Episode 10 University Challenge

APPLAUSE

Christmas University challenge.

Asking the questions, Jeremy Paxman.

APPLAUSE

Hello. Age has not withered them, not yet, anyway.

But the next 30 minutes may take their toll, as the best two teams

remaining in this contest now play the final match,

not for anything as banal or, indeed, obvious as money,

simply for the glory that will never fade of having won a Christmas quiz.

The finalists are two teams from Cambridge colleges.

The four from Emmanuel College, Cambridge got here

without ever having seen Shakespeare's 'The Winter's Tale',

which was quite obviously going to feature in this seasonal series.

But even so, they beat Reading University in round one

and Southampton University in the semifinals

and their accumulated score, so far, is 360.

They are fielding the same team of a broadsheet journalist,

a television broadcaster,

an author of books on science and a comedy writer and presenter.

Let's meet them again.

I am Hugo Rifkind and I studied philosophy in the late 1990s

and now I am a columnist and leader writer for The Times.

I am Mary Ann Ochota. I studied archaeology and anthropology, '99 to 2002,

and now I present programmes about archaeology and anthropology.

And here's their captain. I'm Simon Singh.

I completed a PhD in particle physics in 1991

and I now write books about science.

I'm Rory McGrath. I graduated in modern languages in 1977

and, currently, I am working undercover for MI6.

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

Now, the team from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge

had a very close match against Lancaster University in their semifinal,

but pulled away in the final minutes

by knowing about John Dunn, Franz Lehar and the Lama.

Having beaten Christchurch, Oxford in the first round,

their combined score is 435.

Now, as familiar as the backs of our hands,

their team includes a computer pioneer, a broadcaster and writer,

the former head honcho of Radio Four

and a man deeply immersed in pottery.

Let's meet them again.

Hello, I'm Quentin Stafford-Fraser.

I studied computer science when it was about half the age it is now

and I've had great fun playing with it ever since.

I'm Helen Castor.

I studied history in the late '80s and early '90s

and now I am a historian and a writer and broadcaster.

And this is their captain. I'm Mark Damazer.

I studied history in the 1970s and I'm now master at St Peter's College, Oxford.

I'm Lars Tharp. Back in the Stone Age, I read palaeolithic archaeology

and these days, I break sad news gently on the Antiques Roadshow.

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

You all know the rules, so let's just get on with it.

Fingers on the buzzers. Here is your first starter for 10.

Named after an Austrian field marshal,

which piece of music by Johann...

BUZZER

Rudedski March. Correct.

APPLAUSE

Your first set of bonuses are on skiing.

Indicative of their region of origin,

what collective term denotes cross-country skiing

and ski-jumping events at the Winter Olympics,

as opposed to the Alpine or Freestyle categories?

Nordic. Correct.

Which region of southern Norway gives its name to a skiing turn

in which the outside ski is pushed forward and gradually turned inward,

while the other knee is bent, in order to change direction?

Tonsburg.

Tonsburg. No, it's the Telemark. The Telemark turn.

The skiing term known as the Stem Christie

takes its name from a former name of which Nordic city?

Trondheim? Try it.

Trondheim. No, it's Oslo, which used to be known as Christiania.

10 points for this.

Murdered in a Dominican friary,

killed by an exploding cannon during the Siege of Roxburgh,

death at the Battle of Sauchieburnn

and death at the Battle of Flodden.

These fates link successive kings of Scotland...

BUZZER

James. James is correct, yes.

APPLAUSE

These bonuses are on astronomy. In January 2013, Gonville and Caius,

in January 2013, it was announced that a recently-discovered LQG

was the largest and brightest structure in the known universe,

around four billion light-years across.

For what does the letter Q of LQG stand?

Quasar. Correct.

A study by Caltech astronomers reported that the Milky Way galaxy

contains at least one planet per star,

giving a minimum number of how many exoplanets?

You can have 10 billion either way.

LAUGHTER

100 billion. Correct.

Discovered in 2008, the main belt asteroid 274301

was renamed in January 2013 after which free online resource?

Google. It's not really free. No, it's Wikipedia.

10 points for this.

"Our interests on the dangerous edge of things". "The honest thief".

"The tender murderer". "The superstitious atheist".

Which 20th century English author cited those lines by Robert Browning

as the epigraph he would choose for all his novels?

