A weekly pub quiz has become 'world-famous' - thanks to A-list hosts including Judi Dench, Michael Sheen, Hugh Bonneville and Bryan Cranston.<br /><br />The Barley Mow in Marylebone, west London, struggled to get their pub quiz back off the ground following Covid.<br /><br />But after Judi Dench agreed to record a quiz round last September - asking the punters of the Grade II listed boozer to name the ten longest motorways in England - word got round.<br /><br />A year on, 14 teams a week pack out the pub not just for the £7 pints of Guinness - but to hear a different A-list luvvie host the 'top ten' round via video link, every week.<br /><br />And far from the scripts they usually deliver, the segment sees them ask the room a single question with ten answers.<br /><br />Michael Sheen asked about ten countries that end with the word 'land' from outside the Sydney Opera House while John Lithgow delivered his questions from a hotel lobby.<br /><br />Martin Freeman quizzed from what looked like his bedroom while Hugh Bonneville asked quizzers to get their "pens at the ready" from his attic study.<br /><br />Other famous cameo quiz hosts have included Dominic West, John Lithgow, Jonathan Pryce, Ben Kingsley and Sophie Whittaker.<br /><br />Last night (5) Calendar Girls' Celia Imrie asked the quizzers the ten most successful tennis players by grand slam victories.<br /><br />Previous topics have included the ten longest motorways in Britain and underground stations starting with G.<br /><br />Bryan Cranston asked the packed audience for the top ten most common chemical elements in the human body.<br /><br />The pub has managed to get the hosts thanks to being a haven for London actors, staffed by actors and musicians who pool their contacts for hosts.<br /><br />So far every celeb who has taken part has been through one of the pub staff's connections.<br /><br />The pub's general manager and owner, Will Norris, 44, had been working there on-and-off for over a decade, before he bought it from the owners earlier this year.<br /><br />Rada graduate Will said: "The first guest we had was Judi Dench because one of the guys who works here knows her daughter.<br /><br />"Once you get Judi Dench, lots of people want to get on board - now we've done 52 weeks of it.<br /><br />"We have another 42 weeks' filmed and ready to go - including Martin Freeman and Jodie Whittaker.<br /><br />"Coming out of Covid was quite horrendous so we were lucky to have our quiz night and our darts tournaments keeping us afloat.<br /><br />"Now when we have our weekly quiz. It's so busy that we have to kick non-quizzers out!"<br /><br />The pub now has a waiting list, and the Christmas one - raising money for Shelter - is already sold out.<br /><br />Will said: "We don't know who yet - but we'll get someone big in for the Christmas quiz."<br /><br />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".<br /><br />He said: "The sense of community we have purposely cultivated is something pubs in London don't always have.<br /><br />"Even though we have a W1 postcode, we've created this special rare thing which people in London are desperate to find.<br /><br />"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."
