University Challenge

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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

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William Gibson, you idiots.

― koogs, Monday, 11 March 2019 22:23 (one month ago) Permalink

Loved Basu’s halfhearted “Neon... Genesis Evangelion?”

On the other hand GLEN CAMPBELL

― Chuck_Tatum, Monday, 11 March 2019 22:29 (one month ago) Permalink

"KATE BUSH?" also.

― koogs, Monday, 11 March 2019 22:49 (one month ago) Permalink

"Notorious BIG?"

― koogs, Monday, 18 March 2019 21:10 (one month ago) Permalink

and another coincidence - both OC and UC mentioned Judith beheading Holofernes, which i hadn't heard of before tonight.

― koogs, Monday, 18 March 2019 21:15 (one month ago) Permalink

it was a popular subject matter for Renaissance painters (most famously in the Gentelischi and Caravaggio versions)

― Number None, Monday, 18 March 2019 21:55 (one month ago) Permalink

On OC they mis-identified a picture of David and Goliath and on UC it was a statue

― koogs, Tuesday, 19 March 2019 07:11 (one month ago) Permalink

How long does it take to say. James Brown?

― Chuck_Tatum, Tuesday, 19 March 2019 08:25 (one month ago) Permalink

stunning examples of two prime bad captain behaviours last night, i do love mark strongs gentle performance as charles dance tho

― fremme nette his simplicitte (darraghmac), Tuesday, 19 March 2019 09:03 (one month ago) Permalink

TM MY

― koogs, Monday, 25 March 2019 22:00 (four weeks ago) Permalink

Never mind, our Ailsa sailed thru

― Mark G, Monday, 25 March 2019 23:09 (four weeks ago) Permalink

I missed the final score, what was it?

TM MY was just as the buzzer sounded, nobody got a chance to answer it. The rest of the missing vowels stank, all far too long and complicated.

― koogs, Tuesday, 26 March 2019 05:26 (three weeks ago) Permalink

Ah, we did OK on that round as we oft do.

― Mark G, Tuesday, 26 March 2019 06:53 (three weeks ago) Permalink

Missing vowels was a bitch, and that delay on the broadcast version as opposed to how it plays out live does no-one any favours. I genuinely thought I was the best ever at it in front of the telly, and turns out I'm really average after all. The Rugrats Movie was a brilliant answer.

― ailsa, Tuesday, 26 March 2019 13:01 (three weeks ago) Permalink

Oh, I had "The Great Gatsby", our Alice had "The Great Showman", we fell about when we found it was "The Rugrats Movie".

As I say, it does the viewers a favour, as we get a chance to answer before you guys get in with yr buzzers, otherwise no chance.

― Mark G, Tuesday, 26 March 2019 13:21 (three weeks ago) Permalink

Sorry, I meant as a viewer it lulls you into thinking you could be good at it on the telly, then reality hits when you're squinting at a screen the other side of the studio at things you totally think "I'd be screaming at the telly from my couch, wtf is going on?" then you think you were really quick and then you watch it on telly and you're glacially slow.

― ailsa, Tuesday, 26 March 2019 13:32 (three weeks ago) Permalink

FWIW, we recorded a year ago. I paused at the start of our wall last night to let my other half have a crack at it, and didn't even spot the one I'd got myself straight away until he'd seen it :-(

― ailsa, Tuesday, 26 March 2019 13:33 (three weeks ago) Permalink

i got one of your questions one step before you did, fwiw (bikini...). but that and 1 (one) missing vowel were it. i suck.

28-19 btw

― koogs, Tuesday, 26 March 2019 14:29 (three weeks ago) Permalink

Aw no, I missed last night's show. Go go Ailsa anyway.

― emil.y, Tuesday, 26 March 2019 16:58 (three weeks ago) Permalink

That Eastenders question was some all-time Ailsa magic. "Because of COURSE she knows that," we both said.

The rest of the missing vowels stank, all far too long and complicated.

I knew it was going to be a bad missing vowels round because there was so much chat and singing beforehand.

― trishyb, Wednesday, 27 March 2019 18:03 (three weeks ago) Permalink

1st 2 rounds OC were impossible this wk!

― Mark G, Tuesday, 2 April 2019 07:13 (two weeks ago) Permalink

i got the Sunday one

― koogs, Tuesday, 2 April 2019 08:26 (two weeks ago) Permalink

Haven't watched this week's but tbh I'm happy if I get one or two. Was happy to see A again last week. I want to see Noodle's ep!

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Tuesday, 2 April 2019 12:30 (two weeks ago) Permalink

Think i've got it saved somewhere, i'll have a look some time. Let me just say i'm glad we didn't play Ailsa's team :D

― The Xylems of the Limes (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 2 April 2019 14:01 (two weeks ago) Permalink

I got the Sunday one after 2 clues, but by and large I was glad that wasn't one of our shows.

― ailsa, Tuesday, 2 April 2019 22:45 (two weeks ago) Permalink

Noodle's show is probably on YouTube, but the YouTube clips are a bit shonky in that they're cut off and you can't see the clues along the bottom, which somewhat ruins the playalongability

― ailsa, Tuesday, 2 April 2019 22:47 (two weeks ago) Permalink

Rampant high-fiving from one team this week. Up or down with this kind of thing?

