ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Who wrote the novels The Lady in the Lake and The Little Sister?

2.

Who replaced Carol Vorderman on Countdown?

3.

Which German novelist wrote The Tin Drum in 1959?

4.

Whose debut novel was Brick Lane in 2003?

5.

Who wrote the classic punk song Sheena is a Punk Rocker?  (an individual is needed, not the name of the group)

6.

Which actress, daughter of a Corrie legend, played Daphne in Bridgerton?

7.

What was the name of the suffragette who died shortly after the Epson Derby in 1913?

8.

Who was the lead singer of the Scottish band Deacon Blue?

Sp.

Who painted The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Pairs on the subject of women

1.

Who gives their name to the annual event celebrating the contributions of women to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics?

2.

Who, in 1990, became the first head of government to give birth while in office?

3.

Who was the first British woman to be awarded a Best Actress Oscar?

4.

Who was the most recent British woman to be awarded a Best Actress Oscar?

5.

Who, in 2007, became the oldest winner of the Nobel Prize for literature?

6.

Which sculptor became, in 1993, the first woman to win the Turner Prize?

7.

Which Olympic event was won at consecutive games by Cathy Freeman, Tonique Williams-Darling and Christine Ohuruogo?

8.

Which Olympic event was won at consecutive games by Jackie Joyner, Heike Dreschler and Chioma Ajunwa?

Sp.

Who, in 1978, became the first woman to get a number one hit with an entirely self-written song?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - 'Double L'

There's a double 'l' in every answer

1.

In which sitcom did the minor characters Fairfax and Carstairs appear?

2.

Which back row forward for Wasps and England, as a 12-year-old chorister, sang on We Don’t Need Another Hero by Tina Turner?

3.

What was the family name of the first Duke of Buckingham, immortalised in the name of a street which passes Charing Cross Station on the way to the Embankment?

4.

Which river becomes tidal just below the Bobby Robson Bridge before reaching the sea at Felixstowe?

5.

Which Scotland footballer was accused of racially abusing and spitting on opponents by both Zaire and Brazil players at a World Cup?

6.

Whose speech at Blackheath, during the Peasants’ Revolt included the lines:

"When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?"?

7.

Which politician claimed in August 2000 (to widespread derision) that he had, in his teenage years, drunk 14 pints of beer a day?

8.

Which author served as a draper’s apprentice in Kent from 1880-1883 inspiring some of his later books?

Sp.

Which element was discovered by Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1875?

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Announced theme - 'The Harris-es'

The first word in each answer (usually a forename) can be followed by the surname Harris to make the name of someone well-known

1.

Name the small town in Moray, 110 miles north of Edinburgh which is the start of the Malt Whisky Trail and the home of Chivas Regal.

2.

Who was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius V in 1567, about 300 years after he finished his most famous work, Summa Theologiae?

3.

Which former resident of Lambeth has been convicted of assault four times and released 25 different perfumes, including Pret-a-Porter, alongside her main career?

4.

By what nickname was the bearded Bristolian bricklayer, Brian Busbridge known in Auf Wiedersehen Pet?

5.

Which fictional gang featured, among others, Riff, Tony and Diesel

6.

Who was the subject of Woody Allen’s documentary My Favourite Comedian?  His name is now rhyming slang for illegal substances.

7.

Which TV presenter and Pointless co-host was made Chancellor of the University of Bradford in 2022?

8.

What is the full name of the founder of the Church of Scientology?

Sp.

Which Oscar-winning actress was married to Paul Newman?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

Which city, site of a 1651 battle, boasts a statue of Edward Elgar, a king buried without his heart and a famous condiment factory?

2.

Which Super League team is known as the Dreadnoughts and based at Belle Vue Stadium on Doncaster Road?

3.

Which Avro bomber of WWII was later developed into the Shackleton, a long-range maritime patrol plane?

4.

Which London borough contains the neighbourhoods of Colliers Wood, Mitcham and Wimbledon?

