JAILBREAK 2013: LIVE

Stay tuned with us as Jailbreak 2013 draws to a close.

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Welcome to our RAG Jailbreak day 2 coverage.

Follow the teams’ progress on the map below, and find out who’s where by clicking on the team names on the right-hand side. With expert analysis from top Tab pundits John Bardsley, Will Pithers and Laura Grayling. We also have the pleasure of welcoming Jailbreak veteran Bertie, a 2nd year Engineer, as our in-house expert.

Check lower down for the most exciting jailbreak news, including live updates from Tab favourite Harry Prance and new columnists Octavia Sheepshanks and Oli Thicknesse.

Advice for the teams on the ground? Messages of encouragement? Want a shout-out? Email us at [email protected]. Tweet us @tabcambridge with the hashtag #tabjailbreak.

21.08 A massive congratulations to team 19, but let’s not forget the achievements of every single Jailbreaker out there on the ground. As the map shows, it’s been the best Jailbreak ever.

Don’t forget to dig deep for RAG and give as much as you can. Let’s reward the entertainment these students have given us over the past 36 hours!

Goodnight and farewell from everyone here at Tab HQ (wherever that is…)

21.00 And TIME IS UP! Here’s a pic of the winners in Sydney. What an amazing couple of days!

20.51 Minor heart attack from me with that map malfunction. It seemed to last forever! Don’t worry, its back now.

20.47 Thankfully, Jethro and Zephyr (team 47) have made it through airport security in Israel. They are “just two of thousands of pilgrims. But it was EasyJet that brought us here, not God.”

Profound.

20.39 Meanwhile, Ben and Will (team 34) are looking to hang out with Sophie and Maria (team 114) in Malaga tonight. Double date, anyone? They’ve just emailed me asking for a contact number for one of the girls. Send me an email if you have it, will you? Help a brutha out. Reach me at: [email protected].

20.36 As we wait to make more contact with team 19, let’s enjoy this photo, courtesy of Kweku and Alex – Leo (team 173)’s housemates. “Cheers to Leo of team 173 for leaving his room open. Party time.”

20.29 BREAKING: SUCCESS! Team 19 have officially landed in Sydney, Australia. What an effort. It may be pouring with rain, but Alice and Wei are still heading to the beach. What heroes!

20.26 Here are Elliot and Michael (team 26) enjoying the views in Valletta, Malta this afternoon. Cracking scenery:

20.19 Remember, team 19 are due to land in Sydney at 8.40pm. If they touch down in time, you’ll hear it here first, believe me. 

20.16 Just received a rather touching email from David, who bumped into two Linguistics students from Corpus Christi at a BP garage in Bromley last night. “I went to my local BP petrol garage last night and there were two of your hitchhiking heros trying to get a lift to Dover,” he writes.

He adds: “I left the garage and then decided to go back and give them a lift to Dover….about a 2 hour round trip for me even though I’d only gone 1/2 mile to the garage from my home for a salad! Such a shame that when I got back just a few minutes later, they were gone!” What a story! Jailbreak brings the world together, kids.

Who are they, Tab readers? Surely we can find out the names of two linguist undergrads at Corpus? Let me know. 

20.08 My informant tells me that #Team69 have posted a photo online to help us guess their location (see 19.53). Any ideas, Tab readers?!

Looks like Jedward’s next album cover.

20.04 Here’s a final destination photo from Anna and George (the mythical third member of team 169), who are enjoying champagne and nachos in Mallorca tonight. “Essays can wait,” they wrote earlier. Too right, they can. Well done.

19.59 You may recall in-house expert Bertie’s scathing treatment of team 35 yesterday: “Team 35 is a prime example of lack of preparation. Memorise all routes you can take and adapt accordingly. Take this shit seriously. Or go home.”

Well, Bertie, Andrew and Lydia have since made it all the way to Ljubljana, Slovenia. “Now what?” asks Lydia. “Stick that in your pipe and smoke it,” say I, to Bertie.

19.53 Grazie mille to Hannah, who just emailed to update me on the progress of #Team69 (see 16.55). Apparently, the duo are charging people on Facebook to guess their location in a bid to raise some last-minute dosh. There’ll be a £5 prize to whoever guesses correctly!

19.44 Would love some photos of the Jailbreakers at their final destinations this evening. If any of you have been in contact with teams on the ground, please tell them to email us their best photos: [email protected]. Or you can tweet us at the usual place, @TabCambridge.

19.42 Looks like I was mistaken with regards to team 47’s trip to Israel (see 19.06). According to a recent update, they’ve “just landed and now for a worrying journey through Israeli security – we both have Arabic stamps in our passports!” We wish them all the best!

19.39 And by the way, this is how to put an erring tweeter in his place:

19.38 So, with Russell and Timothy (team 109) having to settle for Hong Kong this evening, it looks as though team 19’s Alice and Wei-Ying will win Jailbreak 2013 with their flight to Sydney. The result could mean much, much more, too – that is, of course, provided that their flight isn’t delayed. Touchwood. 

19.31 Trailblazers Annabell and Oskar (team 1 – yes, team !) have done pretty well themselves. Having arrived in Switzerland, they decided it was “time to eat some chocolate, eat some cheese and buy a watch :)” Très bien, that. Very continental.

19.24 Haven’t really given enough kudos to team 120 either, have I? Congratulations to  Rachel and Robert, who, despite having to spend last night in Dover, have travelled as far as the western border of Ukraine today. Really impressive late surge from the pair.

19.19 Elise and Patrick (team 124) have arrived in Dublin, Ireland. And what’s more, they’ve managed to talk their way into a free ferry back! With “passports stamped,” they’re “stocking up on postcards” before returning home later (tonight, presumably).

19.14 Couple of email suggestions for travelling songs (see 18.14): Arthur suggests A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton, and Francesca recommends Michael Buble’s Home. In the Tab studio, we’ve got the pina colada song on repeat. 

19.11 It looks like Amsterdam is the place to be tonight. Alex and Jamie (team 5) have just reported that “after a tiring journey on a coach from Brussels, we have made it to Amsterdam! The dream team (teams 5, 32, 117) are going to hit the town hard.” Add team 93 to that lot, and you’ve got a sizeable Cantab crew. Use protection, don’t take drugs, etc etc etc.

19.06 Team 47 (Jethro and Zephyr) have presumably spent the day in Tel Aviv, Israel, having caught a flight from Luton this morning. Anybody heard from them recently?

18.58 Haven’t heard from team 114 in a while. I wonder if they made it to Malaga in the end? Earlier, they reported that they were “still here on the runway, think the plane’s got a blown lightbulb in the cockpit.” Let’s hope that got sorted.

18.55 Wittiest Jailbreak updaters have to go to Alexander and Jess (team 145), whose Haiku I generously published earlier. They may only have made it to Bristol, but mistook it for South Africa at one point.

In fairness, they were in South Africa Road. “South of the equator!! Fuck yeah!!!” they cried in trumph. Two minutes later: “had the map upside-down. Not south of equator. Shout out to my fellow geographers.” ADC, sign ’em up.

18.49 Word too from team Tab columnist Oli and his teammate, Charlie (team 133), who are calling it a day in Paris. They’re bussing it back to London tonight, and will arrive in Victoria at 5am.

18.44 BREAKING: Arvin and Zhuo’er (team 67) have just joined the Canary Islands bandwagon. They’re having a whale of a time, too, and they’ve got postcards for friends whilst exploring in “barmy” weather. And get this:

“Booked return tickets to Las Palmas after a night of sleeping like hobos in the airport (oh yeah!). Will not be able to make it to Monday lectures due to infrequent return flights. A trip to the Sahara while waiting to get back, maybe?”

Now that’s just plain unfair…

18.39 On the email front, I think team 93’s host has just sent my a message. Cool, eh? Here’s what Belgian Lorenzo has to say: “Bravo Katie and Bruno! We hope it’s not too cold. Have a nice time in Neederland. A kiss from the French Riviera.” What a top bloke.

18.36 Bardsley is seriously regretting his promise to pay Harry for every photo taken abroad containing a Tab tee. Harry’s been obliging all day long. Here’s one of them:

18.31 Photo evidence from Tab Debate Editor Harry Prance (team 143) in Barcelona. I swear, every time I’ve heard from this boy today, he’s been “having a fag and a pint.” Exhibit A, outside the Camp Nou, no less:

18.27 Looks like team 103’s Edward and Henry have recovered their strength (and sanity) enough to hit the shops in NYC…and have “dominated” a Hollister model in press-up competition. Believe it when I see it, guys.

18.22 Back to business. Another update from Leonardo and Marianna (team 173), who are one of three teams in Morocco this evening: “We’re at the top of the Sahara: Africa is really hot! Apparently there’s a war on south of the Mali border…

Good job you’re coming home this evening, then. Get outta there.

18.20 Another response from James’ mum (team 136):

Attitude or what?!

18.14 Back in the Tab studio, we’re discussing the best songs for travelling. Bardsley suggests Ramble On by Led Zeppelin. I’m thinkin’ On The Road Again, myself. Kieran, our legal expert (you may remember him from 11.34), weighs in with that pina colada song“. Another intelligent contribution to the day’s proceedings.

