Monday 16th January 2012
Set by Warrington

Round 1
1a Defence Secretary Liam Fox resigned in October 2011, who was his best-man and adviser whose presence at many official engagements led to the resignation?
Adam Werrity
1b What do Nielsen Ratings measure?
TV audiences
2a Where do you reach if you "fly towards the second star on your right and straight on till morning"?
Never Land (or Never Never Land)
2b Graham Napier has hit a record 16 sixes in an innings both in a Twenty20 match in 2008 and a County Championship match in 2011, for which county does he play?
Essex
3a Name either of the singers who passed away on the same day, 16th September 1977?
Maria Callas, Marc Bolan
3b What is the capital of the new country. South Sudan?
Juba
4a Terry Deary and Peter Hepplewhite write which series of entertaining and educational books for youngsters?
Horrible Histories
4b Who plays the part of detective DI Richard Poole in the TV series `Death in Paradise'?
Ben Miller

Round 2
1a In November 2011, 'Piccadilly Circus, London', one of the very few paintings of London by which artist, sold at auction for £5.6 million?
LS Lowry
1b Which group had a 1980 hit with 'Turning Japanese'?
The Vapors
2a What is the name of the phenomenon observed when light passes from one medium to another (e.g. air to water) and it appears to bend?
Refraction
2b Where in London is the Bomber Command Memorial to be built in 2012?
Green Park
3a TV 'soap' characters Sinbad, Alma Baldwin and Nick Cotton have all been used in TV adverts for which brand?
Daz
3b Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, is currently head of state of which country?
Egypt
4a Who composed the ballet 'Ocean's Kingdom' first performed in 2011?
Paul McCartney
4b Name either of the astronauts aboard the first flight of the Space Shuttle (Columbia in April 1981)?
John Young, Bob Crippen

Round 3
1a Who played Fu Manchu in the 1960s films based on the books by Sax Rohmer?
Christopher Lee
1b How would any one of Anne Hegarty, Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace and Paul Sinha be described on a TV programme?
The Chaser
2a Lake Placid, a venue for two Winter Olympic Games, is in which US state?
New York
2b Marton, Sally Brass and Christopher Nubbles are characters in which Dickens novel?
The Old Curiosity Shop
3a In November 2011, Wigan rugby league player Sam Tomkins made his rugby union debut in a 'one-off' game playing for which team?
Barbarians
3b Formed in 2001, Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh and Suzanne Shaw were members of which pop group?
Hear'Say
4a Which compound has a ring structure and the formula C6H6?
Benzene
4b In Greek mythology, who is the twin sister of Apollo?
Artemis

Round 4
1a What name is given to the pilgrimage of Muslims to Mecca?
Hajj
1b Name the Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan from where Russian space missions are launched?
Baikonur
2a Klaus Voorman created the cover of which 1966 Beatles album?
Revolver
2b Who composed the oratorio 'The Dream of Gerontius'?
Edward Elgar
3a One of the most widespread of all butterflies, Vanessa Cardui has orange-brown wings with black and white corners. How is it commonly known?
Painted Lady
3b In the Bible to where was Saul heading when he was blinded by the light and converted to Christianity?
Damascus
4a The 'Telegraph & Argus' is a local daily newspaper based in which city?
Bradford
4b Which early US President said "if you want something that you've never had, you must be willing to do something that you've never done"?
Thomas Jefferson

Round 5
1a What name is given to the place of worship in the Sikh religion?
Gurdwara
1b What is the name of the site in Australia used to test and launch missiles and spacecraft?
Woomera
2a Richard Hamilton, who died in September 2011, was famous for the design of the cover of which Beatles album?
'The Beatles' (accept White Album)
2b Who composed the cantata 'Belshazzar's Feast', first performed in 1931?
William Walton
3a What is the common name of the butterfly 'Apatura Iris', the male is the most beautiful found in the British Isles. It has black/brown wings with white bands and a coloured sheen that gives it its name?
Purple Emperor
3b In the Bible parable of the Good Samaritan, to where was the traveller heading when he was attacked?
Jericho
4a The 'Express & Star', which features the cartoon 'Enoch & Eli', is the biggest selling regional daily newspaper in the UK, in which town or city is it based?
Wolverhampton
4b Which British Prime Minister said "in the case of war, it's not who is right but who is left"?
Winston Churchill

Round 6
1a In a series of films based on the books by Donald Hamilton, who played the character Matt Helm?
Dean Martin
1b Who, along with Rachel Riley and Susie Dent, will host the 2012 series of Countdown?
Nick Hewer
2a Squaw Valley, the venue for the 1960 Winter Olympic Games, is in which US state?
California
2b Nadgett, Elijah Pogram and Tom Pinch appear in which Dickens novel?
Martin Chuzzlewit
3a Which rugby league team will play at Langtree Park in 2012?
St Helens
3b In the early 1970s, Lynne Paul and Eve Graham were the lead singers in which group?
New Seekers
4a Pearl is composed of minute crystals of which compound?
Calcium Carbonate
4b In Greek mythology, who is the twin sister of Helenus?
Cassandra

Round 7
1a Which artist painted two versions of 'The Dance' and also 'Le Bateau' which for a period in 1961 was famously displayed upside down in the Museum of Modern Art in New York?
Henri Matisse
1b Which group had a 1981 hit with 'Tainted Love'?
Soft Cell
2a What name is given to the migration of a solvent from a dilute solution to a more concentrated solution across a semi-permeable membrane?
Osmosis
2b The hymenocallis desert flower was the main inspiration for the architects of which famous modem building?
Burj Khalifa
3a In a TV advert, Mr T (from the programme 'The A-Team') takes a tank on to a football pitch to promote which brand?
Snickers
3b Goodluck Jonathan is President of which African country?
Nigeria
4a Who became the third wife of Paul McCartney in October 2011?
Nancy Shevell
4b Name any one of the astronauts who flew in Apollo 8, the first manned flight to leave Earth orbit?
Frank Borman, William Anders, Jim Lovell

Round 8
1a Who resigned as head of the UK Border Agency in November 2011?
Brodie Clark
1b What are given ESRB ratings? The categories are; eC, E, E10+, T, M and AO.
Computer/Video Games
2a In which Disney film do the fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather appear?
Sleeping Beauty
2b Arul Suppiah took a record six wickets for five runs in a Twenty20 match in 2011, for which county does he play?
Somerset
3a Name either of the actors who passed away on the same day, 10th October 1985?
Yul Brynner, Orson Welles
3b What is the capital of Qatar?
Doha
4a Francesca Simon writes which series of books for young readers?
Horrid Henry
4b Who played the detective Aurelio Zen in the BBC TV series of January 2011?
Rufus Sewell

Spare Questions
1 In which town was the 'Comedy Carpet' unveiled in October 2011?
Blackpool
2 The new postcode E20 has been introduced to cover which development?
Olympic Park
3 Which car company produce a model called the 'Kangoo'?
Renault