5.

What is the Christian name of John Turturro’s flashy but repellent 10-pin bowler in The Big Lebowski?

6.

Which early fourth century princess was martyred at age eighteen having out-debated 50 of the finest pagan scholars in Alexandria?

7.

Which university was known as Hatfield Polytechnic until 1992?

8.

Who was the lead singer of Bronski Beat?

Sp.

Where in London would you find Queen Mary’s Rose Garden?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Run-ons

1.

Beowulf’s celebrated opponent,

&

Runaway singer

2.

First country to issue banknotes,

&

Country whose flag is the oldest still in use.

3.

1996 Olympic 400 metres runner-up,

&

Clarinettist who led the Bristol Paramount Jazz Band.

4.

Sea between Alaska and Russia,

&

Name for a belt of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean.

5.

Often-banned British reggae singer born Alexander Hughes,

&

Type of battleship named after a vessel launched in 1906.

6.

Muse of epic poetry in Ancient Greece,

&

Building such as the Palais Garnier in Paris.

7.

Roman god after which Mozart’s symphony No 41 is named,

&

Actor who shared a house with Michael Caine in the early sixties.

8.

River that runs through Nantwich,

&

US state with the second lowest population.

Sp.

Singer of Hot Stuff in The Full Monty,

&

Song from Porgy and Bess once covered by the Fun Boy Three.

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - Pairs

1.

The Duke of Mantua is a character in which Verdi opera?

2.

Cavaradossi is a character in which Puccini opera?

3.

What was founded by Walter Gropius in 1919 and closed in 1933?

4.

The manifesto of which artistic movement was delivered in Zurich in 1916?

5.

Which composer dropped out of Medical School in Paris in 1824?  He composed the Symphonie Fantastique in1830.

6.

Which composer and legendary violin virtuoso gave large amounts of money to the struggling Berlioz from his successful second career as a gambler?

7.

The 1918 chemistry Nobel laureate was known as the 'Father of Chemical Warfare' as well as for the process that bears his name.  What name?

8.

The 1947 chemistry Nobel prize winner made many contributions but is mostly remembered for not getting the structure of DNA right and for recommending huge doses of vitamin C to treat or prevent almost every illness?

Sp.

Which Wagner opera features the character Kilingsore?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - 'The McRound'

Each answer contains a name that starts 'Mc' or 'Mac'

1.

Which crime novelist, based in Stockport and Edinburgh, has captained successful teams on Christmas University Challenge and Eggheads?

2.

3.

What was the former name of Denali National Park?

4.

Who has taken over as presenter of Inside the Factory after the cancelling of Gregg Wallace?

5.

What became the biggest-selling canned beer in the UK in 1975, before lagers took over the market?

6.

Which actor links the films Trainspotting, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and Angels and Demons?

7.

Which comedian won Strictly in 2024?

8.

Who wrote the Lays of Ancient Rome, published in 1842?

Sp.

Which captain first appeared in The Beggars Opera as a chivalrous highwayman?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

1.

Who wrote the novels The Lady in the Lake and The Little Sister?

Raymond Chandler

2.

Who replaced Carol Vorderman on Countdown?

Rachel Riley

(both names needed)

3.

Which German novelist wrote The Tin Drum in 1959?

Gunter Grass

(both names needed)

4.

Whose debut novel was Brick Lane in 2003?

Monica Ali

(both names needed)

5.

Who wrote the classic punk song Sheena is a Punk Rocker?  (an individual is needed, not the name of the group)

Joey Ramone

(both names needed)

6.

Which actress, daughter of a Corrie legend, played Daphne in Bridgerton?
 

Phoebe Dynevor

(both names needed)

7.

What was the name of the suffragette who died shortly after the Epson Derby in 1913?

Emily Davison

(both names needed)

8.

Who was the lead singer of the Scottish band Deacon Blue?

Ricky Ross

Sp.

Who painted The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp?

