ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

Staying At Tamara's is an album by which current artist?

2.

Who is the current host of the TV programme Deal Or No Deal?

3.

Which English town was the birthplace of the naturalist Charles Darwin?

4.

What flavour is the liqueur Crème de Mune?

5.

What flavour is the liqueur Frangelico?

6.

Which English city was the birthplace of the engineer Isambard Brunel?

7.

Who is the current host of the TV programme Wheel of Fortune?

8.

Happier Than Ever is an album by which current artist?

Sp.

Certified Lover Boy is an album by which current artist ?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

He was born in Luton in November 1982 with the name Stephen  Christopher Yaxley.  He later changed his surname to Yaxley-Lennon.  By what name is he more commonly known?

2.

He was born in Salford in November 1982 with the name David Paulden.  By what name is he more commonly known?

3.

In collaboration with the Fenwick department store, which high street chain opened its first pub in Newcastle in 2025?  It is a pop-up pub called The Golden Flake Tavern.

4.

To date who is the only Premier League football manager to have an English pub named in his honour?   Since he shares his birthday with King Henry VIII it seems apt that the pub sign shows his head superimposed on the body of Henry.

5.

Which scholar and poet of the early Italian Renaissance  was born in Arezzo in 1304.  He is credited with being one of the earliest humanists.  His sonnets, famously dedicated to a woman called Laura, were admired and imitated throughout Europe.

6.

What name is given to a series of 48 biographies of famous men written by the Greco-Roman philosopher and historian Plutarch at the beginning of the 2nd century AD?  If you are not sure of the answer, think of the title of a 1978 album by Blondie and change one letter.

7.

What ONE word completes this mock epitaph written by Lord Byron shortly after hearing about the suicide of Lord Castlereagh?

"Posterity will ne'er survey / A nobler grave than this / Here lie the bones of Castlereagh / Stop, traveller and _____"

8.

Founded in 2001 the right wing, national-conservative party PiS governed which European country for eight years until losing their parliamentary majority in 2023?

Sp1

In which year did the following 3 events happen:

• Kemi Badenoch is born;

• Proving that God is even more politically balanced than the BBC, Oswald Mosley dies;

• John Robertson scores the only goal in the European Cup Final?

Sp2

In which year did the following 3 events happen:

• Kylie Minogue is born;

• Scottish racing driver Jim Clark is killed in an accident on the track in Hockenheim,Germany;

• Jeff Astle scores the only goal in the FA Cup Final?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

1.

What reggae number reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1978 for Althea and Donna?

2.

Which clerical character in Pride and Predudice is delighted by the condescension shown him by Lady Catherine De Burgh?

3.

Born in Milan in 1935 and dying in Wolverhampton in 2021, which England batsman and captain in 30 Tests during the 1960s earned the epithet 'Lord' for his aloof self-confidence?

4.

Born in 1949 in New Zealand, who became the first woman to sail single-handedly round the world via Cape Horn?

5.

Which Scottish composer and occasional actor, born 1953, is best known for his many film scores which include Gosford Park and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire among many others?  This close collaborator of Kenneth Branagh has been nominated for 2 Academy Awards and 2 Golden Globes.

6.

Which Frenchman did Henry VIII wrestle (and was defeated by) at the 'Field of the Cloth of Gold' festival in France in 1520?

7.

Who won the Pentathlon for Great Britain in the 1972 Olympics in Munich?

8.

Which now defunct prison, situated in Southwark, was largely used as a debtors’ prison, as described in detail by Charles Dickens in Little Dorrit?  Dickens’ own father was imprisoned there for unpaid debts.

Sp.

Which of the 6 main Friends characters was played by the late Matthew Perry?  (full name required)

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Pairs

1.

Ludogorets Razgad are a football team from which country?

2.

In which northern town was the actress Sarah Lancashire born?

3.

What designation is the motorway that runs to Bradford off the M62?

4.

The name of which astronomical object comes from the Greek words for long-haired?

5.

The name of which astronomical object comes from the Greek word for milk?

6.

What designation is the motorway that runs to Telford off the M6?

7.

In which northern town was the actress Maxine Peake born?

8.

Maribor are a football team from which country?

Sp1

The name of which astronomical object comes from the Greek for wanderer?

Sp2

Which was the first football league club to be demoted to the National league in 1987?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Run-ons with an artistic flavour

1.

15th century panel painting by Sandro Botticelli whose Italian title means 'spring';

&

2004 period drama film directed by Mike Leigh and starring Imelda Staunton in the title role.

2.

1878 oil painting by William Frederick Yeames depicting a young boy being questioned by Parliamentarians set during the English Civil War;

&

Description of Satan given by Jesus in the Gospel of St John.

3.

Official name of the 1871 oil painting by James Whistler popularly known as Whistler's Mother;

&

2000-2004 British sitcom starring Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig.

4.

15th century sculpture by Michelangelo in St Peter's basilica in Rome depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead Jesus in her arms;

&

Ancient dynasty of China which ruled from 618 to 907 CE.

5.

1971 opera in two acts by Benjamin Britten with libretto by Myfanwy Piper and based on a short story by Henry James;

&

An autoimmune disease that is responsible for hyperthyroidism.

6.

Artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century and included artists such as Gino Severini and Tommaso Marinetti;

&

Muslim sect of whom the Aga Khan is the religious and temporal leader.

7.

English artist and sculptor born in Wakefield in 1903 whose work exemplifies modern sculpture and who died in an accidental fire in a studio in St Ives in 1975;

&

Seaside town and borough in West Sussex at the foot of the South Downs 11 miles west of Brighton and 18 miles east of Chichester.

8.

Surname of the lady thought to be the model for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa;

&

Name of the largest of the Aran Islands lying at the mouth of Galway Bay on the west coast of Ireland and known for a prehistoric clifftop fort, a rectangular natural pool called the Wormhole and seven Christian churches.

Sp.

French painter (1839-1906) who was born and died in Aix-en-Provence and who was a pioneer of the Post-Impressionist movement;

&

Name of the protagonist in the 2019 British TV serial Gentleman Jack starring Suranne Jones in the title role.

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

Two North-West councils have recently been given permission to raise council tax by 7.5%.  Name either.

2.

There are 3 Lib-Dem Members of Parliament in the North-West.  Name any 2.

3.

Flowing through Guangzhou in China, which river and its tributaries form the third largest river system in China?

4.

The newly agreed Chinese embassy in London is on the site of which historic building?

5.

In The Lord of the Rings fantasy, the Ringbearer, Frodo Baggins, travels initially using what alias, an allusion to hobbits’ preference for subterranean dwellings?

6.

Known locally by the alias Mr Booth, or Admiral Booth, from 1846 until his death in 1851, whose last words are reputed to be “The sun is God”?

7.

Cast iron is an alloy of iron with carbon (forming up to 4%) and, in addition to a variety of other minor additions, which other common non-metallic element (forming up to 3%)?

8.

Stainless steel is composed mainly of iron with smaller amounts of other elements such as carbon.  What other constituent must also be present (with a minimum of 10.5%) for the alloy produced to be called 'stainless steel'?

Sp.

What tributary of the River Ribble rises on White Hill, flows through Slaidburn and Whitewell before joining the Ribble near Great Mitton?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - Announced theme - 'Woody Allen films'

Name the film from the brief synopsis of the plot

1.

In this 1985 film starring Mia Farrow and Jeff Daniels, Cecilia, a waitress takes escape from a bad marriage by visiting the cinema but is surprised when the star leaves the film to enter the real world.

2.

Cate Blanchett won an Oscar in this 2013 film as a Manhattan socialite down on her luck.

3.

The story in this 1987 film is supposedly the nearest to Allen's upbringing: A Jewish family in the 1930s live under a fairground ride in Coney Island and seek airtime escapism.

4.

A 1971 Marx brothers style caper in which Allen is drawn into a revolution in South America.

5.

1992 film in which a wobbly camera follows the lives of middle-aged Allen and Sydney Pollock as they pursue younger women.

6.

Diane Keaton teams up with Allen in this 1994 goofy mix of suspicion and anxiety in a New York apartment.

7.

1969 film in which Allen plays Virgil Starkwell, an incompetent criminal in a mock documentary of his life.

8.

John Cusack stars as a 1920s playwright contending with mobs and theatreland in this 1994 film.

Sp.

1986 film starring Mia Farrow, Michael Caine & Diane Wiest centred around a Thanksgiving meal.  Caine and Wiest won Oscars for supporting roles and the film also won Allen an Oscar for Best Screenplay.

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - Hidden theme

1.

Which former Argentinian midfielder and nemesis of David Beckham at the 1998 World Cup has been the manager of La Liga club, Atletico Madrid, since 2011.

2.

Which county is the largest in Northern Ireland?  It is the second largest county in the traditional province of Ulster.

3.

The title of which American anthology television series that ran from 1959 to 1964 soon entered everyday language to describe disturbing, unexplained and surreal experiences?

4.

Which town, founded in 1879 in what was then Arizona Territory, played host two years later to the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral?  This gunfight was the result of a long-simmering feud and, in keeping with so many climactic outcomes, it lasted for less than a minute.

5.

The name of which musical instrument in the brass family was derived from the Italian for 'large trumpet'?  An earlier version of the same instrument had a name thought to be derived from the Middle French verbs 'sacquer' (to pull) and 'bouter' (to push).

6.

What is the common name given to sea snails in the genus Haliotis?  Their flesh is widely considered to be a delicacy, and the highly iridescent inner layer of their shell has traditionally been valued as a decorative item and as a form of currency in many indigenous communities.

7.

From the early days of the Irish Free State the main radio transmission centre for Irish radio was in which town located on the River Shannon in Co. Westmeath?  The emergent nation took much pride from seeing this name feature on wireless dials alongside exotic sounding long-wave stations such as Warsaw, Hilversum and Tiflis.

8.

The lyrics of which single by 10cc were described in a 1975 review of new releases  as "utterly daft and wholly compulsive ..... a deadly accurate barrage of disconnected theories, thoughts and ghastly puns that reduce the human condition to the contents of a well-stacked pantry"?  Less cerebral disco-goers just thought it was a decent enough tune to bop to around their handbags.

Sp1

In Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale who is the wife of Leontes and queen of Sicilia?  Her name is derived from the ancient Greek word for a messenger.

Sp2

Which West African country is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest?

Sp3

What eating establishment is situated at 107 Wilmslow Road?  It is probably the only place in Rusholme's Curry Mile that might be mistaken by Italian tourists as a good place to sample home cooking if they misplace the emphasis when pronouncing the restaurant's name.

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

Staying At Tamara's is an album by which current artist?

George Ezra

2.

Who is the current host of the TV programme Deal Or No Deal?

Stephen Mulhearn

3.

Which English town was the birthplace of the naturalist Charles Darwin?

Shrewsbury

4.

What flavour is the liqueur Crème de Mune?

Blackberry

5.

What flavour is the liqueur Frangelico?

Hazelnut

6.

Which English city was the birthplace of the engineer Isambard Brunel?

Portsmouth

7.

Who is the current host of the TV programme Wheel of Fortune?

Graham Norton

8.

Happier Than Ever is an album by which current artist?

Billie Eilish

Sp.

Certified Lover Boy is an album by which current artist ?

Drake

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

He was born in Luton in November 1982 with the name Stephen  Christopher Yaxley.  He later changed his surname to Yaxley-Lennon.  By what name is he more commonly known?

Tommy Robinson

2.

He was born in Salford in November 1982 with the name David Paulden.  By what name is he more commonly known?

Zack Polanski

3.

In collaboration with the Fenwick department store, which high street chain opened its first pub in Newcastle in 2025?  It is a pop-up pub called The Golden Flake Tavern.

Greggs

4.

To date who is the only Premier League football manager to have an English pub named in his honour?   Since he shares his birthday with King Henry VIII it seems apt that the pub sign shows his head superimposed on the body of Henry.

Sean Dyche

(The Royal Dyche in Burnley since 2018)

5.

Which scholar and poet of the early Italian Renaissance  was born in Arezzo in 1304.  He is credited with being one of the earliest humanists.  His sonnets, famously dedicated to a woman called Laura, were admired and imitated throughout Europe.

Petrarch

(Francesco Petrarca)

6.

What name is given to a series of 48 biographies of famous men written by the Greco-Roman philosopher and historian Plutarch at the beginning of the 2nd century AD?  If you are not sure of the answer, think of the title of a 1978 album by Blondie and change one letter.

Parallel Lives

(Blondie's album was called Parallel Lines)

7.

What ONE word completes this mock epitaph written by Lord Byron shortly after hearing about the suicide of Lord Castlereagh?

"Posterity will ne'er survey / A nobler grave than this / Here lie the bones of Castlereagh / Stop, traveller and _____"

Piss

8.

Founded in 2001 the right wing, national-conservative party PiS governed which European country for eight years until losing their parliamentary majority in 2023?

Poland

Sp1

In which year did the following 3 events happen:

• Kemi Badenoch is born;

• Proving that God is even more politically balanced than the BBC, Oswald Mosley dies;

• John Robertson scores the only goal in the European Cup Final?

1980

Sp2

In which year did the following 3 events happen:

• Kylie Minogue is born;

• Scottish racing driver Jim Clark is killed in an accident on the track in Hockenheim,Germany;

• Jeff Astle scores the only goal in the FA Cup Final?

1968

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Hidden theme

1.

What reggae number reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1978 for Althea and Donna?

Up Town Top Ranking

2.

Which clerical character in Pride and Predudice is delighted by the condescension shown him by Lady Catherine De Burgh?

Mr Collins

3.

Born in Milan in 1935 and dying in Wolverhampton in 2021, which England batsman and captain in 30 Tests during the 1960s earned the epithet 'Lord' for his aloof self-confidence?

Ted Dexter

4.

Born in 1949 in New Zealand, who became the first woman to sail single-handedly round the world via Cape Horn?

Naomi James

5.

Which Scottish composer and occasional actor, born 1953, is best known for his many film scores which include Gosford Park and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire among many others?  This close collaborator of Kenneth Branagh has been nominated for 2 Academy Awards and 2 Golden Globes.

Patrick Doyle

6.

Which Frenchman did Henry VIII wrestle (and was defeated by) at the 'Field of the Cloth of Gold' festival in France in 1520?

King Francis (the first)

7.

Who won the Pentathlon for Great Britain in the 1972 Olympics in Munich?

Mary Peters

8.

Which now defunct prison, situated in Southwark, was largely used as a debtors’ prison, as described in detail by Charles Dickens in Little Dorrit?  Dickens’ own father was imprisoned there for unpaid debts.

The Marshalsea

Sp.

Which of the 6 main Friends characters was played by the late Matthew Perry?  (full name required)

Chandler Bing

Theme: Each answer contains the surname of a well known detective writer ...

Ian Rankin, Wilkie Collins, Colin Dexter, PD James, Arthur Conan Doyle, Dick Francis, Ellis Peters, Ngaio Marsh and Raymond Chandler

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Pairs

1.

Ludogorets Razgad are a football team from which country?

Bulgaria

2.

In which northern town was the actress Sarah Lancashire born?

Oldham

3.

What designation is the motorway that runs to Bradford off the M62?

M606

4.

The name of which astronomical object comes from the Greek words for long-haired?

Comet

5.

The name of which astronomical object comes from the Greek word for milk?

Galaxy

6.

What designation is the motorway that runs to Telford off the M6?

M54

7.

In which northern town was the actress Maxine Peake born?

Bolton

8.

Maribor are a football team from which country?

Slovenia

Sp1

The name of which astronomical object comes from the Greek for wanderer?

Planet

Sp2

Which was the first football league club to be demoted to the National league in 1987?

Lincoln City

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Run-ons with an artistic flavour

1.

15th century panel painting by Sandro Botticelli whose Italian title means 'spring';

&

2004 period drama film directed by Mike Leigh and starring Imelda Staunton in the title role.

La Primavera/

Vera Drake

2.

1878 oil painting by William Frederick Yeames depicting a young boy being questioned by Parliamentarians set during the English Civil War;

&

Description of Satan given by Jesus in the Gospel of St John.

And when did you last see your father/

"Father of Lies"

3.

Official name of the 1871 oil painting by James Whistler popularly known as Whistler's Mother;

&

2000-2004 British sitcom starring Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig.

Arrangement in Grey and Black/

Black Books

4.

15th century sculpture by Michelangelo in St Peter's basilica in Rome depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead Jesus in her arms;

&

Ancient dynasty of China which ruled from 618 to 907 CE.

La Pieta/

Tang

5.

1971 opera in two acts by Benjamin Britten with libretto by Myfanwy Piper and based on a short story by Henry James;

&

An autoimmune disease that is responsible for hyperthyroidism.

Owen Wingrave/

Graves Disease

6.

Artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century and included artists such as Gino Severini and Tommaso Marinetti;

&

Muslim sect of whom the Aga Khan is the religious and temporal leader.

Futurism/

Ismaili

7.

English artist and sculptor born in Wakefield in 1903 whose work exemplifies modern sculpture and who died in an accidental fire in a studio in St Ives in 1975;

&

Seaside town and borough in West Sussex at the foot of the South Downs 11 miles west of Brighton and 18 miles east of Chichester.

Barbara Hepworth/

Worthing

8.

Surname of the lady thought to be the model for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa;

&

Name of the largest of the Aran Islands lying at the mouth of Galway Bay on the west coast of Ireland and known for a prehistoric clifftop fort, a rectangular natural pool called the Wormhole and seven Christian churches.

Gheradini/

Inish more

Sp.

French painter (1839-1906) who was born and died in Aix-en-Provence and who was a pioneer of the Post-Impressionist movement;

&

Name of the protagonist in the 2019 British TV serial Gentleman Jack starring Suranne Jones in the title role.

Paul Cezanne/

Anne Lister

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

Two North-West councils have recently been given permission to raise council tax by 7.5%.  Name either.

Either Warrington or Trafford

2.

There are 3 Lib-Dem Members of Parliament in the North-West.  Name any 2.

(any 2 of)

Tim Farron, Lisa Smart or Tom Morrison

3.

Flowing through Guangzhou in China, which river and its tributaries form the third largest river system in China?

The Pearl River

4.

The newly agreed Chinese embassy in London is on the site of which historic building?

The Royal Mint

5.

In The Lord of the Rings fantasy, the Ringbearer, Frodo Baggins, travels initially using what alias, an allusion to hobbits’ preference for subterranean dwellings?

Underhill

6.

Known locally by the alias Mr Booth, or Admiral Booth, from 1846 until his death in 1851, whose last words are reputed to be “The sun is God”?

JMW Turner

7.

Cast iron is an alloy of iron with carbon (forming up to 4%) and, in addition to a variety of other minor additions, which other common non-metallic element (forming up to 3%)?

Silicon

8.

Stainless steel is composed mainly of iron with smaller amounts of other elements such as carbon.  What other constituent must also be present (with a minimum of 10.5%) for the alloy produced to be called 'stainless steel'?

Chromium

Sp.

What tributary of the River Ribble rises on White Hill, flows through Slaidburn and Whitewell before joining the Ribble near Great Mitton?

(River) Hodder

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - Announced theme - 'Woody Allen films'

Name the film from the brief synopsis of the plot

1.

In this 1985 film starring Mia Farrow and Jeff Daniels, Cecilia, a waitress takes escape from a bad marriage by visiting the cinema but is surprised when the star leaves the film to enter the real world.

Purple Rose of Cairo

2.

Cate Blanchett won an Oscar in this 2013 film as a Manhattan socialite down on her luck.

Blue Jasmine

3.

The story in this 1987 film is supposedly the nearest to Allen's upbringing: A Jewish family in the 1930s live under a fairground ride in Coney Island and seek airtime escapism.

Radio Days

4.

A 1971 Marx brothers style caper in which Allen is drawn into a revolution in South America.

Bananas

5.

1992 film in which a wobbly camera follows the lives of middle-aged Allen and Sydney Pollock as they pursue younger women.

Husbands and Wives

6.

Diane Keaton teams up with Allen in this 1994 goofy mix of suspicion and anxiety in a New York apartment.

Manhattan Murder Mystery

7.

1969 film in which Allen plays Virgil Starkwell, an incompetent criminal in a mock documentary of his life.

Take the Money and Run

8.

John Cusack stars as a 1920s playwright contending with mobs and theatreland in this 1994 film.

Bullets over Broadway

Sp.

1986 film starring Mia Farrow, Michael Caine & Diane Wiest centred around a Thanksgiving meal.  Caine and Wiest won Oscars for supporting roles and the film also won Allen an Oscar for Best Screenplay.

Hannah and her Sisters

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - Hidden theme

1.

Which former Argentinian midfielder and nemesis of David Beckham at the 1998 World Cup has been the manager of La Liga club, Atletico Madrid, since 2011.

Diego Simeone

2.

Which county is the largest in Northern Ireland?  It is the second largest county in the traditional province of Ulster.

County Tyrone

(Donegal is Ulster's largest county)

3.

The title of which American anthology television series that ran from 1959 to 1964 soon entered everyday language to describe disturbing, unexplained and surreal experiences?

(The) Twilight Zone

4.

Which town, founded in 1879 in what was then Arizona Territory, played host two years later to the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral?  This gunfight was the result of a long-simmering feud and, in keeping with so many climactic outcomes, it lasted for less than a minute.

Tombstone

5.

The name of which musical instrument in the brass family was derived from the Italian for 'large trumpet'?  An earlier version of the same instrument had a name thought to be derived from the Middle French verbs 'sacquer' (to pull) and 'bouter' (to push).

Trombone

(earlier version was the sackbutt)

6.

What is the common name given to sea snails in the genus Haliotis?  Their flesh is widely considered to be a delicacy, and the highly iridescent inner layer of their shell has traditionally been valued as a decorative item and as a form of currency in many indigenous communities.

Abalone

7.

From the early days of the Irish Free State the main radio transmission centre for Irish radio was in which town located on the River Shannon in Co. Westmeath?  The emergent nation took much pride from seeing this name feature on wireless dials alongside exotic sounding long-wave stations such as Warsaw, Hilversum and Tiflis.

Athlone

8.

The lyrics of which single by 10cc were described in a 1975 review of new releases  as "utterly daft and wholly compulsive ..... a deadly accurate barrage of disconnected theories, thoughts and ghastly puns that reduce the human condition to the contents of a well-stacked pantry"?  Less cerebral disco-goers just thought it was a decent enough tune to bop to around their handbags.

Life is a Minestrone

Sp1

In Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale who is the wife of Leontes and queen of Sicilia?  Her name is derived from the ancient Greek word for a messenger.

Hermione

Sp2

Which West African country is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest?

Sierra Leone

Sp3

What eating establishment is situated at 107 Wilmslow Road?  It is probably the only place in Rusholme's Curry Mile that might be mistaken by Italian tourists as a good place to sample home cooking if they misplace the emphasis when pronouncing the restaurant's name.

Camel One

Theme: Each answer ends with the letters 'o-n-e'

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers