True Brit Trivia Quiz

Answer: James Callaghan

Callaghan's reign ended with the so-called Winter of Discontent. Recent evidence shows that people were much happier in the seventies than in later years.

Answer: St Albans

A pagan convert, Alban was probably beheaded about AD209 in the pogrom ordered by Septimus Severus. The story goes that he hid a priest and gave himself up for execution in his place.
St Albans is in Hertfordshire just north of London.

Answer: Was nationalised

The Bank often called The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street was founded in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still acts as the UK Government's banker. Between 1920 and 1944, the Bank was under the governorship of Montagu Norman and during this period the Bank worked towards moving away from commercial banking to turn itself into a central bank.

In 1946, the new Labour government made the National Coal Board and the Bank of England its first major nationalisation targets. In subsequent years many large national assets were nationalised to raise standards and make them universally available to the populace.

Answer: spread

Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban - 22 January 1561 - 9 April 1626, was a parliamentarian and held two principal offices of state though he was disgraced and retired to follow philosophical and scientific studies. He remained, however, very influential.

Answer: Tutti-frutti

Set in 1986, the series was about a famous Scots rock 'n' roll band called The Majestics. The show starred Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson, Richard Wilson and others who have since become household names.

Though it became a cult hit the series was only repeated once (10 months after first transmission) because of copyright difficulties with Little Richard, the title tune's composer.

Answer: Sir Stamford Raffles

Not Hornung's Raffles the amateur cracksman (EW Hornung 1866 - 1921), Stamford Raffles (1791 - 1826) started as a clerk with the East India Company and became a luminary in the development of British trade with the Far East. The purchase of Singapore can probably be dated to a ceremony on 6 February 1819 and quite quickly the island became a thriving community of Malays, Chinese and Europeans. Raffles would probably be considered quite enlightened even by today's standards in his dealing with local people.

Answer: Lurcher

Lurchers can be a cross between a greyhound and almost any other dog, but most often a collie type or terrier. They are classified as 'sighthounds' and though not a breed are a popular country dog in the UK. The lurcher probably originates in the UK and Ireland from Irish traveller dogs and they were used for hunting small mammals. The name comes from the Romany 'lur - thief'.

Wazzock: I think it was Tony Capstick the Yorkshire singer, comic and broadcaster who either invented the term wazzock or at least defined it as a spavined whippet bitch... but if you know better...

A tripehound is a slang name for any mongrel.

Answer: thyroid

The story goes that at one time the condition was endemic in Derbyshire because of the lack of iodine in the water. In order to counteract this salt manufacturers added iodine salts to table salt; thus iodised table salt.

Answer: Captain Matthew Webb

In his second attempt of the year he took 21 hours and 45 minutes to swim over 39 miles (64 km) landing near Calais. The distance was lengthened because weather conditions and currents forced him to swim a very indirect course.

Answer: Lord Greystoke

Edgar Rice Burroughs' creation, Tarzan first saw the light of day in the novel "Tarzan of the Apes". First published as a magazine serial in 1912, the book followed in 1914. There were 23 sequels and many spin-offs since, some authorized, some not. Tarzan was the son of English aristocrats shipwrecked of the coast of West Africa. His original title was Viscount Greystoke.