ROUND 1 - 'Prime Time'

Each answer includes a prime number between 0 and 50

1.

In a recent poll of the Broadcasting Press Guild which British TV series was voted the most influential of the last 50 years?

2.

In the episode of Fawlty Towers called Waldorf Salad what is described by an American guest as "a little back road"?

3.

In which year did the following events occur: A Street Car Named Desire starring Marlon Brando opened on Broadway; an extra-terrestrial spacecraft was allegedly found near Roswell, New Mexico; the first Edinburgh International Festival was held?

4.

In which year did the following events occur: the disappearance of the aviator Amelia Earhart; the death of George Gershwin; the publication of the first issue of The Dandy?

5.

This 1980 film featured the debut appearance of a character called Jason Voorhees.  It has spawned 11 sequels and a TV series.  What is it called?

6.

This 2001 film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and starred George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Julie Roberts.  It has spawned two sequels.  What is it called?

7.

What number links the Jupiter Symphony by Mozart and the 'A' road between London and Birkenhead?

8.

Which number links the Resurrection Symphony by Mahler and the 'A' road between London and Dover?

Sp1

The last two men to walk on the moon were members of which NASA mission?

Sp2

Which number one hit of 1970 featured the line "Twice on the pipe if the answer is no"?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

The first took place in Sevilla in 1481, the last in Mexico in 1850; upwards of 3000 people were executed during these ceremonies.  By what name were they known?

2.

Which TV channel broadcast the documentary series The Labour Files detailing alleged abuse and harassment within the Labour Party?

3.

What is the name given to the study of heritable traits that happen without changes to the DNA sequence?

4.

What is the title of Richard Dawkins’ second book, a sequel to The Selfish Gene, that focuses on the effect genes can have on their environment, inside or outside the body of the individual organism?

5.

A drought in parts of the Po valley in recent years has caused serious shortages of what staple of northern Italian cuisine?

6.

What action by Louis XIV in 1685 led to the emigration of many French protestants (Huguenots)?  About 50,000 settled in England, establishing communities in Spitalfields, London and elsewhere.

7.

In 2020 a QC was commissioned by the Labour Party NEC to investigate allegations of bullying, racism, sexism and factionalism within the Party.  His report, which bears his name, was eventually published in 2022 and a number of its recommendations have still to be implemented.  What is the name of this report?

8.

The 'Great Green Wall' is a multinational tree-planting scheme intended to counter increasing desertification in which region of northern Africa?

Sp1

Maclear’s Beacon is the highest point on which African mountain?

Sp2

The northernmost province of South Africa is named after which river, which forms the border with Zimbabwe and flows into the Indian Ocean near the town of Xai-Xai in southern Mozambique?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

1.

Which dog puppet first appeared on British TV in 1957?

2.

In publication since 1925, which magazine is noted for its artistic covers?

3.

Jude Law and Tom Hiddleston (as a voice) have both portrayed which pirate?

4.

Leonardo da Vinci designed, and Benjamin Franklin constructed, an early version of what piece of equipment?

5.

Early on in their working lives, Norman Foster, Justin Trudeau and James Gandolfini were all employed as what?

6.

Frequently cited as the best British film ever made, this 1949 production won only one Oscar, for best black and white cinematography.  What was the film?

7.

What name is given to a variety of types of boat which can be anything from small auxiliary craft launched from a larger vessel, to substantial modern boats often used for patrolling sea borders?

8.

Who left Bayern Munich to become the German national team manager, being replaced at Munich by Julian Nagelsmann, only to become the first national manager ever sacked by the German FA who replaced him with…..Julian Nagelsmann?

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - 'NFL'

Each answer contains the franchise name of an NFL team

1.

In the TV series EastEnders who played Dot Cotton from 1985 to 2020?

2.

The fictional African kingdom of Wakanda is the home of which Marvel superhero?

3.

Which Beatles character “Went out tiger hunting with his mum; in case of accidents he always took his mum”?

4.

What was the main battle tank of the British army from the 1960s to the 1990s?  It succeeded the Centurion and was, in turn, succeeded by the Challenger.

