ROUND 1 - Paired

1.

The Hales trophy in 1935 became the first formal award for what long-standing average speed record?

2.

The first Americas Cup was a race around what geographical feature?

3.

What pseudonym was traditionally used by film directors who disowned the finished product?

4.

What name, popularised by Hitchcock, is given to an object in a film which is important to the characters but irrelevant in itself?

5.

Which battle of 216 BC saw a Roman army almost completely destroyed by Hannibal’s Carthaginians in Apulia?

6.

Which battle of 480 BC saw a Persian fleet almost completely destroyed by that of several Greek city states?

7.

What three-word French phrase is given to a literary genre in which real-life events and characters are disguised as fiction by changing names?

8.

What word, derived from Spanish, is used for a literary genre in which the journey through society of a rogue or scoundrel is followed?

Sp.

Tikal and Palenque were city states in which civilisation?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Pairs with a Hidden theme

1.

In 1921, who became the first female Pullitzer winner for her novel The Age of Innocence?

2.

Born in New Orleans in 1941, which author wrote The Vampire Chronicles including Interview with the Vampire in 1976?

3.

Which Scottish duo broke away from McGuiness Flint to have chart successes with Heart on My Sleeve and I Wanna Stay with You in the 1970s?

4.

Which Batley-born singer had chart success in the 1980s with I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On and Simply Irresistible?

5.

Who played the 'Oxo mum' in a long series of adverts from 1983 to 1999?

6.

Who played Ray Doyle in The Professionals?

7.

What was the name of the character played by Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot?

8.

What was the name of the character played by Michael Douglas in Wall St?

Sp.

Who, along with Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and D W Griffith, founded United Artists?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Announced theme - 'On the ...'

The answer in each case contains a word which can follow the words ‘On the’ to make a common expression, hence ‘dole’ or ‘rocks’ would be possible answers

1.

In the Peanuts cartoons, what item was Linus Van Pelt always carrying?

2.

What runs 96 miles from Milngavie to Fort William?

3.

How is Haydn’s symphony No. 101 popularly known, due to its rhythm during the second movement?

4.

Where was Cain exiled after killing his brother, according to the book of Genesis?

5.

Which 2007 novel by Ian McEwan is named after a location in Dorset?

6.

Which National Hunt racecourse can be found 13 miles north-east of Lincoln?

7.

What did Walls, Finglands and UK North all formerly provide for the people of Manchester?

8.

Which instrumentalist’s contract with EMI lasted from 1929 to his death in 1999?

Sp.

Which John Le Carre novel was filmed in 1990 starring Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer?

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

Different characters played by Jeremy Renner (Marvel films), Alan Alda (70s-80sTV) and Daniel Day-Lewis (1992 film) share the same one-word name.  Which name?

2.

Which 2003 Christmas movie stars Will Ferrel as Buddy?

3.

The name of which international Christian movement is usually shortened to Toc H?

4.

Which football team, 1986 League Cup winners, became the first major trophy winners to be relegated from the League?

5.

Which football team, currently in League 1, were known as Abbey United until 1951?

6.

Which Coca Cola company product was renamed from Fanta Klare Zitroen when launched outside Germany in 1961?

7.

Which province of the later Roman republic roughly corresponded to modern Provence?  A two-word term is needed.

8.

Which traditional county of England has the most miles of road, despite ranking behind Yorkshire and Lincolnshire by area?

Sp.

Who was recently pardoned for all federal crimes committed from 2014 to 2024?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Paired questions

1.

Which US state boasts the following universities: Baylor, Rice and Southern Methodist?

2.

Which US state boasts the following universities: Ball State, Notre Dame and Purdue?

3.

Which element, number 28, was named after a mischievous little devil supposedly found in German copper mines?

4.

Element 27 may also have been named after a German mine-demon, as its name is close to the German for a goblin.  What element would that be?

5.

Of what bird, celebrated by Delius, is the roadrunner a flightless variety?

6.

