Week four of University Challenge 2007 last night, and it was Birmingham versus St Andrews. The Scottish university clearly wanted to make a bit of a splash in this year’s competition, with all four of the students wearing the traditional bright red gowns.

Paxman warmed us up with his usual anecdotes and trivia about the two competing institutions, letting us know that St Andrews’ gowns of vivid scarlet were first introduced to help deter students from attending brothels and other places of ill repute. The dazzling shade of the gown would make the wearer quite incongruous and easy to spot. This little tit-bit tickled the funny bone of the audience before the serious action began.

And so onto the teams…

Birmingham
Miconi – studying Computer Science. From France.
Lee – studying for a PhD in Law. From Singapore. Rarely looked up from the desk.
Stevens (captain) – studying Medicine. From Essex – spot the odd one out! Though I appreciate that all washed-up crusties like myself come to say this almost hourly when referring to anyone without a walking stick or dentures, but I have to admit I was surprised by how incredibly young and fresh-faced Stevens looked. He could have been 13, 14, maybe on an accelerated learning scheme like Doogie Howser. Yes, he had the obligatory emo striped jumper on, as if to prove his cool, student status, but he was by the far the youngest looking contestant this series.
Goodwin – studying Politics. He had a very pained expression on his face throughout, as though asked the square root of 731 or the real age of Cliff Richard. He took the game very seriously and the frown demonstrated his commitment and concentration throughout. In contrast to the wide-eyed, innocent look of Stevens, Goodwin could easily fit in in a Guy Richie movie.

St Andrews
Jackson-Williams – studying Medieval History and English. Aahh – a double-barrelled surname, how very University Challenge. J-W wore a bow-tie, which combined with the red gown made him look more like a Professor than a student. His eyes darted around continuously as though searching his (very impressive) brain for the answers. The strongest contestant in this round by a country mile.
Larter – studying Medieval History (really? Two students studying the same subject?) Larter, the only female in either team, looked very laid-back and relaxed throughout as if to say “just bring it Paxman”.
Cochran (captain) – studying Economics and International Relations. Very earnest.
MacGregor – studying Maths.

Jackson-Williams helped St Andrews take the lead by correctly answering the first three starter for tens, and with that strong push, St Andrews were on their way. They racked up the points, in a solid if not spectacular way, with Birmingham very slow to get into gear. In fact, they hit minus figures before they began scoring with Goodwin scoring their first points 10 minutes into the contest.

Questions included pan pipe versions of number one hit singles, of which all three were correctly identified by St Andrews, increasing their score to 115 against Birmingham’s 50 at the half-way stage. One of the difficulties experienced by Birmingham seemed to be their inability to answer the three questions provided with every starter for ten. They could do the first bit, but would fall over when it was just them. Stevens remained calm and polite throughout, repeatedly apologising and saying “sorry, we don’t know” with every missed opportunity. When asked to identify international football grounds, Birmingham laboured for a long while with the new Wembley. When Stevens hesitatingly answered, Paxman, affected by Birmingham’s indecision, commented on the team being “charmingly unworldly.”

Goodwin scored some unlikely points late on (including recognising the names of the Railway Children), but with their poor start, the fight back proved too hard for Birmingham. They lost to St Andrews with the final scores 145 to 200. Miconi held his face in his hands on the final gong (in truth, he hadn’t done much to prevent the defeat), while Paxman tried to comfort them with talk of possibly returning as a highest loser.

I still hope that some stronger teams break through, as many of the teams that Paxman has tried to console in this manner haven’t really impressed enough to deserve a second chance. That said, if St Andrews are going to progress much further, they need more than just their gowns, as Jackson-Williams can’t do it all by himself.

Week 3: Liverpool lost to Leeds
Week 2: Magdalen lost to SOAS
Week 1: Lancaster lost to Nottingham