University Challenge 2020 - First Round

Last of the first round matches, then, dearly beloved. Hoping to take the last place in the second round by right were Matthew Le Croisette, Mary Lobo, Row Janjuah and their captain Isaac Brown, representing Lady Margaret College, Oxford. Hoping to prevent them from doing so, and take the coveted spot for themselves were Downing College Cambridge. Their team were Bovey Zheng, Naivasha Pratt-Jarvis, Pranoy Chaudhuri-Vayalambrone, and their own skipper Robert Jackson.

I thought that both teams sat on their buzzers a little for the first starter, It was so obviously alluding to Beatrix Potter, the famous ale juggling ceramicist. Eventually Naivasha Pratt-Jarvis buzzed in to earn bonuses on librarians. They took two. Painting – Diner – and – four figures were enough to give me Hopper’s Nighthawks for the next starter, and Isaac Brown was hot on my heels with the same. Alumni of the Slade School of Art brought us both just the one bonus. None of us knew the answer to the organic chemistry starter which followed, but apparently the answer is an amine, which I think once attacked the crew of the Enterprise during an episode of the original series of Star Trek. I have to be honest, with the next starter, as soon as it became clear it was a female character from Shakespeare, I would have been tempted to sling buzzer and go for Lady Macbeth straightaway. I’d have been right to do so as well. Robert Jackson hit the buzzer as soon as he heard the word monster. This brought Downing a set of bonuses on physiology. By the time that I zoned back in again, they had scored a full house which brought us nicely to the picture starter. This was a nice UC special. It was a definition, in Spanish, of a single Spanish word which is used in English as well. This one, with drink, water and wine all int eh definition, was always going to be sangria. Isaac Brown was first to see it. Three more of the same provided Lady Margaret Hall with their own full house. I’ll be honest, there can’t have been that many world shaking books published in Germany in 1867, so I thought I was in with a good shout when I went for Das Kapital. Robert Jackson felt the same thing obviously, and this brought bonuses on repetition. This brought bonuses on repetition. Boom boom. One correct answer added 5 to their score. Interesting to see Marx as a bonus answer when the answer to the starter had been Das Kapital. You rarely see that sort of thing happen in a GK round. Nobody knew two of the three great capitals of China other than Berlin. So, at just after the 10 minute mark, Downing led by 60 – 40, with both teams looking up for the competition.

I’ve never heard of the Cheyne -Stokes breathing cycle, but Pranoy Chaudhuri-Vayalambrone had, and buzzed in correctly. 16^th century rulers provided a relatively benign set, and Downing put all of these low hanging fruit into their metaphorical basket. I didn’t even understand the next question, but Row Janjuah came in very early with the answer of cadence. Lawyers in Charles Dickens were all gettable, but Lady Margaret Hall (LMH from here on in) took 2. Eastern diamondback gave me rattlesnake, for the next, and evidently Row Janjuah too, who took his double with this one. Recent winners of the Pulitzer Prize for History offered them the chance to draw level with Downing, but they failed to trouble the scorer here. So to the musc starter. How ironic – I was in Vienna last week – locely time, thanks for asking – and we heard the zither-played strains of the theme from the film “The Third Man”. As JP offered ‘Come on! That’s one of the most famous films – “Robert Jackson offered “The Godfather” to predictable indignation from JP. “Matthew Le Croisette decided he was having some of this action too, and offered “Ratatouille.” A fantastic UC special starter saw us given Kirkcaldy and Blenheim Palace – the birthplaces of the historical figures on the £20 and £5 notes, and asked what £10 would be. Mary Lobo worked out that it was Jane Austen, so had to be Hampshire. Lovely question that. The music bonuses, three more leitmotifs used in film soundtracks, provided just the one bonus, but more importantly brought the scores level. At this point you’d have been forgiven for thinking that both teams had a very good chance of reaching the magic target of 150, which would at least guarantee a repechage slot. Nobody knew the lagest city of Bolivia, Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Nobody knew Sir George Grove for the next starter either. My lap of honour finally materialised with the next starter, a lovely UC special which involved working out that if you multiplied helium- 2 on the periodic table – by beryllium – 4 then you got oxygen – 8. Matthew Le Croisette took a little longer than I did. The next three bonuses were all connected with gyres. It seemed a long time since Downing had answered a starter, but Bovey Zheng identified Spurn Head as being in the Humber estuary. One correct answer put them into triple figures. However LMH were the leaders by 5 at just after the 20 minute mark.

For the second picture starter we saw a detail of a painting, in which a small bird was depicted. I’ll be honest, style and colours screamed Rousseau to me, and also to Isaac Brown I dare say. More details from paintings in which birds were depicted brought them two more correct answers. Now, when you’re behind, I’ve always said that you’re better off being hung for a sheep rather than a lamb, so I don’t blame Naivasha Pratt-Jarvis for giving it a lash on the next question. However she came in after just hearing “Which Spanish artist – “ and let’s be fair, there are 4 hardy Spanish artist perennials which often feature in UC questions. She gave us Velazquez, she might just as well have said ‘Picasso’ or Dali’ but the answer was Goya, which became clear with the full question. Isaac Brown had that. Bonuses on the works of Stephen Hawking were enough to bring LMH the magic total of 150, so whatever happened we’d be seeing them again. Nobody recognised surgical retractors for the next starter. Bovey Zheng gave Downing some hope, knowing that osier and other trees are species of willow. Winners of the Copa Libertadores Trophy brought just one bonus, and they were still going to need at least two visits to the table to reach the repechage at least. Pranoy Chaudhuri-Vayalambrone provided one of the starters they needed, completing a Dorothy Parker couplet with doubt. Two bonuses took them to 130, just a starter and two bonuses away from safety. I was surprised that nobody could work out that the two of Kipling’s six honest serving men which are anagrams of each other are how and who. Neither team worked out Samuel Coleridge-Taylor for the next starter. Now, I knew that the only world war year in which a census could have taken place was 1941, so that had to be the year ending in a 1 when a census wasn’t taken. I don’t know if Robert Jackson used the same reckoning to work it out, but he came up with the same answer. Two bonuses on the Pacific Islands to qualify, and three to win. They took the first, but were cruelly gonged before answering the second.

Let’s get the technicalities out of the way first. Jesus, Oxford, Durham and Downing all scored 145. So the two teams going through which will be revealed next week, will eb the ones who needed to hear the fewest questions to reach their total. Fair enough. Got to separate them somehow.

This was a terrific contest, and an exciting match. I don’t think either of them were amongst the best teams we’ve seen all series, but hey, it was a good show. Let’s settle for that.

Jeremy Paxman Watch

A little aside, when JP dubbed churros as ‘the slimmer’s friend’ was pretty much all there was from him in the first ten minutes or so. In the music starter his reaction of “Noooooooo!!!!” when Robert Jackson offered “The Godfather” for “The Third Man” was exaggerated beyond it’s natural lifespan. Matthew Le Croisette’s follow up suggestion of Ratatouille gave him the opportunity to respond in high dudgeon, “Ratatouille?!” then administer the coup de grace with the put down “meretricious offerings!”.

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

Loads and loads of things I didn’t know in this, but none of them so interesting that they stuck out for me. Sorry.

University Challenge 2020 - First Round - Imperial v. Brasenose, Oxford

Imperial v. Brasenose, Oxford

We’re approaching the end of the first round, dearly beloved, just one more to go after this match up between Brasenose and Imperial. The London side were represented by Richard Brooks, Brandon (his surname board said Brandon, he introduced himself with ‘Hi I’m Brandon’, but surely he isn’t Brandon Brandon), Connor McMeel.,and captain Caleb Rich. Brasenose in their turn were Alan Haugh, Maud Mullan, Tucker Drew and their own captain, Ollie Hanson.

Bending, blowing and boggling can all be preceded by mind, and Alan Haugh was the first to notice this. Brasenose took 2 bonuses on the Levant. Ollie Hanson lost five by coming in two early. If he’d have waited he’d maybe have known that if it’s a South American who is runner up in the Tour de France, then he’s a Columbian (probably). It was nice to see Rene Higuita, everyone’s favourite Columbian goalkeeper, getting alluded to in the same question. Connor McMeel got his team underway with that one. They didn’t trouble the scorer on their bonus set on National Anthems. I thought Rieman was where you went to buy paper for your printer, but apparently he was a mathematician as well, as Caleb Rich knew for the next starter. Pairs of words which have the same spelling, but different meanings according to where one stresses a syllable gave Imperial the first full house of the contest. This brought us to the picture starter, and a map showing the 14 islands of Stockholm. I got this having visited that lovely place in chilly February. Richard Brooks won that one. Bonuses of other cities built on islands brought two correct answers, and one which wasn’t far off. Mr. Brandon came in early to suggest that Irving Berlin had written Begin the Beguine, but lost five, allowing Ollie Hanson to hoof the ball into Row Z of the stands by suggesting Scott Joplin when the open goal of Cole Porter loomed wide before him. Thus, at the 10 minute mark, Imperial were making most of the running, leading by 50 - 15.

