As The Weekly wings its way into your inbox this morning, approximately 40,000 runners will be crossing the start line of the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon. For the vast majority of us, this means a smug, pyjama-clad morning trying to spot the most outrageous running costumes from the comfort of our TV-room sofa. For the runners who have bravely (foolishly) signed up, there is no going back now! Participants this year include St Bride's very own Struan White who has finally run out of spurious injuries/excuses not to participate and is taking part in his first marathon for Boost Charitable Trust. To find out how he gets on, or to sponsor him for his, please efforts please click here.

For those of us who prefer a more sedate start to our Sunday morning than 26.2 cramp-inducing miles, here are five early morning brain-teasers to ease you into the day;

Questions:

1. The delayed release of "No Time to Die" in cinemas this week marked Daniel Craig's fifth and final outing as Britain's most infamous secret service agent. The film, originally set for release in November 2019, also provides a welcome boost to cinema operators who have been busy raising capital during the pandemic and negotiating rent deferments with their landlords. The film market is set to see a welcome bounce-back for the remainder of H2 2021, with pent up demand from cinema-goers coupled with a host of "must-see" movies finally being released by the films distributors. In the spirit of Bond mania, can you name the James Bond actor who racked up the biggest bar bill during his time as 007?

2. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ("Furlough") came to end this week, with some commentators voicing concerns that it was too early to withdraw support. Modelling by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) suggested that 710,000 jobs are at risk of redundancy, loss of hours, or loss of pay as a result of the scheme winding down. The timing also coincides with the withdrawal of the £20 per week Universal Credit uplift, national insurance rate rises, energy price increases and wider inflationary pressures - all of which are likely to impact on household finances. Sobering for a Sunday morning. The Furlough scheme itself though - reportedly drawn up in just 4 manic days by HM Treasury - has been a lifeline for many over the last 19 months. At its peak, the Furlough scheme covered the wages of a staggering 8.9 million jobs. How many hours of work did the scheme cover and how much did it ultimately cost the Government purse?

3. Savills statistics on the City of London office market showed that August saw the highest monthly take-up in 19 months. A total of 533,394 sq ft was acquired across 20 transactions. These are encouraging figures for the City and are further supported by a 120% increase in space that has gone under offer since January. Underneath the headlines, there are some interesting statistics that support the 'flight to quality' trend. What percentage of take-up in 2021, for example, has been in space with a BREEAM rating of 'Very Good' or better?

4. If you've tried (or failed!) to fill up your car this week, the experience is likely to have been a lengthy and rather miserable one. Huge tail-backs, frustrated motorists and the odd knife-wielding man in South London with extreme road rage! Whilst many legitimate drivers in need of fuel were simply caught up in the mayhem, images of one lady filling up plastic bags with petrol and putting them in the boot of her car suggest there was at least an element of panic buying! The history books, however, tell us that panic buying is not a new phenomenon with eerily similar accounts of garage closures, fuel rationing and general havoc as far back as 1956. What was the cause of the panic buying (and eventual fuel rationing) in the UK in 1956 and 1957?

5. If simply running the London Marathon isn’t good enough, a total of forty-eight participants will be trying to secure a Guinness World Record at today's event. The aptly named Phil Sweatman is hoping to beat the world record as the fastest marathon runner dressed as a heavy-duty vehicle (currently 4 hours 55 minutes) by wearing a tractor outfit, while Anna Bassil hopes to be the fastest ever cake to complete the course (currently 4 hours 30 minutes.) Meanwhile Michael Pelton, Andrew Pelton and Niall Cooper will be running the 26.2 miles four-legged. Can you guess what the current four-legged world record marathon is?

Answers:

1. According to research by Ocean Finance, Roger Moore’s Bond racked up the biggest bar tab was £2,427, Sean Connery’s £1,271, Craig’s £798, Pierce Brosnan’s £773, Timothy Dalton’s £76 and George Lazenby’s £56, although the latter two did just one film a piece. Moore's incarnation also proves the least faithful secret agent, climbing into bed with a different woman once every 46 minutes 37 seconds!
2. The Furlough Scheme covered payments for a staggering 9.7 billion hours of work and cost the Government (taxpayer) £70bn.
3. According to Savills, 60% of take-up in 2021 has been in space with a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’ or higher. The development pipeline is set to continue this trend. Between 2021 and 2024, 61% of schemes scheduled for practical completion are BREEAM rated ‘Very Good’ or higher.
4. Petrol rationing was introduced for five months as a result of the Suez Crisis of 1956. President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised the canal after the United States and Britain reneged on a previous agreement to finance the Aswan Dam project, which was to be a symbol of Egypt's modernisation.
5. The world record for the fastest four-legged marathon stands at 4 hours and 44 minutes. A respectable time for most people running on two legs!