The Observer’s TV quiz of the year

Martin Compston in Line of Duty. Photograph: Chris Barr/BBC/World Productions

1. In Line of Duty’s sixth series, broadcast on BBC One last spring, who was ultimately unmasked as the corrupt police puppetmaster known as “H” or “the fourth man”?

   1. DCI Joanne Davidson (played by Kelly Macdonald)

   2. Supt Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar)

   3. DCS Patricia Carmichael (Anna Maxwell Martin)

   4. Det Supt Ian Buckells (Nigel Boyle)

2. In summer’s spa satire The White Lotus, entitled guest Shane demanded that he and new bride Rachel be switched between which rooms?

   1. From the ocean suite to the aloha suite

   2. From the honeymoon suite to the presidential suite

   3. From the palm suite to the pineapple suite

   4. From the tradewinds suite to the hibiscus suite

3. In Channel 4’s 80s-set Aids crisis drama It’s a Sin, what was Colin (played by Callum Scott Howells, above) affectionately nicknamed by his flatmates?

   1. Gloria

   2. Shirley

   3. Nancy

   4. Gladys

4. 

   Which contestant whipped up this spectacular showstopper in this autumn’s The Great British Bake Off?

   1. Jürgen Krauss

   2. Lizzie Acker

   3. George Aristidou

   4. Giuseppe Dell’Anno

5. What did this year’s primetime revivals of Blankety Blank and The Darling Buds of May have in common?

   1. Both were critically slammed and not recommissioned

   2. Both starred Bradley Walsh

   3. Both were produced by Richard Osman

   4. Both were cancelled after a #MeToo scandal

6. 

   What did Jeremy Clarkson sardonically name his 1,000-acre Cotswolds estate in Amazon docu-series Clarkson’s Farm?

   1. Ball & Chain

   2. Hill of Beans

   3. Fanny Adams

   4. Diddly Squat

7. In plaid-clad whodunit Mare of Easttown, what was the name of Mare Sheehan’s police partner, who met a shock fate?

   1. Detective Evan Peters

   2. Detective Richard Ryan

   3. Detective Colin Zabel

   4. Detective Brad Ingelsby

8. 

   Which trio of celebrities didn’t attend ITV’s An Audience With Adele last month?

   1. Emma Watson, Gareth Southgate, Samuel L Jackson

   2. Jodie Comer, Stormzy, Naomi Campbell

   3. Peter Kay, Lily James, Sadiq Khan

   4. Dua Lipa, Bryan Cranston, Dawn French

9. In February, heavily pregnant Joss Stone won the second season of The Masked Singer. But what was her disguise?

   1. Queen bee

   2. Car wash

   3. Grandfather clock

   4. Sausage

10. On Friends: The Reunion, which two celebrities modelled Ross’s Spud-nik and Holiday Armadillo costumes?

    1. James Corden and Kylie Jenner

    2. Kit Harington and Mindy Kaling

    3. Justin Bieber and Cara Delevingne

    4. David Beckham and Paris Hilton

11. 

    Whose comments about Meghan Markle prompted Piers Morgan to storm off the set of Good Morning Britain in March?

    1. Co-host Susanna Reid

    2. Weatherman Alex Beresford

    3. Newsreader Ranvir Singh

    4. Doctor Hilary Jones

12. Netflix drama Sex/Life set social media alight this summer. Why?

    1. It featured controversial scenes of teen suicide

    2. It featured an X-rated cameo from Stormy Daniels

    3. It featured a full-frontal shower scene of a well-endowed male

    4. It featured unusual pronunciations of “fellatio” and cunnilingus”

13. What was the name of the idyllic suburban town where Marvel’s WandaVision was set?

    1. Eastport, Connecticut

    2. Westview, New Jersey

    3. Seahaven, Maine

    4. Eureka, California

14. 

    In the fourth season finale of Call My Agent!, why does Jean Reno decide to give up acting?

    1. Because he’s set his heart on becoming a standup comedian instead

    2. Because he’s had a minor stroke and can’t remember his lines

    3. Because he gets offered a role subject to undergoing cosmetic surgery

    4. Because he’s starring in a film as Santa Claus and hates it

15. Which pop diva went viral in April by serenading a lonely elephant during a Smithsonian Channel wildlife documentary ?

    1. Cher

    2. Madonna

    3. Lady Gaga

    4. Mariah Carey

16. 

    This image is from the opening titles for which 2021 TV show?

    1. The White Lotus

    2. Only Murders in the Building

    3. The Morning Show

    4. The Underground Railroad

17. Which theatre star filled in as guest judge on Strictly Come Dancing for two weeks this autumn?

    1. Jennifer Hudson

    2. Jessie Buckley

    3. Idina Menzel

    4. Cynthia Erivo

Solutions

1:D, 2:C, 3:D, 4:D, 5:B, 6:D, 7:C, 8:C, 9:D, 10:C, 11:B, 12:C, 13:B, 14:D, 15:A, 16:C, 17:D

Scores

1. 7 and above.

   Solid work! You've obviously put in your hours in front of the box in 2021.

2. 13 and above.

   You're a gift to quizzing! All that hard viewing paid off.

3. 17 and above.

   You are a quizzer with all the trimmings, and a titan of TV fandom!

4. 0 and above.

   Well. Let's just agree never to mention this again, shall we?

5. 1 and above.

   Hmmm. Could be better. We prescribe more telly in 2022!