BUZZER

Graham Greene. Correct.

APPLAUSE

This set of bonuses are on names.

In each case, I want the two given names

and the shared surname of the following pairs of people.

Firstly, a German historian and cartographer

who gives his name to a 1973 world map that is area accurate

and a midfielder in England's 1966 World Cup-winning squad.

Peters.

Given names. I want both of them.

Martin Peters was the footballer. Yes.

The cartographer?

Samuel Friedrich? The German, yes. Friedrich. No, it's Arno.

Secondly, for five points, a singer and songwriter, born in Montreal in 1934,

whose albums include Songs From A Room and Death Of A Ladies' Man

and the right back in England's 1966 World Cup-winning squad.

It's Wilson.

The right back is Ray Wilson. No, it's George Cohen. Bad luck.

Leonard Cohen was, of course, the other person.

And finally, the co-founder of the Intel Corporation who gives his name

to a so-called law, predicting the number of devices that can affordably fit on a microchip

and the captain of England's 1966 World Cup winning squad.

So, it's Bobby Moore.

I thought it was Geoffrey Moore. Well, Bobby Moore was the captain.

I think it's Geoffrey Moore. Bobby Moore and Geoffrey Moore.

No, it's Bobby Moore and Gordon Moore.

We're going to take the picture round.

For your picture starter, you will see a map showing an historic county of Scotland.

10 points if you can give me its name.

BUZZER

Clackmannanshire. No. Anyone like to buzz from Emmanuel?

BUZZER

Is it Ross and Cromarty? No, it's not. It's Aberdeenshire.

So, picture bonuses in a moment or two.

10 points for this starter question. Fingers on the buzzers.

In solid-state physics, what name is given to the surface

in momentum space that gives the maximum energy

at absolute zero temperature of the electrons in the material?

It takes its name from a US nuclear physicist born in Rome in 1901.

BUZZER

Fermi Space. Correct.

APPLAUSE

You saw a map of Aberdeenshire,

which you failed to identify a moment or two ago.

According to Met Office data from the last 30 years,

the historic county of Aberdeenshire is the snowiest area of the UK,

seeing snow lying for an average of 37 days a year.

Picture bonuses.

Three more maps showing some of the snowiest areas of the UK.

In each case, the area marked corresponds to an historic county.

Five points for each you can identify.

Firstly for five, the snowiest area of Northern Ireland.

Any guesses at all?

Donegal. Donegal? No, that's in...

No, of course it's not Donegal! Donegal isn't in the UK, is it?

No, it's Derry or Londonderry, if you are of the other persuasion.

Secondly, the snowiest area of Wales.

It's Snowdonia. No, that's further north.

Is it Breconshire? Powys?

Isn't that where the Brecon Beacons are?

You've got Breconshire here. No, that's further south.

Somewhere between the two. OK. We will have to go with Breconshire.

No, it is Radnorshire. And finally, the snowiest area of England.

Cumbria or Cumberland. That's Westmorland. Westmorland, yes.

We will go with Westmorland. Well done, yes. 10 points for this.

"The limits of my language mean the limits of my world."

Those were the words of which Austrian born philosopher...

BUZZER

Wittgenstein. Correct.

APPLAUSE

A set of bonuses for you, Emmanuel College, on Scottish airports

and their three-letter codes.

In each case, give the name of the airport.

Firstly, the three-letter code of which Scottish island airport

is also an abbreviation for a government set up

by slave states in 1861 and defeated in 1865.

It's an island airport.

Kirkwall. Lerwick.

KRK. LLK. LER. I can't think what the...

It's not Liberia? LIB.

In the Western Isles, you've got Barra, you've got Stornoway.

Orkney. Sky.

We will go with Stornoway. No, it's Colonsay. CSA.

Secondly, its runway, a windswept beach,

which airport in the Western Isles has a three-letter code that is

an onomatopoeic expression for a sound made when shivering with cold?

That's Barra. It's Barra. OK. Barra. Barra, its initial being BRR.

And finally, the three-letter code of which Scottish airport

is also an abbreviation for the top tier administrative body for Greater London?

GLA. Glasgow. GLA and Glasgow.

Correct. 10 points for this.

