Bristol’s on University Challenge – meet the team!

Bristol’s made it through to the televised finals of University Challenge.  Our team of five sailed into the top 26 universities, beating off competition from about 130 other university teams.

They were auditioned and tested by BBC producers at Badock Hall, who said they gave “the funniest interview they’d ever seen.”

Last year, Bristol’s miserable score gave Paxo constipation

The final five teammates were chosen from over 250 Bristol students who were tested by UBU in November last year.

They don’t yet know which uni they’ll be up against, but they’ll be in the quarter finals if they win.  But the pressure’s on – last year year Bristol suffered an embarrassing defeat against Imperial, scoring only 115 to their 245 points.

Meet the people who hold Bristol’s reputation in their hands:

Anastasia Reynolds (Team Captain)

Captain Anastasia Reynolds has a chequered past (Sasha Tankhaeva Photography)

Fourth Year Czech & Russian student Anastasia Reynolds is Team Captain.  In her “chequered past” she was once a receptionist to the drummer from The Clash – Terry Chimes (aka Tory Crimes), who’s now a chiropractor in Essex.

Lewis Rendell

Lewis Rendell: “Have you been soliciting?”

Lewis Rendell is a third year Mathematician.  When looking for charity donations, he once very awkwardly asked a solicitor from Bristol she’d been “soliciting” since she left uni.  Apparently that’s really charming because she still made a donation!

Miles Coleman

Miles Coleman does Paxo impressions when DJing

South African Miles Coleman is in his fourth year studying Spanish and Portuguese.  He’s definitely the troublemaker of the group: he’s been chucked out of six different clubs in Bristol, he does Jeremy Paxman impressions when he’s DJing and he’s vowing to do a few shots before he goes on TV.

Benjamin Moon

Benjamin Moon is trying to get over his fear of monsters

Ben’s a third-year Geologist.  Only five years ago, he fell into the lake when his mum scared him by pretending to be the Loch Ness Monster.  Hopefully he won’t find Paxo as scary, otherwise the team is screwed!

Robert Beavis (Reserve)

Robert Beavis was an expert bell-ringer. Until he was bitten on the balls by an ant.

Robert’s in his second year studying Archaeology.  When he’s not killing it on University Challenge quizzes, he’s winning bell-ringing competitions for Bristol.  And he was once bitten on the balls by an ant.  Ouch.