University Challenge
Encyclopedia
University Challenge is a British quiz programme
that has aired since 1962. The format is based on the American show College Bowl
, which ran on NBC
radio from 1953 to 1957, and on NBC television from 1959 to 1970.
Produced by Granada Television
and filmed at Granada Studios in Manchester
since its inception, University Challenge aired for 913 episodes on ITV
from 1962 to 1987, presented by quiz master Bamber Gascoigne
. The BBC revived the programme in 1994 under quiz master Jeremy Paxman
, transmitting it on BBC Two
. Series 41 began on 4 July 2011.
. The show was a cult favourite with a small but loyal core audience, and was one of a select few ITV shows which was transmitted without any advertising breaks. This meant that the show was relegated to irregular timeslots by the various ITV regional companies, such as Sunday afternoons, weekday mornings, weekday afternoons and, in some regions, late at night.
In the absence of a regular networked slot, audience figures would often fall, leading the producers to make changes to the long-standing format of the programme. For example, in the 1985 season, initial games were staged over two legs; the first in the classic format and the second played as a relay, where contestants selected questions from specific categories such as sport, literature and science, passing a baton between players whenever a "lap" of two correct answers was scored.
This added complexity did little to halt declining viewer figures, and after ITV regions started to drop the programme altogether (the final season was not screened at all by LWT) it was taken off the air in 1987. It was eventually revived in 1994 by the BBC
, although still produced by Granada Television, using the original format with minor differences and presented by Jeremy Paxman
.
During the show's hiatus, a special edition of the show was made, not in fact by Granada but by BBC Television, as part of a themed evening of programmes dedicated to Granada Television. It was presented by Bamber Gascoigne, and screened on BBC2 on 28 December 1992. The teams included one made up of students from Keble College, Oxford
, which had fielded the winning team from the final 1987 season; and a graduates team made up of celebrity alumni who had previously starred on the programme as students, including journalist John Simpson and actor Stephen Fry
. This show was preceded by a short documentary about the show's history. Bamber Gascoigne's final appearance as host was in Universe Challenge in 1998 (see below).
The original announcer was Don Murray-Henderson, who was with the programme until his death in 1972. Jim Pope
took over and stayed with the programme until his death in 2001. Since then, the announcer has been voiceover and broadcaster Roger Tilling
. The theme tune is called "College Boy" and was composed by Derek New. The original, jauntier version from the Bamber Gascoigne era is no longer used, and has been replaced by a version recorded by The Balanescu Quartet.
Teams consist of four members and represent either a single university or a college of the universities which teach under a collegiate system (rather than merely accommodate under one) - Oxford
, Cambridge
, Wales
or London
.
"Starter" questions are answered individually "on the buzzer" without conferring and are worth 10 points. "Your starter for 10" became the programme's most famous catchphrase and inspired David Nicholls
' 2003 novel Starter for Ten
and the 2006 film based on it starring James McAvoy
. The team answering a starter correctly gets a set of three "bonus" questions worth a potential 15 points over which they can confer. Sets of bonus questions are thematically linked, although, apart from Picture and Music bonus questions, they rarely share a connection with the preceding starter question. Generally there are three separate bonus questions worth 5 points each, but occasionally a bonus will require the enumeration of a given list with 5, 10 or 15 points given for correctly giving a certain number of items from the list (e.g., "there are seven fundamental SI units
. Give 5 for 5 points, 6 for 10 points or all 7 for 15 points"). An incorrect interruption of a starter results in a 5-point penalty.
It is the team captain's responsibility to give the answer to the bonus questions unless another member of the team is specified with the phrase "Nominate [name]". The team member so named may then give the answer instead.
In the course of a game there are two "picture rounds" (occurring roughly one quarter and three quarters of the way through) and one "music round" (at the halfway point), where the subsequent bonuses are connected thematically to the starter; if a picture or music starter is not correctly answered, the accompanying bonus questions are held back until a normal starter is correctly answered. The 2010 Manchester University team included a visually impaired student, and the picture rounds in episodes involving the team were word puzzles for which she was provided with Braille
transcriptions. Pieces of music played for the music round may be classical or popular - for example, on 25 July 2011, the pieces played were winners of the Eurovision Song Contest
.
The pace of questioning gradually increases through the show, becoming almost frantic in the last minute or so before the "gong" which signals the end of the game. In the event of a tied score at the sound of the gong, a "sudden death" question is asked, the first team to answer correctly being deemed the winner; this is repeated until one or other of the teams answer correctly, or a team loses by giving an incorrect interruption. The ending of the programme is signified with Jeremy Paxman saying "It's goodbye from (name of losing team, who wave and say goodbye), it's goodbye from (winning team, likewise), and it's goodbye from me: goodbye!"
While the starter questions are being read out, the teams are shown on screen one above the other by means of a split-screen effect. When a player buzzes in, the shot zooms in to that player, accompanied by a voiceover identifying the player by team and surname, for example "Nottingham, Smith". The voiceovers are performed live in the studio by Roger Tilling and become noticeably more energetic towards the end of the programme. The 1985 season experimented with an actual two-tier set, which was discontinued the following season.
colleges have vastly smaller student bodies (numbering in the hundreds to low-thousands rather than tens-of-thousands) than entire universities. A team from the University of Manchester
(which included David Aaronovitch
) who were appearing on the show answered every question "Che Guevara
", "Marx
", "Trotsky
" or "Lenin
", possibly in the hope of making the resulting show unbroadcastable. It did, however, get broadcast, although only portions of the episode still exist in the archives of Granada TV.
The show has, since its revival in 1994, featured a number of very high-standard teams with postgraduate and mature students, who might be thought of as having the advantage of a greater breadth of general knowledge. The Open University
(OU) won the 1999 series with a team whose age averaged 46. Three of the four team members were former Brain of Britain
and Mastermind
finalists or otherwise experienced quiz show contestants who had joined the OU specifically in order to appear on the show. In the quarter-final they beat a slightly younger team from part-time and mature student specialist Birkbeck, University of London
, by only one question. Birkbeck, itself, won in 2003, also with a substantially mature team.
Host Jeremy Paxman openly criticised the OU team as not being in the spirit of the competition. Paxman also apologised privately for this when challenged.
In 2009, Sam Kay, part of the team from Corpus Christi College, Oxford
was accused of not being a student when the show was broadcast. Kay, who had completed a chemistry
degree the previous summer, had been planning to go on to study for a Doctor of Philosophy
, but he did not have sufficient funding so dropped out. He then became an accountant
. The team, whose captain Gail Trimble
was dubbed the "human Google
", won the competition but were subsequently disqualified and the trophy was awarded to the runners-up, the University of Manchester.
