ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

Each question is in two parts with a theme running through the answers

1.

What is the common name of the edible Fragaria × ananassa?

&

Awarded to mathematicians under 40 years of age, usually every 4 years, what is regarded as the Nobel Prize of Mathematics?

2.

Which film stars Paul Newman as 'Fast Eddie' Felson and Tom Cruise as Vincent Lauria?

&

Which is the highest peak in Brecon Beacons National Park?

3.

What is the title of Shelagh Delaney’s first play, set in Salford?

&

What is the title of the last single released by the Doors with Jim Morrison prior to his death?

4.

What word links the genus to which hornets belong and a brand of motor vehicles manufactured by Piaggio?

&

Which female tennis player won the gold medal in the 1996 Olympics Singles and was Wimbledon Singles champion in 1999?

5.

Which vessel that was in service from 1936 to 1967 is now a hotel in Long Beach?

&
Which 1998 film, adapted from a novel by Michelle Magorian, is about a young evacuee named who is placed in the care of a reclusive widower?

6.

What is the name of the character played by Jim Carrey in the film Dumb and Dumber?

&
By what name was the infamous Peoples Temple Agricultural Project in Guyana better known?

7.

Which novel of 1958 takes its title from Sonnet 18 and was adapted for a TV series that ran from 1991 to 1993?

&
Which 1990 film directed by Tony Scott stars Tom Cruise as a NASCAR racer?

8.

What is the name of the ragdoll in the children's series Bagpuss?

&
The Worshipful Company of Vintners and the Worshipful Company of Dyers hold the rights to which ceremony?

Sp.

What is the Greek word for the number 8?

&

In 2012, which group staged a performance inside the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour that was condemned as sacrilegious by the Russian Orthodox Church?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Pairs - 'What's the Score?'

1.

Arguments over the score in the Electoral College led to a protracted constitutional crisis in the United States presidential election of 1876.  Who was eventually, and controversially, declared the winner and 19th POTUS?

2.

In 2024, Terry Jermy set a new record for the lowest winning share of the vote ever achieved by a Labour candidate, winning the constituency of South West Norfolk with just 26.7% of the votes cast.  Who did he defeat?

3.

Which Ukrainian athlete holds the world record for the most world records set in a track and field event, setting the record 34 times between 1984 and 1994, thereby optimising his return on the bonuses provided by his home government?

4.

Two of the three highest individual scores in test cricket were set by the same player at the same ground.  The player was Brian Lara.  What was the ground?

5.

Which golfer holds the record for the lowest scores under par at each of golf’s four major tournaments, not least because competition organisers redesigned many courses to thwart him?

6.

Which snooker player holds the record for being both the youngest and oldest player ever to win the Masters tournament?

7.

The current 'three points for a win' system was introduced to the EFL by Jimmy Hill in 1981 to discourage dull, defensive football and encourage more risk taking.  Which was the last team to win the league under the old, 'two points for a win' system?  They may have reason to feel aggrieved by the change, as they have not won the top flight since.

8.

Last August Manchester United exited the Carabao cup very early, after losing a marathon penalty shoot-out where all 11 players on both sides took at least one spot kick.  Which League 2 side eventually beat United 12-11?

Sp.

New constituency boundaries were introduced in the 2024 general election.  To ensure equal representation, every constituency had to have an electorate no smaller than 69,724 and no larger than 77,062.  There are five seats exempted from this rule – two are on the Isle of Wight.  Give the English name of 2 of the other three.

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - 'Only Connect'

Each question leads to 4 answers which are cryptically connected - just specify the connection to get the points

1.

The nickname of Derby County Football Club;

Creature who in a fable can’t help killing the frog as they cross the river together;

French model Elsa Pataky (married to Chris Hemsworth), Margaret Thatcher and former Ballerina Jarnett Olsen have all had what? ;
An Archimedes Screw might tenuously be described as this.

2.