― Good cop, Babcock (Chinaski), Wednesday, 3 April 2019 13:15 (two weeks ago) Permalink

wtf with the pinata?

― what if bod was one of us (ledge), Wednesday, 3 April 2019 18:23 (two weeks ago) Permalink

oh wait i guess it was introduced in the first two minutes that i always skip. seemed like it had turned into shooting stars for a minute.

― what if bod was one of us (ledge), Wednesday, 3 April 2019 18:42 (two weeks ago) Permalink

300th episode. We recorded the 299th and saw it in the rafters and thanked our lucky stars we weren't involved in piñata madness. I have a special 300th episode badge somewhere just for being in the building when they recorded it.

The high-fiving on UC is toe-curling. It's toe-curling in and of itself, but they're so terrible at it.

― ailsa, Wednesday, 3 April 2019 18:43 (two weeks ago) Permalink

it's all instigated by Golfinos though

― Number None, Wednesday, 3 April 2019 19:06 (two weeks ago) Permalink

i liked the pinata. she gave it a good old whack during the credits.

― koogs, Wednesday, 3 April 2019 19:19 (two weeks ago) Permalink

two connections that they didn't get and a row of the wall that they didn't see (Loo, Rave...). probably my most successful episode of the season.

― koogs, Monday, 8 April 2019 19:41 (two weeks ago) Permalink

"It is a word one but you'd have to be a genius to spot it"

*cough*

― what if bod was one of us (ledge), Monday, 8 April 2019 19:42 (two weeks ago) Permalink

*cough cough*

― ailsa, Monday, 8 April 2019 20:52 (two weeks ago) Permalink

I can't imagine seeing a more exultant reaction to a set of questions on Jean Racine

― Number None, Monday, 8 April 2019 21:18 (two weeks ago) Permalink

That was great. Especially when they suddenly went "oh, maybe we don't know everything about Racine" half way through the first question.

― ailsa, Monday, 8 April 2019 22:19 (two weeks ago) Permalink

The word "Trigger" makes me think of Tigger, so

― Mark G, Tuesday, 9 April 2019 08:55 (one week ago) Permalink

I didn't get that one. I did get the bird one on the wall immediately, which I was pleased about. Plus I got that one of the groups was people who had been exiled, which I was also pleased with (even though I didn't get all the right people).

― trishyb, Tuesday, 9 April 2019 09:01 (one week ago) Permalink

I was pretty pleased that I got the electric avenue, guns of brixton, lambeth, london one.

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Tuesday, 9 April 2019 09:07 (one week ago) Permalink

wow, well done. despite living in lambeth for 12 years and knowing all the songs and thinking 'hmm electric avenue is in brixton...' i didn't get it. genius credentials revoked.

― what if bod was one of us (ledge), Tuesday, 9 April 2019 09:13 (one week ago) Permalink

It's toe-curling in and of itself, but they're so terrible at it.

I can't support high-fiving but awkward high-fiving is great TV imo

― Chuck_Tatum, Tuesday, 9 April 2019 09:13 (one week ago) Permalink

After Electric Avenue and Guns Of Brixton, I was shouting BILLY BRAGG'S A NEW ENGLAND! at the telly, because I hadn't thought about Lambeth and had skipped straight on to London for #3. I wonder if it would have been allowed as an alternative answer.

― mike t-diva, Tuesday, 9 April 2019 11:10 (one week ago) Permalink

she's never off our telly now, it's like if romesh did quizzing... 8)

― koogs, Monday, 15 April 2019 19:41 (one week ago) Permalink

a meniscus away from snatching it (and even I knew that one)

― Number None, Monday, 15 April 2019 21:28 (one week ago) Permalink

I've mentioned before about the delay in the missing vowels round. We had less than a second to answer the last one. I had barely registered the fact a clue had come up when the buzzer sounded for the end of the match.

I haven't actually seen it yet, but there's a story about how we didn't get Aqua either. But I don't know how it played on the telly, so I can't really explain right now.

― ailsa, Monday, 15 April 2019 23:05 (one week ago) Permalink

bad luck - tough questions all round, they did well to get the alphabet keyboard one(*) but got lucky with the alkanes.

(*) especially as it referred to the american version of the song (ending in zee), though i suspect this the universal alphabet song now and the version i grew up with (ending in zed) is all but forgotten.

― what if bod was one of us (ledge), Tuesday, 16 April 2019 08:49 (six days ago) Permalink

I blame Sesame Street

― Mark G, Tuesday, 16 April 2019 08:59 (six days ago) Permalink

Tough luck, Ailsa. I have never seen one of those missing letters things with a single letter before (though I wasn't a regular viewer prior to this series).

It is interesting that they have a third place play off. Like the football World Cup.

― Grandpont Genie, Tuesday, 16 April 2019 09:00 (six days ago) Permalink

We were so disappointed for you, Ailsa. Next year, eh?

― trishyb, Tuesday, 16 April 2019 12:10 (six days ago) Permalink

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