A few days later, it was also revealed that Charles Markland, a member of the 2008 winning team
from Christ Church, Oxford
had transferred his studies to Balliol College
, halfway through the series. He claimed that his team captain had contacted a researcher concerning the situation, and had been told that this was not a problem and that the same team should be maintained for continuity purposes. It was also revealed that Freya McClements, captain of the 2004 winning team from Magdalen College, Oxford
, was at the time studying at Trinity College, Dublin
. Although it was mentioned in a BBC news story at the time, no action was taken because the BBC claimed that the facts had not been brought to their attention.
, the latter by a team from the Inland Revenue
. The 2004 Professionals series was won by the British Library
, and the 2005 series by the Privy Council Office
. In 2006, Professionals was won by staff of the Bodleian Library
of the University of Oxford.
The show has seen numerous specials, including those for specific professions and celebrity editions, such as Universe Challenge, where the cast of Red Dwarf
challenged a team of their "ultimate fans" to celebrate Red Dwarfs 10th anniversary on the air. The cast was Chris Barrie
(captain), Danny John-Jules
, Robert Llewellyn
, Chloë Annett
and Craig Charles
. The cast, who at times seemed amazed at the fans' knowledge, lost.
, appeared briefly between 1965 and 1967. An untelevised equivalent, Schools' Challenge
, continues to run at junior and senior secondary school levels.
ran in New Zealand for 14 seasons, from 1976 until 1989, with international series held between the previous years' British and New Zealand champions in both 1986 and 1987. It was hosted by Peter Sinclair
.
University Challenge, hosted by Dr. Magnus Clarke, ran in Australia on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
's channel from 1987 until 1989.
University Challenge India started in summer 2003, with the season culminating in the finals of March 2004 where Sardar Patel College of Engineering
(SPCE), Mumbai, beat Indian School of Business
(ISB), Hyderabad. The 2004–2005 season finale saw a team of undergraduate engineering students from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology
(NSIT), Delhi, beat a team of management students from the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode
. The Indian winners of the 2003–2004 season went on to beat the finalists from the UK show, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
. UC India is produced by BBC World
India, and Synergy Communications, co-owned by Siddhartha Basu
, who also hosted the show.
is the only institution to have won more than two times, having won four times (1997, 1998, 2004 and 2011) and are also the only winners successfully to defend the title the following year.
Information in this table was obtained from .
Some of the information in this table was obtained from .
± Corpus Christi, Oxford were originally the winners of the 2009 event, but on 2 March 2009, the BBC in a joint statement with Granada
announced that they had disqualified the team for "breaking the series rules" by fielding an ineligible contestant. Rules were subsequently changed. St. John's College, Cambridge, had lost to Corpus Christi, Oxford, in the semifinals.
in a quarter-final against Corpus Christi, Oxford
, which also saw team captain Gail Trimble
amass 15 correct starter questions. However, the Corpus Christi team were later disqualified from the competition after it was found that team member Sam Kay had been ineligible for the last three matches. Therefore, the lowest score officially achieved against eligible opponents under quizmaster Jeremy Paxman was by Lincoln College, Oxford
, who totalled 30 in a semi-final against the eventual series champions the University of Manchester
, in an episode televised on 9 February 2009.
Before these matches, the lowest score was 35, reached by New Hall, Cambridge
, 1997. This score would have been lower if all fines for incorrect interruptions had been applied.
The lowest score during the Professionals series was achieved by the Members of Parliament
team, who scored 25 in 2003. This should be seen in the context of the Professionals series' shorter playing time (about 20 minutes for a match instead of about 25 for the student series).
scored 520 points in the final ITV season in 1987.
Some information from this table was obtained from the web pages listed in
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
that has aired since 1962. The format is based on the American show College Bowl
College Bowl
College Bowl was a format of college-level quizbowl run and operated by College Bowl Company, Incorporated. It had a format similar to the current NAQT format. College Bowl first aired on US radio stations in 1953, and aired on US television from 1959 to 1970...
, which ran on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
radio from 1953 to 1957, and on NBC television from 1959 to 1970.
Produced by Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
and filmed at Granada Studios in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
since its inception, University Challenge aired for 913 episodes on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
from 1962 to 1987, presented by quiz master Bamber Gascoigne
Bamber Gascoigne
Bamber Gascoigne, FRSL is a British television presenter and author, most known for being the original quizmaster on University Challenge.-Biography:...
. The BBC revived the programme in 1994 under quiz master Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Dickson Paxman is a British journalist, author and television presenter. He has worked for the BBC since 1977. He is noted for a forthright and abrasive interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians...
, transmitting it on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
. Series 41 began on 4 July 2011.
History
At its inception in 1962, University Challenge was hosted by Bamber GascoigneBamber Gascoigne
Bamber Gascoigne, FRSL is a British television presenter and author, most known for being the original quizmaster on University Challenge.-Biography:...
. The show was a cult favourite with a small but loyal core audience, and was one of a select few ITV shows which was transmitted without any advertising breaks. This meant that the show was relegated to irregular timeslots by the various ITV regional companies, such as Sunday afternoons, weekday mornings, weekday afternoons and, in some regions, late at night.
In the absence of a regular networked slot, audience figures would often fall, leading the producers to make changes to the long-standing format of the programme. For example, in the 1985 season, initial games were staged over two legs; the first in the classic format and the second played as a relay, where contestants selected questions from specific categories such as sport, literature and science, passing a baton between players whenever a "lap" of two correct answers was scored.
This added complexity did little to halt declining viewer figures, and after ITV regions started to drop the programme altogether (the final season was not screened at all by LWT) it was taken off the air in 1987. It was eventually revived in 1994 by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, although still produced by Granada Television, using the original format with minor differences and presented by Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Dickson Paxman is a British journalist, author and television presenter. He has worked for the BBC since 1977. He is noted for a forthright and abrasive interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians...
.
During the show's hiatus, a special edition of the show was made, not in fact by Granada but by BBC Television, as part of a themed evening of programmes dedicated to Granada Television. It was presented by Bamber Gascoigne, and screened on BBC2 on 28 December 1992. The teams included one made up of students from Keble College, Oxford
Keble College, Oxford
Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
, which had fielded the winning team from the final 1987 season; and a graduates team made up of celebrity alumni who had previously starred on the programme as students, including journalist John Simpson and actor Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
. This show was preceded by a short documentary about the show's history. Bamber Gascoigne's final appearance as host was in Universe Challenge in 1998 (see below).
The original announcer was Don Murray-Henderson, who was with the programme until his death in 1972. Jim Pope
Jim Pope
Jim Pope was a British radio and television continuity announcer and voice over artist. He began his career in radio and moved to TV to deliver continuity links for HTV in the 1960s and early 1970s....
took over and stayed with the programme until his death in 2001. Since then, the announcer has been voiceover and broadcaster Roger Tilling
Roger Tilling
- Biography :Tilling began his broadcasting career in local radio. He worked at Chiltern Radio in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire and Oasis Radio in Hertfordshire in 1995. He then moved into television working as a continuity announcer for Westcountry Television in 1996...
. The theme tune is called "College Boy" and was composed by Derek New. The original, jauntier version from the Bamber Gascoigne era is no longer used, and has been replaced by a version recorded by The Balanescu Quartet.
Format
The current tournament format used for each series is that of a direct knockout tournament starting with 28 teams. The 14 first-round winners progress directly to the last 16. Two matches, involving the four highest scoring losing teams from the first round, whose losing scores often exceed winning scores in other first-round matches, fill the remaining places in the last 16. The pairings for matches are often chosen in order to keep stronger teams apart.Teams consist of four members and represent either a single university or a college of the universities which teach under a collegiate system (rather than merely accommodate under one) - Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
or London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
"Starter" questions are answered individually "on the buzzer" without conferring and are worth 10 points. "Your starter for 10" became the programme's most famous catchphrase and inspired David Nicholls
David Nicholls (writer)
-Background:Nicholls is the middle of three siblings. He attended Barton Peveril sixth-form college at Eastleigh, Hampshire, from 1983 to 1985 , and playing a wide range of roles in college drama productions...
' 2003 novel Starter for Ten
Starter for Ten (novel)
Starter for Ten by David Nicholls is a novel first published in 2003 about the character Brian Jackson and his first year of university , his attempts to get on the Granada Television quiz show University Challenge, and his tentative attempts at romance with Alice Harbinson, another member of the...
and the 2006 film based on it starring James McAvoy
James McAvoy
James McAvoy is a Scottish stage and screen actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in 1995's The Near Room and continued to make mostly television appearances until the early 2000s. His notable television work includes State of Play, Shameless, and Frank Herbert's Children of Dune...
. The team answering a starter correctly gets a set of three "bonus" questions worth a potential 15 points over which they can confer. Sets of bonus questions are thematically linked, although, apart from Picture and Music bonus questions, they rarely share a connection with the preceding starter question. Generally there are three separate bonus questions worth 5 points each, but occasionally a bonus will require the enumeration of a given list with 5, 10 or 15 points given for correctly giving a certain number of items from the list (e.g., "there are seven fundamental SI units
SI base unit
The International System of Units defines seven units of measure as a basic set from which all other SI units are derived. These SI base units and their physical quantities are:* metre for length...
. Give 5 for 5 points, 6 for 10 points or all 7 for 15 points"). An incorrect interruption of a starter results in a 5-point penalty.
It is the team captain's responsibility to give the answer to the bonus questions unless another member of the team is specified with the phrase "Nominate [name]". The team member so named may then give the answer instead.
In the course of a game there are two "picture rounds" (occurring roughly one quarter and three quarters of the way through) and one "music round" (at the halfway point), where the subsequent bonuses are connected thematically to the starter; if a picture or music starter is not correctly answered, the accompanying bonus questions are held back until a normal starter is correctly answered. The 2010 Manchester University team included a visually impaired student, and the picture rounds in episodes involving the team were word puzzles for which she was provided with Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
transcriptions. Pieces of music played for the music round may be classical or popular - for example, on 25 July 2011, the pieces played were winners of the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
.
The pace of questioning gradually increases through the show, becoming almost frantic in the last minute or so before the "gong" which signals the end of the game. In the event of a tied score at the sound of the gong, a "sudden death" question is asked, the first team to answer correctly being deemed the winner; this is repeated until one or other of the teams answer correctly, or a team loses by giving an incorrect interruption. The ending of the programme is signified with Jeremy Paxman saying "It's goodbye from (name of losing team, who wave and say goodbye), it's goodbye from (winning team, likewise), and it's goodbye from me: goodbye!"
While the starter questions are being read out, the teams are shown on screen one above the other by means of a split-screen effect. When a player buzzes in, the shot zooms in to that player, accompanied by a voiceover identifying the player by team and surname, for example "Nottingham, Smith". The voiceovers are performed live in the studio by Roger Tilling and become noticeably more energetic towards the end of the programme. The 1985 season experimented with an actual two-tier set, which was discontinued the following season.
Controversies
The fact that the universities of Oxford and Cambridge can each enter up to five of their colleges as separate teams despite these colleges not being universities in the conventional sense was the ostensible inspiration for an unusual 1975 protest, despite the fact that OxbridgeOxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...
colleges have vastly smaller student bodies (numbering in the hundreds to low-thousands rather than tens-of-thousands) than entire universities. A team from the University of Manchester
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester was a university in Manchester, England. On 1 October 2004 it merged with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology to form a new entity, "The University of Manchester".-1851 - 1951:The University was founded in 1851 as Owens College,...
(which included David Aaronovitch
David Aaronovitch
David Aaronovitch is a British author, broadcaster, and journalist. He is a regular columnist for The Times, and author of Paddling to Jerusalem: An Aquatic Tour of Our Small Country and Voodoo Histories: the role of Conspiracy Theory in Modern History...
) who were appearing on the show answered every question "Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
", "Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
", "Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
" or "Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
", possibly in the hope of making the resulting show unbroadcastable. It did, however, get broadcast, although only portions of the episode still exist in the archives of Granada TV.
The show has, since its revival in 1994, featured a number of very high-standard teams with postgraduate and mature students, who might be thought of as having the advantage of a greater breadth of general knowledge. The Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
(OU) won the 1999 series with a team whose age averaged 46. Three of the four team members were former Brain of Britain
Brain of Britain
Brain of Britain is a BBC radio general knowledge quiz, broadcast on BBC Radio 4.-History:It began as a slot in What Do You Know? in 1953 before becoming a programme in its own right in 1967. It was chaired by Franklin Engelmann until his death in 1972.-Format:The format of the quiz is simple...
and Mastermind
Mastermind (TV series)
Mastermind is a British quiz show, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness.Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the...
finalists or otherwise experienced quiz show contestants who had joined the OU specifically in order to appear on the show. In the quarter-final they beat a slightly younger team from part-time and mature student specialist Birkbeck, University of London
Birkbeck, University of London
Birkbeck, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It offers many Master's and Bachelor's degree programmes that can be studied either part-time or full-time, though nearly all teaching is...
, by only one question. Birkbeck, itself, won in 2003, also with a substantially mature team.
Host Jeremy Paxman openly criticised the OU team as not being in the spirit of the competition. Paxman also apologised privately for this when challenged.
In 2009, Sam Kay, part of the team from Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
was accused of not being a student when the show was broadcast. Kay, who had completed a chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
degree the previous summer, had been planning to go on to study for a Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, but he did not have sufficient funding so dropped out. He then became an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
. The team, whose captain Gail Trimble
Gail Trimble
Gail Christiana Trimble , is a Senior Faculty Member in Classics at Trinity College, Oxford. . While a postgraduate student of Latin literature at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, in 2009, she gained attention by a series of exceptional performances on the BBC television quiz programme University...
was dubbed the "human Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
", won the competition but were subsequently disqualified and the trophy was awarded to the runners-up, the University of Manchester.
