ROUND 1 - Stockport format - Verbal

1.

Which current English Football League Club was founded as Thames Ironworks?

2.

Which British politician, elder brother of a Prime Minister, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1925. The citation read:

"For his crucial role in bringing about the Locarno Treaty."?

3.

Albeit in a different language, which African capital city has the same name as the third largest city in Wales?

4.

During the Burma Campaign in World War 2 what was the name of the commander of the Chindits, a force operating behind enemy lines?

5.

In 1889 Enriqueta commissioned Sir Basil Champneys to design what became a Grade I listed Neo-Gothic building in the middle of Manchester in memory of her late husband. What was her husband’s name?

6.

In 1914 who wrote the musical piece Sospiri frequently played during World War I as an antidote to the horrors of the war?

7.

Listed as the 11th most prominent peak in the world which European mountain is also listed as the highest peak in 2 separate European countries?

8.

Which 1945 film’s plot was summarised in Halliwell’s Film Guide thus:

“A suburban housewife on her weekly shopping visits develops a love affair with a local doctor; but he gets a job abroad and they agree not to see each other again.” ?

9.

What’s the name of the Scottish castle where the BBC series The Traitors is filmed?

10.

In the US the leaves of the herb coriander are known as what?

11.

If you were travelling by ferry to the Outer Hebrides from which port on the Isle of Skye would you leave?

12.

What phrase connects the actor Brian Jackson and a 1980s Manchester-based band who played most of their gigs at The Boardwalk?

13.

Which 1979 Woody Allen film relies principally for its musical score on the works of George Gershwin?

14.

Which writer created and wrote the bulk of the scripts for ITV’s crime drama series Scott & Bailey?

15.

The last British winner of the Wimbledon Women’s Singles title was Virginia Wade in 1977 but who in 1969 was the last British winner before Wade?

16.

Which current English Football Club was founded as Small Heath Alliance?

17.

British writers have won the Nobel prize for literature 13 times since its inception in 1901. Who was the first British writer to win it in 1907?

18.

Albeit in a different language, which European capital city has the same name as the surname of a British actor who, amongst other awards, was granted the Freedom of the City of Tirana?

19.

In World War 2 who led the 14th Army (popularly known as ‘The Forgotten Army’) for the majority of its campaign in the Far East?

20.

Who designed the Grade II* listed former bank building at 100 King Street in Manchester?

21.

In World War I the popular song of the time They’ll Never Believe Me was adopted and adapted by the British troops to become We’ll Never Tell Them. The song, written by Jerome Kern, was famously used during the closing scene of which satirical film?

22.

Mount Toubkal is the highest peak of which mountain range?

23.

Which 1940 film’s plot was summarised in Halliwell’s Film Guide thus:

“A Jewish barber is mistaken for Adenoid Hynkel.”?

24.

In Series 2 of the BBC series The Traitors the winner was a Traitor. What was his name?

25.

A cherry pepper is a large red heart-shaped chili pepper. By what name is it commonly known?

26.

If you were travelling from Scrabster near Thurso on the Scottish mainland to the Orkney Islands, at which Orkney port would you disembark?

27.

Which 1980s Manchester band featured brothers Paul and Steve Hanley?

28.

Who composed the theme music to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film Psycho?

29.

Which local writer created and wrote the ITV Crime drama Blue Murder starring Caroline Quentin?

30.

Which Romanian tennis player won the 2019 Wimbledon Women’s Singles title?

Sp1

In the world of cryptography a coding system which relies on letter transposition within a 5 x 5 grid of all the letters in the alphabet (‘I’ doubling up to signify ‘I’ and ‘J’) was invented by the physicist Charles Wheatstone but named after which peer?

Sp2

In the world of cryptography a simple letter shift coding system (e.g. a shift of 2 places where ‘A’ encodes as ‘C’ and ‘X’ encodes as ‘Z’) is known by the name of which past leader?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Stockport format - Written with an announced theme

A key word in each answer contains letters which can be exclusively compiled from either the letters of the word ‘Stockport’ or the word ‘Manchester’ – a letter from the contributing place-name may only be used once per answer.

