ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Name the Texan who was the automotive genius behind the AC Cobra.

2.

Which 1986 film starred Bob Hoskins as a gangster driver for a prostitute?

3.

Who was the producer of the MGM 1939-1955 Tom and Jerry cartoons - winner of 7 Academy Awards?

4.

Which TV football pundit recently admitted to being addicted to cocaine after the end of his playing career?

5.

What is the 4-letter acronym for the San Francisco public Transport Network?

6.

Who was the lead singer of the New Wave band, Dead or Alive?

7.

What is the name of the 1986-94 TV series starring Ian McShane as a roguish antique dealer?

8.

What would an ophiologist study?

Sp1

What was Jacqueline Kennedy/Onassis’ maiden name?

Sp2

What cocktail results from mixing advocaat and lemonade?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Literature

1.

What was the dog called in Three Men in a Boat?

2.

What was Bill Sykes dog called in Oliver Twist?

3.

In which novel did Jess Oakroyd feature as an odd job man?

4.

Which was the first novel to feature Hercule Poirot?

5.

Name the headmaster of Dotheboys Hall in Nicholas Nickleby. (surname alone acceptable)

6.

Name the school in Charles Dickens’ Hard Times.

7.

Which William Gibson book won the 1984 Hugo and Nebula awards for Best Science Fiction Novel?

8.

The Carnegie Medal for Childrens literary illustration was previously known by what title?

Sp1

Who wrote the 1973 Hugo and Nebula award winning novel Rendezvous with Rama?

Sp2

Which school did Jane Eyre attend?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

From The Charabancs

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

1.

In France the Town Hall in small towns and villages is commonly referred to as La Mairie.  What do the French call this building in larger towns and cities?

2.

What three-word slogan, hashtag and logo was adopted first in France and then throughout the western world in 2015 to express support for freedom of speech and resistance to armed threats?

3.

Which award-winning 1924 English novel with a foreign setting derives its title from a Walt Whitman poem in his Leaves of Grass collection?

4.

In one of the oldest European settlements in North America, the ramparts surrounding the old sector of which present day city are the only fortified city walls remaining in the Americas north of Mexico?

5.

Both John Wayne and director Howard Hawks were infuriated by the film High Noon which they felt was un-American and a coded criticism of McCarthyism.  In response they got together in 1959 (with Dean Martin staggering along) to make which film, a Western, to show how real American menfolk should react when the going gets tough?

6.

The Killing Moon was a UK Top 10 single hit in 1984 for which English rock band?  The chords of the song were based on Bowie's Space Oddity played backwards.

7.

An Indie rock band from Leeds called Alt-J won the 2012 British Mercury prize.  The name Alt-J comes from the key sequence used on an Apple Mac computer to generate which symbol which they like to identify with?

8.

Which comedy-drama film about a male stripper who performs at the Xquisite club was a surprise box-office hit in 2012?  Channing Tatum, rising to the occasion, played the title role with admirable aplomb and, perhaps conjuring up inspiration from the gymnastic gyrations of his character’s WithQuiz namesake back in the day, went on to strut his stuff in two film sequels, a musical, and a TV series.

Sp1

Following a terrorist attack in 1996 what name has been proposed to describe the syndrome, an inversion of Stockholm syndrome, where the abductors come to experience feelings of empathy towards their captives?

Sp2

St George was a multi-award-winning 1996 TV advert for which product?  It showed Ray Gardner, a company spokesman stripping down to his purple underpants and marching to a boxing ring on the white cliffs of Dover to do battle with Sebastian, a French exchange student who had been mildly critical of the taste of the British product in question.  This satirical parody of the British bulldog spirit seemed amusing at the time ........ exactly 20 years before Brexit happened for real.

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Blockbuster Bingo Round

The theme is British place names, factual or fictional

Choose your question based on the initial letter(s) of the answer shown

1.

TLOE

This 1855 painting by Ford Madox Brown depicts two emigrants departing with their baby for a new life in Australia.  It currently hangs in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.  Name it.

2.

EH

This fictional area of Wessex was the setting for most of Thomas Hardy's novels.  In 1927 Gustav Holst, a Hardy admirer, composed a tone poem dedicated to Hardy with this name.  What is it?

3.

TG

In Emily Bronte's 1848 novel Wuthering Heights, this was the name of a neighbouring property the owner of which, Edgar Linton, eventually marries Cathy Earnshaw, the heroine of the novel.  What was it called?

4.

