The office Christmas quiz has a tough job. It has to work for the graduate who started in September and the finance director who's been there twenty years. It has to be fair to people who don't follow football, and to people who never watch TV. And it has to be finished before the food arrives.
These 50 questions are written with that in mind. There are five rounds of ten: Christmas TV, Office and Work Trivia, Christmas Number Ones, Festive Food, Drink and Adverts, and New Year and Winter. Every answer is shown under its question, with a short fact you can read out after each answer.
Round 1: Christmas TV (Questions 1-10)
1. In the 2019 Gavin & Stacey Christmas special, who proposes to Smithy?
✓ Nessa
💡 The episode was watched by around 17 million people, making it the most-watched scripted show in the UK for over a decade.
2. In the 1996 Only Fools and Horses Christmas episode 'Time on Our Hands', what antique makes the Trotters millionaires?
✓ A watch (a lost marine timepiece by John Harrison)
💡 The second part was watched by more than 24 million people, still a record for a British sitcom episode.
3. Which comedy double act's 1977 Christmas show drew an audience of more than 20 million?
✓ Morecambe and Wise
💡 Their Christmas specials were such an event that the 1977 one is still among the most-watched programmes in British TV history.
4. In which year did Doctor Who begin its tradition of Christmas Day specials?
✓ 2005
💡 The first was 'The Christmas Invasion', David Tennant's first full episode as the Doctor.
5. Who played the Reverend Geraldine Granger in 'The Vicar of Dibley'?
✓ Dawn French
💡 The show's Christmas and New Year specials regularly topped the festive TV ratings.
6. In EastEnders on Christmas Day 1986, what did Den Watts hand his wife Angie?
✓ Divorce papers
💡 Around 30 million people watched across the two showings, a record for a single soap episode in the UK.
7. In 'Merry Christmas Mr Bean' (1992), what does Mr Bean get his head stuck in?
✓ A turkey
💡 Rowan Atkinson's Mr Bean was sold to more than 200 countries and territories, partly because the character barely speaks.
8. In 'Blackadder's Christmas Carol' (1988), what is unusual about Ebenezer Blackadder at the start of the story?
✓ He is the kindest, most generous man in England
💡 It flips Dickens's story: the ghost's visions of his nasty ancestors and descendants persuade him to become mean.
9. Which sitcom, set almost entirely in a Manchester living room, became famous for its Christmas specials?
✓ The Royle Family
💡 Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash wrote the show and both starred in it.
10. Which ITV soap's Christmas episodes often centre on the Rovers Return pub?
✓ Coronation Street
💡 Coronation Street first aired in December 1960, making it the world's longest-running TV soap opera.
Round 2: Office and Work Trivia (Questions 11-20)
11. The original UK version of The Office ended with a two-part Christmas special in 2003. What is the name of the paper company in the show?
✓ Wernham Hogg
💡 Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant made just 12 regular episodes plus the two Christmas specials.
12. Which company makes Post-it Notes?
✓ 3M
💡 The adhesive was discovered by 3M scientist Spencer Silver while he was trying to make a very strong glue.
13. In email, what does 'cc' stand for?
✓ Carbon copy
💡 It dates from typewriter days, when a sheet of carbon paper produced a second copy of a letter.
14. Who sent the first email between two computers on a network, in 1971?
✓ Ray Tomlinson
💡 Tomlinson chose the @ symbol to separate the user's name from the computer's name.
15. Which Microsoft spreadsheet program was first released in 1985, for the Apple Macintosh?
✓ Excel
💡 The Windows version arrived two years later, in 1987.
16. Which Hungarian-born inventor gave his name to the ballpoint pen?
✓ László Bíró
💡 He patented his pen in 1938. Bíró had worked as a journalist and noticed how quickly newspaper ink dried.
17. The QWERTY keyboard layout was originally designed for which machine?
✓ The typewriter
💡 The layout was developed by Christopher Latham Sholes in the 1870s.
18. Which singer wrote and sang the theme song for the 1980 office comedy film '9 to 5'?
✓ Dolly Parton
💡 Parton also starred in the film. She has said she wrote the rhythm by clicking her long fingernails together.
19. In Ireland and Australia, what other name is often used for an office Secret Santa?
✓ Kris Kringle
💡 'Kris Kringle' comes from 'Christkindl', a German name for the Christ Child as a gift-bringer.
20. How many weeks of paid holiday a year are full-time UK workers entitled to by law?
✓ 5.6 weeks
💡 That's 28 days for someone working five days a week. Employers can choose to include bank holidays in it.
Fancy a film round?
Our Christmas Movie Quiz has 25 questions on Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually and more, free to play.
Play the Christmas Movie Quiz →
Our Christmas Movie Quiz has 25 questions on Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually and more, free to play.
Play the Christmas Movie Quiz →
Round 3: Christmas Number Ones (Questions 21-30)
21. Which pink, spotty character was the UK Christmas number one in 1993?
✓ Mr Blobby
💡 Mr Blobby beat Take That's 'Babe' to the top spot.
22. Which girl group had three Christmas number ones in a row, from 1996 to 1998?
✓ Spice Girls
💡 The three songs were '2 Become 1', 'Too Much' and 'Goodbye'.
23. Which children's TV character had the Christmas number one in 2000 with 'Can We Fix It?'
✓ Bob the Builder
💡 It was the UK's best-selling single of 2000.
24. Who had the 2003 Christmas number one with a slowed-down cover of Tears for Fears' 'Mad World'?
✓ Gary Jules (with Michael Andrews)
💡 The cover was first recorded for the 2001 film Donnie Darko.
25. Which choir, conducted by Gareth Malone, had the 2011 Christmas number one with 'Wherever You Are'?
✓ The Military Wives
💡 The choir's story was later turned into the 2019 film 'Military Wives', starring Kristin Scott Thomas.
26. Which band had the 1979 Christmas number one with 'Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)'?
✓ Pink Floyd
💡 The children's choir was from Islington Green School, near the band's studio in London.
27. Which song was the UK Christmas number one in both 1975 and 1991?
✓ Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
💡 It was re-released in 1991 after Freddie Mercury's death, with the money raised going to HIV and AIDS charities.
28. Which comedian had the 1971 Christmas number one with 'Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)'?
✓ Benny Hill
💡 Benny Hill had worked as a milkman as a young man.
29. Which Irish boy band had the 1999 Christmas number one with 'I Have a Dream / Seasons in the Sun'?
✓ Westlife
💡 It was the last UK number one of the 20th century.
30. How many times has 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' been the UK Christmas number one?
✓ Three (1984, 1989 and 2004)
💡 Each version was recorded by a different line-up: Band Aid, Band Aid II and Band Aid 20.
Round 4: Festive Food, Drink and Adverts (Questions 31-40)
31. In which Yorkshire town were Quality Street chocolates first made, in 1936?
✓ Halifax
💡 They were made by Mackintosh's and named after a play by J. M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan.
32. Which brand's chocolate orange are you supposed to 'tap and unwrap'?
✓ Terry's
💡 Terry's was a York company. Production moved out of the city in 2005.
33. Which company makes Roses chocolates?
✓ Cadbury
💡 Cadbury launched Roses in 1938.
34. Which company makes Celebrations, the tubs of mini chocolate bars launched in 1996?
✓ Mars
💡 The tub includes miniature versions of brands such as Maltesers, Galaxy and Bounty.
35. Which supermarket's Christmas adverts feature Kevin the Carrot?
✓ Aldi
💡 Kevin first appeared in Aldi's 2016 Christmas advert.
36. Which department store's Christmas adverts have featured Monty the Penguin and Excitable Edgar the dragon?
✓ John Lewis
💡 The John Lewis Christmas advert has become an annual event since the late 2000s, with its own launch day.
37. The old drinking toast 'wassail' comes from words meaning what?
✓ Be healthy (good health)
💡 Wassailing also means visiting orchards in winter to bless the apple trees for a good harvest.
38. Which nut is the main ingredient of marzipan?
✓ Almonds
💡 Marzipan is traditionally layered under the icing of a British Christmas cake.
39. Which country grows the most cranberries?
✓ The United States
💡 Canada is the second-biggest grower. Cranberries are often harvested by flooding the fields so the berries float.
40. What is the main ingredient of bread sauce, besides milk?
✓ Bread (breadcrumbs)
💡 Bread sauce dates back to medieval times, when bread was used to thicken sauces.
Got families or kids at the party?
Our Christmas Quiz for Kids has 25 easy questions the whole family can play.
Play the Christmas Quiz for Kids →
Our Christmas Quiz for Kids has 25 easy questions the whole family can play.
Play the Christmas Quiz for Kids →
Round 5: New Year and Winter (Questions 41-50)
41. What is the Scottish name for New Year's Eve?
✓ Hogmanay
💡 Edinburgh's Hogmanay street party is one of the world's best-known New Year celebrations.
42. Which poet wrote the words to 'Auld Lang Syne' as we sing it today?
✓ Robert Burns
💡 Burns wrote it down in 1788, based on an older song. 'Auld lang syne' roughly means 'for old times' sake'.
43. Whose chimes are broadcast on the BBC at midnight on New Year's Eve?
✓ Big Ben's
💡 Big Ben is the name of the great bell. The tower itself was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012.
44. Which charity organises Christmas Jumper Day in the UK?
✓ Save the Children
💡 It began in 2012 and asks people to wear a festive jumper and donate to the charity.
45. In the Scottish tradition of first-footing, who is said to be the luckiest first visitor after midnight?
✓ A tall, dark-haired man
💡 The first-footer traditionally brings small gifts such as coal, shortbread, salt or whisky.
46. Which ceremony in New York's Times Square marks the start of the New Year?
✓ The ball drop
💡 The first ball was lowered in 1907, after fireworks were banned.
47. Which country's island of Kiritimati (Christmas Island) is the first inhabited place to see in the New Year?
✓ Kiribati
💡 In 1995 Kiribati moved part of the International Date Line so that the whole country shared the same date.
48. Which festive plant is a parasite that grows on trees?
✓ Mistletoe
💡 Mistletoe takes water and nutrients from its host tree, often an apple, lime or poplar.
49. What is the shortest day of the year, around 21 December, called?
✓ The winter solstice
💡 Thousands of people gather at Stonehenge to watch the sunrise on the winter solstice.
50. In England, if Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, when is the substitute bank holiday?
✓ The following Monday (28 December)
💡 When Christmas Day falls on a Saturday, the bank holidays move to the Monday and Tuesday.
How to run an office Christmas quiz
- Teams of four to six work best. Mix departments so the same people don't always sit together.
- Five rounds of ten takes roughly an hour with marking. For a lunchtime quiz, pick two or three rounds.
- Swap answer sheets between teams for marking. It's quicker and avoids arguments.
- Keep a tiebreaker ready, such as 'How tall, in metres, is the Elizabeth Tower, home of Big Ben?' (Answer: 96 metres.) Closest team wins.
- Remote or hybrid team? Share the questions on screen, or have everyone play one of our free online Christmas quizzes at the same time and compare scores.
Playing on screens instead?
Our Christmas quiz has 50 questions you can play online for free.
Play the Christmas Quiz →
Our Christmas quiz has 50 questions you can play online for free.
Play the Christmas Quiz →
More Christmas quiz questions
Need more rounds? Our 50 Christmas quiz questions and answers cover festive films, traditions, songs, food and Christmas around the world. For a general round to mix in, try our pub quiz questions, and for music fans there's the online Christmas Music Quiz.
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