5.

How is the American MIM-104 surface to air missile better known?

6.

Which 1981 film was the last work of Ray Harryhausen?  It starred Laurence Olivier as Zeus and Ursula Andress as Aphrodite.

7.

Which novel by Patrick O’Brian, set during the Napoleonic Wars, was made into a 2003 film starring Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey?

8.

Who won the women’s 800m Gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics?  She later married a fellow Olympic medallist and had two sons who played for Manchester City?

Sp1

What is the missing word from this deep and meaningful line from Jeepster by T. Rex?

“Just like a car, you’re pleasing to behold, I’ll call you ______ if I may be so bold.”

Sp2

The Blackhearts was the backing group for which rock singer?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

This was one of the most important elected offices in the Roman Republic and the first significant position to be held by Julius Caesar (from 64 BCE onwards).  What was the title of this office?

2.

From the same part of the world as Bruce Springsteen, he was the straight man of a radio and film comedy duo who were perhaps best known for their Who’s On First routine.  Who was he?

3.

Which Glasgow band of the 1980s and 1990s had UK top twenty hits with Real Gone Kid, Fergus Sings The Blues and Dignity?

4.

Played on film by Roger Daltrey this convicted one-time armed robber became a journalist published in the Sunday Times, the Guardian and the New Statesman among others.  What was his name?

5.

Which Major League Baseball team plays its home games at Busch Stadium?

6.

Who is missing from this group of four: Thomas Parnell, John Arbuthnot and Jonathan Swift?

7.

Made in Dymock, Gloucestershire and named after a local variety of pear, what is this famous artisanal cheese called?

8.

He was born in Lewisham in 1961 and is one of only two British reggae artists to have a number one hit on the Billboard charts.  The other act was UB40 with whom he briefly performed live as lead singer.  Who is he?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

Which two Greater Manchester boroughs have no border with the City of Manchester?

2.

Which two Greater Manchester boroughs border the Peak District National Park?

3.

In which American state is Princeton University?

4.

In which American state is John Hopkins University?

5.

Who is the only person to have won an Olympic gold medal and an Oscar? He died in tragic circumstances in 2020.

6.

Who is the only person to have won the Turner Prize and an Oscar?

7.

Which is the only letter that does not appear in the name of any US state?

8.

Two letters do not appear in the periodic table.  One is again Q but what is the other?

Sp1

Who is the only Italian footballer to have won a Premier League winner’s medal as a player?

Sp2

Only two African cities have underground transport systems.  Name one of them.

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - 'Tops and Tails'

Each answer contains a word that can precede or follow ‘top’ or ‘tail’ (in some cases both) to create a well-known word or phrase

1.

The Iditarod is an annual long distance race (938 miles) using what mode of transport?

2.

What is the name of the 170m observation tower built in Portsmouth between 2001 and 2005?  It shares its name with something you might find on a yacht.

3.

Which river rises on Axe Edge Moor near Buxton and joins the River Trent south-west of Derby?  Features along its course included Wolfscote Dale, Reynard’s Cave and Thorpe Cloud.

4.

Which Herman Wouk novel of 1971 deals with events leading up to and including the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941?  In 1983, it was made into a TV mini-series with a cast including Robert Mitchum, Ali McGraw and Topol, among many others.

5.

Of what is pedology the study?

6.

Which English mathematician and physicist (b.1850, d.1925) gives his name to a layer in within the ionosphere which reflects radio waves, thus enabling beyond-the-horizon telecommunications?

7.

Who, with 15 Champion Trainer titles is the most successful British National Hunt trainer of all time?  Following his retirement in 2006 his son, David, took over his Somerset based stables.

8.

In an internal combustion engine, what name is given to the part of a connecting rod that engages with the crankshaft?

Sp1

What name is shared by a small, stocky wading bird, a unit of speed and a method of fastening?

Sp2

To which genus do kohlrabi, cavolo nero and bok choi belong?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Pairs

1.

In mathematics which Greek letter is usually used to denote a small change in a quantity?

2.

Which Doris Day song featured in the Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much?  It has often been adapted by football fans hoping for a good cup run.

