Imperial wins University Challenge

During the Jeremy Paxman era of the popular and intellectual UK quiz show University Challenge, Imperial teams have fared well, becoming series champions twice and runners up once. Along with Magdalen College Oxford, Imperial is one of only two institutions to have won more than one series, and is one of only five non-Oxbridge Colleges in the UK to have won at all.

Image-6

In 1996, captain Mark Pallen (PhD Biochemistry 1997), along with team mates Jim Totty (MSc Physics 1992, PhD 1996), Nick Bradshaw (PhD Electrical Engineering 1996) and Chris Harrison (MSc Computing 1996) stormed to victory, beating LSE in the final 275 to 220. 

Five years later, the 2001 team (pictured here) became the second Imperial team to become series champions, defeating St John's College, Oxford, by 250 to 195. The team, captain Gavin Estcourt (MSc Computing 2000), John Douglas (PhD Civil Engineering 2001), Siegfried Hodgson (Computing 2001), and Alexander Campbell (Science Communication 2000) received the trophy from Poet Laureate Andrew Motion. 

The following year, the Imperial team again reached the series final, but was beaten in a close match by Somerville College, Oxford. Despite its defeat, the team was sent a bottle of champagne by host Jeremy Paxman, who described its final performance as both catastrophic and courageous.