Quizzes! Games! What to read, listen to and watch. It’s all here.
I’ll keep this intro short and sweet because I’m sure the last thing you really need is me waffling on and you’re probably just here for the quiz (and rightly so because that thing took me over a day to make and it’s my pride and joy). But the chances are that you’re spending a lot of time indoors right now, and if you’re not then you’re a key worker in our community and I’d love to send all our well wishes and a huge amount of respect your way – THANK YOU! For those of us who are staying in though, I have something up my sleeve which might keep you busy for a bit. It’s my ultimate at-home entertainment pack; featuring an eight round quiz that you can either do on your own or rope in your friends and family, my top Netflix and Amazon Prime picks that are available to binge right now, the best podcasts if that’s more your jam, the board games to get your hands on and the best card games to whip out no matter how many people you’re playing with. Phew. This should keep you busy for at least a day or two. ENJOY!
THE NEWTON ARMS PUB QUIZ
We love a pub quiz, so of course I had to put a quiz together (without the pub bit). The quiz consists of eight rounds in total; six standard rounds, one picture round and a music round, but feel free to pick and choose rounds as you see fit. Although I’ve tried to make the quiz suitable for everyone, no matter your age and where you’re based, things do skew a little to the U.K here and there but hopefully that doesn’t put you off! Here’s what you need to know:
There are three ways to play. If you want to play as an individual then print out the PDF questions (or get up the PDFs on screen and make a note of your answers on a piece of paper), quiz yourself and refer back to the answers. If you’re playing a two-person game against one other, then it’s probably best to print out the PDF’s, set a timer and then mark each others answers. If you’re playing it in teams then only the quiz master will need to print out the PDF answers sheet for each round (which has both the questions and answers on it) and the question sheet for the picture round for everyone to have. Teams can just make note of their answers on paper.
Play it virtually. Of course if you’re playing in teams virtually then everything is in a PDF format so it’s easy to send over WhatsApp or email – whatever you fancy. Feel free to share!
Be nice! Whenever we’re marking we don’t deduct marks for incorrect spellings and we like to mark as we go to keep up the suspense. Oooooh. If you play all the rounds then the top possible score is 98.
Make your own quiz. I have major respect for all quiz masters out there because these things take ages to make. I have to give major props to this website, which is a great one to use if you fancy making your own.
ROUND ONE: The 2020 Round – Questions – Answers
A starter round focusing on all the good stuff that has happened so far this year.
ROUND TWO: Geography – Questions – Answers
It does what it says on the tin.
ROUND THREE: History – Questions – Answers
Questions on historic events that all happened in April of their respective years.
ROUND FOUR: The Picture Round: ’90’s Celebs – Questions – Answers
Take a break from the questions and have yourself a picture round featuring some classic ’90’s celebs.
ROUND FIVE: Films & Entertainment – Questions – Answers
Another one that does what it says on the tin.
ROUND SIX: Sports – Questions – Answers
A round put together by the biggest sports fan I know, my Dad.
ROUND SEVEN: General Knowledge – Questions – Answers
There’s a chance for everyone to pitch in with this general knowledge round.
ROUND EIGHT: The Music Round (use this playlist) – Questions – Answers
A tricky one to play if you’re playing on your own, but if you’re playing in teams the quiz master just needs to play the linked up playlist on Spotify. Play just the first 10 seconds if you want to make it really hard.
THE NETFLIX EDIT
Cheer. I mean I’m sure you’ve heard EVERYONE online already mention this, but it’s such a great feel-good documentary of a cheerleading team and their journey to the nationals. Jerry is the star and I would like him to ‘mat talk’ me through life please and thank you.
Schitt’s Creek. If you want something easy that you can just throw on and you’re bored of watching Friends for the 1987th time, then this is what you need. Stay with it as it gets so much better. Highlights include each time Moira says ‘Bebe’ and ‘A Little Bit Alexis’.
When Harry Met Sally. This is my favourite film of all time. There I said it. The chunky knits and the bleach jeans, the Katz’s deli scene, the ending, the whole caboodle. I love it. If you haven’t ever watched it, rectify that immediately, it’s one of the best rom-coms of all time.
The Long Shot. A short but sweet investigative documentary about a guy who is put in jail but pleads innocence. I don’t want to ruin it but it’s spectacular.
THE AMAZON PRIME EDIT
The Office. I recently started watching it from the beginning again for about the seventh time and I’m already on season five. Perhaps the best piece of comedic TV ever made. If you haven’t watched it before then there are nine seasons. You know what to do.
Parks & Recreation. I just can’t pick between this and The Office as my favourite TV series of all time. It’s brill. Amy Phoeler is just an outstanding woman and I could watch her and Nick Offerman goof around on a screen all day.
Making The Cut. It’s basically Project Runway but with Naomi Campbell and Nicole Richie. I quite like the fact that they are drip-feeding episodes so it gives us something to look forward to each week. We need that right now.
The O.C. I only just realised that this was on Amazon. I have to say that it’s pretty terrible once you start watching it back. So overly dramatic, but I’m here for the fashion, the soundtrack and Seth Cohen who will forever be my teenage crush.
Modern Love. One of my favourite things that I’ve watched recently. Each episode follows the outline of an essay written for The New York Times column ‘Modern Love, so each one is loosely based on a true story. Prepare yourself for big names and storylines that will pull on your heartstrings. I think I cried at about 80% of the episodes. Watch each one and then google the episode title after to find the original essay.
THE PODCAST EDIT
Who Weekly? A twice-a-week podcast that prides itself on telling you everything you need to know about the celebrities you don’t. It’s brilliant and fun and the co-hosts Bobby and Lindsey have made me want to download Animal Crossing despite me not even knowing what it is.
The Dropout. I am completely fascinated with everything to do with Elizabeth Holmes and her failed blood-work and company scam, Theranos. F-A-S-C-I-N-A-T-E-D. This podcast is a deep dive into all of that and a good beginner’s guide if you’ve never heard of it before.
Office Ladies. A podcast by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kingsey, a.k.a Pam and Angela from The Office where they re-watch every episode and give behind the scenes titbits as they go. These ladies are very excited about the whole thing (maybe don’t listen to the first couple of episodes with headphones), but I am a sucker for BTS trivia.
Bon Appétit Foodcast. The sister podcast to arguably the best YouTube channel out there. OF COURSE I love this podcast. Offering insights and featuring interviews with my favourite cooks, it makes for a nice accompaniment to the YouTube channel, magazine I subscribe to and the website that I spend about 20 minutes a day on.
Teacher’s Pet & Who The Hell is Hamish? Both produced by The Australian who do great podcasts if you’re into the murder mystery/con person genre like I am, these are both really interesting series’ into the lives and minds of some of the most notorious Australian criminal cases.
THE BOARD GAME EDIT
*Sequence. A board game that’s a mix of five in a row and a card game. You pick up cards and then lay the counters down on the appropriate card on the board until you made a row. A bit of luck and a bit of strategy. A good one to play if there’s four of you and you like a quieter game. We’ve had it in our family since it was first released back in the nineties.
*Ticket To Ride. OK this game is like Monopoly-style levels of long and confusing at the start, so I’d recommend downloading the app to get used to the game play and strategy needed. When you’ve picked that up it makes the whole thing way easier to understand (we sometimes play without the tunnels and stations to make it easier for beginners).
*Dobble. It’s such an easy premise; round cards with lots of little pictures on it that you can create a shedload of different games out of. Such a good one for travel too and it’s so small and compact. WARNING: This game tends to get very competitive and very loud.
*Bananagram. We do love Scrabble in our family, but Banangram is like the younger, cooler version of it. Use the letter tiles to spell out words that other people can add to. Up to eight players can play as well which is a good option if there’s a lot of you quarantining together.
*Who’s The Dude. Basically charades but with a blow up doll. Yes, I know. This one is better the more of you that play so it’s one to buy now to get out later on when you can gather the whole family together. It’s family friendly (for the most part), but there are double entendres all over the shop. A hilarious one that we play every Christmas.
THE CARD GAME EDIT
If you’re playing on your own… Patience. I remember my Nannie teaching me this back in the day and it’s such a good one to play if you’re own. Takes a while to set up, but it’s so satisfying to play.
If you’re playing with one other person… Speed. Mark and I got so addicted to playing this on our honeymoon that we actually kept scores of how many rounds we’d each one. Really quick and easy to get the hang of.
If you’re playing with three to eight people... Sevens. This is a family favourite in our household, we’ve played it as a family since we could understand it. Every game is different and it never gets boring. If you can hold back a seven until your final card?! What a moment.
Photos by Mark Newton
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