EVER wondered which animal lives the longest, who the puppeteer was in children's show Fingermouse, or what the best chat-up line is?

It was these type of trivial questions that led two entrepreneurs to set up a business dedicated to finding out some of life's most sought-after questions.

Matthew Bladen, 29, and friend, John Rymer, 47, both from Skelton Green, Skelton, east Cleveland, would spend endless nights in the pub annoying each other with irritating questions.

And it was a conversation over a pint that led to the pair setting up a service that aims to answer any question in the world -from finding out when the local bus arrives to which terminal a flight leaves from.

Six months on, the pair, working from an office in Skelton, have employed a further four staff who work around the clock.

Ask NAN (need answers now) allows people to text any time night or day and an answer will be given as soon as possible.

Mr Bladen said: "We started to build up a database with all the questions we thought people would ask.

"We get a lot of tongue-in-cheek questions, but if it is a serious question, we give a serious answer. We have never had anything we cannot answer, but the longest time was 62 minutes. Someone asked, "where in Cleveland is Heartbreak Hill and which king visited it?" - that was unbelievably difficult.

"We have been making friends with local historians and personalities for times when we start to struggle.

"We get a lot of questions from friends who are trying to make our lives difficult, thinking up the most obscure questions. But we want to be here as a valuable service too."

To use the service, text NAN followed by your question to 80006.

Replies cost £1.50 on receipt.

* Nan says the quahog (a deep sea clam) lives the longest (up to 200 years); Yoffy (real name Rick Jones) was the puppeteer in Fingermouse; the best chat-up line is "do you believe in love at first sight or shall I walk past again?"; Heartbreak Hill is at Margrave Park, near Guisborough; and was visited by Prince George in 1933, who became King George VI.