With the quiz master on holiday, the Thursday quiz faced a choice. Take a rest? Or appear each week regardless, but in obtuse pre-written formats. We opted for the latter, and so that is why this week everything has got something to do with the letter P for no readily apparent reason. Let us know how you get on in the comments. The Thursday quiz, No 123 1.THERE ARE TOO MANY OF US: Which of these countries beginning with the letter P has the smallest population? Earth picture Poland Peru Paraguay Portugal Reveal 2.COCKTAIL O"CLOCK: Which three ingredients go into a classic pink lady cocktail? The Prince and Princess of Wales tasting drinks Gin, peach and lemonade Gin, raspberry and lychee juice Gin, milk and Chambord Gin, grenadine and egg white Reveal 3.THE BELLS! THE BELLS!: Where do Portsmouth FC play their home games? Portsmouth Saint Mary"s Stadium Vitality Stadium Fratton Park Plainmoor Reveal 4.ALL THE PRESIDENT"S CROPS: US president Jimmy Carter was famous for farming what? Jimmy Carter Peas Peanuts Potatoes Pelicans Reveal 5.WIBBLY WOBBLY TIMEY WIMEY: Which presenter of children"s favourite Blue Peter also had a recurring role in children"s favourite Doctor Who? Tardis Peter Clifton Peter Duncan Peter Purves Petra the dog Reveal 6.THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE: Which element of the periodic table has the symbol P? A science Potassium Phosphorus Platinum Lead Reveal 7.WHAT"S IN A NAME: In the most recent ONS data release of girl baby names in England and Wales – which is from 2021 – what was the most popular girl"s name beginning with P? A baby Penelope Phoebe Poppy Peri Reveal 8.FASTER HIGHER STRONGER: Paris will be hosting the summer Olympics for the third time next year. When was the last time the city hosted the summer Olympics? Paris emblem 1952 1936 1924 1912 Reveal 9.IT USED TO BE IN YUGOSLAVIA: Andrej Plenković is the prime minister of which country that used to be part of Yugoslavia? The old Yugoslav flag Croatia Montenegro Serbia Slovenia Reveal 10.LAUGH? I NEARLY BOUGHT ONE: Which British comedy sketch show featured mock adverts for cheesy peas? Peas! The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer The Mary Whitehouse Experience Smack the Pony The Fast Show Reveal 11.ON THIS DAY: On 17 August 1896 Bridget Driscoll became famous as the first woman in the UK to be a … Calendar Pilot of a submarine, when she tested a prototype at Leith docks Pedestrian killed in a collision with a motor car, at Crystal Palace in London Professional wrestler, when she was hired by Blackpool Tower circus offering to wrestle all-comers Priest, when she was ordained by a small offshoot of the German Templar society that had founded a community near Tenby Reveal 12.THAT"S GOT TO HURT: In 1812, John Bellingham was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging for the assassination of which British prime minister? Parliament Henry Pelham William Petty Robert Peel Spencer Perceval Reveal 13.BAMBOO HOUSES: What are the names of the two giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, which are due to be returned to China at some point this year? One of the pandas Yang Guang and Tian Tian Ding Ding and Guangquan Huai lang and Yisheng Eric and Ernie Reveal 14.AI FOR IDIOTS: We asked ChatGPT to write a "blockbuster-style question about the letter P" and it was useless at it, but which P is a word that means a cure-all or panacea? AI Stock Pantechnicon Panjandrum Panchreston Panicle Reveal 15.RUSSELL AND RON: What is the name of the fourth studio album by Sparks, released in 1974? Sparks Physical Graffiti Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat Planet Waves Propaganda