Got any suggestions to keep the Jailbreakers in high spirits on their journeys home? Tweet us @TabCambridge. Email us [email protected].

18.07 More encouragement for team 134, as James’ mum (@Karenmca) returns to Twitter to remind the pair where they are (in case they’d forgotten?) by tweeting us this photo:

They’re trying to get OUT of Switzerland and INTO Austria, mum…

18.02 Picture update from team 107, who’ve done themselves proud today. Edward and James have sent us a photo from Land’s End. Isn’t that cute?

17.56 BREAKING: Another team that’s completely slipped on the radar. In my defence, it’s mighty hard to keep track of 178 teams. Incredible late news from Emilie and Mary in team 66, who’ve just touched down in Dubai International Airport. I wanted Abu Dhabi earlier (see 10.59), but I’ll take this – brilliant news. The Middle East is ours! 

17.50 It looks like Daniel and Rebecca (team 165) have just checked in, and are waiting to board their flight from Heathrow to Tunisia. We reckon the flight time’s about three hours, which mean’s they’ll arrive just before the 9pm cut-off time. It’ll put 1,172 miles between them and Parker’s Piece – pretty good going, by my books.

17.44 Elliot and Michael (team 26), who supposedly pulled an all-nighter on the Maltese waterfront last night, seem to have had a lovely day soaking up the Mediterranean rays – although they still haven’t sighted any monkeys…hate to say I told you so! They do, however, plan to hit the strip tonight, starting with dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. To say I’m jealous is an understatement.

17.39 Perhaps I haven’t given team 131 the coverage they deserve today. Amy and Kyle were undecided between Spain and Poland last night, but it seems they’ve decided to live it up in Copenhagen instead. Can’t argue with cheep booze, really, can you? And the snow – “feels just like home,” they happily report.

17.36 We told you they were being good tourists earlier, and now team 103’s Edward and Henry are “looking for King Kong.” Either they’re bored of Chinatown or they’re deluded. Hoping it’s the former.

17.30 I’ll be needing as much help as I can get from you all as things hot up tonight. There’s gonna be lots of news flying around. Get back in touch: tweet us @TabCambridge or email us at [email protected]

17.26 John’s blogging has gone down the toilet. Never fear, a real blogger is soon to return to bring you all the action in the final three hours of Jailbreak 2013.

17.19 Thanks to my supervisor who let me hand in my essay late. Live-blogging is definitely an excuse.

17.06 Max from TabTV asks on Twitter, “is @johnwbardsley still pretending 2 be a journalist on @tabjailbreak?”

No comment.

17.05 Just got this in on Twitter from @elan4: “last year my mate kept texting me claiming he was in Mexico,Iran, then Mali. He’d been in Amsterdam all day#jailbreakmemories

We want more jailbreak nostalgia!

17.00 How did we miss this? Daniel and Rebecca (team 165) have managed to sort a flight to Tunisia. We think they set off some time this afternoon.

16.55 Whatever happened to Antoni and Thomas (#team69), Noel Clarke’s favourites? Last update was “Hold on guys, we will reveal our destination soon.” Anyone know where they are?

16.48 Show some love for our teams. They’ve provided us with hours of amusement and have arguably been the best year of jailbreakers of all time! Donate HERE.

16.45 James and Kitty (team 134) are loving it in Zurich, exactly 500 miles from the start line.

16.40 Kathryn and Eddie are in Brno, on the way to Slovakia. Eastern Europe is definitely a popular location this year.

16.34 Apparently you are all bored. So am I. Check out these pics from Denim last night.

16.32 Sorry to James from team 3 for calling him Ben earlier. His name is James.

16.26 As the teams start coming to their final destinations, we’d like everyone to send in their favourite Jailbreak memories. Email [email protected] or tweet us!

16.24 Update from Tab columnist Octavia: “Just woke up. It’s dark here and we are too scared to leave the hotel complex. But we are going to enjoy exploring the hotel, we are on the12th floor! It’s also a casino!”

16.23 Thanks to Paula for getting in touch on Twitter: “So enjoying following #CambridgeJailbreak and really impressed by the students’ enterprise. Thanks to @tabcambridge for the great coverage!”

16.21 No news from any of the teams in Amsterdam…probably having a good time…

16.18 Just been joined in the studio by Elan who send his love to the runaway brides in Warsaw, chilling at a cool -19C.

16.17 Tweet in from RAG: “Big shout to team 3 who’ve blagged a total of 16 lifts on their way to the current lead in the land race #CambridgeJailbreak

16.06 Complementary high tea for team 152 in Milan. Well played Lisa and Raza.

16.01 Tab favourite Harry Prance is at the Nou Camp. He has claimed to have just seen Messi. The question is, can he get that prized pic of someone in a Tab t-shirt outside the stadium? It’s worth £20 of my cash if he does.

16.00 Shout out to Alex and Allison (team 171) in Aberdeen. They are sick of Megabus. Aren’t we all.

15.47 James and Susan (team 3) have made it to the border with Belarus, but don’t have visas so have called it quits. 989 miles from the start though, brilliant effort. Treat yourselves to a Tyskie on your way back through Poland, you’ve earned it!

15.35 “Cam students have their faults, but I think events like Jailbreak really show what a great bunch they are.” That’s in from Susy. We couldn’t agree more!

15.31 Shout out to The Cantab Convicts (team 109) who have pulled up stumps in Hong Kong. They have rightly decided to head out on the town in their onesies. The Tab salutes you both. Amazing job!

15.23 Thanks so much to everyone that has got in touch so far. Keep those messages coming in to [email protected] or tweet us @tabcambridge

15.20 Fair play to Jonathan and Xander (team 87) in Thurso. They’ve run out of land and can’t find any ferries and are heading home. Well done boys! Definitely our northernmost team!

15.16 Ben and Laura (team 12) are in Poland but aiming to make it East to Ukraine! Go for it!

15.13 If anyone has contact details for Benjamin and William in Malaga please email [email protected] – we’ve got Sophie and Maria (team 114) looking to meet up with them there! Cantabs abroad, we love it!

15.11 In-house expert Bertie has just emerged from his bed after a heavy night at Denim. He can’t quite believe the map. “The master has become the pupil.”

Powerful.

15.09 Just a little thing – people have been complaining about not being able to click on the teams on the map. You can – just have to use the scroll bar at the bottom to go to the right hand side. Don’t drag the map itself!

15.05 Just received word from tweeter @AlexandraGazi that team 124 (Elise and Patrick) are on their way to Dublin! They departed at 14.10, so they should be nearly there, now.

14.50 Bruno and Katie of Team 93 report that they have a place to sleep tonight in Amsterdam. Looks like it may be their last stop, but they’re hoping to complete “Nikos’ challlenge”. Interpret as you will.

14.45 A sharp turn around has occurred for Mike and Vicky of team 62. They were heading up north but have turned back to Gothenburg in Sweden where they claim to be painting the city in Robinson colours!

14.40 Team 87 (Jonathan and Xander) have made it to Thurso, the northernmost town on the British mainland thanks to a lift from “a cute guy in a BMW:. I imagine it’s pretty chilly up there!

14.35 After their cheeky lift (see 14.07), team 107 have made it to Land’s End. Apparently it’s “VERY windy but pretty cool! Over and out from team 107”.

14.31 Update from team 169: there are actually three of them. Anna and Jack are joined by George, as his team mate dropped out the day before. Hope the three of them are having fun in Majorca! Apparently the sun is lovely…

14.26 Benjamin and William of team 34 are living it up in Malaga. As they see it, “Sun’s out, guns out!”

14.21 Pictures just in from jet-setting team 103 (Edward and Henry) in New York City. Looks like they’re being good tourists!

14.18 It seems like the Czech Repubic just isn’t enough for Katheryn and Eddie (team 73). They’re on the way to Slovakia. You’ve seen the film, do not stay in a hostel there!

14.07 It’s heating up in the South of England, too. James and Ted of team 107 have been hitchhiking through Cornwall. They send out a huge thanks to Diana and Tim who have given them coffee and bus times and are now driving them to Land’s End.

14:02 Jazz and Tom (team 32)’s dream team (see 12.39) have got their hands on six free train tickets to Brussels, thanks to Bradley Wiggins:

13.56 Feeling pretty jealous of Anna and Jack (team 169) who, after a slow start, are now chilling in Palma, Majorca. They’re in a four star hotel blasting their theme song:

HEY WE’RE ON JAILBREAK, AND THIS IS CRAZY, BUT GIVE US MONEY, AND WE’LL GO FURTHER!

Did someone say undiscovered talent?!

13.51 Reports just in that team 8 (David and Sophie) landed in Berlin at 9.45 this morning, so they’re now somewhere in Germany. Good luck to you guys!

13.39 Back on home soil, Jonathan and Xander (team 87) are ploughing their way through Scotland. They’ve passed Inverness and, thanks to some lifts on the A6, they’ve made it up to Alness. If, like me, you don’t know where this is, it’s safe to say they’re very north.

13.30 But can they really rival hot favourties Alice and Wei-Ying of team 19? They plan on reaching Sydney at 8.40 tonight, which would make Jailbreak history. Here’s the full story: https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2013/01/26/wei-and-alice-jail-break-world-record/

13.27 Our current second placers in Hong Kong (Russel and Tim, team 109) haven’t given up yet. They’re desperately trying to secure pledges to go further!

13.25 Meanwhile en France, team 42 (Alex and Samantha) are chilling in Bordeaux and about to head to some vineyards. C’est magnifique!

13.21 András and Benedek of team 168 have just appeared in Lanzarote and they’re off swimming!

13.19 Shout out from the RAG committee at Jailbreak HQ to all the teams. You’re all doing amazingly well!

13.14 Does anyone have the number of Matt and Victoria (team 172)? Katie and Bruno of Team 93 have arrived in Amsterdam and would like to make some friends. And as Matt and Victoria are headed for the sex musuem, who could blame them?!

If you do, please email it to [email protected].

13.10 Things have got a little a crazy for Emily and Yixi of team 75. Either we’ve had a serious map malfunction or they suddenly decided to up sticks from the Highlands of Scotland to Harare, Zimbabwe.

12.59 The pressure’s taking its toll on some of our contestants. Octavia reports that she and Tim (team 157) were planning to go shopping to find something to wear which isn’t an orange t-shirt, Union Jack leggings and a hat (apparently this is not a fashion trend in Bulgaria!) as well as swim stuff for the hotel spa. But then they remembered they hadn’t slept in 30 hours, so Octavia fell asleep in the bath.

12.54 Michael and Vicky (team 62) are storming through Sweden. They’re on a train through the snow, getting further and further north – who knew the Polar Express was real?

12.43 It may be sunny in Cambridge for once today but Benjamin and William (team 34) have just boarded a plane to Malaga in the Costa-del-Sol.

12.39 Some Jailbreakers have teamed up together. Team 32 (Jazz and Tom) report that they’ve now got a dream team of 6. They spent an intense night in Dover arrivals playing ‘I spy’ in the baby changing room (hope the extreme fun didn’t get to their heads) and they’re now all on the same coach to Ostend.

12.28 We’re seeing some astonishing progress unfolding but for Jonny and Sophie (team 31) things are looking a little more grim. They missed out on a flight to Thailand and spent the night in the wilds of Tunbridge Wells. Hope things didn’t get too crazy! But they’ve had a good sleep and lots of hot food, which is more than can be said for a lot of our Jailbreakers.

12.21 Italy seems like a good destination for Nick and Zoe of team 155. They’re eating fresh pizza and strolling around the markets and cathedrals of Turin. And last night they stayed in a hotel Mozart once frequented. Nice!

12.16 Meanwhile, Harry and Reece of team 143 are making the most of Barcelona. Harry reports that he’s “chilling having sangria with a super cheap pack of cigs. Life is great”.

12.12 The first to make it out of the UK yesterday, James and Susan, (team 3) are now in Warsaw, where it’s snowing. They’ve still not spent a single penny and are hoping to reach Belarus before calling it quits.

12.04 Octavia and Tim (team 157) are living it up in Bulgaria. Octavia reports that they are reclining on their twin beds in the Hotel Princess (classy). They think there shoud be a prize for the team that spends the least per mile on flights – it cost them a mere 1.9p!

12.02 In-house Jailbreak expert Bertie has passed out. He can’t believe how well everyone is doing.

11.57 Team 173 (Leonardo and Marianna) have touched down in Morocco. Lots of Jailbreakers seem to be heading to the desert!

11.48 Just to recap on team 19’s incredible story, then:

Yesterday morning, Wei and Alice (team 19) rang round their business contacts and got lucky with one of Alice’s former employees, who decided to “send us to their new office as a PR campaign for corporate responsibility.” When I spoke to Wei yesterday, he told me that Singapore was just a layover, and boy, was he right.

Now they’re headed to Sydney in what could be a new world record for Jailbreak.

Here’s the latest update from the duo: “just touched down in Singapore, a casual 30 degrees. Wish we could stay but we’re being called down under…”

11.40 BREAKING: Team 19 (Alice and Wei) will be landing in SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA at 8.40pm this evening. Now take a look at this Wikipedia quote:

“Durham University holds the world record for the competition; in November 2010, Thomas Cox made Jailbreak history when he and his partner Dave Binns made it to Sydney in under 36 hours. However, because the pair organised their flights before the event, regardless of whether they paid or not, many believe that this was not a true example of a charity hitchhike.[16]”

Given that, as far as we are all aware, team 19 did not book their flights in advace, we could well be looking at a new world record. An achievement of epic proportions.

11.36 NEWS IN. THIS IS HUGE. STAND BY:

11.34 News still not in. I’m as impatient as you are. In the mean time, our legal expert Kieran Turton gives some sound advice to the teams out there on the ground: “Be careful when abroad, they have different laws to ours.” Very enlightening. Thanks, Kieran.

11.24 Just been told to expect a BIG story in the next few minutes. Stay tuned.

11.19 Finally, news from Tab Columnist Octavia, and a photo from Bulgaria. “Can’t drag Tim away from the window!” her tweet says. There’s a photo to match, too:

11.16 The Tab‘s Harry Prance (with Reece, team 143) may be living it large in Barcelona right now, but the journey hasn’t all been plain sailing. Check out this tweet from last night:

You don’t say…

11.13 Just received word via Twitter that team 178’s flight (destination: Bangkok) has just refuelled in Hong Kong. Joint second place, then. Tidy.

11.10 Team 93 are certainly contenders for meeting the most interesting/ bizarre/ wealthy man in Belgium, that’s for sure. Katie and Bruno are now en route to Amsterdam, having been showed Lorenzo’s car workshop that included three old school beetles and a hanger of 200 Porsches. Wowza.

11.06 More teams are leaving the UK this morning – and further. Team 5’s Alex and Jamie may have had to sleep in “sub zero temperatures” all night and use a baby changing area to warm up this morning, but they’ve now secured a ticket across the channel, and are promised a coach ride into Bruges.” Result.

11.02 I’ll settle for Morocco – they speak Arabic there. Ele and Mohamed (team 137) have touched down in Marrakech – “25 degrees, sweating profusely in our thermals, best thing ever.”

They’ll soon be joined by fellow Jailbreakers Leonardo and Marianna (team 173), remember.

10.59 I think it’d be really fun if we conquered Arabian lands. Someone hop on a plane to Abu Dhabi or Jordan or somewhere. That’d be cool.

10.57 Our two Maltese travellers, Elliot and Michael (team 26), are monkeying around and doing some “exploring” in Malta.

10.54 Interesting update from Kathryn and Eddie aka team 73: “We’re limited by the fact that the flights bought for us are returns from Prague tomorrow morning, but we’ve managed to bag a day trip to Bratislava in Slovakia to get us a couple of hundred miles further.” Pretty good going. Enjoy the journey!

10.50 BREAKING: Whaaaaaaaat! Where did these guys come from?! Russell and Timothy (team 109) have just checked in from Hong Kong, 5936 miles from Cambridge. I’m really impressed when a team manages to sneak up on me like that. Anybody got any information on these two? Email us: [email protected].

10.48 BREAKING: I was slightly concerned by Carlo and Margherita’s methods yesterday (see 20.24) but team 21’s plan seems to have worked. They’ve just touched down in Valencia, southern Spain, “welcomed by 20 degrees and strong winds!” Think I’d take that over snow in Poland, though.

10.41 And happy birthday to team 132’s Tristan! He’ll be spending the day in Hannover, Germany, with Jailbreak partner Lindsay. Apparently, they’ve celebrated by slurping a “wee nip of whisky from our hipflasks” which appears to have given them the taste for more. “Ein wurst und bier bitte,” they write this morning. Don’t need to be fluent in German to get that one.

10.36 A supportive nod to the handful of teams still in London. Keep going, Jailbreakers; even if you don’t leave the country, you can still raise loads of money for a really worthy cause. Shout-out to team 17, Matt and Moynul, whose only update in the past 24 hours is “#dench”. Solid.

10.33 Team 13 (Jennie and Sam) have also had a productive morning. Having arrived in Aachen last night, they’ve hitched two more lifts to Cologne,  although they seem unsure as to their final destination. They have, however, “just passed three guys carrying shotguns…an actual jailbreak?” Keep your heads down, please. We don’t want no blood on the streets.

10.29 How did I forget about team 22? Having boarded a 17 hour coach to a mystery location yesterday (see 17.12), they have since appeared in Pizen. I make that two teams now in the Czech Republic.

10.26 More Jailbreakers are making their way over the Channel this morning. Amelia and Ben, of team 33, are on a ferry to Dieppe, France – “famous for its scallops” – courtesy of their fundraising activities in Brighton last night. They’re “living the high life”, apparently. Enjoy the seafood.

10.22 I’m reliably informed that Edward and Henry, the pioneering duo headed for New York, bought their tickets using a “very generous donation” received at 12 noon yesterday.

Got any info? Think we’re forgetting someone? Tweet us @TabCambridge #tabjailbreak or email us [email protected].

10.20 Another update from team 93, this time from Katie: “Ghent is a GREAT night out! Naked monument pic sorted…11% beers…we like!” Her phone battery’s running low, but I’m told that the pair are aiming to reach Amsterdam today – they might be able to huddle for “warmth”, together with team 172.

10.16 BREAKING: They may be slow starters, but team 169 have seemingly bagged themselves a flight to somewhere exotic. They enjoyed “brunch and bucks fizz at Stansted airport” this morning, and are “waiting for our flight to an island which will hopefully allow us to loose a few layers of clothes. Beach boys rocking in the background – it doesn’t get much better than this!” What is this mysterious location? And why are they having so much fun?!

10.10 Turns out that team 145 aren’t just fundraising fiends, they also have a penchant for poetry. Check out this Haiku from Alexander and Jess, written last night, “to inspire you all”:

High expectations?

of journeys to lands afar?

we’re in Shepherd’s Bush. Really good night’s sleep though.

Wow.

10.07 Shout-out to Matt and Victoria (team 172), who are the first team to decide on Amsterdam. It’s “-3 and set to snow”, so the pair are camping out in cafes for “warmth”. Pfft, yeah, right.

10.05 Euan and Matthew (team 9), having enjoyed a luxurious night at Euan’s family home, are back on the road. “Still fucking love cycling,” they profess. Fair play.

10.03 More teams up in Scotland this morning. Jonathan and Xavier (team 87) have enjoyed a “lovely drive” to Inverness, and will be joined later by Emily and Yixi (team 75), who are back on the road after a snow delay. Alex and Alison (team 171) have also reached Scotland, albeit further south.

09.55 Over in Belgium, a concerned Bruno (team 93) has just sent me this text: “Woke up in blizzards…” Stay safe.

Doesn’t look like I’m getting my breakfast any time soon. Someone give the Editor a call; I need room service.

09.52 Looks like team 145 are doing some solid charity work – brilliant effort, guys:

09.50 Team 156, if you’re reading this, one Mr Ripley has just emailed me. He and Manja send their love. Stay safe in Istanbul!

09.48 More info on team 178, who are heading the Bangkok as we speak. According to one kind Tweeter, the pair could have got tickets for Sydney, but would have arrived after the deadline – which is, by the way, 9 o’clock this evening.

09.46 Also, I’m no pro on the whole Jailbreak scene, but this must be some sort of record for number of different countries visited by the 24 hour mark, surely! Amazing.

09.44 Can everyone stop moving for a second so I can go and get my breakfast?!

Having said that, the Twinteraction has been brilliant this morning. Keep it coming @TabCambridge #tabjailbreak or [email protected].

09.40 BREAKING: We’re going to have to get rid of this ‘BREAKING’ business. But this one’s cool. Team 103 (Edward and Henry) have just touched down in none other than New York City. They are 3448 miles from Cambridge, and they are the competition’s new leaders. Going to try and get some info on how they bagged the flight, stay tuned.

09.38 BREAKING: Oop, scratch that. Incredibly, Alex and Matthew (team 156), spotted by a housemate of mine busking outside John’s yesterday morning, have just checked in from Istanbul, Turkey. What’s more, they wrote last night that they were “boarding BA flight 676 with two other Jailbreak teams!” Presumably, that means that four more jailbreakers will be showing up in Istanbul shortly. Exciting times.

09.34 BREAKING: It seems as if EVERYTHING is breaking this morning. Team 157, The Tab’s Octavia and Tim, have just shown up on the map in Sofia, Bulgaria. That puts them in third farthest in Europe, behind team 26 (Malta) and team 126 (Casablanca). That sly bean!

Meanwhile, other Tab team Harry and Rees (team 143) have touched down in Barcelona, whilst Oli (team 133) has just texted me about his exploits in Paris: “Just got off the metro in Paris. Seen the Louvre, now heading up to the Champs-Elysees. Bitches.” That means that all the Tab teams have left British soil! Incredible!

09.28 According to my calculations, that would still leave team 19 (Singapore-bound) in the lead. They will be 6715 miles from Cambridge, whilst Evie and Effie, set for Bangkok, will be 5895 miles away. Still a solid second place, I’d say.

09.24 More intel from our Twitter friend @MASieghart. Sounds like it’s legit. “They raised loads of money in the City, Soho and Mayfair. About £1,700, I think.” With that much money, a flight to Bangkok is quite possible. Incredible stuff! Well done team 178!

09.21 We have another pair on Italian soil. Congratulations to Lisa and Raza (team 152), who’ve just landed in Milan after a rather eventful journey: three airports, japanese food, parties with James Caan (“google it,” she says) and “plenty of sponsorship and antics with drunk people in Leicester Square.” Right on. “Sleep is for the weak!”, she adds. Hardcore.

09.15 BREAKING: Just received this veeeeery interesting Twitter update:

I’m incredulous. So incredulous, in fact, that I’m not sure whether to believe it. Can anybody shed some light on the current location of Evie and Effie (team 178)?! Somehow I don’t think they’re still at Parker’s Piece, anyways…

09.05 Speaking of team 137, I mentioned last night that Ele and Mohamed were on their way to Marrakech. They appear to have taken off in the past hour, as this tweet from Ele shows:

09.04 She also sent a photo of Percy Pig and friends (team 137):

Remember, you can get in contact too. If you have any photos from the teams on the ground, tweet them to @TabCambridge or email them to [email protected].

08.59 You may remember that Tab columnist Octavia (team 157) was being very mysterious as to the team’s destination (see 00.57). I can now reveal that….she still hasn’t revealed where they’re going. Bummer. She evidently had an entertaining night in Gatwick terminal last night, though, as her flurry of night-time messages indicate:

“3.20am. Gatwick airport. With Harry and Reece (team 143) discussing the various merits and demerits of Percy Pig and friends.”

“3.34am. An alarm just went off on Tim’s phone. We all asked what it was. He said he had timed the gap between airport announcements and could predict when it would next occur. We mocked him. Then the announcement occurred and we all admitted it was very, very cool.”

Get some sleep, Octavia…

08.52 As for the illustrious team 19 (see 20.12 last night) , still no word yet on their destination. It looks as though they’re on their flight to Singapore, but Wei told me he’d keep me in the loop when they touchdown. You’ll all be the first to know when I do hear from him.

08.50 I feel as though Will and Gergely (team 127) also deserve a mention. They’ve popped up in Macon, France this morning, after spending all night on a coach. Stellar performance, guys.

08.48 Team 134 (James and Kitty) seem to have had a night to remember: “After an evening of drunken banter on camera, chance reunions with old school friends, and no sleep whatsoever on the streets of London, we’ve just struck gold! Shame we didn’t bring our skis for…SWITZERLAND. 8.15 departure. BOOM.”

08.45 Only one other team is currently travelling through Scotland. They are Jonathan and Xander (team 87), who should be in Inverness by now. That might be as good as it gets for the two of them.

08.43 As for those on British soil: team 107, who looked down and out with no ideas in London yesterday, have since made it to Penzance. Elise and Patrick (team 124) have “arrived at last” in Snowdonia, and team 149, those two who reached Carlisle yesterday, have continued on their impressive run and made it as far as Edinburgh this morning.

08.38 Contenders for first place include team 62, who are heading north from Copenhagen “on a train through the snow!” and Josh and Mike (team 126), who got a connection from Tangier, Morocco last night, and have now reached Casablanca – 1342 miles from Parker’s Piece, Google Maps reliably informs me. Then there’s that Maltese pair (team 26) who claimed to be spending all night on the waterfront. Let’s hope it wasn’t too nippy.

08.34 We now have what looks like a whopping 21 teams on the European continent, including Nick and Zoe (team 155), who managed to sneak up on us in the night by bagging a BA flight from Gatwick to Turin. Very sneaky. More teams will join them this morning, including The Tab‘s very own Harry Prance, who is set to hit Barcelona very shortly indeed.

08.30 Morning all, and welcome back to The Tab‘s coverage of RAG Jailbreak 2013. It’s quite true that nobody should have to see the light of day this early on a weekend but, as they say in France (or Poland, or Germany, or Belgium), there ain’t no rest for the wicked.

Time for an update on the night’s happenings… 

DAY 2

01.00 Right, I think that’s about enough from us for the day. Thanks to everyone that’s been reading and getting in contact with us! See you bright and early for the conclusion of Jailbreak 2013!

00.57 Final update of the day from Tab columnist Octavia. A clue to where she is going at 6am: “What is the opposite of out of the frying pan into the fire? Let’s just say I’m regretting not bringing a proper coat.” Mysterious. All will be revealed come sunrise!

00.31 It’s not all smiles, though. Ben and Tony describe the joys of Dover at night: “Dover Arrivals terminal. Like Night at the Museum. Only shitter. And colder. And with more jailbreakers. I haven’t seen so many depressed people wearing orange since Terry Connor took over at Wolves.”

00.25 BREAKING (again): Team 26, in the form of Elliot and Michael, have just popped up in Malta – so again we have new leaders. This is the team that gave that cryptic monkey update earlier (see 23.02). So they have monkeys in Malta? News to me. They’re also boasting an “all-nighter on the waterfront!” Don’t think they’ll find monkeys there…

00.13 BREAKING: MORE Jailbreakers headed for Morocco! I can now confirm earlier reports re: team 173 (see 21.06). Congrats, Leonardo and Marianna – very impressive. Their flight leaves early tomorrow morning.

00.06 Alex, Sam, James and Roger (teams 42 and 59) are braving Gatwick together tonight, a text from Alex has just informed me. “Killing time in maccies before our early morning flight to Bordeaux.” Decent effort, that.

And there’s more: “Would really love another of Pran’s fun facts to muse over, by the way, if that could be arranged.” The stats man has retired to bed, unfortunately, exhausted by by today’s constant number-crunching. He’ll be back tomorrow, though. Don’t you doubt it.

00.00 Who said The Tab was a student newspaper? We’re clearly adult-friendly too, as a tweet from @Karenmca (James from team 134’s mum, it seems) suggests. “Send Rabbie Burns best wishes tae James and Kitty #tabjailbreak” she requests. Ain’t that cute.

23.55 BREAKING: More twitter updates – this time from @EleGower, one half of team 137. She and Mohamed are in Victoria Station, preparing themselves for a flight to Marrakesh! And boasting a very impressive £1750 raised! Someone’s had a good day, eh.

23.50 Euan and Matthew (team 9) have had a very lovely evening indeed, it seems. As it turns out, the pair are spending the night at Euan’s Yorkshire home – “just had a shower and full of pasta bake.” They’re sitting pretty and full of attitude, too. “Commiserations to team 95…” (the other cyclists), not that they’re rubbing it in or anything.

23.32 Just received a tweet informing me that David and Sophie (team 8) have just booked a flight to Berlin tomorrow morning! Thanks a lot @AlexandraGazi. Solid intel.

Remember, you can also get in touch with us @TabCambridge (#tabjailbreak) or at [email protected].

23.26 Exciting text update from Octavia and team 157: “Don’t want to reveal too much information…but you can tell Harry Prance that Spoons is soon to get a LOT more lively… ;)” Did I just reveal too much information? My bad. Nice for our Tab teams to be reunited, though.

23.13 BREAKING: We have a new leader. Congratulations to Josh and Mike (team 126) for being the first Jailbreakers to make it to the African continent. The duo have just arrived in Tangier, Morocco and are waiting for a connection to Casablanca!

23.02 A very cryptic message appeared a while ago from team 26, who are currently stationed at Heathrow airport; it reads, “dressed as monkeys, going to see the monkeys!” This could be anywhere. Where are their monkeys? Heart says South America. Head says Whipsnade Zoo.

22.53 Belgium is evidently the place to be tonight. We now have four confirmed teams in the country, including Ben and Laura (team 12), who’ve checked in from Bruges on their way to Krakow. It’s a frosty -3C there, but that, as the pair point out, will seem warm compared to the -19C they have been told to expect on arrival in Poland. Grim.

22.40 Couple of very uptight Jailbreakers in Westerham tonight. “We are failures,” say team 170, Alexander and Zhenlin. Noooooooooo you’re not. Don’t be so hard on yourselves. At least you’ve left Cambridge (*cough* team 17).

22.31 Amy and Kyle (team 131) are one of many teams camping out in an airport tonight in a bid to secure plane tickets in the morning. They found “Londoners spectacularly unfriendly” earlier, and are now trying to decide between Spain and Poland. “Weather or cheap booze?” A pertinent question.

22.25 Kudos to Hannah and Joshua (team 135), who seem to have slipped under the radar in the last couple of hours. They’ve just popped up in Belgium, having got on the ferry with a “lovely Hungarian couple.”

22.21 Update from Tab team member Harry Prance, via his Facebook page: “Right, hallooo all we are currently spending the night in Gatwick as we missed the last flight. But do not fear, we have a 6 am flight to Barcelona booked. Also the 24hr wetherspoons may make the evening somewhat more palatable. Over and out x” He’s getting drunk. In Gatwick airport. Terrific.

22.17 DRAMATIC SCENES IN THE TAB NEWSROOM. Stat man Pran challenges Bardsley to an arm-wrestle. John comes out on top with the right hand, but Pran records a somewhat dubious victory with the left. Bardsley reacts very badly, tempers flaring at Tab HQ.

22.12 Time for a nice story from Miranda and Sam (team 149): “utterly overwhelmed at north-eastern generosity after the train conductor let us off with the fare and organised a whip-round for the whole train. Planning to get to Edinburgh tonight!”

Awww. I love people.

22.00 NEW LEADER! Kathryn and Eddie (team 73) have landed in Prague! Here’s what they had to say: “A sudden lifestyle swap from the free champagne and food on our business class flight to a luxurious -14C Prague with nothing but the costumes we started the day in!! Thank god we booked a cheap hostel at the airport – it would have been a night of huddling on a street corner drinking complementary mini bottles of champagne and eating the many packs of kettle chips we stocked up on.”

21.58 We’ve had a few complaints about our Denim message (21.54). It hasn’t actually been cancelled. I’m just jealous because I have to sit at my laptop typing instead of going. Maybe I should get drunk here instead? Let me know at [email protected].

21.55 So how did Michael and Vicky get to Copenhagen? Here’s the inside scoop: “We found a crazy Harley St doctor in a pub near Park Lane and talked him into giving us air miles.”

Classic. Pub + wealth + negotiation = success.

21.54 Bad news for everyone behind Denim at the Union tonight – the event’s been cancelled because everyone is reading The Tab’s live coverage of Jailbreak!

21.52 Not so sweet for others, though. Here’s an update from Ben and Tony (team 117): “It’s cold. So cold. In Dover. Got driven here by the police! So cold. Not looking too hopeful about crossing the Channel soon – many other groups here too! Cold”

21.50 Time for a sneaky stat from Pranjal Arya. The leading team arrived in Stockholm around an hour ago, which means they’ve been travelling an average of 46mph today!

21.45 Just confirmed that the map hasn’t messed up! Michael and Vicky are in Copenhagen and have stormed into the lead! Vicky told us: “Only issue is we have no clue what to do now!”

21.42 Still trying to work out if Michael and Vicky (team 62) are in Copenhagen – could easily be the map messing up. If not, they are leading the pack!

21.33 Elise and Patrick (team 124) are apparently on a minibus heading for Snowdonia. Sounds cold.

21.31 Jesse and Flo (team 99) have booked tickets to Warsaw for the morning! They told us: “We were hoping for a war zone, but still happy.”

21.25 Massive kudos to Daniel and Rebecca (team 165) who have managed to get themselves on a flight to Tunisia tomorrow.

21.21 Congratulations to these teams who have raised the most money so far: James & Ted (£981), Ben & Laura (£859), and Tab columnist Octavia and her partner Tim (£855).

Obviously this can all change, as the teams still have a bit of fundraising time when they get back.

21.17 BREAKING NEWS We’ve found some fruit pastilles in Will’s draw. What a result!

21.15 James and Ted (team 107) have given up going to Europe are instead catching a sleeper train to Penzance and then hitch-hiking to Land’s End in the morning.

21.10 Good to be back. Now, let’s get to it with a Tab team update. Tab columnist Oli is on a night bus to Paris, Prance is stuck at Heathrow and Octavia is still messing around in London.

Keep your spirits up. And Harry, don’t forget, every photo you manage to get of a foreigner in a Tab t-shirt gets you a fiver for the cause.

21.08 Guess who has joined Will in the studio? It’s only The Tab Editor John Bardsley. John aptly points out: “This isn’t a studio, Will. It’s your fucking bedroom.”

21.06 Twelve hours down and it’s round-up time. How far have the teams managed to get since 9 o’clock this morning?

We currently have a total of seven teams in mainland Europe, with stand-out performers being James and Susan (team 3), who’re en route to Berlin, and Bruno and Katie (team 93), who will be spending the night in Ghent, Belgium. Several other teams claim to be on their way to Germany, and two are headed to Poland this evening.

As for the long haulers, Alice and Wei-Ying (team 19) are on track for Singapore – and beyond. I’ve just received unconfirmed reports that Leonardo and Marianna (team 173) are set to head to Morocco tonight – but like I said, unconfirmed. Will let you know when I do.

The rest of the teams are battling it out on British soil, with the majority hustlin’ in London. Five teams are at Heathrow airport, presumably in an attempt to secure plane tickets. One pair is at Luton. Three teams have headed northwards, including cyclists Euan and Matthew (team 9) and Miranda and Sam (team 149), who’ve reached the dizzy heights of Carlisle.

20.51 Well hello there, how did I miss these two? Check out team 13, who, an anonymous emailer has just informed me, are “blazing across the French/Belgium border in their tiger onesies, with a lift all the way to Aachen, Germany! #realpotential.” Jennie and Sam could be real contenders for the land race.

20.47 James and Ted (team 107) have just texted a friend of mine asking for the readers’ advice on what they oughta do next. They’re stuck in London, but have a whopping £102 pounds on ’em. What should they do? Let us know. Comment below, or email us at [email protected].

20.44 Two teams now on their way to Poland, it seems. Ben and Laura (team 12) weighed in earlier (see 15.01) to say they were headed to Krakow. Now I’m hearing that Luke and Zoe (team 30) are on their way out of Dunkerque and “en-route to Poland. And victory…?” they ask, hopefully. Not if team 19 have anything to do with it.

20.40 Team 3’s James and Susan still have an impressive lead, though – at least for now – and have just blagged themselves a ride to Berlin. Is there no stopping them?

20.37 We have another team on the continent! Stephanie and Yuhan (team 110) are on their way to Le Havre in North-Western France. Solid effort.

20.33 Back to business, and I’ve just received an email from an ‘anonymous’ source, regarding the status of team 9 cyclists Euan and Matthew: they’ve “got a room at a hotel for the night but they could only afford a single bed and haven’t brought any pjs.  #sexysnuggling.” Somehow I don’t think that hashtag will be catching on any time soon.

20.30 Amidst all the chaos, I feel as though it’s my duty to remind everyone what we’re really here for. Pop on over to the Jailbreak contestants’ JustGiving pages, and, you know, donate a few quid. Could really go a long way.

20.24 More potential members of the mile high club (can I say that?) in the shape of team 21, who report that they are “trying to befriend private jet pilots at gatwick airport!” By legitimate means only, I hope. If that works out, their campaign could really take off.

Pun intended.

20.16 Back in the (relatively) real world, Bruno and Katie (team 93) have just informed me that they’re chilling in Lorenzo’s “BEAUTIFUL” house in Ghent. Katie’s feeling the effects of some “11% trappist!!! Woah!” but I’d say she deserves it.

20.12 BREAKING: Using my many contacts (Facebook stalking), I’ve just made contact with Wei and Alice aka team 19 aka those two headed for Singapore. Looks as though they got lucky with one of Alice’s former employers, who’ve decided to “send us to their new office as a PR campaign for corporate responsibility.” What’s more, “Singapore is just the layover.”

He goes on: “Obviously we’re enjoying all the perks that are coming with it, just talked our way into the airline lounge for a stiff drink and a shower. Still trying to believe our luck!” Aren’t we all.

“But it’s been great,” Wei concludes. “Had a few dodgy looks but have come across some incredibly generous people and hopefully we can raise a lot for charity!”

20.05 Just received a rather bizarre email regarding team 19, who claim they’re heading to Singapore this evening. “I haven’t met her per se, but I hear from a friend who went to her school that she can fit her entire fist in her mouth.” Thanks, Oshbosh. Really productive.

20.02 Another update from Harry and Rees (team 143), who are in a spot of bother: “We done fucked up – turns out Heathrow is the most expensive ever. Heading to Gatwick for the glories of sleazyjet. #stillinthegame.” Good to see they’re still in high spirits.

19.57 It’s photo time again. I love it when Jailbreak brings people together. Check out teams 94 and 157 (which includes Tab columnist Octavia, pictured) hanging out together in Covent Garden. Awh.

19.47 Just picked my jaw up off the floor. This is big, big news. Looking for more information on the Singapore-bound duo, will let you know when I have it. Incidentally, if any of you know these two jet-setters, send us an email, will you? [email protected]

19.43 BREAKING: WE HAVE SOME LONG HAULERS. Team 19, Alice and Wei-Ying, having apparently secured themselves a pair of plane tickets to Singapore. “And that’s just the first leg,” they claim. This could be monumental.

19.41 More trouble for team 9 cyclists Euan and Matthew, as “Euan has got a puncture in the middle of nowhere. So cold.” It’s looking bleak for the Caius duo. Perhaps they should find somewhere to kip for the night?! On the up side, they appear to have nearly reached Grimsby…if you call that an up side.

19.36 Hold your horses, everyone. Word from Sophie and Maria (team 114) is that they’ve just “met someone who finished 3rd in Jailbreak three years ago, got some tips!” Execute that advice properly, and you could challenge top spot. We’ll keep you posted.

19.28 Oh you are a feisty bunch, aren’t you? Just had an email response from one Antoine, who says “Balls to your in-house ‘expert’. Only a rookie would think sleeping was a good idea. Anyone with a brain knows that more professional, long-distance drivers travel through the night. Hitching with one of them would be perfect.”

Think you know better? Tweet us @tabcambridge with the hashtag #tabjailbreak.

19.22 We haven’t given them a lot of coverage today, but I’ve just discovered the witty remarks of Alexander and Jess, who make up team 145. At lunchtime they “lost a glove. weep.” Later, they hit up the Bank of England, “checking down the back of the sofa.” They have subsequently realised that “London is cold and unfriendly. We’ve abandoned the streets for illicit biscuits in Costa.” Fair play, really. Keep fighting, comrades.

19.17 We promised him we wouldn’t, but given the success he’s enjoyed today, how could we not?! For those of you who don’t remember Bruno – although many of you will – he’s THAT guy at the end of last term’s Cambridge Sexposed on TabTV. And now he’s cruising through Belgium. Fairytale stuff.

19.11 With night well and truly falling on the teams in the field, what should their next move be? A good hitch through the night could mean everything in terms of final position come 9 o’clock tomorrow evening.

Our in-house expert Bertie, however, advises a good night’s rest: “When darkness falls, that’s when Jailbreak gets real nasty. I recommend finding a cheap hotel and getting some shut-eye so that you’re raring to go come daybreak. Nobody offers lifts at night, anyway.”

You know, he may actually be talking sense for once…

Got an opinion on what action the Jailbreakers should take in the dark? Email us: [email protected].

19.04 Six minutes after her last text, Octavia strikes again: “Chaining J20s. Might spice things up and ask for a ginger beer next.” I feel as though the team may need a second wind to make it through the night. Have replied accordingly.

19.02 Anna and Jack (team 169) are still reading as ‘0 miles from start’. Homerton College, Cambridge, to be exact. “Must be winning, surely.” Hmm, I think not, somehow…

18.59 Things are improving for Tab columnist Octavia. One “very rich” barrister may have made her cry earlier, but “a much nicer one” has just bought her a J2O. “Have perked up,” she says, with defiance. Keep your spirits up, team 157!

18.55 Our mistake, team 49 (see 17.35), looks like you’re heading out of the country after all. “Have found a lift all the way to Paris,” boast Alexander and Becca. Fantastique.

18.52 Back in the game, that’s me. And we have a juicy tweet from RAG headquarters to kick things off for the evening session:

18.49 That’s me (Laura) done with the Jailbreak blog for now. I leave you in the capable hands of Will Pithers, who is armed with a whole bottle of squash, copious chocolate digestives and an unholy committment to RAG.

18.39 It’s snowing on Johnathan and Xander (Team 87) as they reach the giddy heights of Southwaite Services on the M6. And they thought Cambridge was behind them.

18.31 In second place, Katie and Bruno (Team 93) have made it to Beligum and will be living it up in Ghent tonight. Here’s them crossing the Belgian border:

Now entering Belgium

According to their driver, Lorenzo, ‘In Belgium, when you’re almost home, you always crack open a beer…in the car…ALWAYS.’ Nice to see team 93 are sticking to national traditions. They’re currently 164 miles from Cambridge.

18.28 Our current leaders have made it to Germany on the first day. James and Susan of Team 3 are solidly in the lead.

18.18 Cyclists James and Will of team 95 are making good progress. They’ve got a lift from a nice man with a truck over Dartford Bridge and are now powering through Sittingbourne. The guys report that “James has a numb foot” and Will’s “ipod has given up”. Despite these setbacks, “We still fucking love cycling.”

18.07 News just in, Tab columnist Octavia (team 157) reports that a very rich barrister was so rude to her and partner Tim that she cried.

18.03 Jailbreakers who are still in the UK might have some trouble finding somewhere to sleep. Luckily for Amelia and Ben (team 33), they’ve got a place to crash in Brighton. Don’t get too carried away by the pier.

17.57 Team 32 (Jazz and Tom) have come across a lot of different hitchhikers. One had a cute dog, one left them on an A-road junction and one was a beekeeper. They even got their own private coach driver. They’re now on a bus heading to Dover. Good luck to them!

17.48 Things aren’t looking good for team 107 (Edward and James). They’re at Leicester Square but no-one’s feeling generous. But it’s not all bad. They got a fiver from a drunk women after they sang to her.

17.44 Harry and Reece (Team 143) have also made it to Heathrow. Things are hotting up!

17.38 Meanwhile, we’ve got our first contact from Ele and Mohamed (team 137). They’re at Heathrow with heavy wallets so stay tuned.

17.35 We’ve got two teams up in Scotch Corner. Miranda and Sam (team 49) reckon you don’t need a passport to succeed in Jailbreak. They plan on heading to the Shetlands. Hope they brought lots of layers.

17.30 Our current leaders are now breezing their way through Holland, having spent no money at all. Congrats to team 3 (James and Susan). They say they’re en route to Germany and are 233 miles out of Cambridge!

17.24 After some intense fundraising in London with a cheeky trip to the KPMG offices, Natalie and Robert (team 64) confess they aren’t having much luck, so are eating pizza instead.

17.12 Anders and Joyce (team 22) are boarding a 17 hour coach. Your guess is as good as mine as to the destination.

17.08 Team 133 (Charlie and Tab columnist Oli) have a cunning plan up their sleeves. More details to follow.

16.59 Katie and Bruno (team 93) are currently hitching a lift with Lorenzo, a Belgian guy who says he’ll take them to a party tonight in Ghent, voted ‘Most Beautiful City in Europe’ in 2005. Living the dream!

16.52 BREAKING: We’ve got some potential long-haulers emerging. Alice and Wei-Ying (team 19) are at Heathrow and claim they’ve got tickets to Singapore (the destination of last year’s winners). And that’s just the first leg…

16.49 Meanwhile in the RAG office, things have taken an even more dramatic turn: a Magdalene Mathmo has fallen through the window to escape from the cold. Hmmm…

16.44 Team 29 (Patrick and Reece) has at last struck gold in Dover. They’ve just boarded a ferry and say they’ve raised enough to get to Toulon by morning (that’s in the South of France, we didn’t know either).

16.41 After a brief trip to the Tower of London, Becca and Alexander from team 49 have managed to hitch a lift with two guys heading to Paris. Bonne chance!

16.35 A quote from team 134 (James and Kitty): “So after a puncture repair in the name of charity, an appearance on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, a free lunch at Redgate, two free bottles of wine and half a litre of whisky, and now a free taxi to Luton, it’s safe to say that Jailbreak has gotten off to a fantastic start! The donations bucket is absolutely LADEN and challenges are getting done at a rapid rate. Stay tuned…”

16.24 Bad luck has struck Luke and Zoe of team 30. They have been moved on by the travel police in Folkstone.

16.18 Katie and Eddie of team 73 will be travelling in style. They’ve got business class tickets to Prague courtesy of slightly mysterious company tenUK. As far as we know, they make motorcycle helmets…

16.08 News just in that Brendan and Daniel (team 86) are currently being given a lift by a Polish lorry driver called Marek. Luckily for them, he’s got some great chat coming up with lines like ‘Fucking little cars, so little and arrogant’.

16.02 Harry of Team 143’s cigarette count has reached 5 (see 13:47). The stress is building!

15.56 Real heartwarming story here. Team 115 have just left Potters Bar, having secured a spot on a coach heading to Canterbury – how I hear you ask? By unanimous passenger vote, that’s how. I love humanity.

15.47 Big thank you to Laura, who just emailed in with this advice: “Tell team 87, who look like they’re near Newcastle, that they can get the ferry to Norway or the Netherlands from North Shields.” Could one of you lovely lot get in contact with Jonathan and Xander?

Remember, you can get in touch too. Email us at [email protected]

15.46 BREAKING: Trying to “seduce the queen for money” (naming no names, team 13) is NOT the correct way to go about Jailbreak. They’re now on a train to Folkestone – a much safer bet, I’d say.

15.41 A little update from Tab columnist Oli: “Raised £40 in Trafalgar Square – told that we were beggars by a fire eater.”

There are low points, and then there are low points, guys…

15.39 Team 87 just keep going up and up and up. They’re hitching a lift from a guy “too northern for accent to be comprehensible,” but they won’t care! 171 miles from Parker’s Piece – and counting.

15.33 Bruno and Katie (team 93) really have struck gold today. Reports coming in that their lift to Belgium has promised them a free place to crash tonight. And if that weren’t enough, he’s pledged to carry them to the Dutch border, too!

15.30 In the meantime, more unnecessarily snide commentary from in-house expert Bertie: “Team 35 is a prime example of lack of preparation [see 15.10]. Memorise all routes you can take and adapt accordingly. Take this shit seriously. Or go home.”

Steady on…

15.28 Huge shout-out to team 9, who, like team 95, appear to be completing Jailbreak by bike. Euan and Matthew have just reported mechanical problems with their “free hub” (not a clue) but it seems Halfords’ have sorted them out. They’re back on the road and heading north from Boston (Lincolnshire, obvs). Incredible effort from the two of them.

15.20 Thomas and Victoria (team 7) report an unusual sighting from Leicester Square: “A goth in a Soviet Union hat offered us no money but half his soul.”

Not entirely sure that’ll be enough to get you across the channel, but a nice sentiment all the same.

15.17 Team 3 appear to be making fantastic headway as they snake up the northern coast of France and into Belgium. They are Germany-bound, and are the competition’s leaders. For now, at least.

15.10 Uh oh. Bit of a cock-up from Andrew and Lydia (team 35), who must now turn back on themselves, having made it all the way to Harwich. “Misfire,” say the team, “turns out there’s no ferries from here. Heading south”. Should have done your research, guys…

15.05 A bit of celeb news for you now. Noel Clarke, best known for Adulthood, tweeted a couple of hours ago in support of team 69, or #Team69, as we shall now refer to them. Great work, Antoni and Thomas!

 

 

 

15.01 The European Transfer news is flying in. Team 12, Ben and Laura, have just tweeted that they’re “on a coach to Krakow – so learning some polish #tabjailbreak”.

Keep them coming, kids. Things are hotting up.

14.58 BREAKING: Just received a call from friends of The Tab Bruno and Katie, who have bagged a lift to Belgium. Currently in Maidstone, the duo have just jumped in a lorry destined for the Continent. Heroic stuff.

14.48 Great message just in from Pran, who you may remember as the goon that wrote this article. Some really useful tips for the Jailbreakers: “I’ve been looking at today’s flight prices based on pound per mile. In that respect, a £575 flight to Australia looks like the most efficient option. That’s only 5p per mile, compared to almost 50p per mile if you ended up in Belgium.”

Nice stats, Pran.

14.43 Time to go to our foreign language expert Will Coleman. First problem: the French. How will James and Susan tackle the language barrier?

This is what our expert had to say: “Don’t bother, speaking English in a French accent usually does the trick. It got me into Cambridge!”

14.41 BREAKING: James and Susan (team 3) are in Calais and heading for Germany! First team to leave UK soil.

14.31 A bit of advice sent to us from Leanne, a Caius Jailbreak veteran: “If you value your sanity avoid Dover and Calais. If this is too late, then raise money to get on a ferry/train out of there – it’s bloody hard to hitch from either. A French policeman told me this is because of the fear of immigrants.”

14.26 We’ve heard that one of the teams is doing some awesome busking outside John’s. If anyone has any info/pics/vids, fire them over to [email protected].

14.18 Team 33, Amelia and Ben, seem to be the only team so far who have gone for Heathrow as their airport of choice. Risky? Bold? Stupid? Clever? Let us know at [email protected].

14.08 Here is an unbelievable offer from former Tab editor and all-purpose big dog Kieran Corcoran: “I have a crisp tenner for any team knocking around Shoreditch/Old St. Can tweet me @kj_corcoran to arrange their windfall.”

Get on it! That tenner could be the difference between glory and failure!

14.05 Here’s Bertie, our veteran Jailbreaker and in-house expert, on the art of hitchiking: “You can’t hitch on motorways – that shit’s illegal. Stick to junctions, kids. You won’t get these tips from that Jailbreak committee nutter.”

14.03 Can’t quite imagine what our Jailbreakers look like? Check out our best dressed feature. They’re all heroes.

14.02 This northern migration is catching on like a winter cold. Team 87, out of nowhere, have just popped up in Newcastle. Haway the lads! Jonathan and Xander report: “We could be terrorists, like.” Hardly.

13.47 Tab big-dog Harry Prance (team 143) is now in Embankment Park and as started a tally of how many cigarettes he has smoked. He is on 2.

Fun Prance fact #1: Harry was voted the biggest “wannabe bnoc” in his Queens’ college yearbook. An honour!

13.44 Craig and Kirsten (team 142) are in Luton. Bertie, our in-house expert, rates this move highly: “Lots of budget airlines about there, could be a good call. Planes are always a massive risk, though.”

13.38 Turns out team 93’s German is actually the carrier of a PHD in protein synthesis – “AND hitch hiker friendly…what a dude!” says Katie. Top fella.

13.33 After a slow start (see 10.18), team 9 are going against the grain and heading north – currently in Holbeach, Lincolnshire. “Sore arses all round but making good progress,” Euan and Matthew report.

They’ve got a plan, methinks.

13.27 James and Kitty (team 134) have just managed to blag a free lunch from the Red Gate software company. Lovely people!

13.25 Jethro and Zephyr (team 47): “Rich beyond our wildest dreams…”. Sounds like that’s all going well then.

13.23 Katie and Bruno (team 93) have found a dodgy German to give them a lift. “He said he was once picked up by a body-building pimp.”

Lovely.

13.15 RAG have just tweeted this: “23 teams now in London and one team is already on the ferry to Calais! #CambridgeJailbreak”

Great work by all the teams!

13.13 Katie Estdale has responded to our in-house expert: “Dear ‘expert’, a car with 1 person and a car with 4 are both £90 and also not everyone books their ticket in advance. Lots of love ‘stupid Jailbreak woman’.”

Splat.

13.11 Luke and Zoe (team 30) are in Folkestone, probably aiming to find a way through the Channel Tunnel.

13.09 Gabriel Adler weighing in on the Bertie-Katie beef on Twitter: “is this in house expert the same Bertie who once claimed QPR’s Diakite was the greatest player to ever grace the Prem? #shitcall”

OOOOOOoooooooooooooo. How will our in-house expert respond to that?

13.05 Update from Tab columnist Octavia: “Mildly despondent after being kicked out of a London club.” She has also managed to break her blow up 90s backpack (whatever that is).

12.58 Bruno and Katie (team 93) are hitching to Maidstone. He is a “LOVELY PERSON!!!!” The first guy that picked them up, however, was a bit of a dick. When Katie asked if he had a funny story to tell, he just replied “no”.

Charming.

12.58 Natalie has just messaged us about James and Will (team 95), who are CYCLING all the way to Dover with a view to blagging a ferry trip to the continent, and afterwards CYCLING as far away as they can muster (Brussels is the aim).

This is commitment. No trains or planes for these bad boys.

12.55 Things are getting heated between our in-house expert Bertie and Jailbreak committee member Katie Estdale. Bertie just sent us this rather rash text message: “Tell your stupid Jailbreak woman that you have to state the number of people in your car when you book your ticket and you can’t have a different number from your booking without buying another ticket.”

Facts aside, Bertie is showing is scientific background with that clumsily worded text.

12.44 An anonymous Tab section editor has just sent us an enlightening message about the mercurial Harry Prance: “Prance is just hanging around with celebs and taking a day off work – he even stole my RAC and East India club cards at the Tab meeting yesterday!”

Surely not!

12.39 Anna and Jack (team 169) are enjoying some quality time at the Hotel du Vin, which they describe as “kinda like France.”

Hmm.

12.35 Katie Estdale from the Jailbreak committee doesn’t agree with Bertie, our in house expert. Apparently ferries are charged by car lot, not per person.

Bertie you are a moron!

12.28 Tab favourite Harry Prance has just sent us in this snap of him with Arthur Darvill from Doctor Who! Hope he gave you some cash too…

Starstruck!

12.24 James and Kitty (team 134) have just finished spreading the cause on the radio! Definitely the story of the day so far.

12.22 Tweet in from Jemma Stewart: “James and Ted trapped in Homerton College library for a good ten minutes, on their way with over £70 raised :)”

12.15 Team 134 are currently live on BBC Radio Cam 96FM!

12.09 James McAulay of team 134 has just tweeted us: “Going to be on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire at 12.15 today. 96FM, tune in! #Jailbreak#Team134

Unbelievable work. These jailbreakers really are nutters!

12.06 In house Jailbreak expert Bertie isn’t so convinced: “Dover is a fool’s hope – ferry tickets are charged per person. Channel Tunnel is a way better bet – costs no extra to fit an extra person in your car.”

Prove him wrong guys, he thinks he knows it all. He did get to Monaco last year though…

12.02 BREAKING: Team 3 (James and Susan) have reached Dover and are attempting to board a ferry over the Channel. Thing’s are starting to kick off!

11.56 Tab columnist Oli has made it to Trafalgar Square! Smashing.

11.49 Shout out to Marco Spiro in Bristol, tuned in via Twitter. He wants to send his love to TabTV editor Max Toomey (who doesn’t). If you saw Max last night, chances are you’ll be making a drunken appearance on TabTV in the next few days…

11.41 We’ve had some confirmation about the disqualified team. The sneaky buggers booked a flight to Tokyo using frequent flyer miles before the event even started! They’ve been allowed to take part, but won’t appear on the map or be allowed to win.

BUSTED.

11.39 Eight teams now in London, according to RAG’s official Twitter page.

11.32 One jailbreaker has just tweeted that he got some money from The Archbishop of Canterbury! We assume he means Rowan Williams, former Archbishop and new Master of Magdalene. Unbelievable work if that’s true. You’ve definitely earned that ticket to Liverpool Street!

11.30 Matt, a second year MMLer has just got in contact about our previous message from Greg:

“Just to say that I disagree. I see our budding jailbreakers as gallant heroes, the modern equivalents of brave knights searching for adventure, only instead of shields with coats of arms, they have collecting buckets with charity logos. It is a noble quest indeed, and I wish them all luck.”

Couldn’t have put it better myself. Thanks Matt.

11.21 Update from team 117 (Ben and Tony): “2 hours 20 mins in and at Stansted airport. Not allowed to ask for money and airport very quiet (no hitch hiking). Only £22 in total. Uh oh. Hero so far is Marion at the Stansted express who has got free tickets to London!”

But getting to an airport doesn’t always spell success – big dog former Editor Kieran Corcoran learnt the hard way.

11.18 Just had a message in from Stephen: “The boys at Dundrum Cricket Club are wondering if Patrick and Reece (Team 29) are going to make it out of Cambridge at all. As Patrick is fond of a tipple or two, he may forget the reason why he’s there and barter for booze money!”

Seems a bit early for a drink to me…

11.15 Teams have started to arrive in London. Team 69 (Antoni and Thomas) are at King’s Cross, along with Team 33 (Amelia and Ben) who managed to get to London before 10:30am. Good job!

11.05 Greg, a second year NatSci has emailed in to say: “The Tab shouldn’t be making a big deal of an event that has become more about having a nice weekend away than charity.”

The Tab politely suggests that Greg should lighten up a bit- any event that creates such attention for charities can surely only be a good thing? Do you agree? Keep the comments and shout-outs coming in to [email protected].

10.56 update from Katie and Bruno (team 93): “£55 in donations from people since 9. Off we trot…”

BUT a Panther taxi driver reportedly waved a tenner in their face and then drove off laughing. As Bruno says on Twitter: hahaha

10.44 Pertinent question from regular Tab reader Nikos, who has just texted in to the studio to ask: “What gets you further in jailbreak? Brains or boobs?”

10.39 Team 30 (Luke and Zoe) have evidently broken all laws of physics by reaching Australia in just an hour and a half. “We’re on our way!” they chime triumphantly. Someone was keen to see the tennis. Team 64, on the other hand, have arrived in Cambridge, MA. I love a good Google Maps balls-up.

10.24 Check out our album of photos from the start line, courtesy of Tom Porteous.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151195865901010.444405.127403731009&type=1

10.22 Reported mechanical issue on the M11 for Team 95. “Chilly as balls,” add James and Will. Really? I hadn’t noticed. Cuppa tea and fan heater blasting away in front of me.

10.18 Team 9 have reached Girton. Very impressive. “Your move, Jailbreak,” type Euan and Matthew.

10.02 It looks like train is the transport mode of choice for our Tab teams, as Harry and Reece board a train to Liverpool Street.

9.50 Updates from other Tab teams are flooding in at quite a pace:

Harry and Reece (Team 143): “Currently at station. Some Mormons refused to give us any money #latterdaysaints?”

Meanwhile, a very excitable Octavia (Team 157) weighs in with “ON TRAIN TO THE CAPITAL!!!!! OF ENGLAND NO LESS!!!!! THAT’S RIGHT SUCKAZZZZZ.” Well, I never.

9.48 Scandal. Unconfirmed reports have just reached my ears that one team were disqualified last night after using a family member’s airmiles to book a flight to Tokyo…not exactly charity spirit, is it?

9.46 All quiet from the teams so far, in terms of map updates. I guess most of them are still hustlin’ for doe in Cambridge city centre. If you happen to be out there, give generously!

9.33 First update from Tab columnist Oli: “Just raised £40 in 15 mins, and about to get a train to London. Bitches.” Come on Team Tab!

9.23 Bertie, a Jailbreak 2012 veteran, has just appeared at my door in a shower cap. Some key advice from the Caius man: “Truck drivers are almost all under contract and not allowed to take hitchhikers – they often even have cameras installed to stop it. Go for cars, not trucks!”

9.07 Editor has just informed me that Team 0 are the RAG committee. And that their current location is a ‘joke’. Baffling.

9.03 Team 0 are breaking all sorts of rules here. Aside from the fact that their ‘pair’ is made up of four people, they’ve already hit Cape Town, some 6039 miles from Parker’s Piece. “A blood diamond, this big!” say ‘Jonny, Jack, Katie and Calum.’ Whoever you are, The Tab does not endorse liars. Or write about them in live blogs.

9.00 And they’re off!

8.41 As well as the Tab team members mentioned above, we’ll also be receiving tailored updates from friends of The Tab Bruno and Katie (Team 93). Bruno likes to talk. He’s just sent me his first update: “Kinda lonely. Katie isn’t here yet. Some top costumes though!”

Focus, Bruno.

8.30 Good morning one and all – and what a fine morning it is. The day has finally arrived, and weeks of preparation from the teams have all come down to this. As I speak, the 178 pairs that make up this year’s RAG Jailbreak contestants are gathering at a snow-dusted Parker’s Piece.

With lows of -5 in Cambridge this morning, I for one am bloody glad it’s not me. The contestants, however, will be hoping to get as far away as possible from Cambridge climes in the next 36 hours.

You can follow all the action live from this page. If you’re at Parker’s Piece this morning, look out for our photographer on the ground – he’ll be wearing a Tab tee – and get yourself in a photo. They’ll appear on this page from 10am.

We’re looking for this year’s live blog to be more interactive than ever. If you have any messages of encouragement/ advice/ abuse for the teams on the ground, get in contact with us. Email us at [email protected] or tweet us @tabcambridge. #tabjailbreak

The day has come.