TV Review: University Challenge, BBC Two, Monday, 23 February, 8pm

By johnberesford on February 23rd, 2009 7 comments

There are no cash prizes, no eye on a future career in TV, no ‘Press The Red Button’ interactivity for viewers… hell, the presenter isn’t even particularly nice to the contestants. University Challenge (BBC Two, Monday, 23 February, 8pm) almost seems noble in its celebration of young people’s soft and supple brains. Of course, it’s not all strawberries and champers. The rub is, the minute you put young people on screen, they’re there to be yelled at in the most moo-brained of ways. Even though University Challenge and Shipwrecked are at different ends of the spectrum, they still share that thing that irritates and frightens us the most – youth. This year, University Challenge has been exceptional, in that, regardless of the winner, it’s all been about one person… and that’s Gail Trimble, the most impressive contestant in years. With the final just passed, what went on?

The 2009 final was set up to be a real battle royale. The University of Manchester and Corpus Christi College, Oxford, have been exceedingly good. The Manky have shown strength across the bench, while The Corpse have been the showcase for Trimble’s super-trivia-brain. As a result, Trimble has become something of a star and pin-up in certain quarters. It seems there’s a market for some kind of bookish Nuts photoshoot.

Weirdly, the smugness I wrote about when our Trimble first appeared on our screens soon vanished in later shows, not that a little fact like that stopped various national newspapers lifting chunks of my work in an attempt to make it look like some lifelong vendetta against clever people. Fact is, nothing will waver my view that she’s is a little smug at times, but by the same token, I’m clearly a wanker for making jokes at some poor sod’s expense.

So, to the final, which I now feel ingrained in somewhat. The pressure on all the contestants must have immense, but Trimble, now an accidental celebrity, it must have been tenfold. From the off, Trimble looked incredibly nervous. Manchester, went for the jugular and took the early points. If it makes any difference (which I’m sure it won’t), Manchester’s captain, Mr. Yeo gave an especially annoying and, dare I say it, smug performance. He’s a very clever chap… and I’ll be branded as jealous no doubt. Showing that I a) Haven’t learned my lesson and b) That I’m not sexist, our Yeo also possesses a face I could slap.

Anyway, our Trimble started slowly, looking nervous and unsure. I did wonder if the recent attention had somehow got to her. Mercifully, for the good of the competition, she found her groove and out tumbled the answers. It’s worth pointing out that the rest of the Corpus Christi team were involved much more. At the midway point, after Manchester streaked into the lead, Trimble’s Christi clawed it back to pretty much level the score. When kickings are dished out on the show, it’s kinda fun… but when the teams are matched, it’s genuinely thrilling.

From then on, the score went back-and-forth, and the tensioned climbed. You always know when the game is tense because Paxman talks faster than a Jewish wisecracker on speed. Roger Tilling was so excited that he sounded like he had his cock in his hand! Then, at the kill, Corpus Christi gnarled their teeth and started gobbling up the points. Trimble, easing into the thrill of the final, started to show why everyone’s been so bloody impressed all along.

Corpus Christi, a college of piss-all people up against Manchester, a university housing thousands and thousands, romped home. Once they woke up… and that’d be the whole team as opposed to merely Gail Trimble, of whom this competition has been hugely focused on, they really kicked on, annihilating the opposition. It made for a stupendous finale to a great series… leaving us with the question: Has their been a better University Challenge contestant than Gail Trimble? Even if there has, she’s certainly gone down in the show’s folklore.

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johnberesford

We was robbed!! And bloody Paxo couldn’t hide either his irritation when Corpus Christi ballsed up their first realistic chance to take the lead, or his delight when they eventually did. Partisan Southern jessie.
Jupe

Watched the finals today and have to confess that it was a real humdinger. For the first time in a show featuring Corpus Christi, it was not about ONE person but about the collective intelligence of 8 extremely competent contestants – if ever a quiz needed to be won by a proper team effort today was the day and it didn’t disappoint.

I’ve been following the Trimble controversy for the last 6 weeks and though I think I’ve read really almost all perspectives, I’m really happy for the other 3 in the CC team – I think they showed today that they had nothing to prove and for all that we know, they’re probably as smart as Trimble – after all the show does give Trimble the chance to answer most Qs as the captain – besides having the fastest finger does not mean you’re the most intelligent one ALWAYS..

I think I’ve rambled on enough now but congratulations to both teams for putting up a great show in the finals.
http://annawaits.blogspot.com annawaits

I *said* Corpus would benefit from humanities questions, and a whole flurry came at the end. Humph.
Anna – Partisan Northern jessie.
trimblefan

I was on the anti Trimble band wagon when I first caught sight of this walking encyclopaedia, but chose to sit down and think about why I felt like this. When it came down to it, I could not come up with one logical reason there was to be annoyed with her. Yes, I was jealous that she could answer the questions before they were finished while I was sitting there trying to figure out what the question was. Yes, I was jealous she had the confidence to ignore her team mates bonus answers and give the correct one instead (she did it last night in the final with “rhombus”). And yes, her hair flicking, smug smile annoyed me. But that came down to it, these were my own issues, not hers. She just happens to be one of the most intellegent people that I have ever seen. And why hate her for appearing to be smug or happy with her own success. Don’t we all love a good tops-off celebration by football players when they achieve success by scoring a goal? Or a good butt slap when our team scores tries on the rugby field? So why do we vilify someone for merely smiling when they answer an extremely difficult question correctly?

Having watched Trimble closely after last nights trophy presentation, it was picked up that while looking off into the ether while the trophy was being passed around, she still flicked her hair and pursed her lips in that “smug” smile. Did it occur to any of us that this might just be a habit she has picked up and didn’t realise she was doing it until the nation decided to bring her down to our petty level? I mean, she was doing it when she was standing there in her own little world. Come on, ease up on the woman. You may not have to love her, but has she really done anything that horrible to you that she deserves your hate?
Des Elmes

I’ve always liked Trimble, and have not been one bit unimpressed by her sheer brilliance on the buzzer. No less than 46 starters at an average of over nine a match… I certainly can’t recall a better UC contestant, and it’s worth bearing in mind that the questions these days are considerably more difficult than they were in Bamber Gascoigne’s time (and in the first few series of the Paxman Era, too).

I suppose it’s not all that surprising that she’s attracted so much media hype, not just because of her vast knowledge but also because she is a lady, and a good-looking one too. If a man like Ian Bayley from the Balliol Oxford 2000/1 side put in the performances she did, almost for sure he wouldn’t get so much attention – and quite likely not so much jealousy.

I’ve never found her to be one bit smug – if anything she looked quite shy at times, and embarrassed as she kept racking up starter after starter, especially in That Match against Exeter. And her early nerves in this final confirmed that she really is human. She didn’t ignore or devalue her team-mates’ contributions either.

Mind you, I wouldn’t have been totally surprised if Manchester had won – they were of a very similar calibre to Trimble and co, being lightning quick on the buzzers, fantastic on the bonuses, and consistent with the huge scores. And indeed, they got off to the better start, and kept responding whenever Corpus Christi fought back.

Even when Trimble had beaten off the nerves and got into the game, the home side continued to keep her and her crew trailing. IMHO, the turning point came four minutes from the end, when Yeo interrupted a starter and failed to get an answer out. He would otherwise have put his team over 50 points ahead, and they would have had one hand on the trophy.

Trimble and co immediately capitalised and then, largely due to her of course, proceeded to totally run away with it – in those four minutes, they scored 125 without reply. I was relieved and delighted when the gong went, since I did want them to do it – which had been looking increasingly unlikely until that late surge. It was very cruel luck for Manchester, though, after such a gutsy performance.

But Corpus Christi are extremely worthy winners, and I would go so far as to say thank you to Trimble, as well as well done and fair play to her, for her amazing performances and everything else she has provided in what has indeed been a brilliant series of UC. I certainly will never forget her, and I wish her the very best in the future too.
Lee

As a seasoned UC watcher that was definitely the best series and final I’ve ever seen. The Corpus vs. Manchester contest was awesone. It really can be thrilling to watch eight super-bright people duking it out to the finish in such a tense and close match, and no wonder Roger Tilling practically had an orgasm! Well done to all of them – Trimble, Yeo, Pertinez, Schwartzmann et al and every success in the future.
Des Elmes

Can’t believe the BBC and Granada have made what I feel is a cold-blooded decision to strip Corpus Christi of their crown…

Sam Kay obviously had hoped to continue his studies at Corpus Christi and only didn’t because funding fell through. He seems genuine in saying that he believed he was still eligible for the show, and I’m pretty sure that if he knew he wasn’t, or wasn’t going to be, he would have promptly taken himself off the team. I mean, it’s not as if he cheated in any way, because he didn’t – it was just a simple misunderstanding.

People who say that it feels as if Corpus Christi have lost their title on a technicality – well, I’d say that they HAVE lost their title on a technicality. Certainly the Manchester team are not happy about taking the crown in this way, and their fellow students aren’t all that pleased about it either – one of them said that the university is only going to be remembered for becoming champions because the other team cheated. I’d say they too feel that Trimble and Co are not cheats.

If I had had to punish Corpus Christi in any way for what I feel is just a little violation of a rather silly rule, I’d have barred them from entering the next few series, and made the rule that bit more stringent, but I certainly would not have stripped them of their title.

I think they should get that title back, and I’d like to see them appeal this rather rash decision by the Beeb and Granada. But if nothing is going to come of it, I certainly won’t be watching University Challenge in the future, and I’m sure a lot of other people will do the same…