Latest questions: 25 January 2022

These questions were inspired by those set for use in Week 6 of the 2021–2 season in Macclesfield Quiz League, by the Sutton Club and the Plough Horntails.

Dorothy Zbornak (played by Beatrice Arthur), Rose Nylund (Betty White), Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan) and Sophia Petrillo (Estelle Getty) were the title characters in which American sitcom, produced by NBC between 1985 and 1992?		The Golden Girls
Which English comedian changed his name by deed poll to Hugo Boss in 2020, "to raise awareness about the fact that the fashion behemoth Hugo Boss have issued cease and desist letters to small businesses that have the word 'boss' in their name"? (He changed it back two months later.)		Joe Lycett
Whose 1943 painting of [The] Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque was sold at Christie's for 2.285 million pounds in 2021 – having been gifted by the artist to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and bought by Angelina Jolie in 2011?		Winston Churchill
The French composer Charles–Marie Widor (1844–1937) is best remembered today for the toccata from his 5th symphony, for which solo instrument?		Organ
The rock group Måneskin (mona–skin) won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021 – representing which country?		Italy
Which common British bird was featured on the reverse (or 'tails') side of the farthing coin?		The wren
Unmarked birds of what species, found on open water in Britain, are owned by the Crown, by prerogative right?		Mute swans
Which group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean, some 40 miles west of the Outer Hebrides, was evacuated in 1930 following years of declining population, and recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986?		St. Kilda
Recognised as one of the birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution, which UNESCO World Heritage Site in Shropshire includes the villages of Coalport, famous for its porcelain, and Coalbrookdale, where Abraham Darby built the first blast furnace in 1708?		Ironbridge Gorge
Which UNESCO World Heritage Site in east London, on the south bank of the Thames, was recognised in 1997 for the concentration and quality of its buildings of historic and architectural interest?		Maritime Greenwich
Who designed the waterway that's now known as the Llangollen Canal, including the spectacular Pontcysyllte Aqueduct over the River Dee?		Thomas Telford
Which river provided the power to Richard Arkwright's cotton spinning mill at Cromford, Derbyshire?		The Derwent
In the Back to the Future franchise, what speed did the DeLorean have to reach in order to travel through time?		88 mph (142 km/h)
What number would you dial to get the Speaking Clock on most major UK networks?		123
Who was the last female British tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles title, before Emma Raducanu won the USD Open in 2021?		Virginia Wade (Wimbledon, 1977)
Who is the new presenter of BBC Television's The Weakest Link, since its revival in December 2021?		Romesh Ranganathan
Dusty Bin was the mascot, and also the booby prize, on which ITV quiz and game show, first broadcast between 1978 and 1988?		3–2–1
The best–known work of which English writer was not published for more than 120 years after his death in 1703, because it was written in shorthand which was only decoded then?		Samuel Pepys
Which species of daffodil (or narcissus) is also known as the rush daffodil, and gives its name to a shade of yellow?		The jonquil
Which former Cabinet minister resigned as an MP in November 2021 after the Johnson government abandoned its plans to protect him from being punished by Parliament for breaking paid advocacy rules?		Owen Paterson
Where, in the human body, is the organ of Corti?		In the ear (specifically, the cochlea)
Who presented the 2017 revival of Channel 4's The Crystal Maze, which was cancelled in 2020 after three series?		Richard Ayoade
Walter Brown, a.k.a. Walter the Softy, is the arch–rival and antagonist to which ever–popular UK comic character?		Dennis the Menace
Which children's clothing brand, established in 1938, was particularly associated with Woolworths until the latter's demise in 2009?		Ladybird
Which UK National Trail, opened in 1978, runs from Farnham in Surrey to Dover in Kent, through the Surrey Hills and Kent Downs Areas of National Beauty?		The North Downs Way
Which UK motorway runs from the M6 near Preston, to Blackpool?		M55
According to a 1960 TV advert, directed by the blacklisted American film director Joseph Losey, which product guarded against night starvation?		Horlicks
Which Nobel Peace laureate died on the 5th of September 1997 – five days after Princess Diana?		Mother Teresa (of Calcutta)
The name of which grape variety is derived from the French word for crimson? One of the original six red grapes of Bordeaux, it's now rarely found in France, but widely grown in the Central Valley of Chile.		Carménère
In which film, released in 1988 – a fantasy comedy, the second directed by Tim Burton – do Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis play a recently–deceased couple who contact the title character (Michael Keaton) to scare away the new inhabitants of their former home?		Beetlejuice
The name of which fried rice dish, usually cooked with pieces of meat and vegetables – one of Indonesia's national dishes – means 'fried rice' in both the Indonesian and Malay languages?		Nasi goreng
Which item of laboratory equipment was invented in 1771 by the Swedish–German chemist Christian Weigel and improved in 1794 by the German chemist Johann Friedrich August Göttling, but is known by the name of his compatriot Justus von Liebig, who popularised it in the mid–19th century?		The condenser
What was the title of the second film directed by Tim Burton – a 1988 fantasy comedy, starring Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as a recently deceased couple who become ghosts haunting their former home, and contact the title character (Michael Keaton) – an obnoxious and devious "bio–exorcist" from the Netherworld – to scare away the new inhabitants?		Beetlejuice
Who, in 1994, became the first Spanish winner of the Ladies's singles at Wimbledon?		Conchita Martinez
Which town in South Oxfordshire (historically in Berkshire) is known for its Railway Museum, opened in 1967, and its power stations?		Didcot
What was the name of the Downing Street advisor who resigned in December 2021 after footage was released of a press conference rehearsal, in which she joked about a Christmas party that secretly took place at 10 Downing Street during the COVID–19 lockdown?		Allegra Stratton

	Where would you be most likely to find a toposcope?
	At a viewpoint, or on top of a hill or mountain – showing the direction and distance to notable locations

© Haydn Thompson 2022