The Christmas quiz: looking back on 2020
Test your knowledge on the year’s news and on popular quiz topics

- Which actress played Nurse Ratched in the film version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest?
- Metropolis, made in Germany in 1927, is regarded as one of the most influential films of early cinema. Who directed it?
- Which two characters feature in all of the Skywalker Saga Star Wars films?
- This Hollywood screenwriter and director won four Oscars over two years for two films – A Letter to Three Wives and All About Eve. Who was he?
- With what film did Jordan Peele make his directorial debut in 2017?
- For which 1965 film did Julie Christie win the best actress Oscar? And for which 1963 film did Omar Sharif win his only Oscar?
- Steve McQueen’s TV drama series Small Axe takes its title from a lyric in a song by which singer-songwriter?
- What musical instrument is indelibly associated with Carol Reed’s 1949 film The Third Man? And for a bonus point, who played it on the soundtrack?
- Name the characters played by Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman in the 1988 box office smash Die Hard; and the skyscraper in which they do battle.
- Ben Wheatley’s new film adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca stars Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs Danvers. Who played her in the 1940 film?
- By what name are the following actors and musicians better known: a) Farrokh Bulsara b) Betty Perske c) Issur Danielovitch d) Michael J. Douglas e) Stevland Judkins f) Calvin Broadus Jr?
- Robert Downey Jr starred as Dr Dolittle in a widely panned new film based on Hugh Lofting’s books. Which two actors had played the doctor in the 1967 and 1998 adaptations?
- In which 1960s cartoon series did Penelope Pitstop appear, along with the likes of Dastardly and Muttley?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 cartoons about the TACO trade
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on America's tariffs, Vladimir Putin waiting for taco Tuesday, and a new presidential seal
-
A city of culture in the high Andes
The Week Recommends Cuenca is a must-visit for those keen to see the 'real Ecuador'
-
The Chagos Islands: Starmer's 'lousy deal'
Talking Point The PM's adherence to 'legalism' has given Mauritius a 'gift from British taxpayers'
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical