to BBC programmes on travel issues?

4.

Who wrote the 1968 novel Myra Breckinridge?  In the Da Ali G Show, Ali G mistakes him for a famous hairdresser.  (full name required)

5.

What is the title of the 1990 gangster film written, directed and produced by the Coen brothers, starring Gabriel Byrne and Albert Finney?

6.

Which tram stop on the Oldham and Rochdale Line lies between Victoria and Central Park?  It shares its name with an isolation hospital that closed in 1993.

7.

What's the name of the American band founded in 1979 whose highest-charting hit was Walk the Dinosaur, released in 1987?

8.

Lying 6 miles north of Ramsey, what's the name of the northernmost place on the Isle of Man?

Sp.

Who was the chairman of Manchester City FC from 1973 until 1993?  The club was relegated less than a week after his death?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Announced theme - 'Oscar Men' 

Each answer contains the name of a Best Male actor Oscar winner

Only surnames are required unless otherwise stated

1.

Ernest Saunders, the only man to recover from Alzheimer's disease, was the chief executive of which British company before he was committed to prison for fraud.

2.

Oliver Dowden holds which post which has existed since 1361?

3.

Before being aired in its own right The Simpsons cartoon was aired in the USA in April 1987 as part of the show of which comedienne, writer, director and producer?

4.

Which old Testament character had three wives, two of which were called Hagar and Keturah?

5.

What is the English name for the birds in the family Fringillidae?

6.

What is the name of the motorway service station on the M4 on the section between junction 2 and junction 3?

7.

Which craftsman associated with breweries would use a jigger, a buzz, a flagging iron, a round shaver, an adze and a mallet?

8.

In which North Merseyside town is the Waterloo rugby union club's home ground to be found?

Sp1

Which battle between the French and English led to the capture of the French King John II (John the Good)?

Sp2

Who wrote the music for the show A Chorus Line and the song Nobody Does It Better from the film The Spy Who Loved Me?  (both names required)

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - 'A Round with a nominal Hidden theme'

1.

Which British rapper’s 2019 debut album Psychodrama went on to win the Mercury Prize and Brit Awards Album of the Year in 2020?

2.

What is the name of a typical Indonesian dagger or short sword with a characteristic wavy blade?

3.

What is the name of the weight at the bottom of a clock pendulum?

4.

Which Imperial and US customary unit of measurement may be defined as 16 ½ feet, 1⁄320 of a mile, 5 ½ yards, or a quarter of a surveyors chain?

5.

Which company was founded in Tyneside in 1939 and opened its first shop in 1951?  Now a FTSE top 250 company with about 2000 outlets, it mainly focuses on the ‘food on the go’ market.

6.

Which Dutch company founded in 1991 is a world leader in location technology and consumer electronics?

7.

Which colloquial and disparaging phrase, whose first recorded use was in the 1930s, originated from a polite way of describing urination?

8.

What is the technical name for a backdrop picture, usually painted on glass, that allowed film-makers to combine a background not present at the filming location with live action footage?  These were generally phased out by newer technologies during the 1990s.

Sp1

Sp2

What is the French name for cooked pollock or hake?  A few years ago, here in the UK, Sainsbury’s briefly gave pollock the same name in a sales pitch. 

Sp3

What is the commonest surname in France?  It's also the name of an exclusive US brand of hand-made acoustic guitars.

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Pairs

1.

Which English King was buried under Reading Abbey?  This Romanesque abbey was founded in memory of his father and his brother, who had both been king.  Thanks to the Dissolution, it remains unclear exactly where the tomb now is, but it could well be under a car park.

2.

Which English King was buried in Faversham Abbey?  This abbey, also from the Romanesque period, had been founded in memory of his wife and his eldest son, Eustace.  All three were buried there, although it is thought all the remains were thrown into the sea during the Dissolution.

3.

