Andrew Dipper

Answers: December’s Giggle Beats Quiz

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On Monday, we held our final comedy quiz at The Hancock pub in Newcastle before launching at The Stand Comedy Club in 2014.

Here are the answers, minus our audio round. How would you have fared?

ROUND ONE: IN THE NEWS

  1. Which sitcom is being revived as a Christmas special this month – 30 years after its final outing and without its star? (A: Open All Hours. The special, which sees David Jason’s Granville taking over the shop, will be called Still Open All Hours.)
  2. Which North East comedian has been nominated for the top award at the 2013 British Comedy Awards? (A: Sarah Millican – she’s been nominated for ‘Queen of Comedy’)
  3. Monty Python have announced they’ll re-unite for eleven dates at London’s O2 Arena next year, despite now having a combined age of 357. But which Python is the oldest? (A: John Cleeseborn 27 October 1939)
  4. Which comedian voices a troll priest in the new animated Disney film, Frozen? (A: Jack Whitehall)
  5. Which catchphrase-heavy sketch show is planning a return next year to mark its 20th anniversary? (A: The Fast Show)
  6. Comedy Central has announced it is developing a new sitcom about a sexually promiscuous woman whose mission it is to ‘enjoy a variety of men.’ The show is to be called Operation what? (A: Slut)
  7. Which comedian has announced he’ll quit stand-up after one last tour in 2015? (A: Stewart Francis)
  8. Which comedian was last month forced to cancel their South African tour dates after being refused entry into the country? (A: Russell Brand)
  9. Which multi-lingual comedian has announced his first gigs entirely in German, to take place in Berlin next year? (A: Eddie Izzard)
  10. Which animated comedy killed off one of its main characters last week after 11 seasons? (A: Family Guy. Last week’s episode saw the demise of Brian, who was killed after being hit by a car.)

ROUND TWO: GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

  1. Name the two team captains on the long-running BBC panel show, Have I Got News For You. (A: Ian Hislop and Paul Merton)
  2. Which comedian was born Allen Stewart Konigsberg? (A: Woody Allen)
  3. In Only Fools and Horses, what does Trigger think Rodney is called? (A: Dave)
  4. Which comic had a hit with ‘Rocking Around The Christmas Tree’ in 1987? (A: Mel Smith. He collaborated with Kim Wilde for a Comic Relief Christmas single)
  5. Which comedian first hosted Family Fortunes? (A: Bob Monkhouse – from 1980 to 1983)
  6. ‘The Funny Side of Christmas’ was the 1982 Christmas special of which Ronnie Corbett sitcom? (A: Sorry!)
  7. Which musical comedian wrote the music and lyrics to the West End version of Roald Dahl’s Matilda? (A: Tim Minchin)
  8. True or false: James Corden played Gavin in Gavin & Stacy? (A: False – he played Smithy)
  9. Joey was a spin-off of which long-running sitcom? (A: Friends)
  10. Which comedian said, “I must be an anorexic. An anorexic looks in the mirror and sees a fat person. And so do I”? (A: Jo Brand)

ROUND THREE: CHRISTMAS SPECIALS

We’re going to read the synopsis from a Christmas special. We want you to name the sitcom.

  1. It’s Christmas time again for Jim & Barbara and there’s baiting aplenty in their over-decorated living room. Daughter Denise and husband Craig arrive on Christmas Eve with aspirations for Christmas morning whilst Twiggy marches in full of festive spirit. (A: The Royle Family)
  2. Rodney has ran out of yuletide cheer, as the annual routine of the Trotter festivities are wearing thin. Burnt turkey, charred Christmas pudding, the same old things on television, and nothing but a book lent to him by Mickey Pierce: ‘Body Language: The Lost Art.’ (A: Only Fools and Horses)
  3. Leonard befriends a colleague but is annoyed when he starts dating Penny. Meanwhile, Sheldon agonises over finding a Christmas present for Penny that’s worth the same as whatever she is giving him (A: The Big Bang Theory)
  4. Christmas is coming, and Lois is doing all she can to get the Griffin household ready for the big occasion. Stewie is going to play Jesus in the town nativity scene, and Peter is going out to do the family’s gift shopping. Along the way, however, Peter manages to give away all the presents to charity, Brian sets the house on fire, and Stewie becomes obsessed with getting plutonium from Santa Claus. (A: Family Guy)
  5. Fletch and Godber go before the governor for brewing Christmas hooch but the governor has to excuse himself with the runs. (A: Porridge)
  6. Liz has to spend Christmas without her family for the first time in her life. As compensation she participates in a ‘Letters to Santa’ charity program and buys presents for poor children. (A: 30 Rock)
  7. To prevent the Germans from getting it, the resistance will bring 1,000 kilo of explosives to René, disguised as 500 Christmas puddings. (A: Allo Allo)
  8. While Buster looks for ways to get out of serving in Iraq, Lindsay’s quest to score a date at the Bluth Company Christmas party backfires after GOB’s sexual harassment speech. (A: Arrested Development)
  9. Lily discovers an answering machine message in which Ted calls her a ‘Grinch’. As revenge, she steals all of his Christmas decorations. (A: How I Met Your Mother)
  10. It’s Christmas Eve and the Reverend Bernice receives an unexpected guest. (A: The League Of Gentlemen)

ROUND FOUR: PICTURE ROUND

  1. Russell Howard
  2. Reginald D Hunter
  3. Tony Law
  4. Daniel Kitson
  5. Nina Conti
  6. Johnny Vegas
  7. Josie Long
  8. Eddie Izzard
  9. Russell Kane
  10. Greg Davies

The Giggle Beats Comedy Quiz launches at The Stand Comedy Club on Sunday 5 January at 7pm. Entry is £2, and prizes include comedy tickets, merchandise and more. Click to reserve your seat.