Final news quiz: Olivia wins the Champagne

The trainees at the Telegraph: James Rothwell, Rozina Sabur, Sophie Jamieson, Olivia Rudgard, Ellie Steafel and Izzy Fraser

The Daily Telegraph trainees said goobye to Howden this week after more than seven weeks training with the Press Association. They spent the first part of their last week preparing a presentation which they delivered to Telegraph executives in London yesterday. It was an opportunity to show off their digital and innovative skills … and was very impressive. 

The trainees present their project to Telegraph executives

On Monday they begin their placements. Some are off to regional newspapers, others to PA. They are destined for great things and I wish them well. They finished with farewell drinks in the Brass Monkey in Victoria last night - but only after the final newsquiz. Going into the final week, the scores were very tight, with Sophie Jamieson and James Rothwell on equal points and Olivia Rudgard only half a point behind. In the tightest of finishes Olivia scored 14 and Sophie 13, meaning Olivia collected the Champagne by half a point. Well done Olivia … but hard luck Sophie. Never have we had such a tight finish. 

To be fair the trainees were preoccupied with their projects so probably weren’t monitoring the news as closely as usual. Still, 14 out of 25 isn’t a bad score. See if you can do any better.

The trainees at the PA offices after Olivia, second from left, pipped Sophie, second from right to the Champagne

1. British troops withdrew from Afghanistan after 13 years this week as the last British base was handed over to local control. Name the base.
Bonus: How many British soldiers lost their lives in those 13 years?
Bonus: By November 11, 888,246 ceramic poppies will have been laid at the Tower of London. Each poppy has been sold online to raise money for the armed forces charities. How much did it cost to buy a ceramic poppy?
2. A jogger ran into David Cameron in which city?
3. Former Labour grandee Lord Falconer lost five stone by cutting out coffee and tea and eating only apples during the day … but he says he also became addicted to what?
4. It is being speculated that which Downton Abbey character may be killed off after being described as ‘terribly listless’ in Sunday’s episode?
5. Why was Stuart Calder in the headlines?
6. Who said: “I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.”
7. Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has been dropped from this weekend’s game after breaking protocol on Saturday. Give one of the two rules that he broke.
Bonus: Clattenburg went to an Ed Sheeran concert after Saturday’s game … in which city?
8. Name the unmanned US rocket which exploded on take off.
9. Robbie Williams sang songs and posted videos to his YouTube page while his wife Ayda gave birth to a boy. What is the baby called?
Bonus: According to a BBC local radio poll listening to music makes people with problems feel perkier. Which song was the most popular?
10. Which supermarket chain has apologised to a 89-year-old poppy seller for making him stand outside and telling him to wrap up warmer if he was cold.
11. Who described the Conservative Party’s attitude towards drugs as a “totally misplaced, outdated, backwards-looking view”?
12. Two RAF Typhoons caused a sonic boom as they rushed to Stansted airport to escort a foreign aircraft that was “causing concern”. In which country was the plane registered?
13. What British produce will be available in supermarkets in December for the first time ever?
Bonus: Supermarkets reported that, because of rain in the North and an increase in demand, there was a seasonal scarcity of what?
14. Which tourist attraction introduced a new LED lighting system and is considering capping visitors to 20,000 a day?
15. According to research by Australian academic Dianna Kenny, people from which job have a life expectancy 20-25 years lower than average?
16. Who is ending a five decades' association with Labour over its position on Palestine?
17. According to the Office for National Statistics, which disease is now the biggest cause of death among British women?
18. How much has Barclays Bank set aside to cover an expected fine for rigging foreign exchange rates?
19. Who sent their first ever tweet while visiting the Information Age Exhibition at the Science Museum?

20. What will Cadbury’s no longer make?

Answers here

Just what readers need ... more tripe!

The problem with today's newspapers is they just don't have quality competitions like they did in back the fifties.

Ginger Rogers played the drums? Who knew?