A few days later, it was also revealed that Charles Markland, a member of the 2008 winning team
University Challenge 2008
Series 37 of University Challenge began on 9 July 2007 and was broadcast on BBC Two. This is a list of the matches played, their scores, and outcomes.-First round:-Highest Scoring Losers Playoffs:-Second round:-Quarterfinals:-Semifinals:...
from Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
had transferred his studies to Balliol College
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, halfway through the series. He claimed that his team captain had contacted a researcher concerning the situation, and had been told that this was not a problem and that the same team should be maintained for continuity purposes. It was also revealed that Freya McClements, captain of the 2004 winning team from Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, was at the time studying at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. Although it was mentioned in a BBC news story at the time, no action was taken because the BBC claimed that the facts had not been brought to their attention.
Notable contestants
- David AaronovitchDavid AaronovitchDavid Aaronovitch is a British author, broadcaster, and journalist. He is a regular columnist for The Times, and author of Paddling to Jerusalem: An Aquatic Tour of Our Small Country and Voodoo Histories: the role of Conspiracy Theory in Modern History...
– University of ManchesterVictoria University of ManchesterThe Victoria University of Manchester was a university in Manchester, England. On 1 October 2004 it merged with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology to form a new entity, "The University of Manchester".-1851 - 1951:The University was founded in 1851 as Owens College,...
, 1975 - Tim BoswellTim BoswellTimothy Eric "Tim" Boswell, Baron Boswell of Aynho is an English Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Daventry from 1987 until he retired at the 2010 general election.-Education:...
– New College, OxfordNew College, OxfordNew College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always... - Sebastian FaulksSebastian Faulks-Early life:Faulks was born on 20 April 1953 in Donnington, Berkshire to Peter Faulks and Pamela . Edward Faulks, Baron Faulks, is his older brother. He was educated at Elstree School, Reading and went on to Wellington College, Berkshire...
– Emmanuel College, CambridgeEmmanuel College, CambridgeEmmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
, 1972 - Julian FellowesJulian FellowesJulian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, DL , known as Julian Fellowes, is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, as well as a Conservative peer.-Early life:...
– Magdalene College, CambridgeMagdalene College, CambridgeMagdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
, 1969 - Stephen FryStephen FryStephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
– Queens' College, CambridgeQueens' College, CambridgeQueens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
, 1980 - Christopher HitchensChristopher HitchensChristopher Eric Hitchens is an Anglo-American author and journalist whose books, essays, and journalistic career span more than four decades. He has been a columnist and literary critic at The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Slate, World Affairs, The Nation, Free Inquiry, and became a media fellow at the...
– Balliol College, OxfordBalliol College, OxfordBalliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections.... - Clive JamesClive JamesClive James, AM is an Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet and memoirist, best known for his autobiographical series Unreliable Memoirs, for his chat shows and documentaries on British television and for his prolific journalism...
– Pembroke College, CambridgePembroke College, CambridgePembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its... - David LidingtonDavid LidingtonDavid Roy Lidington PC is a British Conservative Party politician, who has been Member of Parliament for Aylesbury since 1992...
– Sidney Sussex College, CambridgeSidney Sussex College, CambridgeSidney Sussex College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.The college was founded in 1596 and named after its foundress, Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex. It was from its inception an avowedly Puritan foundation: some good and godlie moniment for the mainteynance...
, 1978 - Miriam MargolyesMiriam MargolyesMiriam Margolyes, OBE is an English actress and voice artist. Her earliest roles were in theatre and after several supporting roles in film and television she won a BAFTA Award for her role in The Age of Innocence .-Early life:...
– Newnham College, CambridgeNewnham College, CambridgeNewnham College is a women-only constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1871 by Henry Sidgwick, and was the second Cambridge college to admit women after Girton College...
, 1963 - David MellorDavid MellorDavid John Mellor, QC is a British politician, non-practising barrister, broadcaster, journalist and football pundit. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister John Major as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Secretary of State for National Heritage , before...
– Christ's College, CambridgeChrist's College, CambridgeChrist's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:... - Charles MooreCharles Moore (journalist)Charles Hilary Moore is a British journalist and former editor of The Daily Telegraph.-Early life:He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge where he was awarded a BA in History and was a friend of Oliver Letwin.-Career:A former editor of The Spectator , the Sunday Telegraph and The...
– Trinity College, CambridgeTrinity College, CambridgeTrinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows... - Malcolm RifkindMalcolm RifkindSir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind KCMG QC MP is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Kensington. He served in various roles as a cabinet minister under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, including Secretary of State for Scotland , Defence Secretary and...
– University of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghThe University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, 1967 - John Simpson – Magdalene College, CambridgeMagdalene College, CambridgeMagdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
, 1964 - David StarkeyDavid StarkeyDavid Starkey, CBE, FSA is a British constitutional historian, and a radio and television presenter.He was born the only child of Quaker parents, and attended Kendal Grammar School before entering Cambridge through a scholarship. There he specialised in Tudor history, writing a thesis on King...
– Fitzwilliam College, CambridgeFitzwilliam College, CambridgeFitzwilliam College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge in England.The college traces its origins back to 1869 and the foundation of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a venture intended to offer students from less financially privileged backgrounds a chance to study... - June TaborJune TaborJune Tabor is an English folk singer.- Early years :June Tabor was inspired to sing by hearing Anne Briggs' EP Hazards of Love in 1965. "I went and locked myself in the bathroom for a fortnight and drove my mother mad. I learned the songs on that EP note for note, twiddle for twiddle. That's how I...
– St Hugh's College, OxfordSt Hugh's College, OxfordSt Hugh's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It is located on a fourteen and a half acre site on St Margaret's Road, to the North of the city centre. It was founded in 1886 as a women's college, and accepted its first male students in its centenary year in 1986...
, 1968
Spin-off shows
The producers of the programme have taken the more recent inclusion of mature students to its logical conclusion by making two series without any student participants: University Challenge Reunited (2002) brought former teams back together, while University Challenge: The Professionals (from 2003) matched occupational groups such as civil servants, architects and doctors against each other. In 2003, the former was won by the 1979 team from Sidney Sussex College, CambridgeSidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.The college was founded in 1596 and named after its foundress, Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex. It was from its inception an avowedly Puritan foundation: some good and godlie moniment for the mainteynance...
, the latter by a team from the Inland Revenue
Inland Revenue
The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty...
. The 2004 Professionals series was won by the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
, and the 2005 series by the Privy Council Office
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
. In 2006, Professionals was won by staff of the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
of the University of Oxford.
The show has seen numerous specials, including those for specific professions and celebrity editions, such as Universe Challenge, where the cast of Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
challenged a team of their "ultimate fans" to celebrate Red Dwarfs 10th anniversary on the air. The cast was Chris Barrie
Chris Barrie
Chris Barrie is a British actor. He first achieved success as a vocal impressionist, notably in the ITV sketch show Spitting Image...
(captain), Danny John-Jules
Danny John-Jules
Daniel "Danny" John-Jules is a British actor, singer and dancer. John-Jules attended Rutherford Comprehensive School, Penfold Street, Marylebone, from 1972 to 1977. He is best known for portraying Cat in the television programme Red Dwarf.-Dance and song:John-Jules is a baritone...
, Robert Llewellyn
Robert Llewellyn
Robert Llewellyn is an English actor, presenter, and writer. He is best known as the mechanoid Kryten in the hit sitcom Red Dwarf, and for his role as presenter of Scrapheap Challenge.-Early career:...
, Chloë Annett
Chloë Annett
Chloë Victoria Annett is an English actress, best known for her role in series 7 and 8 of the British sitcom Red Dwarf.-Early life and family:...
and Craig Charles
Craig Charles
Craig Joseph Charles is an English actor, stand-up comedian, author, poet, radio and television presenter, best known for playing Dave Lister in the British cult-favourite science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf...
. The cast, who at times seemed amazed at the fans' knowledge, lost.
Similar programmes
Sixth Form Challenge, hosted by Chris KellyChris Kelly (TV presenter)
Chris Kelly Chris Kelly Chris Kelly (born 24 April 1940, Cuddington, Cheshire, is an English TV presenter, producer and writer.-Education:Kelly was educated at Downside School, a Catholic independent school in Stratton-on-the-Fosse in Somerset, followed by the University of...
, appeared briefly between 1965 and 1967. An untelevised equivalent, Schools' Challenge
Schools' Challenge
Schools' Challenge is the national general knowledge competition for schools in the United Kingdom. It uses the same basic rules as University Challenge, although it is affiliated with neither the game nor the television show....
, continues to run at junior and senior secondary school levels.
Other countries
University ChallengeUniversity Challenge (New Zealand)
University Challenge was a long-running New Zealand television quiz show. The format was based on the British show of the same name, which was itself based on the American College Bowl...
ran in New Zealand for 14 seasons, from 1976 until 1989, with international series held between the previous years' British and New Zealand champions in both 1986 and 1987. It was hosted by Peter Sinclair
Peter Sinclair (New Zealand)
Peter Sinclair was a New Zealand television personality and radio host.Born in Sydney, Australia, he rose to fame in the 1960s and early 1970s firstly on New Zealand radio and then as host of Let's Go, Happen Inn and C'mon, New Zealand's primary rock music television shows of the time.In the late...
.
University Challenge, hosted by Dr. Magnus Clarke, ran in Australia on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
's channel from 1987 until 1989.
University Challenge India started in summer 2003, with the season culminating in the finals of March 2004 where Sardar Patel College of Engineering
Sardar Patel College of Engineering
Sardar Patel College of Engineering is an engineering college in India. It is located in Andheri, a suburb of Mumbai. It is affiliated to Mumbai University and offers graduate and post-graduate degrees in Engineering. It is one of the most reputed engineering colleges in India...
(SPCE), Mumbai, beat Indian School of Business
Indian School of Business
The Indian School of Business is a business school in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. It offers a Post Graduate Programme in Management , a Fellow Program in Management, and a Post Graduate Programme in Management for Senior...
(ISB), Hyderabad. The 2004–2005 season finale saw a team of undergraduate engineering students from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology
Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology
Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology , New Delhi , formerly known as Delhi Institute of Technology, is a premier engineering college in New Delhi, India. It is an autonomous institution of the Government of NCT of Delhi...
(NSIT), Delhi, beat a team of management students from the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode
Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode
The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode is one of the 13 Indian Institutes of Management set up by the Government of India. The Institute founded in 1996 in collaboration with the State Government of Kerala was the 5th IIM to be established....
. The Indian winners of the 2003–2004 season went on to beat the finalists from the UK show, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
. UC India is produced by BBC World
BBC World
BBC World News is the BBC's international news and current affairs television channel. It has the largest audience of any BBC channel in the world...
India, and Synergy Communications, co-owned by Siddhartha Basu
Siddhartha Basu
Siddhartha Basu is an Indian television producer-director and quiz show host, most known as producer-director of shows like, Kaun Banega Crorepati , and Dus Ka Dum . He is Chairman and Managing Director of Big Synergy Media Ltd., established in 1989 as Synergy Media Ltd., which produces these shows...
, who also hosted the show.
Winners
Non-Oxbridge institutions that have won University Challenge more than once have been Durham, Sussex, Manchester, the Open University and Imperial College, London, who have each won twice. Among Oxford and Cambridge colleges, Trinity and Sidney Sussex from Cambridge, and Keble and University College from Oxford have won twice. Magdalen College, OxfordMagdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
is the only institution to have won more than two times, having won four times (1997, 1998, 2004 and 2011) and are also the only winners successfully to defend the title the following year.
Original series
| Year | University/College |
|---|---|
| 1963 | Leicester University of Leicester The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College.... |
| 1965 | New College, Oxford New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always... |
| 1966 | Oriel College, Oxford |
| 1967 | Sussex University of Sussex The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961.... |
| 1968 | Keele Keele University Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain... |
| 1969 | Sussex University of Sussex The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961.... |
| 1970 | Churchill College, Cambridge Churchill College, Cambridge Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.In 1958, a Trust was established with Sir Winston Churchill as its Chairman of Trustees, to build and endow a college for 60 fellows and 540 Students as a national and Commonwealth memorial to Winston Churchill; its... |
| 1971 | Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.The college was founded in 1596 and named after its foundress, Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex. It was from its inception an avowedly Puritan foundation: some good and godlie moniment for the mainteynance... |
| 1972 | University College, Oxford University College, Oxford .University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m... |
| 1973 | Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Fitzwilliam College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge in England.The college traces its origins back to 1869 and the foundation of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a venture intended to offer students from less financially privileged backgrounds a chance to study... |
| 1974 | Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows... |
| 1975 | Keble College, Oxford Keble College, Oxford Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall... |
| 1976 | University College, Oxford University College, Oxford .University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m... |
| 1977 | Durham Durham University The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837... |
| 1978 | Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Sidney Sussex College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.The college was founded in 1596 and named after its foundress, Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex. It was from its inception an avowedly Puritan foundation: some good and godlie moniment for the mainteynance... |
| 1979 | University of Bradford University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s... |
| 1980 | Merton College, Oxford Merton College, Oxford Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to... |
| 1981 | Queen's University of Belfast |
| 1982 | St. Andrews |
| 1983 | Dundee University of Dundee The University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere.... |
| 1984 | The Open University Open University The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom... |
| 1986 | Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street... |
| 1987 | Keble College, Oxford Keble College, Oxford Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall... |
Information in this table was obtained from .
New series
| Year | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows... |
New College, Oxford New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always... |
| 1996 University Challenge 1995–96 -Results:* Winning teams are highlighted in bold.* Teams with green scores returned in the next round, while those with red scores were eliminated.* Teams with orange scores have lost, but survived as highest scoring losers.... |
Imperial College London Imperial College London Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine... |
London School of Economics London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London... |
| 1997 University Challenge 1996–97 -Results:* Winning teams are highlighted in bold.* Teams with green scores returned in the next round, while those with red scores were eliminated.* Teams with orange scores have lost, but survived as highest scoring losers.... |
Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record... |
The Open University |
| 1998 University Challenge 1997–98 -Results:* Winning teams are highlighted in bold.* Teams with green scores returned in the next round, while those with red scores were eliminated.* Teams with orange scores have lost, but survived as highest scoring losers.... |
Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record... |
Birkbeck, University of London Birkbeck, University of London Birkbeck, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It offers many Master's and Bachelor's degree programmes that can be studied either part-time or full-time, though nearly all teaching is... |
| 1999 University Challenge 1998–99 Series 28 of University Challenge ran between September 1998 and April 1999.-Results:* Winning teams are highlighted in bold.* Teams with green scores returned in the next round, while those with red scores were eliminated.... |
The Open University | Oriel College, Oxford |
| 2000 University Challenge 1999–2000 Series 29 of University Challenge began in September of 1999, with the final in May of 2000. -Results:* Winning teams are highlighted in bold.... |
University of Durham Durham University The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837... |
Oriel College, Oxford |
| 2001 | Imperial College London Imperial College London Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine... |
St John's College, Oxford St John's College, Oxford __FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of... |
| 2002 | Somerville College, Oxford Somerville College, Oxford Somerville College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and was one of the first women's colleges to be founded there... |
Imperial College London Imperial College London Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine... |
| 2003 | Birkbeck, University of London Birkbeck, University of London Birkbeck, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It offers many Master's and Bachelor's degree programmes that can be studied either part-time or full-time, though nearly all teaching is... |
Cranfield University Cranfield University Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United... |
| 2004 | Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record... |
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and... |
| 2005 | Corpus Christi, Oxford | University College London University College London University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London... |
| 2006 | University of Manchester University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group... |
Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :... |
| 2007 | University of Warwick University of Warwick The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom... |
University of Manchester University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group... |
| 2008 | Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England... |
University of Sheffield University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities... |
| 2009 | University of Manchester University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group... ± |
St. John's College, Cambridge |
| 2010 | Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary... |
St. John's College, Oxford |
| 2011 | Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record... |
University of York University of York The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects... |
Some of the information in this table was obtained from .
± Corpus Christi, Oxford were originally the winners of the 2009 event, but on 2 March 2009, the BBC in a joint statement with Granada
Granada Productions
Granada Productions was a British commercial television production and distribution company. The company took its name from the successful ITV franchise, Granada Television....
announced that they had disqualified the team for "breaking the series rules" by fielding an ineligible contestant. Rules were subsequently changed. St. John's College, Cambridge, had lost to Corpus Christi, Oxford, in the semifinals.
| University | Old | New | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford (all colleges combined) | 8 | 7 | 15 |
| Cambridge (all colleges combined) | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Durham | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Imperial | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Manchester | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Open | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Sussex | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Birkbeck | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bradford | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Dundee | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Keele | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Leicester | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Queen's Belfast | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| St. Andrews | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Warwick | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals | 23 | 17 | 40 |
Lowest scores
Under quizmaster Jeremy Paxman, a low score of 15 was achieved by the University of ExeterUniversity of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
in a quarter-final against Corpus Christi, Oxford
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
, which also saw team captain Gail Trimble
Gail Trimble
Gail Christiana Trimble , is a Senior Faculty Member in Classics at Trinity College, Oxford. . While a postgraduate student of Latin literature at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, in 2009, she gained attention by a series of exceptional performances on the BBC television quiz programme University...
amass 15 correct starter questions. However, the Corpus Christi team were later disqualified from the competition after it was found that team member Sam Kay had been ineligible for the last three matches. Therefore, the lowest score officially achieved against eligible opponents under quizmaster Jeremy Paxman was by Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
, who totalled 30 in a semi-final against the eventual series champions the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
, in an episode televised on 9 February 2009.
Before these matches, the lowest score was 35, reached by New Hall, Cambridge
New Hall, Cambridge
Murray Edwards College is a women-only constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It was founded as "New Hall" in 1954, at a time when Cambridge had the lowest proportion of women undergraduates of any university in the United Kingdom, and when only two other colleges admitted women...
, 1997. This score would have been lower if all fines for incorrect interruptions had been applied.
The lowest score during the Professionals series was achieved by the Members of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
team, who scored 25 in 2003. This should be seen in the context of the Professionals series' shorter playing time (about 20 minutes for a match instead of about 25 for the student series).
Highest scores
University College, OxfordUniversity College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
scored 520 points in the final ITV season in 1987.
Specials
| Year | Special Event | Winners | Runners Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | International best of three series | Great Britain (Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street... , 1985) |
New Zealand (University of Auckland University of Auckland The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide... , 1985) |
| 1987 | International best of three series | Great Britain (Keble College, Oxford Keble College, Oxford Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall... , 1986) |
New Zealand (University of Otago University of Otago The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it... , 1986) |
| 1992 | Celebrity match | Celebrity Past Contestants (John Simpson, Charles Moore Charles Moore (journalist) Charles Hilary Moore is a British journalist and former editor of The Daily Telegraph.-Early life:He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge where he was awarded a BA in History and was a friend of Oliver Letwin.-Career:A former editor of The Spectator , the Sunday Telegraph and The... , Stephen Fry Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also... , Alastair Little) |
Keble College, Oxford, 1987 |
| 1997 | College Bowl Challenge | University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
Imperial College London, 1996 |
| 1998 | College Bowl Challenge | USA | UK |
| 1998 | Mastermind Challenge | Magdalen College, Oxford, 1997 | Imperial College London, 1996 |
| 1998 | Universe Challenge | Red Dwarf Red Dwarf Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series... Fans: (Darryl Ball, Kaley Nichols, Steve Rogers [Chairman of the Official Red Dwarf Fan Club], Pip Swallow, Sharon Burnett [Co-author of The Red Dwarf Quiz Book]) |
Red Dwarf Red Dwarf Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series... Cast: (Robert Llewellyn Robert Llewellyn Robert Llewellyn is an English actor, presenter, and writer. He is best known as the mechanoid Kryten in the hit sitcom Red Dwarf, and for his role as presenter of Scrapheap Challenge.-Early career:... , Danny John-Jules Danny John-Jules Daniel "Danny" John-Jules is a British actor, singer and dancer. John-Jules attended Rutherford Comprehensive School, Penfold Street, Marylebone, from 1972 to 1977. He is best known for portraying Cat in the television programme Red Dwarf.-Dance and song:John-Jules is a baritone... , Chris Barrie Chris Barrie Chris Barrie is a British actor. He first achieved success as a vocal impressionist, notably in the ITV sketch show Spitting Image... , Chloë Annett Chloë Annett Chloë Victoria Annett is an English actress, best known for her role in series 7 and 8 of the British sitcom Red Dwarf.-Early life and family:... , Craig Charles Craig Charles Craig Joseph Charles is an English actor, stand-up comedian, author, poet, radio and television presenter, best known for playing Dave Lister in the British cult-favourite science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf... ) |
| 1999 | Journalists Special | Tabloids | Broadsheets |
| 1999 | Challenge | Magdalen College, Oxford, 1998 | Leicester, 1963 |
| 2002 | University Challenge: Reunited | Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, 1979 | Keele, 1968 |
| 2003 | University Challenge: The Professional Professional A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,... s |
The Inland Revenue Inland Revenue The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty... |
Royal Meteorological Society Royal Meteorological Society The Royal Meteorological Society traces its origins back to 3 April 1850 when the British Meteorological Society was formed as a society the objects of which should be the advancement and extension of meteorological science by determining the laws of climate and of meteorological phenomena in general... |
| 2003 | Comic Relief match | The Townies: (Jeremy Beadle Jeremy Beadle Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadle MBE was an English television presenter, writer and producer. During the 1980s, he was a regular face on British television and in two years appeared 50 weeks of the year. His shows regularly topped the charts beating Coronation Street and EastEnders on one... , Danny Baker Danny Baker Danny Baker is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter. Since the late 1970s, he has worked for a wide range of publications and broadcasters including NME, LWT, the BBC, and Talk Radio.... , Johnny Vaughan Johnny Vaughan Jonathan Randall Vaughan is an English broadcaster and journalist. Vaughan has become well known as a television and radio personality and has also built a reputation as a film critic. He co-presented Capital Breakfast alongside Lisa Snowdon on 95.8 Capital FM between 2004 and 2011... , Gina Yashere Gina Yashere Gina Obedapo Yashere is a British comedian of Nigerian descent.-Early life:Yashere was born in Bethnal Green, London, England. Her mother was an immigrant from Nigeria... ) |
The Gownies: (David Baddiel David Baddiel David Lionel Baddiel is an English comedian, novelist and television presenter.-Early life:Baddiel was born in New York, and moved to England when he was four months old. His father, Colin Brian Baddiel, was a Welsh research chemist with Unilever before being made redundant in the 1980s, after... , Frank Skinner Frank Skinner Frank Skinner is a British writer, comedian and actor. He is best known for his television presenting, often alongside David Baddiel, with whom he also collaborated for the football song "Three Lions."He is a radio presenter on the Saturday morning slot on Absolute Radio.-Youth and early career... , Stephen Fry Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also... , Clive Anderson Clive Anderson Clive Anderson is a British former barrister, best known for being a comedy writer as well as a radio and television presenter in the United Kingdom... ) |
| 2004 | International "Grand Final": UK vs India | Sardar Patel College of Engineering Sardar Patel College of Engineering Sardar Patel College of Engineering is an engineering college in India. It is located in Andheri, a suburb of Mumbai. It is affiliated to Mumbai University and offers graduate and post-graduate degrees in Engineering. It is one of the most reputed engineering colleges in India... (SPCE), Mumbai: (Nirad Inamdar, Bharat Jayakumar, Nishad Manerikar, Shrijit Plappally) |
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and... : (Laura Ashe, Darren Khodaverdi, Lameen Souag, Edward Wallace) |
| 2004 | University Challenge: The Professionals | British Library British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,... |
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as... |
| 2004 | Christmas Special 1 | Television (Monty Don Monty Don Montagu Denis Wyatt Don is a British television presenter, writer and speaker on horticulture, best known for presenting the BBC television series Gardeners' World.-Early life:... , Martha Kearney Martha Kearney Martha Catherine Kearney is an Irish-born British broadcaster and journalist. She is the main presenter of BBC Radio 4's lunchtime news programme The World at One.-Early life:... , Andrew Neil Andrew Neil Andrew Ferguson Neil is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster.He currently works for the BBC, presenting the live political programmes The Daily Politics and This Week... , Clare Balding Clare Balding Clare Balding is a BBC sports presenter, journalist and jockey.-Early life:In 1989 and 1990, Balding was a leading amateur flat jockey and Champion Lady Rider in 1990.... ) |
Radio (Henry Blofeld Henry Blofeld Henry Calthorpe Blofeld is a sports journalist. He is best known as a cricket commentator for Test Match Special on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.Blofeld had an exceptional career as a schoolboy cricketer, cut short by injury... , Jenni Murray Jenni Murray Dame Jennifer Susan "Jenni" Murray, DBE is a British journalist and broadcaster. She attended Barnsley Girls High School and has a degree in French and Drama from Hull University... , Ned Sherrin Ned Sherrin Edward George "Ned" Sherrin CBE was an English broadcaster, author and stage director. He qualified as a barrister and then worked in independent television before joining the BBC... , Roger Bolton) |
| Christmas Special 2 | Critics (Waldemar Januszczak Waldemar Januszczak Waldemar Januszczak is a British art critic. Formerly the art critic of The Guardian, he now writes for The Sunday Times, and has twice won the Critic of the Year award... , Russell Davies Russell Davies Robert Russell Davies , known as Russell Davies, is a British journalist and broadcaster. He presents a Sunday radio programme on BBC Radio 2 which spotlights popular song, as well as Brain of Britain on Radio 4.-Background:... , Brian Sewell Brian Sewell Brian Sewell is an English art critic and media personality. He writes for the London Evening Standard and is noted for artistic conservatism and his acerbic view of the Turner Prize and conceptual art... , Andrew Graham-Dixon Andrew Graham-Dixon Andrew Michael Graham-Dixon is a British art historian and broadcaster.-Education:Graham-Dixon was educated at the independent Westminster School and at Christ Church at the University of Oxford, where he read English... ) |
Theatre | |
| Christmas Specials: Final | Critics | Television | |
| 2005 | Comic Relief 2005 Match | The South (Sarah Alexander Sarah Alexander Sarah Alexander is an English actress, known for her roles in various British comedy series such as Armstrong and Miller, Smack the Pony, Coupling, The Worst Week of My Life and Green Wing.... , Hugh Grant Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's... , Stephen Fry Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also... , Omid Djalili Omid Djalili Omid Djalili is a British Iranian stand-up comedian, actor, television producer and writer.-Personal life:Djalili was born in Chelsea, London to Iranian Bahá'í parents and is a Bahá'í himself... ) |
The North (Colin Murray Colin Murray Colin Murray is a Northern Irish sports and music radio and television presenter. He is the current host of the BBC Television show Match of the Day 2 on BBC Two, and the BBC Radio 5 Live shows 5 Live Sport and Fighting Talk, as well as a show on BBC Radio Ulster. He has previously hosted regular... , John Thomson, Armando Iannucci Armando Iannucci Armando Giovanni Iannucci is a Scottish comedian, satirist, writer, director, performer and radio producer. Born in Glasgow, he studied at Oxford University and left graduate work on a PhD about John Milton to pursue a career in comedy.... , Neil Morrissey Neil Morrissey Neil Anthony Morrissey is an English actor, media personality and businessman. He is best known for his role as Tony in Men Behaving Badly.... ) |
| 2005 | University Challenge: The Professionals | Privy Council Office Privy Council of the United Kingdom Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom... |
Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Novelists' Association The Romantic Novelists' Association is a writers' association in the UK. Founded in 1960, mainly through the efforts of Denise Robins , Barbara Cartland , Vivian Stuart , and other authors like Elizabeth Goudge, Netta Muskett, Catherine Cookson, Rosamunde Pilcher and Lucilla Andrews.The RNA runs... |
| 2006 | University Challenge: The Professionals | Bodleian Library Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library... |
Royal Statistical Society Royal Statistical Society The Royal Statistical Society is a learned society for statistics and a professional body for statisticians in the UK.-History:It was founded in 1834 as the Statistical Society of London , though a perhaps unrelated London Statistical Society was in existence at least as early as 1824... |
| 2008 | University Challenge: The Professionals | Ministry of Justice Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom) The Ministry of Justice is a ministerial department of the UK Government headed by the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, who is responsible for improvements to the justice system so that it better serves the public... |
National Physical Laboratory |
Some information from this table was obtained from the web pages listed in
In popular culture
- David Nicholls' novel Starter for TenStarter for Ten (novel)Starter for Ten by David Nicholls is a novel first published in 2003 about the character Brian Jackson and his first year of university , his attempts to get on the Granada Television quiz show University Challenge, and his tentative attempts at romance with Alice Harbinson, another member of the...
(2003) was based around one student's part in a University Challenge team whilst at an unnamed university (based on Nicholls' own alma mater, the University of BristolUniversity of BristolThe University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
, and identified as such in the film adaptation). The title was, of course, taken from the programme's catchphrase. The novel was adapted into the 2006 film Starter for 10, (released on 10 November in the UK). - In 1984, an episode of The Young OnesThe Young Ones (TV series)The Young Ones is a British sitcom, first broadcast in 1982, which ran for two series on BBC2. Its anarchic, offbeat humour helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980s and made household names of its writers and performers...
, entitled "BambiBambi (Young Ones episode)"Bambi" was the seventh episode of British sitcom The Young Ones. It was written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall and Lise Mayer, and directed by Geoff Posner. It was first aired on BBC2 on 8 May 1984...
", centred on a spoof of University Challenge with a match between the fictitious teams of Scumbag College and Footlights College, Oxbridge. The Footlights team included Stephen Fry who participated in the real competition in 1980. - A quiz themed around BBC science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
situation comedySituation comedyA situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Red Dwarf, broadcast in 1998, was entitled Universe Challenge. It opened as if it were a regular episode, but with Chris Barrie imitating Jeremy Paxman. Bamber comes from behind with a blaster gun and blows him out of the chair, so he can host. This was Bamber Gascoigne's last appearance as host. - In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes100 Greatest British Television ProgrammesThe BFI TV 100 is a list compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute , chosen by a poll of industry professionals, to determine what were the greatest British television programmes of any genre ever to have been screened....
drawn up by the British Film InstituteBritish Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, University Challenge was placed 34th. - Armando Ianucci's Time TrumpetTime TrumpetTime Trumpet is a six-episode satirical television comedy series which aired on BBC Two in 2006. The series was written by Armando Iannucci, Roger Drew and Will Smith in a similar manner to Iannucci's earlier one-off programmes 2004: The Stupid Version and Clinton: His Struggle with...
did a parodyParodyA parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of University Challenge, set in a future time when students were 'too lazy to learn'; this parody was later referenced in an episode of the real series of University Challenge by the team captain of SOAS, John Joseph Perry, who, not knowing the real answer, simply answered "Venezuela?"
See also
- University Challenge 2005University Challenge 2005Series 34 of University Challenge began on 13 September 2004 and was broadcast on BBC Two. This is a list of the matches played, their scores, and outcomes.-First round:-Highest Scoring Losers Playoffs:-Second round:-Quarterfinals:...
- University Challenge 2006University Challenge 2006Series 35 of University Challenge began on 19 September 2005 and was broadcast on BBC Two. This is a list of the matches played, their scores, and outcomes.-First round:-Highest Scoring Losers Playoffs:-Second round:-Quarterfinals:...
- University Challenge 2007University Challenge 2007Series 36 of University Challenge began on 7 August 2006 and was broadcast on BBC Two. This is a list of the matches played, their scores, and outcomes.-First round:-Highest Scoring Losers Playoffs:-Second round:-Quarterfinals:-Semifinals:...
- University Challenge 2008University Challenge 2008Series 37 of University Challenge began on 9 July 2007 and was broadcast on BBC Two. This is a list of the matches played, their scores, and outcomes.-First round:-Highest Scoring Losers Playoffs:-Second round:-Quarterfinals:-Semifinals:...
- University Challenge 2009University Challenge 2009Series 38 of University Challenge began on 7 July 2008 and was broadcast on BBC Two. This is a list of the matches played, their scores, and outcomes.-Main draw:* Winning teams are highlighted in bold....
- University Challenge 2010University Challenge 2010Series 39 of University Challenge began on 6 July 2009 and aired on BBC Two. Below is a list of the matches played with their scores and outcomes.-Schedule:The series comprised 37 matches over five rounds, airing between July 2009 and April 2010....
- University Challenge 2011University Challenge 2011Series 40 of University Challenge began on 5 July 2010 and aired on BBC Two. Below is a list of the matches played with their scores and outcomes.-Results:* Winning teams are highlighted in bold....
- University Challenge 2012
External links
- Sean Blanchflower's University Challenge pages
- University Challenge, with photograph of the highest-ever scoring team, from University College, Oxford, in the 1987 final against Keble College, Oxford at UKGameshows.comUKGameshows.comUKGameshows.com is a website dedicated to British game shows. The site currently provides information on more than 1,500 British game show formats from 1938 to the present day, over 500 mini-biographies of hosts, along with numerous other background articles....
- A full, illustrated behind-the-scenes account of the matches of the lowest-ever scoring team in the Paxman-era, by an Exeter contestant
- University Challenge India – a tribute
- Interview with the winning 2007 University of Warwick team
- BBC Tightens University Challenge Rules in Response to Fiasco