We read your funniest Overheard at Durham requests and questions…

Although there is no such thing as a stupid question, the Overheard at Durham Uni Facebook group has engaged in a seemingly endless crusade to disprove that fact. Among the continuous waves of missing items and requests for formal and Unhinged tickets, we have decided to answer some of the funniest and strangest questions that have appeared over the last month.

Anon 11/5/26 – any (hot ideally) electrically-minded individuals (or anyone who got a 9 in GCSE physics) free to fix our fuse box / give us a new hob / cook us dinner. sincerely, two hungry ladies with a broken hob x

If you and your housemate want to form a polycule with a hot househusband (or wife, since you did not specify a gender), both Hinge and Tinder are free. If you spend enough time on either of them you will eventually find someone who is eager to show off their electrical skills, or massively embarrass themselves in the attempt.

However, assuming your intentions are purely platonic and them being hot is just an aesthetic preference, try befriending one of the porters at your college. Most of them will have experience with these types of repairs and probably know at least a few good recipes on top of that. Additionally, as someone who both got a 9 in GCSE physics and also would not trust myself to operate an air fryer unsupervised, let alone fix someone’s fuse box, I doubt that this is a valid qualifier for electrical expertise. Your best bet in terms of education is someone currently studying electrical engineering at university, though you might have to manage your expectations with the hot qualifier in that instance.

Anon 5/5/26 – Would yall judge me if I brought vodka to the billyb?

The distinction here lies in whether you intend to drink the vodka or simply bring it with you to the Billy B. If for some reason you decided to place a full unopened bottle of vodka on the desk next to your laptop, you are guaranteed to raise at least a few suspicious eyebrows. Therefore, unless you are a chronic attention seeker who wants everyone to know how much of an alcohol lover you are, you are probably better off keeping it in your bag until it is needed.

If you plan on drinking the vodka, I am obliged to tell you that getting drunk around a bunch of students who are trying to study is rarely a good idea. However, I will acknowledge that vodka looks identical to water from a distance, and if you were to keep it in a clear water bottle, no one outside of the range of its smell would be able to tell the difference. Not that we recommend…

Anon 2/5/26 – Would anyone care if I ended up coming to the Billy B in fluffy pink rabbit pyjamas at some point…genuinely asking!

First of all, I fail to understand this obsession with bringing strange personal belongings to the Billy B. Do the other students here really have so little going on in their lives that they need to get a kick out of being provocative around their peers who are actually trying to get work done?

To answer your question, so long as the other people there abide by the longstanding British tradition of minding their own business no matter the circumstances, you should not run into any problems. Some people will likely care and silently judge you, and you may get a warning from the staff if you wear something too outrageous, but others have gotten away with worse in the past.

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Anon 29/4/26 – Who knew Klute emo night is where the baddies at

We already knew this, but it’s good to hear that someone else has finally seen the light.

Anon 14/4/26 – For a diss would talking about the great Fortnite loot inflation be a valid topic?

At the end of the day, this comes down to what degree you are taking and what your supervisor thinks is viable. I am personally unaware of whether Durham offers undergraduate degrees in Fortnite economics, but if you can somehow persuade your supervisor that it may relate to an economics or psychology module, that alone would be impressive. As someone who is still nostalgic for the days when a gold scar was considered the most valuable weapon in the game, I would personally be intrigued to hear what you have to say.

However, if you are planning to seriously research this topic, I must first warn you not to look up the term “Fortnite inflation” if you are on university wifi, especially if you do not have safe search turned on.

Anon 18/4/26 – How do I convince my straight female housemate that neither of the gay male leads from Heated Rivalry will go for her?…

It would appear that your housemate struggles with understanding the definition of gay as well as the concept of fictional characters. Attempting to convince her outright will probably only further reinforce her delusions, so the best approach would be to introduce her to the outside world. Help her meet new people around Durham by inviting her out to socials or random group hangouts. Eventually, however long it may take, she will realise that attractive men do actually exist outside of niche HBO Max shows and she will be able to move on.

That being said, you may want to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn’t end up exclusively hitting on gay men. As legendary as the many gay men of Durham are, they are not interested in her in that way and she would only be setting herself up for disappointment.

Anon 1/5/26 – To the people who stole our bench on High Wood View, you did a terrible job and left a campus card in our drain. We are holding it hostage until it is returned (next time, do better) 🫶

While this one is not technically a question, I thought it was worth an honorable mention since I have seen no update on whether this hostage exchange ever took place. If any readers know someone who lost their campus card at the start of the month but also suspiciously gained a new bench around the same time, feel free to send us an anonymous tip.

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