Of what family of fish, celebrated by Schubert, are Flathead and Cutthroat common US varieties?

7.

Which was the last trophy won by Newcastle United, in 1969?

8.

On two European nights in 1995, Sheffield Wednesday played a reserve team and used Rotherham’s ground.  Which competition were they not taking very seriously?

Sp.

Bremen is the largest city on which river?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1.

Who recently won the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship for the first time in 26 years?

2.

Who died on Pitcairn Island in 1793, having been born in the more bracing climate of Cockermouth?  (first name is required)

3.

Which judge led the presidential commission that investigated the assassination of J F Kennedy?

4.

Which Venezuelan-born rugby fullback made his international debut in 1980 and went on to play 93 times for his adopted country?

5.

Which railway junction in Longsight, once notorious for ‘signals passed at red’ shares its name with the stretch of the A5079 running towards Burnage?

6.

What was the nickname of boxer James Smith, who won the WBA Heavyweight title in 1986 and held it for a year before losing to Mike Tyson?

7.

Once made in Warrington, the Vladivar vodka brand was sold to which whisky distillery in 1990?

8.

Which long-time Les Dawson collaborator played Alec Gilroy in Coronation Street?

Sp.

Who coached Barcelona to the 1986 La Liga title?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - All the answers have something in common - you’ll soon work out what it is

1.

What do Italians typically call the South of their country?  It is also the word for ‘midday’.

2.

Which cartoon character provided the nickname for England rugby international Jason Robinson?

3.

What is the nickname of the current Pakistan test cricket coach, given to him while he was taking 259 test wickets as a fast bowler for Australia?

4.

Sheriff Roscoe P Coltrane oversaw law and order in which fictional US county?

5.

How is rapper Melissa Viviane Jefferson better known?

6.

What type of camouflage was attributed to British marine designer Norman Wilkinson?

7.

Which Italian nationalist wrote his first essay On Dante’s Patriotic Love in 1826?

8.

What is the common name for the plant Impatiens walleriana?

Sp.

To which generous, jovial Dickens character was the young Ebenezer Scrooge apprenticed?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Hidden theme

1.

A traditional vindaloo from Goa involves pork marinaded in what ingredient?

2.

What was a middle name of both the 41st and 43rd US presidents?

3.

Which footballer’s transfer to Dunkirk was blocked by FC Liege leading to seismic changes in the transfer system?

4.

Which iconic US brand (now owned by Volvo) has been producing trucks, fire engines and military vehicles since 1900?

5.

To what did Emmanuel Goldenberg (b. Bucharest, 1893) change his name before making over 100 films including Double Indemnity and Little Caesar?

6.

Which former Secretary of State for International Development, best-selling author and unsuccessful opponent of Boris Johnson in the 2019 leadership contest co-presents a podcast called The Rest is Politics?

7.

Which jazz musician (b. Missouri, 1904) is often given credit for making the tenor saxophone an integral part of jazz and inspiring later stars such as Lester Young and John Coltrane?

8.

Which gel-filled, latex action figure for children was introduced in 1976 and later joined by a canine sidekick called Fetch?

Sp.

Who was the Melbourne-born creator of Sir Les Patterson?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Paired

1.

The Hales trophy in 1935 became the first formal award for what long-standing average speed record?

The Blue Riband or

Fastest Atlantic crossing

(either acceptable)

2.

The first Americas Cup was a race around what geographical feature?

The Isle of Wight

3.

What pseudonym was traditionally used by film directors who disowned the finished product?

Alan Smithees

4.

What name, popularised by Hitchcock, is given to an object in a film which is important to the characters but irrelevant in itself?

McGuffin

5.

Which battle of 216 BC saw a Roman army almost completely destroyed by Hannibal’s Carthaginians in Apulia?

Cannae

6.

Which battle of 480 BC saw a Persian fleet almost completely destroyed by that of several Greek city states?

Salamis

7.

