EXCLUSIVE: Graham Virgo weighs in on The Tab’s Top 10 BNOCs list 2021

The Tab’s Top 10 BNOCs have been announced, and we’re sure they’re all still reeling from the rush of their newly found fame! However, there’s even more to get excited about today, because we can reveal that Professor Graham Virgo has weighed in on the competition, telling us which of this year’s BNOCs he has heard of.

The truest test of BNOCdom is obviously whether or not Graham Virgo knows who you are. It’s no longer enough to just have smoking area clout, you need to impress the big cheeses of the university as well.

When asked if he’s even heard of the concept of a BNOC, Virgo was happy to report that: “I do know about the BNOC competition,” and actually “when the 100 names were published on The Tab, I did look at them.” Actual proof that Virgo is a fan of The Tab?!? We’re beyond flattered. 

Virgo DEFINITELY submitted this (Credit: Camfess via Facebook)

When he looked at the top 100 names, Prof Virgo said that “I didn’t know many of them, but I did know some of them,” and agreed to look at the (then unpublished) list of the ten biggest names on campus, to tell us who he has personally heard of. 

After admitting that it “could be really embarrassing” if he didn’t recognise anybody, he revealed how many of our winners got the official Virgo-seal of BNOCness.

“So, I’m not going to tell you who I’ve heard of because that would be unfair. But I’ve heard of two of them.”

Understandably, Prof Virgo didn’t want to name names, because of course the immeasurable clout of Virgo knowing who you are would go straight to anyone’s head, catapulting them to unreached levels of university fame that would be far too great to handle.

However, since we now know he has indeed heard of, not one, but TWO of the BNOCs, we won’t stop you from speculating about which ones they are 😉

We asked whether the reasons for him knowing those two names were good or bad, and he replied: “I’m not going to speculate why people are on that list, but those I know of [are for] really really really good and positive reasons.” So if any of our top ten BNOCs were getting worried, be reassured that the university doesn’t know your dirty secrets (or at the very least they’re pretending not to). 

We also told Prof Virgo that his colleague, Vice-Chancellor Stephen Toope, was in fact nominated for the title, but is ineligible for the competition because he’s a member of staff. Virgo’s reaction was truly upsetting: “Really, he was nominated and I wasn’t? So, that’s very disappointing.”

We suggested he campaigns harder next year to at least get one nomination. Honestly guys, please remember to nominate him, because after all the interviews he’s done with The Tab, we’d love it if he made it next year.

#GrahamVirgoForBNOC2022

Cover image credit: Wikimedia Commons via Creative Commons Licence. 

Related articles recommended by this author:

• THE RESULTS ARE IN: These are Cambridge’s Top 10 BNOCs 2021

• Interview: Graham Virgo on rent and residency requirements, exams, graduation and May Week

• 63 Toope memes in celebration of Stephen Toope’s 63rd birthday