University Challenge 2024: Repechage 2: Oxford Brookes v. The Open University

The Teams

Oxford Brookes

David Caldecot

Lara Gardner

John Manton (Capt)

James Broadbent

Open University

Ellie Romans

Mike Holt

Anna Gavaghan (Capt.)

James Davidson

Hello, good morning and welcome. On paper this looked like an easy one to predict. Oxford Brookes had suffered the unenviable experience of scoring over 200 in their first round heat and still losing. The Open, on the other hand had just managed to snatch the last repechage place with 155. Bu then again, UC matches aren’t played on paper.

The first clue that maybe the Open hadn’t read he script came when Mastermind grand finalist James Davidson supplied the phrase mise-en scene for the first starter. Pairs of contiguous US states with the last letters of the first being the initial letters of the second were something I couldn’t make much headway with but Anna Gavaghan played a real captain’s innings to bring her team a full house. She continue this with correctly identifying Simone Biles as the gymnast who withdrew from he Tokyo Olympics for the next starter. Christmas came early for me in the Science bonuses that followed, and the Charles Babbage one was so easy I almost didn’t take a lap of honour for knowing it. But I did take it. The mackintosh one wasn’t hard either, though he Open made a bit of a meal of it. We both took the two. Literary Fannies – ooh, Matron – provided the Open skipper with a second consecutive starter. Metafictional films brought another full house. With 6 and a half minutes only on the clock I feared that OB were due to get a burst of Jedi enhanced encouragement any second. So to the picture starter, where neither team could identify the Cross of Lorraine. The next starter was one of those where you have to wait and wait and then suddenly it becomes blindingly obvious and there’s a mad race for the buzzer. This one was won by Mike Holt to identify the word scab. Ugh. His earned Open the cross bonuses of which they took two. So at least we were past the 7 minute mark when Amol offered Oxford Brookes some encouragement. Ellie Romans poured more agony on for OB by taking the next starter on the so called Shetland Bus clandestine operation between Shetland and Norway in world war II. This put Open into triple figures. Two bonuses on Arundhati Roy followed. Finally James Broadbent opened OB’s account knowing the origin of the term Jingoism. They took one bonus on Roman History. This meant that at 10 minutes Open led by 110 to 15.

As soon as James Davidson heard the words eucalyptus and marsupial he buzzed in with the correct answer of koala for the next starter. A single bonus on the philosopher Spinoza was taken. Nobody knew that 1704 saw the first translation of the 1001 Nights. Did you know Belcalis Almanzar is Cardi B? Anna Gavaghan did, which impressed Amol. The Open struck out on bonuses on paintings completed in 1822. For the music starter James Broadbent won the buzzer race to identify the disco stylings of Donna Summer. More tracks featuring the use of a minimoog brought OB a much needed full house. James Broadbent continued th OB mini revival by recognising a reference to the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Decades of firsts for telecommunications brought just the one bonus. James Davidson knew the film The Innocents to halt the progress of OB for the next starter. The Open took one onus on novels set in fictional universities. Mike Holt knew the scientific term doping for the next starter. Non alcoholic ingredients in cocktails brought a full house. James Davidson knew that Boris Pasternak was forced to decline the Nobel Prize for literature after OB had lost five. It was costly for OB bearing in mind that the Open took a full house of literature bonuses. Both teams rather dwelt on their buzzers – surely Arts festival that takes place in August is always going to be the Edinburgh Fringe. When the buzzer race got started it was won by the OB skipper John Manton. Bonuses on digestive enzymes –ugh, I prefer digestive biscuits – brought a couple of bonuses. James Davidson recognised the work of Modigliani for the second picture starter. 2 bonuses on other paintings of women with fans meant that the Open led by 220 – 70 at twenty minutes.

Well, there was at least still pride to play for for OB. James Broadbent recognised references to Barbados for the next starter. Two bonuses on alter egos of female record artists dragged them closer to triple figures. James Davidson knew that the UN Secretary General memorialised with sculptures by Henry‘Holes’ Moore and Barbara Hepworth was Dag Hammerskjold. His team took a full house of bonuses on plays with unseen characters in short order. If it’s Wallace Carrothers, good people, then he answer is nylon. Lara Gardner took that one. OB were now into triple figures and one bonus on US winners of the Nobel Peace prize added five more points. Nobody knew author James Baldwin for the next starter. Fair play to James Broadbent for knowing that the fennec fox is the national animal of Algeria. Regional capitals of Italy brought two more bonuses. James Broadbent took the next starter, the clues giving him the answer that Cannes was the first city to host Eurovision twice. Units of measurement brought another two bonuses. Neither team knew the ancient city of Elea, and Open lost five. Didn’t make any material difference. John Manon knew the next starter about proteins. Aliases in Shakespeare plays brought nowt, I’m afraid. Anna Gavaghan recognised references to the word rosebud for the next. They had time for one bonus and no more. The gong ended the match with The Open wining by 255 to 155.

Hard lines to Oxford Brookes. It’s really hard to come back when a team gets off to a flying start like Open did. OB’s BCR was 52 while the Open’s was a very healthy 68. On this form they’ll have a good chance of reaching the quarters I dare say.

How is Amol Doing?

Well, to be honest, I am beginning to doubt my confident assertion that Amol has Jedi powers. He twice tried to exhort OB, but they never quite caught fire.

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

Metafictional films are films that draw attention to their own fictional status

Baby Elephant Walk Moment

The pancreas also produces the enzymes trypsin and chymotrypsin par of which large family of enzymes used to break down proteins? It’s not so much that this question is long or unintelligible, it’s just that there’s never going to be any chance of me getting a question like this right. Dum de dumdum dum dum dum dum dumdum.