Christmas University Challenge

Series results

The competition uses a colour-coded system to determine which teams advance. Winners whose scores are shown in green move on to the next round. Losers, whose scores appear in red, are eliminated. A team that wins but posts an orange score does not earn enough points to continue. If a match is decided by a tie-breaker question, that score is written in italics.

Trinity College, Cambridge won the 2011 series. Their four players were Robin Bhattacharyya, Daisy Goodwin, John Lloyd, and Edward Stourton. They defeated the University of Warwick’s team, which consisted of Vadim Jean, Daisy Christodoulou, Christian Wolmar, and Carla Mendonça.

In 2012, New College, Oxford took the title. The winning lineup was Rachel Johnson, Patrick Gale, Kate Mosse, and Yan Wong. Their opponents from the University of East Anglia were John Boyne, Razia Iqbal, David Grossman, and Charlie Higson.

The 2013 champions were Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. Their team featured Quentin Stafford-Fraser, Helen Castor, Mark Damazer, and Lars Tharp. They beat Emmanuel College, Cambridge, whose players were Hugo Rifkind, Mary-Ann Ochota, Simon Singh, and Rory McGrath.

Trinity Hall, Cambridge won the 2014 series. The victorious quartet was Tom James, Emma Pooley, Adam Mars-Jones, and Dan Starkey. They overcame the University of Hull, represented by Rosie Millard, Malcolm Sinclair, Jenni Murray, and Stan Cullimore.

Magdalen College, Oxford claimed the 2015 championship. Their team comprised Robin Lane Fox, Heather Berlin, Louis Theroux, and Matt Ridley. They defeated the University of Sheffield’s squad of Sid Lowe, Nicci Gerrard, Adam Hart, and Ruth Reed.

St Hilda’s College, Oxford won in 2016. The winners were Fiona Caldicott, Daisy Dunn, Val McDermid, and Adèle Geras. They beat the University of Leeds, whose team included Louise Doughty, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Kamal Ahmed, and Steve Bell.

Keble College, Oxford triumphed in 2017. Their players were Paul Johnson, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Katy Brand, and Anne-Marie Imafidon. They defeated the University of Reading, whose lineup was Anna Machin, Martin Hughes-Games, Sophie Walker, and Pippa Greenwood.

Peterhouse, Cambridge won the 2018 series. The winning team consisted of Dan Mazer, Mark Horton, Michael Howard, and Michael Axworthy. They beat the University of Bristol, represented by Philip Ball, Laura Wade, Misha Glenny, and Iain Stewart.