The father of Proteus in The Two Gentlemen Of Verona,

a sea captain in Twelfth Night,

Leonato's aged brother in Much Ado About Nothing,

Prospero's brother in The Tempest

and an eponymous merchant were all given what name by Shakespeare?

BUZZER

Antonio. Yes. Well done.

APPLAUSE

Your bonuses are on the adventures of Sherlock Holmes,

Conan Doyle's first collection of short stories featuring the detective.

In each case, name the story from the summary.

All three titles start with the words, "The adventure of...".

So I simply need the rest of the title.

Firstly, at Christmas time the eponymous jewel is found in the crop of a goose.

Holmes traces how it got there.

Shall we say the jewel?

The adventure of the yellow jewel. No. It's the Blue Carbuncle.

Secondly, Dr Grimesby Roylott attempts to murder his heiress stepdaughter

by introducing a poisonous snake into her chambers.

Is it Sign of the Four? Yes, it is. I think it is The Sign of Four.

The Sign of the Four. No, it's The Speckled Band.

And finally, a flame-haired pawnbroker is lured from his shop

so that bank robbers can dig a tunnel from his cellar

to nearby bank vaults.

I think we are giving up. That is The Red-Headed League.

10 points for this. Which Prime Minister's first period in office

saw the publication of Wuthering Heights and the Communist manifesto?

Nicknamed Finality Jack, for his opposition to further

parliamentary reform, his grandchildren included

a prominent philosopher and mathematician.

BUZZER

Russell. Yes. Lord John Russell is correct.

APPLAUSE

Your bonuses are on foot paths and geology.

Ending 145 million years ago, which geological period

gives its name to the 88-mile path from Banbury to Stanford?

It's name refers to a limestone ridge.

Cambrian, Jurassic. Cambrian Jurassic.

Cambrian. No, it's the Jurassic Way.

Named after the cancer charity,

the Macmillan Way is a 288-mile coast-to-coast path

that largely follows a belt of what type of limestone,

whose texture resembles small eggs?

We will leave that one to you. How kind! It's Oolitic.

And finally, the 46-mile Limestone Way runs from Castleton

to Rocester, largely through which county?

Castleton.

Lancashire?

What did you say it was? There is a Castleton on the Isle of Man.

That's not a county, though. Lancashire. No, it's Derbyshire.

We're going to take a music round now.

For your music starter, you will hear a piece of classical music.

10 points. All you have to do is to name the composer.

MUSIC

BUZZER

Mahler. Correct. It's part of his Fifth Symphony.

APPLAUSE

It was, you will doubtless recall, used in Tessa Virtue

and Scott Moir's gold medal-winning ice dance programme

at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Your music bonuses are three more classical pieces

used in gold medal figure skating.

In each case, I simply want the name of the composer, please.

Firstly for five points, the French composer of this piece

used in the 2002 gold medal winning pair skating programme.

MUSIC

Debussy. No, it's Massenet.

Secondly, the French composer of this piece also used in 2002,

this time in the gold medal winning ladies singles programme.

MUSIC

Debussy. No, that was Ravel.

Finally, the Russian composer of this piece,

used in the 1988 gold medal-winning ice dancing programme.

MUSIC PLAYS

It's Khachaturian.

Khachaturian. No, that was by Borodin.

Ten points for this.

The short English name of which microstate consists of two

conjunctions followed by the name of the Egyptian god of the sun?

Andorra. Correct.

APPLAUSE

Your bonuses are on the human eye this time, Gonville and Caius.

What term refers to an adjustment of the shape of the lens, in order

to change the focus of the eye?

Stigma, isn't it?

Adjustment of the lens...

Stigma? I don't know.

Stigmatism. No, it is accommodation.

Protanopia, deuteranopia and tritanopia are all defects

in which specific area of vision?

Myopia? Retina? Area of vision?

Was it an area of vision? Yes, the peripheral. Peripheral.

No, it is colour vision.

And finally, the macula lutea is a spot on the retina that

surrounds the greatest concentration of which light-sensitive cells?

They function best in bright light and are essential for acute vision.

Don't know.

Retina. No, they are cones. Ten points for this.

Give the three letters of the alphabet that begin words

meaning Curcuma longa,

a plant of the ginger family that yields a deep orange yellow spice,

the root vegetable Brassica rapa...

