The Big Fat Quiz of the Year: A Year-End Delight

The British panel game show is a format that always brings me joy. I've already waxed lyrical about the marvelous QI, currently in its tenth series on the BBC, but a few weeks ago, a friend alerted me to Channel 4's The Big Fat Quiz of the Year. Established in 2004, the show celebrates the end of the year with a pub quiz-style panel show that recaps the newsworthy moments of the year. 

Jimmy Carr hosts the show every year and offers up sarcastic, racy humor and the world's weirdest laugh. The questions present more of a challenge for American viewers - there are a few about American pop stars or politicians, but otherwise the focus is squarely on UK events. But at no point does this diminish the sheer pleasure in watching these shows and attempting to complete a "Say What You See" puzzle, which consists of pictographic clues that often rely on British slang to be solved. I've been traveling back in time with the quizzes (I'm currently on the year 2007), and the more I watch, the better I get at delving into the cultural references and obscure Britishisms that warm the cockles of every Anglophile's heart. 

Of course the joy of any panel show is the caliber of the panelists, and Big Fat Quiz is reliably stocked with well-known British comedians like Rob Brydon, David Mitchell, Richard Ayoade, and the always hysterical pairing of Noel Fielding and Russell Brand. You won't recognize most (or any) of these people if you are a British panel show novice, but believe me, you won't forget them after spending two hours in their company.

American TV is grossly dismissive of the holiday season and for the next several weeks, networks will put on a predictable assortment of Charlie Brown specials, re-runs, and It's A Wonderful Life. British TV, on the other hand, is all about celebrating the holidays in front of your television sets, and the Christmas special is a highlight of any British series. So this year, along with the sure to be wonderful Christmas specials of Doctor Who and Downton Abbey, get excited for The Big Fat Quiz of 2012. And head on over to YouTube so you can catch up on all the end-of-year goodness you've been missing so far.