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 (sixteen 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 (sixteen 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 (sixteen 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 (sixteen 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 (sixteen years ago) Permalink

Fuck off you and your 'any chances'!

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

Toxteth O'Grady, USA.

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

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

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

*is very embarassed*

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

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

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

"I've got a Porsche!!"

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

DOES THE PEOPLES COURT COUNT?

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

she didn't do it for me.

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

Well that's fine.

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

Good victory for OUP.

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

Boring bunch of bastards. Foreign Office 4ever.

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

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

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

Jarlr'mai to thread

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

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

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

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

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

It's how Americans say "squirrel"

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

Skipping 1356 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Its a leveller, basically (xpost)

― Mark G, Monday, 22 January 2018 21:37 (four months ago) Permalink

I was forced to take a two-term long module on Alice Walker at university, so I finally had some closure on that trauma tonight (although they were all very easy questions).

I liked Woodland, cosplaying as an early 90s indie nerd

― Chuck_Tatum, Monday, 22 January 2018 22:07 (four months ago) Permalink

three weeks pass...

Chemistry is bullshit and chemistry questions are bullshit

Lol at the Presbyterian getting mad excited at the old testament tho

― Alderweireld Horses (darraghmac), Monday, 12 February 2018 21:33 (three months ago) Permalink

Chemistry is bullshit and chemistry questions are bullshit

Here now.

― Video reach stereo bog (Tom D.), Tuesday, 13 February 2018 00:42 (three months ago) Permalink

Not like a politics student to have no general knowledge and no leadership skills

― Big Ched aka The Cheesedriver (Noodle Vague), Monday, 19 February 2018 20:48 (three months ago) Permalink

Was that Carson?

Because both captains were bad but Carson was a real dick to his team

― rum dmc (darraghmac), Monday, 19 February 2018 21:28 (three months ago) Permalink

Mistin i think? the lad from Emmanuel. the other one was probably bad too, i was half asleep.

― Big Ched aka The Cheesedriver (Noodle Vague), Monday, 19 February 2018 21:28 (three months ago) Permalink

Both shite

― DUMPKINS! (darraghmac), Monday, 19 February 2018 21:29 (three months ago) Permalink

let's just agree they're all bad at this stage

― Number None, Monday, 19 February 2018 21:29 (three months ago) Permalink

Guys, Carson is a mate of mine, and he's not a dick. And he was always good at saying to his team mates when they got something right, unlike Emmanuel dude. He's a bit intense, I'll give him that.

Got the feeling Stone from Edinburgh didn't really want to be there, there was a lot of eye-rolling whenever anything vaguely academic came up (so, like, all of it)

― ailsa, Tuesday, 20 February 2018 07:25 (three months ago) Permalink

happy to be corrected by better knowledge

Besides which, that was a curiously cagey lowscoring affair. Is there a theory or study as to when or why this happens

― DUMPKINS! (darraghmac), Tuesday, 20 February 2018 08:24 (three months ago) Permalink

I think nerves may play a part, especially after a few wrong interruptions?

― ailsa, Tuesday, 20 February 2018 16:42 (three months ago) Permalink

my wife knows carson as well appararently

glasgow's a small world

― NEW CHIMP THREAT (bizarro gazzara), Tuesday, 20 February 2018 16:51 (three months ago) Permalink

don't get calling carson an arsehole at all. seemed really supportive... ? like in a remarkable way?

― belcalis almanzar (||||||||), Tuesday, 20 February 2018 17:31 (three months ago) Permalink

three weeks pass...

First in to mention there was a reference to ROCKISM in today's University Challenge.

― Daniel_Rf, Monday, 19 March 2018 22:11 (two months ago) Permalink

the way that captain talks to the mic is reeeeeeeeeeeally annoying

― as the crows around me grows (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 20 March 2018 12:50 (two months ago) Permalink

No, Stairway

― Number None, Tuesday, 20 March 2018 21:44 (two months ago) Permalink

Is Carson the nicest captain? He always compliments his teammate for good answers..

― Mark G, Monday, 26 March 2018 19:58 (one month ago) Permalink

I think he's great. There was a bit of name-calling upthread, but I've played quizzes with him a few times and he's super nice and really good at (1) deferring to people who know stuff he doesn't and (2) recognising the contributions of team-mates.

― ailsa, Monday, 26 March 2018 22:08 (one month ago) Permalink

I was on a TV quiz when I was a kid back in 1975. Thank god there wasn't 'social media' back then, I'd be in no doubt what 'the world' thought of me..

― Mark G, Monday, 26 March 2018 22:20 (one month ago) Permalink

The question about the earth being a basketball, how were you meant to work that out quickly?

Reminds me of the binary arithmetic questions a few years ago which meant having to convert two longish binary numbers to decimal and the sum back into binary

― koogs, Tuesday, 27 March 2018 06:58 (one month ago) Permalink

Is Carson the nicest captain? He always compliments his teammate for good answers..

I hadn't seen UC for ages, but watched last night and thought this. They really played as a team, and they seemed willing to just say things without making each other feel like crap.

Also I have never seen a team get so many opera questions right before.

― trishyb, Tuesday, 27 March 2018 09:15 (one month ago) Permalink

damn, that was an annihilation

― Number None, Monday, 9 April 2018 20:03 (one month ago) Permalink

The winning team look like the villains in an American college comedy.

― Daniel_Rf, Monday, 9 April 2018 22:04 (one month ago) Permalink

Paxo was in full "we are not worthy" mode, for sure.

Funnily enough, he was running the "Have I got" show like a man driving an automatic car, badly. But entertaining thanks to the other guests...

― Mark G, Tuesday, 10 April 2018 11:02 (one month ago) Permalink

Insert a "last night, as well" somewhere in that last sentence, tky.

― Mark G, Tuesday, 10 April 2018 11:03 (one month ago) Permalink

He was very poor on HIGNFY? !

― the pinefox, Tuesday, 10 April 2018 11:39 (one month ago) Permalink

Watched UC on iPlayer. Managed 115 points' worth.

Tom Jones (novel), The Alchemist, Brazil (country), Independence Day (date), Iris Murdoch, Thomas Gray (elegy), Dave Brubeck, Nocturnes (title), Stein / Pound / Picasso (pictures), et al.

― the pinefox, Tuesday, 10 April 2018 14:11 (one month ago) Permalink

foe Iris Murdoch. I got as far as "alzheimers! black prince!" and lau finished it off. so I guess that's an assist right?

― thomasintrouble, Tuesday, 10 April 2018 19:20 (one month ago) Permalink

I got 'curmudgeon'

― kinder, Thursday, 12 April 2018 20:21 (one month ago) Permalink

The art styles / cheeses thing was impressive

― koogs, Thursday, 12 April 2018 21:10 (one month ago) Permalink

I take it Newcastle lost? I had to step out..

― Mark G, Tuesday, 17 April 2018 13:27 (one month ago) Permalink

They did yeah, good game tho.

― Daniel_Rf, Tuesday, 17 April 2018 13:50 (one month ago) Permalink

questions get nearly impossible in the semis, it's not nearly as fun to play along. i did dredge Avogadro out of the depths of my memory though.

― koogs, Tuesday, 17 April 2018 14:44 (one month ago) Permalink

There was a haunted air to Newcastle last night. The answers just weren't coming

― Number None, Tuesday, 17 April 2018 16:02 (one month ago) Permalink

And seeing as how they came the closest to beating the other finalist team (who stormed it last week), then hey ho.

― Mark G, Tuesday, 17 April 2018 16:46 (one month ago) Permalink

Yeah the questions are too hard at this point, although they seem to be doing more 'concept' type questions which I quite enjoy even if I'm stumped. 'British composer' will always be Benjamin Britten tho

― kinder, Thursday, 19 April 2018 21:12 (one month ago) Permalink

This year's Grand Final

― Mark G, Monday, 23 April 2018 19:33 (one month ago) Permalink

the contortions involved in making more questions about women are frankly a bit silly seeing as they then have to make it about eg the geography involved and drop a large hint

best UC in years for likeable teams

also im killing this i may actually be winning

― you never really her (darraghmac), Monday, 23 April 2018 19:56 (one month ago) Permalink

McKeown won that

Merton a bunch of bottlers in the end

― Number None, Monday, 23 April 2018 20:00 (one month ago) Permalink

newcastle captain, mckeown and woodland the series standouts

peplow shat it. check him for a spurs jersey underneath

― you never really her (darraghmac), Monday, 23 April 2018 20:02 (one month ago) Permalink

questions will be asked about Woodland's ability to do it on the biggest stage

― Number None, Monday, 23 April 2018 20:06 (one month ago) Permalink

she had them....55 to nil ahead, no?

― you never really her (darraghmac), Monday, 23 April 2018 20:23 (one month ago) Permalink

no one's doubting the raw talent, but the best players - yer Lovedays, yer Trimbles - have the moral courage to stand up and be counted when the questions aren't going their way

― Number None, Monday, 23 April 2018 20:34 (one month ago) Permalink

where are the contests filmed and what was the weather like

― you never really her (darraghmac), Monday, 23 April 2018 20:37 (one month ago) Permalink

Salford, so there's a fairly high chance it's raining at any given time

― Number None, Monday, 23 April 2018 20:40 (one month ago) Permalink

Salford in February, I'd say a high chance of the kind of weather that'd scare yer classy continental libero type.

― ailsa, Tuesday, 24 April 2018 18:14 (one month ago) Permalink

good british core to each finalist team this year trevor

― you never really her (darraghmac), Tuesday, 24 April 2018 22:34 (one month ago) Permalink

oxbridge final, bah. democratise this competition and end oxbridge domination now.

― lana del boy (ledge), Wednesday, 25 April 2018 19:31 (four weeks ago) Permalink

Love it when there's a Boutros Boutros Ghali answer; must be some long-lost Fast Show chuckles still lurking in my brain.
Mckeown is brilliant

― kinder, Wednesday, 25 April 2018 19:35 (four weeks ago) Permalink

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