3.

Which Russian composer (1906 - 1975) wrote operas including Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and The Nose based on a short story by Gogol?

4.

Burghley House stands near which Lincolnshire town sometimes described as the best stone town in England?  The town shares its name with a famous football stadium.

5.

Which Doris Day song was also the title of her 1963 film co-starring James Garner?  In 1983 it was a Top Ten hit for Tracey Ullman.

6.

In mathematics which Greek letter is usually used for the sum of a group of terms?

7.

Which town, roughly half way between Shrewsbury and Hereford, was described by John Betjeman as the loveliest town in England?  It has a famous castle and almost 500 listed buildings.

8.

Which French composer (1975 -1937) wrote two completed operas, L'Heure Espagnole and L'Enfant et les Sortilèges with a libretto by Colette?

Sp1

Which Doris Day song, from the film Calamity Jane, contains the lyrics:

“Now, I shout it from the highest hills, Even told the golden daffodils.”?

Sp2

In which county is Woburn Abbey?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - 'Prime Time'

Each answer includes a prime number between 0 and 50

1.

In a recent poll of the Broadcasting Press Guild which British TV series was voted the most influential of the last 50 years?

7 Up

2.

In the episode of Fawlty Towers called Waldorf Salad what is described by an American guest as "a little back road"?

The M5

3.

In which year did the following events occur: A Street Car Named Desire starring Marlon Brando opened on Broadway; an extra-terrestrial spacecraft was allegedly found near Roswell, New Mexico; the first Edinburgh International Festival was held?

1947

4.

In which year did the following events occur: the disappearance of the aviator Amelia Earhart; the death of George Gershwin; the publication of the first issue of The Dandy?

1937

5.

This 1980 film featured the debut appearance of a character called Jason Voorhees.  It has spawned 11 sequels and a TV series.  What is it called?

Friday the 13th

6.

This 2001 film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and starred George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Julie Roberts.  It has spawned two sequels.  What is it called?

Ocean's Eleven

7.

What number links the Jupiter Symphony by Mozart and the 'A' road between London and Birkenhead?

41

8.

Which number links the Resurrection Symphony by Mahler and the 'A' road between London and Dover?

2

Sp1

The last two men to walk on the moon were members of which NASA mission?

Apollo 17

Sp2

Which number one hit of 1970 featured the line "Twice on the pipe if the answer is no"?

Knock Three Times

(by Tony Orlando and Dawn)

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

The first took place in Sevilla in 1481, the last in Mexico in 1850; upwards of 3000 people were executed during these ceremonies.  By what name were they known?

Auto-da-fé

2.

Which TV channel broadcast the documentary series The Labour Files detailing alleged abuse and harassment within the Labour Party?

Al Jazeera

3.

What is the name given to the study of heritable traits that happen without changes to the DNA sequence?

Epigenetics

4.

What is the title of Richard Dawkins’ second book, a sequel to The Selfish Gene, that focuses on the effect genes can have on their environment, inside or outside the body of the individual organism?

The Extended Phenotype

5.

A drought in parts of the Po valley in recent years has caused serious shortages of what staple of northern Italian cuisine?

Risotto Rice

6.

What action by Louis XIV in 1685 led to the emigration of many French protestants (Huguenots)?  About 50,000 settled in England, establishing communities in Spitalfields, London and elsewhere.

Edict of Fontainebleau

(usually referred to as the 'Revocation of the Edict of Nantes')

7.

In 2020 a QC was commissioned by the Labour Party NEC to investigate allegations of bullying, racism, sexism and factionalism within the Party.  His report, which bears his name, was eventually published in 2022 and a number of its recommendations have still to be implemented.  What is the name of this report?

The Forde Report

8.

The 'Great Green Wall' is a multinational tree-planting scheme intended to counter increasing desertification in which region of northern Africa?

The Sahel

Sp1

Maclear’s Beacon is the highest point on which African mountain?

Table Mountain

Sp2

The northernmost province of South Africa is named after which river, which forms the border with Zimbabwe and flows into the Indian Ocean near the town of Xai-Xai in southern Mozambique?

Limpopo

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

1.

Which dog puppet first appeared on British TV in 1957?

Sweep

2.

In publication since 1925, which magazine is noted for its artistic covers?

The New Yorker

3.

Jude Law and Tom Hiddleston (as a voice) have both portrayed which pirate?

Captain Hook

4.

Leonardo da Vinci designed, and Benjamin Franklin constructed, an early version of what piece of equipment?

Flipper

5.

Early on in their working lives, Norman Foster, Justin Trudeau and James Gandolfini were all employed as what?

Bouncers

6.

Frequently cited as the best British film ever made, this 1949 production won only one Oscar, for best black and white cinematography.  What was the film?

The Third Man

7.

What name is given to a variety of types of boat which can be anything from small auxiliary craft launched from a larger vessel, to substantial modern boats often used for patrolling sea borders?

Cutters

8.

Who left Bayern Munich to become the German national team manager, being replaced at Munich by Julian Nagelsmann, only to become the first national manager ever sacked by the German FA who replaced him with…..Julian Nagelsmann?

Hansi Flick

Theme: Each answer contains a term used in cricket

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - 'NFL'

Each answer contains the franchise name of an NFL team

1.

In the TV series EastEnders who played Dot Cotton from 1985 to 2020?

 June Brown

(Cleveland)

2.

The fictional African kingdom of Wakanda is the home of which Marvel superhero?

Black Panther

(Carolina)

3.

Which Beatles character “Went out tiger hunting with his mum; in case of accidents he always took his mum”?

Bungalow Bill

(Buffalo)
 

4.

What was the main battle tank of the British army from the 1960s to the 1990s?  It succeeded the Centurion and was, in turn, succeeded by the Challenger.

Chieftain

(Kansas City)

5.

How is the American MIM-104 surface to air missile better known?

Patriot

(New England)

6.

Which 1981 film was the last work of Ray Harryhausen?  It starred Laurence Olivier as Zeus and Ursula Andress as Aphrodite.

Clash of the Titans

(Tennessee)

7.

Which novel by Patrick O’Brian, set during the Napoleonic Wars, was made into a 2003 film starring Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey?

Master and Commander

(Washington – no longer the Redskins)

8.

Who won the women’s 800m Gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics?  She later married a fellow Olympic medallist and had two sons who played for Manchester City?

Ann Packer

(Green Bay)

Sp1

What is the missing word from this deep and meaningful line from Jeepster by T. Rex?

“Just like a car, you’re pleasing to behold, I’ll call you ______ if I may be so bold.”

Jaguar

(Jackonsville)

Sp2

The Blackhearts was the backing group for which rock singer?

Joan Jett

(New York)

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

This was one of the most important elected offices in the Roman Republic and the first significant position to be held by Julius Caesar (from 64 BCE onwards).  What was the title of this office?

Pontifex Maximus

2.

From the same part of the world as Bruce Springsteen, he was the straight man of a radio and film comedy duo who were perhaps best known for their Who’s On First routine.  Who was he?

Bud Abbott

3.

Which Glasgow band of the 1980s and 1990s had UK top twenty hits with Real Gone Kid, Fergus Sings The Blues and Dignity?

Deacon Blue

4.

Played on film by Roger Daltrey this convicted one-time armed robber became a journalist published in the Sunday Times, the Guardian and the New Statesman among others.  What was his name?

John McVicar

5.

Which Major League Baseball team plays its home games at Busch Stadium?

St. Louis Cardinals

6.

Who is missing from this group of four: Thomas Parnell, John Arbuthnot and Jonathan Swift?

Alexander Pope

(the members of the Scriblerus Club of early 18th century satirical writers)

7.

Made in Dymock, Gloucestershire and named after a local variety of pear, what is this famous artisanal cheese called?

Stinking Bishop

8.

He was born in Lewisham in 1961 and is one of only two British reggae artists to have a number one hit on the Billboard charts.  The other act was UB40 with whom he briefly performed live as lead singer.  Who is he?

