ROUND 1

1.

Which horrendous TV family lives at 1313 Mockingbird Lane?

The Munsters

2.

Which 20th century revolutionary leader was once the governor of a bank?

Che Guevara (briefly Governor of the National Bank of Cuba)

3.

Who is known as the ‘Diva from Down Under’?

Joan Sutherland

4.

The British journalist Frank Johnston, who died in 2006, is credited with creating a phrase which describes media types, politicians and many readers of the Guardian.  What is the phrase?

“The Chattering Classes”

5.

Of what is tryanophobia the fear?

Injections

6.

For which Bond film did Duran Duran perform the theme tune?

A View To A Kill

7.

Give a year in the life of the artist Raphael.

1483 - 1520

8.

Which fruit is a cross between an orange and a tangerine?

Clementine

ROUND 2

1.

How many masts are there on a sloop?

One

2.

A Nebuchadnezzar bottle of champagne is equivalent to how many standard 75cl bottles?

20

3.

What do the initials J and K stand for in the name J K Rowling?

Joanne Kathleen

4.

Who was elected President of France after the resignation of Charles de Gaulle in 1969?

Georges Pompidou

5.

In which TV detective series does a character called James Hathaway feature?

Lewis

6.

Which two countries are separated by the Straits of Bonifacio?

Italy (Sardinia) and France (Corsica)

7.

To the French he is Milou, but in English this fictional character is known by what name?

Snowy (Tintin’s dog and faithful companion)

8.

The London Authority building at Queen’s Walk, London, SE l is popularly known as what?

The Headlamp

ROUND 3

1.

The office building at 31 St Mary’s Ax in the City of London is popularly known by what name?

The Gherkin

2.

To the French he is Crochet but in English by what name is this fictional character known?

(Captain) Hook

3.

Which two countries are separated by the Straits of Otranto?

Italy and Albania

4.

Why has housewife Ann Hathaway been in the news recently?

She is the woman living in Rochdale who has been charged with running a Mafia family in place of her imprisoned Sicilian husband

5.

After whose death did Mikhail Gorbachev become General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party?

Konstantin Chernenko

6.

What do the A and A stand for in A A Milne?

Alan Alexander

7.

How many gallons are there in a firkin?

Nine

8.

How many masts are there on a ketch?

Two

ROUND 4

1.

Which fruit is a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry?

Loganberry

2.

Give a year in the life of the artist El Greco.

1541 - 1614

3.

Take My Breath Away by Berlin featured in which blockbuster film?

Top Gun

4.

Of what is nyctophobia a fear?

The dark

5.

American TV sports commentator Dan Cook is credited with creating a phrase warning against undue optimism. What is it?

“It ain’t over till the fat lady sings” (accept approximations)

6.

Who is known as the ‘Diva from Doncaster’?

Lesley Garrett

7.

Which 20th century revolutionary leader was once a bank robber?

Stalin

8.

Which TV family lives at 1, Coronation Street?

Ken and Deirdre Barlow & co.

ROUND 5

1.

What was once described as “a country without a coastline ruled by an admiral without a fleet”?

Hungary (prior to World War II) which was ruled by Admiral Worthy

2.

Which Hollywood actress served as the model for the wicked stepmother and Queen in the 1937 Disney animated film Snow White?

Joan Crawford

3.

The recently deceased writer, Sheridan Morley, began an interview with a leading politician with the words “It has been said England is a great place to live if you are neither poor nor black”.  The response was “Well, I’m not, am I”.  Who said this?

Margaret Thatcher

4.

For which administrative innovation is Eldridge Gerry remembered?

Gerrymandering – i.e. rigging electoral boundaries to affect the outcome of an election

5.

What colours are skewbald horses?

Brown and white

6.

What was the name of the first space shuttle?

Columbia

7.

Who is the only American President buried in New York City?

Ulysses S Grant

8.

In the Old Testament who was the wife of Boaz?

Ruth

ROUND 6 

1.

Which Asian country uses the Tara as its currency?

Bangladesh

2.

What is the capital of the Finesterre Department in NW France?

Quimper

3.

Who wrote the novel The Manchester Man?

Mrs Linnaeus Banks

4.

Which political figure said “Power comes out of the barrel of a gun”?

Mao Tse Tung

5.

Who was the original presenter of the TV programme Room 101?

Nick Hancock

6.

Which rock group was named after the High Priestess of the planet Vulcan in Star Trek?

T’Pau

7.

Which city was the first to hold the Winter Olympics twice?

St Moritz

8.

Who wrote the novel The Thin Man?

Dashiel Hammett

ROUND 7

1.

Who wrote the book The Lady in the Lake?

Raymond Chandler

2.

Which city was the first to host the Summer Olympics twice?

Paris

3.

Which 70s band’s name was inspired by a cinema chain?

Roxy Music

4.

Who was the original quizmaster on A Question of Sport?

David Vine

5.

Which 20th century political figure said “Guns will make us powerful - butter will make us fat”?

Herman Goering

6.

Which Italian composer wrote The Manchester Sonata?

Vivaldi

7.

What is the capital of the Piedmont region of Italy?

Turin

8.

Which Asian country uses the Baht as its currency?

Thailand

ROUND 8

1.

In the Old Testament who was the wife of Ahab?

Jezebel

2.

Who is the only US President buried in the city of Washington, DC?

Woodrow Wilson (J F Kennedy is buried in Arlington, Virginia)

3.

What was the name of the rocket used to launch the Apollo moon missions?

Saturn 5

4.

What colours are piebald horses?

Black and white

5.

What is the connection between the words: gerrymander and salamander?

One of Eldridge Gerry’s most notorious boundary riggings ended up looking like the shape of a salamander

6.

One of the recently deceased Sheridan Morley’s biographical subjects helped him by giving him two sets of phone numbers, divided into friends and enemies and then said: “Start with the enemies.. and you'll get a better book”.  Who said this?

Noel Coward

7.

The 1942 Hollywood film Roxie Hart was an earlier version of the play/film Chicago.  Which actress played the title role in the 1942 film?

Ginger Rogers

8.

The writer Augusto Bastos has described his country as “an island surrounded by land”.  Which country is he referring to?

Paraguay

SPARES

1.

Name the American animator who created Droopy Dog.

Tex Avery

2.

Who wrote the opera Norma?

Bellini

3.

Who many skaters are allowed on the ice at any one time in an ice hockey team?

Six

4.

What is the capital of the Yukon?

Whitehorse

5.

What is a pomelo?

A fruit (resembling a grapefruit)

6.

How are Mr Fantastic, The Invisible Girl, The Human Torch and The Thing collectively known?

The Fantastic Four