they should ban postgrads from the normal show because it's a general knowledge quiz, and you acquire more general knowledge as you get older... and then start to lose it all, but the postgrads in their late 20s and 30s have a clear advantage over the undergrads.
Yes, let's solely have a bunch of 20-something idiots on it, why don't we
― Tom D., Monday, 31 March 2008 13:18 (sixteen years ago) link
... it makes me feel really clever!
― Tom D., Monday, 31 March 2008 13:19 (sixteen years ago) link
or New Hall broads
Dom I gotta have something to knock one out to while they're asking the impossible Maths question.
― Noodle Vague, Monday, 31 March 2008 13:19 (sixteen years ago) link
I enjoy how the quiz setter has given up trying to do varied Classical music questions and now they're all just "Who wrote this then?"
― Noodle Vague, Monday, 31 March 2008 13:21 (sixteen years ago) link
Or have a "1 oldster per team" limit.
-- Noodle Vague, Monday, March 31, 2008 2:17 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Link
yeah this would be fair. sometimes it's a bit much.
― banriquit, Monday, 31 March 2008 13:24 (sixteen years ago) link
The ramp up in question difficulty from the rounds to the final is crazy.
Still the hardest quiz on TV tho, Mastermind is not in the same league.
― Jarlrmai, Monday, 31 March 2008 16:08 (sixteen years ago) link
answers including
Psyche
Echo & Narcissus
1982: year Trivial Pursuit was launched
The Waste Land
Waiting for Godot
and it's back ... tomorrow!!
― the pinefox, Monday, 31 March 2008 19:30 (sixteen years ago) link
My uncle was on the professionals once, as part of the Association of Historical Crime Writers. Beat that.
― chap, Monday, 31 March 2008 19:33 (sixteen years ago) link
I was on University Challenge a couple of years ago for Glasgow University. I was the token "oldster" on the team (i.e. postgraduate student). We sadly lost to Edinburgh (of all people), but it was a reasonable match. I was happy anyway, because I got some starter questions, so got to hear my name called in the famous UC style.
― krakow, Monday, 31 March 2008 19:54 (sixteen years ago) link
Now!
― the pinefox, Monday, 11 August 2008 19:01 (fifteen years ago) link
was on early
― conrad, Monday, 11 August 2008 19:02 (fifteen years ago) link
Uh? Just finished, here. Well, I did unusually well - hit 200 (answering all questions, bien sur) to the winners' 195. Exeter University thought that a string piece was 'Yesterday' rather than 'Paranoid Android' by their alumnus. I was surprised to get the meaning of Indian 'Maha' (great) correct.
― the pinefox, Monday, 11 August 2008 19:32 (fifteen years ago) link
was on early in scotland for some reason missed it will be on iplayer later
― conrad, Monday, 11 August 2008 19:37 (fifteen years ago) link
It is always on early in Scotland so that we can watch a dude trying to repopulate the Highlands with wild boar and moose and stuff.
I remain baffled as to how they didn't know Paranoid Android, yet recognised Queens of the Stone Age and Muse quite easily. One of the contestants also thought Carl Barat was in Babyshambles, and none of them even guessed at Dirty Pretty Things, making me wonder exactly what students are doing with themselves these days. Studying, presumably, instead of listening to pish indie like I did when I was a student.
― ailsa, Monday, 11 August 2008 19:45 (fifteen years ago) link
I got 220! Perhaps they are dumbing down. There did seem to be quite a few exceedingly easy questions. And some painfully stupid answers.
― ledge, Monday, 11 August 2008 21:25 (fifteen years ago) link
There are always painfully stupid answers. They often, in my mind, do not coincide with what Paxman claims to be stupid.
― ailsa, Monday, 11 August 2008 21:30 (fifteen years ago) link
the lady who knew too much
― I want sprinkles (country matters), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 01:50 (fifteen years ago) link
like, seriously, i kinda wanna give up *life* right now
― I want sprinkles (country matters), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 01:51 (fifteen years ago) link
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=51660053364&topic=7572
^^^77 invites for these guys
― Britpoppage (The stickman from the hilarious xkcd comics), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 01:55 (fifteen years ago) link
good christ
this ain't no unrequited telly-crush thing that's weighing on my mind, it's purely and simply a furious and uncontrollable envy that someone can know so much stuff
mind you, i'm well acquainted with (and sometimes meet) the winning captain from last year's series, and it'll at least be good to point out to him that he is no longer british studenthood's #1 repository of knowledge
― I want sprinkles (country matters), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 02:02 (fifteen years ago) link
basically, the year I was in the Peterhouse team, we narrowly failed to qualify
still hurts, man
― I want sprinkles (country matters), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 02:03 (fifteen years ago) link
My failure to qualify for University Challenge, now somewhat over ten years ago, still niggles at me too.
I felt sorry for Manchester last night - they seemed to have hit on a fairly good anti-Corpus Christi strategy and it worked for most of the match.
― Forest Pines Mk2, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 10:48 (fifteen years ago) link
rah rah rah
― meme economist (special guest stars mark bronson), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 10:52 (fifteen years ago) link
Beeb pretty much gave away the result by having the brainy girl on the evening news
― Queueing For Latchstrings (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 10:54 (fifteen years ago) link
Bitches I like 'em brainlessGuns I like 'em stainless
― Britpoppage (The stickman from the hilarious xkcd comics), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 10:54 (fifteen years ago) link
... that Jeremy Paxman goes too far at times
― Queueing For Latchstrings (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 10:55 (fifteen years ago) link
they should ban postgrads from the regular show. it's not on.
― banriquit, Monday, March 31, 2008 3:01 PM (10 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
^^ still how i basically break it down. one of the teams last week was ALL phd candidates, which is bullshit. that or i should get on next season's show, ccoz tbh id rock the shit.
― meme economist (special guest stars mark bronson), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 10:59 (fifteen years ago) link
Of course, the DailyMail has it "how come brainy girl gets villified, and Jade, um, you know"
(See, they can't even bring themselves to criticise Jade at the moment)
.. because The Sun asked Brainygirl 10 question of the "Who won celeb Big brother/Name of the lad who fathered/Chelsea's manager" and 7 others, and she got none right...
― Mark G, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:13 (fifteen years ago) link
In the interests of fairneess, should really have asked Jade 10 questions from UnivChallenge, see how she got on
― Queueing For Latchstrings (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:16 (fifteen years ago) link
Jade in "that's the freezing point of Liquid Nitrogen, innit?" Slumdog Millionaire follow-up!
― Mark G, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:18 (fifteen years ago) link
Did a double-take when I saw the 'Trimble turns down Nuts magazine' headline in the Guardian this morning before I realised what it was about.
― Frank Sumatra (NickB), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:20 (fifteen years ago) link
Sometimes I wish I didn't know any of these things too.
― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:21 (fifteen years ago) link
Name of the lad who fathered Chelsea's manager
Don't know this one
― Queueing For Latchstrings (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:21 (fifteen years ago) link
You could probably have a guess.
― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:22 (fifteen years ago) link
lol call me tuomas but idk who won celeb big brother.
― meme economist (special guest stars mark bronson), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:22 (fifteen years ago) link
Ulrika.
― Mark G, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:23 (fifteen years ago) link
Yes, what now, Archimedes?
― Frank Sumatra (NickB), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:25 (fifteen years ago) link
i thought/hoped i didn't before i realised i actually did.
but i also got the one question they played from last night's final on the radio this morning.
so colour me... y'know, something.
― more private than a bar stool (Upt0eleven), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:26 (fifteen years ago) link
"What Now, Archimedes?" - this has a pleasing ring to it
― Queueing For Latchstrings (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:26 (fifteen years ago) link
^^^ Sitcom set in ancient Greece starring Dean Gaffney as overworked manservant
― Frank Sumatra (NickB), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:29 (fifteen years ago) link
A bit Up Pompeii?
― Queueing For Latchstrings (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:32 (fifteen years ago) link
Reason for victory was the weight of classics and literature questions towards the end. MANCHESTER WOZ ROBBED!!!
― zero learnt from nero (Neil S), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:42 (fifteen years ago) link
she didn't know thomas love peacock though, i trumped on that in front of my family and everything
― Henry Frog (Frogman Henry), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 11:59 (fifteen years ago) link
*trumped her
you the man
― zero learnt from nero (Neil S), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 12:14 (fifteen years ago) link
Trimble Trumped Claims Frogman
― Queueing For Latchstrings (Tom D.), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 12:16 (fifteen years ago) link
She came through like a train at the end - in the last 5 minutes I don't think anyone else answered a question.
I don't see why anyone would object to her, for doing her best on a quiz show.
I don't really see why anyone would be erotically excited about her either, unless they find her knowledge and intelligence attractive.
― the pinefox, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 12:23 (fifteen years ago) link
Not objecting to her, just saying that the questions fell nicely towards the end there.
― zero learnt from nero (Neil S), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 12:24 (fifteen years ago) link
but at the start... they didn't
― meme economist (special guest stars mark bronson), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 12:25 (fifteen years ago) link
The order of the questions is random and is not produced to favour one team or another.
― the pinefox, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 12:26 (fifteen years ago) link