Roger Hargreaves’s characters have found international popularity.  In France he's Monsieur Chatouille, (“Shat-oo-wee!”) and in Germany, Mister Kitzel, how is he known here?

4.

In France he is Monsieur Malchance, and in Norway Herr Dumpidump, how is Roger Hargreaves’s character known here?

5.

Due to the French constitution, whose very much posthumous arrival in Paris in 1976, required a passport and a reception with full honours befitting a head of state?  The subject of a work of 19th century literature, he had been found in TT320 in 1881.

6.

There are only three kinds of animal (all mammals) which require a UK or EU pet passport for international travel.  Cats and Dogs are the obvious two, but what is the third, whose name is derived from the Latin for ‘little thief’?

7.

The 1856 ‘One Cent Magenta’ is the world’s most expensive and rarest stamp, most recently sold to Stanley Gibbons for over $8 million.  It is the only major postage stamp ever issued in the United Kingdom or British Commonwealth that is not represented in Britain's Royal Philatelic Collection. Which country (still in the Commonwealth) is this stamp from?

8.

As of October 12th, and replacing a fragmented shield, in what context will two dormice equal a red squirrel, 10 oak leaves be equivalent to an Atlantic salmon, and 5 puffins make some bees?

Sp1

Which Mr Man is Mister Quatschkopf in Germany and Señor Tonto in Spain?

Sp2

Which English cricketer of Guyanese heritage played 52 test matches between 1991 and 2001 and was the first to score a century against each of the 18 first class counties in county cricket (following a move from Middlesex to Surrey in 2001)?  He made his Test debut in the same game as Graeme Hick, and like Hick, never really achieved his full potential as a Test player.

Sp3

Which West Indies cricketer, born in Guyana, played 102 test matches between 1987 and 2002 and was the second to score a century against each of the 18 first class counties in county cricket (playing as overseas player for Kent and Lancashire)?  A more than useful off-spin bowler with 114 test wickets, he captained West Indies 22 times.

Sp4

St James’ Park in London is home to a small colony of what type of birds?  These were originally a gift from the Russian ambassador in 1664.  Despite being free to leave, they have been there ever since.  This is presumably related to a daily provision of fresh fish between 2.30 and 3pm.

Sp5

In 1515 at the height of Portugal’s global trading empire, an Indian prince sent which animal as a gift to King Manuel I - the first of these animals seen in Europe since the Romans?  The animal was also immortalised in a contemporary woodcut, despite the artist never having seen it in person.

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

Unless stated otherwise a single word answer is required

1.

With the scientific name gulo gulo, which is Latin for 'glutton', what is the common name for the animal which has the alternative names carcajou and quickhatch?

Wolverine

2.

By what name was the United Kingdoms ballistic missile system known between 1968 and 1996?  It used submarine based nuclear missiles.

Polaris

3.

What television programme that ran from 1999-2004 was originally a spin off from Buffy the Vampire Slayer?  Starring David Boreanz as the titular character it was set in Los Angeles.

Angel

4.

Which American aerospace manufacturer was founded in 1926 and existed until 1995 when it merged with Martin Marietta?  Originally founded by a man named Allan, it took his surname and was based in Hollywood, before moving 2 years later to Burbank, California.

Lockheed

5.

What was constructed in 280BC to celebrate the repulsion of an invading force led by Demetrios I of Macedon?  It was destroyed in an earthquake around 50 years later.

Colossus (of Rhodes)

6.

What phenomena were first observed around 800 BCE, and can range from between 16km to 160,000km in length?  Often visible to the naked eye they are regions of reduced surface temperature, (caused by concentrations of magnetic flux) that inhibit convection.

Sunspot

7.

Portrayed by Gareth Hunt, which character was paired with Joanna Lumley’s 'Purdy' in The New Avengers series of 1976?  He was brought on board as an action hero over concerns that at 53 Patrick McNee was too old for many of the stunts required.  (surname only required)

(Mike) Gambit

8.

