Programme 11, 2020

The RBQ 2020 league table, going into today's contest, is as follows:

1 South of England Played 3 Won 2 Drawn 1 Lost 0 Total points 56

2 Scotland P4 W2 D0 L2 Pts 75

3 Wales P3 W2 D0 L1 Pts 59

4 North of England P3 W2 D0 L1 Pts 58

5 Midlands P3 W1 D0 L2 Pts 55

6 Northern Ireland P4 W0 D1 L3 Pts 67

At the end of the programme last time Tom asked:

If a computer company scores minus 6, a disgraced pop duo score minus 3, and the people who turned down the Beatles score 1, which heavy metal band scores 6?

This question is about prefixes denoting different powers of ten. The computer company is Microsoft; the disgraced pop duo was Milli Vanilli, who (it was later revealed) had not actually appeared on the records issued under their name; the people who turned down the Beatles before EMI signed them up were the record label Decca.

Micro- is the prefix denoting 10 to the power minus 6.

Milli- denotes 10 to the minus 3.

Deca- denotes 10 to the power 1 (ie. 10)

So the heavy metal band must be Megadeth, mega- being the prefix denoting 10 to the power 6 (ie, one million). They actually took their name from the official term for a nuclear explosion that causes a million deaths.

Q1 (from Ivan Whetton) On seeing the location of England's deepest lake, a Tarrant TV programme and a Japanese condiment, why might a German visitor think 'what's in a name'?

Q2 An A-list Hollywood actor, a British writer and TV presenter, a model and racing driver and a 1980s South African-born England cricketer, are in a sense yet to grow up. Why is this, and who are they?

Q3 (from Dan Stathers) Music: What might the performers of the first three of these tunes have to do with the subject matter of the fourth?

Q4 Where might you find a Midlands tree, an 18th century British army officer, John of Gaunt's big cat, and some security devices held by St Peter?

Q5 Pike's uncle, Emsworth's brother, an assassinated Prime Minister, and Capability Brown: what shape is their table?

Q6 Music: Which line of Robert Burns is most appropriate for these characters?

Q7 Which attributes of Frank Sinatra would distinguish him from Ian Fleming's Caribbean home, the wizard Sauron, birds of the family Zosteropidae and a periorbital haematoma?

Q8 (from Jim Coulson) How might five months of the year lead you initially to a very old sheepskin, a 'royal' character played by Peter Wyngarde, and a fast and furious leading actor?

The teaser this week comes from listener Alan Mills.

Fred may be one who had far to go, and he was assisted by one who tried hard.

When the latter's turn came he was assisted by a man from the north.

When that man's turn came, his assistant could have been descended from Shakespeare's wife.

In which city would they all be found?

Don't write to us: there are no prizes, but you can see if you have the right solution when Tom reveals it next time.