Rembrandt

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a character from the TV show Friends or the name of someone in the band which played the theme tune

ROUND 2 - Pairs on the subject of women

1.

Who gives their name to the annual event celebrating the contributions of women to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics?

Ada Lovelace

2.

Who, in 1990, became the first head of government to give birth while in office?

Benazir Bhutto

3.

Who was the first British woman to be awarded a Best Actress Oscar?

Vivien Leigh

4.

Who was the most recent British woman to be awarded a Best Actress Oscar?

Olivia Colman

5.

Who, in 2007, became the oldest winner of the Nobel Prize for literature?

Doris Lessing

6.

Which sculptor became, in 1993, the first woman to win the Turner Prize?

Rachael Whiteread

7.

Which Olympic event was won at consecutive games by Cathy Freeman, Tonique Williams-Darling and Christine Ohuruogo?

400 metres

8.

Which Olympic event was won at consecutive games by Jackie Joyner, Heike Dreschler and Chioma Ajunwa?

Long Jump

Sp.

Who, in 1978, became the first woman to get a number one hit with an entirely self-written song?

Kate Bush

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - 'Double L'

There's a double 'l' in every answer

1.

In which sitcom did the minor characters Fairfax and Carstairs appear?

'Allo 'Allo

2.

Which back row forward for Wasps and England, as a 12-year-old chorister, sang on We Don’t Need Another Hero by Tina Turner?

Lawrence Dallaglio

3.

What was the family name of the first Duke of Buckingham, immortalised in the name of a street which passes Charing Cross Station on the way to the Embankment?

Villiers

4.

Which river becomes tidal just below the Bobby Robson Bridge before reaching the sea at Felixstowe?

The Orwell

5.

Which Scotland footballer was accused of racially abusing and spitting on opponents by both Zaire and Brazil players at a World Cup?

Billy Bremner

(‘All of them’ is incorrect in spite of it having a double 'L')

6.

Whose speech at Blackheath, during the Peasants’ Revolt included the lines:

"When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?"?

John Ball

7.

Which politician claimed in August 2000 (to widespread derision) that he had, in his teenage years, drunk 14 pints of beer a day?

William Hague

8.

Which author served as a draper’s apprentice in Kent from 1880-1883 inspiring some of his later books?

H G Wells

Sp.

Which element was discovered by Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1875?

Gallium

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Announced theme - 'The Harris-es'

The first word in each answer (usually a forename) can be followed by the surname Harris to make the name of someone well-known

1.

Name the small town in Moray, 110 miles north of Edinburgh which is the start of the Malt Whisky Trail and the home of Chivas Regal.

Keith

2.

Who was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius V in 1567, about 300 years after he finished his most famous work, Summa Theologiae?

Thomas Aquinas

3.

Which former resident of Lambeth has been convicted of assault four times and released 25 different perfumes, including Pret-a-Porter, alongside her main career?

Naomi Campbell

4.

By what nickname was the bearded Bristolian bricklayer, Brian Busbridge known in Auf Wiedersehen Pet?

Bomber

5.

Which fictional gang featured, among others, Riff, Tony and Diesel

The Jets

(from West Side Story)

6.

Who was the subject of Woody Allen’s documentary My Favourite Comedian?  His name is now rhyming slang for illegal substances.

Bob Hope

7.

Which TV presenter and Pointless co-host was made Chancellor of the University of Bradford in 2022?

Anita Rani

8.

What is the full name of the founder of the Church of Scientology?

L Ron Hubbard

Sp.

Which Oscar-winning actress was married to Paul Newman?

Joanne Woodward

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

Which city, site of a 1651 battle, boasts a statue of Edward Elgar, a king buried without his heart and a famous condiment factory?

Worcester

2.

Which Super League team is known as the Dreadnoughts and based at Belle Vue Stadium on Doncaster Road?

Wakefield Trinity

(full name required for link)

3.

Which Avro bomber of WWII was later developed into the Shackleton, a long-range maritime patrol plane?

The Lincoln

4.

Which London borough contains the neighbourhoods of Colliers Wood, Mitcham and Wimbledon?

Merton

5.

What is the Christian name of John Turturro’s flashy but repellent 10-pin bowler in The Big Lebowski?

Jesus

6.

Which early fourth century princess was martyred at age eighteen having out-debated 50 of the finest pagan scholars in Alexandria?

St Catherine

7.

Which university was known as Hatfield Polytechnic until 1992?

Hertfordshire

8.

Who was the lead singer of Bronski Beat?

Jimmy Somerville

Sp.

Where in London would you find Queen Mary’s Rose Garden?

Regent’s Park

Theme: Each answer contains the name of an Oxford University college

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Run-ons

1.

Beowulf’s celebrated opponent,

&

Runaway singer

Grendel

&

Del Shannon

2.

First country to issue banknotes,

&

Country whose flag is the oldest still in use.

Denmark

3.

1996 Olympic 400 metres runner-up,

&

Clarinettist who led the Bristol Paramount Jazz Band.

(Roger) Black

&

Acker Bilk

4.

Sea between Alaska and Russia,

&

Name for a belt of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean.

Bering

&

Ring of Fire

5.

Often-banned British reggae singer born Alexander Hughes,

&

Type of battleship named after a vessel launched in 1906.

Dreadnaught

6.

Muse of epic poetry in Ancient Greece,

&

Building such as the Palais Garnier in Paris.

Opera House

7.

Roman god after which Mozart’s symphony No 41 is named,

&

Actor who shared a house with Michael Caine in the early sixties.

Terence Stamp

8.

River that runs through Nantwich,

&

US state with the second lowest population.

Vermont

Sp.

Singer of Hot Stuff in The Full Monty,

&

Song from Porgy and Bess once covered by the Fun Boy Three.

Summertime

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - Pairs

1.

The Duke of Mantua is a character in which Verdi opera?

Rigoletto

2.

Cavaradossi is a character in which Puccini opera?

Tosca

3.

What was founded by Walter Gropius in 1919 and closed in 1933?

The Bauhaus

4.

The manifesto of which artistic movement was delivered in Zurich in 1916?

Dadaism

5.

Which composer dropped out of Medical School in Paris in 1824?  He composed the Symphonie Fantastique in1830.

Hector Berlioz

6.

Which composer and legendary violin virtuoso gave large amounts of money to the struggling Berlioz from his successful second career as a gambler?

(Niccolo) Paganini

7.

The 1918 chemistry Nobel laureate was known as the 'Father of Chemical Warfare' as well as for the process that bears his name.  What name?

(Fritz) Haber

8.

The 1947 chemistry Nobel prize winner made many contributions but is mostly remembered for not getting the structure of DNA right and for recommending huge doses of vitamin C to treat or prevent almost every illness?

(Linus) Pauling

Sp.

Which Wagner opera features the character Kilingsore?

Parsifal

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - 'The McRound'

Each answer contains a name that starts 'Mc' or 'Mac'

1.

Which crime novelist, based in Stockport and Edinburgh, has captained successful teams on Christmas University Challenge and Eggheads?

Val McDermid

2.

(James) Ramsay MacDonald

3.

What was the former name of Denali National Park?

Mount McKinley (National Park)

4.

Who has taken over as presenter of Inside the Factory after the cancelling of Gregg Wallace?

Paddy McGuiness

5.

What became the biggest-selling canned beer in the UK in 1975, before lagers took over the market?

McEwans Export

(prompt for more if the answer ‘McEwans’ is given alone)

6.

Which actor links the films Trainspotting, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and Angels and Demons?

Ewan McGregor

7.

Which comedian won Strictly in 2024?

Chris McCauseland

8.

Who wrote the Lays of Ancient Rome, published in 1842?

(Thomas) Macaulay

Sp.

Which captain first appeared in The Beggars Opera as a chivalrous highwayman?

MacHeath

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers