Manchester through to final 16 of University Challenge

The University of Manchester is through to the next round of the BBC’s University Challenge after defeating the University of East London on the programme last week.

This year UoM is represented by PhD students Alex Antao, Georgia Lynott, and Joe Hanson. Their team captain is James Ross, a masters student from Coventry. The team has an average age of 26.

The University of Manchester has previously won the competition 4 times and are tied with Magdalen College, Oxford, for the highest number of wins. Host Jeremy Paxman referred to them as having a “formidable reputation” in the University Challenge competition.

UoM won the competition in 2006, 2012, 2013, and controversially in 2009 when Corpus Christi, Oxford were disqualified after beating Manchester in the final.

Research Information Analyst Stephen Pearson has been organising the University of Manchester team since 1997.

On Wednesday the 7th November, there will be a session taking place for University of Manchester students who wish to join the University Challenge team in 2019. It will be held at the Rutherford Lecture Theatre in the Schuster Building.

The first stage is comprised of a written test made up of 100 general knowledge questions, followed by a test of speed in which students answer questions using a buzzer in University Challenge format.

University Challenge airs annually and has been broadcast on the BBC since 1994. Recorded in Salford, there are typically 37 episodes per season.