A London pub has enlisted A-list quiz hosts including Judi Dench, Michael Sheen, Hugh Bonneville and Bryan Cranston, in a bid to get punters through the door.
The Barley Mow pub in Marylebone, west London, struggled to get back on its feet following Covid.
After Dame Judi Dench agreed to record a quiz round last September – asking the punters of the Grade II listed boozer to name the ten longest motorways in England – the quiz has been taken over by scores of other A-list hosts.
A year on, 14 teams a week pack out the pub not just for the £7 pints of Guinness – but to hear a different A-list celebrity host the ‘top ten’ round via video link, every week.
And far from the scripts they usually deliver, the segment sees them ask the room a single question with ten answers.
After Dame Judi Dench agreed to record a quiz round last September ]the quiz has been taken over by scores of other A-list hosts
Michael Sheen asked about ten countries that end with the word ‘land’ from outside the Sydney Opera House
Bryan Cranston asked the packed audience for the top ten most common chemical elements in the human body
A-list celebrity host the ‘top ten’ round via video link, asking the room a single question with ten answers
Sherlock star Martin Freeman read out questions for the regular quiz night at the Barley Mow in Marylebone
Hollywood actor Michael Peña appeared via video link to read questions to eager quizzers
Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker quizzed punters at the West London pub
Actor Wendell Pierce appeared via video link to host the pub quiz at the Barley Mow
Michael Sheen asked about ten countries that end with the word ‘land’ from outside the Sydney Opera House while John Lithgow delivered his questions from a hotel lobby.
Martin Freeman quizzed from what looked like his bedroom while Hugh Bonneville asked quizzers to get their ‘pens at the ready’ from his attic study.
Can YOU answer these celebrity pub quiz questions?
1. Dame Judie Dench asked: Name the ten longest motorways in the UK
2. Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston asked: What are the ten most common chemical elements in the human body?
3. Good Omens angel Michael Sheen asked: Name ten countries that end with the word ‘land’
4. Nanny McPhee star Celia Imrie asked: Who are the ten most successful tennis players by grand slam victories?
Other famous cameo quiz hosts have included Dominic West, John Lithgow, Jonathan Pryce, Ben Kingsley and Sophie Whittaker.
Last night Calendar Girls’ Celia Imrie asked the quizzers the ten most successful tennis players by grand slam victories.
Previous topics have included the ten longest motorways in Britain and underground stations starting with G.
Bryan Cranston asked the packed audience for the top ten most common chemical elements in the human body.
The pub has managed to get the hosts thanks to being a haven for London actors, staffed by actors and musicians who pool their contacts for hosts.
So far every celeb who has taken part has been through one of the pub staff’s connections.
The pub’s general manager and owner, Will Norris, 44, had been working there on-and-off for over a decade, before he bought it from the owners earlier this year.
Rada graduate Will said: ‘The first guest we had was Judi Dench because one of the guys who works here knows her daughter.
‘Once you get Judi Dench, lots of people want to get on board – now we’ve done 52 weeks of it.
‘We have another 42 weeks’ filmed and ready to go – including Martin Freeman and Jodie Whittaker.
‘Coming out of Covid was quite horrendous so we were lucky to have our quiz night and our darts tournaments keeping us afloat.
14 teams a week pack out the pub to hear a different A-list celebrity host the ‘top ten’ round via video link
Quizzers gather round their answer sheet as A-list host Celia Imrie can be seen on a screen via a video link
Punters look p at the screen as celebrity host and actress Celia Imrie reads out questions
Eager quizzers gather in their teams, each hunched over their answer sheet as a celebrity host quizzes them on their general knowledge
Punters around a small table sink pints as they enjoy an evening hosted by A-listers
Punters scratch their chins as they search deeply for the ten answers to a single question read out by the celebrity host
The Barley Mow in London hosts its weekly pub quiz every Tuesday at 7.30pm
The pub’s general manager and owner, Will Norris, 44, had been working there on-and-off for over a decade
‘Now when we have our weekly quiz. It’s so busy that we have to kick non-quizzers out!’
The pub now has a waiting list, and the Christmas one – raising money for Shelter – is already sold out.
Will said: ‘We don’t know who yet – but we’ll get someone big in for the Christmas quiz.’
But it’s not all about big names for their quiz events – as Will says a huge part of it is creating a ‘community feel’.
He said: ‘The sense of community we have purposely cultivated is something pubs in London don’t always have.
‘Even though we have a W1 postcode, we’ve created this special rare thing which people in London are desperate to find.
‘People are loyal to us and lots of our quiz teams come regularly – it creates a feeling of safety and acknowledgement, and it brings comfort.’
How many pub quiz questions did you get right?
DAME JUDI DENCH ANSWERS:
1. M6 — 232.2 miles
2. M1 — 193.5 miles
3. M4 — 189 miles
4. M5 — 162.9 miles
5. M25 — 117 miles
6. M62 — 107 mile
7. M40 — 89 miles
8. M8 — 60.3 miles
9. M3 — 58.6 miles
10. M11 — 55 miles.
MICHAEL SHEEN ANSWERS:
1. England
2. Finlan
3. Iceland
4. Ireland
5. Netherlands
6. New Zealand
7. Poland
8. Scotland
9. Switzerland
10. Thailand.
CELIA IMRIE ANSWERS:
1. Margaret Court = 24
2 = Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams — 23
4 = Rafael Nadal and Steffi Graf — 22
6. Roger Federer — 20
7. Helen Wills — 19
8. Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova — 18
10. Pete Sampras — 14
BRYAN CRANSTON ANSWERS:
1. Oxygen — 65 per cent mass
2. Carbon — 18.5%
3. Hydrogen — 10%
4. Nitrogen 3.2%
5. Calcium — 1.5%
6. Phosphorus — 1%
7. Potassium —0.4%
8. Sulphur — 0.3%
9. Sodium — 0.2%
10. Chlorine — 0.2% mass.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12490811/Now-thats-showquiz-London-pub-gets-listers-including-Dame-Judi-Dench-Michael-Sheen-Hugh-Bonneville-Bryan-Cranston-ask-questions-weekly-quiz-bid-punters-door-answer.html
