― MarkH, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― katie, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Alan Trewartha, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Sarah, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Twatbag, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Pete, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
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 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Gage-o, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― DG, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― RickyT, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― jel, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Jeff W, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― mark s, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Mike Hanle y, Tuesday, 8 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
She had an Italian name, but I have forgotten it, so no stalking for me.
― Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 14:12 (eighteen years ago) link
― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 14:17 (eighteen years ago) link
― Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 14:20 (eighteen years ago) link
― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 14:21 (eighteen years ago) link
― Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 14:24 (eighteen years ago) link
-- 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 (eighteen years ago) link
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 (eighteen years ago) link
― Mooro (Mooro), Tuesday, 31 August 2004 16:27 (eighteen years ago) link
OK, that may be just me.
― mike a, Tuesday, 31 August 2004 18:19 (eighteen years ago) link
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 (eighteen years ago) link
I thought he did well.
― the bellefox, Tuesday, 5 October 2004 12:13 (eighteen years ago) link
― Matt (Matt), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 12:38 (eighteen years ago) link
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 (eighteen years ago) link
Perhaps we should not be surprised that you thought they were easy?
― the bellefox, Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:15 (eighteen years ago) link
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 (eighteen years ago) link
― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:25 (eighteen years ago) link
― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:36 (eighteen years ago) link
"what's 'amped' mean then?"
― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:39 (eighteen years ago) link
― the bellefox, Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:39 (eighteen years ago) link
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 (eighteen years ago) link
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 (eighteen years ago) link
― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:55 (eighteen years ago) link
― Brigadier Rainham Steele, Mrs (blueski), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:56 (eighteen years ago) link
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 (eighteen years ago) link
― caitlin (caitlin), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 16:09 (eighteen years ago) link
― koogs (koogs), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 16:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 16:18 (eighteen years ago) link
(still, not as bad as the cow-orker who pronounces "spamhaus" "spamhorse")
― caitlin (caitlin), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 16:25 (eighteen years ago) link
My old drama teacher got to the semis on MM in '86 or so.
― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 17:31 (eighteen years ago) link
― Cathy (Cathy), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 18:01 (eighteen years ago) link
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 (eighteen years ago) link
the ex-ilxor had a good Only Connect last night
― koogs, Tuesday, 22 November 2022 11:38 (two months ago) link
Last night's UC teams had only one scientist between them, so I was expecting low scores all round - but by some extraordinary coincidence there were very few science questions. Hmmm.
― mike t-diva, Tuesday, 22 November 2022 12:37 (two months ago) link
They do tailor the bonus questions somewhat to the teams' subjects - of course if you get a starter you might bonuses designed for the other team.
― ledge, Tuesday, 22 November 2022 12:39 (two months ago) link
Yeah, but then you get to "waste" the points they would have gotten.
― Mark G, Tuesday, 22 November 2022 13:12 (two months ago) link
My gf's sister was on this tonight!!
― imago, Monday, 28 November 2022 21:29 (two months ago) link
UC or OC?that ABCD one was one of the easiest one they've ever had, surely?
― kinder, Tuesday, 29 November 2022 20:36 (two months ago) link
Got 27 this weekLowell, Mars, cantaloupe, pumpkin, pitch, Shanghai & Beijing, William Shatner, Eric B & Rakim, Cornershop, moon, fermium, goldcrest, finch, ash, Andrew Motion, St. Sebastian, IBM, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Mel Brooks, Xanadu, roe, ore, spit, Titicaca.
Watching the Robert Gordon contestant arguing in favour of Norman Cook was painful.
― Grandpont Genie, Tuesday, 29 November 2022 22:10 (two months ago) link
UC!
I'm currently sitting in a pub with one of the perpetrators of that Norman Cook foul-up. They consider themselves told
― imago, Tuesday, 29 November 2022 22:48 (two months ago) link
(although they were arguing for Cornershop!)
― imago, Tuesday, 29 November 2022 22:49 (two months ago) link
Blimey, it's a small world a bit.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 30 November 2022 07:24 (two months ago) link
I knew I shouldn't have Twitter-searched 'university challenge' ffs
― imago, Thursday, 1 December 2022 14:50 (two months ago) link
Yes, never Twitter search any of the Monday night quiz shows unless you want evidence to discredit the idea that they are TV for smart people.
― ailsa, Friday, 2 December 2022 15:49 (two months ago) link
Especially if your irl fam is on the wrong end of the bullshit
― imago, Sunday, 4 December 2022 20:50 (two months ago) link
Or your actual own self. Just saying.
― ailsa, Monday, 5 December 2022 13:12 (two months ago) link
it's holiday season. so UC is on Mon-Fri and there's a festive OC on Friday
― koogs, Monday, 19 December 2022 19:30 (one month ago) link
3 more OC specials next week, themed episodes on Boxing Day & Tuesday and Champion of Champions on Wednesday.
― braised cod, Monday, 19 December 2022 20:02 (one month ago) link
jfc I can scarcely manage one uc & one oc per week.
― ledge, Monday, 19 December 2022 20:04 (one month ago) link
ffs listen to the questions soas
― ledge, Monday, 19 December 2022 20:48 (one month ago) link
I would be very annoyed if I were the other two people on the losing OC team last night. Their captain did not listen to them, and gave wrong answers to a couple of questions as a result. Maybe her earpiece wasn't working correctly?
― trishyb, Tuesday, 20 December 2022 09:00 (one month ago) link
Did Paxo hint that the graduate festive UCs had somewhat less demanding questions than the regular ones? For if so that wasn't reflected in my scores.
Univ/Glasgow last night got a reminder of the rules whereas SOAS/Balliol on Monday didn't. Possibly as a result of JP realising his assumption that the contestants would be familiar with them was an incorrect one.
― Grandpont Genie, Wednesday, 21 December 2022 11:42 (one month ago) link
What would the fourth be?
(hem hem)
― Mark G, Wednesday, 21 December 2022 11:56 (one month ago) link
UC, all those people graduating in 20xx disgust me
Brookmyre was on last night. was he ailsa's backup specialist subjecy when she was on mastermind
the four OC specials appear to be
1 (23rd) Christmas2 (26th) Mystery3 (27th) Love4 (28th) Champion of Champions
― koogs, Wednesday, 21 December 2022 12:33 (one month ago) link
re hardness: watching last night's UC now and i think the follow-up questions at least are tailored to the guests (although often they go to the wrong team)
― koogs, Wednesday, 21 December 2022 12:38 (one month ago) link
But isn't it the same on regular UC? Don't they sometimes tailor the bonus questions to people's specialities (or is it specialisms? I can never tell anymore)?
― trishyb, Wednesday, 21 December 2022 13:22 (one month ago) link
I think the Christmas starter questions feel easier, because the answer is often something festive.
― trishyb, Wednesday, 21 December 2022 13:23 (one month ago) link
Yeah, there was a bunch of (classical) music questions, fairly obscure. Paul Gambaccini had nothing to say: it wasn't his team.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 21 December 2022 15:10 (one month ago) link
Christmas questions are definitely easier than 'normal' ones in my view! The later in the series, the harder they are too (normal ones). I've had to quit in recent series because it just got boring not knowing anything.
― kinder, Wednesday, 21 December 2022 19:06 (one month ago) link
Had no idea! Weirdly I've just read/ re-read a whole ton of Brookmyre books in the past few months.
― kinder, Wednesday, 21 December 2022 19:08 (one month ago) link
(i could be wrong! but istr it was a scottish author i hadn't read anything by)
― koogs, Wednesday, 21 December 2022 19:51 (one month ago) link
Yes, hello, I did the Jack Parlabane books as a specialist subject a few years ago.
― ailsa, Thursday, 22 December 2022 23:59 (one month ago) link
(Jack Parlabane is a character in a series by Christopher Brookmyre, if that isn't clear)
― ailsa, Friday, 23 December 2022 00:00 (one month ago) link
Captains rushing in to answer without listening to the actual correct answers coming from their teammates is a bit of a theme on the quizzes at the moment.
― trishyb, Friday, 23 December 2022 12:32 (one month ago) link
Grinds my gears something fierce
― partez Maroc anthem (Noodle Vague), Friday, 23 December 2022 12:57 (one month ago) link
Not as much as being told "no no no, it's not that.... We don't know!" by our quiz captain. Not TV, just our local pub quiz league, still though..."
― Mark G, Saturday, 24 December 2022 17:07 (one month ago) link
(ignore that last quote mark)
paxman in a christmas jumper is just wrong
― koogs, Friday, 30 December 2022 21:28 (one month ago) link
So, was that the last ever Paxo?
― ailsa, Friday, 30 December 2022 22:06 (one month ago) link
it's back to the normal series next week, i guess the end of that will be the last
― koogs, Saturday, 31 December 2022 02:02 (one month ago) link
I think that was the last he recorded, was what I meant
― ailsa, Saturday, 31 December 2022 13:34 (one month ago) link
The Christmas UCs haven't been very Christmassy imo. Token 'Letters of the word MISTLETOE' but no 'if Santa goes down the chimney with radius X' etc etc. Still, I've been getting a bunch of them right which is more than I do in the usual series!
― kinder, Saturday, 31 December 2022 14:26 (one month ago) link
Only Connect was tough tonight. That Roman numeral question, aargh!
Not normally wound up by UC contestants, but was by St Andrews's Cryan tonight. He really did talk too much.
Anyway, 17 for me tonight.Romola Garai, Crewe, Perth, Robert Koch Institute, Max Planck Institute, Galilean telescope, Bulgaria, Slovakia, erratic, drumlin. moraine, collage, Suzanne Sontag, Dorothea Lange, Maximillian, Sweden, philology.
― Grandpont Genie, Monday, 2 January 2023 21:19 (one month ago) link
Cryan didn't know any answers, but certainly knew when his teammates were wrong.
― Mark G, Monday, 2 January 2023 21:24 (one month ago) link
Anisimov had great eye rolling energy on UC.
― Dan Worsley, Monday, 2 January 2023 22:34 (one month ago) link
Brown from Royal Holloway was really good, but man, did that drag tonight, the conferring was at Christmas special level of "get on with it".
― ailsa, Monday, 2 January 2023 23:23 (one month ago) link
Yeah, St Andrews (and Cryan) were doing my head in
Brown was great though, and she had a lovely soft-spoken manner
― Number None, Wednesday, 4 January 2023 18:29 (one month ago) link
ursula le guin as an answer two weeks in a row.
― ledge, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 20:09 (three weeks ago) link
I like this Robert Gordon team a lot. Very strong performance from their captain Cullen.
A solid 30 for me x-ray, covalent, Constantine, Dominican, Avignon, Ozymandias, Wexford, garlic, celery, goosegrass, Tasmania, Liberia, Creation, Rough Trade, Def Jam, border, Albanian, Francium, John Lanchester, Scott, Shackleton, okra, primates, chain, polymerase, period, war, Yemen, Oman, Peru
I had no idea amino acids had code letters to identify them, let alone which was which.
― Grandpont Genie, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 20:26 (three weeks ago) link
think I got 25.
― ledge, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 20:32 (three weeks ago) link
Lol, students have no idea who Joanna Newsom, The Byrds or Jefferson Airplane are, I should be on there instead (though I would be useless for all the other questions)
― Camaraderie at Arms Length, Monday, 23 January 2023 20:56 (one week ago) link
Oh I got those. And Linda Perhacs.
But, nobody else home to witness, so hey.
― Mark G, Monday, 23 January 2023 21:27 (one week ago) link