TGNAA

The village of Langwathby in Cumbria is the base for 'The Pride of Cumbria', one of the helicopters run by this vital emergency service.  Name the emergency service.

5.

TRLOP

Discovered in 1823 by William Buckland in a limestone cave of this name on the Gower Peninsula this is actually a partial male skeleton dyed in red ochre and is thought to have been buried there 33,000 years ago.  It has retained the name given to it at the time.  What is it called?

6.

T

The popular 1960s television series Dr Finlay's Casebook, based on a novel by A J Cronin, was set in which fictional Scottish town?

7.

FC

This medieval ruin situated in Northamptonshire marked the birthplace of one notorious monarch and the death of another.  Name it.

8.

BM

At 1,309 metres in elevation, this is the second highest mountain in the UK and the highest peak in the Cairngorm range.  What is it called?

9.

P

This Worcestershire market town on the River Avon holds an annual Plum Festival to celebrate its long association with the growing of this fruit, many varieties of which are named after the town.  Where is it?

10.

JG

Born in the town of Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan in 1961, she grew up to become the only woman elected Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 2010 to 2013.  Who is she?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

Which hill is the highest point on Bodmin Moor, and also the highest point in all of Cornwall?

2.

Which 1959 film has its climactic scene, between Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, on Mount Rushmore?

3.

Situated on the banks of the Hooghly River this stadium hosted the 1987 cricket world cup final. What is its name?

4.

His biggest hit was In the Midnight Hour which he co-wrote.  What was his name?

5.

Only two actors have won Oscars (for acting) posthumously.  The first was Peter Finch for Network at the 1977 awards.  Who was the other?

6.

The first leg of America’s horse racing Triple Crown took place last Saturday.  What is the name of the course where the race is run?

7.

This 1967 album, which includes the tracks Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love, is considered one of the best albums ever recorded.  Its title arose from a malapropism uttered by the band’s roadie. What is the malapropism?

8.

Sp1

In the early 1970s John Lennon had an affair that he described as "My lost weekend".  The “lost weekend” lasted more than 18 months.  Who was the music executive with whom he had the affair?

Sp2

This pace bowler played 17 tests for England between 1986 and 1991 and his 5/48 in the Boxing Day test of 1986 helped England win the Ashes series.  He is also an alumnus of Manchester Metropolitan University.  Who is he?

Sp3

What is the name of the area on the south bank of the River Liffey, which is the centre of Dublin’s nightlife?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

From KFD

ROUND 6 - Anagram

The initial letters of the answers make up an anagram appropriate to this evening - the anagram has nine letters so two answers are required to one of the questions.

1.

Which British children’s publishing imprint began in 1940 with a series of picture book stories and grew to become one of the largest publishers of children’s books in the English-speaking world?

2.

What large painting was re-hung in its prominent position in The Louvre last week, after a six-month restoration which removed eight coats of varnish among other detritus?

3.

A dish of Swiss origin which involves heating a round of cheese and scraping off the melted part to serve with boiled potatoes, gherkins, pickled onions, and sometimes dried meats is known as what?

4.

The United States Naval Academy, equivalent to Britain’s Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, is based in which city?

5.

For many years the title sequence of Granada’s World in Action current affairs programme featured which famous drawing?

6.

Which Hollywood Golden Era film studio, defunct since 1959, released nine Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals, and, King Kong, Citizen Kane, and It’s a Wonderful Life?

7.

The 2024 US Presidential election will feature the same two main party candidates as in 2020.  This last happened 68 years ago.  Who were the two candidates on that occasion? (first names are required)

8.

A dish consisting of marinated fish, meat or vegetables cooked or pickled in an acidic sauce (usually with vinegar) and flavoured with paprika, citrus, and other spices is known by what name?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

From The Opsimaths

ROUND 7 - "Please, sir, it's a hidden theme round"

1.

In which 1989 police comedy film are the title characters played by Tom Hanks and a French mastiff called Beasley?

2.

Which actor played Fagin in the 1968 film Oliver! a role for which he was Oscar-nominated?

3.

Which theatre owner, entrepreneur and actor was the first to play the title role in Hamlet?

4.

In the novel Treasure Island what is the name of the squire who purchases and outfits the Hispaniola to seek the titular treasure?

5.

Which Scottish poet, mocked for his inappropriate rhythms, weak vocabulary, and ill-advised imagery, had the middle name Topaz?

6.

With a name that reflects its original purpose as part of the brewing industry, which arts complex hosts the Aldeburgh Festival?  (two-word answer required)

7.

