Have you, your family and friends been paying attention this year? Here’s a chance to find out, with GP’s news and current affairs quiz featuring 160 topical 2025 questions.
The questions are divided into categories, so the quiz can be tackled in manageable, bite-sized chunks. It’s advisable to have a break halfway through, and before the answers are revealed.
Some answers are numbers, so an acceptable numerical range has been suggested for these questions. An extra point should be awarded to players who get the number exactly right.
The Never family played the quiz on Boxing Day, and it took about 2 hours to work through all the questions, which includes time for repeating some questions, for thinking, and for exclamations like “nope, don’t know this one either”.
The top Never family score was a rather pitiful 40, which was achieved by two family members. In a break with tradition, the modest quiz prize was presented to the player who came last this year.
Categories
Current Affairs 2025 – 66 Questions (numbers 1-66)
Arts and Entertainment 2025 – 39 Questions (numbers 67-105)
Politics 2025 – 33 Questions (numbers 106-138)
Sport 2025 – 22 Questions (numbers 139-160
QUESTIONS
Current Affairs 2025 – 66 Questions
1. Why did a swan make the news in November?
2. Which famous female singer became engaged this year?
3. In January, the government backed plans for a third runway at which airport?
4. Following a price rise in April this year, what is the current cost of a first class stamp?
5. The UK government sent alerts to all mobile phones on British networks on 7th September. But at what time?
6. Which theme park company announced plans to open a new park in Bedfordshire?
7. Hosepipe bans came into force in Yorkshire, Kent, and Sussex in July. In which county were they imposed first?
8. What was the first named storm to hit the UK in 2025?
9. Which royal couple celebrated 20 years of marriage this year?
10. What is the name of the TikTok prankster known for filming provocative activities like invading people’s homes, stealing a woman’s dog, ripping up library books and jumping into strangers’ cars?
11. Which Royal proclaimed that TK Maxx holds a “special place” in his memory?
12. Which popular social media app became temporarily unavailable in the United States due to legal reasons in mid-January?
13. Which band’s concert kiss-cam exposed an affair between a CEO and a company HR executive?
14. How did the company Astronomer attempt to salvage its reputation after the embarrassing exposure of its CEO and HR executive’s illicit affair at a rock concert?
15. Two men were found guilty of criminal damage in May for the unauthorised felling in 2023 of a tree that had stood for more than 100 years in a gap in Hadrian’s Wall. What kind of tree was it?
16. What are the two numbers that went viral towards the end of the year, with teenagers frequently saying them?
17. A Beckham family “feud” has been in the news since April. What is it believed to be about?
18. In the 12 months leading up to March 2025, how many prisoners were accidentally released by the UK government, to the nearest 20?
19. The life of one of the victims of the Hillingdon dog walker attack by an illegal immigrant was saved by the intervention of his neighbours. What did they do?
20. The UK’s longest direct train service, which linked Aberdeen and Penzance, ran for the last time after a century of use in May. To the nearest 50 miles, how long was the journey?
21. A leading conservative figure in the USA, who sought dialogue between opposing political factions, rather than conflict, was assassinated this year. What was his name?
22. Name the President of the Oxford Union who debated with this person, and later celebrated their death.
23. Blaise Metreweli became the first female chief of what in 2025?
24. What was the name of the immigrant sex offender, formerly of the Bell Hotel, Epping, who was accidentally released from Chelmsford prison, and was deported within days of recapture?
25. What was that former Bell Hotel resident’s nationality?
26. Which is the world’s most liveable city in 2025, according to the EIU Global Liveability Index?
27. Which is the world’s least liveable city in 2025, according to the EIU Global Liveability Index?
28. Where have the Prince and Princess of Wales moved to?
29. In April, an all-female crew, including Katy Perry, flew in Jeff Bezos’ rocket. How long did their flight last?
30. Who said, after receiving their knighthood this year: “I wasn’t nervous”?
31. What is the name of the collectible plush toys that everyone wanted to get their hands on this year?
32. Which world famous art gallery was robbed in October this year?
33. Australia suffered its worst ever terrorist attack on home soil. Where did the attack take place?
34. Name the woman who was released from prison in August after being jailed for posting an intemperate tweet in the aftermath of the Southport terror attack that saw three little girls stabbed to death, and others badly injured.
35. Which supermarket’s Christmas puddings came top in Which? magazine’s blind taste test this year?
36. Name Prince Harry’s South African charity that’s been mired in controversy.
37. Which budget airline’s advertising slogan went viral on TikTok earlier this year?
38. A drone display named after which Christmas character was mercilessly booed by families in West Sussex after it failed to live up to expectations?
39. The ‘great fashion shakeup of 2025’ saw over 20 new creative designers debuting at major fashion houses, but one didn’t last the year. Who was it?
40. Which American actress was accused of endorsing ‘white supremacy’?
41. National Rail held a competition for the public to name a new leaf-clearing maintenance train. Which name did the public choose?
42. What did the US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) decide about the Covid vaccines in the Autumn?
43. Justin Bieber created a new viral catchphrase this year. What was it?
44. Which iconic fashion brand announced it would be making a return to the high street?
45. Manchester’s Viadux 2 skyscraper was granted planning permission in April. When built, it will become the tallest building outside of London, with how many floors? 76 or 176?
46. John Hemingway, the last surviving pilot of the Battle of Britain, died this year. To within five years, how old was he?
47. How many London rape gang cases did the Metropolitan Police say they were going to review in October, to the nearest thousand?
48. How many London rape gang cases did the city’s mayor Sir Sadiq Khan say he was aware of in October?
49. This summer it was announced that an iconic historic artefact will go on display at the British Museum in 2026. What is that object?
50. A McDonnell Douglas DC-10 cargo plane crashed on take off in Kentucky, killing at least 12 people. What is believed to have caused the tragedy?
51. Whose grave in Westminster Abbey was spray painted orange as part of a Just Stop Oil protest?
52. Several victims were stabbed, and two people were killed in an Islamic anti-Semitic terror attack in Manchester, but the perpetrator only killed one of them. Who killed the other?
53. Which princess gave birth to her second daughter in January?
54. What is the first name of the girl, born on January 22nd?
55. A train service from Reading to Gatwick had to be cancelled when animals boarded the train. What type of animals were they?
56. The UK and EU agreed in June to end checks on people and goods crossing which border?
57. What did the Oxford University Press name as its word of the year? Was it ‘rage bait’ or ‘suicidal empathy’?
58. Which food item in the basket of goods and services that makes up the consumer price index saw the highest price increase in the year to October?
59. Following the death of Pope Francis, who was named the new leader of the Catholic church in May?
60. How long did the January wildfires in South California last, to the nearest 5 days.
61. Following the Unite the Kingdom rally in London, a St. George’s flag-clad protester was filmed buying what food item from the Southbank Centre?
62. Sam Jones, a US influencer, was forced to flee Australia after filming herself doing what?
63. London tourists were disappointed to find they had been duped by an AI-generated fake advert for what?
64. By which name was WHSmith rebranded following its sale earlier this year?
65. Dame Sarah Mullally will become the first female… [what] in 2026?
66. According to a poll by YouGov, what percentage of people have Yorkshire puddings with their Christmas lunch or dinner, to the nearest 5%?
Arts and Entertainment 2025 – 39 Questions
67. Which unlikely actor revealed that he was once offered the role of 007?
68. Which fictional cartoon character announced her pregnancy live on Good Morning Britain?
69. The Summer I Turned Pretty TV series reached it’s dramatic conclusion in September, but which Fisher brother did Belly end up with?
70. A famous Jamaican musician who was credited with helping to popularise reggae music internationally died this year. Who was he?
71. Who is the current Poet Laureate?
72. In which city did rock band Oasis kick off their record-breaking reunion tour this year?
73. What is the professional name of the actress who played Sybil, Basil Fawlty’s wife, in the TV comedy Fawlty Towers, who died this year?
74. Lily Allen’s first album for seven years was released this year. It gives an unflinching account of the breakdown of her marriage to who?
75. What did Katy Perry do immediately after landing and exiting the Blue Origin rocket?
76. Jilly Cooper, who died in October, wrote a series of high-society novels set in which fictional county?
77. What is the name of the AI actress who was revealed earlier this year that prompted a heavy backlash from the acting community?
78. Why did Dave Gorman have to scrap an entire episode of his comeback comedy series Modern Life is Goodish?
79. This year, actor Jack O’Connell was praised for his portrayal of insidious villains in two separate films. But which villians were they?
80. What was the name of the actor who played 13-year-old Jamie Miller in the Netflix show Adolescence?
81. When going to collect his Oscar for his role in The Brutalist, what did Adrien Brody throw at his girlfriend Georgina Chapman?
82. Which Disney film sparked a backlash this year for being too ‘woke’ after its star suggested she didn’t need rescuing by a prince?
83. After a lifetime of rock, Ozzy Osbourne died this year. What was the name of the first ever band he sang for?
84. Which band won ‘Best Group’ at this years Brit Awards?
85. Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album this year. What is it called?
86. What is the name of the movie about a pair of twins – Smoke and Stack – released in April this year?
87. Love Island celebrated its 10th anniversary in June. Who won this summer’s series?
88. Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins took a break from cricket this year to visit which popular figure on his farm?
89. Who described Kate Garraway as “intellectually weak, emotionally weak [and] morally weak” on this year’s Celebrity Traitors?
90. What did Adolescence‘s young star who played Jamie Miller do between takes on the drama to let off steam?
91. HBO’s The White Lotus returned to screens for a third series this February, and included an incest plotline. Which celebrity confessed to being a big fan of this element of season three?
92. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joined the cast of a Christmas pantomime. What is the show a parody of?
93. Creative control of the James Bond franchise was handed over to Amazon MGM. The previous long-standing copyright owner of the franchise shared their surname with a vegetable, but which one?
94. When the Oasis reunion tour reached Wembley Stadium in July, records for the amount of pints of beer fans drank were broken. How many pints did they drink per night on average, to the nearest 50,000?
95. Which gallery announced plans in September to build an additional wing?
96. Katy Perry used her place on Jeff Bezos’s first all-female trip to outer space to reveal something. What was it?
97. What is the name of Peppa Pig’s new baby sister?
98. For whom did the British Library reissue a reader’s card in October, 130 years after having revoked it?
99. Which country won the Eurovision Song Contest?
100. Biddy Baxter, who died in August at the age of 92, is best remembered as the producer of which long-running children’s television programme?
101. What is the name of Lily Allen’s new album, released in October?
102. Which novel won the 2025 Booker Prize?
103. The Royal Mint marked 75 years since the death of which author by releasing a commemorative £2 coin in January?
104. As of late December, what is the highest grossing movie of 2025?
105. What was the UK’s City of Culture for 2025?
Politics 2025 – 33 Questions
106. What key element of Brexit that was never implemented did the Reform UK party leader try and enable with a Ten Minute Rule Bill in Parliament in October?
107. How long is the UK’s National Grooming Gangs Inquiry set to last?
108. Which government minister failed to obtain a mandatory Selective Landlord Licence for their south London rental property?
109. Where is the property in question?
110. The BBC got into hot water for its misleading news editing techniques. What was the high profile example that hit the headlines?
111. What condition was former US President Biden unexpectedly diagnosed with, despite having undergone regular medical examinations while President?
112. Which British former PM was also diagnosed with this disease in 2025?
113. Who was scolded by a teacher for uttering the phrase “six seven”, setting off a roomful of primary school children into a banned dance trend?
114. Which politician blamed “legal advice” they received for their failure to pay a £40,000 stamp duty bill?
115. In which UK town is the property the politician failed to pay enough stamp duty for located?
116. When asked about their political future, who said that “newspaper columnists make very bad prime ministers”?
117. The government have announced a major educational reform that will come into effect from 2028. What is it?
118. Which billionaire stepped into British politics by tweeting: “Britain needs Reform now!”?
119. Which British politician (past or present) charges the most for a personalised video message on Cameo (as of 4th December)?
120. Claims were made that Reform UK overspent on leader Nigel Farage’s campaign at the 2024 general election. What action did police take?
121. What does the acronym NCHI stand for?
122. The UK government scrapped a plan to phase out what by 2035?
123. The cap on bus fares in England changed to £3 on 1st January 2025. What had it been until then?
124. What does the acronym TDS stand for?
125. The British, French and German leaders were filmed on a train to Kiev looking extremely animated, and Emmanuel Macron hurriedly hid a crumpled piece of paper when he saw it on the table. What was arguably the most popular theory about what was in the packet, and what they were doing?
126. Japan gained a new Prime Minister in October. What was notable about the new PM?
127. How long did it take the new US administration to effectively end the flood of illegal immigrants coming across US borders?
128. What did President Trump replace Joe Biden’s official portrait with on the new Presidential Walk of Fame at the White House?
129. What does the acronym DOGE stand for?
130. What type of goggles did Melania Trump say Santa might wear while delivering presents?
131. Who was elected as the mayor of New York City on 5th November?
132. Who told a reporter trying to ask multiple questions: “Quiet. Quiet, piggy”?
133. Name the former Democrat appointed as US Director of National Intelligence.
134. Name the member of a famous American political dynasty who was appointed United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.
135. Presidents Trump and Putin held a summit meeting in August. Where?
136. America’s 2025 National Security Strategy outlined serious concerns about the direction one particular continent is taking in terms of civilisational erasure. Which continent?
137. Officials in which US state admitted to major violations of vote certification procedures in the 2020 US Presidential election, which affected over 315,000 ballots?
138. Joe Biden won that state in 2020, but by how many votes, to the nearest thousand?
Sport 2025 – 22 Questions
139. Which British golfer won this year’s Masters golf tournament in Augusta to complete his career grand slam?
140. Who lost the Masters Tournament play-off to finish as runner-up?
141. What is the surname of the father and son team that won this year’s Grand National?
142. England failed to regain The Ashes in a test series played in Australia. How many matches of the five game series were played before Australia retained the trophy?
143. In January, Luke Littler became the world darts champion. What is notable about his victory?
144. Who was on the panel with Gary Lineker for his last episode of Match of The Day?
145. Which team won this year’s Boat Race?
146. Which retired sports star made a dancing cameo during the half-time show at the Super Bowl?
147. In which sport is Jack Draper British number one, as of December 2025?
148. India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir made news in July following a heated exchange with the head groundsman of which cricket ground?
149. Henry Pollock scored how many tries on his Test debut in England’s record 68-14 win over Wales?
150. What did Kendrick Lamar wear to perform at the Super Bowl that went viral?
151. After winning the Ryder Cup, the European team called out a public figure with a good-natured chant of “Are you watching ****** *****?” But who were they chanting about?
152. The BBC lost the rights to broadcast coverage of which celebrated sporting institution?
153. Who won the FA Cup this year?
154. In November, Scotland qualified for the FIFA World Cup, but when was the last time they qualified?
155. Which tennis superstar sported a number of custom-made, diamond-encrusted Labubus on her bag at the US Open, each one named as a pun on a tennis legend’s name?
156. A training ground accident prevented footballer Matheus Cunha from switching on the Christmas lights in which Greater Manchester town?
157. Who won the Men’s Singles at Wimbledon this year?
158. Which football team announced plans to spend £2bn on a 100,000 seat stadium, which will be the largest in the UK when completed?
159. Who won the Women’s Rugby World Cup?
160. Which country won the UEFA European Women’s Championship?
ANSWERS
1. It wandered onto the M1, bringing traffic to a standstill.
2. Taylor Swift. Other notable female singers who announced their engagements in 2025 include: Coco Jones, Dua Lipa, Hayley Kiyoko, Lainey Wilson and Miley Cyrus. Award a point for each of these singers named.
3. London Heathrow
4. £1.70
5. 3pm
6. Universal
7. Yorkshire
8. Storm Éowyn – on 24 January 2025
9. King Charles and Queen Camilla
10. Bacari-Bronze O’Garro, known on social media as ‘Mizzy’.
11. Prince Harry
12. TikTok
13. Coldplay
14. It recruited Gwyneth Paltrow (ex-wife of the band’s lead singer, Chris Martin), to be its temporary spokesperson.
15. Sycamore
16. 6 & 7
17. Tension between Victoria Beckham and her eldest son Brooklyn’s wife, Nicola Peltz.
18. 262 – a 128% increase from the previous year, so answers between 242 and 282 are acceptable.
19. They rushed out of their house armed with baseball bats, and held the knifeman at bay.
20. 775 miles, so a point for answers between 725 and 825 miles.
21. Charlie Kirk
22. George Abaraonye
23. MI6
24. Hadush Kebatu
25. Ethiopian
26. Copenhagen
27. Damascus
28. Forest Lodge, in Windsor Great Park.
29. 11 minutes
30. David Beckham
31. Labubus
32. The Louvre
33. Bondi Beach, Sydney.
34. Lucy Connolly
35. Lidl
36. Sentebale
37. Jet2, with the phrase “Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday”.
38. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
39. Dario Vitale at Versace
40. Sydney Sweeney, in an American Eagle jeans advert.
41. Ctrl Alt Deleaf
42. It abandoned its previous universal recommendation for annual COVID-19 vaccine shots for anyone aged 6 months and older.
43. “It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business, is it?”
44. Topshop
45. 76
46. 105, so answers between 100 and 110 are acceptable
47. 9000, so answers between 8,000 and 10,000 are acceptable.
48. None
49. The Bayeux Tapestry
50. The left engine, and part of the wing fell off.
51. Charles Darwin
52. A police firearms officer.
53. Princess Beatrice
54. Athena
55. Squirrels.
56. Gibraltar and mainland Spain
57. Rage bait
58. Beef
59. Pope Leo XIV
60. 24 days, from January 7th to 31st, so answers between 19 and 29 are acceptable
61. Onion bhaji
62. Snatching a baby wombat from its mother.
63. A Christmas market outside Buckingham Palace
64. TG Jones (Although some WHSmith shops still operate in locations like airports, railway stations, motorway services, and hospitals).
65. Archbishop of Canterbury
66. 49%, so answers between 44% and 54% are acceptable.
67. Dick Van Dyke
68. Mummy Pig from Peppa Pig
69. Conrad
70. Jimmy Cliff
71. Simon Armitage
72. Cardiff
73. Prunella Scales
74. Actor David Harbour
75. She kissed the ground
76. Rutshire
77. Tilly Norwood
78. It was a portrayal of Gregg Wallace, made just before the MasterChef scandal broke.
79. A vampire and Jimmy Savile – award a point for each.
80. Owen Cooper
81. His chewing gum.
82. Snow White
83. Rare Breed
84. Ezra Collective
85. The Life of a Showgirl
86. Sinners
87. Toni Laites and Cach Mercer
88. Jeremy Clarkson
89. Jonathan Ross
90. Played swingball
91. Lorde
92. Wicked and The Wizard of Oz
93. Broccoli
94. 250,000 pints, so answers between 200 and 300k are acceptable
95. The National Gallery
96. Her “Lifetimes Tour” setlist.
97. Evie (born May 20th, 2025)
98. Oscar Wilde
99. Austria
100. Blue Peter
101. West End Girl
102. Flesh by David Szalay
103. George Orwell
104. Ne Zha 2 – a Chinese animation, directed by Yu Yang.
105. Bradford
106. Withdraw the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
107. 3 years
108. Chancellor Rachel Reeves
109. Southwark
110. An edit of clips of President Trump’s speech to supporters on Jan 6th 2021 at The Capitol which gave the impression he called for insurrection, when in fact he called on supporters to peacefully protest about alleged election rigging.
111. Stage 4 prostate cancer.
112. David Cameron
113. Sir Keir Starmer
114. Angela Rayner
115. Hove, East Sussex
116. Jeremy Clarkson
117. A new national curriculum
118. Elon Musk
119. John Bercow. (His usual charge is £83 for a personalised video message of about five minutes in length).
120. None, because the allegation was made outside the 12 month time limit for such claims to be made.
121. Non-Crime Hate Incident
122. Gas boilers
123. £2
124. Trump Derangement Syndrome
125. The package contained cocaine powder, which the three leaders had been sniffing.
126. She is Japan’s first female Prime Minister.
127. Less than three months.
128. A photo of an autopen.
129. Department of Government Efficiency
130. Night-vision or heat-vision goggles. A point for each.
131. Zohran Mamdani
132. President Trump
133. Tulsi Gabbard
134. Robert F. Kennedy Junior
135. Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.
136. Europe
137. Georgia
138. 11,779 votes, so answers between 10,779 to 12,779 are acceptable.
139. Rory McIlroy
140. Justin Rose
141. Mullins
142. Three
143. He is the youngest-ever winner.
144. Alan Shearer and Micah Richards
145. Cambridge University
146. Serena Williams
147. Tennis
148. The Oval
149. 2
150. Flared Celine bootcut jeans.
151. Donald Trump
152. The Boat Race
153. Crystal Palace
154. 1998
155. Naomi Osaka
156. Altrincham
157. Jannik Sinner
158. Manchester United
159. England
160. England
© 2025. Questions compiled, and some originated, by NeverUpToTheJob.
