Cobley Wanderers won in October, which pulled them level with Friends of Maddie on four wins each. Eight quizzes, two teams, four apiece. You could not script it.

In second place were Woodentops, making their first appearance in the top two. A name to remember, as it turned out.

By the numbers

Woodentops became the fifth different team to reach the top two since the revival began. The trophy itself, though, was still firmly a two-team affair.

4
wins for Cobley Wanderers, out of 8 quizzes
4–4
Wanderers and Maddie level on the all-time wins table
1st
top-two finish for Woodentops
2
different winners in the first 8 quizzes

A flavour of the questions

October had a second alphabet round, this time from J to S, plus a picture sheet of phrases, logos and a predictive text bone (84242, the tibia). And the quiz was on a Tuesday, so one question was rather close to home.

  • General knowledgeWhich European country has the most islands in the world?
    Answer: Sweden, with over 268,000
  • Alphabet roundWhat word is the world’s most populous island, a variety of coffee and a computing language?
    Answer: Java
  • General knowledgeWhat German word means the spirit of the age?
    Answer: Zeitgeist
  • General knowledgeShannon, Rockall, Fisher and German Bight are all areas you might hear about on what?
    Answer: The Shipping Forecast
  • General knowledgeMonday’s child is fair of face. What is Tuesday’s child?
    Answer: Full of grace. Every quiz night, then.
  • General knowledgeWhich lemonade brand was advertised by a secret lemonade drinker?
    Answer: R. Whites
  • General knowledgeIf something is coloured cobalt, what colour will it be?
    Answer: Blue
  • WipeoutWhich word can go in front of biscuit, closet and colour?
    Answer: Water

The picture sheet also had an anagram of a football team, mutton port sheath, which unscrambles to Tottenham Hotspur. And the Wipeout round once again ended with the traditional final question.

The audio round: name the year

Not music this time, but ten famous moments in sound. Name the year for each. Some came easier than others.

  • Hillary climbs Everest
  • JFK sets the goal of the Moon
  • John Lennon asks the posh seats to rattle their jewellery
  • Elvis dies
  • Margaret Thatcher enters Number 10
  • The Falklands
  • Maradona’s goal
  • Wimbledon win the FA Cup
  • Tony Blair and the hand of history
  • The capture of Saddam Hussein

And finally

Next up was November, and the tie at the top would not last long.

Every question from the night is in the questions archive, every winner is on the monthly winners board, and there are more photos in the gallery.