What three-word French phrase is given to a literary genre in which real-life events and characters are disguised as fiction by changing names?

8.

What word, derived from Spanish, is used for a literary genre in which the journey through society of a rogue or scoundrel is followed?

Sp.

Tikal and Palenque were city states in which civilisation?

Mayan

ROUND 2 - Pair with a Hidden theme

1.

In 1921, who became the first female Pullitzer winner for her novel The Age of Innocence?

Edith Wharton

2.

Born in New Orleans in 1941, which author wrote The Vampire Chronicles including Interview with the Vampire in 1976?

Anne Rice

3.

Which Scottish duo broke away from McGuiness Flint to have chart successes with Heart on My Sleeve and I Wanna Stay with You in the 1970s?

Gallagher and Lyle

4.

Which Batley-born singer had chart success in the 1980s with I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On and Simply Irresistible?

5.

Who played the 'Oxo mum' in a long series of adverts from 1983 to 1999?

6.

Who played Ray Doyle in The Professionals?

7.

What was the name of the character played by Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot?

8.

What was the name of the character played by Michael Douglas in Wall St?

Sp.

Who, along with Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and D W Griffith, founded United Artists?

Theme: Each answer contains the surname of a member of England's 2024 Euro squad

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Announced theme - 'On the ...'

The answer in each case contains a word which can follow the words ‘On the’ to make a common expression, hence ‘dole’ or ‘rocks’ would be possible answers

1.

In the Peanuts cartoons, what item was Linus Van Pelt always carrying?

A blanket

2.

What runs 96 miles from Milngavie to Fort William?

The West Highland Way

3.

How is Haydn’s symphony No. 101 popularly known, due to its rhythm during the second movement?

The Clock (Symphony)

4.

Where was Cain exiled after killing his brother, according to the book of Genesis?

(The land of) Nod

5.

Which 2007 novel by Ian McEwan is named after a location in Dorset?

On Chesil Beach

6.

Which National Hunt racecourse can be found 13 miles north-east of Lincoln?

Market Rasen

7.

What did Walls, Finglands and UK North all formerly provide for the people of Manchester?

Buses

(accept bus services or, most accurately, buses that smelt weird)

8.

Which instrumentalist’s contract with EMI lasted from 1929 to his death in 1999?

Yehudi Menuhin

Sp.

Which John Le Carre novel was filmed in 1990 starring Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer?

The Russia House

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

Different characters played by Jeremy Renner (Marvel films), Alan Alda (70s-80sTV) and Daniel Day-Lewis (1992 film) share the same one-word name.  Which name?

Hawkeye

2.

Which 2003 Christmas movie stars Will Ferrel as Buddy?

Elf

3.

The name of which international Christian movement is usually shortened to Toc H?

Talbot House

4.

Which football team, 1986 League Cup winners, became the first major trophy winners to be relegated from the League?

Oxford United

5.

Which football team, currently in League 1, were known as Abbey United until 1951?

Cambridge United

6.

Which Coca Cola company product was renamed from Fanta Klare Zitroen when launched outside Germany in 1961?

Sprite

7.

Which province of the later Roman republic roughly corresponded to modern Provence?  A two-word term is needed.

Transalpine Gaul

8.

Which traditional county of England has the most miles of road, despite ranking behind Yorkshire and Lincolnshire by area?

Devonshire

Sp.

Who was recently pardoned for all federal crimes committed from 2014 to 2024?

Hunter Biden

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a model of British car from way back ...

Humber Hawk, Riley Elf, Sunbeam Talbot, Morris Oxford, Austin Cambridge, Austin Healey Sprite, Sunbeam Alpine, Austin A40 Devon, Hillman Hunter

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Paired questions

1.

Which US state boasts the following universities: Baylor, Rice and Southern Methodist?

Texas

2.

Which US state boasts the following universities: Ball State, Notre Dame and Purdue?

Indiana

3.

Which element, number 28, was named after a mischievous little devil supposedly found in German copper mines?

Nickel

4.

