Exeter's team with presenter Jeremy Paxman - image ITV Studios Ltd
New Year's University Challenge appearance for alumni team
A group of Exeter graduates took on peers from Glasgow in a special edition of University Challenge which was broadcast on BBC2 on New Year’s Eve.
The Christmas series, hosted by Jeremy Paxman, saw alumni and academics from several of the UK’s top universities or university colleges compete for the honour of becoming Series Champions.
Exeter’s team was led by author and television comedy writer John O’Farrell (English and Drama 1983), with Guardian feature writer John Crace (Politics 1979), Dr Martin Crewe, Director of Barnardo’s Scotland (Geology 1981, PhD Geology 1986) and Professor Christine Allison from the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University.
The episode included lots of light-hearted banter between Jeremy Paxman and the teams.
John O’Farrell – who at one point asked the host if he could “phone a friend” said:
“'I was proud to have been captain of the Exeter Alumni team and I'm only sorry we couldn't go on and win it for everyone at the University. Next time I will try responding to Jeremy Paxman like the politicians on Newsnight: 'With respect Jeremy, I don't think that's the question you should be asking me…'''
At the gong, the Exeter team lost to Glasgow 125-165. Glasgow, whose team was captained by Coast presenter Neil Oliver, went onto the next round. A team from New College Oxford was finally crowned Series Champions in the final against the University of East Anglia.
Date: 10 January 2013
