Durham landlord may compete against own tenants in University Challenge

In a dramatic plot twist for a relatively undramatic show, the new series of BBC quiz show University Challenge may see Durham landlord Peter Smith competing against his own Durham University tenants.

Smith is the founder and director of award winning letting agency Bill Free Homes but three years ago he decided to follow in his tenants’ footsteps and study a Master’s degree in Real Estate Finance at Salford University.

Peter’s company houses six per-cent of the houses in Durham. Managing 130 properties and around 600 tenants, it was more than likely that Mr Smith would be competing against one of his own tenants in this new series.

If the Salford team beat the Open University tonight, they could go on to face the Durham team later in the series, which in fact includes Bill Free Homes tenant Nat Guillou who reads Arab World Studies.

Mr Smith is a long term fan of University Challenge and was “thrilled” to qualify for the show this year, after his team failed the competitive selection process two years ago that reduces 160 universities down to 28.

Mr Smith was so keen to get on the show that he told The Northern Echo: “If we hadn’t made it on to the show this year then I may have been tempted to apply for a PhD to extend my time as a Salford student but, thankfully, now I don’t have to!”