Durham has just won University Challenge for the first time in over 20 years!!

We love you Scully, Margaux, Radcliffe and Bennett xx


Durham’s University Challenge team has won for the first time since 2000, and Scully, Margaux, Radcliffe and Bennett did our university very proud.

With a score of 155-120, Durham beat fellow finalists Bristol for the second time tonight, as they had also beaten them in their qualifying first round, which Jeremy Paxman said was a University Challenge first.

Scully set the team off strong with the first of three consecutive winning rounds, and Durham supporters knew we were in good hands. Bennett followed by answering the next starter question, then Radcliffe’s animated answer of “cat!” on the third starter question surged the team on to a fierce lead.

Other highlights included Radcliffe guessing Saint-Saëns as the composer of the music starter question by just the first chord, and Scully securing Durham’s victory with two minutes to spare after an incorrect early buzz in from Bristol.

The Durham team was presented with their trophy by best-selling author Jung Chang, the author of Wild Swans, who urged them to use their brains to better our world.

Team Durham, we are so proud.

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