T-U-R. TUR. Correct, yes.

APPLAUSE

OK. You're back in the game now, with a set of bonuses on motor cars

and human beings. In 1885, Karl Benz constructed the first automobile.

It had three wheels, like an invalid car,

and ran on alcohol, like many drivers.

These lines are from Autogeddon, a 1991 work by which English poet

and actor, also noted for Whale Nation? Anybody know? No?

We are going to pass. That's Heathcote Williams.

Unsafe At Any Speed:

The Designed-in Dangers Of The American Automobile is a 1965 work

by which consumer advocate who stood several times for the US presidency?

Ralph Nader. Correct.

Who wrote the 1973 novel Crash, in which protagonists become

sexually aroused by staging... J G Ballard. Correct.

Ten points for this.

Born in Amsterdam in 1938,

which director's films include Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers...

Paul Verhoeven? Correct. Yes.

APPLAUSE

These bonuses are on an organisation, Emmanuel.

Which inter-governmental organisation came into being

at the Baghdad Conference in 1960, with five founder members?

UNESCO?

We have to be very quick. UNESCO? UNESCO.

No, it is OPEC, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Secondly, following Nigeria in 1971,

which large sub-Saharan African country joined OPEC in 2007?

Cameroon? Chad? Nigeria?

I don't know. Chad? No, it is Angola.

In addition to Venezuela, which South American country

is a member of OPEC, having resumed membership in 2007?

Brazil? We'll go with Brazil. No, it is Ecuador.

We're going to take a second picture round.

For your picture starter, you'll see a painting depicting

an incident in the life of a saint.

Ten points if you can give me his name, please.

St Nicolas?

It is St Nicolas, bringing three small pickled children back to life.

So, the feast day of St Nicholas is December 6th.

For your bonuses, three more depictions of events

connected with the Christmas story and celebrated as feasts.

For five points, can you identify the feast in question? Firstly...

The Feast of the Annunciation. Correct. Secondly...

The Holy Innocents Feast, the Massacre of the Innocents.

That's correct, yes. And finally, the precise name of this feast day.

You're seeing the central panel of a triptych by the Master of Frankfurt.

It's Epiphany. I don't think so. That's when they leave.

But is that a feast? Let's have it, please.

It's the adoration of the Magi. I want the feast day.

Epiphany. Correct. January 6th.

OK, let's take another starter question.

In the titles of a science fiction novel by Richard Matheson,

a 1967 song by The Beatles and two volumes of autobiography

by the actor Leonard Nimoy, which two short words link...

I am. I am, is correct, yes.

Bonuses this time on aerodynamics, Gonville and Caius.

From the French for "little wing", what term denotes flight control

surfaces attached to the trailing edge of each wing of an aircraft?

Aileron. Correct.

What three-letter term is used to describe the movement of an

aircraft's nose from side to side, while in level flight?

Yaw. Yaw. Correct.

What vertically-projecting part of an aircraft is used

to control or induce yaw?

Rudder. The rudder. Correct. Ten points for this.

What French expression is often used in English to describe

the annoyance of thinking of the perfect retort too late...

L'esprit de l'escalier. L'esprit de l'escalier is right.

APPLAUSE

Your bonuses are on English rivers.

In each case, I want the ceremonial county

through which the following rivers flow.

Firstly, for five points, the Allen, the Coquet and the Wansbeck.

Essex? Wansbeck is... Essex.

No, it's Northumberland. Secondly, the Corve, the Severn and the Tern?

Somerset? Gloucestershire? Gloucestershire.

No, it is Shropshire.

Finally the Dart, the Taw and the Torridge. Devon.

Devon. Correct. Ten points for this.

Answer in Greek, Latin or English giving the words attributed

to Julius Caesar when he marched his army...

Crossing the Rubicon. No, you lose five points.

..when he marched his army over the River Rubicon in 49BC?

One of you want to buzz?

Veni, vidi, vici? No, it's, "Iacta alea est."

"The die is cast." Ten points for this.

Denoting an act sometimes regarded as cultural vandalism,

what eight-letter term was coined from the name of a Scottish Earl who

transported the Parthenon marbles to London in the early 19th-century?

Elginism. Correct.

Right, Emmanuel College, these bonuses are on oratorios.

