University Challenge 2021–22

The 51st series of University Challenge began on 12 July 2021 on BBC Two.[1] The final aired on 4 April 2022 when Imperial College London and the University of Reading were declared the series winners and runners-up respectively.

In this series, the University of Dundee made its debut appearance in the BBC series.

Results

  • Winning teams are highlighted in bold.
  • Teams with green scores (winners) returned in the next round, while those with red scores (losers) were eliminated (as it was impossible for them to be in the highest scoring losers).
  • Teams with orange scores had to win one more match to return in the next round.
  • Teams with yellow scores indicate that two further matches had to be played and won (teams that lost their first quarter-final match).
  • A score in italics indicates a match decided on a tie-breaker question.

First round

Team 1ScoreTeam 2TotalBroadcast date
King's College London115100University of Glasgow21512 July 2021
University College London135140St Hilda's College, Oxford27519 July 2021
London Business School100180Hertford College, Oxford28026 July 2021
Emmanuel College, Cambridge135140University of St Andrews2752 August 2021
Queen Mary University of London11590Oxford Brookes University2059 August 2021
University of Strathclyde110175University of Reading28516 August 2021
University of Durham90190Trinity College, Cambridge28023 August 2021
University of Exeter13080University of Manchester21030 August 2021
University of Edinburgh27080Peterhouse, Cambridge3506 September 2021
St John's College, Cambridge155210Imperial College London36513 September 2021
St Catharine's College, Cambridge130120University College, Oxford25020 September 2021
University of Dundee145135Royal Northern College of Music28027 September 2021
Wolfson College, Oxford110165University of Bristol2754 October 2021
University of Birmingham24510University of Sussex25511 October 2021

Highest scoring losers play-offs

Team 1ScoreTeam 2TotalBroadcast date
University College London170175St John's College, Cambridge34518 October 2021
Emmanuel College, Cambridge180115Royal Northern College of Music29525 October 2021

Second round

Team 1ScoreTeam 2TotalBroadcast date
St John's College, Cambridge22045Queen Mary University of London2651 November 2021
Emmanuel College, Cambridge125120St Catharine's College, Cambridge2458 November 2021
University of Edinburgh185175University of Bristol36015 November 2021
St Hilda's College, Oxford45235Trinity College, Cambridge28022 November 2021
University of Reading24550University of Dundee29529 November 2021
King's College London165115Hertford College, Oxford2806 December 2021
University of Birmingham22550University of St Andrews27513 December 2021
University of Exeter70205Imperial College London2753 January 2022

Quarterfinals

Team 1ScoreTeam 2TotalBroadcast date
University of Reading170135University of Birmingham30510 January 2022
King's College London50235Imperial College London28517 January 2022
St John's College, Cambridge140155Emmanuel College, Cambridge29524 January 2022
University of Edinburgh23095Trinity College, Cambridge32531 January 2022
University of Birmingham115140King's College London2557 February 2022
University of Reading120225Imperial College London34514 February 2022
Emmanuel College, Cambridge145150University of Edinburgh29521 February 2022
St John's College, Cambridge155125Trinity College, Cambridge28028 February 2022
King's College London8085Emmanuel College, Cambridge1657 March 2022
University of Reading14570St John's College, Cambridge21514 March 2022

Semifinals

Team 1ScoreTeam 2TotalBroadcast date
Imperial College London17065Emmanuel College, Cambridge23521 March 2022
University of Edinburgh115145University of Reading26028 March 2022

Final

Team 1ScoreTeam 2TotalBroadcast date
Imperial College London125115University of Reading2404 April 2022

In what was the most closely fought final since 2006 (when the University of Manchester beat Trinity Hall, Cambridge also by ten points), Imperial had leads of 90 to 25 and 105 to 45 before Reading fought back to take a narrow 120 to 105 lead. Max Zeng (Imperial) then narrowly beat the Reading captain Michael Hutchinson to a starter on the Brecon Beacons, after which Imperial took two bonuses and a five-point lead in the process. A five-point penalty for Reading was the final change in the scoreline before the gong.

  • The trophy and title were thus awarded to the Imperial team of Max Zeng, Fatima Sheriff, Michael Mays, and Gilbert Jackson.
  • The trophy was presented by Russian-born Dutch-British physicist Andre Geim.

Spin-off: Christmas Special 2021

First round

Each year, a Christmas special sequence is aired featuring distinguished alumni. Out of 7 first-round winners, the top 4 highest-scoring teams progress to the semi-finals. The teams consist of celebrities who represent their alma maters.

  • 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 grey scores won their match but did not achieve a high enough score to proceed to the next round.
  • A score in italics indicates a match decided on a tie-breaker question.
Team 1ScoreTeam 2TotalBroadcast date
University of Edinburgh160125University of Leicester28520 December 2021
University of Winchester95130University of Bradford22521 December 2021
University of Bristol95125King's College, Cambridge22022 December 2021
London School of Economics75130Hertford College, Oxford20523 December 2021
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge130145St Anne's College, Oxford27524 December 2021
Birkbeck, University of London12530University of Portsmouth15527 December 2021
University of Kent11595Goldsmiths, University of London21028 December 2021

Standings for the winners

RankTeamTeam captainScore
1University of EdinburghMiles Jupp160
2St Anne's College, OxfordJohn Robins145
3=University of BradfordMartin Roberts130
Hertford College, OxfordAdam Fleming
5=King's College, CambridgeShahidha Bari125
Birkbeck, University of LondonJolyon Maugham
7University of KentPeter White115

Semi-finals

Team 1ScoreTeam 2TotalBroadcast date
University of Edinburgh145125University of Bradford27029 December 2021
Hertford College, Oxford15595St Anne's College, Oxford25030 December 2021

Final

Team 1ScoreTeam 2TotalBroadcast date
University of Edinburgh23595Hertford College, Oxford33031 December 2021

The winning University of Edinburgh team consisted of Catherine Slessor, Thomasina Miers, Miles Jupp and Phil Swanson. The second placed Hertford College team consisted of Soweto Kinch, Elizabeth Norton, Adam Fleming and Isabelle Westbury.

References


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