Match the UK People Trivia Quiz

Answer: Joseph Priestley

Priestley was something of an all-rounder, taking an interest in theology, chemistry, philosophy and politics. Although Carl Wilhelm Scheele had also discovered oxygen, probably before Priestley, the latter was the first to have his work published thus gaining credit for the discovery. Priestley also discovered how to create soda water as well as writing numerous works in his many areas of knowledge.

Answer: William McGonagall

McGonagall was born in Scotland in 1825, and worked as a weaver. He fancied himself as an actor, although his refusal to die at the appropriate time when playing the role of Macbeth meant this was unsuccessful. McGonagall then turned his hand to poetry, writing about local events such as 'The Tay Bridge Disaster' and 'The Famous Tay Whale'.

He had no grasp of scansion, with his only aim being to make sure his verses rhymed. Despite, or maybe because of, this he was much in demand to give recitations, being treated by his audiences as a comedy turn. Apparently, this bothered him not at all with the views of others making no dents in his beliefs in his own ability.

Answer: Liam Neeson

Born in Northern Ireland, Neeson's first major breakthrough was landing the role of Oskar Schindler in 'Schindler's List' in 1993, although this was far from his first role. From that success, he went on to appear in 'Michael Collins' (1996) and 'Love Actually' (2003). Neeson provided the voice of Aslan in the three movie adaptations of the novels of C.S Lewis, filmed in 2005, 2008 and 2010.

Answer: David Attenborough

Sir David Attenborough, to give him his proper title, has been a fixture on British television since the 1950s, bringing his expertise and enthusiasm for the natural world to the sofas of the UK. Among his many series are 'Zoo Quest', 'Life on Earth', 'The Living Planet' and 'The Blue Planet'.

Although he reached the age of 91 in 2017, Attenborough shows no inclination to drift into retirement.

Answer: Bryn Terfel

Bryn Terfel Jones was born in Caernarfonshire in north Wales, where Welsh was his first language. Bryn dropped the Jones part of his name to avoid confusion with another singer named Bryn Jones, and moved to London to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Since graduating, Terfel has pursued a successful career on stage, appearing in operas such as 'Madame Butterfly' and 'Falstaff' as well as many others.

Answer: Martin Amis

Son of the equally successful author Kingsley Amis, Martin published 'The Rachel Papers', his first novel, in 1973. Other novels include 'Money' (1984), 'Night Train' (1997) and 'The Zone of Interest' (2014). Amis has also written several non-fiction works and collections of short stories.

Answer: Max Boyce

Max became the voice of Welsh rugby during the 1970s with some of the songs he wrote still being sung by Welsh fans in the twenty-first century. 'Hymns and Arias' is particularly popular. Boyce managed to capture the spirit of Welsh rugby at the time when the team was exceptionally successful, but his appeal wasn't limited just to his own countrymen. Boyce made several television series, appearing on the main BBC1 channel, between 1976 and 1979.

Answer: David Tennant

David was born in Scotland in 1971, but could not use his real name when he became an actor as there was already someone named David McDonald. He chose the name of Tennant after reading about Neil Tennant the singer from the Pet Shop Boys. David took on the role of Doctor Who in 2005, and is also known for the television series 'Broadchurch' and for playing Barty Crouch Jr. in 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' in 2005.

Answer: Keir Hardie

James Keir Hardie was born in Scotland in 1856 and began work at a very young age. He became active in trade unionism before turning his attention to politics. In 1906, he became the first leader of the newly formed Labour Party and was also the first Member of Parliament to represent the party.

Answer: George Best

Best was born in Belfast in 1946, and made his name as a footballer, or soccer player, if you're from America. He played for Manchester United from 1963 until 1974, during which time he appeared on the front pages of newspapers nearly as much as in the sports pages. Best's 'playboy' lifestyle took its toll, and he died in 2005 after well-documented issues with alcohol.

His home town honoured him by giving his name to the airport as a tribute to his undoubted sporting prowess.