Basically you are saying you knew it, so they should.

But what about all the other questions they got right that you didn't?

No one can be an expert on everything. Bright people might not waste their time in the fantasy world of sci-fi.

All the films were made before their parents (and quite possibly grandparents) were born. There's no reason at all to suppose that they have had any opportunity to see them!

I'm saying it's general knowledge. Movies esoteric and unpopular with people all of a sudden are they?


What about them?


Yeah, college types well known for not being into fantasy stuff......

To namecheck Triffids and then to fail to recognise it was pitiful.

Yeah, they've only been on TV dozens (if not hundreds) of times in their lifetimes. I wasn't alive when any of them were made - So what?

I agree that first one is a very well-known and iconic image but I struggled with the 2nd and only got the 3rd based on Edinburgh's wrong 2nd answer.

What a close finish though, and Open would have won if the captain had not misheard an earlier bonus answer from the bloke on her right.

Perhaps they do but do not watch science fiction, I certain never do and never watched any of those films.

Remarkable that there's been time for that chip on your shoulder to grow so large then, innit!

Hang on a minute! They did get "The Day The Earth Stood Still". That was the starter! They didn't get "Them". To not get that when you've just seen it on your television - now that is truly risible!

I I knew the sci-fi films because I like that era of movies , but if someone put stills from a potter, or lord of the rings film, I wouldn't be able to name them.

If the captain of Open had been a bit quicker answering the last 3 bonuses they would have won but now they lost on sudden death. OUCH

but what an exciting episode. How good was Crawford?

It was fair because Open gave a wrong answer, which Paxman allowed them to correct.

The captain answered 16th century although the correct answer, which indeed she did give when challenged, was 1530s as it was the decade that had been asked for, not the century.

Actually she corrected it before she was challenged, saying "16th century...oh decade...1530s?"

Though Paxo would have been within his rights to say he had to take the first answer.

If she'd nominated Crawford when she was unsure of the name he was saying, they'd have won.

They also would have won if in the last set of answers the captain had interrupted with one she clearly knew, rather than wait for him to finish the question. That would have got another correct answer in just before the gong went rather than just after. Great contest, though.

All questions are easy if you know the answer.

As for Day of the Triffids, that is a classic SF book, but I've only seen the film on TV and turned it off as being a trashy american remake that mutilated the story. If the questions were about classic SF films, DotT should never have been included. It is arguable that because it was written by a brit, its "cold war" connection was bogus, too. It was much more about the dangers of genetic engineering.

I got it before he did!

Good match last night I thought.

I got the first two questions right straight away then missed most of the rest of the programme because I was crowing too loud

I often do a double take on quiz shows when the question involves a famous novel, which incidentally has been made into a film or been serialized on TV, and the contestant answers "Well, I've never seen it...".

A trashy British remake if its the film shown in the question, I'm afraid!

I've lost count of the number of times Day Of The Triffids has come up in TV Quiz Programmes (not just UC) and it can be fairly regarded as a bit of a gimme, unless the participants are really green.

Far better, in my opinion, for any questions regarding John Wyndham novels to slip in questions about The Midwich Cuckoos, which was made as a movie titled Village Of The Damned. The title difference alone might be more challenging than endlessly regurgitating questions about a book / film that most people of all generations should have at least a decent knowledge of.

Wow! Expecting others - especially those of a different generation - to know exactly what you know has to be the height of ignorance.

Open were very unlucky but I knew Edinburgh would win as I have a matrix I do in advance and it rarely fails.

I agree,her politeness lost the the contest, the other team were more than happy to interrupt. Also she should have nominated Crawford when she wasn't sure of what he was saying, had a feeling that five points might be important. Great game but very frustrating as I wanted Open to win.

On BBC News

Students vote to boycott University Challenge

I believe the expression is cutting your nose off to spite your own face! At least students in my day protested about things that actually mattered and didn't hide behind 'confidentiality agreements' to save themselves from admitting that it's probably a mountain being made out of a molehill. Do they seriously expect to be taken seriously on the strength of a vote in which nobody was actually told what it was that wasn't taken seriously and therefore could not possibly have any idea whether it wasn't taken seriously because it wasn't actually serious?

I think it's a fairly common reaction to the popular culture type of question. I certainly know that I'm guilty of feeling a slight sense of oneupmanship after I've answered nothing in a string of questions on Shakespeare, the classics, physics or biology that the students have breezed through, only to be able to say "hah, fancy not knowing that was The Smiths, these kids know nothing"

More detail here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-37926729

Incident involved a knitted Paxman. In a filming break Jeremy in front of an audience asked if they take it to bed with them. Apparently this was enough to cause such high offence that they're boycotting.

Dear oh dear.