University Challenge

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Has anyone on ILE been a contestant on this quiz programme? And do you like Paxman's interpretation of what a questionmaster should be like "Come on! You must know!" etc?

― MarkH, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

RIckyT was on it! "GIRTON, TUNNICLIFFE!" said the voiceover and we fell off our chairs with excitement. i was nearly on it in that i got on to our college team but then went to India instead CHIZ! me and RickyT = unbeatable combination as you will find out on Wednesday, those of you who are going to SOAS pub quiz!!

― katie, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

Last night I watched my alma mater, Bristol University, get beaten by Downing College Cambridge...boo!

― MarkH, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

it's just a pale imitation of Mark and Lard's pop upstairs/downstairs. plus it wasn't on when i was at college. grrr.

― Alan Trewartha, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

Is it a rule that each programme must have at LEAST one of the Oxbridge colleges on it? GOSH now that makes it TWO people I know who haf been on it! This was a fact about RickyT I did not know but I am surely amused by it! By no chance did he get to use the word 'frottage' by any chance?

― Sarah, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

Fuck off you and your 'any chances'!

― Twatbag, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

Wow, RickyT! Is there video evidence?? Unfortunately, my time at uni was in the hiatus between the show's ITV & BBC incarnations. I would've wuvved to be on it. I suppose doing a Masters or doctorate specially is a bit drastic!

― MarkH, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

I also knocked about in the hiatus - but used its impending return to play a very, very funny practical joke on a good friend of mine (and was mortified when she actually picked me for her fictitious team). But the crux of the joke was that they were trying out new presenters which included Paxo, Mark Radcliffe(!) and Les Dennis (Kitsch value).

― Pete, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

the thought of Les Dennis on UC is almost as funny as the thought of Paxo on Family Fortunes.

― MarkH, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

Toxteth O'Grady, USA.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

i was on it about three years ago; we made it to the quarter finals and then got stuffed by durham. paxman drank a suprising amount between takes, as i recall.

i had a ridiculous haircut (black/white striped) at the time, which loads of people seem to remember when i mention it ("ohmygodyouwerethatfreakonuniveristychallengewiththeweirdhair!!" etc).

― toby, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

Since I'm an American, my only thoughts about UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE is the episode of the YOUNG ONES where they go on. Which, I think, it's too bad of an introduction.

― Gage-o, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

"Is it true Bambi? Did you do a Disney nasty?"

― DG, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

*is very embarassed*

― RickyT, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

I think TVU and Norf London always got knocked out in the prelims (think, I know!)...I can only answer questions on sport, music, art and geography on University Challenge! I thought Ricky T looked familiar when I saw him at the ILe awards!!

― jel, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

I very much doubt it's UC you remember me from, Jel. I had a lot more hair, a lot less lard and a pair of specs back then.

― RickyT, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

The damning evidence. Are you still in contact with your teammates?

― Jeff W, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

"I've got a Porsche!!"

― mark s, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

DOES THE PEOPLES COURT COUNT?

― Mike Hanle y, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink

two years pass...

I fell in love last night. It was with the woman from the Foreign Office on University Challenge.

She had an Italian name, but I have forgotten it, so no stalking for me.

― Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 14:12 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

she didn't do it for me.

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 14:17 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

Well that's fine.

― Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 14:20 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

Good victory for OUP.

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 14:21 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

Boring bunch of bastards. Foreign Office 4ever.

― Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 14:24 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

i was on it about three years ago; we made it to the quarter finals and then got stuffed by durham. paxman drank a suprising amount between takes, as i recall.
i had a ridiculous haircut (black/white striped) at the time, which loads of people seem to remember when i mention it ("ohmygodyouwerethatfreakonuniveristychallengewiththeweirdhair!!" etc).

-- toby (toby_ge...), January 8th, 2002.

My mate David was on it the year Durham won it - he was UCL, who were you with toby?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 14:25 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

That woman was called Francesca something. Altobelli?

As part of the Lancaster team we made it to the final round of auditions two years ago. They actually interview you as if you're going onto an actual game show ("What books have you been reading recently?"), which I found vaguely disconcerting, but answers to the questions on the test we sat included "Tony Hawkes" and "Sixpence None The Richer". So that's alright then.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 14:44 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

This is where someone should say "Liz :x to thread"

― Mooro (Mooro), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 16:27 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

Most of us Yanks only know University Challenge from the Undertones' "My Perfect Cousin."

OK, that may be just me.

― mike a, Tuesday, 31 August 2004 18:19 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

one month passes...

Last night, questions on

1. Stream of Consciousness

2. Greil Marcus's Mystery Train

3. something else interesting - what was it?

― the bellefox, Tuesday, 5 October 2004 12:12 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

Also, did anyone see the deaf fellow on Mastermind?

I thought he did well.

― the bellefox, Tuesday, 5 October 2004 12:13 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

Jarlr'mai to thread

― Matt (Matt), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 12:38 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

>3. something else interesting - what was it?

1970s video games? paxman was aghast that people knew all these, i thought they were piss-easy. (pong, tetris, asteroids, snake)

― koogs (koogs), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:13 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

No, I wasn't thinking of them, but thanks for the reminder.

Perhaps we should not be surprised that you thought they were easy?

― the bellefox, Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:15 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

The deaf guy did great given that he had 2 minutes of questions the same as everyone else and John Humphrys had to speak each question slowly and fully for the guy to lipread it, i imagine some lipreading is about context so predicting and interupting questions may have been a little difficult given his subject (Wild cats of the world) also he asked John to repeat 2 long questions again, it may have been worth his while to pass on questions he couldnt read 1st time.

I'd like to see how many questions he was actually asked as compared to the others.

Uni Chal Mastermind and Buzzocks makes Monday night the best BBC2 line up all week.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:23 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

I liked the longshore drift questions amd the computer languages one, I should have got that Dirac antimatter one as well, kicks self.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:25 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

I missed University Challenge in order to see my mate Ernie on Changing Rooms. His best moment was "Fair play to them, it doesn't look like a cupboard any more. But I now have a shed in my bedroom."

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:36 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

ONG that shed looked dreadful (in the 10 seconds of the show i saw)...

"what's 'amped' mean then?"

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:39 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

It was sweet, the way he did wild cats of the world. Nice.

― the bellefox, Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:39 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

I liked the longshore drift questions amd the computer languages one.

I found it strange that they didn't know what COBOL or SQL were yet got the (IMO) more obscure Ada question right.

University Challenge makes me realise how much stuff there is that I don't know. I'm usually chuffed to bits if I get a run of Starter + 3 Bonuses correct.

Discovered a fairly good quiz show called Eggheads yesterday while I was off work. A team of "boffins" (I think most of them are former champions of 15-to-1 or similar) is challenged by a different team of plebs every episode. Plebs can win £20000, boffins just get to be smug about being clever. Plebs won yesterday for the first time in umpteen episodes.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:43 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

I thought he was blind. Why did he have the stick? He reminded me a little of Mark Hester, facially.

UC was good, I knew more answers than usual (ie, about 5). The Greil Marcus question reminded me of RJG. I liked the set of questions where they had to say who ruled in a X-ocracy, and one of the words sounded very much like phallocracy, and they dithered and snickered and then it was something not rude at all.

I like Eggheads too.

― Cathy (Cathy), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:53 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

UC should have more rude word questions just to put off the geekier students.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:55 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

too bad the questions about video games did not permit a contestant to answer "Jeremy, Pacman" or indeed, en francais

― Brigadier Rainham Steele, Mrs (blueski), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:56 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

I found it strange that they didn't know what COBOL or SQL were yet got the (IMO) more obscure Ada question right.

That was because it's named after Ada Lovelace innit. I didn't know the others but I know who the daughter of George Gordon, Lord Byron was. Hung out with Babbage, nice one.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 15:01 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

I can never remember what SQL stands for, even though I use it every day. I always think it's "Server Query Language".

― caitlin (caitlin), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 16:09 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

as long as you don't pronounce it 'sequel' 8)

― koogs (koogs), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 16:11 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

It's how Americans say "squirrel"

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 16:18 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

My boss pronounces it "sequel". I wince.

(still, not as bad as the cow-orker who pronounces "spamhaus" "spamhorse")

― caitlin (caitlin), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 16:25 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

Yeah, the deaf MM chap had a collapsible white cane - and yet he was lipreading. Extraordinary. All I could think about was how difficult it would be to subtitle Mastermind (Uni Chal moreso).

My old drama teacher got to the semis on MM in '86 or so.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 17:31 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

So he was definitely deaf then? If he needed a stick to walk, how was he lipreading? I am confused and curious.

― Cathy (Cathy), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 18:01 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

The deaf guy did great given that he had 2 minutes of questions the same as everyone else

Didn't he get a wee bit more time than the others - Humphrys explained something by way of explanation about the lipreading thing but I was in the other room so missed most of what he was saying.

I wondered about the cane too.

Was the other interesting thing the karaoke backing tracks of cheesy ballads (all of which I recognised, much to the amusement of my husband and parents)? Wasn't there a Smiths lyrics question too, or was that last week?

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 18:08 (fourteen years ago) Permalink

Skipping 1544 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

*she*

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Monday, 17 December 2018 21:16 (one month ago) Permalink

question about Only Connect for ailsa.

where are the other team when you're doing your wall?

― koogs, Monday, 17 December 2018 21:34 (one month ago) Permalink

lol I got the Scooby doo one after 3

― kinder, Monday, 17 December 2018 21:39 (one month ago) Permalink

They're outside the studio in the reception bit, with locked doors and various TV peeps in the way. You do pass over the corridor when switching over though - I did an excellent psychological fake-out on the Three Peaks who were utterly convinced we were shite and they'd caught us up - you genuinely don't know until VCM reads the scores (unless you ask your opponents, I guess)

xpost

― ailsa, Tuesday, 18 December 2018 00:06 (one month ago) Permalink

Interesting, thanks.

I was thinking, perhaps a bit too much about this. First two rounds you get a chance to score points if they drop the ball, the wall section you don't, and in the last section you don't either but they get penalised for a wrong answer (which is probably to stop them answering quickly but deliberately wrongly to stop the other team getting anything). It's like 3 different scoring mechanisms there.

(Does the studio have a dalek in reception?)

― koogs, Tuesday, 18 December 2018 05:34 (one month ago) Permalink

VCM is the perfect OC host. it would be so easy to fuck that role up, especially by being too knowing and above it all

― ||||||||, Tuesday, 18 December 2018 08:15 (one month ago) Permalink

She's incredibly lovely and professional irl. Also we could totally see her bra at one stage and weirdly the two straight girls in the team noticed and the straight bloke didn't. Quizzers, eh?

― ailsa, Tuesday, 18 December 2018 16:54 (one month ago) Permalink

btw, I did not stand on Rob Kardashian's foot in a shop. That's my "fake quiz show anecdote" made up of two things that happened in close proximity to each other on the same day. I used the same anecdote on Fifteen to One but it was edited out. My actual good anecdote was ditched as well, so I spend the next n+1 (where n is a number greater than or equal to zero) episodes being described in appallingly dull terms.

― ailsa, Tuesday, 18 December 2018 17:00 (one month ago) Permalink

Also, no dalek in reception, just a lovely woman called Nia. There is more than one TV studio in Cardiff.

― ailsa, Tuesday, 18 December 2018 17:04 (one month ago) Permalink

My worst ever interview was for a BBC website job - there was a lifesize model dalek in the room, pointing its plunger at me for the whole interview.

― Chuck_Tatum, Tuesday, 18 December 2018 17:23 (one month ago) Permalink

Model?

