'University Challenged 2016/17: Volume Thirteen (07.11.16)


While much of the hype online (and on Twitter particularly) was regarding the sudden death neck-and-neck end to tonight’s episode of University Challenge, I was far more struck by the return of Team Edinburgh; particularly its male contingent.

As I said in my final tweet tonight, they looked like they could have a sideline as a prog rock band, particularly with Boyle’s striking resemblance to the well-known blues and soul bass player Duck Dunn. No self-respecting adult in 2016 should have his or Dale’s facial hair. This game show is just about the only place these sort of people turn up.

See below for my Twitter ramblings about University Challenge tonight; they’re not big, nor are they clever.

Open University Vs. Edinburgh (07.11.16)

8:01pm: Jeremy Paxman sees every episode of #UniversityChallenge as a contractual obligation.

8:02pm: "Hi, I'm Rob Mitchell, and I have fifteen corpses in my garage."

8:02pm: All the men in Edinburgh: for fuck's sake.

8:03pm: Dale and Boyle's facial hair is interchangeable. You can remove it from their faces and stick it on Smith.

8:04pm: Edinburgh's Smith looks like one of The Proclaimers crossed with Sting.

8:05pm: Jeremy Paxman: a barrel of laughs.

8:07pm: Every member of the Open University: "Their joints creak".

8:09pm: I'd like to cast Edinburgh's Boyle as the male lead in the musical Hair.

8:11pm: Dress Dale in a black turtleneck & put him in a 1950s coffee shop / in a band on John Thomson's Jazz Club. "Great".

8:20pm: "Benjamin Britten (cough) BENJAMIN BRITTEN" "Benjamin Britten (cough) BENJAMIN BRITTEN" Repeat til fade.

8:21pm: Dale, Smith, Benjamin. Gimps.

8:22pm: "Gamma, gamma, gamma, gamma, gamma chameleon."

8:23pm: Let's crowdfund some eyebrows for Crawford.

8:26pm: Boyle.



8:27pm: "Open Mitchell." Roger Tilling masquerading as a surgeon in an operating theatre.

8:29pm: In their spare time, Edinburgh play prog.

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