Leeds students to compete in University Challenge for the first time since 2011

University of Leeds students will be competing in University Challenge for the first time since 2011.

The BBC describes the show as “TV’s toughest quiz team tournament”, inviting students to “face the most fiendish of tests.”

Twenty-eight teams of four students compete each year and, on Monday 28^th October, University of Leeds students will have their chance to claim victory for the first time since 2011.

The competitors are set to face difficult questions covering areas like art, current affairs, science, music and history.

Alexander Tan, a computer science student, will be the University of Leeds’ team captain.

Competing alongside him will be law student Finn Thomas, mechatronics and robotics student Jayan Patel and media and communications student Ingrid Banerjee Marvin. Callum Ormerod, who studies physics, will be the team’s reserve.

The team will be up against the University of Edinburgh on Monday night’s episode. The Scottish university competed in the show last year but their performance was described by Edinburgh Live as “rather disappointing”.

When University Challenge first aired in 1962, it was Leeds versus Reading that kicked off the inaugural match. Leeds won the initial round against Reading but the team was later defeated by the University of Nottingham in the quarter-finals.

Since their 1962 defeat, the Yorkshire Evening Post has noted that the University of Leeds has made six appearances on the show, but are yet to be titled champions.

During their most recent 2011/2012 tournament, Leeds won the first round against Goldsmiths, University of London, but were defeated by Clare College, Cambridge, in the second round.

Leeds has, however, seen success in the festive edition of University Challenge, when their 2019 alumni team defeated Wadham Oxford College in the final.

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This win meant Leeds secured the title of the first non-Oxbridge team to win the Christmas University Challenge.

Amol Rajan, BBC Radio 4 Today’s presenter, began hosting University Challenge in July after the former host, Jeremy Paxman, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and subsequently left the show.

Leeds University Union said: “The students and the staff at Leeds University Union are excited to tune in to University Challenge on Monday evening.

“After a competitive qualifying process, we know the team is very proud to be representing the University of Leeds on the television broadcast. We wish them the best of luck.”

You can watch the team on Monday 28th October at 8:30pm on BBC 2 and BBC iPlayer.

Featured image via BBC iPlayer

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