Christmas Celebrity University Challenge

[Tubby Isaacs]

First game. St Anne's Oxford look good.

Mary Archer got a chemistry question wrong, but loads of other stuff right. I'd never believed the stuff I read before about her being seriously smart. I believe it now.

[steveeeeeeeee]

Christmas Celebrity University Challenge

She reminded me of the type of older, quite pompous person you get stuck behind at a self service check out or ticket machine. They could use it if they cared too, but modern technology, logical usability and the rest of the world as a whole are beneath them, so you're going to have to wait.

[Diable Rouge]

Christmas Celebrity University Challenge

Kent were highly impressive tonight - would have expected more from Dermot Murnaghan though, with his current affairs background and a decade on Eggheads.

[Jon]

Christmas Celebrity University Challenge

That's funny. I missed it tonight, but I was going to ask how dermot murnaghan got on. When I used to watch eggheads (going back some ten years) an ex of mine always used to comment that he seemed as thick as a plank. I always wondered how she knew, given that he was only the question master, but it seems she was right.

[Gerontophile]

Christmas Celebrity University Challenge

Sky, innit?

[Sam]

Christmas Celebrity University Challenge

Jon wrote: That's funny. I missed it tonight, but I was going to ask how dermot murnaghan got on. When I used to watch eggheads (going back some ten years) an ex of mine always used to comment that he seemed as thick as a plank. I always wondered how she knew, given that he was only the question master, but it seems she was right.

You can definitely tell sometimes with question masters. Anne Robinson on The Weakest Link often sounded as though she didn't entirely understand the question she was asking, for instance. It's one thing UC has never seemed to suffer from (although being a youngster I've only seen a few of the old episodes with Bamber asking the questions).

[Benjm]

Christmas Celebrity University Challenge

I quite enjoy watching high achievers who are accustomed to a certain amount of deference being publicly reminded that they know less than they did 30 years ago. It is good for their personal development too. There haven't been any real horrors yet this year but sometimes you get contestants who look like they really do want to stamp off the set in a huff.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Christmas Celebrity University Challenge

Paul Ross is a smart bloke who pretends to be stupid lots of the time.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Christmas Celebrity University Challenge

I can't watch UC any more - I tried last night, but I kept wishing painful death on that insufferably arrogant get Paxman.

[Various Artist]

Christmas Celebrity University Challenge

The heats have been terribly one-sided so far, at least prior to tonight's, which I haven't seen yet. Each of the first three were embarrassingly so for one team – and, curiously, I think in all three cases they had a knight of the realm on board who didn't answer any questions.

The oddest thing was Simon Armitage's demeanour, captaining Manchester. His side only scored about 30 points in total, and he appeared to freeze early on in the quiz on a question about poetry, of all things, after which they never really got another look-in. Since the answer was 'William McGonagall' (re his infamous poem about the Tay Bridge disaster), mind, I couldn't help wondering if he'd stopped himself on purpose, in superstitious dread of saying the name of the notorious poetaster – like theatre types shying away from the word 'Macbeth'. Thereafter though he just looked weirdly disconnected from the whole thing, like he was stoned or something. It was bizarre.

[Diable Rouge]

Christmas Celebrity University Challenge

Sometimes I wonder if Paxman throws in the odd contrarian pronunciation just for notice - I mean "Don Quicks-oat"?