Singer born in 1979 whose debut album was Can’t Take Me Home - she is due to present the Tony awards in June;

Nickname of the character that gave Morgan Freeman his 3rd Oscar nomination in 1994;

Supporters of Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon;

English actress, film maker and writer, who starred in Call the Midwife before winning a best original screenplay Oscar in 2020 for Promising Young Woman.

3.

Surname of the Italian born architect of the Pompidou Centre and Heathrow Terminal 5;

Surname of Eddard, Lyanna, Catelyn, and Rickon in the novels of George R R Martin;

The reigning imperial house of Russia for over 300 years from 1613;

The surname under which Ronald Wycherly (1940-1983) released his music - his hits include Jealousy and Wondrous Place.

4.

Predatory pack animal;

Singer born in 1958 - he used his real first name and was the first to have a number one film, album and single in the USA;

Title of the final ABBA album and name of their ongoing concert residency in London;

Element 47 - used (amongst other things) for bullion, electrical contacts & photography.

5.

Final word in the title of a 1937 film about a celebrity relationship which was remade in 1954, 1976 and 2018;

The receipts and ticket revenue for a sporting event;

A heavy unit of mass;

The first word of the football club supported by Robbie Williams.

6.

The word that follows 'Key' to give the name of a 1948 thriller directed by John Huston;

Large power station between Selby and Goole;

Japanese theatre style;

Surname of the horror author who published his first novel in 1974 - many have been adapted into films, including that starring Morgan Freeman in Question 2.

7.

First name of the eponymous character in a 1908 novel by L M Montgomery;

A Grade II listed building and famous sports venue in Muswell Hill, given a two word rhyming nickname supposedly by Gracie fields;

First name of the author who wrote the books upon which the films Blade Runner and Total Recall were based;

The name of a shy pink hippo that first appeared alongside Zippy on television in 1972.

8.

What a mantis might do;

1995 anthropomorphic film which earned James Cromwell his only Oscar nomination, also featuring the voices of Miriam Margolyes and Hugo Weaving;

An anti-perspirant brand that features a tick as its logo;

Klondike, Napolean and Clock are all types of which card game?

Sp.

Surname of the actress who won two academy awards in the space of 5 years in the 1980s - other roles include playing Forrest Gump’s mother, and Mrs Doubtfire’s wife;

The son of Noah, and father of Cush and Phut;

The author of Death in Venice and The Magic Mountain;

Third largest shopping centre in the UK, developed by Peel Holdings and opened in 1998.

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Pick Your Own Number Plate

A tribute to my (James’) late father who died in November - a round on the various cars he drove over the years.

Every question is ‘What car is this?’ and the answer required will be a brand and a model – e.g. Aston Martin DB5 (I wish!) - apart from the oldest two, where brand only is required.

1.

KHA527

... was an ‘eight’ - originally launched in the late 1930s as a ‘Flying 8’.  This ‘very ordinary’ brand was incorporated into Triumph when the car was succeeded by the Herald in 1959.

2.

NOX956

... was a ‘Four/Forty-four’, manufactured 1953-1956 and frequently used as a Police Car - but with a top speed of 65mph and a 0-60 of over 30 seconds, burglars were rarely troubled.  Despite sounding like a cardigan brand, this was a British motor marque owned by Morris, and later amalgamated into BMC.

3.

FOL85D
... was a classic British sports car.  My father-in-law suggested that the distinction between the mark 1 and mark 2 was actually the updated Rolls Royce Merlin engine, but he had misheard the context.

4.

THN128F
... was a ubiquitous small family car - if William II had died in Texas, this model might have commemorated the event.  But Basil would still have been unimpressed.

5.

ROC608G
... was a roadster that ran on 5 star petrol and was a marque that was the last of a line of British two-seaters using the same basic chassis.  This car’s totally redesigned successor was famously described as "the shape of things to come".

6.

COV280K
When he was stopped for speeding in this Ogle-designed fibreglass bodied four-seater hatchback, the Policeman asked “Who do you think you are… Princess Anne!?”

7.

