Hardeep Singh Kohli's big fat quiz of 2017

2. The shock resignation of Britain’s ambassador to the European Union had the outgoing mandarin exhort his former department to “continue to challenge ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking and that you will never be afraid to speak the truth to those in power”. Who was that Ambassador?

3. The year started with the passing of a behemoth of Scottish life. Born in Paisley in 1932, educated at Paisley Grammar then Glasgow and Cambridge Universities, this Episcopal priest and political campaigner chaired of the Scottish Constitutional Convention and laid the groundwork for a devolved Scotland.

4. Catherine Anderson, 45, pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to acting in a threatening or abusive manner, smashing glass and uttering threats of violence, including to slash her neighbour “from earhole to a******e”. Why?

5. 2017 what the year of what in Scotland?

FEBRUARY

6. The BBC’s director general announced a new dedicated TV channel for Scotland with a £30 million budget. Who is the DG?

7. Appointed Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who became the first woman to hold the position in the force’s 188-year history?

8. Trudy Harrison won a by-election for the Conservative Party. Nothing unusual there except Labour had held this seat since its creation, and the Tory win was the first gain by a serving government in a by-election for 35 years. Which seat?

9. After 63 years at the BBC, he presented his final edition of Sounds of the 60s for Radio 2, having taken the decision to retire from the weekly show because of ill health. Sadly he passed away two months later. Who was the Sound Of The 60s?

MARCH

10. What was formally rejected by Theresa May on March 16?

11. David Tennant featured on the Sunday Herald Life magazine on March 19, when he starred in a movie as a legendary Scottish psychiatrist. Name that doctor.

12. It was announced that the former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne (a man without a single qualification in finance or economics) was to become the editor of the a newspaper, despite not having a single day’s experience as a journalist. Which paper?

13. On the 29th of this month the Government invoked Article 50. Which treaty contains article 50?

14. Scottish football lost a hero on March 2. This right-footed left-back was a Lisbon Lion, scoring Celtic’s first goal in the final. Despite 418 appearances for the Hoops, garnering him an unbelievable 63 goals, he received a paltry 18 caps for Scotland. Having scored in the 1970 European Cup Final defeat to Feyenoord he is one of only two British footballers to score in two different European Cup Finals. (the other being Phil Neal of Liverpool).

Who was he?

APRIL

15. It was announced on April 17 that the population of Scotland had reached a record high, standing at 5,404,700. What was the population estimated to have been in 1707?

16. On March 2, children throughout the country went to school dressed as Harry Potter, Willy Wonka, Mary Poppins ... and the Argos catalogue. What were they celebrating?

17. Celebrating a year as the Lord Justice Clerk, she is the first woman to hold the prestigious position. Who is the Lord Justice Clerk?

18. The son of a Clydeside shipworker, he was born in a tenement on November 27, 1927. He attended Dennistoun primary school, leaving home at 14 with no qualifications. He was conscripted to the RAF towards the end of the Second World War, leaving in the early 1950s. He struggled to find work and used his demob money to buy and restore an old Morris Ten-Four. Six decades and 10 children later, he died a billionaire and an icon of Scottish entrepreneurial spirit. Who was he?

MAY

19. What was WannaCry?

20. The BBC announced a 90-minute televised debate for the general election 2017 on May 21, with the leaders of the five main Scottish parties: SNP, Conservatives, Labour, Scottish Greens and Liberal Democrats. Who chaired the debate?

21. What featured what was described as “a young boy being impaled by a plastic triceratops”?

22. Whose first trip to Scotland was overshadowed by controversy given his choice to drink diet rather than regular Irn Bru?

23. The biggest recipient of the 21 lost SNP seats at Westminster were the Tories. They polled almost 29 per cent of the vote. This was their highest percentage of the vote since when?

JUNE

24. The Sunday Herald Life magazine cover of June 4 featured Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in the newly launched movie of the same name. Who created the original character?

25. Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill both resigned. Who did they advise?

26. In the thrilling, nail-biting, almost amazing yet typically Scottish 2-2 draw against the auld enemy at Hampden, who scored both our goals?

27. This Glasgow-born son of the driver of a butcher’s van joined the Scottish National Party in 1959, on his graduation as a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Edinburgh. He was “controller” of the political pirate radio station Radio Free Scotland, moving the location of the transmitter to avoid being caught. He was elected as Member of Parliament for the Dundee East constituency at the February 1974 general election before leading the SNP from 1979 to 1990. He died this month. Who was he?

JULY

28. Louise Welsh was the Sunday Herald Life magazine cover interviewee on July 9. What was the name of her breakthrough novel?

29. The Westminster Government announced that between 2037 and 2039, the raised state pension age would be phased in. What is that new pensionable age?

30. Sir Vince Cable was elected leader of the Liberal Democrats. Who else had run for the party’s leadership?

31. “My eight-year-old daughter pumped her fist and shouted yes!”

“My nieces can grow up in a world with a good Wonder Woman, a female Jedi, female ghostbusters & a female Dr Who.”

“Oh great a female Dr Who. What next? Female real doctors? Female pilots? Female scientists? Female women?!” This is how the announcement that Jodie Whittaker was Dr Who was greeted. How many Doctors preceded her?

AUGUST

32. Edinburgh International Festival star Anoushka Shankar featured on the cover of the Sunday Herald Life magazine. Who is her father?

33. An Edinburgh heroin dealer was this month jailed for six years. What was his surname, which he shared with a Trainspotting character?

34. Who carried out his final official engagement before retiring from public duties at age 96.

35. On the 19th of this month the last ever UK service ran between Tongue and Lairg. What was that service?

SEPTEMBER

36. Beating Canada and New Zealand into second and third place respectively (England but a distant seventh) what positive poll (unrelated to ill health and mortality) did Scotland top in September 2017?

37. Glaswegian actor Atta Yaqub was the Sunday Herald Life cover star on September 24. What was the name of the Ken Loach film that made his name?

38. The Chief Constable of Police Scotland, Scotland’s national police force, resigned. Name him.

39. In what was described as a “once in a lifetime” event, the first of 50,000 people did what across what?

OCTOBER

40. Armando Iannucci was the Sunday Herald Life cover star on October 22. What was the name of his new satirical film, which famously caused ructions in Russia?

41. Figures indicate that the Radio 1 Breakfast Show recorded its lowest listener audience in the third quarter of 2017, with 4.93 million weekly listeners between July and September, compared to 5.5 million in the previous quarter. Who hosts the show?

42. Newspaper headline of the year: “Everybody was flung poo fighting.” Which north-eastern Scottish town was victim of kids making a faecal-inspired mess of a residential street?

43. The UK’s fifth biggest airline was placed into administration citing a combination of factors such as vicious competition on routes to southern Europe from other low-cost rivals, excess capacity on many routes forcing down prices and thus impacting yields, terrorism in Libya and a coup in Turkey, and Brexit causing the depreciation of the pound Sterling which increased operating cost. Name the airline.

NOVEMBER

44. Kirsty Wark was on the Sunday Herald Life cover on November 5. What was the subject of her Scottish Bafta-nominated documentary?

45. It was announced that a former Scottish politician was to host a talk show each Thursday on Russian broadcaster RT. Who?

46. Kezia Dugdale, a former leader of the Scottish Labour Party, is announced as a last minute contestant for ITV’s I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! It is subsequently reported that she faces disciplinary action from the Labour Party for not informing them of her decision. Of the 11 “celebrities” (one withdrew for personal reasons) where did Dugdale finish?

47. Ruth Davidson marked six years as Scottish Tory leader this month. Since she was elected to the role, Scottish Labour have had eight leaders or acting leaders. Name them.

DECEMBER

48. 21 days before Christmas which retailer announced the closure of 26 of its UK stores, having filed for bankruptcy in the US in September?

49. Beating Paisley, amongst others, which town was named UK City of Culture?

50. Scotland introduces a new income tax band of 21p in the pound. To whom does it apply?

51. Which of Theresa May’s closest allies was forced to resign from the cabinet after an investigation found he had made “inaccurate and misleading” statements regarding pornography on a computer in his Commons office?

52. The highest mountain in British territory is discovered in the British Antarctic Territory. What is it called?

ANSWERS

1. Kingston upon Hull (Hull)

2. Sir Ivan Rogers

3. Canon Kenyon Wright

4. He refused to put hot water in her Pot Noodle.

5. Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology

6. Lord Tony Hall

7. Cressida Dick

8. Copeland

9. Brian Matthew

10. Indy Ref2

11. RD Laing

12. London Evening Standard

13. The Lisbon Treaty

14. Tommy Gemmell

15. 1 million

16. World Book Day

17. Leeona June Dorrian, Lady Dorrian

18. Sir John Arnold Clark

19. A ransomware that attacked computers in many Scottish National Health Service institutions

20. Scotland Editor, Sarah Smith

21. The back cover of the SNP Manifesto

22. Barack Obama

23. 1973

24. American psychologist William Moulton Marston (pen name Charles Moulton)

25. Theresa May

26. Leigh Griffiths

27. Gordon Wilson

28. The Cutting Room

29. 68

30. No-one. He was uncontested.

31. 12

32. Ravi Shankar

33. (Mark) Renton

34. The Duke of Edinburgh

35. The Postbus

36. The World’s Most Beautiful Country

37. Ae Fond Kiss

38. Philip Gormley

39. Walked across the newly opened Queensferry Crossing. The walk was a “once in a lifetime” chance as the new bridge does not have pedestrian walkways.

40. The Death Of Stalin

41. Nick Grimshaw

42. Carnoustie

43. Monarch

44. The menopause

45. Alex Salmond

46. 10th; she was second to be voted out

47. Johann Lamont, Anas Sarwar, Jim Murphy, Iain Gray, Kezia Dugdale, Alex Rowley, Jackie Baillie, Richard Leonard

48. Toys R Us

49. Coventry

50. Those earning over £24,000.

51. Damian Green,

52. Mount Hope