One of my boyhood heroes, Jack Bruce, died yesterday. He was the bass guitarist, singer and song-writer with Cream, the band that made me really appreciate music. I never knew, though, that Ginger Rogers was not only a brilliant dancer ... but also played drums alongside Bruce and Eric Clapton. Thanks to The Independent for enlightening me on that and to @eshelm for flagging it up.

Final quiz for MailOnline: Lydia's 14 to beat

The MailOnline trainees outside the Manor in Howden. From left: Me, Anneta Konstantinides, Lydia Willgress with the Champagne, trainer Mike Watson, Myriah Towner, Evan Bleier, Kelly McLaughlin and Christopher Brennan.
Picture by Martin Stephens.

I am saying goodbye to the MailOnline trainees who finish their eight-week training in Howden tomorrow and head off to their regional placements this weekend. Five of the six trainees are Americans who, after their time in Howden, the regionals and MailOnline in London, will head back to New York. They spent their last week in Yorkshire wrapping up with Sue Ryan, Mike Watson and me and pitching stories to MailOnline, some of which were published. The Telegraph trainees have another week to go. They were visited by the Telegraph's head of legal Adam Cannon and head of editorial compliance Jess McAree. There were also sessions by political journalist Paul Francis, multi-media specialist Andy Drinkwater, MD of PA images Martin Stephens and they took a media law exam. Tomorrow they are visiting the Liverpool Echo offices so we finished with the newsquiz this evening. Lydia Willgress maintained her amazing run by winning with 14 out of 25. She has averaged more than 17.5 out of 25 each week - a remarkable performance. Lydia collected the Champagne. Christopher Brennan was a creditable second among the Mail trainees.

Top Telegraph trainee this week was Izzy Frazer. It is either getting harder or the trainees have been distracted by exams and story-getting ... as the top scores were lower than usual. So see if you can beat Lydia's 14 out of 25. Should be easy.      

Ben Bradlee - see Question 12

1. Why was Kevin Vickers in the headlines?
2. Britain's cheapest ever mortgage deal was announced at the weekend. What is the rate?
Bonus: Which lender is offering it? 

3. Bono has announced that he is suffering from which condition?

4. Harry Roberts is due to be freed from prison. What was his crime?
5. What are Network Rail considering installing at stations to prevent suicides? 
6. A family found one of the world's deadliest spiders in their home delivery shopping. Which supermarket made the delivery? 
Bonus: What kind of spider was it? 

7. The producers of The Simpsons are being sued for $250 million by actor Frank Sivero. He claims the Mafia character Louie is based on one he developed for which film? 
8. Why was Christophe de Margerie in the news? 

9. Bernard Jewry aka Shane Fenton died following a short illness. What was his more famous stage name?

10. The Duchess of Cambridge was photographed wearing a Jenny Packham pale blue dress at the Natural History Museum this week but what was the event?

11. Name the head of the official inquiry into historic child abuse who is under fire for having links with Lord Brittan?
12. Ben Bradlee, who edited the Washington Post during the Watergate scandal which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, died this week. What year did Nixon resign?
Bonus: Name either of the two reporters who broke the Watergate story for the Post.
13. How much will doctors be paid for each case of dementia they diagnose? 
14. Who, according to a 'virtual autopsy’ had girly hips, a club foot, buck teeth and parents who were brother and sister?
15. Wembley Stadium is sold out for a major sporting event on Sunday. Name either of the teams playing
16. Lynda Bellingham died of colon cancer this week. How old was she?

Bonus: Who announced he was cured of cancer after having a 6.5lb tumour removed from his pancreas. 

17. Who announced plans to cut 9,000 jobs over the next three years as it replaces staff with digital technology?

18. What did newly-weds Andy and Suzanne Kimmerling do on their honeymoon?

19. Who is the founder of the MOBO awards which were held this week?

Bonus: Sam Smith collected how many awards at the ceremony? 

20. What did Oscar Pistorius hand to his uncle for safekeeping as he was led away to begin his five-year sentence?

Answers here

Sideways look at design ...

There were a couple of design innovations that caught my eye last week. The Sun’s unusual sideways headline on Page 1 on Thursday generated a flurry of interest on Twitter. Lots of people seemed to like it. Neil Bonnar, head of sport at the Bolton News, said: "Sun have done it again for me. Genius attention grabber”. Emma Bryant, editor of the Carmarthen Journal and a first-rate production journalist, applauded The Sun for trying something new and even Trinity Mirror’s regional editorial director, Neil Benson, said he couldn’t make his mind up whether he liked it or not. "Suppose the alternative was 15 decks x 3 characters,” he said. My view? It was innovative as a one off perhaps but let’s hope it doesn’t lead to a flurry of copycat pages with tilted headlines, upside down pictures and topsy-turvy text. The danger in design is that we introduce fads and gimmicks because we can - rather than remembering how people read. I remember the change from hot metal to paste-up that led to an epidemic of WOB arrows, starbursts, rounded corners, circular pictures, text overlays and winged-in rules. We were free from the constraints of the linotype machine so we threw every design trick in the book at the pages. It settled down of course and most (one or two advertising departments excepted) went back to thinking about the poor reader. Turning the page sideways, other than for the crossword puzzle answers, isn’t really reader friendly.

On the same day, I was equally surprised to see this page in the Daily Mail. Normally the Mail’s news pages uses lower case serif headlines but here, straight out of the Daily Mirror, was Interstate caps. Initially I though there had been a plate mix-up on a press somewhere … but, no, it is a Mail page. A mistake, an experiment or the sign of things to come?

A Mirror headline using Interstate caps

The usual Mail news page typography

And the ambiguous headline of the month ...

... is a tie!

Ht @eshelm

Front page word blindness

When proof-reading, it is often the headlines that gets missed. Here's an example. More than half the people I have shown this early front page, from yesterday's Times, took at least 30 seconds to spot anything was wrong. 

This week's news quiz: Lydia's 20 to beat

The MailOnline trainees have been working on forward planning stories and Halloween ideas this week. They have uncovered some cracking tales too … some of which will be published on the Mail’s website. Yesterday they had a day with media law specialist David Banks who has taken them to the magistrates' court in Hull today. The Daily Telegraph trainees did social media and live blogging with Darshan Sanghranjka, data with Paul Bradshaw and editing with me. As the Mail trainees are off to court today, we did the newsquiz last night. Lydia Willgress was top again with 20 out of 25 giving her an insurmountable lead in the Mail league table over second placed Christopher Brennan. The Telegraph’s top scorer this week was Sophie Jamieson with 16.5. 

There are 20 questions and five bonuses ... so 25 points in all. See if you can do better than Lydia’s 20.

Big liner visits Southampton (see Question 19)
Picture courtesy of the Press Association

1. America’s war on ISIS has been named Operation _______ _______ . Fill in the blanks.

2. Who said this week: ”You go back, you go back, you go back, you go back, you go back, you go over, you go over. What could you have done? You do as much as you can.”?

3. Judy Finnigan has claimed that footballer Ched Evans’s rape victim ‘had far too much to drink’. Which team does Evans play for? 

Bonus: On which TV programme was Finnigan appearing when she made the remarks?

4. The UK inflation rate for September was announced this week. What was it? 

5. McDonald’s went to great lengths to assure customers it does not use what in its burgers?

6. George and Amal Clooney are reported to have bought a house in which English county?

Bonus: Mrs Clooney is trying to get the Elgin Marbles returned to Greece. Where are the Marbles now?

7. Who said: “I have a number of mentally damaged individuals, who to be quite frank aren’t worth the minimum wage, but want to work."?

8. Australian Richard Flanagan won the 2014 Man Booker prize for literature. What was his book called?

Bonus: Who were allowed to enter the contest for the first time this year? 

9. Why was Daniela Liverani in the headlines?

10. Seventy-seven-year-old paedophile Roderick MacDonald is to be questioned over links to Madeleine McCann. Where was he arrested?

11. Chiles Cartwright was sacked from what?

12. Which two companies are paying women employees to freeze their eggs so they can work longer? (Half point for each)

13. England’s chief medical officer has called for smoking in parks to be outlawed. Name her.  

14. Which teams were playing in the international football match abandoned after a drone flew over the stadium? (Half point for each)

Bonus: What was the score when the game was abandoned?

15. Which honour did the Queen bestow on Angelina Jolie for her campaign work fighting sexual violence and for services to UK foreign policy?

16.  An official overseeing a nurse with Ebola on to a plane from Dallas to Atlanta without the protection of a hazmat suit has been nicknamed what by social media and newspapers?

Bonus: Name the nurse.

17. Who revealed that they knew that, in EastEnders, Ben Mitchell had been played by five different actors while Martin Fowler had been portrayed by three?

18. A cliff near which town has apparently developed a human face?

19. One of the world’s largest liners docked at Southampton this week on its way to Florida. What is it called?

20. Mark Reckless will be attempting to be UKIP’s second MP when he stands in a by-election next month in which constituency? Full name please.

Answers here 

Hacks reunite to celebrate Despatch's centenary

Party time in the King's Head

I spent the weekend chasing, and finding, ghosts in Darlington. On Saturday evening my wife and I joined 30 or so former colleagues to catch up and celebrate the 100th anniversary of a great regional newspaper - the Evening Despatch. The paper began life on September 5, 1914, in order to bring despatches from the frontline back to the people of County Durham. It was closed by Westminster Press in 1986. 

Growing old disgracefully 

I joined as chief sub in 1982. I was only there two and a half years but it was a very special time. The paper was edited by Robin Thompson, my old boss from my first paper in Tyneside. He was an inspiration - a young editor determined to make changes and make a noise. He turned the paper into a vibrant tabloid which broke amazing stories. His real achievement, though, was to surround himself with highly talented, enthusiastic young journalists and encourage them to ‘give it a go’. 

A couple of Despatch wraparounds from the 1980s ... long before other papers latched on to the idea

For a small evening paper in provincial Darlington it certainly threw up some stars. Some went on to be editors, including Tony Watson, the news-editor to my chief sub, who edited The Yorkshire Post and is now MD at the Press Association; Ian Holland who was editor at the Sunderland Echo before his life was cruelly cut short and Peter Greenwood who edited the Craven Herald. Some - Neil Hacking, Ged Clarke, Jimmy Gilchrist, Mark Tulip and Andy Birchall - became renowned broadcasters. Many went to nationals - including Mickey Burke, Steve Butterworth, Guy Keleney and John Lewis. Photographer Alan Gilliland headed up the Daily Telegraph’s art department when the paper was in the vanguard of information graphics. Some, such as Theresa Thomason (nee Kennedy), Jennifer Wilson, Alison Steel, Maxine Holland and Helen Logan chose the PR/marketing road. Others, Dot Butler and Stan Abbott, became successful entrepreneurs. Glyn Middleton founded television company True North Productions. The late Barry MacSweeney was a prolific poet, publishing more than two dozen titles between 1968 and 2000 when his drinking finally killed him. John Dean and Ged have also had books published. Some Despatch journalists, for example Sally Taylor, Andy Brown and Red Williams, carved out good careers in the regional press too. And Robin Thompson, of course, became one of the industry’s leading law specialists. There is a full list of all those I remember here.

I made many lifelong friends during my short time at the Despatch so when Ged suggested a reunion - in the King’s Head next to our old offices - how could I refuse. 

These things can sometimes fall flat, but it turned out to be a wonderful night. Although it was due to start at 7pm, many of us went for a walk down memory lane to the paper’s old pub, the Red Lion. Afterwards there were photos, pages and videos from the old days projected on to a screen and there were great speeches. Ged and Neil resurrected the brilliant Bye, Bye Evening Despatch (to the tune of American Pie). The drinks flowed too. I created some live pages in old Despatch style too (once a chief sub, always a chief sub).

The Despatch lives again ... a couple of souvenir pages from the night

It was a night to remember - with memories of by-elections, floods, murders and campaigns to save Darlington FC. Thanks to Ged for organising it … and to all those who turned up. In 2016, it will be 30 years since the Despatch closed. Maybe, if everyone's head has recovered, we should do it all again …

Those who came were: Robin and Pauline Thompson, Ged Clarke, Tony Watson, Peter and Pam Sands, Neil and Sue Hacking, Glyn and Helen Middleton, Peter and Carol Greenwood, Alison Steel, Alan Gilliland, Andy and Carole Brown, June Hawdon, Neil and Miranda Richardson, Hazel Kellett, Mark and Polly Tulip, Helen Logan, Sally Taylor, Stan and Linda Abbott, Teresa Thomason, Tony and Kathy Marshall, Maxine Holland, Maggie Weir, Dot and Derek Butler. The Northern Echo's editor Peter Barron and his wife Heather also called in to say hello.

The Mail subs' final news quiz

The Mail and Telegraph, with Mike Watson, trainees at the Manor

The Daily Mail trainee subs finished their formal training in Howden this week and are off to their placements. Beth Richardson is off to the Eastern Daily Press, Michael Owens is going to the Western Mail, Harry Slavin is headed to the Hull Daily Mail and Catherine Hardy and James Restall are going to the Daily Mail in Scotland. Good luck to them. There is no doubt they will do well. They, and the MailOnline trainees, had a week with me and Mike Watson interspersed with excellent sessions by Mail executives Jenny Ryan, Lara King and Alex Kay.

Daily Mail subbing trainees James Restall, Harry Slavin, me, Michael Owens, Beth Richardson and Catherine Hardy

The Daily Telegraph trainees enjoyed production training with Chris Gregory, a day with Mike Watson and today went to Newcastle Crown Court with Gary Willey. As it was the subs last night everyone got together for a farewell drink at the White Horse. 

Before that, though, we did the quiz. Congratulations to MailOnline’s Lydia Willgress who was top this week with 19.5 points out of 25. 

Top sub was Catherine Hardy with an impressive 17.5 but it wasn’t quite enough to catch Michael Owens who was top of the four weeks … and collected the Champagne. Top Telegraph trainees were James Rothwell and Rozina Sabur with 15.5.

See if you can do any better. There are 20 questions and five bonuses making a possible total of 25 points.

The original Dad's Army cast (see Question 19)
Picture courtesy of the Press Association

1. Shrien Dewani is in court in Cape Town charged with the murder of his wife Anni. In which city were the couple married?
Bonus: The court heard that Dewani searched which gay dating website the day after his wife died?
Bonus: What was his log-in name?
2. Where does Great British Bake Off winner Nancy Birtwhistle come from?
3. Former Man Utd captain Roy Keane has been making back page headlines with revelations from his autobiography. What is the book called?
Bonus: Which author co-wrote the book with Keane?
4. Why was John O’Keefe in the headlines this week?
5. Name the dog belonging to Spanish Ebola victim, Teresa Romero Ramos,  which caused locals to demonstrate when it was destroyed.
6. UKIP won the Clacton-on-Sea by-election and came second in an election in which other constituency?
7. Name the Syrian town on the border with Turkey where ISIS and Kurdish fighters, aided by US air strikes, are battling for control.
Bonus: Turkey’s president has warned that air strikes are not enough to defeat Isis? What is his name?
8. Father-of-16 Terry Harvey, 56, has died of a heart attack. Where did he live?
9. One of Lynsey de Paul’s biggest hits was played as her wicker coffin was carried into a North London cemetery chapel. Name the song.
Bonus: Who said this week: 'I am aware that in some of my recent photos I look somewhat unhealthy, but that’s what illness can do. I’m not going to worry about that, I’ll rest when I’m dead'?
10. Labour rebels reportedly want Alan Johnson to replace Ed Miliband as party leader. What position did Mr Johnson hold when Labour lost power in 2010?
11. Who was the first celebrity to be voted off Strictly Come Dancing?
12. After last week’s number plate row, Argentinian Police have released a photograph of another set of plates which were found in a car used by the BBC’s Top Gear programme. What did the plates spell?
13. Which two countries are Prince Charles and Camilla (Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall) visiting later this month in a move designed by the Foreign Office to 'strenghten co-operation in the fights against drugs and crime'? Half a point for each.
14. What was the parody Twitter account - mentioned in Kevin Pietersen’s autobiography - to which a number of England players have denied having access to?
15. Malaysian billionaire’s wife Pauline Chai reckons she can prove she lives in the UK and have her divorce case heard here. What is her evidence?
16. Jules Bianchi is seriously ill after a crash in the Japanese Grand Prix. Which racing team does he belong to?
17. Cambridge Classics professor Mary Beard said at the Cheltenham Literature Festival that people should take pride in growing …....... Fill in the missing word.
18. According to the International Monetary Fund which country now has the biggest economy in the world?
19. In the remake of Dad’s Army which actor will play the part of Sgt Wilson, originally portayed by John Le Mesurier?
20. Research to celebrate the UK launch of children’s literacy show Wallykazam! this week revealed the 50 most common misspelt words. Four of the words on the list began with A. Name one of them (and spell it correctly)

Answers here

This week's news quiz: 20 is your target

The Daily Telegraph trainees had sessions with Tony Johnston, David Banks and learned to shoot and edit video with Mark Batey at the Press Association's training HQ in Howden this week. 
Meanwhile the Mail trainees did journalism with Mike Watson and Fiona Webster, explored the world of photography with Martin Stephens and visited the Hull Daily Mail offices. The sports trainees worked a live Europa League session at PA's operation centre on Thursday night. 
As always the week ended with the news quiz. It is either getting easier or the message is getting through that journalists need to keep up to speed with the detail of the news. Three Mail trainees scored a highly impressive 20 out of 25. They were Michael Owens, James Restall and Lydia Willgress. Catherine Hardy came close to joining them with a score of 19. The Telegraph’s top scorer was Olivia Rudgard with 15.5, narrowly beating Izzy Fraser with 15. So, can you do any better? If you get more than 20 out of 25, you can give yourself a huge pat on the back. 

George Osborne: See Q1
Picture courtesy of the Press Association

1. David Cameron said he would raise the 40p tax rate threshold to £50,000. What is the current threshold?
Bonus: Cameron described William Hague as ‘our greatest living ……………...’ . Fill in the blank.
Bonus: If you go to bed with Nigel Farage on May 7 who, according to Cameron, will you wake up with?
Bonus: Who Tweeted 'Would rather have Fred and Rose West quote my characters on child care than that c*** Osborne quote them on choice?'
Bonus: It’s the turn of the Liberal Democrats to have their conference next. In which city will it be held?
2. Bill and Hillary Clinton became grandparents when daughter Chelsea gave birth. What is the baby called?
3. Which American Ryder Cup golfer publicly criticised his captain?
Bonus: In which US state will the next Ryder Cup be held?
4. Which event took place at the Aman Grand Canale?
5. Who was shocked to discover her great-great grandmother was killed in a crush at a clothes sale in East London?
6. Why was Kieran Conry in the headlines?
7. RAF jets are flying missions to Iraq from Cyprus. What is the name of their base?
8. From which position did Julia Pierson resign?
9. Whose book, There's Something I've Been Dying To Tell You, will be published next week?
10. Which cartoon is being accompanied by a cautionary note that it may depict scenes of ‘racial prejudice’?
11. Why was Malin Sahlen upset?
12. Pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong have adopted which symbol?
13. Stephen Fry revealed his cocaine habit in the third volume of his autobiography. What is it called?
14. Why was Arron Banks in the headlines?
15. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have started legal action against a photographer amid reports that he tried to take a picture of Prince George in which London park?
16. Almost 50 people were killed when a volcano erupted on which Japanese mountain?
17. Jay-Z, Beyonce and David Beckham watched a Champions Leage football match on Tuesday night. Which two teams were playing? (half point for each)
18. Who upset Argentina by driving a car with the registration number H982 FLK?
19. Thomas Eric Duncan became the first person in American to officially have what?
20. Who was appointed US editor-at-large of MailOnline?

Answers here