Famous faces of Bristol to take part in Christmas alumni University Challenge

By Zoë Crowther, Students' Union Correspondent

The Bristol alumni team shall be taking part in a new special series, starting at 8:30 pm on Christmas Eve, BBC 2.

Joining over 50 well-known alumni from 14 universities, the Bristol team members are:

• Misha Glenny (BA 1980), journalist and McMafia author
• Professor Iain Stewart (PhD 1990), geologist and broadcaster
• Dr Philip Ball (PhD 1988), science writer
• Laura Wade (BA 1999), playwright

With the University of Bristol team reaching the quarter-finals in the regular series earlier this year, the alumni team are hoping to become series champions.

They shall be facing Brasenose, Oxford, in the first episode. If they are one of the four teams with the highest winning scores, they shall play against the other three best teams in two semi-finals. The semi-final winners shall then fight for the top spot on January 4, 2019.

Mark Horton, an Archaeology professor at Bristol University, shall also be playing – but for his own alma mater, Peterhouse, Cambridge.

Over the last couple of months, applicants have been tested and selected for the 2019 student team. Although Bristol has never won the quiz show, George Ferzoco, who oversees the selection process, believes that University Challenge ‘is a showcase for our community - not just the University, but the city as well’.

Featured Image: University of Bristol