The Edinburgh Boxing Day Quiz 2012

How was it for you? Are you suitably stuffed with turkey and all the trimmings? Bursting with Brussels and bonhomie?

No doubt you’re just about ready for a mince pie and small sherry . . . and the annual Evening News Big Boxing Day Quiz. What better way to get the mind and memory working – if not the muscles?

Here are 100 questions about almost anything and everything that happened in Edinburgh (and some slightly further afield) in 2012. From sport to politics, hard news to amusing tales, can you recall just what did occur in the Capital this year?

Get cracking – there’s no prize, except the satisfaction of knowing that nothing has escaped your eagle eye in the last 12 months and the Christmas port hasn’t yet managed to addle your memory. Good luck!

NEWS

1: What life-threatening disease affected 101 people in May this year?

2: How many people lost their jobs when Hall’s of Broxburn shut its doors after 80 years?

3: Back in January, teenage cancer fundraiser Lynne McNicoll and her husband, Ian, launched a campaign to make cycling on Edinburgh’s roads safer. Do you know why?

4: Which two top health officials bit the dust after it was revealed NHS Lothian was fiddling patient waiting time figures to meet targets?

5: The chief executive of RBS, Stephen Hester, we were told in May, was not receiving the commercial going rate for his job. Can you remember the size of his remuneration package?

6: What was the stage name of the red-haired Edinburgh punk who took her boss, BNP MEP Andrew Brons, to an employment tribunal, forcing Nick Griffin to give evidence on her behalf?

7: Jay Crawford ruled the Edinburgh airwaves for decades on various radio stations. But he’s had to give up, suffering from a hearing condition. Name it.

8: Which large green space has been at the centre of a major campaign this year. Is it a) Portobello Park, b) Napier’s Craighouse campus or c) Edinburgh Academical’s grounds in Raeburn Place?

9: Pop legend Madonna brought her mix of controversy and couture to the Capital in July. But why were so many of her fans left raging about the materialism of the girl?

10: Which two communities are at loggerheads over public access and rights of way?

11: Which bus firm caused controversy by slashing its services in East Lothian this year?

12: His achievements made the Evening News turn gold for a day. Who is he?

13: What regal venue was chosen to host a Chanel fashion show attended by world-famous designers and Hollywood A-listers earlier this month?

14: In October, NHS Lothian came under fire for a) its care of the elderly, b) slashing the bed numbers in St John’s burns unit, or c) its stressed out staff?

15: Mortonhall Crematorium has been engulfed in a scandal this month because of the disposal of babies’ ashes. But how long has the crematorium been open?

NEED ANSWERS >>

STATE OF THE NATION

1: Who had to apologise to the Scottish Parliament for getting their figures wrong?

2: What controversial addition is going to put another £6.5 million on the cost of the Scottish Parliament building?

3: Which former Lothian MP who served as a junior minister under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan died in January?

4: What brand new institution did the UK Government announce will have its HQ in Edinburgh following a successful cross-party campaign?

5: Who was criticised for labelling Scotland as “Skintland” and renaming the Capital “Edinborrow”?

6: What did the Scottish Parliament spend £75,000 on after deciding it could no longer justify the subsidy for the MSPs’ bar and restaurant?

7: Who proposed buying the Hall’s of Broxburn meat factory from owners Vion and lease it back to the company but had the offer rejected?

8: Who claimed just 12 per cent of Scots households make a net contribution to the economy?

9: Whose words did Alex Salmond quote in his conference speech, talking about when “the nonsense ends” in 2014?

10: Who said in a keynote speech that Scotland could not be a “something for nothing” society?

COUNCIL CAPERS

1: Which councillor was accused of changing her name to get to the top of the ballot paper in her south Edinburgh constituency for the local government elections?

2: What were “Hobnobbing” councillors accused of spending £15,000 annually on for meetings?

3: Which senior city leaders were accused of repeatedly parking their BMW and Mercedes in the private City Chambers car park?

4: What penalty could you get for swearing, drinking, or playing music too loud on a tram?

5: The long-awaited makeover of Rose Street, complete with themed street lights and banners, is being modelled on which famous London thoroughfare?

6: Which burly group of city workers were instructed by union chiefs to not lift heavy objects due to health and safety?

7: Which unlikely candidate beat the Liberal Democrats in the Pentlands at the May elections?

8: Which 1970s pop hit did a community group fighting the education department plans to close Castlebrae High write and perform a new version of?

9: Tram testing began on the first completed stretch of the route, Edinburgh Airport to Gogar Depot, in November. What is the trams’ top speed?

10: Andrew Burns, the green-fingered city leader, said in September he would consider transforming unused fields into what?

THE SPORT IN QUESTION

1: Who scored the first goal in the Hibs v Hearts Scottish Cup final?

2: Who did Scottish golfer Paul Lawrie beat 5&3 during the singles matches as Europe fought back on the final day to win the Ryder Cup?

3: Which Edinburgh Monarchs speedway rider was the Premier League top scorer in 2012?

4: Which Capital venue failed to host the Scotland v England one-day cricket international due to flooding?

5: What nationality was Hearts’ Scottish Cup winning manager?

6: Which Scottish racing driver became a three-time Indy 500 champion in 2012?

7: Who kicked the winning points as the Scotland rugby team beat Australia in New South Wales?

8: Which position did Hibs finish the 2011-12 SPL season?

9: Michael Leslie from Bonnyrigg turned professional in which sport?

10: Which Hearts footballer claimed he took up painting and decorating during one of the club’s wage delays?

11: Who scored for Hibs in the Scottish Cup final?

12: From which team did Hibs sign goalkeeper Ben Williams?

13: How much were Hearts trying to raise through their recent share offer?

14: Which team did Edinburgh Rugby lose to in the Heineken Cup semi-final in Dublin?

15: Which Edinburgh Rugby player, known as Chunk, retired from the international arena in the autumn?

EDINBURGH’S OLYMPICS

1: How many gold medals did Sir Chris Hoy win in London?

2: Who did Andy Murray beat in the Olympics men’s singles tennis final to claim the gold medal?

3: Which Lothians boxer represented Great Britain at the Games?

4: Which Edinburgh Olympian athlete was told she could not cross a running track at Meadowbank because of health and safety issues?

5: Which Edinburgh school did Paralympian sprinter Libby Clegg attend?

6: Jim Anderson from Broxburn competed in which Paralympic sport?

7: Which British Olympic silver medallist (2008) open water specialist swimmer recently joined the Warrender Baths Club?

8: Former Edinburgh resident David Florence won an Olympic silver medal in the C-2 Canoe class at London 2012. Where was the venue?

9: Who partnered Shauna Mullin in the beach volleyball at the 2012 Olympics?

10: Which competition did Edinburgh University graduate Katherine Grainger win Olympic gold in?

MUSIC TO YOUR EARS

1: It’s a venue like no other, so who became the first band ever to play live on the Forth Bridge in July?

2: Which Musselburgh Grammar pupil won this year’s Edinburgh Got Talent competition after wowing the judges?

3: A song by Evening News staff, recorded as a fun way to celebrate the Scottish Cup final between Hearts and Hibs, became an internet smash in May. Name that tune.

4: Which former Balerno High School pupil signed a million-pound record deal with music giants Universal in June?

5: Thousands of fans swamped the Capital for Madonna’s first ever concert in Scotland in July. Which venue did the Material Girl play?

6: In June, veteran rocker Fish railed against organisers of the Scottish Fashion Awards, claiming his model daughter had been “upset” by her treatment at the bash. With which band did Fish – aka Derek Dick – make his name?

7: She’s a violin virtuoso who has played some of the biggest venues in the world, but only this year made her Edinburgh International Festival debut in the company of the London Symphony Orchestra at the Usher Hall? Who is she?

8: His representatives banned the Evening News from reviewing his gig. Name the motormouthed Mancunian.

9: Name the Edinburgh band who were nominated for a Mercury Music Prize?

10: Which X Factor Troublemaker played a massive outdoor gig at Edinburgh Castle in July?

THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT

1: Name the Baywatch legend who stayed in Edinburgh during August while performing in his debut Fringe show?

2: She’s a face of Chanel and a Hollywood screen goddess. But she took her daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith, to Edinburgh Zoo in May? Who is she?

3: JK Rowling wrote her first book for adult readers this year. What was it called?

4: Which famous Scots actor was forced to pull out from an “In Person” event at the Edinburgh International Film Festival due to illness?

5: Name the famously grumpy comedian who returned after a six-year absence from stand-up to perform a sell-out show at the Edinburgh Playhouse in October.

6: Who is the star of the TV adaptation of Ian Rankin’s book Doors Open which is on television today?

7: The longest-running play on London’s West End went on tour this year, with The Mousetrap stopping off at the King’s. How old is the Agatha Christie play?

8: Name the novelist who was refused travel to the Edinburgh International Book Festival because his green card application was still being processed.

9: The actress behind one of television’s favourite comedy creations, Benidorm’s Madge Harvey, appeared in Maurice’s Jubilee at The Pleasance during this year’s Fringe. Can you name her?

10: Name the Edinburgh author of the book The Railway Man, the film adaptation of which was shot in North Berwick earlier this year?

AND FINALLY...

1: Former Any Dream Will Do star Craig Chalmers had to make hasty exit, stage left, from his role of Prince Charming in a panto after it emerged he had started a career as a porn star. But what is his, ahem, stage name?

2: As the latest best-selling album from Britain’s Got Talent star Susan Boyle, you would expect some hype around Standing Ovation, but why did its launch end up trending worldwide on Twitter?

3: Scarlet ibis Cherry had zoo-keepers in a flap after she escaped and went on a tour of Edinburgh. But how did she get out in the first place?

4: Everyone was after briefs for the Scottish Cup final, but what did Jambo Ian Downie do with the hottest ticket in town?

5: Edinburgh’s parking meanies are notorious for their willingness to fine any vehicle for infringing the rules, but which high-profile car did they NOT give a ticket to over the past 12 months?

6: Tiny kitten Tinker was one of several cats that used up at least one of their nine lives this year, but why did the ten-week-old cat need specialist treatment in a heated oxygen chamber?

7: City restaurant Steak threw down the gauntlet to the Capital’s greedy guts when it launched an eating challenge that pitted participants against a monstrous 92oz rump steak and five side dishes. Who was the first man to take on the challenge? And did he succeed?

8: Edinburgh is renowned for its love of culture. So why was a famous Picasso image censored at Edinburgh Airport earlier this year?

9: Christmas seems to start earlier every year, but just how early did staff at Gala Maybury Casino in the Capital get their trees up this year?

10: How did staff at the tiny Ratho Health Centre reportedly deal with the problem of waiting patients being able to overhear consultations in the doctors office?