Apologies to all TV Scoopers for the delay in getting this to you (pesky illness), but never fear, for round 12 of University Challenge has not gone unnoticed. Oh no – in fact, Monday night’s half hour of competing clever-clogs saw a very impressive team flex their grey matter and impress host Jeremy Paxman. Yes, he of the irritated frown and steady scolding was genuinely awed by either the students from the University of Manchester or the University of Newcastle. But which one was it? Read on to find out.

In the introduction for Manchester, we learned that the Northwestern institution hosted creative writing classes by famed writer Martin Amis, while Newcastle was attended by Rowan Atkinson and Kate Adie. I wonder if they mention the same lists of alumni every year a particular university is featured on the show. But back to the competition and that notable display.

University of Manchester (all mature students)
Read – studying for a PhD in Translation Studies
Thompson – studying for an MSc in Medical Egyptology (what?) A strong candidate with a pained look on his face that rattled Paxman.
O’Leary (captain) – studying for a PhD in Stem Cells Gene Therapy. A good captain that tried to keep her team’s deliberating to a minimum.
Furlong – studying Architecture. Looked like a serious Mod and helped the team score well on a round on punk music.

University of Newcastle (not so mature, in fact they were all positively baby-faced. A fact emphasised by their all wearing the official hoodie top of Newcastle)
Codling – studying Medicine
Archibald – studying Dentistry. His side’s best member.
Spiller(captain) – studying Accounting and Finance
Clegg – studying History and Politics

Manchester scored the first points and launched into a convincing lead. Thompson proved strong on a round on the novel Moby Dick and soon they were leaving Newcastle in their wake. After ten minutes, they had secured an impressive tally of 95 points while Newcastle were still yet to score. However like last week, Paxman looked to galvanise the seemingly crushed opposition, and bizarrely like last week, they responded. Archibald correctly identified the logo of the Portuguese football association and with that Newcastle were in the game.

Spiller performed well with a piece of classical music and after fifteen minutes the scores were much healthier at 95 to 55. Paxman was keen to preserve this tightness and tension, commenting that “the scores are pretty close.” This observation rallied Manchester and after scoring well on a punk music round they regained the margin of comfort earned earlier in the round.

Paxman seemed put-out by Thompson’s habitual expression of anguish on correctly answering a question, chiding “you always give your answer as though they are incredibly stupid questions.” Manchester continued to rack up the points and after a high-scoring round on train stations, their lead hit the hundred point barrier. Spiller answered correctly on a picture round on oriental board games but his team failed to benefit further, wrongly answering each subsequent question.

The tie became increasingly frustrating for Newcastle and when presented with a question they were unsure of, all four members would often sit in silence, too bamboozled to even confer or debate. In contrast, Manchester were full of ideas and often audibly argued the answers between themselves. They didn’t do well from a round on FA Cup Finals but their lead was assured.

With five minutes to go, Manchester had amassed over 200 points compared to the 85 totalled by Newcastle. Again Thompson’s countenance upset Paxman, leading the host to repeat his sarcastic apology: “I’m sorry these questions are so easy.” Archibald scored a round but Newcastle had long since conceded defeat and when the final gong sounded they had been comprehensively trounced 260 to 105.

Paxman sympathised with the fresh-faced youngsters of Newcastle, believing them to be “a bit unlucky”, but was very complimentary about this round’s convincing winners Manchester, praising them as “formidable and terrific.” He believed that they would progress well throughout the competition and after their demolition job on their Northeastern counter-parts, he could be right.

Week 11: Jesus, Cambridge lost to Exeter
Week 10: Durham lost to St Edmund Hall, Oxford
Week 9: Bangor lost to Edinburgh
Week 8: Pembroke, Cambridge lost to Worcester, Oxford
Week 7: Lucy Cavendish, Cambridge lost to Warwick
Week 6: Central Lancashire lost to Sheffield
Week 5: St Cross, Oxford lost to Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Week 4: Birmingham lost to St Andrews
Week 3: Liverpool lost to Leeds
Week 2: Magdalen lost to SOAS
Week 1: Lancaster lost to Nottingham