One Thursday quizzer once expressed in the comments the desire for fewer “real questions with sensible answers” and more questions that involved carefully “weighing the whimsical against the possible”. Well, this is surely their lucky week, as the quiz master is off work for half-term, and therefore this week’s 15 questions are almost entirely whimsy written well in advance. And you’ve got double science as punishment for all the moaning about the sulfuric acid question last week. It is just for fun, and there are no prizes, but let us know how you got on in the comments. The Thursday quiz, No 79 1.CANCEL CULTURE: It is the birthday of John Cleese today. So here is a question about lovely Michael Palin instead. What was the name of the anthology comedy series Palin starred in between 1976 and 1979? Sir Michael Palin Not Only … But Also Rutland Weekend Television The Staggering Stories of Ferdinand de Bargos Ripping Yarns Reveal 2.HOLOGRAPHIC: It is also Robert Picardo"s brithday today. Happy birthday, Robert! He is known for playing the Emergency Medical Hologram character first introduced in which Star Trek series? Robert Picardo Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek: Voyager Star Trek: Discovery Star Trek: The One Where Rachel Finds Out Reveal 3.DANCING ON THE VALENTINE: It is also the birthday of Duran Duran legend Simon Le Bon. Happy birthday, Simon! But what was the name of the third Duran Duran LP – their only No 1 album in the UK? Simon Le Bon Rio Arena Seven and the Ragged Tiger Hounds of Love Reveal 4.OH YOU ANGLO-SAXONS YOU: Æthelstan (not pictured) is often regarded by historians as the first king of the English. He is said to have died on 27 October. But which year? England"s Rachel Daly 939 979 1019 1059 Reveal 5.LITERATURE: Edith Wharton became the first woman to win the Pulitzer prize for fiction in 1921. With which book? Edith Wharton Alice Adams The Custom of the Country The House of Mirth The Age of Innocence Reveal 6.TAMMY"S TEASER: Tammy Wynette had a hit single with D-I-V-O-R-C-E in 1968. But which constellation beginning with O includes the stars Rigel and Betelgeuse? Tammy Wynette Orpheus Orion Octans Organa Reveal 7.1966 AND ALL THAT: A series of questions not related to football leading up to the 2022 Fifa World Cup awarded to Qatar even though the bid process said it had to be held in June and July. The 1998 World Cup was in France, but what is the opening line of the French national anthem? 1998 World Cup L’étendard sanglant est levé Allons enfants de la Patrie Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras Le temps du zoo, c"est le temps du moi et toi Reveal 8.WHEN IT IS SPRING AGAIN I"LL BRING AGAIN TULIPS FROM AMSTERDAM: The delightful city of Amsterdam is in which province of the Netherlands? The Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam Amsterdam Overijssel Friesland North Holland Reveal 9.ROYAL SCANDALS GONE BY: Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, married Edward VIII after he abdicated. But what was her name at birth? Duke and Duchess of Windsor Betty Wallis Nuffield Bessie Wallis Spencer Bessie Wallis Warfield Betty Wallis Cranleigh Reveal 10.GCSE SCIENCE BUT WITH PAUL McCARTNEY: Wings At The Speed Of Sound was the fifth album by Wings (not pictured), who were only the band the Beatles could have been. But what is the SI base unit for measuring the speed of sound called? Beatles mural Pascal Mach Weber There isn"t one Reveal 11.GCSE SCIENCE AGAIN BUT NOW WITH MADONNA FOR SOME REASON: Ray of Light was a 1998 smash for Madonna, who apparently looks like a boiled egg these days if you ask Lorraine Kelly. An endoscope uses glass fibres to enable doctors to see inside a person. Cheeky. Rays of light travel along the glass fibres by …? Boiled egg Total internal reflection Total internal refraction Total internal diffraction A total eclipse of the heart Reveal 12.IT"S A DOG"S LIFE: This is Willow, the official dog of the Guardian"s Thursday quiz. She wants to know in what year did Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer release the movie Lassie Come Home, the first instalment in the shared Lassie universe franchise movies? Willow, the official dog of the Guardian"s Thursday quiz 1938 1943 1948 1953 Reveal 13.SPORT: Always a popular category. We are slap bang in the middle of the 2022 ICC Men"s T20 World Cup in the cricket, which started in fine style with shock wins for Namibia and Scotland (pictured). Where is it being held? Scotland in the T20 Australia New Zealand South Africa United Arab Emirates Reveal 14.WEIRD WORDS: Which of these words is in the Collins online English dictionary as an obsolete Scottish word for being confused or bewildered? Woman reading book in library Tersurus Tintookie Tartrate Taivert Reveal 15.SPARKS IN THE DARK: Here is how an AI imagined Ron from Sparks might look as a Pokémon. But which games company"s hardware have the Pokémon games like Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue, Pokémon Diamond, Pokémon Pearl and so on mostly been released for? A Pokémon designed by Lamba text-to-pokémon Nintendo Sega Sony Konami