1.

(Stockport) What European geographic feature is known in Arabic as Jabal Tariq?

2.

(Manchester) What nickname did the UK Education Secretary earn in 1971 when implementing a series of government spending cuts?

3.

(Stockport) What is the term used (principally in the US) to describe political actions designed to please local voters just before an election ?

4.

(Manchester) What name is given to the railway line that runs from Newport to Shrewsbury

5.

(Stockport) With headlines such as "Adolf Hitler Was A Woman", "Aliens Turned Our Son Into A Fish Finger", and "Donkey Robs Bank” which Manchester-based weekly newspaper includes Radio 5Live presenter Tony Livesey among its past editors?

6.

(Manchester) Which component of a musical instrument has two main types: parallel bore for a sweeter sound or conical bore for a louder sound?

7.

(Stockport) Which original member of the Hanseatic League is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania?

8.

(Manchester) Which whiskey brand makes its blended Highland Cream product based on peated single malt from the Ardmore distillery?

9.

(Stockport) Which 20th century British novel has William Boot as its main character?

10.

(Manchester) “What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns.” are lines from which famous Wilfred Owen poem?

Sp.

(Manchester) Who succeeded Frank Dobson as MP for Holborn and St Pancras?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - WithQuiz format - 'A Day at the Zoo'A  Day at the Zoo'

1.

René Lacoste was a French tennis player in the 1920s, and in 1933 he founded his own sports brand. What was his nickname?

2.

Punxsutawney Phil is a significant character in which 1993 American film?

3.

What word is in the Booker Prize winning titles of 1987 and 2008 and was a major character in the 2002 winner?

4.

By attaching explosive charges to ships in a harbour, the world's first submersible used in combat was built in 1775 during the American Revolutionary War, for use against the Royal Navy.  What was its name?

5.

Which beer was founded in 1989 by the British-Indian businessman Karan Bilimoria, now Lord Bilimoria, who was then aged 27 and £20,000 in debt?

6.

The City of God, a cornerstone of Western thought, was written in Latin in the early 5th century AD.  Its author was a theologian of mixed Roman and Berber origin. Of which North African city was this sainted man a bishop?

7.

Originally aired on US television for three seasons from January 12, 1966, to March 14, 1968, the lead characters of this series were played by Adam West and Burt Ward.  What character was played by Burgess Meredith?

8.

The title of which 1927 novel by the German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse is also the name of a Canadian/American rock band, which had worldwide success in the late 60s with songs such as Born to Be Wild, Magic Carpet Ride and Rock Me?

Sp1

Which 1963 Italian film, starring Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, and Alain Delon, is adapted from a 1958 novel of the same name by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, set in the turmoil of the Risorgimento in Sicily in 1860?

Sp2

A variant of the Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier was used by the British Army in Afghanistan. The A-10 Thunderbolt II is used by the US Air Force to provide close air support to ground troops. Both have the same nickname.  What is it?  Hint: It is also a song from The Ramones album Too Tough to Die.

Sp3

It is a 1515 woodcut image by Albrecht Dürer, a 1959 play by Eugène Ionesco, and a 1991 song by the Smashing Pumpkins.  What is ‘it’?

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - WithQuiz format - 'Who said irony was dead?'

1.

What TV first did Gareth Jones achieve during a live transmission of the play Underground in 1958?

2.

Which brand of product was advertised by various actors from 1954 to 1999, including Jerome Jackson (died of lung cancer), Eric Lawson (chronic lung disease), Dick Hammer (lung cancer), David McLean (lung cancer), and Wayne McLaren (lung cancer)?  The first of these actors, Robert Norris, died aged 90.

3.

In 2010 Jimi Heselden was, ironically, killed while using a product made by his own company. What is the product?

4.

Jim Fixx wrote The Complete Book of Running, published in 1977, which is credited with starting the American fitness revolution.  He died of a heart attack in 1984. What was he doing at the time?

5.

