University Challenge 2008–09

Series 38 of the quiz show University Challenge began on 7 July 2008 and was broadcast on BBC Two. This is a list of the matches played, their scores, and outcomes.

Main draw

• Winning teams are highlighted in bold.
• Teams with green scores (winners) returned in the next round, while those with red scores (losers) were eliminated.
• Teams with orange scores have lost, but survived as highest scoring losers.
• Teams with black scores have been disqualified.

First round

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Broadcast Date
University of Hull	140	230	City University, London	7 July 2008
Corpus Christi College, Oxford	330	95	Durham University	14 July 2008
Royal Veterinary College	95	215	University of York	21 July 2008
University of Surrey	170	185	University of Warwick	28 July 2008
Queens' College, Cambridge	205	115	St George's, University of London	4 August 2008
University of Exeter	195	150	Pembroke College, Oxford	11 August 2008
Selwyn College, Cambridge	180	115	St Anne's College, Oxford	18 August 2008
London School of Economics	220	85	University of Bath	25 August 2008
St John's College, Cambridge	185	220	Lincoln College, Oxford	1 September 2008
Murray Edwards College, Cambridge	65	260	University of Sheffield	8 September 2008
University of Southampton	135	190	University of Brighton	15 September 2008
King's College, Cambridge	180	190	University of Edinburgh	22 September 2008
University of Bristol	70	285	University of Manchester	29 September 2008
Exeter College, Oxford	135	190	University of St Andrews	6 October 2008

Highest scoring losers playoffs

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Broadcast Date
St John's College, Cambridge	325	110	Pembroke College, Oxford	13 October 2008
King's College, Cambridge	225	150	University of Surrey	20 October 2008

Second round

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Broadcast Date
London School of Economics	270	135	Selwyn College, Cambridge	10 November 2008
University of Manchester	280	80	University of York	17 November 2008
St John's College, Cambridge	345	125	King's College, Cambridge	24 November 2008
Corpus Christi College, Oxford	295	85	University of Edinburgh	1 December 2008
Queens' College, Cambridge	205	125	University of Warwick	8 December 2008
Lincoln College, Oxford	280	120	University of St Andrews	15 December 2008
City University, London	185	115	University of Brighton	22 December 2008
University of Sheffield	170	175	University of Exeter	5 January 2009

Quarter-finals

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Broadcast Date
University of Manchester	210	165	London School of Economics	12 January 2009
Lincoln College, Oxford	335	50	Queens' College, Cambridge	19 January 2009
Corpus Christi College, Oxford	350	15	University of Exeter	26 January 2009
St John's College, Cambridge	265	135	City University, London	2 February 2009

Semi-finals

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Broadcast Date
University of Manchester	345	30	Lincoln College, Oxford	9 February 2009
Corpus Christi College, Oxford	260	150	St John's College, Cambridge	16 February 2009

Final

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Broadcast Date
University of Manchester	190	275	Corpus Christi College, Oxford *	23 February 2009

• The trophy and title were originally awarded to the Corpus Christi team of Sam Kay, Lauren Schwartzman, Gail Trimble, and James Marsden, but on 2 March 2009, the BBC in a joint statement with Granada announced that they had disqualified the team for "breaking the series rules".
• The title was therefore retrospectively awarded to the Manchester team of Henry Pertinez, Reuben Roy, Matthew Yeo, and Simon Baker.
• The trophy was presented by Wendy Cope.

Notable events and press coverage

The 2009 series produced the two lowest team scores since the programme was revived by the BBC in 1994. 15 points were achieved by the University of Exeter in the third quarter-final against the later disqualified Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and 30 points were scored by Lincoln College, Oxford in a semi-final against University of Manchester. In the Exeter v. Corpus Christi match, Corpus Christi captain Gail Trimble answered a record fifteen starters correctly, leading to much interest on internet forums and in the popular press.

James Archer of King's College, Cambridge was questioned by police after wearing an RAF surplus jacket on the show—in combination with a dyed red mohican haircut—had prompted several complaints from viewers. Archer had obtained the jacket legally, and no further action was taken.

The final

The final, between Corpus Christi College and Manchester, was broadcast on 23 February 2009. Before the final, press coverage focused on the Corpus Christi captain, Gail Trimble, who had gained an exceptionally high proportion of her team's points. In the final, which was watched by more than 5 million viewers, the show's highest audience share since at least 2001, Trimble scored 125 points in the last four minutes to lead her team to what appeared at the time to be a clear victory. She was described in the British press as the "human Google", and by a defeated contestant as a "relentless juggernaut of intellectual Blitzkrieg".

A few days after the final was broadcast the BBC undertook an investigation into the eligibility of Corpus Christi team member Sam Kay, after it became evident that he had graduated in June 2008, before the filming of the quarter, semi-final and final matches, despite telling viewers he was studying chemistry. Kay left Corpus Christi after failing to get funding for his PhD and at the time of the final was working as an accountant. The captain of the Manchester team, Matthew Yeo, rejected calls for a rematch of the final. However, in a statement on 2 March 2009, the BBC and the programme's makers, Granada, stated that:

"The University Challenge rules on student eligibility are that students taking part must be registered at their university or college for the duration of the recording of the series. Whilst obviously not intending to, Corpus Christi broke this important rule where other universities and colleges taking part adhered to it. We therefore find ourselves in the regrettable position of having no choice but to disqualify Corpus Christi from the final. This means they forfeit their hard-fought title which now goes to the Manchester University team."

Another member of the Corpus Christi team, James Marsden, criticised the BBC decision. He stated that the rules were ambiguous and did not state that students had to be registered at their college for the duration of filming. Gail Trimble was subsequently reported as saying that Corpus Christi, rather than Manchester, still had the trophy, "gathering dust somewhere".

External links

• Blanchflower Results Table from blanchflower.org
• A full account of the matches of the lowest-ever scoring team in the Paxman-era, by an Exeter contestant