University Challenge Round One - Birkbeck, London v. Oxford Brookes University

The Teams

Birkbeck, London

Danny McMillan

Olivia Mariner

Samir Chadha (Capt)

Margherita Huntley

Oxford Brookes

David Caldecott

Lara Gardner

John Manton (Capt)

James Broadbent

Oh, don’t the Mondays come round quickly now that Quizzy Monday is back? That’s not a complaint, by the way. It’s an expression of gratitude.

So, it was Birkbeck, the only college still part of London University that has won UC before, v. Oxford Brookes, who in just five series have reached the quarters twice already. The Curse of the Clark sofa was firmly on Birkbeck, being as I am an alumnus of London University (although not Birkbeck) and also because Birkbeck Captain Samir Chadha is from my home borough, Ealing. Would Birkbeck be strong enough to withstand the effect of Clark support?

John Manton misfired on the first starter. To be fair to the Oxford skipper he was going to have a good night on the buzzer, so he can be forgiven this. It was Danny McMillan – who would have an excellent night on the buzzer, who recognised that Maria Therese of Austria was a Habsburg. This brought a set of bonuses on films whose titles include the surname of a British Prime Minister. “Blair Witch Project!” I shouted before the first was asked. And indeed, it was one of the answers. “Douglas-Home Alone” was not. This was a relatively gentle set and we both took a full house. John Manton recognised James Joyce’s description of the word epiphany to move his team’s score from red to black and earn bonuses on the Biafran crisis. They too took a full house. The next starter was one of those where it paid to wait, as it became obvious that the answer required was Mount Fuji once Hokusai’s The Great Wave was mentioned. Incidentally, did you know that you can get a lego set of The Great Wave? Very good it is too – my daughter Jess made one at the weekend. Danny McMillan took that one. Twentieth century novels whose titles all include a nationality saw our first dropped bonus when none of us got Frenchman’s Creek. Still 10 bonuses out of the first 11 was pretty good going by both teams. Lara Gardner took the next starter with Karst. Supply your own puns for that. Given constellations OB also missed the second in their set of bonuses. I’m a little surprised that they didn’t know Betelgeuse is in Orion. For the next starter, when asked what Woody Guthrie’s guitar claimed to do Danny McMillan buzzed in very sharply to answer ‘Kills Fascists’. Sporting terms from their origins was an interesting set and Danny McMillan pulled himself back from the incorrect scrum to the correct ruck on the first. They also took the third of the set. So to the picture starter, showing us a national flag. “Togo!” I shouted – hey, I love Sporcle. Maybe James Broadbent does too because he was very quickly in with the same. More flags with stars and stripes brought another full house. This meant that both teams were level with 65 at the 10-minute mark – and only three incorrect answers had been given so far. What a good contest.

David Caldecott recognised a description of Clive Barker’s Candyman character for the next starter. The artist Fuseli was the subject of the bonuses. Curiously enough none of them asked about his 2006 hit ‘Chelsea Dagger’. OB took a brace of these. John Manton recognised a description of the term sophist to earn a set on Italian chef Giuseppe Cipriani – and once again curiously enough none of the bonuses mentioned his spell as England’s fly half. Now, when it came to the acronym SCOBY, I didn’t have a scooby. Margherita Huntley knew that the Y stands for yeast. Googling reveals that the whole thing stands for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. Mmm, bacteria and yeast. Yum yum. A terrific UC special set on Shakespeare gave clues to the main locations where one of his tragedies is set. Birkbeck took two missing out on Tony and Cleo. Halfway through the show and we finally came to the first starter neither team could answer, on Alan Dawson’s “The Relative Hills of Britain”. Well, we’d had a good long run at the start of the show, but the time had come for a Science starter. The answer was Young’s Modulus – nope, didn’t even understand the question since you asked. The next starter suddenly became obvious when it mentioned workers smashing machinery and it was Danny McMillan who won the buzzer race to answer Luddites. Economics brought 2 bonuses. So to the music round. I’m not overly familiar with the musical Funny Girl, but the lyrics of the extract made this the most likely answer to the starter. Both teams took their time to mull it over Samir Chadha came in first with the correct answer. More biographical musicals brought just the one correct answer. John Manton knew various definitions of the word break for the next starter. Scientific terms beginning with the letters comp brought a full house. It also brought me a lap of honour for knowing the word compound. Yes, I know it was the easiest of the three, but you have to take it where you can get it, don’t you. The set gave OB the lead, by 135 – 110.

Australia, Japan and South Korea are the only three countries outside Europe and North America to host the Summer Olympics during the 20^th century. Asked for 2, John Manton gave Australia and Japan. The excellent Danny McMillan had Australia but went for China – which was 2008. Female heads of state stretched the lead by a further 10 points. Danny McMillan ate into the lead by knowing that Kodiak is the second largest island of the US. Government departments or offices brought another full house. Samir Chadha recognised a still from The Handmaiden for the next starter. Three more films in non-European languages that won BAFTAs for Best film not in English brought another full house, and more surprisingly it brought me a full house as well. This was enough to give Birkbeck a narrow lead. This was extended by that man McMillan as he buzzed in early with Chatham House for the next starter.  Sunsetting Empires provided another fine UC special set brought the London side another full house. I earned a potential second lap of honour with the term precipitation for the chemistry starter that followed. Lara Gardner took that one. Words used in English of Hungarian origin brough OB their own full house and reduced the deficit to a single bonus. James Broadbent knew that the 1972 Magnavox Odyssey was the first games console. The Fields Medal and some of its recipients brought a full house. I also got a full house on these. What was going on in this show?! Less than 3 minutes left on the clock, and OB led by 20.It was Danny McMillan who knew that Hawkeye’s alter ego in the Avengers has the surname Barton for the next starter. A full house needed for the lead. The subject? Literature, novels linked with labyrinths. Birkbeck took the first two – and they took the third as well! Surely, whoever took the next starter would win. Again, I ask what was going on in this show, because the starter asked about a contemporary singer who produced and directed her own video, and I had it right! Okay, Taylor Swift was always the percentage answer, but come on! I am nearly 60! Samir Chadha played a captain’s innings getting that one right. The match was gonged before Amol completed the first bonus. Birkbeck had won by 220 – 205.

What a contest! Both teams deserve huge congratulations for the excellent performances on display tonight. Birkbeck had an incredible 80 percent bonus conversion rate while OB had a mind-boggling 88 percent rate. I cannot remember the last time that a team scored over 200 in the first round and still lost.

On a personal note, I always set my target at answering forty questions correctly. In the last couple of JP years this became difficult. Last night I answered 56 correctly. I think a combination of factors worked in my, ad both teams’ favour. Amol’s speedy delivery is one. The fact that these were two teams who didn’t as a rule argue the life out of the bonuses and just got on with it. And for me, the questions were rather more accessible than is sometimes the case.

How is Amol Doing?

We’ve already noted Amol’s partiality for cricket in this series, and he was indignant when Birkbeck dropped a googly by confusing their googlies with their doosras. “It is very much NOT a googly!” Alright Amol, don’t take it personally. When James Broadbent took the flag starter he suggested it was just because he watches a lot of football. This is not perjorative – you ask schoolkids to identify national flags, and you’ll be surprised how many the football fans will identify. Maybe it was just me, but it seemed to me that Amol was even more conversational and matey towards the teams in this show. When Harry’s Bar in Venice was an answer he replied ‘Very pricey – you wouldn’t be able to afford it on usual student finances.’ Then almost immediately after, when the answer given was Bellini cocktail he chaffed ‘You’ve obviously had a few, haven’t you?’ Woah here, Amol. You can’t go suggesting that a player has an alcohol problem. Then at the end there was an almost Paxonian rubbing of salt into OB’s wounds when he said “I bet you thought until the last minute that you were going to win!”

Levity aside, Amol continues to seem calm, relaxed, and enjoying himself as much as the audience at home, and that’s really a lot of what I’m asking for from the host of UC. Keep it up.

Interesting Fact That I Didn’t Already Know Of The Week

Medecins Sans Frontieres was established in 1971 in response to the Biafran Famine.

In his 1992 book, Alan Dawson gave any peak of 492 feet or higher the name Marilyns – inspired by Munros, geddit?!

The word coach is derived from the name of a town between Vienna and Budapest.

Sorry for the three way tie this week.