Perhaps the most important late French oratorio L'enfance du Christ

is an 1854 work by which composer?

His earlier pieces include Symphonie Fantastique.

Oh, that is...Delibes.

Delibes. No, it's Berlioz.

First performed in 1991,

the Liverpool oratorio is a collaboration

between the composer Carl Davis and which British musician?

Paul McCartney. Correct.

Which German born composer is noted for oratorios, including Saul

and Israel in Egypt, both first performed in 1739?

German composer... Haydn. Haydn?

No, it is Handel. About four minutes to go, ten points for this.

After an epic poem in hexameter, what noun is defined as a long

and eventful, or adventurous, journey or experience?

Odyssey? Correct. A set of bonuses on physics now.

The electron configurations of atoms can be represented using

the letters S, P, D and which other letter?

L. No, it is F.

The Aufbau principle states that a maximum of how many electrons can be

put into an orbital, as they are filled in order of increasing

orbital energy?

Eight. No, it is two.

According to the Aufbau principle,

which orbitals are filled after the 2s orbital?

The one... 1l?

No, it is the 2p orbitals. Right.

About three minutes and a bit to go and another starter question.

Listen carefully. Give all three answers promptly.

Identify the US president who was in office

when the Berlin Wall went up,

the president who said Mr Gorbachev teared down this wall,

and the president in office when the Berlin Wall came down.

Kennedy, Reagan, Bush Senior. Correct.

These bonuses are on orders of chivalry, Gonville and Caius.

In each case, name the European country

in which the following are awarded.

Firstly, the Military Order of William

and the Order Of Orange Nassau.

Netherlands. The Netherlands. Correct.

Secondly, the Order of the Seraphim, the Order of the Polar Star

and the Order of the Sword.

Sweden?

Sweden. Sweden. Sweden is correct.

Finally, the Order of the Elephant is the oldest and most distinguished

royal order of chivalry of which European country?

Denmark. Correct. Ten points for this.

Name the smallest three-digit number that is both prime

and palindromic in base ten?

121. No. Anyone want to buzz from Gonville and Caius?

101. 101 is correct, yes.

Your bonuses are on Africa this time, Gonville and Caius.

In each case, name the country from the list of those it borders.

Firstly, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Botswana...

Botswana. Correct.

Secondly, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Togo.

Mali.

No, it is Benin. Finally, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.

Uganda? Let's go with it.

Uganda. No, it is Djibouti. Ten points for this.

What given name links the astronomer sister of Sir William Herschel,

the wife of King George...

Caroline. Caroline is right.

These set of bonuses are on fictional characters.

Which wordless picture book by Raymond Briggs

was adapted into an Oscar-nominated animated film in 1982? The Snowman.

The Snowman. Correct.

Snowman, whose original name was Jimmy, is the central character

in which 2003 post-apocalyptic novel by Margaret Atwood?

Shall we pass? No idea. No, no idea. That's Oryx And Crake.

The Snowman is the seventh crime novel featuring

the detective Harry Hole, by which Norwegian author?

Henning Mankell? No, it's Joe Nesbo. Ten points for this.

What is the common name of the long-tailed

aquatic larvae of anuran, such as Rana species?

Tadpole. Tadpole is correct.

Your bonuses are on medical conditions.

Referring to a creative pursuit, what is the common name

for the condition known medically as graphospasm?

Painter's elbow, tennis elbow... Creative pursuit.

Go with tennis elbow? Writer's cramp.

Writer's cramp. Writer's cramp is right.

Lateral epicondylitis is a condition most commonly known

by what two-word term referring to a sport? Tennis elbow. Correct.

Pre-patella bursitis is an inflammation of...

Housemaid's knee. The knee is correct.

Ten points for this. GONG

And there's the gong.

Emmanuel College have 140, Gonville and Caius College have 175.

APPLAUSE

You left your comeback too late, Emmanuel! Many congratulations

to you, Gonville and Caius. You're a very impressive team.

You get the non-existent trophy and the deathless glory.

Many congratulations to you.

It only remains for me to thank all the teams who've taken part

in this series and to thank you for watching.

Next time, we resume the students' competition, but until then,

it's goodbye from Emmanuel College, Cambridge. ALL: Goodbye.

It is goodbye from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.

ALL: Goodbye. And it's goodbye from me. Goodbye.