Paul Rudd surprised pubgoers this week as he featured in their Christmas quiz.
The Barley Mow in Marylebone, central London holds a quiz every Tuesday which often features questions asked by a special guest.
Past readers have included Judi Dench, Michael Sheen and Will Ferrell.
For this week’s festive edition it was none other than A-lister Paul, 55, who recorded himself asking the ‘Top Ten Question’.
As his video was aired, pubgoers cheered and hollered while he asked them to name the top 10 Christmas carols – as voted for by Classic FM listeners.
So do YOU know the answer? Scroll down to find out.
Paul Rudd surprised pubgoers this week as he featured in their Christmas quiz, asking quizzers to name the top 10 Christmas carols – as voted for by Classic FM listeners
The Barley Mow in Marylebone, central London holds a quiz every Tuesday which often features questions asked by a special guest
This year’s ticketed Christmas quiz helped raise money for the homeless charity Shelter.
As well as the quiz there was also a silent auction – where quizzers had the chance to bid for prizes such as a private cinema screening at Selfridges and a meal for two with wine chosen by a sommelier at The Chiltern Firehouse.
Overall, the event raised £2561.01 for Shelter.
The Barley Mow first trialled a weekly pub quiz over a decade ago – but it never really took off and was eventually ‘killed’ by Covid.
The pub’s team decided to re-launch after the pandemic, and found there was ‘a new appetite for quizzing’, with the event getting busier and busier each Tuesday.
However, things really took off when they started inviting celebrity guests to read their Top Ten Question – with multi-award-winning actress Dame Judi Dench beginning the tradition.
Landlord Will Norris, who has worked at the pub on-and-off for a decade and bought it off its former owner three years ago, said: ‘When we initially trialled it, it never really took off – and then Covid naturally killed it.
‘But we re-launched in 2021 and it started growing really quickly.’
The Barley Mow first trialled a weekly pub quiz over a decade ago – but it never really took off and was eventually ‘killed’ by Covid – but things took off this year with celebrity involvement
Landlord Will Norris, who has worked at the pub for a decade, explained: ‘Judi Dench kindly agreed to be our first ever Celebrity Reader, and once Judi says yes, most people will say yes’
He continued: ‘I don’t know if it was because people did so much quizzing during lockdown – or if people were just eager to come to events again – but there was definitely a new appetite for quizzing.
‘We did this Top Ten Question every week and we decided it would be fun if we could get some celebrities to ask the questions.
‘Judi Dench very kindly agreed to be our first ever Celebrity Reader, and once Judi says yes, most people will say yes.
‘So it just really took off from there. Now we’re pretty much always booked out three weeks in advance.’
The majority of The Barley Mow’s employees are actors and musicians who work at the pub part-time alongside their main careers.
This means all of the quiz’s celebrity guests have come from staff pooling their contacts – and appealing to any A-listers they have met or worked with.
Hosts so far include Hollywood stars like Michael Sheen, Hugh Bonneville, and Will Ferrell, as well as famous TV faces like Graham Norton, Dermot O’Leary, and Chris McCausland.
But it’s not all about big names for their quiz events – as Will says a huge part of it is creating a ‘community feel’.
He said: ‘The sense of community we have purposely cultivated is something pubs in London don’t always have.
‘Even though we have a W1 postcode, we’ve created this special rare thing which people in London are desperate to find.
‘People are loyal to us and lots of our quiz teams come regularly – it creates a feeling of safety and acknowledgement, and it brings comfort.’