Maxi Priest

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a rank or grade of the clergy

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

Which two Greater Manchester boroughs have no border with the City of Manchester?

Bolton and Wigan

2.

Which two Greater Manchester boroughs border the Peak District National Park?

Stockport and Tameside

(Oldham contains an area which is part of the Peak District National Park but does not border it)

3.

In which American state is Princeton University?

New Jersey

4.

In which American state is John Hopkins University?

Maryland

5.

Who is the only person to have won an Olympic gold medal and an Oscar? He died in tragic circumstances in 2020.

Kobe Bryant

(Gold medals with the US basketball team in 2008 and 2012, and an Oscar for the best animated short film in 2017)

6.

Who is the only person to have won the Turner Prize and an Oscar?

Steve McQueen

(Turner Prize in 1999 and an Oscar in 2014 for directing 12 Years a Slave)

7.

Which is the only letter that does not appear in the name of any US state?

Q

8.

Two letters do not appear in the periodic table.  One is again Q but what is the other?

J

Sp1

Who is the only Italian footballer to have won a Premier League winner’s medal as a player?

Mario Balotelli

Sp2

Only two African cities have underground transport systems.  Name one of them.

(either) Algiers or Cairo

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - 'Tops and Tails'

Each answer contains a word that can precede or follow ‘top’ or ‘tail’ (in some cases both) to create a well-known word or phrase

1.

The Iditarod is an annual long distance race (938 miles) using what mode of transport?

Dog sled

2.

What is the name of the 170m observation tower built in Portsmouth between 2001 and 2005?  It shares its name with something you might find on a yacht.

Spinnaker

3.

Which river rises on Axe Edge Moor near Buxton and joins the River Trent south-west of Derby?  Features along its course included Wolfscote Dale, Reynard’s Cave and Thorpe Cloud.

River Dove

4.

Which Herman Wouk novel of 1971 deals with events leading up to and including the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941?  In 1983, it was made into a TV mini-series with a cast including Robert Mitchum, Ali McGraw and Topol, among many others.

The Winds of War

5.

Of what is pedology the study?

Soil

6.

Which English mathematician and physicist (b.1850, d.1925) gives his name to a layer in within the ionosphere which reflects radio waves, thus enabling beyond-the-horizon telecommunications?

Oliver Heaviside

7.

Who, with 15 Champion Trainer titles is the most successful British National Hunt trainer of all time?  Following his retirement in 2006 his son, David, took over his Somerset based stables.

Martin Pipe

8.

In an internal combustion engine, what name is given to the part of a connecting rod that engages with the crankshaft?

Big End

Sp1

What name is shared by a small, stocky wading bird, a unit of speed and a method of fastening?

Knot

Sp2

To which genus do kohlrabi, cavolo nero and bok choi belong?

Brassicas

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - Pairs

1.

In mathematics which Greek letter is usually used to denote a small change in a quantity?

Delta

2.

Which Doris Day song featured in the Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much?  It has often been adapted by football fans hoping for a good cup run.

Que Sera,Sera

3.

Which Russian composer (1906 - 1975) wrote operas including Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and The Nose based on a short story by Gogol?

Shostakovich

4.

Burghley House stands near which Lincolnshire town sometimes described as the best stone town in England?  The town shares its name with a famous football stadium.

Stamford

5.

Which Doris Day song was also the title of her 1963 film co-starring James Garner?  In 1983 it was a Top Ten hit for Tracey Ullman.

Move Over Darling

6.

In mathematics which Greek letter is usually used for the sum of a group of terms?

Sigma

7.

Which town, roughly half way between Shrewsbury and Hereford, was described by John Betjeman as the loveliest town in England?  It has a famous castle and almost 500 listed buildings.

Ludlow

8.

Which French composer (1975 -1937) wrote two completed operas, L'Heure Espagnole and L'Enfant et les Sortilèges with a libretto by Colette?

Ravel

Sp1

Which Doris Day song, from the film Calamity Jane, contains the lyrics:

“Now, I shout it from the highest hills, Even told the golden daffodils.”?

Secret Love

Sp2

In which county is Woburn Abbey?

Bedfordshire

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers