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The best of QuestFrom Producers Matt Percival and Mat Morrison QUICKVOTEYOUR E-MAIL ALERTS
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Or, visit Popular Alerts for suggestions. (CNN) -- It's the festive season and the perfect opportunity to reflect on a 2005 that has seen six very different episodes of Quest. Every month since June, CNN's Richard Quest has sunk his teeth into a different subject, from the frivolous to the philosophical. The experts, the opinionated and the entertainers have guided each investigation. He has risen to challenges, done things he'll never forget, and yes, once or twice, made a complete fool of himself. Now it's time to relive some of the highlights in our 'Best of Quest'... GreatnessIt was Shakespeare who said... "Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them". During our own search into what lies at the heart of great men and women, Quest consulted two pinnacle figures of the 20th century -- Bill Clinton and Desmond Tutu. As two leaders who came to power under very different circumstances their views on 'greatness' were nothing short of riveting. Culinary geniusOn his quest for culinary genius, Richard set out to cook a meal fit for three of the UK's most feared restaurant critics. Along the way, he recruited some of the world's most celebrated chefs to provide the dinner's recipes and beef up his kitchen credentials. Ultimately, Richard's attempt to imitate his culinary mentors ended in what he felt was a disaster. But his one success came courtesy of the infamous kitchen tyrant Gordon Ramsay. It was a predictably painful process as Ramsay stole the show and bullied the hapless Quest all the way to the perfect panna cotta. ComedyNext up, we dimmed the lights, turned up the mic and cleared the stage for the geniuses of comedy -- those rare and talented characters, capable of grabbing our funny bones and never letting go. Men like Billy Connelly, Ricky Gervais and Jon Stewart shared a few of their secrets. But ultimately it was down to Richard to prove he had it in him to dodge the heckles and tame a live audience. So was he fabulously funny...or did he simply fall flat? FearThere's not much that scares Quest. But perhaps surprisingly for someone who spends so much of his time on planes, he's far from happy with heights. So the producers challenged him with the ultimate goal: jumping from a hot air balloon high over the Austrian alps Along the way he climbed a high-dive board, only to find fear ready to beat him back at the top. He was then bundled into a basket and hauled 4,000 meters in a hot-air balloon. After words of advice from extreme sportsman Felix Baumgartner, Richard surveyed the heavens with only a parachute, pluck and a burly free fall instructor strapped to his back. But when it was time to look down did Richard have a head for heights - or simply lose his head? Celebrity activismQuest number five took its inspiration from the new breed of celebrity activists, those A-listers who use their fame for a higher purpose. It's easy to be cynical about their motives, but after meeting the likes of Time magazine person of the year Bono, George Clooney and Angelina Jolie, Quest learned there's genuine concern behind the glitz and glamour. And so, he embarked on a UNICEF fact-finding mission to Ethiopia to find out for himself the effect of celebrity on the poverty-stricken people left behind. BeautyThis 'Best of Quest' episode ends on a lighter note. To understand the essence of true beauty, Richard sought out supermodels and beauty queens, turned to science, gave in to medicine, and ultimately strutted his stuff on the catwalk! Yet it was three old-timers who really livened up the debate: Playboy's Hugh Hefner talked of 'beauty' in relation to sex and romance; veteran French movie star Jeanne Moreau argued beauty comes from within; but veteran comedienne Joan Rivers spat on all that mushy sentiment. She sent Richard straight to the "Botox King" to pretty up his own features ahead of his catwalk debut. So tune in for a very special edition of "Quest." Six episodes, six very different experiences, all packed into one hour of holiday joy. 
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