University Challenge 2024: Round One: Kings College. Cambridge v. UCL

The Teams

Kings College, Cambridge

Elizabeth Zachariah

Alexander Ward

Rex Phillips Dibb (capt.)

Krishnan Mulholland

University College, London

James Hall

Ali Izzatdust

Tayana Sawh (capt.)

Jacob Finlay

Yes, dearly beloved, I’ve been late with the last two weeks because I’ve been away, but I’m back on the job now and I’m giving it full attention.  

The first starter asked for a period of Japanese History – and I was already thinking Tokugawa Shogunate – and both teams kept their nerve until the year 1635 was mentioned. ‘Tokugawa’ said Ali Izzatdust, and fair play to Amol for resisting the temptation to say gesundheit in reply. This brought UCL a set on Herman Hesse, who was not apparently the lead singer of Herman’s Hermits. There was an interesting moment when UCL were uncertain as to whether ‘The Glass Bead Game’ is four words or not – Amol confirmed that it was. Good work by the team secured a full house. Neither team managed Vishnu – or – Nataraja for the next starter, while Kings lost five for coming in too early. Ali Izzatdust took his second starter, knowing that the term for members of the press coined by Edmund Burke and now the name of a publishing company is Fourth Estate. Faith Ringgold’s French Collection Quilts are a new one on me, I’ll admit. So I was pleased to get a full house, as did UCL. A very good early buzz from James Hall identified several terms each missing the word consciousness. Meteorology saw UCL drop their first bonus, confusing their Strabo with their Aristotle. They also missed on the old quiz chestnut about the inventor of the barometer. Then to cap off a pretty disastrous set they zigged with telegram when they should’ve zagged with telegraph for the third. Nonetheless, this was the point at which Amol issued the dreaded words of encouragement to Kings ‘Plenty of time’. After only 7 and a half minutes. That’s gotta hurt. Mind you, it seemed to sting Kings into action, since Krishnan Mulholland won the buzzer race to identify Sumatra for the picture starter. Not only that, but Kings took a full house with other islands or island groups of Indonesia. Kings’ capitalised when Rex Phillips Dibb took the next starer on Lviv. Two bonuses on operas set in India meant that the score was a much more competitive 60-40 to UCL as we approached the 10-minute mark.

Jacob Finlay recognised a description of a triple Axel for the next starter, although he didn’t seem at all sure of himself as he answered. A lovely UC special set followed on pairs of people whose names are antonyms of each other – Little and Large being a given example. Unforgivably in my opinion they didn’t know Becky Sharp, heroine of my all-time favourite comic novel Vanity Fair. However, they had both of the other questions to push the lead out again. *LAP OF HONOUR APPROACHING WARNING* Yes, as the next Science starter burbled on there was little hint that I would get it, but you can ask me about parsecs till the cows come home. Elizabeth Zachariah was slightly behind me in this one. Bonuses on penisulas (penisulae? I still remember reading in my first Latin lesson, in the book “Latin for Today”- which had ironically been published some 30 years previously – ‘Britannia est insula. Italia non est insula. Italia est paeninsula.’ They don’t write ‘em like that any more.) – brought a brace of correct answers. None of us knew the TV series Ramy. I must have heard of the Khartoum School before, but it was one of those that I didn’t know that I knew. Kings lost five with an incorrect interruption, leaving James Hall to supply the correct answer. Free and Imperial Cities of the Holy Roman Empire brought a couple of bonuses to be followed by the music round. I thought that this sounded very much like my main man Mozart. So did Elizabeth Zachariah, and this brought bonuses on other composers who seem to have been child prodigies like the great Wolfgang was. These brought both of us just the one correct answer. Five spice was the answer to the next starter, answered by Jacob Finlay. Now, I never thought I’d say that I enjoyed a set of bonuses on drosophilia fruit flies, but the next set of bonuses on this subject were very entertaining. After all, the bonuses referenced, respectively, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Wizard of Oz and Barbie and Ken. Mind you, I was surprised UCL didn’t know that it’s the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz who wants the wizard to give him a heart. An excellent early buzz from Rex Phillips Dibb saw the Kings skipper identify the flag of Portugal from a description. Linguistic prescriptions (take a couple of adjectives and call me in the morning if you don’t feel better?) brought two correct answers and narrowed the gap between the teams. On the cusp of the 20-minute mark UCL still led by 115 – 90.

An exceptionally fast buzz by Tayana Sawh to answer a question about Lamarck which probably wasn’t about his 2003 hit ‘If there’s Any Justice in the World’ earned respect from Amol. Fictional PMs in small screen dramas brought a full house. Elizabeth Zachariah won the buzzer race to identify venerable UC warhorse Les Parapluies as the work of Renoir. 3 more artworks featuring umbrellas brought one bonus. Now, you hear ‘4 words’ and ‘Sojourner Truth’ then you buzz for all you’re worth and answer ‘Ain’t I a Woman?’. Ali Izzatdust did that. He’d had an excellent start on the buzzer, but it had been a while since he’d won a race like this. Literary criticism brought UCL 1 bonus which was 1 more than it brought me. Elizabeth Zachariah heard ‘Somerset’ for the next starter, but ignored ‘South American’ losing five points. UCL couldn’t capitalise. Neither could I. Unfortunately she lost another with the next starter as well. Listen, had she been correct, then she’d have been the heroine of the evening. You have to buzz. If you don’t buzz, you lose, it really is that simple. UCL didn’t know Joy Division’s two albums referenced in the question either. I think we all knew that Malorie Blackman wrote Pig Heart Boy, but Tayana Sawh won the buzzer race. Words beginning with cata- were the opposite of catastrophic for UCL who took a full house and were looking good to retain the lead until the finishing line. Alexander Ward knew the term buffer in chemistry – which incidentally now meant that each of the 8 players in this match answered at least 1 starter correctly. Terms taken from the names of Scientists did nothing for Kings, but I awarded myself a bar to my lap of honour for knowing that William Perkin invented the first synthetic dye (accidentally. He set up a factory in Greenford in the London Borough of Ealing. Yay.) Still Alexander Ward kept Kings’ hopes up by knowing a German term which is the equivalent of and so on. A full house on UC favourite Kandinsky boosted their hopes further. Krishnan Mulholland threw caution the wind on the next starter, and fortune now favoured the brave as he correctly answered about a number of places in modern day Turkey. Bonuses on Purcell saw them give 1 correct answer. They were still more than a full set behind with precious little time on the clock. James Hall sealed the deal for UCL, knowing the ending -ley – in place names. The gong struck before the bonuses could be asked, leaving UCL winners by 190 – 145.

Looking at the stats, it rather came down to the bonuses and interruptions. Kings achieved a good 55 percent conversion rate with four penalties, while UCL managed an impressive 70 percent conversion rate with one penalty.

At the moment Kings are in a repechage slot. Looking at the runner up scores so far I would say that their place is in jeopardy.

Repechage board

Oxford Brookes – 205

Trinity, Cambridge - 175

Southampton - 155

Kings Cambridge – 145

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Birmingham - 125

Jesus, Cambridge - 60

How did Amol do?

If I hadn’t already seen that Amol is his own man and this is a new era, when UCL being allowed to go through a whole match without being called the Godless Institution of Gower Street has convinced me. I’ll be honest, I’m not sorry we were spared that one of JP’s faves.

I have the increasing feeling that Amol may be a Jedi on the QT. For once there actually was plenty of time to go when Amol issued his words of encouragement. And for once. . . it worked! Kings sprang into action as if released from a trance. I have the feeling that  Amol must have played a Jedi mind trick, and I shall be looking out for further evidence of his powers through the series. In fact further evidence followed in the Geography bonuses on Penisulas. As Krishnan Mulholland answered the first correctly he replied ‘You’re good at Geography, aren’t you?!’ – as if to say that he’d soon see about that. Inevitably they answered the next incorrectly. Amol, it would appear that the Force is strong within you.

Interesting Fact That I Didn’t Already Know of the Week

Scientists have named a gene in the mitochondria of drosophilia (fruit flies) that, when deficient results in an increased lifespan INDY. This is short for I’m Not Dead Yet – a quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Those biologists – what wags, eh?