It feels as if this really is the start of a new era for the Thursday news quiz. Not only was there last week’s announcement that Willow had retired from her role as the official dog of the Guardian Thursday news quiz, but this week we have a new visual tone, courtesy of a set of lovely, whimsical illustrations by Anaïs Mims. Rest assured, not much else has changed. It is still 15 questions on topical news, pop culture and general knowledge, and it is still packed every week with the same hackneyed old in-jokes. There are no prizes, but tell us how you got on in the comments. Allons-y!
The Thursday news quiz, No 230
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Which movie won best film in the drama category at the 2026 Golden Globes (pictured)?
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Weapons
Hamnet
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And who went viral at the Golden Globes after the usually deadpan actor was caught on camera pulling a variety of bizarre faces at someone across the room?
Joaquin Phoenix
Leonardo DiCaprio
Paul Mescal
Ron from Sparks
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Which co-founding member of The Grateful Dead has joined Jerry Garcia at the great gig in the sky after dying last week aged 78?
Bunk Gardner
Jeff Cotton
Robert Lamm
Bob Weir
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What is Pantone's colour of the year for 2026 (pictured, honest) called?
Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Dancer
Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Dreamer
Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Drifter
Pantone 11-4201 Mushy Indescribable Nothing
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Who (pictured) is taking up a second term as Royal Society president?
David Matron
Paul Nurse
Eric Doctor
Alan Anaesthetist
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It is Chloe Kelly's birthday today! Happy birthday Chloe! Lioness! Where did she score the winning penalty for England last year in the Euro 2025 final?
Basel in Switzerland
Milan in Italy
Dortmund in Germany
Klow in Syldavia
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Sticking with football, which team caused arguably the biggest FA Cup upset of all time at the weekend by beating holders Crystal Palace despite playing their league football five divisions below them?
Mansfield Town
Mildenhall United
Macclesfield
Melchester Rovers
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This week's guest canine is Lottie, seen here enjoying having a sploot on the London Underground. Remind her what Greenland's flag looks like …
It features two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and blue (bottom) with a counter-changed red and white disk slightly to the hoist side of centre
It features two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red (bottom) with a counter-changed red and white disk slightly to the hoist side of centre
It features two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and green (bottom) with a counter-changed red and white disk slightly to the hoist side of centre
It features a heraldic depiction of Chris Martin from Coldplay falling through a trapdoor
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A Roman Catholic diocese in Germany (not pictured – that is the quiz master at the Vatican, before writing the quiz aged him) has expressed regret over a Christmas Eve mass shown on national television featuring what?
A projection-mapped crib showing footage of refugees crossing the Mediterranean
A nativity scene featuring a hologram of Pope Leo XIV blessing a QR-code baby Jesus
A manger in which a female performance actor was huddled up in a foetal position and covered with sticky rice paper
Joseph and Mary being ushered through the door marked 'do one' by a statue of Donald Trump
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A 250kg (550lb) black bear (pictured, living his best life) that took up residence under a home for more than a month has finally been evicted. Where?
Altadena, California
Santadena, Arizona
San Altano, New Mexico
Innsmouth, Massachusetts
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Nadhim Zahawi was chancellor under Boris Johnson for 64 days, or approximately one and a third times the days the Thursday news quiz favourite Liz Truss (pictured) spent in Downing Street. He has just defected to Nigel Farage's Reform UK. What did he get sacked for by Rishi Sunak in January 2023?
Claiming expenses for electricity used to run the stables on his private estate
Criticising Donald Trump for imposing a Muslim travel ban that prevented Zahawi from entering the US
Failing to declare an HMRC investigation into his tax affairs
Saying Farage had made comments that were 'offensive and racist'
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Least or most with Liberace's ghost. This week the Thursday quiz imagines the ghost of Liberace would like to know which of these has played James Bond in the most films?
Timothy Dalton
Pierce Brosnan
Daniel Craig
Mr Blobby
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According to experts polled ahead of next week’s Davos summit, what is the greatest risk facing the world over the next two years?
Geoeconomic confrontation
State-based armed conflict
Extreme weather events
Troops of escaped macaques embarking on crime sprees
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On this day with Brian May! And his badger! 15 January is the anniversary of Elizabeth I being crowned queen in Westminster Abbey. The Thursday quiz imagines Queen's legendary guitarist wants you to tell him – and his badger – in which year …
1459
1509
1559
1609
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What has the USA’s Katie Uhlaender, a five-time Winter Olympian in skeleton, accused the Canadian skeleton team of doing?
Withdrawing athletes from a competition to prevent her from qualifying for the Winter Olympics
Wearing suits with an illegal aerodynamic adjustment that amounts to cheating the rules
Using a nonstandard skeleton with a below-regulation gap between the board and the ice
Unleashing 30-50 feral hogs on to the track just as she was about to start
Solutions
1:D - If you were thinking that One Battle After Another should have been on the list, that did win an award, but for best film – musical or comedy, 2:B - He seemed to be talking about K-pop to someone for some reason, 3:D - Weir was one of the band’s two frontmen and main vocalists for most of their 60-year history, 4:A - It has been described by Pantone as 'a lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection' and 'a billowy white imbued with serenity' that 'encourages true relaxation and focus', and by the Thursday quiz as [REDACTED BY LAWYERS], 5:B - He first held the position from 2010 to 2015, 6:A - Switzerland hosted the tournament, where England's women retained their title, 7:C - Absolute scenes!, 8:B - It was designed by Greenland native Thue Christiansen and is very different from a US flag, 9:C - She was swiftly dubbed 'slime Jesus' on social media. Ewwwwwww, 10:A - Hilariously, the house wasn’t the first home the bear – who is tagged as number 2120 – had sought refuge under. He had taken up residence in another home in the area before officials moved him about 10 miles away, 11:C - He did do all of these things, but this is the thing Sunak sacked him for. What a breath of fresh air it is to have someone honourable like him back on the frontline of politics, 12:C - Daniel did five, Pierce four and Timothy just the two. Roger Moore did seven, as did Sean Connery, if you count one sort of unofficial one. Mr Blobby is yet to appear in the franchise, although the role is open at the moment, 13:A - Among 1,300 business leaders, academics and civil society figures surveyed by the World Economic Forum (WEF), 18% cited it, 14:C - She was born in 1533 to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, her mum was executed when she was three, and she became queen after Mary I died in 1558, 15:A - Canada pulled a number of athletes from an event, which reduced the amount of qualifying points available to her because of the reduced field. Coaches from the US, Denmark, Israel and Malta, whose athletes were all affected by the Canadian withdrawals, have written to the IOC expressing 'serious concerns'
Scores
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0 and above.
We hope you had fun – let us know how you got on in the comments!
If you really do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers – and can show your working and are absolutely 100% positive you aren’t attempting to factcheck a joke – you can complain about it in the comments below. Why not watch Pokemon by Wet Leg instead?
