Liverpool and Leeds Universities are set to represent the North in a festive special series of University Challenge, starting on BBC Two on Monday 18 December.
Amol Rajan will again be asking the questions in the special edition of the quiz show, which will also feature four teams from London (boo) and two from Scotland alongside teams from Middlesex, Oxford, Bangor and East Anglia Universities.
The Christmas series will feature distinguished alumni from the universities showcasing their intellectual mettle. Journalists (clearly my, and Manchester University’s, invite is stuck in the Christmas post with the Chanel one), TV presenters, politicians, sportspeople and academics will all feature in the festive face-off.
Leeds’ team includes Claire Cashmore, swimmer and Paralympic Gold winner; Kunle Barker, property expert, broadcaster and writer; Kenton Cool, climber and mountain guide, and Mike Begon, Professor of Ecology at the University of Liverpool.
Begon’s employer, meanwhile, lines up with musician Ian Ritchie; Joyce Tyldesley, archaeologist, Egyptologist, professor at the University of Manchester and broadcaster; Ann Limb, educationalist, business leader, philanthropist and first female chair of the Scout Association, and Jim Woodcock, computer scientist, Anniversary Professor of Software Engineering at the University of York and editor-in-chief of Formal Aspects of Computing.
In a potentially intriguing case of conflicting loyalties, Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell will be shooting the show on home turf, but lining up for King’s College London.
Rajan says: “The holiday season is the perfect time to celebrate not only the joy of the season but also the brilliance of the minds that have emerged from these esteemed institutions. The University Challenge Christmas Series is a unique blend of festive cheer and intellectual competition, I can’t wait for viewers to join us. I’m also thrilled to report that after much excitable feedback on social media, the new black chair in which I sit is proportionately lower. Never let is be said that we fail to respond to our beloved national community of quizzers.”
Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment commissioning at the BBC, added: “I’m delighted that viewers get to enjoy another year of University Challenge’s festive fun with Amol Rajan. Get ready for a merry collision of wit and wisdom as our teams battle it out.”
University Challenge Christmas (10 x 30) is produced by Lifted Entertainment, part of ITV Studios, and is produced in association with Richard Reid for the College Bowl Company. It was commissioned for BBC Two and iPlayer by BBC head of entertainment commissioning Kalpna Patel-Knight. The commissioning editor for entertainment is Suzanne McManus. The executive producer for Lifted Entertainment is Peter Gwyn, and the series producer is Clare Parody.
University Challenge shoots on its new purpose-built set at MediaCityUK’s dock10, completed earlier this year, and has been produced in the North West for over sixty years.
