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

There was an interview w/Amol where he was asking if anyone knew anybody that would be suitable to present next year's trophy. I wondered why, and now I know. (ish)

So, was it that Stoppard was meant to present the trophy in the studio and then didn't show up then for some reason?

Maybe he got COVID?

I've never seen a grand final where the presenter was like "well, here this is yours I guess..."

venice, urea, parker, ai wei wei, spline, thailand, aspiration, fric(a)tive, psyche, proton, frank lloyd wright, keep the aspidistra flying, bildungsroman

couple of guesses included there and there were a couple more that i might've got given time (son of odysseus...) or a second attempt. i think i'd've gotten away with the mispronunciation of ɸ

but, yes, quite a drubbing for something so late in the competition

Not sure I have warmed to Amol Rajan…he always has a ‘too cool for school’ air…much preferred the detached schoolmasterly distain of Paxman…maybe I’ll be proved wrong

I think it's good that he's on the contestants' side. Social media too often treats contestants horrifically, I think a host who isn't sneering at them really helps to humanise the whole thing.

(Yours observantly, someone trolled on social media for going on telly to do a quiz)

Thinking that paxman is any good just feels like a kind of Stockholm syndrome for forelock wankers tbh

I also like the idea that Rajan doesn't think it's beneath him to ask questions about video games or knitting.

and doesn't berate people for not knowing obscure classical composers

Ailsa it was a real delight to watch you on OC (and then to read back up this thread and see you gradually saying "hey, maybe I should try and go on OC")

I for one have kinda enjoyed the UC shift from affronted schoolmasterly "good lord how could you be so dreadfully wrong" to a coolly dismissive "nah, bro, that's kinda embarrassing" response. I hope to live long enough to see lots of different modes of shaming contestants applied

There was a round about 80s rap which concluded with Amol gently berating the team for not listening to enough hip-hop. I think that sealed the deal for my fandom of him - IMAGINE Paxo saying that.

On a bit of a tangent, it was funny to see Only Connect alumnus Michael Joel Bartellein the first episode of The Regime.

Yeah, I went into this season expecting AR to be a bit crap, but he’s turned out to be adorable and I like what UC has evolved into under his stewardship. And of the contestants, I particularly liked ailsa’s mate, the Open University captain who knew her female punk singers and rocked some fierce looks.

She popped up on BBC London news recently on the panel auditioning buskers for the Tube.

Yeah, she works for TfL and is just an all-round fantastic person. I was so happy she got the questions on female punk singers!

Also, thanks Nabisco!

She looked so pleased and confident about that one! (As opposed to the relatable share of people who, getting a topic they're familiar with, immediately panic at the prospect of still being stumped, which is almost certainly what I would do)