Mr. Brandon made up for his earlier miss by recognising presidents or prime ministers of amongst other state, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. This gave Imperial the chance to take two bonuses on scientific terms with an x in the middle. As soon as the words ‘which French economist – “ passed the Paxman lips, Caleb Rich struck like a coiled cobra to supply us with the answer – Piketty, who also got to number 5 in the UK charts in 1970 with “That Same Old Feeling” (ask your parents). Bonuses on special edition Barbie dolls made to commemorate International Women’s Day brought another full house, and Imperial were already just one bonus away from a triple figure score. Mr. Brandon gave us a brilliantly quick buzz to identify the word  city being made from the initial letters of the capital cities of Venezuela, Pakistan, Albania and Cameroon. They made the most of it with another full house on ancient Greek philosophy. This brought us to the music starter. This brought no joy to Brasenose as Richard Brooks buzzed in with the correct answer of Aaron Copland – who later became the drummer with The Police, I believe. (Oh, come on, you can’t say that you didn’t see that one coming.)Three more musical works for which Martha Graham created dances. Ironically one of them was Scott Joplin’s, ironically. Maud Mullan probably saved her team from the dreaded Paxman encouragement by taking the next starter, Knowing philanthropy and misanthropy. One physics bonus doubled their score – and funnily enough one physics bonus, on the lumen – was enough to earn me a mid contest lap of honour around the living room. I’ll be honest, soon as I heard ‘ which form of understatement . . .” I had a shy at it with litotes, and after Imperial had given a wrong ‘un Maud Mullan took her second starter in a row with the same. Cats in Fine Art brought them two bonuses, even though none of the questions asked about Botticelli’s famous work, The Birth of Whiskas. Another good buzz from Mr. Brandon identified Stanley Kubrick as the director who had made films based on the novels of, amongst others, Nabokov and Thackeray ( who incidentally were also a useful forward partnership for Brentford during their promotion season in the late 70s). Long distance running promised much but brought just the one bonus. Thus as we approached the 20 minute mark, Imperial had an imperious lead with 145 to 150.

The second picture starter showed us the famous Salvador Dali painting looking down upon the Crucifixion. Tucker Drew took his first starter with this one. Other paintings from the collection in Glasgow’s wonderful Kelvingrove Gallery brought them two bonuses.Connor McMeel knew three philosophers whose surnames began with L,M and N. Human anatomy saw them draw a rare bonus blank. Polymerase Chain reaction means nowt to me, but Mr. Brandon knew it for the next starter. Imperial only managed one bonus on the great Neil Gaiman, but that as enough to give them a 100 point lead. Mr. Brandon added to this, knowing that Omsk lies on the river Irtysh. Gesundheit. A full set on the Olympic Winter Games took Imperial to the brink of a double century. Mr. Brandon took a hattrick, knowing that William Henry Harrison was the filling in a presidential sandwich in 1841. Imperial only took one bonus on Spanish Geography, but the contest was long since over by this stage anyway. Caleb Rich knew that the SI Unit for Something or Other is the Gray. Seed distribution brought both of us just the one bonus. As soon as JP said ‘alpha numerical designation of pairs of roads – “ I guessed that it was going to be A1. The night’s sharpest buzzer, Brandon ( I think we know each other well enough now to dispense with the Mr.) almost inevitably took that one. Again, they took just the one bonus on names of dog breeds, none of which could have been doing their conversion rate any good. Still the buzzer onslaught continued. Caleb Rich came in very quickly with aquafarba, and there was time for their customary one bonus before the contest was gonged. Imperial won with 255 to 70.

Poor Brasenose. You have to feel a little sorry, although to be fair, they demonstrated the principle that if you don’t buzz, you ain’t gonna win. It really needed them to just sling some willy nilly buzzer and hit and hope. I tend to think that you’re better off being hung for a sheep than a lamb. They managed over 50% on the few bonuses they earned. In fact this was similar to Imperial’s. However, Imperial had 43 bonuses to choose from. As for Imperial, well, you can only beat the opposition you have, and this was an impressive display.

Jeremy Paxman Watch

Jez was rather indignant when Ollie Hanson suggested Scott Joplin had written some of Cole Porter’s songs. Talk about damning with faint praise. When Maud Mullan took the anthropy starter, he said, “Well done, you were quick there. “ the subtext of which being “- cause you might just as well have been asleep for the last 10 minutes.”

Just how far JP has come over the last decade was shown in his consolatory last comments to Brasenose. “That was stronger than the score seems to suggest, I think Brasenose.” Er, sorry, but no, it wasn’t Jez. Maybe you meant that Brasenose are stronger than their score suggests, which is something I’m willing to concede, but there wasn’t any real evidence in this show on which to base such a judgement.

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

Aquafarba is used as a substitute for egg whites. Now that’s what I call a versatile toothpaste.

University Challenge - Round One - Wolfson-Oxford v. Sheffield

Wolfson -Oxford v. Sheffield

Homework a day late again, Clark Minor? Take 100 lines and bring them to my study after tiffin. Apologies, I was out and about yesterday. So without further ado, let’s have a look at last Monday’s heat. Wolfson, Oxford consisted of Mike Perrin, Mary Caple, Ryan Walker, and captain Claire Jones. Opponents Sheffield were, respectively Alastair Lyle, Sam Kelly, Daisy Fry and skipper Jonathan Newhouse.

I’ll be honest, for the first starter, as soon as Squirrel Nutkin appeared in the middle of a diverse list, I blurted out “50p piece”. Ryan Walker came in just before JP finished the question with the same answer. National Museums brought one correct answer. Now, you hear the words ‘paintings’ and ‘mad’ in close proximity to each other, then slam the buzzer and answer ‘Van Gogh’. Sure, sometimes it might be William Blake, but most times you’ll be right. Both teams waited for a moment or two then Jonathan Newhouse took Sheffield’s first points. Foreign language films that have won Oscars certainly seemed to please Alastair Lyle – a Chiswick man, I was pleased to see, as he pumped his fist in anticipation. With good reason, for his team dispatched all three of them to the boundary. I didn’t know the term Moral hazard, but Jonathan Newhouse did, and so this earned a set on material science. When I guessed UTS stands for ultimate tensile strength I didn’t even bother putting the trainers on, but just padded off on the lap of honour in my bare feet. Sheffield, meanwhile were showing Wolfson a clean pair of heels as they scored their second consecutive full house. Jonathan Newhouse made it 9 questions in a row for Sheffield as he knew that the bone which takes its name from the Latin for the sacred bone is the Sacrum. The bonuses on the English names of characters from the brilliant Goscinny and Uderzo’s Asterix the Gaul books somewhat inevitably took the total to three consecutive full houses. At the moment, Sheffield were looking like world beaters. Now, I mentally patted myself on the back with the picture starter. Symbols belonging to a religion were obviously suggesting the Indian subcontinent, but they didn’t fit what I knew about Buddhism or Hinduism, as suggested afterwards by both teams so I suggested Jainism. The picture bonuses were earned by Wolfson skipper Claire Jones, who knew that the French king once married to Eleanor of Aquitaine was Louis VII. More religious symbols from religions with large numbers of followers in India brought us both 2 bonuses. Just approaching the 10 minute mark, Sheffield led by 75 – 35, in what seemed to have become a buzzer battle between the two captains.

Alastair Lyle knew the word nurdle. Bonuses on pairs of words only differing by the addition of the letter g t the first word – eg – rumble and grumble – should have taken them into a triple figure score, but they passed on ratify and gratify. Claire Jones won the buzzer race to pair the river Neisse with the Oder and thus earn bonuses on physical chemistry. After Wolfson had answered two of them correctly my attention focussed on the telly again, and the next starter was one of those which suddenly became obvious after much preamble. If it's a painting and there’s elephant dung involved, chances are that Chris Ofili is involved, as Mary Caple knew. Bonuses on the artist Paula Rego brought Wolfson no bonuses, although I did get Jane Eyre knowing it was published in 1947. Then to the music starter, and rather a long snatch of Don Giovanni, if truth be told, before Mike Perrin correctly identified the work of Mozart. Three more recent examples of other ‘list’ songs brought us both a brace of bonuses. Now, the next starter was one of those old quiz chestnuts which are hardy perennials on UC. Daisy Fry was the first to buzz in to answer that it is the RSPB which has an avocet for its symbol. 16^th and 17^th quotations brought just the one bonus, but at least Sheffield were moving forward again after a period in which they had become somewhat becalmed. One of the ever popular Ambrose Bierce definitions provided Claire Jones with a correct answer to identify plagiarism. The Italian Empire brought Wolfson a full house and put them level on points with Sheffield, a remarkable turnaround. Sheffield weren’t done yet, though. Alastair Lyle identified the hcg test as the pregnancy test. Two bonuses on Japan and its neighbour took Sheffield to a 20 point lead, with 130 to Wolfson’s 110.

First to identify Kenneth Kaunda as a former president of Zambia was the Sheffield skip.Two bonuses on religious shrines followed. Claire Jones won the buzzer race to identify a photograph of Billie Holiday. Two bonuses narrowed the gap to a full set. The answer to the next question, Essential amino acid was I believed one of the possible names for Monty Python’s Flying Circus rejected in the early stages. Ryan Walker took that one. Philosophy, and major works on Ethics ( as opposed to Suthics and Middlethics) still left Wolfson languishing by 10 points. That deficit was wiped out when skipper Claire Jones won the buzzer race to answer that it was Alfred the Great who defeated Guthrum. Then spared his life and stood Godfather to him when he converted to Christianity as it happens. It’s a Dark Ages thing. Literary terms in poetry saw them fail to trouble the scorer. Neither team knew about the Tyndall Effect. I met Mike Tindall in a charity quiz auction once, and it certainly effected me. Sheffield at this time seemed like a rabbit mesmerised in the headlights, since both teams dwelt on the buzzer over Wagner’s Flying Dutchman, which eventually was taken by Wolfson’s estimable skipper. This gave them the lead at a crucial time, and titles given to British military leaders took them to 170. With their failure to take many bonuses, Wolfson were just creeping forward, but Sheffield just weren’t getting any starters. Then they did. Alastair Lyle recognised two elements that begin with Rad. One bonus took them to level pegging on 170 and the contest was gonged. Mike Perrin just about won the tie breaker, although he answered Rhodes before correcting himself with Colossus of Rhodes. That was enough.

Well played to both teams. JP observed that both will surely be coming back, and that’s fair enough. I think it’s fair to say that Wolfson owe a great debt of gratitude to Claire Jones. She managed 6 starters, and that was essential bearing in mind their modest bonus conversion rate of less than 50%. Sheffield impressed with their excellent bonus rate of 75%. However, if you don’t buzz, it doesn’t matter whether you know the bonuses, and so it will be interesting to see how they do in the repechage.

Jeremy Paxman Watch

JP was in rather quiet form , and you could see him wrestling with himself to decide how much of a ticking off to give Mike Perrin at the end. Geniality won out. Wouldn’t have happened 10 years ago.

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

A swirl of toothpaste is correctly called a nurdle.

University Challenge 2020 - Round 1 - Open University v. Huddersfield

Heat 11 – Open University v. Huddersfield

Yes, dearly beloved, the BBC kindly deigned to allow us to watch another University Challenge last Monday. This was an intriguing match up. I’ve said before that I’m always surprised when the Open University don’t win every year that they make it to the televised stages, not because I think that they’re automatically going to be smarter, but simply because with that much more life experience, and that much more time to accumulate knowledge, I would have imagined that the sum total of their team’s knowledge would be greater than most. Yet that has not proven to be the case in this century. Representing them on Monday were David Holmes, Liz Haywood, Michaela O’Brien and captain Bill Woodbridge. It was first time ever for opponents Huddersfield, who seemed to be fighting fire with fire, having a mix of younger and also more mature students and an average age of 40. They were Sean Fisher, Rebecca Wilson, Aaron Cahill and skipper Andy Cook.

Now it just so happens that I teach a lesson every year about the evils of comma splicing so I was in early for the first question. Andy Cook took that one. Three bonuses on 18^th century satire were announced, and immediately I thought Defoe, Swift and Pope. Nope. Defoe, and Hogarth I took, but not Mozart. Huddersfield knew Mozart but not Defoe. Bill Woodbridge knew that Clem Attlee was Churchill’s wartime deputy PM. Wildflowers whose common name includes the name of a bird yielded just the one to both of us. The next question was one of those which suddenly became blindingly obvious at the end, due to my knowledge of Olympic host cities.  Aaron Cahill was first to work out that Vacouver was the 2010 host. The Nereids did nowt for Huddersfield – not surprised, that was not an especially gettable set. So to the picture starter – a phase diagram. I think my exact words as it was announced were “Bloody hell, sod all chance of a lap of honour here, then.” What a surprise, neither of the teams had it either. Bill Woodbridge was the first to see that the next question wanted catkin as an answer, and earned the very dubious reward of three more phase diagrams. I thought they did really well to get one of them. As for the next starter, well it looked from early doors to be a straight choice between Nobel Prize for Physics and Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Andy Cook jumped the gun a little and zigged with Physics, and was right to do so. Word derivations were enough to take Huddersfield to 50 points, a lead of 20 over the OU by the 10 minute mark.

In what was turning out to be very much a battle between the two skippers, Bill Woodbridge came in too early for the next starter and lost 5. Allowed the full question it was all too easy for Andy Cook to beat his teammates to give the answer of TNT. Chemistry brought another two correct answers to Huddersfield. Having come in too early for the previous starter, the OU gave Andy Cook an unopposed run at the next question. Asking for a form of writing, and mentioning Shelley in the question, poetry did seem obvious, and so it was. A regular quizzer would have known that Philomel is a name for a nightingale for the next set of poetry bonuses, and they took just the one. Bill Woodbridge found his buzzer finger again for the next starter, which asked for Nasser and Sadat. This was just as well, for none of his team had found their own buzzer fingers yet. Saints’ deaths took the OU to 45, and brought both teams up to the music starter. David Holmes now managed to elbow his way into the match, being first to buzz in to identify the work of Blur, a popular beat combo of the 1990s, I believe. More Britpop singles promised a lot and delivered just the one bonus for me, but the OU managed a full house to narrow the gap to 15. Neither team knew about a feature on the surface of Mars for the next starter. Again, Bill Woodbridge came in too early for the next starter, and once the words ‘tallest spire in England’ were given it was all too easy for Andy Cook to supply the correct answer of Salisbury. A good UC special set on words which can be made from names of shipping forecast areas totally passed Huddersfield by – Sole and Solenoid at least was gettable I would have thought. Bill Woodbridge again pulled his team out of the mire by recognising the work of Joni Mitchell for the next starter. The bonuses were on French impressionist Berthe Morisot. Indeed, her impression of a Frenchwoman was really good, I’m reliably informed. This brought just the one bonus, which meant that Huddersfield still led by 80 – 95 at the 20 minute mark.

I’ve amused work colleagues in the past by telling them that if they’re in a quiz and asked ‘which type of animal’ they should say antelope, and if they’re asked which type of flower, they should say orchid. It’s a quiz thing – it’s one of those -you’ll be right more often than you’re wrong – things. It was certainly the case when Michaela O’Brien threw caution to the wind and buzzed in with a speculative “orchid?” for the next starter. European rivers with three letter names levelled the scores. The second picture starter showed us a pine marten, and helpfully JP said that the species was known by a two word name. – Bet Andy Cook has this when nobody has a punt from the OU – I told myself, and I was right. Other threatened animals in the UK brought just the one on a quite gettable set. Andy Cook was finding this all too easy, as he buzzed in for the next starter to identify early examples of works in Irish Gaelic. Maths bonuses brought me an unexpected and rather belated lap of honour for guessing Fermat for the first. I actually had two of this set while Huddersfield managed just the one. David Holmes had another go at a starter for the next, correctly identifying the word Idiocracy. World events, and the Sumer Olympic Games venues from the same years brought them a welcome two bonuses. Bill Woodbridge knew that the liver secretes bile, but then amazingly the OU passed on three films by the wonderful Billy Wilder – an act bordering on sacrilege in my book. So, the scores were level, and both teams, with 125 points and a few minutes left, could conceivably haul themselves into a repechage slot. Andy Cook buzzed very early for the next starter, and fortune favoured the brave as he supplied the correct answer of neck. The Gordon Riots suggested a question about Barnaby Rudge was in the offing, but this was the only one of the set that Huddersfield couldn’t answer. Nobody took the next starter about a quote from William S. Burroughs. Whom I only found out the other day wrote “The Naked Lunch” and not “Tarzan of the Apes”. Nobody knew that each of the internal angles of a regular nonagon is 140 degrees. There you go. The next question was about a film that my daughter loves so much – The Princess Bride – that I walked her up the aisle for her wedding last year to it’s theme music. We were gonged just as Huddersfield were buzzing in. The final score was 145 to 125 for Huddersfield.

Well, it was a close contest, although not a great one. I don’t wish to be horrible, but to the casual observer it did appear that three members of both teams were along for the ride, leaving the two captains to slug it out. Indeed, there were only 4 starters answered by anyone other than the two captains, out of 17 correctly answered ones. Andy Cook won the contest for Huddersfield with his 8 starters. I doubt he’ll be allowed that many in the second round, but to be fair some of his buzzes were genuinely fast, and so he will always put his team in with a shout. I’m sorry, but neither team impressed me much with their bonus work, both having conversion rates of less than 50%. In fact they both answered 11 bonuses, of which Huddersfield had slightly more opportunities than OU. In the end, it was won on superior buzzer work from Andy Cook, and a couple of incorrect interruptions from Bill Woodbridge.  I don’t blame him for this in the slightest, since somebody had to try to keep his team moving, and there wasn’t a lot of buzzing coming from anyone else.

Jeremy Paxman Watch

After Bill Woodbridge identified the work of Joni Mitchell from the titles of her albums JP observed, “Didn’t know she was so pretentious!” Somehow he’s never struck me as a Joni Mitchell aficionado.

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

The sea nymphs, the Nereids, were the offspring of Doris. Love it.

University Challenge Round 1 Goldsmiths, London v. Southampton

I pride myself on being impartial, dearly beloved, when it comes to University Challenge. Well, I’m sorry, but stuff that for a game of soldiers when Goldsmiths are playing. At least I’m being honest about it from the start.

Representing my alma mater, then, were Alex Wilkins, Catherine Coldstream, Greg Sibley and skipper Henry Coburn. Opponents Southampton’s team consisted of Josh Holland, Rory Fleminger, James Carrigy and captain Steve Barnes.

First blood fell to Goldies’ Greg Sibley, who incidentally hails from the same home town as Eric Monkman. He was first to recognise various definitions of the word jolly. Jolly good. Bonuses on the Black Sea brought Goldies a full house. Greg Sibley took a double, knowing the words of David Mamet for the next starter. However bonuses on astrophysics passed them by completely, although I’m sure that they would be consoled if they knew that I earned a lap of honour for estimating Earth’s escape velocity as 11km per second – I knew that it was 7 miles a second. Mind you, I could have taken a second for the next starter, where I guessed that physicist born in 1831 in Scotland would possibly be James Clerk-Maxwell. Alex Wilkins did the same. Guess the answer, that is, not take a lap of honour. Early 16^th century paintings yielded another full set. The first picture starter invited us to identify the cities of Bristol and Guangzhou on a brace of maps. Nobody managed that. Not surprised. I am surprised that nobody even chanced a buzz at a question to which the answer fairly obviously seemed to be the Tower of London, but there we are. You pays yer money. The next question concerned Marianne Who North and nobody knew it. Finally Henry Coburn took the next starter, knowing that if you mix Taylor Swift’s 4^th album ad a Coldplay song you get Jason Orange. Of course you do. This brought Goldies the picture bonuses, and three nearish misses but no cigars. Nonetheless it had all gone pretty well for them in the first ten minutes, as they led by 70 – 0.

Greg Sibley came in too early and lost five for saying that K2 is in the Himalayas. This left Steve Barnes to open his team’s account with the correct answer of the Karakoram. A couple of correct answers on the Lake District seemed to do wonders for Southampton’s collective spirits. For the net question Steve Barnes knew that the moment you hear ‘welsh born journalist’ and ‘Africa’ in the same question, then you slam the buzzer down and confidently answer Henry Morton Stanley. Authors born in 1946 only provided another 5 points, and took us to the music starter. Steve Barnes took his triple, being first in to identify a song from Wicked. Two out of three more ‘I want’ songs narrowed the gap to a mere 10 points. Greg Sibley stopped the rot by knowing the naturalist Rachel Carson, but Goldies could only manage a single bonus on birds. Still, the Goldies mini revival continued as Henry Carson won the buzzer race to say that Tess of the D’Urbervilles was apprehended in Stonehenge. 2 bonuses on Ancient Egypt put Goldies into triple figures, and as we approached the 20 minute mark, they led by 100 – 55.

At this stage, then, it all looked fairly good for Goldies, and they seemed to have an excellent chance of at least getting a repechage score, while Southampton had a lot of work to do. So they started doing it. I didn’t even know that Pascal played the triangle, but Steve Barnes did. The Arts and playing cards brought two bonuses of their own. The second picture starter showed two 18^th century chaps on horseback, ne shooting the other, from the Newgate Calendar. Greg Sibley thought it might be Alexander Hamilton from his fatal duel with Aaron Burr, but that was a real shot in the dark (see what I did there?). James Carrigy gave the obvious answer of Dick Turpin, and was right to do so. This earned a set of bonuses on other illustrations from the Newgate Calendar. Two correct answers meant that the gap between the teams stood at 5 points. A lovely UC starter saw Steve Barnes concatenate the first letters of the capitals of Kenya, Canada, Cabo Verde and Scotland to get the word nope. Yep. Chemical elements in haiku form brought two correct answers, and lead of 15 points. Goldies really needed an answer at this stage since the momentum was all Southampton’s. Fair play, Greg Sibley tried but his early answer to the next starter was speculative in the extreme and lost 5. Southampton couldn’t capitalise with a Stevenson screen. I’d guess that Rory Fleminger like me knew that the 1998 Olympic Winter Games were held in Nagaon, which enabled him to answer Naga for the next starter. Expressions with the initial CI brought a full house, and the death knell, sadly , was tolling for Goldies. James Carrigy came in early for the next starter with the name ‘Nora’ and Rory Fleminger raised his fists in triumph. A UC special set on the directions between Spanish cities in a straight line provided two bonuses, and what was a close victory was now turning into a rout. Josh Holland piled Pelion on Ossa, giving the correct answer of ellipse to the next starter. Answers beginning with ped – brought the inevitable 2 correct answers for Southampton, and the gong ended the contest. Southampton won by 175 – 95.

Poor old Goldies actually ended the contest with a lower score than they’d had at the 20 minute mark. They were shut out and buzzed out, sadly. So congratulations to Southampton. Bear in mind that they were scoreless by the 10 minute mark, and this was an increasingly sure and confident performance. With a conversion rate of slightly more than 60%, they’ll be in with a shout in round two.

Jeremy Paxman Watch

When Henry Coburn suggested that Georgia O’Keefe might have painted the contents of a gallery of botanical paintings in Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, JP trotted out his ever popular ‘crikey no!”

When Southampton identified a song from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” JP relied “Yes, embarrassing, isn’t it?” Er, that would be a no, Jez. It’s a lovely film.

Southampton earned a rare plaudit from JP for knowing that the capital of Cabo Verde begins with P.

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

The Confucius Institutes promote Chinese language and culture.

University Challenge 2020 - Round One - LSE v. The Courtauld Institute

LSE v. The Courtauld Institute

Last Monday was another London University Derby. Now, yes, being a London University old boy myself I always enjoy this, but I have to say that I did have a couple of qualms. You see, a specialist institution like the Courtauld and the LSE, for example, is always I feel at a disadvantage because by their nature they aren’t going to field teams with such a wide range of specialisms. Still, let’s see how it all worked out. Representing LSE were Kevin Schilling, Finn Dignan, James Engels and captain Zara Elstein. For the Courtauld we had Asher Silver, Morgan Haigh, Nancy Collinge and their skipper Harry Prance.

Right, as the first question was unfolding, ‘award held annually’ had me thinking Nobel, and ‘witheld on 19 occasions’ irresistibly pointed to the Peace prize. Both teams sat on their buzzers until the question was completed until Harry Prance won the buzzer race to supply the correct answer. The Muses from Stephen Fry’s Mythos – a good read too – provided just the one bonus. Kevin Schilling buzzed fairly quickly to identify the work of the film director Ang Lee. LSE’s bonuses on tortoises and turtles were all despatched to the boundary fairly quickly. The next starter, on molecular biology surprisingly gave me a very early lap around the living room for recognising hormones. Neither team managed that one. I don’t blame Harry Prance for going early with the London Underground river and offering the best known of them, the Fleet. However the full question required the Tyburn, which let Finn Dignan in. This gave the LSE bonuses on coal tar, and they took 2, (even though they don’t study coal tar at the LSE, Jeremy). Pictures, then. We were shown a section from the opening scene of a Shakespeare play and asked for the two missing words, which presumably rhymed in Shakespeare’s time, even though they don’t now. Morgan Haigh supplied both heath and Macbeth. More of the same brought one bonus, for which modest return they still earned the coveted Paxman well done. On the cusp of the 10 minute mark, then, LSE led by 40 – 25.

Guruparabs, as Harry Prance knew, are events in Sikhism. This gave the Courtauld a set of bonuses on great paintings of the 1880s. JP took pleasure in pointing out that one of the paintings they failed to identify – Manet’s Bar at the Folies Bergere, is actually in the Courtauld. Never mind. The next starter was about an artist. Hmm. Morgan Haigh took that with Augustus John. Trees in Britain gave another bonus, and Courtauld were in the lead. Neither team managed to dredge up catastrophe theory for the next starter. Neither team managed a gettable starter involving knowing works by Hill and Mill thus giving them herb which rhymes with them – dill. A third consecutive starter went unanswered about studies into the behaviour of honeybees. It seemed like a long time since we’d had a correct answer, so it was a blessed relief when Finn Dignan identified Thomas Carlyle as the man who coined the phrase ‘ the dismal science’. Actors’ directorial debuts did nowt for any of us. This brought us to the music set. I wonder how many people said Andrew Lloyd Webber for the next starter. It was of course Paganini with his well known ‘Theme of the South Bank Show’. Morgan Haigh took that. More variations on this particular piece by different composers brought just a single bonus, but in this low scoring contest every bonus looked like it was going to count. Zara Elstein took a starter for her team with the term fam. Organic Chemistry provided me with another lap of honour answer, since I remember from the old Pears Quiz Companion that Kekule is noted alongside the words benzene ring. Amazingly I also knew toluene and naphthalene. Well, I’m very sorry, but doing 4 laps of honour in one show is taking the proverbial. LSE managed a brace of these. The next question had a helpful reference to a painting by Monet – you didn’t even need to be an art student to know that this was obviously Rouen, and Morgan Haigh picked that particular piece of low hanging fruit. Royal Parks brought what I think was Courtauld’s first full house of the contest. This meant that by the 20 minute mark they led by 85 – 60.

Finn Dignan was the first to recognise a set of Eagles for the next starter. Oh, look, I said - it's another art set of bonuses. What were the chances of that happening? These went begging. Finn Dignan was nowhere near with his reckless buzz to the next starter, but the Courtauld couldn’t identify the widely acclaimed world’s worst poet, William Topaz McGonagall. Nonetheless, Courtauld seemed to have their collective tail up, since Harry Prance even took the next Maths starter. Astronomy and Geography provided one bonus. To be fair the second picture starter is often art based, so we can’t really complain that this week’s showed us a sculpture. Harry Prance identified the composition as a pieta. Unsurprisingly the set of paintings that followed brought the Courtauld a full house, and unless the LSE were to develop an hitherto undisplayed turn of foot, they were going to win now. Nancy Collinge won the buzzer race to identify Geraint Thomas as the writer of The Tour According to G. National capitals beginning with the same two letters brought nowt. Finn Dignan hadn’t given up and won the buzzer race to identify the term pastoral. Terms used in newspaper titles brought a full house, and at least gave the LSE a fighting chance of a triple figure final score. No point asking the next chemistry starter, and so we moved on without anyone buzzing. Nobody fancied a punt at various Siegfried’s, so Harry Prance took that unconsidered trifle. Royal figures who appeared in Hugh Thomas’ History of the Slave Trade saw them incorrectly answer the first and then the contest was gonged, Courtauld winning by 165 – 90.

Well done Courtauld. In all honesty this really wasn’t a great contest. Courtauld only managed a 42% conversion rate. LSE did better with 56%, but they had so few bonuses to try and convert since only Finn Dignan was slinging any buzzer for them. Against a decent buzzing team with more balanced team, and a less friendly set of questions I’d suggest that the Courtauld might struggle in round 2, but hey, what do I know?

Jeremy Paxman Watch

When the Courtauld failed to hazard a guess for the hormones starter he chuckled, “No, I can see the problem, Courtauld. You don’t study much of that, do you?!” No Jez, neither do the LSE for that matter, although you chose not to patronise them as well.

Interesting that, because this seemed to be an overt acknowledgement that the Courtauld weren’t going to be able to do anything with questions on the Sciences. Maybe it was just me, but it did seem to me that this was a very Arts heavy, Science light show this week. Coincidence? Maybe. When the Courtauld only scored on the last bonus for great paintings of the 1880s he rather sneered, “It may be enough to salvage some honour . . . but I doubt it.”

Harry Prance offered a speculative punt of Swinburne as the world’s worst poet, to which JP replied in indignation “Swinburne?! He would be mortified!” Quite right – everyone knows he was the jockey who rode Shergar to the 1981 Derby.

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

There are no flower beds in Green Park because Catherine of Braganza didn’t want Charles II picking them to give to his floozies.

University Challenge 2020 Round One Heat 8

Durham v. Trinity, Cambridge

Right then, ready for the next? Bad luck if you’re not, for here it is. Durham, then, first into the lists in this match, were represented by Charles Bland, William Tams, Arthur Raffle and captain Joe Cooper. Representing three times winners Trinity were Nadia Hourihan, Lillian Crawford, Liam Hughes, and skipper Joseph Webber. Let’s crack on.

Joe Cooper took the first starter, buzzing early to identify the term default. Two bonuses on cave systems could have been a full house, had they not zagged with Cheddar when they should have zigged with Wookey Hole – which incidentally is the punchline to a very rude joke I once heard about Star Wars which I have no wish to repeat. William Tams knew that Cameroon was a German protectorate until 1916. The bonuses on sporting positions were a deceptively easy set which Durham were happy to take a full house from. Respect to Laim Hughes who very quickly worked out that in binary a 1 followed by 5 zeroes is equivalent to 32. Scientific memoirs brought Trinity a brace, but I’m a little surprised that cartilaginous fish didn’t make them think of sharks. Knowing about imehouse I was fairly quickly in with Chinatown for the next starter, but Joe Cooper eventually took it for Durham. Battles named after rivers gave Durham another rather gentle full house. A terrific UC special picture starter showed us Greenland, White Sea and Orange County, from which we could deduce the national flag of the Republic of Ireland. William Tam was first to work this out. More of the same – although harder clues, I felt, brought a very good two bonuses to Durham. This meant that by the ten minute mark Durham led by 90 – 20.

I’ve never knowingly heard of Chebyshev, but Liam Hughes had and that was enough for the next starter. Two bonus on a good set on artists who were also muses to other artists made their score look a little less anaemic. Nobody knew that the Knights Templar were founded in the 12^th century. Joseph Webber knew that Faure composed Pavane. JP announced bonuses on elements of the Periodic Table, so I put my trainers on in preparation. Both Trinity and I took a full house. By the time I returned, wheezing, to the much maligned Clark sofa neither team had been able to say that Fagus refers to Beech trees, and Trinity had lost 5. Nadia Hourihan was the first to recognise titles by Cormac McCarthy for the next starter. He must have written them before he became Roman Catholic Primate of England. The Architect Amanda Who – apologies, Amanda Levete – provided us both with 2 correct answers, and put Trinity in with the chance of taking the lead on the next set. Being mere youngsters, it took both teams a while to recognise the immortal Kylie Minogue version of The Locomotion (I believe she is a big fan of George Stephenson). It was Lillian Crawford who reached up to pick this particular piece of low hanging fruit. Three other artists or groups performing songs by Carole King brought them the two correct answers which took them into triple figures, and also the lead. I don’t think that I could even type out the mathematics starter which followed – but nobody knew the answer – affine transformation – anyway. William Tams came in early to identify the kingdom formed by Picts and Scots as Alba, and bring the teams level. Scientific terms offered little to me, but delivered me one bonus, and Durham one. I nearly awarded myself another lap of honour for guessing Thermoplastic for the next starter, but inertia won the day. Joseph Webber had that one. Two bonuses on a gettable set on Mrs. Gaskell were taken. So, teetering on the brink of the 20 minute mark, Trinity had reestablished a narrow lead of 120 – 110.

Anyone’s game, then. A great buzz from Liam Hughes to supply the term quincunx showed that Trinity meant business now. Bonuses on the town of Gainsborough earned a further bonus and brought us to the second picture starter. This showed the copy of a lost painting. To be honest, it was absolutely shouting out Brueghel, and I’m surprised that both teams sat on their buzzer before Lillian Crawford gave the correct answer. More paintings brought just the one bonus. Arthur Raffle pushed Durham closer to at least a shot at a repechage score by correctly identifyin the work of Robert ‘Gravy’ Browning. Films based on French Language Comics saw them edge 5 points closer. Again, a superfast buzz from Liam Hughes edged Trinity away, as he correctly gave the answer permutation to the next half completed starter. Chinese Emperors, and the years of their reigns, saw none of us get any correct answers. I’ll be honest, the work of Orlan has somehow passed me by all these years, but Nadia Hourihan knew her for the next starter, pretty much putting her team out of Durham’s reach. They took a couple of bonuses. As for Durham, well with 125 it was entirely conceivable they could win a repechage slot with just one more full house. That would involve winning a starter, though, which is exactly what Joe Cooper did, knowing that young Amy Tinkler won an Olympic medal in Gymnastics. With two bonuses and a total of 145 they now had at least a chance. Nadia Hourihan knew that Dun Laoghaire and Cobh were previously known as Kingstown and Queenstown. Recent winners of the Booker Prize showed us all 3 clean pairs of heels. I didn’t really understand the next Physics starter, but the answer, as supplied by Joseph Webber was excited. Biblical patriarchs were announced but the contest was gonged before the first question was completed. Trinity deservedly won by 200 – 145. Well played both teams – another very enjoyable contest.

Trinity’s win was more impressive considering Durham’s blitz start in the first few minutes – conceivably this Trinity team could play even better than they did here. Their conversion rate was 50%, but they won on the buzzer. As for Drham, well, they’re worth keeping an eye on as well. Should they reach the repechage stage an impressive bonus conversion rate of over 60% suggests that they could be a handful for another team.

Jeremy Paxman Watch

Nothing worthy of note here.

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

Cameroon ultimately derives its name from the Portuguese for River of Prawns

University Challenge Round One - Heat 7 - Jesus, Oxford v. Manchester

Jesus, Oxford v. Manchester

Good evening, dearly beloved. Look, I’m really sorry that I’ve been so tardy about posting reviews of the last two UC matches. It’s not much of an excuse, but I did start back at my school a couple of weeks ago, and while things have been going just fine, I just haven’t found time in my hectic schedule up to now.

So, then, a couple of weeks ago we had two of the teams you might expect to do well battling it out with each other. The Jesus team consisted of Lucy Clarke, James Cashman, Miranda Stevens and captain Matt Cook. Manchester were represented by Jack Rogers, Melissa Johnson, Adam Booth and skipper James Green.

Both James Cashman and I got the word mandate early from the first clue for the first starter. Films directed by Alfred Hitchcock provided one bonus. James Green struck back for his team, recognising that Generals January and February probably belonged to Russia. Eugene Ysaye – yes, Eugene Who? – might have provided LAM Towers with nul points, but Manchester knew enough to level the scores. A tricky starter on the periodic table saw me take a lap of honour – in fact I nearly did a double since I thought it was that good – for knowing that W only appears in the element Lawrencium, although it does symbolise another element – tungsten – in whose name it does not appear. Kudos to Jack Rogers for working that one out as well. Pairs of words differing only by the addition of the letter j  ape and jape for example – promised a full set, and indeed delivered one to all of us. Already we had reached the picture starter.We were shown a graph of the finishing positions of an English Premier League football club and asked which it was. Adam Booth answered with Arsenal, yet didn’t get a telling off for bad language from JP, who actually congratulated him on a correct answer. More of the same brought one bonus. James Green came in early to identify bated breath as a phrase which first appears in “The Merchant of Venice”. Blinking idiot also appears in that play, although I don’t know if that’s its first appearance. Test matches played by the West Indies were easy enough that I managed a full house, with Manchester getting just the one. So by the ten minute mark, Manchester led by 65 – 15. They had clearly had the better of the buzzing, however a certain profligacy with bonuses suggested that there was still a lot of this match to be played.

Adam Booth played with fire by hesitating for a moment or two before supplying a correct answer to the next starter – knowing that the Kelvin – K – is named after William Thompson. Biology did little for me, more importantly it did little for Manchester, either. The next starter was one of those where you had to wait and wait, until suddenly it became obvious, at the mention of the word Halcyon in this case. Melissa Johnson won that buzzer race. European History bonuses finally brought Manchester a full house. With Jesus College languishing on 15, I did wonder whether the dreaded Paxman encouragement would soon be on the way. Lucy Clarke forestalled this by buzzing early on the nest starter to identify Lucan as a favourite of the Emperor Nero. Till he disappeared to run a beach bar on Bali, that is. Bonuses on Serbia in World War I brought another 5 points. This was added to when Miranda Stevens buzzed in to correctly identify the stigma in a flower’s reproductive parts. This earned a set of bonuses on true flies, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, if I remember correctly. Jesus managed two bonuses, and this brought us to the music set. Now, I’m not familiar with the oeuvre of the performer Kesha, but Lucy Clarke is, since we hardly heard any of her distorted warblings – Kesha’s, not Lucy’s – before Lucy buzzed in with the correct answer. The song quotes the tune known as “Streets of Cairo”, which is often used as musical shorthand for an Arabian setting – three more of the same sort of thing brought two bonuses, one maybe a little controversial. I’ll say more about that after. Melissa Johnson unfurled the sails for her becalmed Manchester vessel, being first in to recognise a description of a Stegosaurus. The novels of Robert Harris brought a timely full house. Adam Booth took a flier on the next starter. To be fair, if you’re asked for an Italian scientist Galileo is always going to leave you in with a shout, but this time it lost five, because he didn’t invent the barometer. Jesus were unable to dredge up the name of Torricelli. I was a little surprise that the mention of Flatford Mill didn’t suggest The Haywain to any of the 8 contenders, but then again nobody knows everything. Matt Cook won the buzzer race to identify “First Man” from a number of clues. Bonuses on Physics brought 5 more points, taking them to 85 at the 20 minute mark. Manchester led with 120, but at least Jesus were now slinging buzzer, and matching Manchester blow for blow.

Now, be honest, when you heard the name Jubba in the next starter, how any of you involuntarily thought – The Hutt -? I did. It’s a river which, as Adam Booth answered, reaches the sea in Somalia. People in the Art world brought two bonuses. So to the second picture starter and a still from West Side Story. As I shouted this out, I added – more films based on plays by Shakespeare (which indeed turned out to be the subject of the bonuses) and correctly predicted Forbidden Planet as one of them, and Ran as another. Coming back to the starter, James Green took that one. I didn’t have 10 Things I hate About You and Taming of the Shrew, while Manchester took a full house. The Manchester skipper took a double, recognising a description of Glengarry Glen Ross. Electronics should have excluded me from answering, but I’m glad to say I managed 2. The Chi squared test saw Manchester lose five, allowing Miranda Stevens in for Jesus. Manchester were over the event horizon by now, but a repechage worthy score was possible. New York’s Chelsea Hotel gave them a fighting chance, delivering a full house. This was followed by a very good shout by Lucy Clarke identifying the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Poisonous plants found in the UK delivered a second full house, giving Jesus 8 correct answers in a row. Matt Cook gave Jesus a reasonable shout at a repechage slot, knowing some characters created by Evelyn Waugh. Bonuses on US Geography took Jesus to within a full house of an improbably draw. Lucy Clarke was very unlucky to incur an interruption penalty for being just a millisecond too early with an incorrect answer to the next starter. This was compounded when Melissa Johnson answered that the world’s oldest artificial sweetener is saccharine. The periodic table saw me rubbing my hands together, prematurely as it happened. The contest was gonged as JP read out the first question, with Manchester winning by 185 to 145.

Well played both teams. Not much to choose in bonus conversion rates – Manchester recovered after a bad start to post a rate just slightly above 50%, as did Jesus. If Manchester had emerged from their collective shell 5 minutes earlier, well they could even have won. As it is though, I think we’ll see them again. We’ll definitely see Manchester again, and rightly so.

Jeremy Paxman Watch

A slight flicker when Manchester suggested that a 1990 Test Match might have been switched to Buenos Aires, but there was no real effort at derision, I’m afraid. As for controversy corner – well, for the second musical bonus Jesus College offered They Must Be Giants instead of There Might Be Giants – as JP confirmed while still awarding the points. My opinion – and as usual, please feel free to disagree – is that they clearly knew the correct answer . . . however they didn’t actually SAY the correct answer. I know it’s very, very harsh. However, when you accept near misses, then you are opening a can of worms. It might not have made a difference to the outcome of this match, but it’s the sort of thing where five points might make the difference between a place in the repechage and going out.

Indignation came late from JP when neither team knew that the town of Navan is in the Republic of Ireland.

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

The first known appearance of the phrase ‘bated breath’ occurred in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”.

University Challenge Round One - Heat Six - Edinburgh v. Birkbeck, London

Edinburgh returned as reigning champs on Monday night, this year represented by Richard Moon, Adam McLaughlan, Isaac Stephens and captain Emma Williams. The first obstacle in their way to retaining their title came in the shape of Birkbeck, London, comprising of Rob Anderson, Rosemary Barnett, Ian Kernohan and captain Nooruddean Janmohamed. Nice to see an older team like this from time to time.

Both teams rather sat on their buzzers a little bit. I should imagine a number of people at home heard “Begun in 1173 as part of a cathedral complex” and shouted Leaning Tower of Pisa as I did. The whole question was complete as Richard Moon buzzed in with the correct answer. A set of bonuses on the term tragedy followed, although I was saddened to see that the work of the Bee Gees and Steps failed to feature. Edinburgh took the first two. Various clues led Rob Anderson to the word dip. American Presidents brought two bonuses to level the scores. For the next starter the old quiz chestnut heartburn came early in the question, but both teams again sat back for a while before Adam McLaughlan came in with the correct answer. Menmonic devices were none of the ones I knew, but Edinburgh knew the first, on operations in Mathematics. The next was one of those which suddenly becomes blindingly obvious at the end. Once Holman Hunt and Tennyson had been mentioned Adam McLaughan buzzed in with The Lady of Shalot. Ida Rubinstein – yes, Ida Who? – brought Edinburgh just the one correct answer. This meant that as we approached the 10 minute mark, Edinburgh led 50 – 20.

For the picture starter we had a stave with a single note. I was out with the washing on this, but Adam McLaughlan took his triple with that one. More of the same brought Edinburgh two bonuses, and my shouting random letters at the telly brought nowt. I knew that the birthplace of Elvis starts with TUP – but neither of the teams could work it out through that or the other clues. Asked for the two word name of the largest land animal in Britain, I reckon Richard Moon probably knew the correct answer, but he buzzed in and answered ‘stag’, which was never going to get him the points. This allowed skipper Nooruddean Janmohamed to drag Birkbeck back into the contest with the correct answer of red deer. Chemical elements discovered in Sweden had me running through the Ytterby quartet and holmium, but they didn’t surface, and both of us only got Lithium. Muddy Hill and pigsty Hill are apparently possible original meanings of the name Solihull, as Isaac Stephens knew. Anglo Saxon kingdoms announced JP. Yum yum, said I. Full house for me, and also for Edinburgh on a pretty gentle set. A gentle starter about quarter days was snapped up impressively quickly by Nooruddean Janmohamed, and philosophers born in Ireland took Birkbeck to a rather healthier 50 points, albeit rather controversially. More of that later. For the music starter Adam McLaughlan quickly recognised Simon and Garfunkel. Other artists reviewed in The New Yorker by Ellen Willis only brought one bonus, but Edinburgh were progressing towards a win, so it seemed. After Edinburgh failed to identify a wading bird, Nooruddean Janmohamed chanced his arm with curlew, and was right to do so. Gardening terminology seemed to be to Birkbeck’s collective liking, and they scored a timely full house to put the scores at 105 – 75, approaching the 20 minute mark, and to keep themselves in the contest.

Once again I wasn’t impressed by either team’s buzzing for the next starter. A variety of clues pointed towards willow, and it was only a second or two after Kenneth Grahame was mentioned that Richard Moon went correctly for his buzzer. The 1956 Olympic Games bonuses were easy if you know about the Olympics, but not questions you could pull an answer from thin air for if you don’t, and Edinburgh did not trouble the scorer on this set. I decided to take my lap of honour for knowing various types of diode, as did Adam McLauchlan – know it, that is. He stayed in his seat. Poets on railways brought just the one on a gettable set. Richard Moon was first in for the second picture starter to recgonise the work of Gauguin. Other paintings representing the three stages of life brought two bonuses, and as good as sealed the deal for Edinburgh, whose score was twice that of Birkbeck’s. After again being beaten to the buzzer, a wrong answer gave Birkbeck the chance to answer Simon Sebag Montefiore for the next starter. Bonuses on 18^th century Europe gave them two of an easy set, but a quizzer would probably have guessed thaler for the last one. Poor Ian Kernohan finally threw caution to the wind for the next starter, but came in too early and suffered the mortifying experience of hearing the answer he was going to give come out as part of the question. The answer to this rather convoluted thing was French horn. Nobody knew that carnations and pinks belong to the Dianthus family. Now, I guessed judging by the time of the composer’s death that the answer to the next starter would be Vaughan Williams, and Richard Moon did the same. Words added in 2018 to the US scrabble dictionary gave just time for one correct answer before the contest was gonged. Edinburgh won comfortably by 165 – 90.

“Birkbeck, you never really got a chance to get going and show us what you were made of.” Once again JP trotted this out, but he was wrong to do so. Birkbeck had more than a chance, but by the time they finally decided to start slinging some buzzer it was far too late. It’s a shame, because they answered about 2/3rds of the bonuses they were asked correctly, which is superior to Edinburgh who managed just over half. Edinburgh weren’t particularly fast on the buzzer either, but they were better than Birkbeck on it, and that’s what won them the game.

Jeremy Paxman Watch

On the elements bonuses, when there was no discussion from Birkbeck, JP kindly offered – You may confer if you’d like to, then paused for comic effect before adding – if any of you has a clue, in a tone which said, you don’t know and quit wasting my time.

This week’s controversy centred on a question to which the answer was Francis Hutcheson. Birkbeck answered Francis Hutchinson. JP made a point of correcting them, but still accepted the answer anyway. Look, I don’t want to be horrible, but if an answer is wrong, even if it’s close, then it’s wrong. Once you start accepting near misses, where do you draw the line?

For example – on one of the poetry bonuses, Edinburgh guessed that the poet was McGonagall rather than Robert Louis Stevenson. Funnily enough, he didn’t accept that one on the grounds that they were both Scottish.

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

Harry S. Truman never took off his glasses when swimming in the White House pool.

University Challenge - Round One - HEat Five - Wolfson, Cambridge v. St. John's , Oxford

Yes, Dearly Beloved, this brings us up to date with another Oxford v. Cambridge rumble. Wolfson, Cambridge won the series a few years ago, led by the estimable Eric Monkman. Hoping to emulate his team’s achievement were Tom Greig, Erin Spike, Tommy Lee and skipper Ryan-Rhys Griffiths. I noticed that JP did not try to imitate any former captain of St. John’s Oxford when he introduced them. They were Sam Burns, Isabella Morris, Arun Soor and their captain Asher Leeks. The head to head score so far in the series stood at 1 – 0 to Oxford, who also saw Magdalen progress a couple of weeks ago. All to play for for Wolfson, then.

The first starter was one of those which suddenly becomes blindingly obvious, and it was Sam Burns who was first in to recognise that “Becoming” was the best selling memoir of Michelle Obama. Song in the electronic age provided just the one bonus. Asher Leeks came in before the next starter became obvious, which allowed Wolfson to answer that the word being defined was spur. Tapestries proved too difficult for Wolfson, which left the scores level. I didn’t understand the next question, but Asher Leeks did and buzzed in with the correct answer of sulphuric acid. A hard set on SI base units provided just the one bonus, but took us up to the picture set. For the starter we saw a map of Africa with one country highlighted in red. Neither team recognised Liberia. Erin Spike knew that a crime of 1911 referred to in the next question was the theft of the Mona Lisa. This earned the picture bonuses, in the shape of other countries, like Liberia, which are the flag states of convenience for large amounts of the world’s shipping. This was not an easy set, and they failed to add to their score. All of which meant that the teams were tied on a modest 25 apiece after the first ten minutes.

Neither team knew the Aegir, the tidal bore on the Trent, but Tom Greig lost five for an incorrect interruption. This was compounded when skipper Ryan-Rhys Griffiths did the same for the next starter. St. John’s didn’t know the term rectification, and neither did I. Thankfully Arun Soor knew the next starter, that the 1979 revolution occurred in Iran. German rococo architecture didn’t sound at all promising, yet we both took a full house. Sa Burns knew the 2016 novel The Power, and the gap was widening between the two teams. Bonuses on pairs of words that differ only by the letters V and I at the start were a nice UC special set, which provided St. John’s with a further 10 points as we approached the music round. Now, I’m not a great devotee of classical music, but I was surprised when absolutely nobody on either team recognised Schubert’s Ave Maria. Not as surprised as Jeremy Paxman mind you. More on that later. Neither team knew that UNESCO had added reggae music to its list of types of music which added to our world heritage – can’t disagree with that. Sam Burns buzzed in early to identify the word fetish for the next starter. The music bonuses, then, were three more from Classic FM’s list of the most popular classical pieces for weddings. Unsurprisingly no points were scored from this set. Now when you hear the words ‘British leader’ and ‘Roman Invasion’ it’s only natural that the name Boudicca would spring to mind, as it did for Sam Burns. Who lost five for his pains. Well, if it ain’t her then it’s going to be Caractacus – whose harem have a habit of just passing by apparently. Finally, having been shut out for about 9 minutes, Tommy Lee took a starter for Wolfson with mockingbird, thus saving them from reaching the 20 minute mark with fewer points than they had scored by the 10 minute mark. At least one correct bonus on American cities meant that they had doubled their total with this visit to the table. They trailed by 70 – 30 at the 20 minute mark.

Okay, now if the question mentions a NASA lander, then it’s going to be Mars if it asks for the planet. Sam Burns took that to halt Wolfson’s mini revival. One bonus on Physics meant we were still some way from either team breaking into triple figures. A lovely UC special starter next saw both teams really fail to understand the question, which required the answers of Charles the Bold and Charles the Bald. It had been a long time coming, but I finally took my lap of honour for knowing that 100 million years before present would put us back into the Cretaceous. Sam Burns was closest with Jurassic. It was looking all too easy for St. John’s, who had time to dwell on the buzzer a moment before Asher Leeks identified that both golf clubs and tennis racquets have sweet spots. So do jammie dodgers, although you can’t hit balls very far with them. One bonus on Simones at last put St. John’s into trile figures. The second picture starter showed us Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’Herbe, which Erin Spike was first to recognise. Other pictures refused by the salon but exhibited in the 1863 salon des refuses failed to add more points to Wolfson’s total. Nobody knew that the last adjective in Paradise Lost is solitary. Not surprised. A really lovely UC special starter asked in terms of accession years, which element was equivalent to Edward VII. Neither team knew 1901 which would have given them Hydrogen. Arun Soor knew that if the question name checks William Morris, then the answer is probably Arts and Crafts. This brought up a set of bonuses on domesticated animals, of which St. John’s answered one correctly. That brought us to the gong, with St. John’s winning by 115 to 40.

What can I say? I don’t want to be mean or hurtful. In a way it’s a pity that this match up should follow some very good contests. But it did, and being objective, I have to echo JP’s words that St. John’s performance wasn’t much better than reasonable. Their bonus conversion rate was less than 50%. As for Wolfson, well, if they got more than 2 bonuses, I didn’t see them. I may be wrong, but that’s certainly the lowest scoring match I can remember since the BBC revival. Hopefully, it’s just a one off. If I were a member of the Bristol, Corpus Christi or York teams, I’d be cursing our bad luck that we didn’t get drawn against either of those teams in our first round match. That’s the way it goes.

Jeremy Paxman Watch

I’ll be honest, I didn’t think much of JPs Eric Monkman impression when introducing Wolfson.

On the crooners bonuses, the last question asked which former prime minister of his country had been described as a cruise ship crooner, not having a scooby St. John’s tried Kevin Rudd. “Kevin Rudd!” exclaimed JP in what sounded like the highest of dudgeons, “ I don’t even know if he can hold a note!” No, and neither did St. John’s which is possibly why they gave that reasonable answer, Jez.

I can more understand his reaction to neither team knowing Ave Maria, which he described as ‘lamentable’. A bit extreme, but at least I know where he’s coming from with that. Unsatisfied with leaving it at that, when St. John’s last wild stab in the dark at the third music bonuses was wrong, he spluttered, “No, it’s Bach! Jesu joy of Man’s Desiring – You  barbarians!” Alright, Jez, we got the point. Don’t milk it.

When Tom Greig suggested Robert the Bruce for King Caractacus JP favoured him with the most old fashioned of looks, and repeated the name with incredulity.

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

There is one ship registered for every 18 people in the Marshall islands.

University Challenge 2020 - Round One - Heat 4 - Birmingham v. Bristol

Yes folks, it was the battle of the Bs in heat 4, Birmingham and Bristol. Bristol did ask if I could meet up with them, have a chat and give them the dubious benefit of my experience, but sadly it was on just too short notice, and I couldn’t make it. Still, it did mean that I was hoping the team would do well. Aiming to prevent this from happening were Birmingham in the shape of Alex Milone, Izzy Lewis, Ben Sculfor and captain Zoe Bleything. For Bristol we had Ben Allen, Dan Hawkins, Ben Joynson and skipper Laura Denton.

Ben Allen struck first for Bristol knowing that The Testaments is the 2018 sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. Two word phrases containing a colour brought one bonus. Ben Sculfor recognised various definitions of the word backstop before we got to the most notorious one. This brought Birmingham 3 bonuses on chocolate, upon which they gorged themselves with a full house. A great quick buzz from Laura Denton saw her identify the person in question as one of the founders of the Science of Epidemiology. Pairs of words that differ only by the substitution of an e for a u or vice versa saw them take 2 out of a gettable set. A fine early buzz from Dan Hawkins saw him identify a set of capital cities on or near Lake Victoria. Ida Noddack – yes, Ida Who? – promised little, yet delivered me a lap of honour for knowing Rhenium. I didn’t have a scooby about the next one, but Bristol took a full house. So to the picture starter, and an unhelpful (to me) electron dot diagram. Ben Joynson knew that one, and three more of the same sort of thing provided a further ten points. All of which meant that slightly after the 10 minute mark Bristol led by 80 – 25.

Ben Allen buzzed too early for the next starter. When I heard introduced in 2018 and Football League I too thought VAR, but the words code of conduct showed that this was not the right answer. It was the Rooney rule, requiring clubs to interview at least one minority candidate for each coaching position. Birmingham couldn’t capitalise. Alex Milone knew that the other main variety of coffee apart from robusta is arabica, and the last three letters of it are ica. Fictional Hotels gave them one bonus. Ben Sculfor continued the Birmingham revival knowing that a given set of works were set in Nagasaki. A couple of bonuses on Australia meant that Birmingham could take the lead with the next set. Neither team knew the term thermolabile for the next starter. Me neither. A good interruption saw Dan Hawkins identify a couple of capitals of the Bulgarian Empire. Sporting achievements brought just the one bonus, but took us up to the music starter. Now look, if I’m asked for the composer of a symphony on UC, and I don’t have a scooby, I always answer Beethoven. Ben Allen zigged with Haydn, Izzy Lewis zagged with Beethoven, and she was right. Other classical works featuring prominently in Wes Anderson films didn’t help them at all, and they failed to identify any of them. Ben Sculfor knew the term substrate for the next starter, and two bonuses on events on various 10ths of December brought them to 85 points, just 5 behind Bristol. Once again, we had a contest where the outcome was unclear by the 20 minute mark.

Both teams were level after Dan Hawkins came in too early for the next starter, allowing Alex Milone in with Tom Wolfe – the Bonfire of the Vanities and the Right Stuff being the clinchers. One bonus on a tough set on Geology took them into triple figures. Given a reprieve through a wrong answer by Birmingham for the next starter, Laura Denton eventually dredged up Cape Wrath. It seemed a long time since Bristol had a correct answer, but two bonuses on rock bands gave them back a slender lead. For the second picture starter Dan Hawkins won the buzzer race to identify Sir Quentin Blake. 3 more children’s laureates provided a timely full set. Fair play to Ben Sculfor, though, he wasn’t giving anything up for Birmingham, and buzzed early to answer Hyperbolic Geometry. ( That’s the one about fantastic triangles and unbeatable angles, I presume). A terrific set on the chemical formulae of various – oses – brought a full house and a highly prized Paxman well done. Ben Allen squared the teams’ scores by coming in too early on the next starter, wanting the word seabed, but Birmingham couldn’t take advantage. Neither team could recall characters from The Old Curiosity Chop either for the next starter. Ben Allen came in early for the next starter, but was one year out, a death or glory charge which looked like it could end in death. Nobody knew that ergocalcipherol (who was one of the decepticons, I thought) was vitamin D2. Right, then. We were asked the last starter, and Ben Sculfor buzzed in just as the gong went. Which meant that his answer wouldn’t count anyway. So This gave Birmingham a win by 5.

Again, another contest that went down to the wire, which is what I’d prefer to see if I’m honest. Very bad luck to Bristol, but I just can’t see them coming back. Well done to Birmingham. Both teams had similar bonus conversion rates, with Bristol slightly the better, however at the end of the day it was the interruption penalties which did for them.

Jeremy Paxman Watch

I thought it was a bit mean insisting that Bristol gave the Christian name of the coach of the England Women’s netball team who won Commonwealth gold in 2018. But I would imagine that was a message in JP’s ear which insisted on that.

I think he had a bit of a downer on Bristol. When they realised that they didn’t know the band Metric and passed, he sneered sarcastically , “Thank you. Took a long time getting there, didn’t you.”

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

The Testaments is the 2018 sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale.

University Challenge 2020 - Round one heat three - Magdalen, Oxford v. York

In the previous heat we saw the first of this year’s Oxford colleges – Corpus Christi – take their place in the second round. Aiming to join them were Magdalen, in the shape of Dominic Brind, Josie Dallas, Harry Stratton and Captain Alex Hardwick. Aiming to prevent them from doing so were York, who were represented by Mickey Conn, Sophie Williams, David Eastham and skipper Sam McEwan.

Sophie Williams opened York’s account, recognising various definitions of the word graft. Books that had a profound effect on the creature in Shelley’s Frankenstein brought two good bonuses. Captain Alex Hardwick may well have known the answer to the next starter anyway, but any question which starts with the world championship of which game is always going to give you a decent chance if you answer chess. He still earned a well done from JP for it, which as we know is the UC equivalent of the Hollywood handshake. This brought 3 bonuses on Einstein. Now I’m sorry, but chances are I would have taken a lap of honour around the living room for knowing any of the answers. For knowing all three, though, I had to accompany it with a rousing rendition of that popular classic, Earwig O, as I did so. Thankfully Magdalen refrained from doing so when they also took a full house. Encouraged by his success, Alex Hardwick came in far too early for the next starter, allowing York a couple of moments to work out that the bone being referred to had to be called the axis. The year 1994 in video games proved very much to York’s collective liking, as they took their own full house. The only one I got was Donkey Kong, which I remember playing in a pub as early as 1983 – yes, dearly beloved, I was actually old enough to go into pubs in 1983. Given a list of leaders, Mickey Conn correctly took his second consecutive starter by recognising that two of the four countries alluded to were Gabon and Cameroon. Piano makers gave none of us anything in the first two questions, but we both despatched a very gentle underarm ball to the boundary knowing that a 97 key imperial grand has 9 more keys than a standard piano. For the picture starter we saw an erasure, or blackout poem. Basically you take the first page of a well known novel, and erase words to leave you with a poem of your own making. Told that this was from a 19^th century novel, Sophie Williams zigged with “Wuthering Heights” The word truth on the top line suggested “Pride and Pred” and indeed Harry Stratton gave the same answer. JP leapt up from his seat and slapped him across the head calling him a “Cocky Australian oik.” No he didn’t. Jusrt testing if you were paying attention. This earned bonuses with more of the same taken from 20^th century novels, and I thought that Magdalen did really well to get the first two – I only managed the first. So slightly past the 10 minute mark the scores stood at 60 – 40 in York’s favour.

Neither team could name an English monarch whose reign coincided with that of Suleiman the Magnificent, and Dominic Brind came in just a millisecond too early. Alex Hardwick was the first to recall that the creature slain at Delphi was the python, and this earned a set of bonuses on pairs of words – one of which was made by adding the letter J to the other, for example ape and jape. I usually think that you have to aim for a full house with this kind of set, and that’s exactly what Magdalen earned. Alex Hardwick certainly seemed to have the fastest buzzer finger at the moment as he took a second consecutive early buzz to correctly identify the definition of martial law. Incidentally, when I typed it in I accidentally put marital law. Freudian slip? Behave yourself. Prominent rulings of the US Supreme Court brought another full house, and Magdalen were now in the lead. The big clue about the short name of raphus cucullatus was that it was first sighted in the 16^th century by Portuguese sailors. David Eastham chanced his arm with dodo, and he was right to dodo so. The story of Little Red Riding Hood brought York their own full house, and meant that both teams were one set away from a triple figure score. Good match. For the music starter we were played a composition written for piano but played on a synthesizer. Alex Hardwick was the first to notice that this was Debussy. Three more pieces played on a synthesizer provided two correct answers. Josie Dallas was very quickly in to identify Serial as being Apple’s biggest selling podcast in 2014. No, me neither. Dwarf planets provided just the one bonus to any of us. Asking for an 18^th century furniture designer, Dominic Brind buzzed early and zigged correctly with Chippendale. Two bonuses on Fosse Way took their score to 140, which followed a five minute blitz during which Magdalen had completely shut out York, who languished on 85.

David Eastham got York moving again, knowing that if you throw two standard dice, excluding movements dictated by cards, the probability of landing on a railway station from Go in Monopoly is one in 9. Universities often known as UC provided a tricky set, with only The University of Canberra coming good for any of us. For the second picture starter Sophie Williams identified a still from The Twilight Zone – itself a specialist subject on the most recent heat of Mastermind. 3 more recent anthology TV series brought me nothing, but a full house to York. Consideirng the quality of both teams I was surprised that neither managed archetype from the definition that they were given for the next starter. David Eastham knew that the Wollaston medal is presented for achievements in Geology, and brought his team to within 5 points of Magdalen. Women bornin 1819, the same year as Queen Victoria (Gawd Bless ‘Er!)provided the one bonus to put the scores back on level pegging. Altogether now – squeaky bum time for both teams. Alex Hardwick played another captain’s innings, coming in early to identify a set of words all ending in – ling. Reptiles of the UK brought just a single bonus. However this meant that the next starter was crucial. If Magdalen could get it, then the chances were that there wasn’t enough time for York to come back. I took a flier on the next starter, thinking that the answer would be neutral, which is ph7. Harry Stratton confirmed I was right when he buzzed in to seal the deal for Magdalen. Classical music and German literature provided just one more bonus, but that was enough to ensure that York would need at least 2 visits to the table, and there was never going to be enough time for that. David Eastham had a go, though. He correctly identified the philosopher Zeno for the next starter, at which point the contest was gonged. Magdalen won by 170 to 150.

Well played Magdalen. Well played York – you deserve a place in the repechage round. Both teams had a bonus conversion rate of slightly more than 66%, which shows just how evenly matched they were. 3 games in, and no duffer teams yet. Let’s hope that this continues.

Jeremy Paxman Watch

Blimey, but the great man started early tonight. Harry Stratton, from Sydney, introduced himself with G’day, which caused JP to sneer – “Subtlety, such a great characteristic of Australia!” Jez, it’s not as if he stood on the desk doing a kangaroo impression and singing Waltzing Matilda, for heaven’s sake! Something must have rattled his cage earlier, because when Cam McEwan correctly answered the sorrows of young Werther, JP deliberately corrected his pronunciation from Werva to Vurta. Mind you, when the team selected The Faerie Queen as one of those books you put down and never pick up again he heartily agreed that it could have been, even though the correct answer was Paradise Lost.

Interesting Fact that I didn’t Already Know Of The Week

The Wollaston Medal is presented for achievements in Geology