ROUND 1 - Reverse Pairs

1.

In Holst's Planet Suite, which planet is described as “The Bringer of Old Age”?

2.

In the 2024 general election, the Conservatives lost every seat in Lancashire bar which one?

3.

Which English poet wrote:

“And much it grieved my heart to think what man has made of man”?

4.

The legendary flop 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, from 1976 was which US composer's last Broadway show?

5.

In the 2024 general election, Labour won every seat in Lancashire, barring Fylde and which other one?

6.

In Holst's Planet Suite, which planet is described as “The Mystic”?

7.

Pipedream, a Broadway musical based on Steinbeck's novel Cannery Row was a rare flop by which team of usually successful composers?

8.

Which English poet wrote:

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever, it's loveliness increases, it will never pass into nothingness?

Sp1

What links the musician Elton John, the actress Whoopi Goldberg and film producer and actor Mel Brooks?

Sp2

Tea for the Tillerman by Cat Stevens is used as a theme song for which British BBC sitcom?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Hidden theme

1.

Which 2002 documentary film directed by Michael Moore won popular as well as critical acclaim for its examination of gun violence in the USA?

2.

Based on a series of books by Julia Quinn, which pseudo-historical Netflix series, set in the early 1800’s, was first broadcast in 2020?

3.

Also known as Chancellor's pudding or Newcastle pudding, which traditional English steamed pudding is made from some combination of bread or sponge cake in custard, cooked in a mould and faced with decorative fruit pieces such as cherries or raisins?

4.

Which 2004 American film satire of American TV news broadcasting starred Will Ferrell as the title character?

5.

Interpreted by critics variously, but most prosaically as “elderly architect who falls off his scaffold while trying to show off before a young lady”, which major work by Ibsen was first performed in 1893?

6.

Which chocolate bar, introduced to the UK in 1976 consists of a layer of a lightly-whipped nougat layer with a hint of coffee on a lower layer of cereal 'crispies', and coated in milk chocolate?

7.

Located on the North Yorkshire coast, which narrow rocky peninsula is a site of special scientific interest and is located roughly midway between Scarborough and Bridlington?

8.

Which garden bird has a long, powerful beak and a black streak running across its eye, is larger than a blue tit but smaller than a blackbird and often hangs upside down to take one of its favourite foods after which it is named?

Sp.

Which fun(?), factual 2003 TV series consists of comedians Josh Widdicombe and Nish Kumar immersing themselves in the world of local newspapers by travelling across the UK working for a different local paper each week on a mission to find real local stories?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Same name; different biographies

Each question contains TWO mini descriptions of people with the same name

You just have to give the shared name (forename and surname)

Ignore any minor spelling differences

1.

English batsman who was the first England player to score 10,000 runs in Test Cricket,

AND

Salford born journalist who continued writing his Letter from America to his English audience right up to his death at the age of 95 in 2004.

2.

 Salford born musician, one of the founding members and original lead singer of The Hollies,

AND

former footballer, affectionately known as 'Sniffer' who made his name at Leeds United and won 19 caps for England.

3.

Trade Unionist who has served as the General Secretary of the UK's National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers since May 2021,

AND

technology entrepreneur often described as the British equivalent of Bill Gates who drowned with his daughter and friends off the coast of Sicily in August 2024.

4.

Harvard student who became the first Olympic champion since the 4th century AD when he won the triple jump, the first event at the revived Olympic games in Athens in 1896,

AND

Irish Socialist and patriot executed in a wheelchair in 1916.

5.

American lyricist, singer  and co-founder of Capitol Records  who wrote the lyrics of many popular songs including Moon River,

AND

former Tory MP for Plymouth Moor View and former Army officer  who served as Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs in the last government.

6.

Labour politician who held several cabinet posts under Tony Blair including that of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland making him the first catholic to hold that post,

AND

according to the original storyline, the name of the only Texas Ranger to survive an ambush after which he donned a mask and found fame as The Lone Ranger.

7.

Name of the sexually repressed accountant chasing the American dream in the decadent Hollywood of the 1920s brilliantly played by Donald Sutherland in the 1975 film Day of the Locust,

AND

long running and eminently quotable TV character who once summed up the universal joy of parenthood by complaining:

"I have three children and no money. Why can't I have no children and three money?"

8.

Australian who became the first streaker at a major English sporting ground when he ran naked onto the pitch at Twickenham during a rugby union international match in 1974 (he famously had his modesty protected by a policeman's helmet),

AND

choleric, veteran WithQuiz legend and captain who is not unknown to derive more pleasure from spanking his own team members than he does from beating the opposition.

Sp1

Leader of Britain's most successful post-war big band which recorded more than 100 albums and sold over 20 million copies,

AND

former British Prime Minister sometimes dubbed 'The Grocer' who died in 2005.

Sp2

American singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer who plays with a band called The Violators, and is former lead guitarist of the rock band The War on Drugs,

AND

German born composer whose best-known work is The Threepenny Opera written in collaboration with Bertolt Brecht in 1928.

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Reverse Pairs

1.

Of which European country was the city of Iasi formerly the capital (until 1918)?

2.

Which American politician is currently campaigning with Kamala Harris as her prospective Vice President?

3.

Which Roman emperor's last words were reputed to be:

“Oh dear, I think I am becoming a god”?

4.

Darragh Ennis, the newest member of the team of Chasers in the ITV game show The Chase is known in the programme by which nickname?

5.

Issa Schultz, a chaser in the Australian version of the gameshow, has made guest appearances on Beat the Chasers, a spinoff series of The Chase.  By what nickname is he known?

6.

Which Roman emperor's last words were reputed to be:

“Have I played the part well?  Then applaud as I exit”.

7.

Which American politician is currently campaigning with Donald Trump as his prospective Vice President?

8.

Of which European country was the city of Turku formerly the capital (until 1812)?

Sp1

Which famously miserable German philosopher described fellow philosopher Hegel as:

“a flat-headed, insipid, illiterate charlatan”?

Sp2

Which ancient Greek philosopher spectacularly refuted fellow ancient Greek philosopher Plato with a plucked chicken?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

Born Leonard Franklin Slye in 1911, he changed his name to what to appear in many films and on TV.  He was nicknamed 'King of the Cowboys'?

2.

Which East Manchester park lies in the Medlock valley and hosts 'Party in the Park'?

3.

Which DJ recently competed in Celebrity Race Around the World with his partner Sam Vaughan?

4.

Name the 2024 ITV comedy mini-series starring Hugh Bonneville as a respected news reader whose career is threatened by an ill-advised joke.

5.

Who was the Speaker of the House of Commons, who became Viscount Tonypandy when he retired?

6.

Which actress played Pamela Anderson in the 2022 American TV mini-series, Pam & Tommy?

7.

Which actor played alongside Donald Sinden as a rival antique dealer in the 1980s TV sitcom, Never The Twain?

8.

Which member of Take That was a judge on a German reality show, Got To Dance, during a lull in the band's history?

Sp.

Which Welsh snooker player won 3 world championships - in 2000; 2003 and 2018?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

What word links a character from Bleak House, a fictional submariner and what he may have found under the sea?

2.

What links the following monarchs: Harold II, Richard III and James IV of Scotland?

3.

Born in 1711, which British philosopher famously stated that:

“Reason is, and ought only to be, the slave of the passions”

and inspired Immanuel Kant to:

“wake from his dogmatic slumbers”?

4.

Born in 1646, which philosopher and polymath was satirised by Voltaire as Professor Pangloss in his 1759 novella Candide?

5.

The game of Chinese Chequers consists of a star-shaped peg board and how many pegs?

6.

Which board game of ancient origin is played on a board with 3 concentric squares joined by 4 lines linking the mid-points of the sides of the squares?

7.

The number 1A in the hexadecimal number system would represent what number in base 10?

8.

Angles can be measured in degrees and in radians.  How many degrees are there in one radian (to the nearest 10 degrees)?

Sp.

Which US writer wrote the 1960 novel Rabbit, Run?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - Pairs

1.

In his diary Samuel Pepys frequently concluded the day's events with which four words?

2.

Who said: 

"I never travel without my diary.  One should always have something sensational to read on the train”?

3.

What was the naval slang name given to the diet of sultanas, currants, raisins and nuts used for treating scurvy?

4.

The late-night adult version of the anarchic 1980s TV children's show Tiswas had what three letter title?

5.

Frequently a location for political demonstrations, Tahrir Square is a large public meeting place in the centre of which capital city?

6.

Which large  city has a major tourist and leisure district based around its central Taksim Square?

7.

What was the name of William the Conqueror's flagship, the largest and fastest of more than 700 ships used during his Norman conquest of England in 1066?  The exact meaning of the name is unclear but it is suggested that it was simply an anagram of the Latin word for 'love'.

8.

William's conquering fleet sailed from Barfleur on the Normandy coast and landed in which East Sussex bay about 8 kilometres north-east of Eastbourne?

Sp1

Wall Street in New York was originally named by the Dutch.  What is the meaning of the Dutch word 'wal'?

Sp2

Likewise Coney Island was also named by the Dutch.  What does the word 'coney' refer to?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Blockbuster Bingo - 'Things that go bump in the night'

An acknowledgement of the time of the year

Choose your question from the 10 answer initials given

1.

GS:

Written in 1907 this play by Swedish playwright August Strindberg took its title in translation from two Beethoven works one of which is Piano Trio no.5 in D major.  It has been frequently staged many times by such notable directors as Max Rheinhardt and Ingmar Bergman.  Name it.

2.

DDALI:

Name this 1995 spoof comedy by director Mel Brooks which starred Leslie Nielsen in the title role.

3.

ST:

Which science fiction horror series from Netflix is set in the fictional town of Hawkins?

4.

G:

On 31st October 1992, the BBC petrified the nation (well, maybe some of us) with a scripted drama that duped viewers into believing it was a live transmission from a haunted house.  It was presented by Michael Parkinson.  What was it called?

5.

OH:

The famous 1980 psychological horror film The Shining starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall was set in which isolated property in the Rocky mountains of Colorado?

6.

S:

In the Oxford English dictionary, what is the official word to describe a fear of Halloween?

7.

OUAMD:

What are the first 5 lines of the well-known 1845 poem The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe?

8.

TDOL:

In his 1589 Treatise On Confessions By Evildoers and Witches German theologian Peter Binsfeld classified the seven Princes of Hell each representing one of the chief vices.  One of them is Asmodeus.   How did Binsfeld classify him?

9.

P:

What is the name of the small heart-shaped piece of wood or plastic used as an indicator to spell out messages on a standard Ouija Board?

10.

GTG:

What was the name of the Sumerian god who was the chief antagonist to the three Ghostbusters in the 1984 horror comedy of the same name?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Reverse Pairs

1.

In Holst's Planet Suite, which planet is described as “The Bringer of Old Age”?

Saturn

2.

In the 2024 general election, the Conservatives lost every seat in Lancashire bar which one?

Fylde

3.

Which English poet wrote:

“And much it grieved my heart to think what man has made of man”?

(William) Wordsworth

4.

The legendary flop 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, from 1976 was which US composer's last Broadway show?

(Leonard) Bernstein

5.

In the 2024 general election, Labour won every seat in Lancashire, barring Fylde and which other one?

Blackburn

(won by an Independent)

6.

In Holst's Planet Suite, which planet is described as “The Mystic”?

Neptune

7.

Pipedream, a Broadway musical based on Steinbeck's novel Cannery Row was a rare flop by which team of usually successful composers?

Rodgers & Hammerstein

8.

Which English poet wrote:

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever, it's loveliness increases, it will never pass into nothingness?

(John) Keats

Sp1

What links the musician Elton John, the actress Whoopi Goldberg and film producer and actor Mel Brooks?

They have all won an 'EGOT'

(Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony)

Sp2

Tea for the Tillerman by Cat Stevens is used as a theme song for which British BBC sitcom?

Extras

ROUND 2 - Hidden theme

1.

Which 2002 documentary film directed by Michael Moore won popular as well as critical acclaim for its examination of gun violence in the USA?

Bowling For Columbine

2.

Based on a series of books by Julia Quinn, which pseudo-historical Netflix series, set in the early 1800’s, was first broadcast in 2020?

Bridgerton

3.

Also known as Chancellor's pudding or Newcastle pudding, which traditional English steamed pudding is made from some combination of bread or sponge cake in custard, cooked in a mould and faced with decorative fruit pieces such as cherries or raisins?

Cabinet pudding

4.

Which 2004 American film satire of American TV news broadcasting starred Will Ferrell as the title character?

Anchorman

(The Legend of Ron Burgundy)

5.

Interpreted by critics variously, but most prosaically as “elderly architect who falls off his scaffold while trying to show off before a young lady”, which major work by Ibsen was first performed in 1893?

The Master Builder

6.

Which chocolate bar, introduced to the UK in 1976 consists of a layer of a lightly-whipped nougat layer with a hint of coffee on a lower layer of cereal 'crispies', and coated in milk chocolate?

Double Decker

7.

Located on the North Yorkshire coast, which narrow rocky peninsula is a site of special scientific interest and is located roughly midway between Scarborough and Bridlington?

Filey Brigg

8.

Which garden bird has a long, powerful beak and a black streak running across its eye, is larger than a blue tit but smaller than a blackbird and often hangs upside down to take one of its favourite foods after which it is named?

The nuthatch

Sp.

Which fun(?), factual 2003 TV series consists of comedians Josh Widdicombe and Nish Kumar immersing themselves in the world of local newspapers by travelling across the UK working for a different local paper each week on a mission to find real local stories?

Hold the Front Page

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a part of a ship

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Same name; different biographies

Each question contains TWO mini descriptions of people with the same name

You just have to give the shared name (forename and surname)

Ignore any minor spelling differences

1.

English batsman who was the first England player to score 10,000 runs in Test Cricket,

AND

Salford born journalist who continued writing his Letter from America to his English audience right up to his death at the age of 95 in 2004.

Alistair Cook(e)

2.

 Salford born musician, one of the founding members and original lead singer of The Hollies,

AND

former footballer, affectionately known as 'Sniffer' who made his name at Leeds United and won 19 caps for England.

Allan Clarke

3.

Trade Unionist who has served as the General Secretary of the UK's National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers since May 2021,

AND

technology entrepreneur often described as the British equivalent of Bill Gates who drowned with his daughter and friends off the coast of Sicily in August 2024.

Michael Lynch

(accept Mick, Mike or Michael)

4.

Harvard student who became the first Olympic champion since the 4th century AD when he won the triple jump, the first event at the revived Olympic games in Athens in 1896,

AND

Irish Socialist and patriot executed in a wheelchair in 1916.

James Connolly

5.

American lyricist, singer  and co-founder of Capitol Records  who wrote the lyrics of many popular songs including Moon River,

AND

former Tory MP for Plymouth Moor View and former Army officer  who served as Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs in the last government.

Johnny Mercer

6.

Labour politician who held several cabinet posts under Tony Blair including that of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland making him the first catholic to hold that post,

AND

according to the original storyline, the name of the only Texas Ranger to survive an ambush after which he donned a mask and found fame as The Lone Ranger.

John Reid

7.

Name of the sexually repressed accountant chasing the American dream in the decadent Hollywood of the 1920s brilliantly played by Donald Sutherland in the 1975 film Day of the Locust,

AND

long running and eminently quotable TV character who once summed up the universal joy of parenthood by complaining:

"I have three children and no money. Why can't I have no children and three money?"

Homer Simpson

8.

Australian who became the first streaker at a major English sporting ground when he ran naked onto the pitch at Twickenham during a rugby union international match in 1974 (he famously had his modesty protected by a policeman's helmet),

AND

choleric, veteran WithQuiz legend and captain who is not unknown to derive more pleasure from spanking his own team members than he does from beating the opposition.

Mike O'Brien

Sp1

Leader of Britain's most successful post-war big band which recorded more than 100 albums and sold over 20 million copies,

AND

former British Prime Minister sometimes dubbed 'The Grocer' who died in 2005.

Ted Heath

Sp2

American singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer who plays with a band called The Violators, and is former lead guitarist of the rock band The War on Drugs,

AND

German born composer whose best-known work is The Threepenny Opera written in collaboration with Bertolt Brecht in 1928.

Kurt Vile / Kurt Weill

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Reverse Pairs

1.

Of which European country was the city of Iasi formerly the capital (until 1918)?

Romania

2.

Which American politician is currently campaigning with Kamala Harris as her prospective Vice President?

Timothy or Tim Walz

3.

Which Roman emperor's last words were reputed to be:

“Oh dear, I think I am becoming a god”?

Vespasian

4.

Darragh Ennis, the newest member of the team of Chasers in the ITV game show The Chase is known in the programme by which nickname?

The Menace

5.

Issa Schultz, a chaser in the Australian version of the gameshow, has made guest appearances on Beat the Chasers, a spinoff series of The Chase.  By what nickname is he known?

The Supernerd

6.

Which Roman emperor's last words were reputed to be:

“Have I played the part well?  Then applaud as I exit”.

Augustus

7.

Which American politician is currently campaigning with Donald Trump as his prospective Vice President?

James David or J D Vance

8.

Of which European country was the city of Turku formerly the capital (until 1812)?

Finland

Sp1

Which famously miserable German philosopher described fellow philosopher Hegel as:

“a flat-headed, insipid, illiterate charlatan”?

(Arthur) Schopenhauer

Sp2

Which ancient Greek philosopher spectacularly refuted fellow ancient Greek philosopher Plato with a plucked chicken?

Diogenes

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

Born Leonard Franklin Slye in 1911, he changed his name to what to appear in many films and on TV.  He was nicknamed 'King of the Cowboys'?

Roy Rogers

2.

Which East Manchester park lies in the Medlock valley and hosts 'Party in the Park'?

Phillips

3.

Which DJ recently competed in Celebrity Race Around the World with his partner Sam Vaughan?

Scott Mills

4.

Name the 2024 ITV comedy mini-series starring Hugh Bonneville as a respected news reader whose career is threatened by an ill-advised joke.

Douglas is Cancelled

5.

Who was the Speaker of the House of Commons, who became Viscount Tonypandy when he retired?

George Thomas

6.

Which actress played Pamela Anderson in the 2022 American TV mini-series, Pam & Tommy?

Lily James

7.

Which actor played alongside Donald Sinden as a rival antique dealer in the 1980s TV sitcom, Never The Twain?

Windsor Davies

8.

Which member of Take That was a judge on a German reality show, Got To Dance, during a lull in the band's history?

Howard Donald

Sp.

Which Welsh snooker player won 3 world championships - in 2000; 2003 and 2018?

Mark Williams

Theme: Each answer contains the surname of someone associated with the Carry On films ...

 Peter Rodgers (the Producer), Leslie Phillips (actor), Terry Scott (actor), Jack Douglas (actor), Gerald Thomas (the Director),

Sid James (actor), Barbara Windsor (actor), Frankie Howerd (actor), Kenneth Williams (actor)

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

What word links a character from Bleak House, a fictional submariner and what he may have found under the sea?

Nemo

2.

What links the following monarchs: Harold II, Richard III and James IV of Scotland?

They all died in battle

(Hastings 1066, Bosworth 1485, Flodden 1513)

3.

Born in 1711, which British philosopher famously stated that:

“Reason is, and ought only to be, the slave of the passions”

and inspired Immanuel Kant to:

“wake from his dogmatic slumbers”?

(David) Hume

4.

Born in 1646, which philosopher and polymath was satirised by Voltaire as Professor Pangloss in his 1759 novella Candide?