What surname was shared by Abby, a doctor, played by Maura Tierney in ER, and Diane, a lawyer, played by Christine Baranski in The Good Wife and its spinoff, The Good Fight?

8.

Which town in Bedfordshire, close to the M1, is just south of Ampthill, and approximately equidistant from Luton and Bedford?

Sp1

Which fictional gentleman thief was created in 1905 by Maurice LeBlanc, and appeared in 24 books by him, as well as on stage, in film, TV, comics and video games?

Sp2

What is the Italian name for the Tuscan city that we know as Florence?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

From The Opsimaths

ROUND 8 - 'Crash, Bang, Wallop, or Such Like'

1.

First exhibited in 1963, and bought by the Tate Gallery, London, in 1966, this painting’s left-hand panel shows a fighter plane firing a rocket that, in the right-hand panel, hits another plane which explodes in flames.  Adapted from comic book panels, what is this pop art painting by Roy Lichtenstein called?

2.

From 1973 to 1992, what brand was advertised on TV by a family of chortling tinny Martian robots?

3.

Which pop group, formed in 1986, was named after a Vulcan elder in the sci-fi series Star Trek? They had a string of top 40 U.K. hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s, most notably China in Your Hand.

4.

Now a British music webzine and quarterly magazine covering mainly rock, punk, and heavy metal, which magazine started publication in 1981, and was named after the sound of a guitar being struck with force?

5.

Which children's game, first marketed in 1967, consists of a transparent plastic tube, plastic straws, and marbles?

6.

In the 1944 musical Meet Me in St. Louis what noise did the trolley bus make?

7.

Fred and Wilma are to Pebbles, as Barney and Betty are to whom?

8.

In 2018, The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies was sold for £15,000 to a British ex-pat in Normandy.  This TV prop from the sitcom ‘Allo ‘Allo was supposedly painted by which fictional artist?

Sp1

One of the most important medieval castles in the world is in Syria.  First inhabited in the 11th century by Kurdish troops, Tancred, Prince of Galilee took control in 1110.  Raymond II, Count of Tripoli, gave it to the Knights Hospitaller in 1142.  Which castle was finally reconquered by the Muslims in 1271?

Sp2

Written by the Australian writer Peter Carey and short-listed for the 1985 Booker Prize, which novel is narrated by liar, and small-time confidence trickster, Herbert Badgery?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

Tiebreakers

1.

The British Government introduced rationing of petrol in 1939, clothes in 1941, and soap in 1942.  In what year was bread rationing introduced?

2.

Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce is a court case in Dickens’ 1853 novel Bleak House.  It was based on the real case of the disputed will of the ‘Acton Miser’ William Jennens.  The case of Jennens vs. Jennens started in 1798.  In what year was it abandoned, when the legal fees had exhausted the funds of the Jennens estate?

3.

According to the 2021 Census, what was the population of the Berkshire town of Slough?

Go to Tiebreaker questions with answers

From Albert

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Name the Texan who was the automotive genius behind the AC Cobra.

Carroll Shelby

2.

Which 1986 film starred Bob Hoskins as a gangster driver for a prostitute?

Mona Lisa

3.

Who was the producer of the MGM 1939-1955 Tom and Jerry cartoons - winner of 7 Academy Awards?

Fred Quimby

4.

Which TV football pundit recently admitted to being addicted to cocaine after the end of his playing career?

Danny Murphy

5.

What is the 4-letter acronym for the San Francisco public Transport Network?

BART

6.

Who was the lead singer of the New Wave band, Dead or Alive?

Pete Burns

7.

What is the name of the 1986-94 TV series starring Ian McShane as a roguish antique dealer?

Lovejoy

8.

What would an ophiologist study?

Snakes

Sp1

What was Jacqueline Kennedy/Onassis’ maiden name?

Bouvier

Sp2

What cocktail results from mixing advocaat and lemonade?

Snowball

Theme: Each answer contains a name related to The Simpson's cartoon ...

Shelby as in Shelbyville the town next door to Springfield; Lisa Simpson; Mayor Quimby; Bleeding Gums Murphy; Bart Simpson;

Mr Burns; Reverend Lovejoy; Snake - a local hoodlum; Bouvier, Marge Simpsons maiden name; The Simpson’s cat

ROUND 2 - Literature

1.

What was the dog called in Three Men in a Boat?

Montmorency

2.

What was Bill Sykes dog called in Oliver Twist?

Bullseye

3.

In which novel did Jess Oakroyd feature as an odd job man?

The Good Companions

4.

Which was the first novel to feature Hercule Poirot?

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

5.

Name the headmaster of Dotheboys Hall in Nicholas Nickleby. (surname alone acceptable)

Wackford Squeers

6.

Name the school in Charles Dickens’ Hard Times.

Gradgrinds

7.

Which William Gibson book won the 1984 Hugo and Nebula awards for Best Science Fiction Novel?

Neuromancer

8.

The Carnegie Medal for Childrens literary illustration was previously known by what title?

The Kate Greenaway Award

Sp1

Who wrote the 1973 Hugo and Nebula award winning novel Rendezvous with Rama?

Arthur C Clarke

Sp2

Which school did Jane Eyre attend?

Lowood school

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

1.

In France the Town Hall in small towns and villages is commonly referred to as La Mairie.  What do the French call this building in larger towns and cities?

Hotel de Ville

2.

What three-word slogan, hashtag and logo was adopted first in France and then throughout the western world in 2015 to express support for freedom of speech and resistance to armed threats?

"Je suis Charlie"

3.

Which award-winning 1924 English novel with a foreign setting derives its title from a Walt Whitman poem in his Leaves of Grass collection?

A Passage to India

4.

In one of the oldest European settlements in North America, the ramparts surrounding the old sector of which present day city are the only fortified city walls remaining in the Americas north of Mexico?

Quebec

5.

Both John Wayne and director Howard Hawks were infuriated by the film High Noon which they felt was un-American and a coded criticism of McCarthyism.  In response they got together in 1959 (with Dean Martin staggering along) to make which film, a Western, to show how real American menfolk should react when the going gets tough?

Rio Bravo

6.

The Killing Moon was a UK Top 10 single hit in 1984 for which English rock band?  The chords of the song were based on Bowie's Space Oddity played backwards.

Echo and the Bunnymen

7.

An Indie rock band from Leeds called Alt-J won the 2012 British Mercury prize.  The name Alt-J comes from the key sequence used on an Apple Mac computer to generate which symbol which they like to identify with?

Delta (Δ)

8.

Which comedy-drama film about a male stripper who performs at the Xquisite club was a surprise box-office hit in 2012?  Channing Tatum, rising to the occasion, played the title role with admirable aplomb and, perhaps conjuring up inspiration from the gymnastic gyrations of his character’s WithQuiz namesake back in the day, went on to strut his stuff in two film sequels, a musical, and a TV series.

Magic Mike

Sp1

Following a terrorist attack in 1996 what name has been proposed to describe the syndrome, an inversion of Stockholm syndrome, where the abductors come to experience feelings of empathy towards their captives?

Lima Syndrome

Sp2

St George was a multi-award-winning 1996 TV advert for which product?  It showed Ray Gardner, a company spokesman stripping down to his purple underpants and marching to a boxing ring on the white cliffs of Dover to do battle with Sebastian, a French exchange student who had been mildly critical of the taste of the British product in question.  This satirical parody of the British bulldog spirit seemed amusing at the time ........ exactly 20 years before Brexit happened for real.

Blackcurrant Tango

Theme: Each answer contains a code word (shown above underlined) used in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Blockbuster Bingo Round

The theme is British place names, factual or fictional

Choose your question based on the initial letter(s) of the answer shown

1.

TLOE

This 1855 painting by Ford Madox Brown depicts two emigrants departing with their baby for a new life in Australia.  It currently hangs in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.  Name it.

The Last Of England

2.

EH

This fictional area of Wessex was the setting for most of Thomas Hardy's novels.  In 1927 Gustav Holst, a Hardy admirer, composed a tone poem dedicated to Hardy with this name.  What is it?

Egdon Heath

3.

TG

In Emily Bronte's 1848 novel Wuthering Heights, this was the name of a neighbouring property the owner of which, Edgar Linton, eventually marries Cathy Earnshaw, the heroine of the novel.  What was it called?

Thrushcross Grange

4.

TGNAA

The village of Langwathby in Cumbria is the base for 'The Pride of Cumbria', one of the helicopters run by this vital emergency service.  Name the emergency service.

The Great North Air Ambulance

5.

TRLOP

Discovered in 1823 by William Buckland in a limestone cave of this name on the Gower Peninsula this is actually a partial male skeleton dyed in red ochre and is thought to have been buried there 33,000 years ago.  It has retained the name given to it at the time.  What is it called?

The Red ‘Lady’ of Paviland

6.