Siblings Cyril, Jane, Robert and Anthea (alongside with their baby brother) discover an egg wrapped in a rug that hatches into what kind of creature?  Along with the item the egg arrives in, it gives its name to this novel of 1904, the second in a trilogy by Edith Nesbit.

The Phoenix (in the Carpet)

Sp1

What 2009 film stars Jake Gyllenhall, as a 'stringer', a photo journalist who sells increasingly risky and dangerous footage to news stations of crime, car crashes and police encounters?  It also stars Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed and was one of Bill Paxton's final films.

Nightcrawler

Sp2

What was the name of Lance Henriksen’s Android character in the Alien series of films?  Along with Ripley, Newt and Hicks, he was one of the few survivors from the second film.  In an earlier iconic scene he famously plays pinfinger with the character of Hudson, played by Bill Paxton.

Bishop

Theme: Each answer contains the name of one of the X-Men...

Wolverine: human mutant;

Polaris: Lorna Dane, mistress of magnetism and daughter of magneto;

Angel: Warren Worthington III, possesses the power of flight, subsequently transformed into archangel and the angel of death, portrayed by Ben Foster in X Men 3 and Ben Hardy in X Men Apocalypse;

Lockheed: A dragon from space that accompanied Kitty Pryde on many adventures;

Colossus: Piotr Rasputin, who can transform into solid steel, portrayed by Daniel Cudmore in X2, X Men 3 and Days of Future Past;

Sunspot: Roberto Da Costa who transforms into a living fireball, portrayed by Adan Canto in Days of Future Past;

Gambit: Remy Le Beau, who can charge objects he touches with exploding energy, portrayed by Taylor Kitsch in X Men Origins Wolverine;

Phoenix: Jean Grey, portrayed by Famke Jansen in the first 3 X men films, and Sophie Turner subsequently;

Nightcrawler;

Bishop: Lucas Bishop, with the power to absorb energy and direct back in bolts, he was portrayed by Omar Sy in the film X Men Days of Future Past.

ROUND 2 - Pairs - 'Women in History'

Only surnames needed unless otherwise specified

1.

Which American lawyer was awarded the Presidential medal of freedom by Barack Obama in 2009? Born in 1930 she was the first woman to become a member of the supreme court, in which she sat between 1981 and 2006.  She is now the only surviving member of the Burger court.

Sandra Day O’Connor

2.

Which current female MP has sat in parliament longer than any other female MP in parliament at the moment?  She has served as an MP longer than Harriet Harman who is the female MP with the longest continuous service.

Margaret Beckett

3.

Led by their female head of state, which country became the latest to join NATO, doing so on 4th April 2023?

Finland

4.

Julia Gillard, the first woman to serve as deputy prime minister of Australia and subsequently prime minister of Australia, was born in which Commonwealth country that has a population of 3.1 million?  Her family emigrated in 1966 to Adelaide and she subsequently became a partner in law firm Slater and Gordon.

Wales

5.

Which scientist was born in Vienna in 1878 and died in Cambridge in 1968?  During WW2 she fled to Sweden by pretending to be the wife of Dutch Physicist Dirk Coster, and she was famously snubbed for the Nobel prize in Chemistry when it was awarded solely to Otto Hahn.

Lise Meitner

6.

The French-American journalist Eve Labouisse who died in New York in 2007 was the daughter of which award winning scientist?  After the death of her father when she was just over a year old she was raised for a time by her grandfather.  During WW2 she spent a lot of time in the United Kingdom and met with Churchill and Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as travelling as a war correspondent and meeting the Shah of Iran and Mahatma Ghandi.  (full name required)

Marie Curie

(accept Pierre Curie)

7.

Which Oscar-winning actress born in Mexico City in 1983 where her father was posted overseas, has a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a voice role in the recent Stars Wars films?  She beat Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts, Sally Hawkins and June Squibb to best supporting actress, and the film, for which she won her first major cinematic role, won the best film that year?

