ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Which gallery, situated within Central Park, hosts an exclusive gala on the first Monday in May?  It is regarded as the biggest night in fashion - tickets cost $75,000 in 2024.

2.

What is the world’s fourth largest church by area, despite not yet being completed?

3.

Which 150km long canal has its northern terminus at its junction with the Bridgewater Canal?

4.

Born an Anglican he is now a Catholic saint.  He wrote Apologia Pro Vita Sua and the hymn Lead, Kindly Light. Who was he?

5.

In 1545 the Mary Rose sank during which battle?

6.

Running between London and Scotland, what is the name of this sleeper rail service, one of only two currently operating in the UK?

7.

Which city in New Zealand is sometimes known as the 'Nice of the Pacific'?

8.

Who was awarded a Croix de Guerre in 1949 and a Nobel Prize in 1969?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - 'The Fountain of Youth'

Questions about precocious achievements

1.

Who is the youngest ever winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature?  He won the award in 1907 at the age of 41.

2.

Who is the youngest ever winner of the Booker Prize?  She won the award in 2013 at the age of 28 for the novel The Luminaries.

3.

Who is England’s youngest ever test cricketer?  He won his first cap in December 2022 in Karachi at the age of 18 years and 126 days.

4.

Who is England’s youngest ever international footballer?  He won his first cap in May 2006 at the age of 17 years and 75 days.  Four months later he became the youngest player to score a hat trick for England.

5.

Who is the youngest monarch in English history?  He became King of England at the age of 8 months.  A month later he became King of France.

6.

Who is the youngest person to become President of the United States?

7.

Who is the youngest ever winner of a tennis grand slam singles title?  She won the Australian Open in 1997 at the age of 16 years and 177 days.

8.

Who is the youngest ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize?  She was awarded the prize in 2014 at the age of 17.

Sp.

Who is the youngest manager in the history of the Premier League?  He was appointed as caretaker manager of this club in April 2021 at the age of 29.  He had a second spell as caretaker manager of the same club two years later.

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Picture Round

You will be shown a picture taken from the title sequence of a well-known TV series - simply name the programme

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - 'A Night at the Opera'

Each question requires a single word answer connecting an opera with the second part of the question.

The word ‘the’ will not be accepted as an answer!

1.

Which word connects an opera by Prokofiev and Jeannette Winterson’s first novel?

2.

Which name connects an opera by Mussorgsky and a Russian President?

3.

Which name connects an opera by Britten and an athlete famous for running barefoot?

4.

Which word connects an opera by Wagner and the nickname of a middle distance runner who won nine Olympic gold medals in the 1920s?

5.

Which country connects an opera by John Adams and a 1987 hit for T’Pau?

6.

Which scientist connects an opera by Philip Glass and a 1981 hit for Landscape?

7.

Which word connects an opera by Smetana and a 1935 film starring Elsa Lanchester alongside Boris Karloff?

8.

Which word connects an opera by Janacek and one of Santa’s reindeer?

Sp.

Which name connects an opera by Richard Straus and a play by Eugene O’Neill?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

What is the closest star system to the Earth?

2.

Which is the largest of the Canadian provinces?

3.

The operas Rigoletto and Lucretia Borgia are based on his works.  His state funeral in Paris in 1885 is reported to have been attended by over 2 million people.  Who is he?

4.

Which 1980 hit single begins with the lines:

"I know it’s out of fashion and a trifle uncool;

But I can’t help it I’m a romantic fool;

It’s a habit of mine to watch the sun go down."

5.

What word links a carbonated soft drink, Paris and Halifax?

6.

What word links a Ford motor car produced between 1982 and 1993, a geographical feature and two Humphrey Bogart films of the 1940s?

7.

This American pizza chain was founded in 1984.  It now has over 5000 outlets in 49 countries.  In Manchester it has outlets on Oxford Street close to Central Library and on Wilmslow Road in Fallowfield.  What is it called?

8.

This UK retail company was founded in 1993.  Its first store was in Watford.  It now has 125 stores in the UK.  In Manchester there are stores on Market Street, in the Arndale Centre and in Piccadilly Station.  What is it called?

Sp1

Maker’s Mark, Buffalo Trace, Compass Box and Heaven’s Door are all brands of what?

Sp2

Which South American capital city is known as the City of Kings?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

Which battle of 1954 saw the decisive defeat of French forces in Vietnam?

2.

3.

In which traditional board game do players take turns to move their 15 ‘men’ around a board which has 24 ‘points’?

4.

What distilled anise-type spirit is produced across the eastern Mediterranean sea and is the national drink of Lebanon?

5.

 Used in Australia as a mild form of insult, meaning ‘fool’ or ‘idiot’ this word is also the name of a large group of birds native across Africa and southern and eastern Asia.  What is this word?

6.

Two cities in north eastern India were the scene of decisive Japanese defeats in 1944.  They were the decisive battles of the Burmese campaign.  Name either.

7.

Labneh is a popular traditional food in Lebanon.  What is it made from?

8.

In which traditional board game do players take turns to place their ‘stones’ on a board containing 361 'points'?

Sp1

Which lake, although only the seventh largest by surface area, is so deep that it holds 22-23% of the world’s surface fresh water?

Sp2

Name a country or territory that Donald Trump hasn’t threatened to invade, annex, purchase or extort since becoming President for the second time.

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - Pairs

Each answer contains the site of one of England’s 42 Anglican cathedrals - usual caveats apply

1.

Who was the roving American news reporter in The Fast Show?

2.

Which company produced the Blenheim and Beaufighter aircraft?

3.

Which company produced the Gladiator and Meteor aircraft?

4.

In Greek mythology, what was the final resting place for Greek heroes?  It gives its name to a famous thoroughfare in Paris. (either English or French name is acceptable)

5.

In a famous 19th century novel who is the master of Thornfield Hall?

6.

Which novelist’s works include The Island of Doctor Moreau and Love and Mr Lewisham?

7.

Which city was founded by the Pioneer Company in 1890 and named after the Prime Minister at the time?  Since 1982 it has been known by a different name.  What was the original name?

8.

How was photographer Patrick Anson better known?

Sp1

Robert-Banks-Jenkinson was British Prime Minister from 1812 to 1827. How was he better known?

Sp2

There are 42 Anglican cathedrals in England.  Name them.

(well you know nine now, the other thirty three should provide a post quiz talking point)

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Hidden theme

1.

This dish derives its name from the Tamil for ‘pepper water’.  It became very popular in mid-19th century Britain.  Name this dish.

2.

This word was originally a synonym for ‘party’ in Cuba.  Since 2004 it has appeared regularly on British TV during the autumn.  What is this word?

3.

Which geological period was preceded by the Triassic and succeeded by the Cretaceous?

4.

Which commonly used fuel has the chemical formula C4H10?

5.

Born in 1884 in Kansas City, he starred in many Hollywood silent movies but the advent of talkies ended his career.  His more famous namesake played characters including a roguish rebel hero and an ophidiophobe.  What was his name?

6.

The British Islamic Heritage Centre occupies a neo-Gothic building, previously used as a trade union training centre on which south Manchester road?

7.

Which song was a 1970 number 1 hit for Christie?  The geographic feature it is named after is known also known as the Huanghe.

8.

Which golf course, which has hosted the Open Championship 13 times, most recently in 2023, is situated on the Wirral coast?

Sp1

Who commanded the Corps of Discovery Expedition which reached the Pacific Ocean in 1805?

Sp2

Who holds the record as the youngest ever British Olympic medallist?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Which gallery, situated within Central Park, hosts an exclusive gala on the first Monday in May?  It is regarded as the biggest night in fashion - tickets cost $75,000 in 2024.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

2.

What is the world’s fourth largest church by area, despite not yet being completed?

Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York

3.

Which 150km long canal has its northern terminus at its junction with the Bridgewater Canal?

The Trent and Mersey Canal

4.

Born an Anglican he is now a Catholic saint.  He wrote Apologia Pro Vita Sua and the hymn Lead, Kindly Light. Who was he?

Cardinal John Newman

5.

In 1545 the Mary Rose sank during which battle?

Battle of the Solent

6.

Running between London and Scotland, what is the name of this sleeper rail service, one of only two currently operating in the UK?

The Caledonian Sleeper

7.

Which city in New Zealand is sometimes known as the 'Nice of the Pacific'?

Napier

8.

Who was awarded a Croix de Guerre in 1949 and a Nobel Prize in 1969?

Samuel Beckett

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a university in a city which has eponymous universities ...

Cardiff, London or Manchester Metropolitan, York St John, Nottingham Trent, Birmingham Newman, Southampton Solent, Glasgow Caledonian, Edinburgh Napier and Leeds Beckett

ROUND 2 - 'The Fountain of Youth'

Questions about precocious achievements

1.

Who is the youngest ever winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature?  He won the award in 1907 at the age of 41.

Rudyard Kipling

2.

Who is the youngest ever winner of the Booker Prize?  She won the award in 2013 at the age of 28 for the novel The Luminaries.

Eleanor Catton

3.

Who is England’s youngest ever test cricketer?  He won his first cap in December 2022 in Karachi at the age of 18 years and 126 days.

Rehan Ahmed

4.

Who is England’s youngest ever international footballer?  He won his first cap in May 2006 at the age of 17 years and 75 days.  Four months later he became the youngest player to score a hat trick for England.

Theo Walcott

5.

Who is the youngest monarch in English history?  He became King of England at the age of 8 months.  A month later he became King of France.

Henry the Sixth

6.

Who is the youngest person to become President of the United States?

Theodore Roosevelt

(he became President in 1909 at the age of 42 following the assassination of President McKinlay)

7.

Who is the youngest ever winner of a tennis grand slam singles title?  She won the Australian Open in 1997 at the age of 16 years and 177 days.

Martin Hingis

8.

Who is the youngest ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize?  She was awarded the prize in 2014 at the age of 17.

Malala Yousafzai

(accept answers which are reasonably close to her surname, she’s usually referred to by just her first name)

Sp.

Who is the youngest manager in the history of the Premier League?  He was appointed as caretaker manager of this club in April 2021 at the age of 29.  He had a second spell as caretaker manager of the same club two years later.

Ryan Mason

(Tottenham Hotspur)

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Picture Round

You will be shown a picture taken from the title sequence of a well-known TV series - simply name the programme

1.

Succession

2.

Downton Abbey

3.

I, Claudius

4.

The Sopranos

5.

Breaking Bad

6.

Game of Thrones

7.

Band of Brothers

8.

The Office

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - 'A Night at the Opera'

Each question requires a single word answer connecting an opera with the second part of the question.

The word ‘the’ will not be accepted as an answer!

1.

Which word connects an opera by Prokofiev and Jeannette Winterson’s first novel?

Oranges

(The Love for Three Oranges and Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit)

2.

Which name connects an opera by Mussorgsky and a Russian President?

Boris

(Boris Godunov and Boris Yeltsin)

3.

Which name connects an opera by Britten and an athlete famous for running barefoot?

Budd

(Billy Budd and Zola Budd)

4.

Which word connects an opera by Wagner and the nickname of a middle distance runner who won nine Olympic gold medals in the 1920s?

Flying

(Flying Dutchman and 'Flying Finn' i.e. Paavo Nurmi)

5.

Which country connects an opera by John Adams and a 1987 hit for T’Pau?

China

(Nixon in China and China in Your Hand)

6.

Which scientist connects an opera by Philip Glass and a 1981 hit for Landscape?

Einstein

(Einstein on the Beach and Einstein a Go-Go)

7.

Which word connects an opera by Smetana and a 1935 film starring Elsa Lanchester alongside Boris Karloff?

Bride

(The Bartered Bride and The Bride of Frankenstein)

8.

Which word connects an opera by Janacek and one of Santa’s reindeer?

Vixen

(The Cunning Little Vixen and Vixen)

Sp.

Which name connects an opera by Richard Straus and a play by Eugene O’Neill?

Electra

(Electra and Mourning Becomes Electra)

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

What is the closest star system to the Earth?

Alpha Centauri

2.

Which is the largest of the Canadian provinces?

Quebec

3.

The operas Rigoletto and Lucretia Borgia are based on his works.  His state funeral in Paris in 1885 is reported to have been attended by over 2 million people.  Who is he?

Victor Hugo

4.

Which 1980 hit single begins with the lines:

"I know it’s out of fashion and a trifle uncool;

But I can’t help it I’m a romantic fool;

It’s a habit of mine to watch the sun go down."

Echo Beach

(by Martha and the Muffins)

5.

What word links a carbonated soft drink, Paris and Halifax?

Tango

(the film Last Tango in Paris and the TV series Last Tango in Halifax)

6.

What word links a Ford motor car produced between 1982 and 1993, a geographical feature and two Humphrey Bogart films of the 1940s?

Sierra

(the films are High Sierra and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre)

7.

This American pizza chain was founded in 1984.  It now has over 5000 outlets in 49 countries.  In Manchester it has outlets on Oxford Street close to Central Library and on Wilmslow Road in Fallowfield.  What is it called?

Papa Johns

8.

This UK retail company was founded in 1993.  Its first store was in Watford.  It now has 125 stores in the UK.  In Manchester there are stores on Market Street, in the Arndale Centre and in Piccadilly Station.  What is it called?

