University Challenge - the final is tonight !

[percy toboggan]

Corpus Christi Cambridge v. Manchester.BBC 2 - 8-00pm
This promises to be a clash of the Titans.

Gail Trimble the skipper of C.C. has been villified on internet message boards, insulted and lampooned because she is brilliant at answering questions !
What does this say about the numpties who take umbridge at Oxbridge?

Sure many of us were pre-ordained not to go there but this should not debar us from an appreciaiton of well read, intelligent boffin like creatures such as Gail. She is lightning quick on the buzzer. Manchester will give CC a good run for their money tonight but Trimble will not tremble and I'm sorry to say she'll probably give the Cambridge team the edge.

So...why not tune in tonight? The questions have been much harder this series (according to Paxman) and my personal average of 10% correctomundo answers has been decimated....much to the entertainment of Mrs.T.

I shall post my score publicly and hope others do the same. Speed counts. If they answer before you then you get nowt.

[helenwyler]

I shall be watching, as ever.

Don't fancy your chances much though, percy...it's Corpus Christi, Oxford lol!

Shame, as your no doubt deliberate misspelling of 'umbridge' was witty ;).

[Valerie Campbell]

We await the starter for 10...

[joxville]

I shall watch it as usual but I'm the same as percy in the scoring stakes. I rarely get the correct answer but never keep track. I'll keep a scorepad handy tonight but expect it to be single figure score. :)

[bekisman]

Well Done Oxford!!

[sweetpea]

I would have been watching but my sky went off last night and got no other arial:( I'm listening to Bob Dylan on the radio via laptop, no choice. Only one engineer up here.

[brokencross]

Watched and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thought Manchester had it won until the Paxman said 4 minutes to go. This 4 minute warning did something to Oxford and they certainly romped home in style.
The announcer chappy was getting awfully excited in that last spell; latterly during the "starter for 10" bit he was screeching out "TrimbleCorpusChristi" so fast it was almost unintelligible.

[percy toboggan]

Of course it was Oxford...any numpty will tell you that?
Apart from me of course...must have been the alliteration that lulled me into
my faux pah.

It was a great final. I managed four starters and fourteen bonuses before any of 'em answered. Not bad for one is who is universally challenged and frankly can't spell umbridge - apparently.

(not deliberate Helen but you're right - it was witty) he added smugly.

[joxville]

You did slightly better than me percy. I managed four starters and eight bonuses.

[scorrie]

You did slightly better than me percy. I managed four starters and eight bonuses.

I managed seven starters, but that was in the local Chinese restaurant. ;)

[daviddd]

great contest, and I didn't get many right (:<)

[percy toboggan]

I'm not sure which is the most pathetic - Gail Trimble getting hate mail for being clever, or me jotting down my scores in magic marker on the back of an auld envelope!

I'm sure someone will fill me in.


(it's bound to happen one day)

[Venture]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1158162/BBC-probes-claims-winning-University-Challenge-team-included-ringer.html

Seems like a re-match might be on the cards due to some "cheating". ;)

[percy toboggan]

What has the world come to?

Paxman must be having a fit of the vapours and Bamber Gascoigne would be spinning in his grave...if only he were dead.

[Mister Squiggle]

Bloomin' 'eck! Just saw the bit on BBC News about the possibility of a "plant" in the Corpus Christi team - I thought it was a bit of a false rumour but it seems its quite serious. You couldn't make it up if you tried. :eek:

They're talking about stripping Corpus of the trophy. The shame! Will they flog them with birches and parade them around the quadrangle whilst the whole college pelts them with tomatoes? I thought there was something a little sinister about that lad on the left ...

Nothing sad about noting down scores in magic marker, Percy. We get pretty competitive around these parts on a Monday night and whilst it hasn't come to blows between me and the husband, we've had our tense moments of sniping about who buzzed in first. The kids think we're insane.

[Melancholy Man]

Three cheers, hip-hip hooray! Hip-hip hooray! Hip-hip hoo... oh, blast...

[percy toboggan]

A nice little cartoon in the Guardian (I think) today - or was it The Times...
anyway the four 'students' saat in their chairs and big desk thingy bore the team name...

..'Corpus Shifti'

Well, I thought it was funny.
Maybe it's the way I tell 'em.

p.s. I feel sorry for Ms.Trimble but...she'll be okay