Element 27 may also have been named after a German mine-demon, as its name is close to the German for a goblin.  What element would that be?

Cobalt

5.

Of what bird, celebrated by Delius, is the roadrunner a flightless variety?

Cuckoo

6.

Of what family of fish, celebrated by Schubert, are Flathead and Cutthroat common US varieties?

Trout

7.

Which was the last trophy won by Newcastle United, in 1969?

The (Inter-City) Fairs Cup

8.

On two European nights in 1995, Sheffield Wednesday played a reserve team and used Rotherham’s ground.  Which competition were they not taking very seriously?

The Inter-Toto Cup

Sp.

Bremen is the largest city on which river?

The Weser

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1.

Who recently won the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship for the first time in 26 years?

McLaren

2.

Who died on Pitcairn Island in 1793, having been born in the more bracing climate of Cockermouth?  (first name is required)

Fletcher Christian

3.

Which judge led the presidential commission that investigated the assassination of J F Kennedy?

Earl Warren

4.

Which Venezuelan-born rugby fullback made his international debut in 1980 and went on to play 93 times for his adopted country?

Serge Blanco

5.

Which railway junction in Longsight, once notorious for ‘signals passed at red’ shares its name with the stretch of the A5079 running towards Burnage?

Slade Lane

6.

What was the nickname of boxer James Smith, who won the WBA Heavyweight title in 1986 and held it for a year before losing to Mike Tyson?

Bonecrusher

7.

Once made in Warrington, the Vladivar vodka brand was sold to which whisky distillery in 1990?

Whyte and Mackay

8.

Which long-time Les Dawson collaborator played Alec Gilroy in Coronation Street?

Roy Barraclough

Sp.

Who coached Barcelona to the 1986 La Liga title?

Terry Venables

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a character or prison from Porridge

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - All the answers have something in common - you’ll soon work out what it is

1.

What do Italians typically call the South of their country?  It is also the word for ‘midday’.

2.

Which cartoon character provided the nickname for England rugby international Jason Robinson?

3.

What is the nickname of the current Pakistan test cricket coach, given to him while he was taking 259 test wickets as a fast bowler for Australia?

Dizzy

(Jason Gillespie is the full name)

4.

Sheriff Roscoe P Coltrane oversaw law and order in which fictional US county?

5.

How is rapper Melissa Viviane Jefferson better known?

6.

What type of camouflage was attributed to British marine designer Norman Wilkinson?

Dazzle

7.

Which Italian nationalist wrote his first essay On Dante’s Patriotic Love in 1826?

Giuseppe Mazzini

8.

What is the common name for the plant Impatiens walleriana?

Busy Lizzie

Sp.

To which generous, jovial Dickens character was the young Ebenezer Scrooge apprenticed?

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - Hidden theme

1.

A traditional vindaloo from Goa involves pork marinaded in what ingredient?

2.

What was a middle name of both the 41st and 43rd US presidents?

3.

Which footballer’s transfer to Dunkirk was blocked by FC Liege leading to seismic changes in the transfer system?

4.

Which iconic US brand (now owned by Volvo) has been producing trucks, fire engines and military vehicles since 1900?

5.

To what did Emmanuel Goldenberg (b. Bucharest, 1893) change his name before making over 100 films including Double Indemnity and Little Caesar?

6.

Which former Secretary of State for International Development, best-selling author and unsuccessful opponent of Boris Johnson in the 2019 leadership contest co-presents a podcast called The Rest is Politics?

7.

Which jazz musician (b. Missouri, 1904) is often given credit for making the tenor saxophone an integral part of jazz and inspiring later stars such as Lester Young and John Coltrane?

Coleman Hawkins

8.

Which gel-filled, latex action figure for children was introduced in 1976 and later joined by a canine sidekick called Fetch?

Sp.

Who was the Melbourne-born creator of Sir Les Patterson?

Theme: Each answer contains the surname of a TV Quiz show presenter

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers