ROUND 1 – Pot Luck I

1.

What is the earliest date that Easter Sunday can fall (though it has not been this early since 1818)? (allow + or – one day)

March 22^nd  (accept March 21^st, 22^nd or 23^rd)

2.

Which actress played Bond Girl, Mary Goodnight, in The Man With The Golden Gun?

Britt Ekland

3.

In which art gallery would you find Whistler’s Mother (aka Arrangement in Grey and Black No 1)?

Louvre, Paris

4.

In the Cabinet who is the Secretary of State for International Development?

Hilary Benn

5.

Who composed the opera Death in Venice in 1971?

Benjamin Britten

6.

Which African country was formerly known as Northern Rhodesia?

Zambia

7.

Which city has districts including Liberton, Craigmillar and Morningside?

Edinburgh

8.

The ore galena is a source of which element?

Lead

ROUND 2 - Pot Luck II

1.

The ore cinnabar is a source of which element?

Mercury

2.

Which city has districts including Denton, Kenton and Jesmond?

Newcastle upon Tyne

3.

Which African country was formerly called Dahomey?

Benin

4.

Who directed the 1973 film Death in Venice?

Luchino Visconti

5.

In the Cabinet, which post is occupied by Paul Murphy?

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

6.

In which art gallery is The Rokeby Venus (aka The Toilet of Venus) by Velazquez?

National Gallery, London

7.

Which actress played Bond Girl, Pussy Galore, in Goldfinger?

Honor Blackman

8.

What is the latest date that Easter Sunday can fall (though it has not been this late since 1943)? (allow + or – one day)

April 25^th (accept April 24^th, 25^th or 26^th)

ROUND 3 - Threes

1.

Name any three of Donny Osmond’s five singing brothers.

(3 from) Alan, Jay, Merrill, Wayne, Jimmy

2.

Name any three of Michael Jackson’s five singing brothers.

(3 from) Tito, Jermaine, Jackie, Marlon, Randy

3.

Which is the most recent team to win three consecutive FA Cups?

Blackburn Rovers (1884/5/6)

4.

Which is the most recent team to win three consecutive European Cups (in soccer)?

Bayern Munich (1974/5/6)

5.

Who had a No 1 hit single in 1954 with Three Coins In The Fountain?

Frank Sinatra

6.

Who had a No 1 hit single in 1978 with Three Times A Lady?

The Commodores

7.

Since 1890 Holland has had three consecutive Queens as Head of State. Name any two.

(2 from) Wilhelmina, Juliana, Beatrix

8.

The Three Choirs Festival rotates annually among three cathedral choirs. Name any two.

(2 from) Hereford, Worcester, Gloucester

ROUND 4 - The Top 10 Sitcoms

Questions based on the recent BBC poll in which (surprise, surprise) all the Top 10 were made by the BBC

1.

The Reverend Timothy Farthing is an occasional character in which Top 10 sitcom?

Dad’s Army

2.

What was the short-lived and less successful sequel series to Porridge which related the adventures of Norman Stanley Fletcher after his release?

Going Straight

3.

Miss Mannshaft and Mrs Doom-Patterson are unseen characters in which Top 10 sitcom?

The Good Life

4.

What is the forename of The Vicar of Dibley, which she shares with the goat in The Good Life?

Geraldine

5.

In Only Fools and Horses what is the forename of Rodney’s wife?

Cassandra

6.

In the Fawlty Towers, Gourmet Night episode who or what was given a “damned good thrashing”?

Basil’s broken down car

7.

In One Foot In The Grave what is the name of Victor and Margaret Meldrew’s long-suffering friend, amongst whose misfortunes were to be trapped in a bag of cement with Victor, and to develop a pork tapeworm even though she was Jewish? (either forename OR surname is acceptable)

Mrs Jean Warboys

8.

In Blackadder Goes Forth which character’s last words were “Thank God we lived through it - the Great War 1914-1917”? (either forename OR surname is acceptable)

Captain Kevin Darling

ROUND 5 - Schools

1.

Which 1968 film is set in Marcia Blaine’s School for Girls?

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

2.

Which 1978 film is set in Rydell High School?

Grease

3.

In which classic novel does Lowood School feature?

Jane Eyre

4.

In which classic novel does Dotheboy’s Hall feature?

Nicholas Nickleby

5.

Which illustrator created St Trinian’s School for Girls?

Ronald Searle

6.

Which actor played the Headmistress in the St Trinian’s film series?

Alistair Sim

7.

Which king founded Eton College in 1440?

Henry VI (sixth)

8.

Which public school did William of Wykeham found in 1382?

Winchester

ROUND 6  - Crime and Punishment

1.

Name the city and state in which Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4^th 1968.

Memphis, Tennessee

2.

Name the city and state in which Robert F Kennedy was assassinated on June 4^th 1968.

Los Angeles, California

3.

Four US Presidents have been assassinated.  Lincoln and Kennedy are two. Name the other two (surnames will do)

Garfield and McKinley

4.

Irish terrorists have murdered four sitting MPs in the last 25 years.  Airey Neave was one.  Name any one of the other three.

(One from) Robert Bradford, Ian Gow, Anthony Berry

5.

Who were the husband and wife electrocuted for treason in New York in 1953? (surname will be enough for both points)

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

6.

In which year were the last judicial executions in England?

1964

7.

In which year (+ or - ten years) was the gas chamber first used in the US?

1924 (in Nevada) (accept 1914-1934)

8.

In which year (+ or - ten years) did Simon, Lord Lovat become the last man in England to be executed by being beheaded with an axe?

1747 (accept 1737-1757) (he supported the wrong side in the ’45 rebellion)

ROUND 7 – 1976

  Recently it was announced that 1976 was Britain’s best ever year but how much can you remember of that time?

1.

The Summer Olympics were in Montreal but where were the Winter Games held in February 1976?

Innsbruck, Austria

2.

Which team beat Manchester United in the 1976 FA Cup Final?

Southampton

3.

Which comic actor died on stage (literally) at the Sunderland Empire in April 1976?

Sid James

4.

I, Claudius was first broadcast on BBC2 in September 1976.  Which actor played the role of the emperor Augustus?

Brian Blessed

5.

Who was elected American Vice President in November 1976?

Walter Mondale

6.

Which sports minister was appointed Minister for Drought in 1976 whereupon it began to rain (wasn’t old Labour amazing!!)?

Dennis Howell

7.

Which film won all four major Oscars (best film, director, actor and actress) in the 1976 awards ceremony?

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest

8.

Name the group and the song, which won the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest in April 1976.

Brotherhood of Man singing Save Your Kisses For Me

ROUND 8 - Teasers

1.

What kind of fruit is an Ellison’s Orange?

Apple

2.

What is the country of origin of the kiwi fruit?

China

3.

Yuppie acronyms:  What is a SINBAD (as might be applied to, for example, the fictional Bridget Jones)?

Single Income No Boyfriend Absolutely Desperate

4.

Yuppie acronyms: What is a LOMBARD (as might be applied to many Premier league football players)?

Loads Of Money But A Right Dickhead

5.

Which well-known phrase derives from the uneasy relationship between the two Livery Companies, the Merchant Taylors’ and the Skinners?

“To be at sixes and sevens”

6.

Which well-known phrase derives from the easy relationship between Prime Minister Arthur Balfour and his immediate predecessor, the Marquess of Salisbury?

“Bob’s your uncle”

7.

Give a year in the life of the English composer William Byrd.

1543-1623

8.

Give a year in the life of the Florentine artist Giotto.

1266-1337

SPARES

1.

Which actor created the character David Brent?

Ricky Gervais

2.

Who is the present Archbishop of York?

David Hope

3.

Which playing card is nicknamed “the curse of Scotland”?

Nine of Diamonds

4.

Omar Bongo is the long serving leader of which African nation?

Gabon

5.

In which town is poet Robert Burns buried?

Dumfries

6.

In which country were the inaugural British Empire Games in 1930?

Canada

7.

Which publishing house is “run by women for women”?

Virago

8.

Which private investigator has a nephew called Raymond West?

Miss Jane Marple

9.

How many stars are there on the flag of Iraq?

3

10.

Which horse was captured by the British, outlived its owner by eight years, had its skeleton preserved in London’s National Army Museum and had a snuff box made out of one of its hooves?

Marengo (Napoleon’s horse)