University Challenge (also featuring Only Connect and other BBC quiz shows)

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By the way, did we notice the Smiths fan last week?

Paxman: Spell 'cemetery'
Speccy girl: C-E-M-E-T-R-Y

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 10:31 (nineteen years ago) link

I should add my name to the roll call. Lancaster 1998. Went out 425-125 to the Open University, who featured a former 15-to-1 winner, a 15-to-1 finalist, a mastermind semi-finalist and someone who was a genuine lifelong learner. Bloody Harold Wilson.

― Dave B (daveb), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 11:15 (nineteen years ago) link

ihttp://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/~oakley/ucteam2.jpg

Apparently they win the series.

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 11:18 (nineteen years ago) link

Looking at that photo, Sharp just doesn't fit in, does he? Like how you never that bloke out of Fischerspooner being photographed next to Stephen Hawking, or something.

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 11:19 (nineteen years ago) link

no one could spell cemetery last week. the things j.p. has to endure.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 11:22 (nineteen years ago) link

Bunch of spoffs.

Come back Emily Wotsit.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 11:25 (nineteen years ago) link

two weeks pass...

Grand final!

http://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/~oakley/ucreport.html

Will Mariani win it?

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Monday, 9 May 2005 18:36 (eighteen years ago) link

100 plays -5!

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Monday, 9 May 2005 18:42 (eighteen years ago) link

Er, yes, Mariani did rather win it. I am deeply suspicious of people who know that much, but also rather envious. Sharp = Alex Sibley off Big Brother (but with added brains).

― ailsa (ailsa), Monday, 9 May 2005 19:09 (eighteen years ago) link

"Oy. Up Scumbag!"

― J (Jay), Monday, 9 May 2005 19:15 (eighteen years ago) link

mariani is a bit frightening, but his team captain wins the annoying prize. his mouth was hanging open the whole time! come on - you're on national tv, guy. don't sit there looking like you're trying to catch flies.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 08:45 (eighteen years ago) link

Amusing article by Geoff Dyer on University Challenge psychosis.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 08:57 (eighteen years ago) link

I only saw a bit, during the adverts. Looked crap.

No wonder there was a dreadful traffic jam on Gowwer Street this morning. I imagine the students were demonstrating.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 09:03 (eighteen years ago) link

Never saw any of this series but my friend David (who was UCL's captain a few years back(!)) was extremely, errrrrrrrrrrrrr, vituperative on the subject of this Mariani geezer

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 09:04 (eighteen years ago) link

I'm pleased to see Mr Dyer uses the Madchen scoring method.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 09:06 (eighteen years ago) link

no one is hotter than paxman.
-- laure

I'm so glad Lauren nearly always agrees with my bizarre crushes.

― Anna (Anna), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 09:07 (eighteen years ago) link

WHAT IS YOUR SEDUCTION STYLE

crosspost

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 09:10 (eighteen years ago) link

don't get me started, anna.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 09:55 (eighteen years ago) link

I still love Mariani, but last night I warmed greatly to Polancec. I nearly went to UCL : (

What a great final, though.

― Cathy (Cathy), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 10:38 (eighteen years ago) link

I missed it I hope it's on Uknova.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 11:19 (eighteen years ago) link

When I left it it was about 100 - 30. Did the UCL crew stage a comeback?

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 12:05 (eighteen years ago) link

Slightly. But they were scared of Mariani's henchpeople menacing them from behind the cameras. They should have taken Jezza Bentham's head as a mascot.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 12:50 (eighteen years ago) link

... and Jezza Paxman's quiff as a trophy

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 12:51 (eighteen years ago) link

two months pass...

Goodness me, tonight Alex James, yes THE Alex James from out of Blur, was a contestant! Representing the idler. He didn't do very well, but they won anyway.

I love the fact that this thread exists because I can't imagine anywhere else I could justifiably get exited about things like that.

― JimD (JimD), Monday, 25 July 2005 20:31 (eighteen years ago) link

Last week John Harris was on! Proper famous people! I missed the intros then sat down to watch it and sprayed the mister in hula-hoops spluttering "bloody hell, that's Alex James".

I liked how Alex obviously thought he was a maths and science expert yet really wasn't at all.

― ailsa (ailsa), Monday, 25 July 2005 20:59 (eighteen years ago) link

J Moore from Black Box Recorder at the other end of the Idler bench as well, doing almost nothing at all. Their captain looks like he's probably in a Romo band as well.

― Michael Philip Philip Philip Avoidant (Ferg), Monday, 25 July 2005 21:01 (eighteen years ago) link

It was funny to watch James buzz halfway through some I-assume-quite-complicated triangle-related question, then pause in fear, screw his face up for a few seconds and go "1...35...?", incorrectly. I thought he might just've been taking the piss at first.

― Michael Philip Philip Philip Avoidant (Ferg), Monday, 25 July 2005 21:03 (eighteen years ago) link

Yep, and what was that thing about primes? As I remember it, it went something like:

Jeremy: "Which series of numbers..."
BEEP
Alex: "Is it an infinity?"

Er, you what?

― JimD (JimD), Monday, 25 July 2005 21:04 (eighteen years ago) link

I liked when he buzzed in really confidently about some electrode question after about four words, going "anode" and sinking back smugly in his seat, except HE WAS WRONG! Ha!

(xpost, yes, that one too)

― ailsa (ailsa), Monday, 25 July 2005 21:05 (eighteen years ago) link

HAHA

xpost

― Michael Philip Philip Philip Avoidant (Ferg), Monday, 25 July 2005 21:06 (eighteen years ago) link

All this American knows about "University Challenge" is what I saw of it on "The Young Ones". Was that pretty accurate?

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Monday, 25 July 2005 21:22 (eighteen years ago) link

Yes, completely, but they don't let the scumbag college types on, just the posh kids.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 25 July 2005 21:26 (eighteen years ago) link

Rowley Rules. I have one of his cook books and it has nice pictures.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 05:44 (eighteen years ago) link

Isn't University Challenge just the British version of an American quiz? A few years ago they had a US vs UK special with the series winners from each country - the US trounced us.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 10:13 (eighteen years ago) link

College Bowl?

― beanz (beanz), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 10:49 (eighteen years ago) link

That's the thing. Couldn't remember the name.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Tuesday, 26 July 2005 10:54 (eighteen years ago) link

one year passes...

Clifford-Mobley of Wadham College, Oxford just thought that "Chemistry" by the Nolans was "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand.

― Sadly, he will be the next Alexis Petridish. (Dom Passantino), Monday, 23 October 2006 18:50 (seventeen years ago) link

And they got 40 points. Is that not a very, very bad score?

― Zoe Espera (Espera), Monday, 23 October 2006 19:02 (seventeen years ago) link

Wadham didn't get 40 points, they got 295!

― C J (C J), Monday, 23 October 2006 19:32 (seventeen years ago) link

That captain of Wadham was really really annoying. Like, really punchably annoying. Whenever blokey next to him knew something (which was quite a lot), told him the answer, he kept going "are you sure?" to him then turning to his team-mates who hadn't ventured an answer to ask their opinion who all looked blankly back at him, he turned back to bloke who initially told him the answer, asked if he was sure again, then answered. This is the sort of thing that really pisses me off, and makes me wonder what sort of loser I actually am that this bothers me so much.

― ailsa (ailsa), Monday, 23 October 2006 20:22 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.ucd.ie/zoology/mariani/

Stefano Mariani has a full time job now!

― Sadly, he will be the next Alexis Petridish. (Dom Passantino), Monday, 23 October 2006 20:32 (seventeen years ago) link

I saw that weirdy brainy Eastern European woman that was on once on something else recently. Again, I sort of hate myself for this sort of stuff.

― ailsa (ailsa), Monday, 23 October 2006 21:03 (seventeen years ago) link

I was in the college team that entered last year. We didn't make it past the prelims. :-(

lol @ Robinson, however. :-D

― You've Got Scourage On Your Breath (Haberdager), Monday, 23 October 2006 23:10 (seventeen years ago) link

I used to go to school with Stefano Mariani. didn't really know him, he was a few years below me. He always seemed oddly smug in a sort of Tom Bosley-esque manner.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 23 October 2006 23:54 (seventeen years ago) link

That team was pish. But what can you do?

― James Herbert Dip (noodle vague), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 00:26 (seventeen years ago) link

Hahahaha, if I went on it would say "SWEET SHEFFIELD" :P

― JTS (JTS), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 02:55 (seventeen years ago) link

Which is a contradiction in terms.

― JTS (JTS), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 02:55 (seventeen years ago) link

"Wadham & Gomorrah" is a ~~terrible~~ great name for a pub quiz team though!

― C J (C J), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 06:46 (seventeen years ago) link

How is Sheffield, JTS? You're not wishing you went to Cardiff are you?

― Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 07:08 (seventeen years ago) link

come on u wadham!!!!!!!

― benrique (Enrique), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 07:24 (seventeen years ago) link

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