HUM 550K
... sounded as if it should have been a Roman goddess but was in fact something of a French gremlin.  It was based on the 2CV, with a 602cc engine.  Its performance was even worse than NOX956.

8.

TEC423M
... was a family saloon with a quartic steering wheel which apparently went along at a quick and cheerful pace.  According to the DVLA only 36 are still on the road (despite over half a million having been made).  You might mistakenly think this scarcity would make them desirable.

9.

A995ROX
... was the ‘celebrated’ (?) successor to the Dolomite, the last to bear a classic British brand name and the first joint venture between BL and Honda.  In a measure of where the UK car industry found itself in the early 1980s, it was essentially a UK badged Honda Ballade.

10.

V559OJW
A series of more reliable vehicles followed.  Marks 2, 3 and 4 of a people’s car named for a word meaning ‘ball’ that originates from the Balti language of Tibet.

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Announced theme - 'Green'

A word or part-word in each answer can be preceded by the word ‘green’ - there is a soundalike

1.

Which road in New York City runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east?

2.

Which actor has won the most BAFTA awards for Best Actor, including A Town like Alice, Sunday Bloody Sunday, and Network?

3.

Which character was created in a novel of 1857 and developed by George MacDonald Fraser in a series of 12 books?

4.

What is an alternative name for the Somali Peninsula, the peninsular being the 4th largest in the world?

5.

The Eastern destroying angel, the goat cheese webcap, the silky pinkgill and the bitter hedgehog are all types of what?

6.

What was described as “a magnificent conception worthy of the brilliant genius and uncompromising originality of Brunel - but, practically and commercially it was a failure as has long been acknowledged”?

7.

The ring road of Washington DC, Interstate US 495, is known as what?

8.

Which song on the Beatles’ White Album is a parody of a song by Chuck Berry with a similar title and of California Girls by the Beach boys?

Sp1

What was the nickname of Edward Heath as used in the publication, Private Eye?

Sp2

The Simpson's Halloween special programmes are known by what title?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - 'Call my Chough'

An antidote to verbosity, or when there isn’t much time to compile a quiz, or when closing time is approaching…

1.

What is a kirpan?

2.

What is a felucca?

3.

What is a pierogi?

4.

What is a janissary

5.

What is a shar pei?

6.

What is a drongo? (apart from being a pejorative term)

7.

What is a gongfarmer?

8.

What is a jenever?

Sp1

What is a snook?

Sp2

What is a banyan?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - 'A Not Very Well Hidden Theme'

First and second names are needed in every case because the theme word may be either

1.

Which former Conservative MP, born in South Africa in 1949, was a founding member of Stonewall?  He was forced to apologise after suggesting that piano wire should be strung across country lanes in order to decapitate cyclists!

2.

Which sportsman born in 1979 was awarded the title of 'Britain’s brainiest footballer'?  He appeared as a contestant on 3 episodes of Countdown.  From 2010-2013 he served as PFA Chair, and was also the first footballer to appear on Question Time.

3.

Which Hollywood actor was born in Canterbury in 1977 and started his television career with 3 episodes of Casualty before making his film debut in one short scene of the film Wilde.  His most famous roles, both of which he has played multiple times, include a skilled warrior and a blacksmith’s apprentice.

4.

Which Canadian actor and comic has collaborated several times with Christopher Guest, co-writing 4 of his films?  He is more famous for playing buffoon father roles, in a film series from 1999-2013, and a popular television series from 2015-2020.

5.

Which actor born in London in 1973 shot to fame on TV in the late 90s playing a character nicknamed after a staple food stuff used as an ingredient in (amongst others) cakes?  He subsequently achieved global fame after moving to America to star as a former sheriff’s deputy, in a long running role that won him two Saturn awards.

6.

Which actor played the role of Douglas Potts, father of Lauren, on Emmerdale between 2007-2011 and again from 2014-2020?  He also played Dr Jonathan Haslam on Surgical Spirit 1989-1995, but is far more famous for his many collaborations with a famous Manchester comedian.

7.

The actress Mariska Hargitay, now in her record breaking 27th season of Law and Order SVU, is one of the highest paid actresses in the world.  She is the daughter of which Hollywood actress, tragically killed aged just 34 in a car accident in 1967?

8.

Which English actress played the eldest daughter of Thomas Moore in A Man for All Seasons, Lara Lor-Van in Superman and won a Bafta for They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? ?

Sp.

Which director, producer and actor received Oscar nominations for the best director in 1969 and 1982, before finally winning in 1985?  He was also executive producer of The Fabulous Baker Boys, Sense and Sensibility, The Talented Mr Ripley, and Iris, and had acting roles in Eyes Wide Shut and Michael Clayton?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Announced Theme

Each answer is the name of a person whose professions or actions fit their surname

1.

Which British poet’s magnum opus is generally considered to be The Prelude?

2.

Which regular panel member of Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time is one of Britain's leading organic gardeners?  He also presented the Channel 4 series Muck and Magic.

3.

Which former Conservative MP for Tamworth resigned in 2023 following complaints that he made unwanted advances against other male MPs?

4.

Which former chairman of the Nasdaq masterminded the largest known Ponzi scheme in history?  In 2009 he was sentenced to 150 years in prison, where he died in 2021.

5.

Who will succeed Viktor Orbán as PM of Hungary?

6.

Which English pipe organist at Westminster Abbey taught Jeremiah Clarke and Henry Purcell?  His only stage composition was the opera Venus and Adonis.

7.

Which holder of 24 major singles titles and 19 doubles titles has been a consistent critic of same-sex marriage?

8.

Who was the Democratic Party presidential nominee who lost the 1972 election to Richard Nixon in one of the biggest landslides in US electoral history?

Sp.

Which former British Conservative MP served as a European Commissioner from 1989 to 1999?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

Tiebreakers

1.

2.

How long in km is the river Thames?

3.

What year was Manchester Cathedral founded (although it was not a cathedral then…)?

Go to Tiebreaker questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Hidden theme

Each question is in two parts with a theme running through the answers

1.

What is the common name of the edible Fragaria × ananassa?

&

Awarded to mathematicians under 40 years of age, usually every 4 years, what is regarded as the Nobel Prize of Mathematics?

Strawberry /

Fields Medal

2.

Which film stars Paul Newman as 'Fast Eddie' Felson and Tom Cruise as Vincent Lauria?

&

Which is the highest peak in Brecon Beacons National Park?

The Color of Money /

Pen y Fan

3.

What is the title of Shelagh Delaney’s first play, set in Salford?

&

What is the title of the last single released by the Doors with Jim Morrison prior to his death?

A Taste of Honey /

Riders on the Storm

4.

What word links the genus to which hornets belong and a brand of motor vehicles manufactured by Piaggio?

&

Which female tennis player won the gold medal in the 1996 Olympics Singles and was Wimbledon Singles champion in 1999?

Vespa /

Lindsay Davenport

5.

Which vessel that was in service from 1936 to 1967 is now a hotel in Long Beach?

&
Which 1998 film, adapted from a novel by Michelle Magorian, is about a young evacuee named who is placed in the care of a reclusive widower?

(RMS) Queen Mary /

Goodnight Mister Tom

6.

What is the name of the character played by Jim Carrey in the film Dumb and Dumber?

&
By what name was the infamous Peoples Temple Agricultural Project in Guyana better known?

Lloyd Christmas / Jonestown

7.

Which novel of 1958 takes its title from Sonnet 18 and was adapted for a TV series that ran from 1991 to 1993?

&
Which 1990 film directed by Tony Scott stars Tom Cruise as a NASCAR racer?

The Darling Buds of May /

Days of Thunder

8.

What is the name of the ragdoll in the children's series Bagpuss?

&
The Worshipful Company of Vintners and the Worshipful Company of Dyers hold the rights to which ceremony?

Madeleine /

Swan upping

Sp.

What is the Greek word for the number 8?

&

In 2012, which group staged a performance inside the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour that was condemned as sacrilegious by the Russian Orthodox Church?

Okto /

Pussy Riot

Theme: Each question has two answers: the first answer contains the first part of the name of a 'Bond Girl' and the second answer contains the second part of the name of the same 'Bond Girl' ...

Strawberry Fields (Gemma Arterton in Quantum of Solace), Moneypenny (every film), Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress in Dr No),

Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux in Spectre & No Time to Die), Octopussy (Maud Adams in Octopussy)

ROUND 2 - Pairs - 'What's the Score?'

1.

Arguments over the score in the Electoral College led to a protracted constitutional crisis in the United States presidential election of 1876.  Who was eventually, and controversially, declared the winner and 19th POTUS?

Rutherford B Hayes

2.

In 2024, Terry Jermy set a new record for the lowest winning share of the vote ever achieved by a Labour candidate, winning the constituency of South West Norfolk with just 26.7% of the votes cast.  Who did he defeat?

Liz Truss

3.

Which Ukrainian athlete holds the world record for the most world records set in a track and field event, setting the record 34 times between 1984 and 1994, thereby optimising his return on the bonuses provided by his home government?

Sergey Bubka

4.

Two of the three highest individual scores in test cricket were set by the same player at the same ground.  The player was Brian Lara.  What was the ground?

The Antigua Recreation Ground, St John’s

(accept ‘Antigua’ or ‘St John’s’)

5.

Which golfer holds the record for the lowest scores under par at each of golf’s four major tournaments, not least because competition organisers redesigned many courses to thwart him?

Tiger Woods

6.

Which snooker player holds the record for being both the youngest and oldest player ever to win the Masters tournament?

Ronnie O’Sullivan

7.

The current 'three points for a win' system was introduced to the EFL by Jimmy Hill in 1981 to discourage dull, defensive football and encourage more risk taking.  Which was the last team to win the league under the old, 'two points for a win' system?  They may have reason to feel aggrieved by the change, as they have not won the top flight since.

Aston Villa

8.

Last August Manchester United exited the Carabao cup very early, after losing a marathon penalty shoot-out where all 11 players on both sides took at least one spot kick.  Which League 2 side eventually beat United 12-11?

Grimsby Town

Sp.

New constituency boundaries were introduced in the 2024 general election.  To ensure equal representation, every constituency had to have an electorate no smaller than 69,724 and no larger than 77,062.  There are five seats exempted from this rule – two are on the Isle of Wight.  Give the English name of 2 of the other three.

(two from)

Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland, Anglesey

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - 'Only Connect'

Each question leads to 4 answers which are cryptically connected - just specify the connection to get the points

1.

The nickname of Derby County Football Club;

Creature who in a fable can’t help killing the frog as they cross the river together;

French model Elsa Pataky (married to Chris Hemsworth), Margaret Thatcher and former Ballerina Jarnett Olsen have all had what? ;
An Archimedes Screw might tenuously be described as this.

Symbols / Signs of the Zodiac

(Rams, Scorpion, Twins, Water Carrier)

2.

Singer born in 1979 whose debut album was Can’t Take Me Home - she is due to present the Tony awards in June;

Nickname of the character that gave Morgan Freeman his 3rd Oscar nomination in 1994;

Supporters of Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon;

English actress, film maker and writer, who starred in Call the Midwife before winning a best original screenplay Oscar in 2020 for Promising Young Woman.

Colours

(Pink, Ellis 'Red' Boyd Redding, The Greens, Emerald Fennell)

3.

Surname of the Italian born architect of the Pompidou Centre and Heathrow Terminal 5;

Surname of Eddard, Lyanna, Catelyn, and Rickon in the novels of George R R Martin;

The reigning imperial house of Russia for over 300 years from 1613;

The surname under which Ronald Wycherly (1940-1983) released his music - his hits include Jealousy and Wondrous Place.

Lead Characters in Marvel’s The Avengers

(Rogers, Stark, Romanov, Fury)

4.

Predatory pack animal;

Singer born in 1958 - he used his real first name and was the first to have a number one film, album and single in the USA;

Title of the final ABBA album and name of their ongoing concert residency in London;

Element 47 - used (amongst other things) for bullion, electrical contacts & photography.

Words in book titles in The Chronicles of Narnia

(The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair)

5.

Final word in the title of a 1937 film about a celebrity relationship which was remade in 1954, 1976 and 2018;

The receipts and ticket revenue for a sporting event;

A heavy unit of mass;

The first word of the football club supported by Robbie Williams.

Words that can be preceded by 'new'

(Newborn, Newgate, Newton, Newport derived from A Star is Born / gate / ton / Port Vale

6.

The word that follows 'Key' to give the name of a 1948 thriller directed by John Huston;

Large power station between Selby and Goole;

Japanese theatre style;

Surname of the horror author who published his first novel in 1974 - many have been adapted into films, including that starring Morgan Freeman in Question 2.

James Bond Villains

(Emilio Largo from Thunderball, Hugo Drax from Moonraker, Dr No, Elektra King from The World is Not Enough)

7.

First name of the eponymous character in a 1908 novel by L M Montgomery;

A Grade II listed building and famous sports venue in Muswell Hill, given a two word rhyming nickname supposedly by Gracie fields;

First name of the author who wrote the books upon which the films Blade Runner and Total Recall were based;

The name of a shy pink hippo that first appeared alongside Zippy on television in 1972.

First names of consorts of the British Royal Family

(All happen to be Danish; they are Anne, Alexandra, Phillip and George and are derived from Anne of Green Gables, Alexandra Palace, Phillip K Dick and George from Rainbow; thye were the consorts of James I, Edward VII, Elizabeth II, Queen Anne)

8.

What a mantis might do;

1995 anthropomorphic film which earned James Cromwell his only Oscar nomination, also featuring the voices of Miriam Margolyes and Hugo Weaving;

An anti-perspirant brand that features a tick as its logo;

Klondike, Napolean and Clock are all types of which card game?

Songs by Take That

(Pray, Babe, Sure, Patience)

Sp.

Surname of the actress who won two academy awards in the space of 5 years in the 1980s - other roles include playing Forrest Gump’s mother, and Mrs Doubtfire’s wife;

The son of Noah, and father of Cush and Phut;

The author of Death in Venice and The Magic Mountain;

Third largest shopping centre in the UK, developed by Peel Holdings and opened in 1998.

Words that can be preceded by 'old'

(Oldfield, Oldham, Old man, Old Trafford derived from Sally Field, Ham, Thomas Mann, Trafford Centre)

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Pick Your Own Number Plate

A tribute to my (James’) late father who died in November - a round on the various cars he drove over the years.

1.

KHA527

... was an ‘eight’ - originally launched in the late 1930s as a ‘Flying 8’.  This ‘very ordinary’ brand was incorporated into Triumph when the car was succeeded by the Herald in 1959.

Standard

2.

NOX956

... was a ‘Four/Forty-four’, manufactured 1953-1956 and frequently used as a Police Car - but with a top speed of 65mph and a 0-60 of over 30 seconds, burglars were rarely troubled.  Despite sounding like a cardigan brand, this was a British motor marque owned by Morris, and later amalgamated into BMC.

Wolseley

3.

FOL85D
... was a classic British sports car.  My father-in-law suggested that the distinction between the mark 1 and mark 2 was actually the updated Rolls Royce Merlin engine, but he had misheard the context.

Triumph Spitfire (Mk2)

4.

THN128F
... was a ubiquitous small family car - if William II had died in Texas, this model might have commemorated the event.  But Basil would still have been unimpressed.

Austin 1100

(Basil Fawlty famously hitting his car with a tree branch…)

5.

ROC608G
... was a roadster that ran on 5 star petrol and was a marque that was the last of a line of British two-seaters using the same basic chassis.  This car’s totally redesigned successor was famously described as "the shape of things to come".

Triumph TR6

6.

COV280K
When he was stopped for speeding in this Ogle-designed fibreglass bodied four-seater hatchback, the Policeman asked “Who do you think you are… Princess Anne!?”

Reliant Scimitar (GTE)

7.

HUM 550K
... sounded as if it should have been a Roman goddess but was in fact something of a French gremlin.  It was based on the 2CV, with a 602cc engine.  Its performance was even worse than NOX956.

Citroën Dyane

8.

TEC423M
... was a family saloon with a quartic steering wheel which apparently went along at a quick and cheerful pace.  According to the DVLA only 36 are still on the road (despite over half a million having been made).  You might mistakenly think this scarcity would make them desirable.

Austin Allegro

9.

A995ROX
... was the ‘celebrated’ (?) successor to the Dolomite, the last to bear a classic British brand name and the first joint venture between BL and Honda.  In a measure of where the UK car industry found itself in the early 1980s, it was essentially a UK badged Honda Ballade.

Triumph Acclaim

10.

V559OJW
A series of more reliable vehicles followed.  Marks 2, 3 and 4 of a people’s car named for a word meaning ‘ball’ that originates from the Balti language of Tibet.

VW Polo

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Announced theme - 'Green'

A word or part-word in each answer can be preceded by the word ‘green’ - there is a soundalike

1.

Which road in New York City runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east?

Park Avenue

2.

Which actor has won the most BAFTA awards for Best Actor, including A Town like Alice, Sunday Bloody Sunday, and Network?

Peter Finch

3.

Which character was created in a novel of 1857 and developed by George MacDonald Fraser in a series of 12 books?

(Harry) Flashman

4.

What is an alternative name for the Somali Peninsula, the peninsular being the 4th largest in the world?

The Horn of Africa

5.

The Eastern destroying angel, the goat cheese webcap, the silky pinkgill and the bitter hedgehog are all types of what?

Mushroom

6.

What was described as “a magnificent conception worthy of the brilliant genius and uncompromising originality of Brunel - but, practically and commercially it was a failure as has long been acknowledged”?

The broad gauge

7.

The ring road of Washington DC, Interstate US 495, is known as what?

The (capital) Beltway

8.

Which song on the Beatles’ White Album is a parody of a song by Chuck Berry with a similar title and of California Girls by the Beach boys?

Back in the USSR

Sp1

What was the nickname of Edward Heath as used in the publication, Private Eye?

Grocer

Sp2

The Simpson's Halloween special programmes are known by what title?

The Treehouse of Horror

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - 'Call my Chough'

An antidote to verbosity, or when there isn’t much time to compile a quiz, or when closing time is approaching…

1.

What is a kirpan?

Sikh knife

(one of the 5 K’s)

2.

What is a felucca?

Sailing Boat

(Mediterranean)

3.

What is a pierogi?

Dumpling

(Polish)

4.

What is a janissary

Soldier

(Turkish)

5.

What is a shar pei?

Breed of dog

6.

What is a drongo? (apart from being a pejorative term)

A bird

(the Australian insult originates from a horse called Drongo that never won a race, despite numerous efforts)

7.

What is a gongfarmer?

Latrine cleaner

(technically a shit-shoveller)

8.

What is a jenever?

Gin

(Dutch)

Sp1

What is a snook?

Fish

(pike-like)

Sp2

What is a banyan?

Tree

(fig-like)

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - 'A Not Very Well Hidden Theme'

First and second names are needed in every case because the theme word may be either

1.

Which former Conservative MP, born in South Africa in 1949, was a founding member of Stonewall?  He was forced to apologise after suggesting that piano wire should be strung across country lanes in order to decapitate cyclists!

Matthew Parris

2.

Which sportsman born in 1979 was awarded the title of 'Britain’s brainiest footballer'?  He appeared as a contestant on 3 episodes of Countdown.  From 2010-2013 he served as PFA Chair, and was also the first footballer to appear on Question Time.

Clark Carlisle

3.

Which Hollywood actor was born in Canterbury in 1977 and started his television career with 3 episodes of Casualty before making his film debut in one short scene of the film Wilde.  His most famous roles, both of which he has played multiple times, include a skilled warrior and a blacksmith’s apprentice.

Orlando Bloom

(Legolas from Lord of the Rings and Will Turner from Pirates of the Caribbean)

4.

Which Canadian actor and comic has collaborated several times with Christopher Guest, co-writing 4 of his films?  He is more famous for playing buffoon father roles, in a film series from 1999-2013, and a popular television series from 2015-2020.

Eugene Levy

(Jim’s Dad in American Pie, and Johnny Rose in Schitt’s Creek)

5.

Which actor born in London in 1973 shot to fame on TV in the late 90s playing a character nicknamed after a staple food stuff used as an ingredient in (amongst others) cakes?  He subsequently achieved global fame after moving to America to star as a former sheriff’s deputy, in a long running role that won him two Saturn awards.

Andrew Lincoln

(Egg from This Life and Rick Grimes from the Walking Dead)

6.

Which actor played the role of Douglas Potts, father of Lauren, on Emmerdale between 2007-2011 and again from 2014-2020?  He also played Dr Jonathan Haslam on Surgical Spirit 1989-1995, but is far more famous for his many collaborations with a famous Manchester comedian.

Duncan Preston

(his collaborations with Victoria Wood include Dinnerladies, and Acorn Antiques)

7.

The actress Mariska Hargitay, now in her record breaking 27th season of Law and Order SVU, is one of the highest paid actresses in the world.  She is the daughter of which Hollywood actress, tragically killed aged just 34 in a car accident in 1967?

Jayne Mansfield

8.

Which English actress played the eldest daughter of Thomas Moore in A Man for All Seasons, Lara Lor-Van in Superman and won a Bafta for They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? ?

Susannah York

Sp.

Which director, producer and actor received Oscar nominations for the best director in 1969 and 1982, before finally winning in 1985?  He was also executive producer of The Fabulous Baker Boys, Sense and Sensibility, The Talented Mr Ripley, and Iris, and had acting roles in Eyes Wide Shut and Michael Clayton?

Sydney Pollack

(his first two nominations were for They Shoot Horses Don’t They? and Tootsie; he won for Out of Africa)

Theme: Each answer contains the name of a town or city ...

Paris, Carlisle, Orlando, Eugene, Lincoln, Preston, Mansfield York and Sydney

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ROUND 8 - Announced Theme

Each answer is the name of a person whose profession or actions fit their surname

1.

Which British poet’s magnum opus is generally considered to be The Prelude?

2.

Which regular panel member of Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time is one of Britain's leading organic gardeners?  He also presented the Channel 4 series Muck and Magic.

Bob Flowerdew

3.

Which former Conservative MP for Tamworth resigned in 2023 following complaints that he made unwanted advances against other male MPs?

Chris Pincher

4.

Which former chairman of the Nasdaq masterminded the largest known Ponzi scheme in history?  In 2009 he was sentenced to 150 years in prison, where he died in 2021.

Bernie Madoff

5.

Who will succeed Viktor Orbán as PM of Hungary?

Péter Magyar

6.

Which English pipe organist at Westminster Abbey taught Jeremiah Clarke and Henry Purcell?  His only stage composition was the opera Venus and Adonis.

(John) Blow

7.

Which holder of 24 major singles titles and 19 doubles titles has been a consistent critic of same-sex marriage?

Margaret Court

8.

Who was the Democratic Party presidential nominee who lost the 1972 election to Richard Nixon in one of the biggest landslides in US electoral history?

George McGovern

Sp.

Which former British Conservative MP served as a European Commissioner from 1989 to 1999?

Leon Brittan

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Tiebreakers

1.

659

2.

How long in km is the river Thames?

346

3.

What year was Manchester Cathedral founded (although it was not a cathedral then…)?

1421

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