― koogs, Tuesday, 18 December 2018 19:16 (one month ago) Permalink

(there's one in TVC, one in BH, two in the studios in Manchester, one and the dalek half of Davros at the archive. I assume Wales has a bunch because of the museum)

(Davros bottom is a bit of a mystery apparently because it's not real. They think it's a prop from some other show that did a spoof)

― koogs, Tuesday, 18 December 2018 19:21 (one month ago) Permalink

catching celebrity episode from last night and look its not my shtyle to notice but

jeremy vvvv quick to bark at brunel for time while the decidedly posher and whiter reading are being woejusly indulged

― gabbnebulous (darraghmac), Tuesday, 18 December 2018 21:28 (one month ago) Permalink

The only thing is that the edit means you can't really tell how it played out in real time but I wouldn't give that dick the benefit of the doubt

― I Accept the Word of Santa (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 18 December 2018 21:30 (one month ago) Permalink

BRUCE DICKINSON <3

he seems hugely endearingly ADD

― gabbnebulous (darraghmac), Tuesday, 18 December 2018 21:40 (one month ago) Permalink

OC cupwinner's cup is barely entertaining - it's far too difficult for us mortals.

― koogs, Tuesday, 18 December 2018 22:13 (one month ago) Permalink

Ah, the missing vowels round is always a good pub closer

― Mark G, Tuesday, 18 December 2018 22:16 (one month ago) Permalink

not that one! missing owls!

that's usually the round i do best on - i got all of them on monday, all before the teams (yeah, there's a delay). i got two tonight. (nght, and two of the cluedo things slower than the teams)

― koogs, Tuesday, 18 December 2018 22:25 (one month ago) Permalink

Weirdly I had a brilliant night tonight - five in R1 and R2 on the second clue and both complete walls before every missing vowels.

― Bimlo Horsewagon became Wheelbarrow Horseflesh (aldo), Tuesday, 18 December 2018 22:42 (one month ago) Permalink

So, you up for a team next series?

(I'm not, hoo no)

― Mark G, Wednesday, 19 December 2018 10:07 (one month ago) Permalink

I'm not nearly good/dedicated enough.

― Bimlo Horsewagon became Wheelbarrow Horseflesh (aldo), Wednesday, 19 December 2018 10:47 (one month ago) Permalink

Do it. I genuinely can't recommend it highly enough.

― ailsa, Wednesday, 19 December 2018 15:01 (one month ago) Permalink

fuck a sports theme, imo

― koogs, Wednesday, 19 December 2018 20:31 (one month ago) Permalink

Yeah, didn't enjoy that very much.

― Bimlo Horsewagon became Wheelbarrow Horseflesh (aldo), Wednesday, 19 December 2018 21:43 (one month ago) Permalink

was waiting for the "bt tldr nds htt lcck" missing vowels clue. it never happened.

― koogs, Wednesday, 19 December 2018 21:56 (one month ago) Permalink

oh cmon that was totally gladys knight

― gabbnebulous (darraghmac), Tuesday, 25 December 2018 18:46 (four weeks ago) Permalink

the arsehole on the left seems to be an arsehole

― gabbnebulous (darraghmac), Tuesday, 25 December 2018 18:54 (four weeks ago) Permalink

I had one of those OC moments when you come up with a different but valid sequence in R2.

(The one where the substituted letters were Q-U-I-Z, they also substituted the first, then second etc letters so the fourth could have been COUNT>COURT.)

― Bimlo Horsewagon became Wheelbarrow Horseflesh (aldo), Tuesday, 25 December 2018 19:34 (four weeks ago) Permalink

and i came up with a third, unless i misremember the letters switched in each instance were alphabetically sequential so my answer was a pair of four letter word where the last letter of the second was +1 of the first

but i couldn't think of one

― gabbnebulous (darraghmac), Tuesday, 25 December 2018 19:38 (four weeks ago) Permalink

PI>QI
BALL>BULL
can't remember the third

― Bimlo Horsewagon became Wheelbarrow Horseflesh (aldo), Tuesday, 25 December 2018 20:22 (four weeks ago) Permalink

chop-> chip

oh well it was a good theory in real time

― gabbnebulous (darraghmac), Tuesday, 25 December 2018 20:37 (four weeks ago) Permalink

Pretend you've received a condescending VCM look to keep you warm.

― Bimlo Horsewagon became Wheelbarrow Horseflesh (aldo), Tuesday, 25 December 2018 20:59 (four weeks ago) Permalink

'A jolly roger for Michael Portillo'? I'm going to need some help here.

― large bananas pregnant (ledge), Monday, 7 January 2019 20:36 (two weeks ago) Permalink

i think it's a thing, innuendo aimed at portillo

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/24/call-me-anything-but-humourless-michael-portillo-only-connect

"It was mainly an excuse to mention Michael Portillo. My Only Connect persona – who is very like me, but just different enough to maintain sanity – is always talking about Michael Portillo. He’s perfect for her. Dark, enigmatic, faintly Spanish… Knowledgeable, quirky, with hints of a sexually adventurous past… I once ended a show by saying: “I’m going to hurry back to my dressing room where I hope to find Michael Portillo, sitting naked atop a crate of rioja, challenging me to wrestle him off.” (I was quite proud to get that past the censors.)"

― koogs, Tuesday, 8 January 2019 14:13 (two weeks ago) Permalink

i see. her sign off gags usually have a bizarro world feel to them, this explains if not excuses.

― large bananas pregnant (ledge), Tuesday, 8 January 2019 16:11 (two weeks ago) Permalink

"I said Biggie Smalls"

― Number None, Monday, 14 January 2019 21:06 (one week ago) Permalink

Those high fives were grim also

― Number None, Monday, 14 January 2019 21:08 (one week ago) Permalink

I watched Only Connect before and one of the teams was called The Poptimists

― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 14 January 2019 21:10 (one week ago) Permalink

OC cupwinner's cup is barely entertaining - it's far too difficult for us mortals.

This is how I feel about Champions League Popmaster as well. I've stopped listening to it. I never get a question right.

We did abysmally on OC last night. Our worst performance in ages.

― trishyb, Tuesday, 15 January 2019 12:22 (one week ago) Permalink

i remember shouting answers at the tv last night, can't remember whether it was OC or UC.

i live alone, there is no reason to shout anything.

― koogs, Tuesday, 15 January 2019 12:42 (one week ago) Permalink

We did abysmally on OC last night.

Surely kbrady got Cadabra for 5? Privileges removed if he didn't get it at Backrub.

― Bimlo Horsewagon became Wheelbarrow Horseflesh (aldo), Tuesday, 15 January 2019 12:56 (one week ago) Permalink

No, he never gets those ones. But then he gives you loads of ancillary facts AFTER the question, to prove that he really did know it, and then you miss the next question, and then we have a row.

― trishyb, Tuesday, 15 January 2019 13:28 (one week ago) Permalink

Shocked, I tell you.

― Bimlo Horsewagon became Wheelbarrow Horseflesh (aldo), Tuesday, 15 January 2019 13:29 (one week ago) Permalink

That team on UC last night is incredibly terrible at high fiving, but they look like they will be pretty tough to beat.

― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Tuesday, 15 January 2019 14:05 (one week ago) Permalink

They're a bit of a one man team, but that one man is kind of shit hot at it. I think the guys who decided to make stars of Monkman and Seagull are trying to wedge him in to all of that stuff.

― ailsa, Tuesday, 15 January 2019 23:25 (one week ago) Permalink

this lad (who also has an issue with high fives funnily enough) is still the one to beat imo

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/09/04/09/4FAECBBC00000578-6129329-image-a-3_1536051113590.jpg

― Number None, Tuesday, 15 January 2019 23:32 (one week ago) Permalink

only kicking off now and hate o'dowd already

― topical mlady (darraghmac), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:42 (one week ago) Permalink

i mean you have to do something in the evenings dont u

― topical mlady (darraghmac), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:43 (one week ago) Permalink

yerman is distractingly like charles dance at certain angles

― topical mlady (darraghmac), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:48 (one week ago) Permalink

god its golfinos that annoyed everyone then huh

― topical mlady (darraghmac), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 19:50 (one week ago) Permalink

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.