Hotel Chocolat

Sp1

Maker’s Mark, Buffalo Trace, Compass Box and Heaven’s Door are all brands of what?

American Whiskey

(accept just whiskey)

Sp2

Which South American capital city is known as the City of Kings?

Lima

Theme: Each answer contains a word taken from the NATO phonetic alphabet

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

Which battle of 1954 saw the decisive defeat of French forces in Vietnam?

Dien Bien Phu

2.

Manchester

3.

In which traditional board game do players take turns to move their 15 ‘men’ around a board which has 24 ‘points’?

Backgammon

4.

What distilled anise-type spirit is produced across the eastern Mediterranean sea and is the national drink of Lebanon?

Arak

5.

 Used in Australia as a mild form of insult, meaning ‘fool’ or ‘idiot’ this word is also the name of a large group of birds native across Africa and southern and eastern Asia.  What is this word?

Drongo

6.

Two cities in north eastern India were the scene of decisive Japanese defeats in 1944.  They were the decisive battles of the Burmese campaign.  Name either.

(either)

Imphal

(or)

Kohima

7.

Labneh is a popular traditional food in Lebanon.  What is it made from?

Yoghurt

(strained to make it creamier)

8.

In which traditional board game do players take turns to place their ‘stones’ on a board containing 361 'points'?

Go

Sp1

Which lake, although only the seventh largest by surface area, is so deep that it holds 22-23% of the world’s surface fresh water?

Lake Baikal

Sp2

Name a country or territory that Donald Trump hasn’t threatened to invade, annex, purchase or extort since becoming President for the second time.

There are plenty of options at the time of writing (around 170) but by Wednesday night….?

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - Pairs

Each answer contains the site of one of England’s 42 Anglican cathedrals - usual caveats apply

1.

Who was the roving American news reporter in The Fast Show?

Ed Winchester

2.

Which company produced the Blenheim and Beaufighter aircraft?

Bristol

3.

Which company produced the Gladiator and Meteor aircraft?

Gloster

4.

In Greek mythology, what was the final resting place for Greek heroes?  It gives its name to a famous thoroughfare in Paris. (either English or French name is acceptable)

Champs Élysées

(or Elysian Fields)

5.

In a famous 19th century novel who is the master of Thornfield Hall?

Rochester

6.

Which novelist’s works include The Island of Doctor Moreau and Love and Mr Lewisham?

H G Wells

7.

Which city was founded by the Pioneer Company in 1890 and named after the Prime Minister at the time?  Since 1982 it has been known by a different name.  What was the original name?

Salisbury

8.

How was photographer Patrick Anson better known?

Earl of Lichfield

Sp1

Robert-Banks-Jenkinson was British Prime Minister from 1812 to 1827. How was he better known?

Earl of Liverpool

Sp2

There are 42 Anglican cathedrals in England.  Name them.

(well you know nine now, the other thirty three should provide a post quiz talking point)

Over to you!

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - Hidden theme

1.

This dish derives its name from the Tamil for ‘pepper water’.  It became very popular in mid-19th century Britain.  Name this dish.

Mulligatawny soup

2.

This word was originally a synonym for ‘party’ in Cuba.  Since 2004 it has appeared regularly on British TV during the autumn.  What is this word?

Rumba

3.

Which geological period was preceded by the Triassic and succeeded by the Cretaceous?

Jurassic

4.

Which commonly used fuel has the chemical formula C4H10?

Butane

5.

Born in 1884 in Kansas City, he starred in many Hollywood silent movies but the advent of talkies ended his career.  His more famous namesake played characters including a roguish rebel hero and an ophidiophobe.  What was his name?

Harrison Ford

6.

The British Islamic Heritage Centre occupies a neo-Gothic building, previously used as a trade union training centre on which south Manchester road?

College Road

(Whalley Range)

7.

Which song was a 1970 number 1 hit for Christie?  The geographic feature it is named after is known also known as the Huanghe.

Yellow River

8.

Which golf course, which has hosted the Open Championship 13 times, most recently in 2023, is situated on the Wirral coast?

Royal Hoylake

Sp1

Who commanded the Corps of Discovery Expedition which reached the Pacific Ocean in 1805?

Captain Meriwether Lewis

(with his close friend 2nd Lieutenant William Clark)

Sp2

Who holds the record as the youngest ever British Olympic medallist?

Skye Brown

(skateboarding bronze medallist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics)

Theme: Each answer contains the name of  Scottish island ...

Mull, Rhum, Jura, Bute, Harris, Coll, Yell, Hoy, Lewis, Skye

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers