Latest Questions: 27 February 2012

What was the name of the topical comedy sketch show that ran on Radio One from 1989 to 1990 - featuring David Baddiel, Rob Newman, Steve Punt, and Hugh Dennis?

The Mary Whitehouse Experience

It was also on BBC2 TV from 1990 to 1992.

Which blockbuster of a book was read in its entirety, in an 8½-hour broadcast on Radio 4, Boxing Day 2000, because the author refused to let it be serialised?	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
What is the principal setting for the Radio 4 sitcom Old Harry's Game?	Hell
What is the highest denomination of Euro banknotes currently available?	€500
What was the name of the trade union that emerged in 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyard, Poland, led by Lech Wałęsa?	Solidarność (Solidarity)

It was the first trade union in a Warsaw Pact country that was not controlled by the Communist Party.

What is the name of the Bosnian town, where over 8,000 Muslims were massacred in July 1995, by units of the Bosnian Serb Army under the command of General Ratko Mladić?	Srebrenica
Which English computer scientist is credited as the inventor of the World Wide Web?	Tim Berners-Lee
When the Cambridge astronomers Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Antony Hewish discovered the first pulsar, they didn't know what they'd found. They dubbed it LGM-1; what did LGM stand for?	Little Green Men
Who set world records for the women's 100m and 200m, in 1988, both of which still stand?	Florence Griffith-Joyner
Who was BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1991, and the only woman to win the award in the 1990s?	Liz McColgan
Who is the coach of the Great Britain & Northern Ireland women's football team for the 2012 Olympics?	Hope Powell
In which TV sitcom do Jim, Dave and Twiggy drink in The Feathers?	The Royle Family
What is the popular name for Chopin's Waltz in D flat major, Op. 64 No. 1?	The Minute Waltz
Which English philosopher's skeleton, stuffed with straw and dressed in his clothes, can be seen at University College London?	Jeremy Bentham
Which English philosopher, a proponent of Jeremy Bentham's theory of utilitarianism, wrote the essay On Liberty, first published in 1859?	John Stuart Mill
Which 18th-century Scottish philosopher articulated "the is-ought problem", which argues that you can't make claims about what ought to be on the basis of statements about what is?	David Hume
Which Austrian-born Cambridge philosopher's Philosophical Investigations, published two years after his death in 1951, has been described as "the most important book of 20th-century philosophy"?	Ludwig Wittgenstein
Which 20th-century British mathematician, philosopher and peace campaigner was the grandson of a 19th-century prime minister?	Bertrand Russell
Which British philosopher, in Leviathan (published in 1651), described the life of man, in a state of war, as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short"?	Thomas Hobbes
Which American philosopher, born in 1928, has been described as "the father of modern linguistics", and is known for his critiques of U.S. foreign policy and contemporary capitalism?	Noam Chomsky
Which Dutch art movement, founded in 1917, included Piet Mondrian among its leading members, and sought "to express a new utopian ideal of spiritual harmony and order"?	De Stijl (The Style)
What is the last but one element in the Periodic Table, alphabetically?	Zinc
In which country did the song and dance rhythm known as the Rumba originate?	Cuba
Which Cuban bandleader wrote the tune known as Mambo No. 5, which (with added lyrics) has been a No. 1 hit for both Lou Bega and Bob the Builder?	Perez "Prez" Prado
Which poet wrote the words "And then there was champagne with foaming whirls / As white as Cleopatra's melted pearls"?	Lord Byron (in Don Juan)
Which palace in St. Petersburg was stormed at the climax of the Russian Revolution of 1917, and now forms part of the Hermitage Museum?	The Winter Palace
Which High Street fashion chain started in 1964, as a youth brand, on an upper floor in the Sheffield branch of Peter Robinson, a women's chain that was bought by Burton in 1946?	Topshop
Who might use the technique known as a rimshot?	A drummer
Which member of the cast of Dad's Army saw active service in both world wars?	Arnold Ridley
Who survived an assassination attempt in 1931, when he fired back at his would-be assassin Aziz Çami outside the Vienna State Opera house?	Zog I (King of Albania)
Which character in Dynasty was played by Pamela Sue Martin from 1981 to 1984, and Emma Samms from 1985 to 1991?	Fallon (Carrington Colby)
Which popular British boxer fought Lee Savold (of the USA) for the vacant heavyweight world title, after Joe Louis' retirement in 1950?	Bruce Woodcock

This was not recognised as a title fight in the USA, and Savold was not recognised as the champion.

Which mammal's English name comes from the local native name, which is said to mean "doesn't drink" - although there is very little evidence to this effect?	The Koala
Phil Collins left Chiswick Grammar School in 1964, aged 13, to play which role in the West End production of Oliver!?	The Artful Dodger

Just in case anyone was worrying about him missing all that schooling ... he subsequently went to a stage school.

In popular culture, Robin Hood is seen as a supporter of which English King (having been driven to outlawry by his brother and regent)?	Richard I (the Lionheart)
In EastEnders, who plays Dot Branning (formerly Cotton)?	June Brown
What was the first football club that Alan Hansen played for, and the only one apart from Liverpool?	Partick Thistle

He moved in 1977, at the age of 21, for a fee of £110,000, and went on to make a total of 620 appearances for the Reds, retiring in 1991.

What was the title of the 1985 film, directed by Woody Allen and set in the Great Depression, about a character leaving a film (of the same name) to spend time with a hapless waitress (played by Mia Farrow)?	The Purple Rose of Cairo
Which member of England's world cup winning team played in one first class cricket match?	Geoff Hurst

He played for Essex against Lancashire at Aigburth, in 1962; he made 0 not out in the first innings, and was out for 0 in the second. He continued to play for Essex's 2nd XI for a couple of years, before (perhaps wisely) deciding to concentrate on football.

Which member of the Royal Family wrote a children's book entitled The Old Man of Lochnagar?	Prince Charles
In which country is Ras ben Sakka, the northernmost point of Africa?	Tunisia
In which country is the village of Y (pronounced "E")?	France

It's in the Somme, Picardie, in the north of the country, near Amiens. Wikipedia also describes a place in Alaska that was previously called Y, but is apparently now known as Susitna North. This is an Athabaskan village, and the former name of Y appears to have been applied for census purposes; and, it's pronounced like the English letter Y!

Which classic cocktail is made by adding a spirit (traditionally brandy) to white crème de menthe?	A stinger
What colour are Rupert Bear's trousers and matching scarf?	Yellow (with a black check)
The city of Amarillo - which Tony Christie asked about the way to - is the 14th-largest in which US state?	Texas
Who painted a Soft Self-Portrait with Fried Bacon?	Salvador Dali
Which 1960s pop group consisted of David Harman, Trevor Ward-Davies, John Dymond, Michael Wilson, and Ian Amey?	Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich

You may need to be lenient with this one if you are catering for a younger audience!

What was the maiden name of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall?

Shand

Her father was Bruce Shand. As far as I can ascertain, she is not related to Frances Shand Kydd, stepmother of Princess Diana. That would be creepy ...

Which American poet wrote the lines: "Because I could not stop for Death / He kindly stopped for me / The Carriage held but just Ourselves / And Immortality"	Emily Dickinson
Britain's last manned lighthouse was at North Foreland, and it went automatic in 1998. In which English county is it?	Kent

North Foreland is the extreme north-east tip of Kent.

Who played Purdey in the TV series The New Avengers?

Joanna Lumley

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Latest Questions: 27 February 2012