From down there in the West Country Quiz

Answer: Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby

Actor John Nettles was born in St. Austell, Cornwall in 1943. He began playing Tom Barnaby in 1997. The series is set in the fictional town of Causton, in Midsomer county. We should all be glad that Midsomer is not a real county -- would you want to live somewhere with such a high crime rate? From 1981-1991, Nettles had played the title character in 'Bergerac', a detective series set in Jersey, Channel Islands.
Of the other alternatives, Inspector Morse was played by the late John Thaw and Inspector Frost by the inimitable David Jason.

Answer: Drummer

Michael John Kells Fleetwood was born in Redruth, Cornwall in 1947. His early career included stints as the drummer with Rod Stewart's 'Shotgun Express' and 'John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers'. In 1967, he formed the first incarnation of the band, 'Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac', with bassist John McVie and vocalist/guitarist Peter Green. During more than 40 turbulent years in the music business, Fleetwood had a much-publicized relationship with the band's vocalist Stevie Nicks and bouts with cocaine, bankruptcy and diabetes.

He also appeared as an alien in an episode of 'Star Trek: TNG'. It is difficult not to spot Fleetwood -- he is 6'6" tall.

Answer: Neptune

Adams was born in Laneast, near Launceston, Cornwall in 1819. It was purely as a mathematician that he predicted almost the exact position of Neptune. Based on discrepancies between the actual position of Uranus compared with its expected orbital position, Adams concluded that another large planet must be exerting significant gravitational effect on Uranus.

A crater on the moon, an asteroid and the outermost known ring of Neptune are all named after him.

Answer: William Golding

William Gerald Golding was born in St. Columb Minor, Cornwall in 1911. He won the Booker Prize for 'Rites of Passage' in 1980, and the Nobel Prize three years later. He was knighted in 1988 and died aged 81 in Cornwall in 1993. His most notable work, 'Lord of the Flies', was published in 1954. Along with Winston Churchill, the four writers listed here are the only British-born winners of the Literature award (Russell was Welsh and the other two are both from the London area). Both Rudyard Kipling (in 1907) and Doris Lessing (in 2007) also won under the Union Jack, but they were born in India and Persia respectively.

Answer: Rory McGrath

Patrick Rory McGrath was born in Cornwall in 1956. He began his career in show-business as a gag-writer for Frankie Howerd so, I suppose, it's truly amazing that he ever got another job. He has appeared on numerous British television shows including 'QI' and 'Three Men in a Boat'.
Comedian Lee Hurst in a Londoner, former England cricket captain David Gower is from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, and former England footballer Gary Lineker is from Leicester.

Answer: Phil Vickery

Philip John Vickery was born in Barnstable, Devon in 1976. A professional forward for Wasps and England, he has won more than 60 international caps since making his debut in 1998 and he took over the captaincy from Martin Corey in 2007. He played in all seven matches during the successful World Cup campaign, and scored his first international try against Samoa in the group stages of the tournament.
Of the alternatives, Will Greenwood is a Lancastrian from Blackburn, Martin Johnson is from Solihul in the West Midlands, and Jason Robinson is a Yorkshireman from Leeds.

Answer: Snowy

'Snowy' White was born in Barnstable, Devon in 1948. He was a member of Thin Lizzy, toured with Pink Floyd, and more recently played as a member of Roger Waters' band. He played with both Floyd and Waters on their respective 'Wall' tours.

Answer: Michael Foot

Michael Mackintosh Foot was leader of the Labour Party from 1980 until 1983. He followed Callaghan and was succeeded by Neil Kinnock. He was Employment Minister in the Wilson government of the mid-70s. For his last term in Parliament, from 1987 until his retirement in 1992, he was Britain's oldest sitting MP.
Of the alternatives, Wilson was younger than Foot by three years, born in 1916, but he was a Yorkshireman from Huddersfield. Callaghan was only a year older than Foot but from Portsmouth, and Gaitskell was born in 1906 in London.

Answer: Sue Barker

Few English tennis players have won a grand slam event in living memory, but Sue Barker is one who has done so. She defeated Czechoslovakia's Renáta Tomanová 6-2 0-6 6-2 to win the 1976 French Open. The following year, she enjoyed her best Wimbledon, losing to Betty Stove 6-4 2-6 6-4 in the semi-final.

This was the year that Virginia Wade won the title, the last English victory and the last time that two English players reached the final of a Wimbledon singles event. Of the alternatives, Jo Durie was four years younger than Barker, born in Bristol in 1960, and the other two were older -- Virginia Wade was born in Bournemouth in 1945 and David Lloyd in Essex in 1948.

Answer: Agatha Christie

Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born in the seaside resort of Torquay. She also wrote under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott but is best known for the detective novels written as Agatha Christie. According to the 'Guinness Book of Records' she is the best-selling writer of all time -- only The Bible has outsold her.

She was made a DBE in 1971 and took the title Lady Mallowan. She died in Oxfordshire aged 85 in 1976. Of the alternatives, all were writers who became Dame Commanders of the Order of the British Commonwealth. Barbara Cartland was born in 1901 in Birmingham, Daphne du Maurier in 1906 in London, and Ngaio Marsh in 1895 and she was a New Zealander.