(Gottfried) Leibniz

5.

The game of Chinese Chequers consists of a star-shaped peg board and how many pegs?

60

6.

Which board game of ancient origin is played on a board with 3 concentric squares joined by 4 lines linking the mid-points of the sides of the squares?

Nine Men’s Morris

7.

The number 1A in the hexadecimal number system would represent what number in base 10?

26

8.

Angles can be measured in degrees and in radians.  How many degrees are there in one radian (to the nearest 10 degrees)?

57.3

Sp.

Which US writer wrote the 1960 novel Rabbit, Run?

John Updike

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - Pairs

1.

In his diary Samuel Pepys frequently concluded the day's events with which four words?

"And so to bed"

2.

Who said: 

"I never travel without my diary.  One should always have something sensational to read on the train”?

Oscar Wilde

3.

What was the naval slang name given to the diet of sultanas, currants, raisins and nuts used for treating scurvy?

Scran

4.

The late-night adult version of the anarchic 1980s TV children's show Tiswas had what three letter title?

O.T.T.

5.

Frequently a location for political demonstrations, Tahrir Square is a large public meeting place in the centre of which capital city?

Cairo

6.

Which large  city has a major tourist and leisure district based around its central Taksim Square?

Istanbul

7.

What was the name of William the Conqueror's flagship, the largest and fastest of more than 700 ships used during his Norman conquest of England in 1066?  The exact meaning of the name is unclear but it is suggested that it was simply an anagram of the Latin word for 'love'.

(The) Mora

8.

William's conquering fleet sailed from Barfleur on the Normandy coast and landed in which East Sussex bay about 8 kilometres north-east of Eastbourne?

Pevensey

Sp1

Wall Street in New York was originally named by the Dutch.  What is the meaning of the Dutch word 'wal'?

Rampart

Sp2

Likewise Coney Island was also named by the Dutch.  What does the word 'coney' refer to?

Rabbits

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - Blockbuster Bingo - 'Things that go bump in the night'

An acknowledgement of the time of the year

Choose your question from the 10 answer initials given

1.

GS:

Written in 1907 this play by Swedish playwright August Strindberg took its title in translation from two Beethoven works one of which is Piano Trio no.5 in D major.  It has been frequently staged many times by such notable directors as Max Rheinhardt and Ingmar Bergman.  Name it.

Ghost Sonata

(from Beethoven's The Ghost Trio)

2.

DDALI:

Name this 1995 spoof comedy by director Mel Brooks which starred Leslie Nielsen in the title role.

Dracula, Dead and Loving It

3.

ST:

Which science fiction horror series from Netflix is set in the fictional town of Hawkins?

Stranger Things

4.

G:

On 31st October 1992, the BBC petrified the nation (well, maybe some of us) with a scripted drama that duped viewers into believing it was a live transmission from a haunted house.  It was presented by Michael Parkinson.  What was it called?

Ghostwatch

5.

OH:

The famous 1980 psychological horror film The Shining starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall was set in which isolated property in the Rocky mountains of Colorado?

Overlook Hotel

6.

S:

In the Oxford English dictionary, what is the official word to describe a fear of Halloween?

Samhainophobia

(pronounced roughly "Sowanophobia" which originated from 'Samhain', the ancient Celtic festival said to be the origin of Halloween)

7.

OUAMD:

What are the first 5 lines of the well-known 1845 poem The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe?

"Once Upon A Midnight Dreary"

8.

TDOL:

In his 1589 Treatise On Confessions By Evildoers and Witches German theologian Peter Binsfeld classified the seven Princes of Hell each representing one of the chief vices.  One of them is Asmodeus.   How did Binsfeld classify him?

"The Demon Of Lust"

9.

P:

What is the name of the small heart-shaped piece of wood or plastic used as an indicator to spell out messages on a standard Ouija Board?

Planchette

10.

GTG:

What was the name of the Sumerian god who was the chief antagonist to the three Ghostbusters in the 1984 horror comedy of the same name?

Gozer The Gozerian

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers