ROUND 1 - Pairs with a Hidden theme

1.

"Lunch is for wimps" is a line spoken by which character, played by Michael Douglas, in the 1987 film Wall St?  (first name required)

2.

In the 2012 film Life of Pi, what was the name of the tiger?  (first name required)

3.

Which Roman poet of the Augustan period wrote The Georgics?

4.

In Greek mythology, who was the famously faithful wife of Odysseus?

5.

Whi is missing from the following list: Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty?  (first name required)

6.

Which British comedienne had hits with Breakaway, They Don’t Know and Move Over Darling in the early 1980s?

7.

Which brewery sponsors the Welsh rugby union team?

8.

Which beer brand (these days owned by Heineken) finished its nine-year sponsorship of the Grand National in 2013?

Sp.

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - 'The Double S Round'

Each answer contains at least one double 's'

1.

Who said in 1903 that his contemporary Wagner was: "A beautiful sunset, mistaken for a dawn"?

2.

Which marine mammal, found only in Antarctica, was named after a naval officer and explorer born in 1800?

3.

What name is given to a shot of coffee liqueur, topped with Irish cream?

4.

Which team finished as runners-up to the Netherlands in the 1988 Euros?

5.

What is the popular name for the NCAA college basketball tournament which starts later this month?

6.

Which country parson and keen fox hunter from Devon became one of the founding members of the Kennel Club in 1873?

7.

What is the usual name given to the territory invaded by Italy in 1935?

8.

With whom did the nymph Echo become infatuated, according to Ovid?  She was spurned with tragic consequences all round.

Sp.

Which singer, born 1892, was known as 'The Empress of the Blues'?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

1.

Which singer/songwriter drowned in Tennessee in 1997?  He released only one studio album before his death.

2.

Who wrote the novel The Go-Between in 1953?

3.

Provide the next line of this famous folk song:

“With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney, Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke ......”.

4.

What was the British equivalent of SPAM in WWII?  The name derived from the French word for boiled.

5.

Of which club was Bertie Wooster a member?

6.

What was the title given to the elected leader of the Republic of Venice from the 8th century?

7.

Which Scottish band on 4AD records recorded Pearly-Dewdrops Drops in 1983?

8.

Which journalist, politician and farmer wrote Rural Rides in 1830?

Sp.

Which Argentine author, an influence on the magical realism genre, described the Falklands war as:

"Two bald men fighting over a comb"?

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Paired where all answers start with the letter 'G'

Where the answer is a person's name then it is the suraname that starts with a 'G'

1.

Which German mathematician, born 1777, has over 100 mathematical and physical concepts named after him including the SI unit for magnetic flux density?

2.

Which English polymath, born 1822, is regarded as the founder of Eugenics?  He also developed fingerprint analysis in forensics along with many other contributions.

3.

Which character in Dickens’ Hard Times is "a man of realities, a man of facts and calculations"?

4.

Which character in Anglo-Saxon literature is described as " ... a powerful demon, a prowler through the dark.."?

5.

Which English director, born 1955, gave us three Bourne films as well as United 93?

6.

Which actor played Tony Soprano on TV as well as appearing in numerous films?

7.

According to Carlyle, the Royalist uprising of 1795 in Paris was suppressed with "a whiff" of what?

8.

Complete the 1854 quote from a French general: "C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la ...".

Sp.

Name the part of a sundial that casts the shadow.

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

Served by St Exupery airport which city is the third most populous in France?

2.

Which basketball franchise moved from Minneapolis for the 1960-61 season?  Their name makes much more sense when you know this.

3.

Which Mancunian actor (1941-2022) played Dr Necessiter in The Man With Two Brains and an unfortunate photographer in The Omen, along with many other roles on stage and screen?

4.

Which thermodynamic quantity can be calculated by G = H-TS?

5.

Who resigned as architect for the new Coventry Cathedral in 1947, with Basil Spence picking up the gig?  (full name required)

6.

Which tank design was introduced to the British Army in late 1940 and was largely replaced with the Sherman by mid-1944?

7.

The title of Robbie Williams’ 2000 album was taken from a football chant.  What was it?

8.

Who became the BBC’s first female drama producer when she joined Dr Who in 1963?  She later brought us Minder, Jonathan Creek and Eldorado.

Sp.

Who was the protagonist of the Tomb Raider games and films?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - 'Eurovision cities'

Each question gives you the name of a Eurovision Song Contest and a clue to the following year's host city - remember the winning country is asked to act as host the following year

In each case, name the city described

1.

Previous winner: Celine Dion.

The city where T S Eliot wrote most of The Wasteland while undergoing psychiatric treatment.

2.

Previous winner: Katrina and the Waves.

The site of the world’s first cotton mill.

3.

Previous winner: Lena.

Capital of North Rhine Westphalia and nearest city to the Neanderthal archaeological sites.

4.

Previous winner: Loreen.

Home of Nottingham Forest’s victims in the 1979 European Cup final.

5.

Previous winner: Duncan Laurence.

Home city of Erasmus.

6.

Previous winner: Maneskin.

Capital of the Duchy of Savoy and the Kingdom of Sardinia.

7.

Previous winner: Sertab Erener.

City of 15 million people which ranks as the second-largest urban agglomeration in the world.

8.

Previous winner: Nemo.

Home to pharma companies Novartis and Roche.

Sp.

Previous winner: Kalush Orchestra.

Home to the world’s oldest Chinatown.

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - Famous people with something in common

1.

Which Surrey pace bowler served as Chairman of the England test selectors from 1968 to 1981?

2.

Who is currently Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs?

3.

Surname of the person killed on 27 November 1975 outside his home in Enfield?

4.

Surname of the man who married Lulu in 1969?

5.

Who became the most expensive defender in UK history when transferred from Luton to Manchester City in 1978?

6.

Give the surname of either of the authors who published detective fiction under the pseudonym Peter Anthony.

7.

Surname of the drummer turned actor who played Charlie Richardson in the 2004 film Charlie.

8.

Who won the fifth series of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here?

Sp.

Who fronted a public information film campaign about influenza jabs in the 1970s?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Pairs

1.

Which UK city was known as Copperopolis?

2.

Which UK city is known as the Virgin City?

3.

Which Thomas Hardy novel features Fanny Robin, a servant who dies in childbirth?

4.

Which George Eliot novel features Henleigh Mallinger Grandcourt, a philanderer and cruel husband who drowns off the Italian coast?

5.

Which American religious leader was assassinated by an angry mob while awaiting trial in Carthage, Illinois?

6.

Who was shot by Charles Guiteau on 2 July 1881, dying on 19 September as a result?

7.

Which writer read his own obituary in 1916 when he was mistakenly reported to have died on the Somme?  He finally died in 1985.

8.

Which Jamaican political activist was so upset by reading his own, premature and uncomplimentary, obituary in January 1940 that he had a stroke and died?

Sp.

A blood-soaked gumshield landed in the lap of Imelda Marcos one evening in October 1975.  To whom did it belong?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Pairs with a hidden theme

1.

"Lunch is for wimps" is a line spoken by which character, played by Michael Douglas, in the 1987 film Wall St?  (first name required)

Gordon Gecko

2.

In the 2012 film Life of Pi, what was the name of the tiger?  (first name required)

Richard Parker

3.

Which Roman poet of the Augustan period wrote The Georgics?

4.

In Greek mythology, who was the famously faithful wife of Odysseus?

5.

Whi is missing from the following list: Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty?  (first name required)

6.

Which British comedienne had hits with Breakaway, They Don’t Know and Move Over Darling in the early 1980s?

7.

Which brewery sponsors the Welsh rugby union team?

Brains

8.

Which beer brand (these days owned by Heineken) finished its nine-year sponsorship of the Grand National in 2013?

John Smiths

Sp.

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a character from the Thunderbirds TV show

ROUND 2 - 'The Double S Round'

Each answer contains at least one double 's'

1.

Who said in 1903 that his contemporary Wagner was: "A beautiful sunset, mistaken for a dawn"?

(Claude) Debussy

2.

Which marine mammal, found only in Antarctica, was named after a naval officer and explorer born in 1800?

Ross seal

3.

What name is given to a shot of coffee liqueur, topped with Irish cream?

A baby Guinness

4.

Which team finished as runners-up to the Netherlands in the 1988 Euros?

USSR

(Russia is acceptable but to avoid chuntering make clear that USSR was the intended answer)

5.

What is the popular name for the NCAA college basketball tournament which starts later this month?

March Madness

6.

Which country parson and keen fox hunter from Devon became one of the founding members of the Kennel Club in 1873?

(Jack) Russell

7.

What is the usual name given to the territory invaded by Italy in 1935?

Abyssinia

8.

With whom did the nymph Echo become infatuated, according to Ovid?  She was spurned with tragic consequences all round.

Narcissus

Sp.

Which singer, born 1892, was known as 'The Empress of the Blues'?

Bessie Smith

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

1.

Which singer/songwriter drowned in Tennessee in 1997?  He released only one studio album before his death.

(Jeff) Buckley

2.

Who wrote the novel The Go-Between in 1953?

(L P) Hartley

3.

Provide the next line of this famous folk song:

“With Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney, Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke ......”.

"(Old) Uncle Tom Cobbleigh and all"

4.

What was the British equivalent of SPAM in WWII?  The name derived from the French word for boiled.

Bully Beef

5.

Of which club was Bertie Wooster a member?

The Drones

6.

What was the title given to the elected leader of the Republic of Venice from the 8th century?

The Doge

7.

Which Scottish band on 4AD records recorded Pearly-Dewdrops Drops in 1983?

The Cocteau Twins

8.

Which journalist, politician and farmer wrote Rural Rides in 1830?

(William) Cobbett

Sp.

Which Argentine author, an influence on the magical realism genre, described the Falklands war as:

"Two bald men fighting over a comb"?

(Jose Luis) Borges

Theme: Each answer contains the name for a male animal

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Paired where all answers start with the letter 'G'

Where the answer is a person's name then it is the suraname that starts with a 'G'

1.

Which German mathematician, born 1777, has over 100 mathematical and physical concepts named after him including the SI unit for magnetic flux density?

(Carl) Gauss

2.

Which English polymath, born 1822, is regarded as the founder of Eugenics?  He also developed fingerprint analysis in forensics along with many other contributions.

(Francis) Galton

3.

Which character in Dickens’ Hard Times is "a man of realities, a man of facts and calculations"?

(Thomas) Gradgrind

4.

Which character in Anglo-Saxon literature is described as " ... a powerful demon, a prowler through the dark.."?

Grendel

5.

Which English director, born 1955, gave us three Bourne films as well as United 93?

(Paul) Greengrass

6.

Which actor played Tony Soprano on TV as well as appearing in numerous films?

(James) Gandolfini

7.

According to Carlyle, the Royalist uprising of 1795 in Paris was suppressed with "a whiff" of what?

"... grapeshot"

8.

Complete the 1854 quote from a French general: "C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la ...".

"... guerre"

Sp.

Name the part of a sundial that casts the shadow.

Gnomon

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

Served by St Exupery airport which city is the third most populous in France?

Lyon

2.

Which basketball franchise moved from Minneapolis for the 1960-61 season?  Their name makes much more sense when you know this.

The Lakers

3.

Which Mancunian actor (1941-2022) played Dr Necessiter in The Man With Two Brains and an unfortunate photographer in The Omen, along with many other roles on stage and screen?

David Warner

4.

Which thermodynamic quantity can be calculated by G = H-TS?

Gibbs (free) energy

5.

Who resigned as architect for the new Coventry Cathedral in 1947, with Basil Spence picking up the gig?  (full name required)

Giles Gilbert Scott

6.

Which tank design was introduced to the British Army in late 1940 and was largely replaced with the Sherman by mid-1944?

The Valentine

7.

The title of Robbie Williams’ 2000 album was taken from a football chant.  What was it?

Sing When You’re Winning

8.

Who became the BBC’s first female drama producer when she joined Dr Who in 1963?  She later brought us Minder, Jonathan Creek and Eldorado.

Verity Lambert

Sp.

Who was the protagonist of the Tomb Raider games and films?

Lara Croft

Theme: Each answer contains the surname of a noted cricket spin bowler ...

Nathan Lyon, Jim Laker, Shane Warne, Lance Gibbs, Ashley Giles, Alf Valentine, Harbajan Singh, Hedley Verity, Robert Croft

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - 'Eurovision cities'

Each question gives you the name of a Eurovision Song Contest and a clue to the following year's host city - remember the winning country is asked to act as host the following year

In each case, name the city described

1.

Previous winner: Celine Dion.

The city where T S Eliot wrote most of The Wasteland while undergoing psychiatric treatment.

Lausanne

2.

Previous winner: Katrina and the Waves.

The site of the world’s first cotton mill.

Birmingham

3.

Previous winner: Lena.

Capital of North Rhine Westphalia and nearest city to the Neanderthal archaeological sites.

Dusseldorf

4.

Previous winner: Loreen.

Home of Nottingham Forest’s victims in the 1979 European Cup final.

Malmo

5.

Previous winner: Duncan Laurence.

Home city of Erasmus.

Rotterdam

6.

Previous winner: Maneskin.

Capital of the Duchy of Savoy and the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Turin

7.

Previous winner: Sertab Erener.

City of 15 million people which ranks as the second-largest urban agglomeration in the world.

Istanbul

8.

Previous winner: Nemo.

Home to pharma companies Novartis and Roche.

Basle

Sp.

Previous winner: Kalush Orchestra.

Home to the world’s oldest Chinatown.

Liverpool

(Ukraine couldn’t host)

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - Famous people with something in common

1.

Which Surrey pace bowler served as Chairman of the England test selectors from 1968 to 1981?

Alec Bedser

2.

Who is currently Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs?

Angela Eagle

3.

Surname of the person killed on 27 November 1975 outside his home in Enfield?

(Ross) McWhirter

4.

Surname of the man who married Lulu in 1969?

(Maurice) Gibb

5.

Who became the most expensive defender in UK history when transferred from Luton to Manchester City in 1978?

Paul Futcher

6.

Give the surname of either of the authors who published detective fiction under the pseudonym Peter Anthony.

Shaffer

7.

Surname of the drummer turned actor who played Charlie Richardson in the 2004 film Charlie.

(Luke) Goss

8.

Who won the fifth series of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here?

Carol Thatcher

Sp.

Who fronted a public information film campaign about influenza jabs in the 1970s?

Henry Cooper

Theme: Each answer contains the surname of a well-known twin

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - Pairs

1.

Which UK city was known as Copperopolis?

Swansea

2.

Which UK city is known as the Virgin City?

Derry

3.

Which Thomas Hardy novel features Fanny Robin, a servant who dies in childbirth?

Far From the Madding Crowd

4.

Which George Eliot novel features Henleigh Mallinger Grandcourt, a philanderer and cruel husband who drowns off the Italian coast?

Daniel Deronda

5.

Which American religious leader was assassinated by an angry mob while awaiting trial in Carthage, Illinois?

Joseph Smith

6.

Who was shot by Charles Guiteau on 2 July 1881, dying on 19 September as a result?

James Garfield

7.

Which writer read his own obituary in 1916 when he was mistakenly reported to have died on the Somme?  He finally died in 1985.

Robert Graves

8.

Which Jamaican political activist was so upset by reading his own, premature and uncomplimentary, obituary in January 1940 that he had a stroke and died?

Marcus Garvey

Sp.

A blood-soaked gumshield landed in the lap of Imelda Marcos one evening in October 1975.  To whom did it belong?

Joe Frazier

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers