Born in Gloucestershire Trivia Quiz

Answer: Playwright

Potter was born in Berry Hill, a small village near Coleford in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Having worked in journalism, he began writing drama for television, beginning with contributions to the BBC's regular series of short plays, broadcast on Wednesdays during the mid to late 1960s. Among Potter's plays are 'Pennies From Heaven' (1978), which starred Bob Hoskins, and 'The Singing Detective' which was broadcast in 1986 with Michael Gambon, Jim Carter and Joanne Whalley among the actors.

Answer: Musician/guitarist

Brian Jones, born in Cheltenham, was the founder and original leader of The Rolling Stones but was ejected from the band in 1969 due to problems caused by his abuse of alcohol and drugs. He was contributing little to the band by this stage, and the convictions Jones had picked up for his drug use meant that he not be allowed into the USA where the band was due to tour. Barely a month later, Jones was found dead in the swimming pool of his home in East Sussex.

Answer: Actor

Michael Praed was born in Berkeley, although his surname at the time was Prince - he had to change it as he discovered that another actor was named Michael Prince. Praed originally came to public attention when he played the role of Robin Hood in the television series 'Robin of Sherwood' from 1982 until 1984.

He also appeared in the American series 'Dynasty' as Prince Michael of Moldavia.

Answer: Classical Composer

Holst was born in Cheltenham, where his father was the choirmaster and organist for a local church, in 1874. He attended Cheltenham Grammar School, where he began composing pieces for the piano and organ. Holst's best known work is likely to be 'The Planets', an orchestral suite based on the seven planets of the Solar System, with Earth excluded.

Answer: Merchant

Knowing that Twinings is a brand of tea might have helped you with this one. Thomas Twining was born in Painswick in 1675 although his family moved to London while he was still a child. He established the company which bears his name in 1706, originally as a coffee house before realising that tea was more popular.

The premises, in The Strand, London, are still named 'Twinings' in the early twenty-first century, although the company is now part of the Associated British Foods group.

Answer: Medical pioneer

Jenner was born in Berkeley, where his father was the church minister, in 1749. Having trained as a surgeon, he returned to Berkeley where he set up a practice as a doctor. Jenner's major contribution to medical science was to prove that immunisation with a vaccine made from cowpox provided immunity from the deadly disease of smallpox. Jenner was not the only person to carry out experiments using cowpox but he was the pioneer in gathering scientific evidence to convince his peers of the benefits of the vaccine.

Answer: Disc jockey/singer

Born in Cinderford as Leslie Ronald Young, Sir Jimmy Young (as he became in 2002) was first known as a singer. He had hits in 1955 with 'Unchained Melody' and 'The Man from Laramie'. In 1967 he joined the new Radio 1 station as a disc jockey, covering the mid morning slot.

In 1973 he transferred to Radio 2 where he remained until his retirement in 2002. His programme was a mix of music and current affairs, which included interviews with each of Britain's Prime Ministers between the years 1964 and 2010.

Answer: Cricketer

Robert Charles Russell, to give him his proper name, was born in Stroud. The nickname came from terrier dogs of the same name. Russell played as a wicket keeper for the Gloucestershire team, and also for England. His appearances for the national side were fewer than his ability warranted as his batting was less effective than that of his main rival, Alec Stewart. Russell was well known for being eccentric - wearing the same sunhat for years and insisting on using the same bat and gloves. Since retiring from cricket, Russell has concentrated on his other interest of art and set up his own art gallery in Chipping Sodbury.

Answer: Poet

Henley was born in Gloucester and educated at The Crypt School. He had a leg amputated when aged only twelve, due to tuberculosis which affected the bone, and inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to create the character of Long John Silver in his book 'Treasure Island'.

Although his illness continued to cause him problems, Henley established a career as a journalist, editor and publisher. He wrote and published books of poems, with the best known of his works likely to be 'Invictus', said to be an inspiration to Nelson Mandela during his long imprisonment.

Answer: Music producer/song writer

Meek was born in Newent, and showed an early interest in electronics which he would later turn to his advantage in his recordings. Meek established his own recording production company in London, which he named RGM Sound Ltd after his real initials - Robert George Meek.

His distinctive sound created hit records such as 'Johnny Remember Me' for John Leyton in 1961 and 'Have I the Right?' for The Honeycombs in 1964. Meek is likely to be remembered most often for the instrumental hit, 'Telstar', which he wrote for The Tornados, which became a number one hit in both the UK and USA in 1962.