Whose last screen appearance was recorded on September 17th, 1955, in a public information film for TV, urging teenagers to drive safely, saying at the end:

“Take it easy driving, the life you might save might be mine”?

6.

Ironically, given his blood thirsty reputation, how did Attila the Hun die in 453 AD?

7.

This footballer is best remembered for representing Chelsea and Southampton, and was capped four times by England in the early 1970s.  A statue of him was erected outside Chelsea’s West Stand in 2010.  Ironically, he died of a heart attack while attending his uncle's funeral at Slough crematorium in 2006.  Who was he?

8.

On June 18th 1875, a fire broke out at a bonded storehouse in Dublin, where 262,500 gallons of whiskey were being stored.  A stream of burning whiskey flowed from the burning building, along the streets, where it quickly demolished a row of small houses.  What caused the 13 resultant fatalities?

Sp1

What do the following John Wayne films have in common: Central Airport (1933), Reap the Wild Wind (1942), The Fighting Seabees (1944), The Wake of the Red Witch (1948), Sand of Iwo Jima (1949), The Alamo (1960), The Cowboys (1972), and ironically, his last film The Shootist (1976)?

Sp2

Camera woman Lee Lyon died when she was charged by an elephant in Rwanda in 1975.  She was filming an episode for which wildlife documentary series at the time?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - WithQuiz format - Rhyming Surnames

Each answer in this round requires two rhyming surnames. - first names are also required

1.

In 2024, this barrister and TV personality visited Italy with Rylan Clark in a BAFTA winning TV series, and in series 2 in September 2025, they visited India,

&

With the catchphrase “You lucky people!”, he was a 1930s music hall comedian. In WW2, he starred in films such as Sailors Three.  On 1950s TV, he was the original host of Sunday Night at the London Palladium.  He worked until he died in 1989.

2.

This English poet, polemicist, and civil servant is famed for a 1667 epic poem, which was written in blank verse, while he was blind and impoverished,

&

In 1919, he purchased a hotel in Cisco, Texas.  He went on to establish the world's first international hotel chain.  When he died in 1979, his eponymous company owned 188 hotels in the US, and 54 hotels abroad.

3.

This Australian-born Irish singer and songwriter is the only person to have won the Eurovision Song Contest three times; twice as a lead singer and once as a song writer,

&

With his showmanship and trademark blond American Fu Manchu moustache, what was US wrestler and media personality, Terry Bollea’s ring name?

4.

As a ruthless patriarch, what role did Charles Dance play in Game of Thrones?

&

Who famously broke a world record on May 6th 1954 at Iffley Road track in Oxford?

5.

Bannister's record mile time was beaten just 46 days later in Turku, Finland, by this Australian runner,

&

This Indian activist was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist, on 30 January 1948.

6.

With his catchphrase “Shut that door!”, this camp entertainer presented the BBC game show The Generation Game from 1978 until 1982,

&

This fictional US criminal defence lawyer had a secretary named Della Street, and employed a private detective, Paul Drake.

7.

This British driver was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship in 2024 with McLaren,

&

A local tobacconist opened a shop in 1847 on London’s Bond Street, starting an eponymous company that now sells products in over 180 countries, including Marlboro cigarettes.

8.

According to a Monty Python song, this philosopher, “Of his own free will / On half a pint of shandy was particularly ill”,

&

From 1949 to 1967, he played for Brentford and Fulham, and managed Coventry City.  As Professional Footballers’ Association chairman, he was successful in abolishing the Football League’s maximum wage of £20-a-week in 1961.  From 1973 to 1988 he hosted Match of the Day.

Sp1

This simple-minded fictional character said;

 “My mama always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’’’

&

Which real-life character was a Republican, in the Independence Party, a Democrat, a Republican, unaffiliated, and is now a Republican again?

Sp2

He won the 1991 World Snooker Championship, later became a snooker commentator and pundit for the BBC, and was a regular on the quiz show A Question of Sport,

&

In February 1969, this comedian started his own folk club, The Boggery, in Solihull.  In 2006, he and wife Hazel sold their shares in Celador, makers of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for £10m to a Dutch TV company.

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - WithQuiz format - ‘The Professionals’

Each answer includes the name of an occupation - forenames are required in this round

1.

He was the leading figure of the 1960s satire boom.  In stage revues, TV series, films, and radio, he created comic characters such as E L Wisty, Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling, and Sven from Swiss Cottage.  In 2005, who was ranked No. 1 in a poll of more than 300 comics, comedy writers, producers, and directors in the English-speaking world?

2.

In 2024, who had UK No. 1 hits with the album Short n’ Sweet and the singles Espresso, Please, Please, Please and Taste?

3.

Who was MP for North Lanarkshire from 1970 to 1983, and then Monklands East until his death in May 1994?  He was famously buried on the island of Iona.

4.

Her 1988 100m and 200m world records (10.49 & 21.34) still stand, making her the only female athlete to hold simultaneous records.  Which US athlete died in her sleep, during an epileptic seizure caused by a birth defect, in 1998, aged 38?  Her full married name from 1987 is required.

5.

In 1961, he became the first American to travel into space and, as commander of Apollo 14 in 1971, aged 45, he became the fifth and oldest person to walk on the moon.  Who was he?

6.

In 1381, who led a group of rebels from Canterbury to London to oppose the collection of a poll tax and to demand economic and social reforms.  After the brief rebellion’s early success, he was killed by officers of King Richard II, during negotiations at Smithfield, London.

7.

The Forsyte Saga is a 1967 BBC television adaptation of John Galsworthy’s novels.  The setter of this quiz has seen an episode dubbed into Greek, and didn’t understand a word of it, but he did recognise the actor and actress who played Soames and Irene.  Name either one of these players.

8.

In 2004, BBC Four marked the 10th anniversary of this screenwriter’s death with documentaries about his life and work, and showings of Pennies from Heaven and The Singing Detective. Who was he?

Sp1

Her film career started in Annie Hall in 1977 as Alvy’s date outside a theatre, and she appeared as Bartholomew in The Gorge in 2025.  Who was nominated for an Oscar in 1987, and twice in 1989, but has yet to win one?

Sp2

Which English jazz musician, best known as a bandleader and trombonist, had a UK top twenty trad jazz hit with Petite Fleur in 1959?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

Tiebreaker

Teams confer - nearest to the answer wins

In square miles what is the size of England?

Go to Tiebreaker question with answer

ROUND 1 - Stockport format - Verbal

1.

Which current English Football League Club was founded as Thames Ironworks?

West Ham United

2.

Which British politician, elder brother of a Prime Minister, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1925. The citation read:

"For his crucial role in bringing about the Locarno Treaty."?

Sir Austen Chamberlain

3.

Albeit in a different language, which African capital city has the same name as the third largest city in Wales?

Porto-Novo

(capital of Benin; ref: Newport)

4.

During the Burma Campaign in World War 2 what was the name of the commander of the Chindits, a force operating behind enemy lines?

(Major General Orde) Wingate

5.

In 1889 Enriqueta commissioned Sir Basil Champneys to design what became a Grade I listed Neo-Gothic building in the middle of Manchester in memory of her late husband. What was her husband’s name?

John Rylands

(John Rylands Research Institute and Library)

6.

In 1914 who wrote the musical piece Sospiri frequently played during World War I as an antidote to the horrors of the war?

Sir Edward Elgar

7.

Listed as the 11th most prominent peak in the world which European mountain is also listed as the highest peak in 2 separate European countries?

Mont Blanc

(lying on the Franco-Italian border)

8.

Which 1945 film’s plot was summarised in Halliwell’s Film Guide thus:

“A suburban housewife on her weekly shopping visits develops a love affair with a local doctor; but he gets a job abroad and they agree not to see each other again.” ?

Brief Encounter

9.

What’s the name of the Scottish castle where the BBC series The Traitors is filmed?

Ardross Castle

10.

In the US the leaves of the herb coriander are known as what?

Cilantro

11.

If you were travelling by ferry to the Outer Hebrides from which port on the Isle of Skye would you leave?

Uig

12.

What phrase connects the actor Brian Jackson and a 1980s Manchester-based band who played most of their gigs at The Boardwalk?

The Man from Delmonte

(Brian Jackson played the part in a series of TV ads)

13.

Which 1979 Woody Allen film relies principally for its musical score on the works of George Gershwin?

Manhattan

14.

Which writer created and wrote the bulk of the scripts for ITV’s crime drama series Scott & Bailey?

Sally Wainwright

15.

The last British winner of the Wimbledon Women’s Singles title was Virginia Wade in 1977 but who in 1969 was the last British winner before Wade?

Ann Jones

16.

Which current English Football Club was founded as Small Heath Alliance?

Birmingham City

17.

British writers have won the Nobel prize for literature 13 times since its inception in 1901. Who was the first British writer to win it in 1907?

Rudyard Kipling

18.

Albeit in a different language, which European capital city has the same name as the surname of a British actor who, amongst other awards, was granted the Freedom of the City of Tirana?

Sofia

(capital of Bulgaria; ref: Norman Wisdom the comic actor who was very popular in Albania)

19.

In World War 2 who led the 14th Army (popularly known as ‘The Forgotten Army’) for the majority of its campaign in the Far East?

(Lieutenant General William) Slim

20.

Who designed the Grade II* listed former bank building at 100 King Street in Manchester?

(Sir Edwin) Lutyens

(formerly occupied by Midland Bank)

21.

In World War I the popular song of the time They’ll Never Believe Me was adopted and adapted by the British troops to become We’ll Never Tell Them. The song, written by Jerome Kern, was famously used during the closing scene of which satirical film?

Oh! What a Lovely War

22.

Mount Toubkal is the highest peak of which mountain range?

Atlas Mountains

23.

Which 1940 film’s plot was summarised in Halliwell’s Film Guide thus:

“A Jewish barber is mistaken for Adenoid Hynkel.”?

The Great Dictator

(starring Charlie Chaplin)

24.

In Series 2 of the BBC series The Traitors the winner was a Traitor. What was his name?

Harry Clark

25.

A cherry pepper is a large red heart-shaped chili pepper. By what name is it commonly known?

Pimento

26.

If you were travelling from Scrabster near Thurso on the Scottish mainland to the Orkney Islands, at which Orkney port would you disembark?

Stromness

27.

Which 1980s Manchester band featured brothers Paul and Steve Hanley?

The Fall

28.

Who composed the theme music to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film Psycho?

Bernard Herrmann

29.

Which local writer created and wrote the ITV Crime drama Blue Murder starring Caroline Quentin?

Cath Staincliffe

30.

Which Romanian tennis player won the 2019 Wimbledon Women’s Singles title?

Simona Halep

Sp1

In the world of cryptography a coding system which relies on letter transposition within a 5 x 5 grid of all the letters in the alphabet (‘I’ doubling up to signify ‘I’ and ‘J’) was invented by the physicist Charles Wheatstone but named after which peer?

(Lord) Playfair

(a Playfair code square)

Sp2

In the world of cryptography a simple letter shift coding system (e.g. a shift of 2 places where ‘A’ encodes as ‘C’ and ‘X’ encodes as ‘Z’) is known by the name of which past leader?

Julius Caesar

(a Caesar code)

ROUND 2 - Stockport format - Written with an announced theme

A key word in each answer contains letters which can be exclusively compiled from either the letters of the word ‘Stockport’ or the word ‘Manchester’ – a letter from the contributing place-name may only be used once per answer.

1.

(Stockport) What European geographic feature is known in Arabic as Jabal Tariq?

The Rock of Gibraltar

2.

(Manchester) What nickname did the UK Education Secretary earn in 1971 when implementing a series of government spending cuts?

‘Milk snatcher’

(the minister was Margaret Thatcher and she cut the entitlement of schoolchildren to free school milk)

3.

(Stockport) What is the term used (principally in the US) to describe political actions designed to please local voters just before an election ?

Pork barrel politics

4.

(Manchester) What name is given to the railway line that runs from Newport to Shrewsbury
 

The Welsh Marches line

5.

(Stockport) With headlines such as "Adolf Hitler Was A Woman", "Aliens Turned Our Son Into A Fish Finger", and "Donkey Robs Bank” which Manchester-based weekly newspaper includes Radio 5Live presenter Tony Livesey among its past editors?
 

Sunday Sport

6.

(Manchester) Which component of a musical instrument has two main types: parallel bore for a sweeter sound or conical bore for a louder sound?

Chanter

(the part of the bagpipe held by the piper)

7.

(Stockport) Which original member of the Hanseatic League is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania?

Rostock

8.

(Manchester) Which whiskey brand makes its blended Highland Cream product based on peated single malt from the Ardmore distillery?

Teachers

9.

(Stockport) Which 20th century British novel has William Boot as its main character?

Scoop

(by Evelyn Waugh)

10.

(Manchester) “What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns.” are lines from which famous Wilfred Owen poem?

Anthem for Doomed Youth

Sp.

(Manchester) Who succeeded Frank Dobson as MP for Holborn and St Pancras?

Keir Starmer

ROUND 3 - WithQuiz format - 'A Day at the Zoo'

1.

René Lacoste was a French tennis player in the 1920s, and in 1933 he founded his own sports brand. What was his nickname?

The Crocodile

(hence the logo on Lacoste sportswear)

2.

Punxsutawney Phil is a significant character in which 1993 American film?

Groundhog Day

3.

What word is in the Booker Prize winning titles of 1987 and 2008 and was a major character in the 2002 winner?

Tiger

(Moon Tiger, The White Tiger and The Life of Pi)

4.

By attaching explosive charges to ships in a harbour, the world's first submersible used in combat was built in 1775 during the American Revolutionary War, for use against the Royal Navy.  What was its name?

Turtle

5.

Which beer was founded in 1989 by the British-Indian businessman Karan Bilimoria, now Lord Bilimoria, who was then aged 27 and £20,000 in debt?

Cobra

6.

The City of God, a cornerstone of Western thought, was written in Latin in the early 5th century AD.  Its author was a theologian of mixed Roman and Berber origin. Of which North African city was this sainted man a bishop?

(St Augustine of) Hippo

7.

Originally aired on US television for three seasons from January 12, 1966, to March 14, 1968, the lead characters of this series were played by Adam West and Burt Ward.  What character was played by Burgess Meredith?

The Penguin

(in Batman)

8.

The title of which 1927 novel by the German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse is also the name of a Canadian/American rock band, which had worldwide success in the late 60s with songs such as Born to Be Wild, Magic Carpet Ride and Rock Me?

Steppenwolf

Sp1

Which 1963 Italian film, starring Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, and Alain Delon, is adapted from a 1958 novel of the same name by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, set in the turmoil of the Risorgimento in Sicily in 1860?

The Leopard

Sp2

A variant of the Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier was used by the British Army in Afghanistan. The A-10 Thunderbolt II is used by the US Air Force to provide close air support to ground troops. Both have the same nickname.  What is it?  Hint: It is also a song from The Ramones album Too Tough to Die.

Warthog

Sp3

It is a 1515 woodcut image by Albrecht Dürer, a 1959 play by Eugène Ionesco, and a 1991 song by the Smashing Pumpkins.  What is ‘it’?

Rhinoceros

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - WithQuiz format - 'Who said irony was dead?'

1.

What TV first did Gareth Jones achieve during a live transmission of the play Underground in 1958?

He died

(even more ironically, Jones's character was scripted to have suffered a fatal heart attack during the play)

2.

Which brand of product was advertised by various actors from 1954 to 1999, including Jerome Jackson (died of lung cancer), Eric Lawson (chronic lung disease), Dick Hammer (lung cancer), David McLean (lung cancer), and Wayne McLaren (lung cancer)?  The first of these actors, Robert Norris, died aged 90.

Marlboro Cigarettes

(they all played The Marlboro Man and all smoked, except for Robert Norris)

3.

In 2010 Jimi Heselden was, ironically, killed while using a product made by his own company. What is the product?

A Segway Motorised Scooter

(he reversed off a cliff while allowing a dog walker to get past)

4.

Jim Fixx wrote The Complete Book of Running, published in 1977, which is credited with starting the American fitness revolution.  He died of a heart attack in 1984. What was he doing at the time?

He was out jogging

5.

Whose last screen appearance was recorded on September 17th, 1955, in a public information film for TV, urging teenagers to drive safely, saying at the end:

“Take it easy driving, the life you might save might be mine”?

James Dean

(who died two weeks later in a car crash on September 30th 1955)

6.

Ironically, given his blood thirsty reputation, how did Attila the Hun die in 453 AD?

A nosebleed

(accept drowned in his own blood)

(following the wedding feast when he took his sixth wife, he fell into a drunken stupor, had a nosebleed, and drowned in his own blood)

7.

This footballer is best remembered for representing Chelsea and Southampton, and was capped four times by England in the early 1970s.  A statue of him was erected outside Chelsea’s West Stand in 2010.  Ironically, he died of a heart attack while attending his uncle's funeral at Slough crematorium in 2006.  Who was he?

Peter Osgood

8.

On June 18th 1875, a fire broke out at a bonded storehouse in Dublin, where 262,500 gallons of whiskey were being stored.  A stream of burning whiskey flowed from the burning building, along the streets, where it quickly demolished a row of small houses.  What caused the 13 resultant fatalities?

Alcohol poisoning

(after drinking the undiluted flooded whiskey)

Sp1

What do the following John Wayne films have in common: Central Airport (1933), Reap the Wild Wind (1942), The Fighting Seabees (1944), The Wake of the Red Witch (1948), Sand of Iwo Jima (1949), The Alamo (1960), The Cowboys (1972), and ironically, his last film The Shootist (1976)?

John Wayne dies on screen

Sp2

Camera woman Lee Lyon died when she was charged by an elephant in Rwanda in 1975.  She was filming an episode for which wildlife documentary series at the time?

Survival

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - WithQuiz format - Rhyming Surnames

Each answer in this round requires two rhyming surnames. - first names are also required

1.

In 2024, this barrister and TV personality visited Italy with Rylan Clark in a BAFTA winning TV series, and in series 2 in September 2025, they visited India,

&

With the catchphrase “You lucky people!”, he was a 1930s music hall comedian. In WW2, he starred in films such as Sailors Three.  On 1950s TV, he was the original host of Sunday Night at the London Palladium.  He worked until he died in 1989.

Rob Rinder

& Tommy Trinder

2.

This English poet, polemicist, and civil servant is famed for a 1667 epic poem, which was written in blank verse, while he was blind and impoverished,

&

In 1919, he purchased a hotel in Cisco, Texas.  He went on to establish the world's first international hotel chain.  When he died in 1979, his eponymous company owned 188 hotels in the US, and 54 hotels abroad.

John Milton

& Conrad Hilton

3.

This Australian-born Irish singer and songwriter is the only person to have won the Eurovision Song Contest three times; twice as a lead singer and once as a song writer,

&

With his showmanship and trademark blond American Fu Manchu moustache, what was US wrestler and media personality, Terry Bollea’s ring name?

Johnny Logan

& Hulk Hogan

4.

As a ruthless patriarch, what role did Charles Dance play in Game of Thrones?

&

Who famously broke a world record on May 6th 1954 at Iffley Road track in Oxford?

Tywin Lannister

& Roger Bannister

5.

Bannister's record mile time was beaten just 46 days later in Turku, Finland, by this Australian runner,

&

This Indian activist was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist, on 30 January 1948.

John Landy

& Mohandas Gandhi

(do not accept the honorific ‘Mahatma’ - first names required)

6.

With his catchphrase “Shut that door!”, this camp entertainer presented the BBC game show The Generation Game from 1978 until 1982,

&

This fictional US criminal defence lawyer had a secretary named Della Street, and employed a private detective, Paul Drake.

Larry Grayson

& Perry Mason

7.

This British driver was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship in 2024 with McLaren,

&

A local tobacconist opened a shop in 1847 on London’s Bond Street, starting an eponymous company that now sells products in over 180 countries, including Marlboro cigarettes.

Lando Norris

& Philip Morris

8.

According to a Monty Python song, this philosopher, “Of his own free will / On half a pint of shandy was particularly ill”,

&

From 1949 to 1967, he played for Brentford and Fulham, and managed Coventry City.  As Professional Footballers’ Association chairman, he was successful in abolishing the Football League’s maximum wage of £20-a-week in 1961.  From 1973 to 1988 he hosted Match of the Day.

John Stuart Mill & Jimmy Hill

Sp1

This simple-minded fictional character said;

 “My mama always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’’’

&

Which real-life character was a Republican, in the Independence Party, a Democrat, a Republican, unaffiliated, and is now a Republican again?

Forrest Gump

& Donald Trump

Sp2

He won the 1991 World Snooker Championship, later became a snooker commentator and pundit for the BBC, and was a regular on the quiz show A Question of Sport,

&

In February 1969, this comedian started his own folk club, The Boggery, in Solihull.  In 2006, he and wife Hazel sold their shares in Celador, makers of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for £10m to a Dutch TV company.

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - WithQuiz format - ‘The Professionals’

Each answer includes the name of an occupation - forenames are required in this round

1.

He was the leading figure of the 1960s satire boom.  In stage revues, TV series, films, and radio, he created comic characters such as E L Wisty, Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling, and Sven from Swiss Cottage.  In 2005, who was ranked No. 1 in a poll of more than 300 comics, comedy writers, producers, and directors in the English-speaking world?

Peter Cook

2.

In 2024, who had UK No. 1 hits with the album Short n’ Sweet and the singles Espresso, Please, Please, Please and Taste?

Sabrina Carpenter

3.

Who was MP for North Lanarkshire from 1970 to 1983, and then Monklands East until his death in May 1994?  He was famously buried on the island of Iona.
 

John Smith

(Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his death}

4.

Her 1988 100m and 200m world records (10.49 & 21.34) still stand, making her the only female athlete to hold simultaneous records.  Which US athlete died in her sleep, during an epileptic seizure caused by a birth defect, in 1998, aged 38?  Her full married name from 1987 is required.

Florence Griffith Joyner

(do not accept her nickname of Flo-Jo)

5.

In 1961, he became the first American to travel into space and, as commander of Apollo 14 in 1971, aged 45, he became the fifth and oldest person to walk on the moon.  Who was he?

Alan Shepard

6.

In 1381, who led a group of rebels from Canterbury to London to oppose the collection of a poll tax and to demand economic and social reforms.  After the brief rebellion’s early success, he was killed by officers of King Richard II, during negotiations at Smithfield, London.

Wat Tyler

7.

The Forsyte Saga is a 1967 BBC television adaptation of John Galsworthy’s novels.  The setter of this quiz has seen an episode dubbed into Greek, and didn’t understand a word of it, but he did recognise the actor and actress who played Soames and Irene.  Name either one of these players.

Eric Porter or

Nyree Dawn Porter

8.

In 2004, BBC Four marked the 10th anniversary of this screenwriter’s death with documentaries about his life and work, and showings of Pennies from Heaven and The Singing Detective. Who was he?

Dennis Potter

Sp1

Her film career started in Annie Hall in 1977 as Alvy’s date outside a theatre, and she appeared as Bartholomew in The Gorge in 2025.  Who was nominated for an Oscar in 1987, and twice in 1989, but has yet to win one?

Sigourney Weaver

(Best Actress Aliens 1987 & Gorillas in the Mist 1989. Best Supporting Actress Working Girl 1989)

 

Sp2

Which English jazz musician, best known as a bandleader and trombonist, had a UK top twenty trad jazz hit with Petite Fleur in 1959?

Chris Barber

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

Tiebreaker

Teams confer - nearest to the answer wins

Go back to Tiebreaker question without answer