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With impeccable timing, last week, when there was a very naughty miniature dachshund making the news, the quiz master decided to take the week off, meaning regular quizzers spent hours poring over every detail of Valerie’s exciting story trying to memorise it all in vain.
At least it meant First Dog on the Moon got a free run to do a cartoon about Valerie without cramping the quiz’s style. Back to the usual format this week, with mostly topical questions and a smattering of general and popular culture knowledge in the mix. There are no prizes, but we always enjoy it when you let us know how you got on in the comments…
The Thursday quiz, No 204
- 1.The WH Smith name is to disappear from the UK high street and be replaced by what?
- 2."Space is hard" we were reminded when a test rocket intended to kickstart satellite launches from Europe exploded less than a minute after takeoff from Norway. What was the Isar Aerospace test rocket called?
- 3.The UK's Royal Mail has launched a range of stamps featuring mythical creatures from the British Isles (not pictured), including the Grindylow. What colour are Grindylows reputed to be?
- 4.We sadly lost Richard Chamberlain, although he had reached the age of 90 and enjoyed a glittering career, so we can't feel too sad. Among the things he was famous for was playing the lead role in Dr Kildare. But what was the first name of the character Dr Kildare?
- 5.We also lost war hero Betty Webb who died aged 101. She spent four years during the second world war code-breaking for the British, where?
- 6.Which company has been given a £165m contract to maintain the Royal Navy’s fleet of 54 Merlin helicopters?
- 7.Coyote vs Acme will finally be getting released, so everybody can rush to the cinema in 2026 and discover that maybe it just wasn't very good. Which company has picked up the distribution rights?
- 8.It is scores on the doors with Swindon’s Diana Dors. This week the statue wants you to imagine you got a nice new dartboard recently. Lucky, lucky you. What is the number on the bottom of a dart board, the diametric opposite of the 20 at the top?
- 9.It's Karl-Heinz and his opening lines. This week the Thursday quiz imagines the German soccer legend would like you to identify the Jane Austen novel that begins: "About thirty years ago Miss Maria Ward, of Huntingdon, with only seven thousand pounds, had the good luck to captivate Sir Thomas Bertram."
- 10.This week's geography topic is Guinea, in west Africa. What is the capital of Guinea?
- 11.Today marks the anniversary of the coronation of Edward the Confessor at lovely Winchester cathedral (pictured). In which year?
- 12.The Thursday quiz isn't adverse to talking about itself in the third person, but at least it doesn't reply to its own social media posts forgetting to log into a different account, as it appears happened to Andrew Gee, the independent MP for Calare in New South Wales. How did Andrew Gee describe Andrew Gee on Facebook?
- 13.Sam Mendes has cast four actors to play the Beatles in the forthcoming quadruple biopic shenanigans. Which of them is playing John Lennon?
- 14.The White House has said that a deteriorating magnolia tree in its grounds needs to be removed. Who is believed to have planted it?
- 15.April Fool's Day keeps PR departments, and the journalists they email, very busy. Which car manufacturer announced on Tuesday that they were introducing new self-driving toilet cubicles that could be summoned with an app?
- 16.And finally, Willow, the official dog of the Guardian Thursday quiz, said she would be sad if we didn't actually do at least one question about Valerie, so, altogether now, on which island has Valerie the very naughty miniature dachshund absconded and lived her best life for 16 months?
If you really do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers – and can show your working and are absolutely 100% positive you aren’t attempting to factcheck a joke – you can complain about it in the comments below. Why not watch this new video for Talk Talk’s beautiful Time It’s Time instead?
