Comedian Sara Pascoe kicks off our annual quiz with eight TV trivia teasers, while Observer critics test your knowledge of politics, books, music and film * Sara Pascoe: ‘Quizzes are best when you assume you know the answer but you’re wrong’ It emerged during the series Tiger King that Don Lewis, former husband of Carole Baskin, the owner of Big Cat Rescue, is missing. Which country does Carol say he was leaving for when he was last seen? Ecuador Cuba Costa Rica Brazil The Queen’s Gambit was Netflix’s most watched mini-series in 2020 and made a star of Anya Taylor-Joy. In chess, what is the Queen’s Gambit, for which the series was name? Opening moves that lose you your Queen Opening moves using both bishops Opening moves with two pawns Opening moves taking your Queen forwards and backwards, in and out like the Hokey Cokey What is the name of the character in BBC One’s I May Destroy You played by its multitalented creator, writer, co-director and executive producer, Michaela Coel. Vengeance Arabella Tuscany Poem Who won this year’s The Great British Bake Off? Matt Lucas Peter Sawkins Derek Dukelow Jordanna Swinson David Tennant starred in Des on ITV. What was it about? A remake of Kes A celebration of comedian Des O’Connor A true story about a murderer who flushed bits of his victims down the toilet An Only Fools and Horses prequel In Netflix’s much-derided but also much-streamed Emily in Paris, Lily Collins’s character moves to Paris to take up a new post. How did she get the job? The woman who was supposed to go got pregnant The person who was supposed to go was unveiled as an imposter The woman who was supposed to go was an alcoholic Emily stole the woman who was supposed to go’s passport What is the name of Jordan Peele’s first horror series for HBO? Wyndam’s Country Adams’s Country Asimov’s Country Lovecraft Country Which method of transport figures in the ridiculous ending of Sky Atlantic’s The Undoing, starring Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman? A police helicopter A go-cart A bullet train A Harley Davidson bike What did Boris Johnson purportedly whistle in No 10 during his late-November preparations for a negotiated exit from the EU? Marche Funèbre from Piano Sonata No 2 (Frédéric Chopin, 1839) Waltzing Matilda (Banjo Paterson, 1895) La Marseillaise (Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, 1792) The Wheels on the Bus (Verna Hills, 1939) Dominic Cummings’s eyes were much in the news: the status of their health, the advisability of driving to a darkened castle to check their status, and the direct effect three weeks later on millions of Britons not giving a toss about lockdown. But what colour are they? Blue Brown Green, flecked with hazel Red Who is Daisy Cooper? The interim leader of Ukip Deputy leader of the Lib Dems The one female scientist on the Sage advisory group The senior civil servant who resigned in March over “bullying” by Priti Patel Which national newspaper journalist is Boris Johnson’s sister-in-law? Rachel Sylvester, the Times Sarah Vine, the Daily Mail Amelia Gentleman, the Guardian Helen Lewis, the Atlantic Why was Mark Dawson’s novel The Cleaner kicked out of the Sunday Times top 10 bestseller list? He had plagiarised several chapters from a little-known Australian crime writer The paper’s literary editor, Andrew Holgate, deemed the novel “unreadable and unworthy of its place” It turned out that Dawson had bought 400 copies of the book himself Hackers had broken into the Nielsen BookScan servers and artificially inflated its sales Booker prize winner Douglas Stuart had another high-profile career before turning to literature. What was it? He was a professional footballer, playing 114 times for clubs including Kilmarnock and Stenhousemuir He was a fashion designer, with senior roles at Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein He was a celebrated chef, working at the three-Michelin-starred French Laundry in California and Le Bernardin in New York He wrote lyrics for a number of high-profile acts including Calvin Harris, Taylor Swift and Kylie Minogue How long did fans of Susanna Clarke’s first novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, have to wait for her second, Piranesi? Six weeks Six months Six years Sixteen years Which author of more than 80 books died this year in Paradise Valley, Arizona? They were also founder and chair of the National Underwater and Marina Agency (Numa). Derek Mahon Anne Stevenson Clive Cussler Mary Higgins Clark Which album released in 2020 made references to the Greek muse Mnemosyne, Edgar Allen Poe and Abraham Lincoln’s bodyguard, Ward Hill Lamon? Nick Cave’s Idiot Prayer Bob Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy Ways Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters Paul McCartney's McCartney III Who was the most-streamed British artist on Spotify in 2020 (as of 19 November 2020)? Ed Sheeran Sam Smith Dua Lipa Adele The Labour party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, recently revealed his Desert Island Discs. But which instruments does he play himself? Bassoon, clarinet, oboe and French horn Guitar, bass, drums and keyboards Triangle, timpani, marimba and steel pans Flute, piano, recorder and violin Disco-themed albums from artists like Kylie, Lady Gaga and Dua Lipa helped alleviate lockdown. But which of the following solo artists individually released non-disco tracks called Mirrorball this year? Paul Weller, Taylor Swift The Weeknd, Miley Cyrus Ariana Grande, Drake Megan Thee Stallion, Harry Styles What do John David Washington and Lily James have in common? Both started their careers as professional dancers Both are distantly related to US presidents Both played characters who are not named Both have been cast in the sequel to Cats Who said this line in a 2020 film: “I shall feast upon my misery. And jam.” Beanie Feldstein in How to Build a Girl Sharon Horgan in Military Wives Margot Robbie in Birds of Prey Steve Coogan in Greed Which of the following is not true of Bill & Ted Face the Music? There is a post-credits sting that shows Bill & Ted jamming in a retirement home It holds the record for the longest gap between sequels The final 77 minutes play out in real time It features a cameo from the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl What have the following films got in common: Trey Edward Shults’s Waves, Pete Docter and Kemp Powers’s Soul and David Fincher’s Mank? They are all produced by Steven Spielberg They all feature music composed by Trent Reznor They all contain black-and-white cinematography They all feature a central character who dies early in the film 23 and above. Top quizzer! 22 and above. Top quizzer! 21 and above. You really know your onions 20 and above. You really know your onions 19 and above. Excellent knowledge 18 and above. Excellent knowledge 17 and above. Pretty damn good! 16 and above. Pretty damn good! 15 and above. Decent, well done 14 and above. Decent, well done 13 and above. Not too shabby 12 and above. Not too shabby 11 and above. Could do better 10 and above. Could do better 9 and above. Pretty average 8 and above. Pretty average 7 and above. Nothing to shout about 6 and above. Nothing to shout about 5 and above. Pretty poor 4 and above. Pretty poor 3 and above. Buck up your ideas! 2 and above. Buck up your ideas! 0 and above. Keep this to yourself 1 and above. Keep this to yourself Continue reading...
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