ROUND 1 - Hidden theme and pairs

1.

Which actor and TV presenter starred in Life’s too Short and played Professor Filius Flitwick in the Harry Potter films?

2.

Who played the character of Liz McDonald for many years in Coronation Street?

3.

Who was the original bass player in the punk rock group The Sex Pistols?

4.

Who was the lead singer in the Australian folk group The Seekers?

5.

Chiefly remembered for his rigid austerity programme, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1947 to 1950?

6.

Who succeeded James Garfield as US president, after Garfield’s assassination in 1881?

7.

Who won his only Oscar playing Elmer Gantry in the 1960 film of the same name?

8.

Daniel Day-Lewis won his third Oscar playing the eponymous role in which 2012 Spielberg film?

Sp.

Who was the first person to sail around the world single-handed via the clipper route?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Shared Surnames

Just give the surname shared by the two characters described

1.

Playwright and author who wrote The History Boys and the composer of film scores including Four Weddings and a Funeral.

2.

Writer of The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas and an Oxford Eng Lit graduate turned TV chef.

3.

US Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005 and the author of the novel sequence A Dance to the Music of Time.

4.

British sculptor, mostly in bronze, (1898-1986) and the holder of the World Championship at light-heavyweight for a record 10 years from 1952.

5.

Author of novels, short stories, poems and plays starting with The White Peacock in 1911 and the most famous British motorcycle crash fatality of 1935.

6.

Busybody heroine of a Jane Austen novel and a dog-trainer who became famous in the 1980s.

7.

High-profile but generally unsuccessful manager of various clubs including Birmingham City from 1993-1996 and a cricketer who was reportedly offered the throne of Albania.

8.

Author and illustrator of books featuring Charlie and Lola and Coventry-born author of many novels featuring an active retiree with no middle name.

Sp.

The first director of The Runnymede Trust and the Parrs Wood educated Secretary of State for Media, Culture and Sport.

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Run-ons

1.

1934 George Orwell novel featuring Gordon Comstock,

&

1843 Wagner opera about redemption through love.

2.

Marylebone concert venue which hosts the Radio 3 weekly concerts on Monday,

&

US rock duo responsible for 1980s hits including Maneater.

3.

1505 graduate of Erfurt University (he described it as a "beerhouse and whorehouse"),

&

AC Milan striker who said "No matter how much money you have here, you can’t seem to get Rice Krispies".

4.

Novelist who died in Trieste in 1941,

&

UK comedian famous for songs and monologues who played police sergeant Ruby Gates in three St Trinian’s films.

5.

1942 film about the home front starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon,

&

1958 thriller starring James Stewart and Kim Novak.

6.

1973 film starring David Essex and Ringo Starr,

&

1973 film starring Edward Fox and Michael Lonsdale.

7.

Artist, born 1932, who designed the cover for a 2006 Oasis greatest hits collection (not his first time),

&

Main character in Dynasty, originally played by John Forsythe.

8.

Artist, born 1834, who painted L’Absinthe,

&

Surname of a quiz show legend who, in one of his lighter moments, presented a 13 hour documentary about Christianity.

Sp.

Full name of Oxford’s most famous fictional detective,

&

Early means of wireless communication.

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Announced theme - 'Broken Dreams'

Each answer contains part of the name of a Parisian Boulevard (in spelling or soundalike)

1.

Which literary figure was born Francois-Marie Arouet in 1694?

2.

Which tube station, on the Circle and District lines, is found between Embankment and Blackfriars?

3.

What was the surname of the poet (b. 1859) responsible for The Shropshire Lad?

4.

Who became the USA’s first female Secretary of State in 1997?

5.

Which town in Lombardy was the site of an 1859 battle in which Napoleon III won a decisive victory against Austro-Hungary?

6.

Which left back moved from Arsenal to Manchester City in 2011?

7.

Which cemetery contains the mortal remains of Serge Gainsbourg, Charles Baudelaire and Alfred Dreyfus?

8.

Which city was under siege from October 1854 to September 1855?

Sp.

What is the French confectionery consisting of almond sponge layered with coffee buttercream and ganache?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

What title was held by the man who succeeded Spencer Percival as Prime Minister in 1812, being himself succeeded by George Canning in 1827?

2.

Who scored the winning goal for Arsenal in the 1979 FA Cup Final?

3.

Which Graham Greene novel was memorably filmed with Dickie Attenborough in 1948?

4.

Which Kevin Costner film won the Best Picture Oscar in March 1991?

5.

In which New York building did Sid Vicious allegedly murder Nancy Spungen?

6.

On the London Tube, where is the only place where one can change from the new Elizabeth Line to the Northern Line (not counting the link to Moorgate from Liverpool St)?

7.

Which now defunct bedding and clothing company was advertised on 1970’s TV by Alan Freeman?

8.

Where did the action take place in Shakespeare’s As You Like It?

Sp.

Who scored the winning goal for Spurs in the 1981 FA Cup final replay?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - The R-Round

Each answer contains a double letter 'R'

1.

Which was Alex Ferguson’s second club as manager from 1974-78?  Based in Paisley, they were the only club brave enough to sack him.

2.

Which operetta by Franz Lehar includes the song You’ll Find Me at Maxim’s?

3.

What is the Greek-derived name for the genus of plants typically known as snapdragons?

4.

While Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, what do they do with brunettes, according to Anita Loos’ 1927 follow-up novel?

5.

Who was awarded the Christ Church Mathematical Lectureship in 1855, ten years prior to the publication of his most famous work?

6.

Els Isards is the nickname of which country’s rugby team, currently ranked 83rd in the world?

7.

Which Lancashire-born composer’s works include the opera Gawain (1990)?

8.

Which singer, later popular with Northern Soul and disco fans, released his biggest hit, the protest song War, on Motown in 1970?

Sp.

Who was the 1991 world snooker champion?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - 'Just say no, kids'

A round on drugs and drug culture

1.

What was the name of the 1992 single by British group The Shamen that was controversial due to its (very) thinly veiled pro-drugs message?

2.

Which 1967 song by the Beatles was originally banned by the BBC, who interpreted one of its lines as being pro-drug use?  The ban was finally lifted in 1972.  The song has been covered by (among others) Jeff Beck, Barry Gibb, the Fall, and Neil Young.

3.

What was the name of the 18 year old Essex schoolgirl whose death in 1995 after taking ecstasy was covered extensively by the UK media?  Controversy arose when it became clear that she had died from excessive water consumption, rather than directly from ecstasy.

4.

Which large animals are currently causing ecological disruption in Colombia, after escaping from drug lord Pablo Escobar’s private zoo?  The Colombian population now numbers over 100 individuals.

5.

Which 1955 film directed by Otto Preminger stars Frank Sinatra as a recovering drug addict recently released from prison?  Sinatra was nominated for an Oscar for his performance.

6.

What is the surname (first name Mark) of the character played by Ewan McGregor in the 1996 film Trainspotting and its 2017 sequel?

7.

Which British band released a 1995 single entitled Sorted for E’s and Whizz?

8.

 Which British band released a 1990 album entitled Pills 'n Thrills and Bellyaches?

Sp.

Which American psychologist and counterculture guru, who died in 1996, was famous for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs and for slogans such as “Turn on, tune in, drop out”?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Run-ons

1.

English footballer, born in 1972, who started his professional career at Liverpool in 1990 before transferring to Real Madrid in 1999,

&

The capital city of Madagascar.

2.

Extravagant seafood dish created in 1891 and taking it,

&

Melon flavoured liqueur originating in Japan s name from the eleventh month of the French Revolutionary Calendar.

3.

Second film to feature Indiana Jones, released in 1984 and largely set in India,

&

Term for excessive consumption of negative news on a smartphone.  It was coined in 2018, and was the Macquarie Dictionary 'Word of the Year' in 2020.

4.

