LIVE BLOG: Peterhouse dominates University Challenge Final

Arched eyebrows, thinking faces, and Paxman putdowns. You guessed it, it’s The Tab’s coverage of the University Challenge Final 2016.

| UPDATED live blog Peterhouse the tab university challenge

Get excited, because the University Challenge final has arrived. Take a breather and relax, you anxious, high-cultured Cantab, for you can once again revel in pre-Raphaelite paintings and gradations in Beethoven’s ninth symphony. The Tab will bring you all of the scores, penalties and excitement live from Peterhouse bar, where members of the college are waiting with bated breath to see if their team can take home the Trophy. 

20:50 Hannah modestly celebrating

Champion

20:45 A chastened Trinitarian is less pleased with tonight’s outcome. “University Challenge is peak dumb shaming. It should be banned” he says “Why can’t we just celebrate how great all colleges are?”

“I felt thoroughly thick watching this episode.”

20:41 Oscar Powell’s fellow geologists all think he “rocks”.

Pun intended.

20:40 Mood in Peterhouse is euphoric (as you’d expect). “They smashed it.”

20:33 Julian’s neighbour Becca is very relieved at his success. “Julian just moved in across the hall and now I’ll have to learn lots of facts.”

She’s on the right.

20:31 “They know a lot of shit.”

Proud Peterhouse students

20:29 Stay tuned for live reactions.

20:28 BREAKING: the final buzzer has sounded and we can now reveal that Peterhouse has won University Challenge 2016!

Final score 215 – 30.

20:26 The audience are beginning to give sympathy claps for the Oxford team every time they get a question right. Lol.

“You can do much better than that, St John’s.” says host Jeremy Paxman (full disclosure: he’s a Cambridge alumnus).

20:24 Peterhouse ahead 215-25.

Drinking port and knowing shit for 732 years.

20:23 With 7 minutes to go, are the good luck charms from each of the teams starting to have meaning? Peterhouse has the crown, and St John’s Oxford the humble farm yard animal…

20:22 Powell is cementing his position as the new Loveday. Have we found another Hapax Legomemnon? While Charlie Clegg from The Other Place is trying so hard, he’s still just a  poor man’s Powell. #GDBO

20:19 SCORE UPDATE – Peterhouse still ahead 170 – 10

GDBO

20:17 News just in: The Tab prophesied BEFORE LOVEDAY.

20:16 Time for a music round. Let’s now sit awkwardly while the Mozart plays and the middle-class starts nodding.

20:14 It’s not too soon. We’re saying Peterhouse can’t lose this now. Remember, you heard it here first.

20:13 Peterhouse up 120 – minus 5. RAPID LEAD. Is it too soon to call this?

20:11 Ted’s time as the reigning star is soon to be over…we’ve found a new king.

#Powell

20:09 UC Trivia, live from Twitter

20:08 Peterhouse is rapidly gaining speed, now up 45-0.

Today’s final is potentially a very special one for Cambridge: if Peterhouse wins tonight the University will have secured three consecutive victories from one University, the first time such a feat has occurred in the history of the programme.

20:07 Powell is on fire and answering lots of starter questions. Potential Loveday?

20:06 They may be the oldest college in Cambridge, but couldn’t tell us names of the kings in the time the college has been around…

20:04 Current score 25 – 0 to Peterhouse.

20:03 Even the cold, soulless Tab writers sitting in corner can feel the deep emotional connection between the audience and their team.

20:02 Powell’s straight in there, but neither side is off f to a flying start. Both teams seem to be struggling with the opening questions.

20:01 A quick round up of the two teams’ performances in the competition: Peterhouse sailed through the opening rounds of this year’s series, comfortably beating Glasgow in the very first edition of the programme broadcast in July, then beating St George’s (University of London) by over 100 points in the second round. St John’s Oxford performed equally impressively in the opening rounds beating Bristol and Queen’s University Belfast both by a large margin. The two teams then came head to head in the Quarter finals, where Peterhouse edged it by only 45 points. However, the Oxford team scored enough points to make its way into the semi-finals after defeating Newcastle. Tonight, the two teams meet again.

St John’s Oxford performed equally impressively in the opening rounds beating Bristol and Queen’s University Belfast both by a large margin. The two teams then came head to head in the Quarter finals, where Peterhouse edged it by only 45 points. However, the Oxford team scored enough points to make its way into the semi-finals after defeating Newcastle. Tonight, the two teams meet again.

20:00 AND WE’RE OFF

19:57 Bar is currently buzzing as apparently the theatre is completely packed with excited spectators. This isn’t the first time fellows and undergrads have been joined together in a dark room in the confines of Peterhouse…

19:55 Rory has found Oscar and has braved his way through his entourage in Peterhouse Bar to take a selfie.

#1 Tab 2017 BNOC?

19:52 For all those who haven’t been following the whole competition, check out our preview for a quick catchup.

19:46 Rory, Shani and Meggie here bringing you all of the action over the next hour. We’ll be bringing you updates from excitable students and friends of Hannah, Julian, Thomas and Oscar.