h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Look, it's not worth getting smart at me. My training as a teacher equips me with at least 101 sarky comments, and your's isn't even worth a reply.

B

I thought I understood the question until Trin pointed that out... I also think I have the answer, but don't know the names of appropriate foorball teams. Do'h!

Hi Master B,

I'm not giving up yet on the idea of chemical elements.

We appear to have the sequence PO, SO, CA, MA, ??, CA, ??, SC, TI, and LE.

I'm no chemist, but it looks a lot like the reactivity series of metals, which goes (according to my reference)

Potassium
Sodium
Lithium
Calcium
Magnesium
Aluminium
Carbon
Zinc
Iron
Tin
Lead ... etc

These match up fairly well with your list with the following exceptions:

1. Lithium doesn't appear in your list (presumably you would have written Liverpool - is this the answer you were looking for?)

2. The first question mark corresponds with Aluminium. (AL = Aldershot, maybe?)

3. The second question mark corresponds with Zinc (ZI = no British team I can think of = maybe the Zimbabwe national side would do?)

4. Iron is the nickname of Scunthorpe United FC.

Is this good enough?

Icy

Precisely the answer. Well done.

I would, of course, have included Liverpool if I had felt the need. A lot of Reactivity Series don't use it, however.

B

So I set one, do I?

OK, each of the following 20 songs has the name of a pop artist hidden in order within the letters. The artists are all well-known - all have appeared on Top Of The Pops over the past 40 years. The length of the hidden artist is in brackets.

Example: "My Cherie Amour" (5) contains the hidden artist "Cream" (my CheRiE AMour)

You score one point for each you get, so it's a bit of a race. The winner is the first to score 11 points. You also win if your score can't be caught by anyone else.

On with the quiz...

1. La Bamba (4)
2. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head (9)
3. Something (5)
4. Every Rose Has Its Thorn (5)
5. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself (7)
6. The Reflex (4)
7. Bad Moon Rising (5)
8. Wide Eyed And Legless (6)
9. Semi-Detached Suburban Mr James (6)
10. They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa! (6)
11. Break The Rules (7)
12. Private Dancer (6)
13. Say Hello Wave Goodbye (5)
14. Goodbye Is Just Another Word (6)
15. Pleasant Valley Sunday (7)
16. Penny Lane (4)
17. Jumping Jack Flash (5)
18. What's The Frequency Kenneth (5)
19. Put Yourself In My Place (6)
20. Without You (3)

Good luck,

Icy

1. La Bamba (4) ABBA
4. Every Rose Has Its Thorn (5) Oasis
6. The Reflex (4) T Rex
7. Bad Moon Rising (5) Doors [I'm sure they never appeared on TOTP]
11. Break The Rules (7) Beatles
12. Private Dancer (6) Prince
16. Penny Lane (4) Enya
17. Jumping Jack Flash (5) Clash
18. What's The Frequency Kenneth (5) Queen
19. Put Yourself In My Place (6) Police
20. Without You (3) Who

We have a winner!

I'm very impressed, although you did hoover up the easy ones! Any ideas on the rest?

btw. The Doors appeared on TOTP at least 5 times:

Hello I Love You (5th September, 1968 & 3rd October, 1968)
Riders On The Storm (25th November, 1971)
Light My Fire (30th May, 1991 & 13th June, 1991)

Icy

Well, I'm not asking a question until I (or someone else) work out all the rest of the answers...

B

Darn it! It took me all day to think of Aldershot, I come back and voila... Oh well.

15 is Santana

3 is Sting

9 is (The) Smiths

13 is Slade

2 is Radiohead

2 is Radiohead

Damn those simulposts

Just these left then:

5. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself (7)
8. Wide Eyed And Legless (6)
10. They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa! (6)
14. Goodbye Is Just Another Word (6)

8 is (The) Eagles

Is 10. Aha! ?

The number after the clue is the number of letters.

(though I wish it were Aha! also)

'Eminem' appears to fit for 10.