Lupita N’Yongo

(won for 12 years a Slave in 2014; she plays Nakia in the Black Panther films)

8.

Which Oscar-winning actress was born in New York City in 1964 and has a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?  She beat Judy Davies, Joan Plowright, Vanessa Redgrave and Miranda Richardson to win her Oscar for best supporting actress back in 1993, although the film for which she won didn’t win any other awards.  Subsequently she has received two further nominations for In The Bedroom and The Wrestler.

Marissa Tomei

(won for My Cousin Vinny in 1993; she plays Aunt May Parker, Spider Man’s aunt)

Sp.

Former Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice is now head of the Hoover Institute, an American think tank that is formally part of which university, consistently ranked in the top 5 on the world?  Herbert Hoover was one of the first graduates of this institution in 1895.

Stanford

(California)

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Pot pourri

Each question is accompanied by an extra clue in the form of a pun on the answer

1.

Which character created by Reg Smythe for the Daily Mirror is immortalised in a statue in Hartlepool?

&

It's a cockney's description of an event such as the Grand National.

Andy Capp

('andicap)

2.

What is the title of the tune to which the song Danny Boy is set?

&

It could be a French person's description of an Eastender's bottom, for example.

Londonderry Air

(London derrière)

3.

What was the original subtitle of the Great British Bake Off spin-off that is now subtitled The Professionals?

&

It could refer to the best little incinerator.

Crème de la crème

(crème de la crem)

4.

Which city is home to the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and housed the world's tallest building from 2004 until it was superseded by the Burj Khalifa in 2010?

&
It could describe remuneration in bahts.

Taipei

(Thai pay)

5.

Which film directed by Tom Hooper won the Oscar for Best Picture of 2010?

&
If the monarch were to be seen in possession of a Prunus persica, it could be called this.

The King's Speech

(the king's peach)

6.

Who wrote the 2010 memoir With Just a Touch of Hesitation, Repetition and Deviation?

&
American clerics who have no 5 cent coins could be described thus.

Nicholas Parsons

(Nickel-less parsons)

7.

This is an historical term for black bile, an excess of which was believed to cause depression.

&
This could be a hybrid fruit/vegetable of the genera Cucumis and Brassica.

Melancholy

(melon cauli)

8.

What 12-letter adjective describes celebrations held in honour of the Roman god of wine and ecstasy?

&
It could mean to lend support to a foreigner.

Bacchanalian

(back an alien)

Sp.

The name of which bodily disorder is derived from the Greek words for 'flow' and 'through'?

&

Ménière's disease could cause this condition in one of a pair of organs.

Diarrhoea

(dire ear)

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Pairs

1.

Notwithstanding their recent by-election successes the Labour party suffered a 44% swing against them in a by-election in Bermondsey in 1983.  Who was the unsuccessful Labour candidate who is a well-known human rights activist and co-founder of the direct action group OutRage!?

Peter Tatchell

2.

The Labour Party also suffered a 44% swing against them in the Bradford West constituency in 2012.  George Galloway won the seat for which party?

Respect

3.

What is the main ingredient of the Portuguese dish caldeirada?

Fish

4.

What is the main ingredient of the Greek dish stifado?

Beef

5.

Which of this group of 5 did not belong to the so-called Mighty handful of Russian composers:

Mily Balakirev,

Mikhail Glinka,

Modest Mussorgsky,

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov,

Alexander Borodin?

Mikhail Glinka

(the missing 5th member is César Cui)

6.

Which of this group of 5 did not belong to the Cabal:

Clarendon,

Ashley,

Buckingham,

Arlington,

Lauderdale?

Clarendon

(the missing 5th member is Clifford)

7.

The city of Lyon in France is well known for the production of which type of material?

Silk

8.

The city of Bruges in Belgium is well known for the production of which type of material?

Lace

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

Which mathematical constant is the base of natural logarithms?

e

(accept Euler's number)

2.

H L Mencken is credited with coining the word 'ecdysiast' as a more dignified way to refer to which type of performance for which Gypsy Rose Lee was famous?

Striptease

3.

Who has been the travel correspondent for The Independent since 1994 and is a regular contributor to BBC programmes on travel issues?

Simon Calder

4.

Who wrote the 1968 novel Myra Breckinridge?  In the Da Ali G Show, Ali G mistakes him for a famous hairdresser.  (full name required)

Gore Vidal

5.

What is the title of the 1990 gangster film written, directed and produced by the Coen brothers, starring Gabriel Byrne and Albert Finney?

Miller's Crossing

6.

Which tram stop on the Oldham and Rochdale Line lies between Victoria and Central Park?  It shares its name with an isolation hospital that closed in 1993.

Monsall

7.

What's the name of the American band founded in 1979 whose highest-charting hit was Walk the Dinosaur, released in 1987?

Was (Not Was)

8.

Lying 6 miles north of Ramsey, what's the name of the northernmost place on the Isle of Man?

Point of Ayre

Sp.

Who was the chairman of Manchester City FC from 1973 until 1993?  The club was relegated less than a week after his death?

Peter Swales

Theme: Each answer contains the name of an English dale

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Announced theme - 'Oscar Men' 

Each answer contains the name of a Best Male actor Oscar winner

Only surnames are required unless otherwise stated

1.

Ernest Saunders, the only man to recover from Alzheimer's disease, was the chief executive of which British company before he was committed to prison for fraud.

Guinness

2.

Oliver Dowden holds which post which has existed since 1361?

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

3.

Before being aired in its own right The Simpsons cartoon was aired in the USA in April 1987 as part of the show of which comedienne, writer, director and producer?

The Tracey Ullman show

4.

Which old Testament character had three wives, two of which were called Hagar and Keturah?

Abraham

5.

What is the English name for the birds in the family Fringillidae?

Finch

6.

What is the name of the motorway service station on the M4 on the section between junction 2 and junction 3?

Heston

7.

Which craftsman associated with breweries would use a jigger, a buzz, a flagging iron, a round shaver, an adze and a mallet?

Cooper

8.

In which North Merseyside town is the Waterloo rugby union club's home ground to be found?

Crosby

Sp1

Which battle between the French and English led to the capture of the French King John II (John the Good)?

Poitiers

Sp2

Who wrote the music for the show A Chorus Line and the song Nobody Does It Better from the film The Spy Who Loved Me?  (both names required)

Marvin Hamlisch

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - 'A Round with a nominal Hidden theme'

1.

Which British rapper’s 2019 debut album Psychodrama went on to win the Mercury Prize and Brit Awards Album of the Year in 2020?

Dave

2.

What is the name of a typical Indonesian dagger or short sword with a characteristic wavy blade?

Kris

3.

What is the name of the weight at the bottom of a clock pendulum?

Bob

(or plumb-bob)

4.

Which Imperial and US customary unit of measurement may be defined as 16 ½ feet, 1⁄320 of a mile, 5 ½ yards, or a quarter of a surveyors chain?

Rod

5.

Which company was founded in Tyneside in 1939 and opened its first shop in 1951?  Now a FTSE top 250 company with about 2000 outlets, it mainly focuses on the ‘food on the go’ market.

Greggs

6.

Which Dutch company founded in 1991 is a world leader in location technology and consumer electronics?

TomTom

7.

Which colloquial and disparaging phrase, whose first recorded use was in the 1930s, originated from a polite way of describing urination?

Taking the mick

(or michael - from micturition - thus, taking the piss)

8.

What is the technical name for a backdrop picture, usually painted on glass, that allowed film-makers to combine a background not present at the filming location with live action footage?  These were generally phased out by newer technologies during the 1990s.

Matte painting

Sp1

James

Sp2

What is the French name for cooked pollock or hake?  A few years ago, here in the UK, Sainsbury’s briefly gave pollock the same name in a sales pitch. 

Colin

Sp3

What is the commonest surname in France?  It's also the name of an exclusive US brand of hand-made acoustic guitars.

Martin

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - Pairs

1.

Which English King was buried under Reading Abbey?  This Romanesque abbey was founded in memory of his father and his brother, who had both been king.  Thanks to the Dissolution, it remains unclear exactly where the tomb now is, but it could well be under a car park.

Henry I

2.

Which English King was buried in Faversham Abbey?  This abbey, also from the Romanesque period, had been founded in memory of his wife and his eldest son, Eustace.  All three were buried there, although it is thought all the remains were thrown into the sea during the Dissolution.

Stephen (of Blois)

3.

Roger Hargreaves’s characters have found international popularity.  In France he's Monsieur Chatouille, (“Shat-oo-wee!”) and in Germany, Mister Kitzel, how is he known here?

Mr Tickle

4.

In France he is Monsieur Malchance, and in Norway Herr Dumpidump, how is Roger Hargreaves’s character known here?

Mr Bump

5.

Due to the French constitution, whose very much posthumous arrival in Paris in 1976, required a passport and a reception with full honours befitting a head of state?  The subject of a work of 19th century literature, he had been found in TT320 in 1881.

Ramses II

(accept 'the Great' - also accept 'Ozymandias'; his mummy needed some restoration)

6.

There are only three kinds of animal (all mammals) which require a UK or EU pet passport for international travel.  Cats and Dogs are the obvious two, but what is the third, whose name is derived from the Latin for ‘little thief’?

Ferret

7.

The 1856 ‘One Cent Magenta’ is the world’s most expensive and rarest stamp, most recently sold to Stanley Gibbons for over $8 million.  It is the only major postage stamp ever issued in the United Kingdom or British Commonwealth that is not represented in Britain's Royal Philatelic Collection. Which country (still in the Commonwealth) is this stamp from?

British Guiana

(accept Guyana)

8.

As of October 12th, and replacing a fragmented shield, in what context will two dormice equal a red squirrel, 10 oak leaves be equivalent to an Atlantic salmon, and 5 puffins make some bees?

New set of Charles III British coins

(which feature British wildlife on the reverse - they should start entering general circulation in the coming weeks:

1p dormouse,

2p red squirrel,

5p oak leaves,

10p capercaillie,

20p puffin,

50p salmon,

£1 bees,

£2 regional flowers)

Sp1

Which Mr Man is Mister Quatschkopf in Germany and Señor Tonto in Spain?

Sp2

Which English cricketer of Guyanese heritage played 52 test matches between 1991 and 2001 and was the first to score a century against each of the 18 first class counties in county cricket (following a move from Middlesex to Surrey in 2001)?  He made his Test debut in the same game as Graeme Hick, and like Hick, never really achieved his full potential as a Test player.

Mark Ramprakash

Sp3

Which West Indies cricketer, born in Guyana, played 102 test matches between 1987 and 2002 and was the second to score a century against each of the 18 first class counties in county cricket (playing as overseas player for Kent and Lancashire)?  A more than useful off-spin bowler with 114 test wickets, he captained West Indies 22 times.

Carl Hooper

Sp4

St James’ Park in London is home to a small colony of what type of birds?  These were originally a gift from the Russian ambassador in 1664.  Despite being free to leave, they have been there ever since.  This is presumably related to a daily provision of fresh fish between 2.30 and 3pm.

Pelicans

Sp5

In 1515 at the height of Portugal’s global trading empire, an Indian prince sent which animal as a gift to King Manuel I - the first of these animals seen in Europe since the Romans?  The animal was also immortalised in a contemporary woodcut, despite the artist never having seen it in person.

Rhinoceros

(Durer’s woodcut)

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers