The first Christmas Special since the quiz came back, and the Tom Cobley went all in: bells and garlands hanging from every beam, and not a spare seat in the house. It was the night it became clear the Christmas quiz is the hottest ticket in Spreyton.
When the crowns were straightened and the scores added up, Cobley Wanderers had won, with Friends of Maddie in second. A very merry Christmas for one table in particular.
By the numbers
The Wanderers finished the year as they started it, on top. Their sixth win of 2023 made it three in a row after October and November, and only two teams had won the quiz all year: the Wanderers and Friends of Maddie.
A flavour of the questions
Everything came with tinsel on. There was a Christmas alphabet round, a picture sheet of festive logos, confectionery and a well-known film crop, and a general knowledge round that went from Herod to Home Alone.
- ChristmasWhat part of a Christingle represents the world?
Answer: The orange - ChristmasHow many Scrabble points would you score for playing the word CHRISTMAS?
Answer: 16 - Alphabet roundIn which country do millions of people eat KFC for their Christmas dinner?
Answer: Japan - Alphabet roundHedera helix is a climbing plant better known as what?
Answer: Ivy - ChristmasHow many gifts in total are given in The Twelve Days of Christmas?
Answer: 364. Somebody had a very full house by Twelfth Night. - ChristmasWhich robotic hamster-like toy was the best-selling present of Christmas 1998?
Answer: Furby - ChristmasFestivus, with a bare pole instead of a tree, the airing of grievances and feats of strength, comes from which TV show?
Answer: Seinfeld - ChristmasWhy couldn’t the skeleton go to the Christmas party?
Answer: He had no body to go with
The wipeout round gave teams a single line from a carol and asked for the title, from Don we now our gay apparel to Now bring us some figgy pudding. And even the traditional last question got a festive makeover: who is older, Noddy Holder or Roy Wood? We’ll leave that one under the tree.
The music round: Christmas beat the intro
Ten Christmas classics, and the trick was to name them as early as possible. Sleigh bells were a dead giveaway for at least three of them.
- Sleigh RideThe Ronettes
- Fairytale of New YorkThe Pogues
- Mary’s Boy Child / Oh My LordBoney M.
- Mistletoe and WineCliff Richard
- Stop the CavalryJona Lewie
- Wonderful ChristmastimePaul McCartney
- Rockin’ Around the Christmas TreeBrenda Lee
- Little Saint NickThe Beach Boys
- Must Be SantaBob Dylan
- Merry Xmas EverybodySlade
And finally
Merry Christmas, Cobley Wanderers. Next up was January, and the first quiz of 2024.
Every question from the night is in the questions archive, every winner is on the monthly winners board, and there are more photos in the gallery.