Russian author of, among other works, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and The Brothers Karamazov, who died in 1881, (surname is sufficient)

&

American dessert with a filling that includes the juice of the fruit of citrus aurantifolia, a citrus hybrid originally from southeast Asia but now more closely associated with Florida.

5.

One of three living species of camel, the only one native to north Africa and the Arabian Peninsula - a large feral population is present in Australia,

&

Critically acclaimed Channel 4 comedy series, set in northern Ireland during the 1990s, which ran between 2018 and 2022.

6.

1971 novel by Hunter S Thompson that pioneered the 'gonzo journalism' style, and was made into a 1998 film by Terry Gilliam,

&

Scientific name for the group of molluscs that includes slugs and snails.

7.

1980 single by British band Joy Division, released one month after the death of their lead singer, Ian Curtis - in 2002, NME named it the greatest single of all time,

&

Professional football club based in Glasgow, founded in 1876, and currently playing at Firhill Stadium. They were members of the Scottish Premiership from 2013 to 2018, but currently play in the Scottish Championship.

8.

Mexican-American actor, who died in 2009, perhaps best known for his roles as Khan in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Mr Roarke in Fantasy Island,

&

British pop group founded in 1980 by Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward, with hits including Cruel Summer, Venus and Robert de Niro’s Waiting.

Sp.

Genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of North America, with its estimated length of about 30 metres making it one of the longest dinosaurs known - a replica of the best preserved specimen was on display in central hall of the Natural History Museum, London, until 2017,

&

Alternative name for the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn, in which the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army was defeated by a combined force of Native Americans.

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme and pairs

Which actor and TV presenter starred in Life’s too Short and played Professor Filius Flitwick in the Harry Potter films?

Warwick Davis

2.

Who played the character of Liz McDonald for many years in Coronation Street?

3.

Who was the original bass player in the punk rock group The Sex Pistols?

4.

Who was the lead singer in the Australian folk group The Seekers?

5.

Chiefly remembered for his rigid austerity programme, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1947 to 1950?

Stafford Cripps

6.

Who succeeded James Garfield as US president, after Garfield’s assassination in 1881?

Chester (A) Arthur

7.

Who won his only Oscar playing Elmer Gantry in the 1960 film of the same name?

Burt Lancaster

8.

Daniel Day-Lewis won his third Oscar playing the eponymous role in which 2012 Spielberg film?

Lincoln

Sp.

Who was the first person to sail around the world single-handed via the clipper route?

Francis Chichester

Theme: Each answer contains the name of an english county town

ROUND 2 - Shared Surnames

Just give the surname shared by the two characters described

1.

Playwright and author who wrote The History Boys and the composer of film scores including Four Weddings and a Funeral.

2.

Writer of The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas and an Oxford Eng Lit graduate turned TV chef.

3.

US Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005 and the author of the novel sequence A Dance to the Music of Time.

4.

British sculptor, mostly in bronze, (1898-1986) and the holder of the World Championship at light-heavyweight for a record 10 years from 1952.

5.

Author of novels, short stories, poems and plays starting with The White Peacock in 1911 and the most famous British motorcycle crash fatality of 1935.

6.

Busybody heroine of a Jane Austen novel and a dog-trainer who became famous in the 1980s.

7.

High-profile but generally unsuccessful manager of various clubs including Birmingham City from 1993-1996 and a cricketer who was reportedly offered the throne of Albania.

8.

Author and illustrator of books featuring Charlie and Lola and Coventry-born author of many novels featuring an active retiree with no middle name.

Sp.

The first director of The Runnymede Trust and the Parrs Wood educated Secretary of State for Media, Culture and Sport.

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Run-ons

1.

1934 George Orwell novel featuring Gordon Comstock,

&

1843 Wagner opera about redemption through love.

Keep the Aspidistra Flying;

Flying Dutchman

2.

Marylebone concert venue which hosts the Radio 3 weekly concerts on Monday,

&

US rock duo responsible for 1980s hits including Maneater.

Wigmore Hall;

Hall & Oates

3.

1505 graduate of Erfurt University (he described it as a "beerhouse and whorehouse"),

&

AC Milan striker who said "No matter how much money you have here, you can’t seem to get Rice Krispies".

Martin Luther;

Luther Blisset

4.

Novelist who died in Trieste in 1941,

&

UK comedian famous for songs and monologues who played police sergeant Ruby Gates in three St Trinian’s films.

5.

1942 film about the home front starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon,

&

1958 thriller starring James Stewart and Kim Novak.

6.

1973 film starring David Essex and Ringo Starr,

&

1973 film starring Edward Fox and Michael Lonsdale.

7.

Artist, born 1932, who designed the cover for a 2006 Oasis greatest hits collection (not his first time),

&

Main character in Dynasty, originally played by John Forsythe.

8.

Artist, born 1834, who painted L’Absinthe,

&

Surname of a quiz show legend who, in one of his lighter moments, presented a 13 hour documentary about Christianity.

Sp.

Full name of Oxford’s most famous fictional detective,

&

Early means of wireless communication.

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Announced theme - 'Broken Dreams'

Each answer contains part of the name of a Parisian Boulevard (in spelling or soundalike)

1.

Which literary figure was born Francois-Marie Arouet in 1694?

Voltaire

2.

Which tube station, on the Circle and District lines, is found between Embankment and Blackfriars?

Temple

3.

What was the surname of the poet (b. 1859) responsible for The Shropshire Lad?

Housman

4.

Who became the USA’s first female Secretary of State in 1997?

Madeleine Albright

5.

Which town in Lombardy was the site of an 1859 battle in which Napoleon III won a decisive victory against Austro-Hungary?

Magenta

6.

Which left back moved from Arsenal to Manchester City in 2011?

Gael Clichy

7.

Which cemetery contains the mortal remains of Serge Gainsbourg, Charles Baudelaire and Alfred Dreyfus?

Montparnasse

8.

Which city was under siege from October 1854 to September 1855?

Sebastopol

Sp.

What is the French confectionery consisting of almond sponge layered with coffee buttercream and ganache?

Opera Cake

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

What title was held by the man who succeeded Spencer Percival as Prime Minister in 1812, being himself succeeded by George Canning in 1827?

Lord Liverpool

2.

Who scored the winning goal for Arsenal in the 1979 FA Cup Final?

Alan Sunderland

3.

Which Graham Greene novel was memorably filmed with Dickie Attenborough in 1948?

Brighton Rock

4.

Which Kevin Costner film won the Best Picture Oscar in March 1991?

Dances with Wolves

5.

In which New York building did Sid Vicious allegedly murder Nancy Spungen?

The Chelsea Hotel

6.

On the London Tube, where is the only place where one can change from the new Elizabeth Line to the Northern Line (not counting the link to Moorgate from Liverpool St)?

Tottenham Court Road

7.

Which now defunct bedding and clothing company was advertised on 1970’s TV by Alan Freeman?

Brentford Nylons

8.

Where did the action take place in Shakespeare’s As You Like It?

Forest of Arden

Sp.

Who scored the winning goal for Spurs in the 1981 FA Cup final replay?

Ricky Villa

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a current Premier League team

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - The R-Round

Each answer contains a double letter 'R'

1.

Which was Alex Ferguson’s second club as manager from 1974-78?  Based in Paisley, they were the only club brave enough to sack him.

St Mirren

2.

Which operetta by Franz Lehar includes the song You’ll Find Me at Maxim’s?

The Merry Widow

3.

What is the Greek-derived name for the genus of plants typically known as snapdragons?

Antirrhinum

4.

While Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, what do they do with brunettes, according to Anita Loos’ 1927 follow-up novel?

Marry (them)

5.

Who was awarded the Christ Church Mathematical Lectureship in 1855, ten years prior to the publication of his most famous work?

Lewis Carroll

6.

Els Isards is the nickname of which country’s rugby team, currently ranked 83rd in the world?

Andorra

7.

Which Lancashire-born composer’s works include the opera Gawain (1990)?

Harrison Birtwistle

8.

Which singer, later popular with Northern Soul and disco fans, released his biggest hit, the protest song War, on Motown in 1970?

Edwin Starr

Sp.

Who was the 1991 world snooker champion?

John Parrott

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - 'Just say no, kids'

A round on drugs and drug culture

1.

What was the name of the 1992 single by British group The Shamen that was controversial due to its (very) thinly veiled pro-drugs message?

2.

Which 1967 song by the Beatles was originally banned by the BBC, who interpreted one of its lines as being pro-drug use?  The ban was finally lifted in 1972.  The song has been covered by (among others) Jeff Beck, Barry Gibb, the Fall, and Neil Young.

3.

What was the name of the 18 year old Essex schoolgirl whose death in 1995 after taking ecstasy was covered extensively by the UK media?  Controversy arose when it became clear that she had died from excessive water consumption, rather than directly from ecstasy.

4.

Which large animals are currently causing ecological disruption in Colombia, after escaping from drug lord Pablo Escobar’s private zoo?  The Colombian population now numbers over 100 individuals.

5.

Which 1955 film directed by Otto Preminger stars Frank Sinatra as a recovering drug addict recently released from prison?  Sinatra was nominated for an Oscar for his performance.

6.

What is the surname (first name Mark) of the character played by Ewan McGregor in the 1996 film Trainspotting and its 2017 sequel?

Renton

7.

Which British band released a 1995 single entitled Sorted for E’s and Whizz?

8.

 Which British band released a 1990 album entitled Pills 'n Thrills and Bellyaches?

Sp.

Which American psychologist and counterculture guru, who died in 1996, was famous for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs and for slogans such as “Turn on, tune in, drop out”?

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - Run-ons

1.

English footballer, born in 1972, who started his professional career at Liverpool in 1990 before transferring to Real Madrid in 1999,

&

The capital city of Madagascar.

2.

Extravagant seafood dish created in 1891 and taking it,

&

Melon flavoured liqueur originating in Japan s name from the eleventh month of the French Revolutionary Calendar.

Lobster Thermidori

(Lobster thermidor; Midori)

3.

Second film to feature Indiana Jones, released in 1984 and largely set in India,

&

Term for excessive consumption of negative news on a smartphone.  It was coined in 2018, and was the Macquarie Dictionary 'Word of the Year' in 2020.

4.

Russian author of, among other works, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and The Brothers Karamazov, who died in 1881, (surname is sufficient)

&

American dessert with a filling that includes the juice of the fruit of citrus aurantifolia, a citrus hybrid originally from southeast Asia but now more closely associated with Florida.

5.

One of three living species of camel, the only one native to north Africa and the Arabian Peninsula - a large feral population is present in Australia,

&

Critically acclaimed Channel 4 comedy series, set in northern Ireland during the 1990s, which ran between 2018 and 2022.

6.

1971 novel by Hunter S Thompson that pioneered the 'gonzo journalism' style, and was made into a 1998 film by Terry Gilliam,

&

Scientific name for the group of molluscs that includes slugs and snails.

7.

1980 single by British band Joy Division, released one month after the death of their lead singer, Ian Curtis - in 2002, NME named it the greatest single of all time,

&

Professional football club based in Glasgow, founded in 1876, and currently playing at Firhill Stadium. They were members of the Scottish Premiership from 2013 to 2018, but currently play in the Scottish Championship.

8.

Mexican-American actor, who died in 2009, perhaps best known for his roles as Khan in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Mr Roarke in Fantasy Island,

&

British pop group founded in 1980 by Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward, with hits including Cruel Summer, Venus and Robert de Niro’s Waiting.

Sp.

Genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of North America, with its estimated length of about 30 metres making it one of the longest dinosaurs known - a replica of the best preserved specimen was on display in central hall of the Natural History Museum, London, until 2017,

&

Alternative name for the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn, in which the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army was defeated by a combined force of Native Americans.

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers