University Challenge

[Richard Tarleton]

Another desperately one-sided contest, would have been more so but for the redoubtable Mr Roberts fielding the nerdy starters. Ms McKeown seemed to have the gurning under control this week, though they were hardly under enough stress to warrant any.

On the bright side, I think we had one of Cali's favourite pieces of music as the music starter

[Nick Armstrong]

Another desperately one-sided contest, would have been more so but for the redoubtable Mr Roberts fielding the nerdy starters. Ms McKeown seemed to have the gurning under control this week, though they were hardly under enough stress to warrant any.

On the bright side, I think we had one of Cali's favourite pieces of music as the music starter

At least my.... affection for the piece enabled me to get it. One of my favourite composers as the third 5-pointer too - didn't get that, I'm pleased to say

[gurnemanz]

Just watched replay. Cambridge v Cambridge somehow makes for a less intersting contest also only one woman involved which also detracts.

[BBMmk2]

Makes me wonder sometimes, how clueless these students are when it comes to classical music!

[ardcarp]

Just watched replay. Cambridge v Cambridge somehow makes for a less intersting contest also only one woman involved which also detracts.

Yes, only one. Not sure if positive discrimination is ever practised when choosing a team...but in the case of SJC, she was pretty darn good, gurning or not!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Another desperately one-sided contest, would have been more so but for the redoubtable Mr Roberts fielding the nerdy starters.

Payback time for Corpus, who (IIRC) won by an equally convincing "margin" in the first rounds. I was expecting them to do much better based on that, but, as you say, Mr Roberts was the only team member still on form.

Ms McKeown seemed to have the gurning under control this week, though they were hardly under enough stress to warrant any.

- my heart sank when I saw she was on one of the teams, but she eliminated the gurning and (more to the point, of course) was in astonishingly good form.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Makes me wonder sometimes, how clueless these students are when it comes to classical music!

Well, yes: and some unimpressive answers to the Art questions, too - but then if the roles were ever reversed, they'd despair at some of my attempts at answering the Science questions (on the few occasions where I understand what the words in the question actually mean, that is).

And some impressive knowledge of Poetry from the aforementioned Ms McKeown.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Spoiler Alert

Is it just my instinct for puns, but did Paxo conclude the programme this evening by saying "Well done, Ulster - you Stormonto the next round"?!

[Richard Tarleton]

Didn't take that in! A close contest - I'm delighted they won. They won't win the series (I predict), but I'm delighted they're still in the contest. A multi-campus university - Belfast, Coleraine, Jordanstown and Magee.

[Richard Tarleton]

11 music-related questions last night, a breeze for Mr Bowes of the Bristol team. I guessed Colonel Gadaffi....

I liked Paxo's comment after the Order of Precedence question (Archbish of C following the Queen) - "What a country we live in!" Quite . I take it he was referring to the answer, rather than the team's entertaining guesses - the Speaker

[BBMmk2]

11 music-related questions last night, a breeze for Mr Bowes of the Bristol team. I guessed Colonel Gadaffi....

I liked Paxo's comment after the Order of Precedence question (Archbish of C following the Queen) - "What a country we live in!" Quite . I take it he was referring to the answer, rather than the team's entertaining guesses - the Speaker

Yes, well pretty standard ones, as well. I am glad that Bristol won, last night. As Jeremy Paxman said, it was just as well Bristol had a musician on the team.
Also, the answers to the next senior member to the Royal Family. The Speaker of the House of commons?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

11 music-related questions last night, a breeze for Mr Bowes of the Bristol team.

Indeed - but, rather surprisingly, he seemed to struggle identifying "Jupiter" from The Planets and needed Ms Biggs's "prompting".


So he doesn't listen to Essential Classics, either!

[gurnemanz]

A nit picker writes: A pity Paxo couldn't get the stress on the right syllable in "Kapellmeister".

[ardcarp]

He deserves to be nit-picked.

[Nick Armstrong]

11 music-related questions last night, a breeze for Mr Bowes of the Bristol team. I guessed Colonel Gadaffi....

So did I. Bowes was especially rapid with Purcell, robbing me of the chance to identify it. (Nevertheless, I got 135 on the night, a personal best score... )