University Challenge

[Nick Armstrong]

Oh dear... contemporary of JS Bach born in Magdeburg... A: Vaughan Williams.

I know it’s tough under pressure, but that one made me blink...

[gurnemanz]

Oh dear... contemporary of JS Bach born in Magdeburg... A: Vaughan Williams.

I know it’s tough under pressure, but that one made me blink...

Hard to to see how you could plump for VW even guessing wildly and with minimal knowledge of classical music.

[Bella Kemp]

And alas, the other team made an intelligent, and very nearly correct guess, with Handel, but the team that stated RVW won the contest. I always hate that. I always choose my favourite team from the one that proves most knowledgeable in the Arts. I wonder if anyone else does this?

[Leinster Lass]

Oh dear... contemporary of JS Bach born in Magdeburg... A: Vaughan Williams.

I know it’s tough under pressure, but that one made me blink...

To be fair, Down Ampney does have a few letters in common with Mageburg ....
Although I haven't carried out a precise calculation, I would say this latest episode would have run for about 10 minutes if they'd edited out all the team discussions that preceded the majority of answers to bonus questions.

[LezLee]

And alas, the other team made an intelligent, and very nearly correct guess, with Handel, but the team that stated RVW won the contest. I always hate that. I always choose my favourite team from the one that proves most knowledgeable in the Arts. I wonder if anyone else does this?

Yes, I do!

[gurnemanz]

And alas, the other team made an intelligent, and very nearly correct guess, with Handel, but the team that stated RVW won the contest. I always hate that. I always choose my favourite team from the one that proves most knowledgeable in the Arts. I wonder if anyone else does this?

That is certainly one of my criteria when choosing allegiance - also any team with some sort of gender balance, any non-Oxbridge team, and, of course, any university I attended myself, eg Durham. So last night Durham covered all categories and apart form the VW aberration, they were pretty knowledgable in an excitingly close contest.

[vinteuil]

That is certainly one of my criteria when choosing allegiance ...

... I think our criteria are -

. swiftness in replying (those who faff around on bonus questions definitely not approved of)

. unexpectedly wide range of knowledge (eg Wang and Brandon last year)

. it helps if at least some of the team (male or female) are pretty. (We're shallow here... )

. we don't really mind if it's not an Oxford college - we're quite broad minded. (Also Mme v went to York anyway.)








.

[Historian]

Oh dear... contemporary of JS Bach born in Magdeburg... A: Vaughan Williams.

I know it’s tough under pressure, but that one made me blink...

I think she was trying to use the TWV reference made by Paxo.

Incidentally, the losing team might have got closer if they had listened to the question more carefully. Not the first time it's happened: I know they are under pressure, but still pretty essential. I was sorry to see them lose, they seemed to enjoy themselves particularly their captain. However, a very good match in the end.

[Nick Armstrong]

I think she was trying to use the TWV reference made by Paxo.

Oh that’s a good thought, that might explain it.

[Leinster Lass]

Oh that’s a good thought, that might explain it.

I thought that 'TWV' might have led somebody to replace the Bach in 'BWV' with a composer from the Baroque era whose surname began with T....

[Bryn]

I thought that 'TWV' might have led somebody to replace the Bach in 'BWV' with a composer from the Baroque era whose surname began with T....

Tell that to the man.

[Serial_Apologist]

Tell that to the man.

The telly man. Aha!

[gradus]

Does anyone here count the number of correct and wrong answers they shout at the TV. I'm not suggesting a competition but in my case I failed almost all of this week's questions - Tellers excepted - whereas on other weeks I occasionally hit a lucky streak when there is less science/maths in the mix.

[Nick Armstrong]

Does anyone here count the number of correct and wrong answers they shout at the TV. I'm not suggesting a competition but in my case I failed almost all of this week's questions - Tellers excepted - whereas on other weeks I occasionally hit a lucky streak when there is less science/maths in the mix.

Yes. I have a loose rivalry with another occasional forumite, totting up our respective personal points - in the days when that was possible, sitting in the same room in which case fastest on the trigger is a factor too (last Christmas holidays we had a session watching 9 recorded episodes back-to-back... ). I still keep a note of my score each week. This week was a rather lowly 65 I can usually get near to 100. (I think my personal best was 145)...

[agingjb]

I wouldn't do too well against the students, although I'm pleased when I do know something that defeats all eight of them.

But some of this year's Christmas series has been extremely poor. I honestly believe that even I would have a chance on my own against the teams from the last two programs. Some of you here would wipe them out.

These people are presented, at length, as being successful, deserving some sort of (presumably well rewarded) eminence. I have to wonder at what this implies.

I suppose the acceptable term for general ignorance is now "differently informed". But do we really expect it among the Great and the Good, whose achievements are so tediously presented at the start of each program.