Latest questions: 17 June 2025

These questions were inspired by those set for use in Week 6 of the 2024–5 season in Macclesfield Quiz League, by Hammers of the Castle.

In which country was San Miguel beer first brewed (in 1890)?		The Philippines
Which business was first established in 1928 in a wooden hut in Guisley, West Yorkshire?		Harry Ramsden's
Which ancient Scottish province, now a district in the Argyll and Bute council area, gives its name to the traditional 'square sausage'?		Lorne
Which drink was created in Newcastle–upon–Tyne in 1927, and lost its initial letter in 1933 after a change of ownership and marketing strategy?		Lucozade
Which former England cricket captain captained Leicestershire to their first county championship in 1975?		Ray Illingworth
Which film, released in the year 2000, stars Ray Winstone as a retired criminal living on the Costa del Sol, Ben Kingsley as a sociopathic gangster who demands that the former character take part in a bank robbery in London, and Paul McShane as the mastermind of the robbery?		Sexy Beast
Which BBC 'Play for Today', completed in 1977, starred Ray Winstone, David Threlfall and Phil Daniels as three Borstal inmates? The BBC chose not to show it until 1999, because of its extreme violence, but a film version (in which Winstone and Daniels reprised their roles) was released in 1979.		Scum
Who played baseball star 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson in the 1989 film Field of Dreams?		Ray Liotta
In the 1988 film Rain Man, what's the surname of the brothers played by Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise?		Babbitt
Who is the new King of Denmark, having succeeded his mother (Queen Margrethe II) following her abdication on the 14th of January 2024?		Frederik X
Who replaced Anne Robinson in July 2022 as the presenter of Channel 4's Countdown?		Colin Murray
Which controversial school in Wembley, north London, established in 2014 and often described as the "strictest school in Britain", was sued (unsuccessfully) by a Muslim pupil in 2023, after banning "prayer rituals"?		Michaela Community School
In which year did Cable News Network (CNN) begin broadcasting, as the world's first 24–hour television news channel?		1980
As well as a co–founder of the Magdalen Hospital for the Reception of Penitent Prostitutes (in Whitechapel) and a staunch critic of tea drinking, Jonas Hanway (1712–86) is said to have been the first male person to use what portable item in London?		An umbrella
What is or was a galliard?		A type of dance
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, which Welsh cyclist became the first British woman to win three medals in a single Games since Mary Rand in 1964?		Emma Finucane
Which politician, environmental lawyer, author, conspiracy theorist, and anti–vaccine activist (according to Wikipedia) was appointed by Donald Trump in February 2025 as Secretary of Health and Human Services?		Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In May 2025, the UK agreed to transfer sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory (a.k.a. the Chagos Islands) to which country (whilst retaining a 99–year lease on the Diego Garcia military base)?		Mauritius
Established in John o'Groats in 2022, 8 Doors is the most northerly business of what sort on the British mainland?		Distillery
Established in 2012 on the island of Unst, and producing gin and whisky under the Shetland Reel brand, what is currently the UK's most northerly distillery?		Saxa Vord
Which UK prime minister was the only one between Alec Douglas–Home and David Cameron to have been privately educated?		Tony Blair
Who succeeded Joseph Coelho as UK Children's Laureate in July 2024?		Frank Cottrell–Boyce
Which British boxer won the IBF world heavyweight title in June 2024, and successfully defended it against Anthony Joshua in September 2024?		Daniel Dubois
Which group won the 2024 Mercury Prize with their debut album, This Could Be Texas?		English Teacher
In what year were speed cameras first used on UK roads?		1992
Who named their fourth child and second daughter, born on the 21st of May 2025, Poppy Eliza Josephine?		Boris and Carrie Johnson
Name the top three in the 2024 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.		Keely Hodgkinson
		Luke Littler
		Joe Root
The King's Awards for Enterprise are announced on what day of the year?		The anniversary of his coronation (6 May)

© Haydn Thompson 2025