We’re pleased to share the good news that Team Open, who are competing in Series 30 of University Challenge, are through to the quarter-finals (the final eight teams) of the competition. This is the furthest a Team Open has reached since the team of David Good, John Burke, Sue Mitchell and Lance Haward won in 1999 (find out more on our history on University Challenge here). The team's first quarter-final match will take place on Monday 29 January 2024 at 8.30pm GMT on BBC Two in the UK.
University Challenge is a UK TV quiz show where teams of university students compete, answering questions on a wide range of subjects, from literature to music to sport.
This year, a team of five Open University students successfully made it onto the live shows, where they have shown a stellar performance so far.
The team consists of Ellie Romans studying Nursing, Mike Holt studying the Open Degree, Ann Gavaghan (captain) studying Art History, James Davidson studying English Literature, and reserve member Nicky. You can find out more about the team on our ‘meet the team’ page on oustudents.com.
The first round
In their first match performance on 4 September, the team reached an impressive score of 155, which was unfortunately not enough to beat Hertford College, Oxford, who scored 230. You can catch up on their first round match on BBC iPlayer here, if you’re in the UK.
When asked about the team’s favourite moments, Ellie told us it was "walking on to the set for the first time. It was just an amazing feeling - when I realised that we really were going to be on University Challenge."
It was just an amazing feeling - when I realised that we really were going to be on University Challenge.
James also told us about first impressions at the beginning of filming: "I wasn't sure what I was really expecting from the experience especially as it was a new host so didn't know if (the) show would be different once we got there. Once we got to the studio everyone was lovely and made it such an enjoyable and memorable experience."
Once we got to the studio everyone was lovely and made it such an enjoyable and memorable experience.
The repechage
However, Team Open’s high score meant they qualified for a repechage match to fight for their place in the second round of the competition. The repechage match aired on 30 October, and Team Open reached an impressive 255 points, beating Oxford Brookes by 100 points to secure a place the second round in style. You can catch up on the repechage match on BBC iPlayer here, if you’re in the UK.
The second round
Team Open then displayed another impressive performance in the second round of the competition, which aired on 13 November. Their swift buzzing and decisive answering meant they beat UEA by 265 points to 130. 265 points is the joint third highest score of the series so far, as of 13 December (source). If you’re in the UK, you can catch up on the second round match on BBC iPlayer here.
Next stop... the quarter-finals!
Having successfully qualified for the quarter-finals, Team Open will play at least two more matches in 2024. In order to progress to the semi-finals, teams must win two matches in the quarter-finals. We hope you’ll join us in cheering the brilliant Team Open on!
Reaching the quarter-finals is a brilliant achievement, made even more special by the team’s clear appreciation of the experience and enjoyment in taking part. Mike told us that “...Getting to be part of such an iconic programme is a real privilege and a once in a lifetime opportunity...”.
A once in a lifetime opportunity
Team captain, Ann, also said the following on the University Challenge experience: "The best part was the team... Our distance was challenging when preparing, but we had a great time in our practice matches and on the show. Everyone was friendly and had the right attitude."
The best part was the team
Well done Team Open!
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