So did the Beatles make four movies or five? And what song gave German singer Nena her biggest hit? The disputed answers to these questions and countless others continue to fuel debate among ex-pats battling for supremacy at regular pub quizzes taking place across Rome, while a ‘rivalry’ of sorts also simmers between two of the quizmasters.

Julius Jackson, a Briton who works for the United Nations (UN), has been running a quiz since 2003, initially with the Irish Club of Rome at the Druid’s Den in Via S. Martino ai Monti and moving to the Druid’s Rock in Piazza Esquilino in 2006.

Charles Collins, an American journalist with Vatican Radio who freely admits lifting many of Jackson’s ideas, began his own quiz in 2005.

Collins explains: “I went to a quiz of Julius’s in 2004 and we won, so the deal was that we had to put on our own quiz. We were surprised at how successful it was and decided to put one on regularly at the Abbey Theatre bar in Via del Governo Vecchio, where we drank regularly.

“Yes, I stole everything from Julius’s quiz, the format, the quiz sheets and so on.”

Collins also holds a second quiz at the aptly named Scholar’s Lounge in Via del Plebiscito, from where he holds court via a raised pulpit in the corner of the bar, laying down the laws and reprimanding those speaking out of turn. He admits he may have gained a reputation for abrasiveness but insists this is part of the night’s entertainment.

“I do play up to an American stereotype people have,” he says. “But I have people coming back again and again because they like the style in which the quiz is run.

“I have also had people trying to cause problems; I once suspected a team of cheating and when I refused to give one man his money back, he asked me ‘outside’. That kind of thing is rare though.”

Jackson’s and Collins’ events feature tables of five players paying e15 per team, and tackling rounds including a picture gallery, music, entertainment and current affairs.

Collins believes there are distinct crowds attending both quizzes, with his ranging from American embassy staff to bar regulars, and Jackson’s drawn more from the UN agencies.

There is also some crossover between the quizzes, with Collins organizing a fiercely competitive team, The Imperialist Dogs, that plays to win in Jackson’s rival event at the Druid’s Rock.

Newcomers to that quiz may be alarmed to hear the announcement of Collins’s team greeted with manic dog yelps from its members, and an excitable chorus of the pop song “Who Let the Dogs Out?” when they top-score in a round.

The Imperialist Dogs is established as the team others love to hate.

“They get people a bit wound up sometimes but it’s all good fun and helps bring the quiz to life,” says Jackson.

If proof were needed that the roots of the Rome pub quiz lie back in Britain, it is provided by Jackson himself.

“I was living above a pub in Canterbury in the early 1990s, so it was hard to resist going in quite a lot. They held their own quiz every Monday and I just got interested from there. These quizzes have always been a very British thing, as the social life revolves around pubs.

“You go to any town in Britain and there will be a pub quiz, as that’s where the pub culture first thrived.

“I think anything that brings people together for a drink and a bit of healthy competition will work well, particularly somewhere like Rome where most people are away from home and looking to get out and socialise.”

Jackson and friend Richard Boyce share microphone duties at the quizzes, employing an apparently softer style than Collins. But Jackson admits there are times he too has to assume firmer control, as disputed answers threaten to hold up proceedings.

He relaxes though at suggestions his quiz was lifted by Collins. “When I first heard there was another pub quiz in Rome, I thought: ‘I bet that’s Charley!’ He did take some ideas from me but it’s not copyrighted so I’d rather take it as a compliment.”

So what makes a good pub quiz, the quizmaster, the bar, the audience?

“You have to pitch the questions well,” says Collins. “You have to consider there’s a mix of nationalities so you need, for example, questions on American sport, British TV, Australian politics. It might be a case of trial and error but eventually you find a level that’s testing but not too hard.”

Both quizmasters admit hours of meticulous research, scouring the internet, specialist books and other sources for questions, photos and sound clips. They send emails notifying pub-goers of the next event, take bookings and reserve tables. Then it is to the supermarket to stock up on what looks like a Christmas shopping wish-list, with a trolley-full of wine, spirits, chocolates and book vouchers that will in fact form the night’s prizes.

“You can’t run it as a business,” explains Collins. “Often tables don’t turn up, and I’ve lost money in the past. Nowadays I might have a bit of money left for a nice meal, but ultimately I do it because I enjoy it.”

Jackson concurs. “We don’t generally make money, it all goes on prizes; it becomes a lot of effort but the banter and the people you meet make it worth it.”

And in case you were wondering, the Beatles made four movies. “Magical Mystery Tour” does not count as it was made for television. Meanwhile Nena first shot to fame with “99 Luftballons,” not the English version “99 Red Balloons”. If you disagree, Collins and Jackson are happy to argue it out over a drink at their next quiz.

Upcoming quizzes

The Druid’s Rock, Piazza Esquilino 1, on Tues 30 Oct, druidspubquiz@gmail.com.

The Scholar’s Lounge, Via del Plebiscito 101b, on Mon 12 Nov, romepubquiz@yahoo.com.

The Abbey Theatre, Via del Governo Vecchio 51-53, on Tues 20 Nov, romepubquiz@yahoo.com.

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