T

The popular 1960s television series Dr Finlay's Casebook, based on a novel by A J Cronin, was set in which fictional Scottish town?

Tannochbrae

7.

FC

This medieval ruin situated in Northamptonshire marked the birthplace of one notorious monarch and the death of another.  Name it.

Fotheringhay Castle

(birthplace of Richard III in 1452 and scene of the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1587)

8.

BM

At 1,309 metres in elevation, this is the second highest mountain in the UK and the highest peak in the Cairngorm range.  What is it called?

Ben Macdui

9.

P

This Worcestershire market town on the River Avon holds an annual Plum Festival to celebrate its long association with the growing of this fruit, many varieties of which are named after the town.  Where is it?

Pershore

10.

JG

Born in the town of Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan in 1961, she grew up to become the only woman elected Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 2010 to 2013.  Who is she?

Julia Gillard

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

From KFD

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

Which hill is the highest point on Bodmin Moor, and also the highest point in all of Cornwall?

Brown Willy

2.

Which 1959 film has its climactic scene, between Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, on Mount Rushmore?

North by Northwest

3.

Situated on the banks of the Hooghly River this stadium hosted the 1987 cricket world cup final. What is its name?

Eden Gardens

(Kolkata)

4.

His biggest hit was In the Midnight Hour which he co-wrote.  What was his name?

Wilson Pickett

5.

Only two actors have won Oscars (for acting) posthumously.  The first was Peter Finch for Network at the 1977 awards.  Who was the other?

Heath Ledger

(for The Dark Knight at the 2009 awards)

6.

The first leg of America’s horse racing Triple Crown took place last Saturday.  What is the name of the course where the race is run?

Churchill Downs

(the race is the Kentucky Derby)

7.

This 1967 album, which includes the tracks Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love, is considered one of the best albums ever recorded.  Its title arose from a malapropism uttered by the band’s roadie. What is the malapropism?

Disraeli Gears

(he was talking about bikes and meant derailleur gears)

8.

Which literary character is described thus:

"Even among men lacking all distinction he inevitably stood out as a man lacking more distinction than all the rest, and people who met him were always impressed by how unimpressive he was"?

Major Major

(from Catch 22)

Sp1

In the early 1970s John Lennon had an affair that he described as "My lost weekend".  The “lost weekend” lasted more than 18 months.  Who was the music executive with whom he had the affair?

May Pang

Sp2

This pace bowler played 17 tests for England between 1986 and 1991 and his 5/48 in the Boxing Day test of 1986 helped England win the Ashes series.  He is also an alumnus of Manchester Metropolitan University.  Who is he?

Gladstone Small

Sp3

What is the name of the area on the south bank of the River Liffey, which is the centre of Dublin’s nightlife?

Temple Bar

Theme: Each answer contains the surname of a British Prime Minister as its first part

(Note: Lord North’s surname was North and Henry John Temple's was Palmerston)

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Anagram

The initial letters of the answers make up an anagram appropriate to this evening - the anagram has nine letters so two answers are required to one of the questions.

1.

Which British children’s publishing imprint began in 1940 with a series of picture book stories and grew to become one of the largest publishers of children’s books in the English-speaking world?

Puffin

2.

What large painting was re-hung in its prominent position in The Louvre last week, after a six-month restoration which removed eight coats of varnish among other detritus?

Liberty Leading the People

(or La Liberté guidant le peuple - by Delacroix)

(accept either answer, both work for the anagram)

3.

A dish of Swiss origin which involves heating a round of cheese and scraping off the melted part to serve with boiled potatoes, gherkins, pickled onions, and sometimes dried meats is known as what?

Raclette

4.

The United States Naval Academy, equivalent to Britain’s Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, is based in which city?

Annapolis

(in Maryland)

5.

For many years the title sequence of Granada’s World in Action current affairs programme featured which famous drawing?

Vitruvian Man

(by Leonardo da Vinci)

6.

Which Hollywood Golden Era film studio, defunct since 1959, released nine Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals, and, King Kong, Citizen Kane, and It’s a Wonderful Life?

RKO

7.

The 2024 US Presidential election will feature the same two main party candidates as in 2020.  This last happened 68 years ago.  Who were the two candidates on that occasion? (first names are required)

Dwight D Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson

(for those looking for straws to clutch at, the incumbent won by a landslide in 1956)

8.

A dish consisting of marinated fish, meat or vegetables cooked or pickled in an acidic sauce (usually with vinegar) and flavoured with paprika, citrus, and other spices is known by what name?

Escabeche

An anagram of the nine initial letters of the answers can spell out VAL DRAPER

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - "Please, sir, it's a hidden theme round"

1.

In which 1989 police comedy film are the title characters played by Tom Hanks and a French mastiff called Beasley?

Turner & Hooch

2.

Which actor played Fagin in the 1968 film Oliver! a role for which he was Oscar-nominated?

Ron Moody

3.

Which theatre owner, entrepreneur and actor was the first to play the title role in Hamlet?

Richard Burbage

4.

In the novel Treasure Island what is the name of the squire who purchases and outfits the Hispaniola to seek the titular treasure?

Trelawney

5.

Which Scottish poet, mocked for his inappropriate rhythms, weak vocabulary, and ill-advised imagery, had the middle name Topaz?

William McGonagall

6.

With a name that reflects its original purpose as part of the brewing industry, which arts complex hosts the Aldeburgh Festival?  (two-word answer required)

Snape Maltings

7.

What surname was shared by Abby, a doctor, played by Maura Tierney in ER, and Diane, a lawyer, played by Christine Baranski in The Good Wife and its spinoff, The Good Fight?

Lockhart

8.

Which town in Bedfordshire, close to the M1, is just south of Ampthill, and approximately equidistant from Luton and Bedford?

Flitwick

Sp1

Which fictional gentleman thief was created in 1905 by Maurice LeBlanc, and appeared in 24 books by him, as well as on stage, in film, TV, comics and video games?

Arsène Lupin

Sp2

What is the Italian name for the Tuscan city that we know as Florence?

Firenze

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a teacher at Hogwarts school ...

Firenze (Divination)

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

From The Opsimaths

ROUND 8 - 'Crash, Bang, Wallop, or Such Like'

1.

First exhibited in 1963, and bought by the Tate Gallery, London, in 1966, this painting’s left-hand panel shows a fighter plane firing a rocket that, in the right-hand panel, hits another plane which explodes in flames.  Adapted from comic book panels, what is this pop art painting by Roy Lichtenstein called?

Whaam!

2.

From 1973 to 1992, what brand was advertised on TV by a family of chortling tinny Martian robots?

Smash

(instant mashed potato)

3.

Which pop group, formed in 1986, was named after a Vulcan elder in the sci-fi series Star Trek? They had a string of top 40 U.K. hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s, most notably China in Your Hand.

T'Pau

4.

Now a British music webzine and quarterly magazine covering mainly rock, punk, and heavy metal, which magazine started publication in 1981, and was named after the sound of a guitar being struck with force?

Kerrang!

5.

Which children's game, first marketed in 1967, consists of a transparent plastic tube, plastic straws, and marbles?

KerPlunk

6.

In the 1944 musical Meet Me in St. Louis what noise did the trolley bus make?

"Clang, clang, clang..."

("went the trolley / ding, ding, ding, went the bell")

7.

Fred and Wilma are to Pebbles, as Barney and Betty are to whom?

Bamm-Bamm

(from The Flintstones cartoon series)

8.

In 2018, The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies was sold for £15,000 to a British ex-pat in Normandy.  This TV prop from the sitcom ‘Allo ‘Allo was supposedly painted by which fictional artist?

Van Clomp

Sp1

One of the most important medieval castles in the world is in Syria.  First inhabited in the 11th century by Kurdish troops, Tancred, Prince of Galilee took control in 1110.  Raymond II, Count of Tripoli, gave it to the Knights Hospitaller in 1142.  Which castle was finally reconquered by the Muslims in 1271?

Krak des Chevaliers

Sp2

Written by the Australian writer Peter Carey and short-listed for the 1985 Booker Prize, which novel is narrated by liar, and small-time confidence trickster, Herbert Badgery?

The Illywhacker

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers

Tiebreakers

1.

The British Government introduced rationing of petrol in 1939, clothes in 1941, and soap in 1942.  In what year was bread rationing introduced?

1946

(July 1946 – July 1948 due to a shortage of wheat)

2.

Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce is a court case in Dickens’ 1853 novel Bleak House.  It was based on the real case of the disputed will of the ‘Acton Miser’ William Jennens.  The case of Jennens vs. Jennens started in 1798.  In what year was it abandoned, when the legal fees had exhausted the funds of the Jennens estate?

1915

3.

According to the 2021 Census, what was the population of the Berkshire town of Slough?

143,184

Go back to Tiebreaker questions without answers