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AMA
Original poster

I was on a TV quiz show, AMA

33 replies

KnitFastDieWarm · 12/07/2018 16:07

Smile
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UtterlyDesperate · 12/07/2018 16:09

Did you win Smile?

itsclaire · 12/07/2018 16:10

Oooh I had a friend who did that. Is your name Michael?!

MakeMineATwin2 · 12/07/2018 16:11

What was the show called!?

TeenTimesTwo · 12/07/2018 16:11

What show?
Was it like you expected?
Did it take ages to film, or was it only a bit longer than a broadcast episode?

Original poster
KnitFastDieWarm · 12/07/2018 16:19

It was University Challenge and no, my name isn’t Michael Grin

We won our first round and lost the next one - but we did beat a very respectable
University team and lose to another very respectable university team, so I felt Ok about it!

They film about four episodes in one day, and each half hour episode took about an hour to film.

Was it like I expected? Yes and no. Yes in that the voice saying ‘SURNAME, NAME OF UNIVERSITY!’ whenever anyone buzzes in is a real bloke sitting in the studio - I always thoughr it was prerecorded Grin

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itsclaire · 12/07/2018 16:20

Seriously, did you have second thoughts at any time wondering if you would make a fool of yourself?

Original poster
KnitFastDieWarm · 12/07/2018 16:21

(Also the teams are next to each other rather than one on top of the other a la young ones Grin)

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Original poster
KnitFastDieWarm · 12/07/2018 16:22

Seriously, did you have second thoughts at any time wondering if you would make a fool of yourself?

Yes, literally every second from qualifying up until the first question was asked. Then it just flew by and I got in the zone.

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TeenTimesTwo · 12/07/2018 16:32

Was it old era with BG or new era with JP?

If JP - what is he really like?

Testarossa1 · 12/07/2018 16:35

I've been on a quiz show too, it was Pointless and we won Grin

TeenTimesTwo · 12/07/2018 16:36

Do you think UC is biased towards Oxford/Cambridge because they get to enter loads of teams, or against as any one of their teams can only pick from a relatively tiny number of students?

What subjects would make an 'ideal' UC team?

TeenTimesTwo · 12/07/2018 16:37

Test Are AA and RO as nice in real life as they seem on TV?

Original poster
KnitFastDieWarm · 12/07/2018 16:37

Ooh I’d love to go on pointless!

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frasier · 12/07/2018 16:37

Have you seen the film Starter For Ten and if so, was it anything like that (apart from the cheating bit!)?

Original poster
KnitFastDieWarm · 12/07/2018 16:38

It was JP and it was about ten years ago now. He was really nice actually! Friendly and encouraging and chatty between takes. They cut it to make him seem like more of an arsehole Grin

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Original poster
KnitFastDieWarm · 12/07/2018 16:38

He’s MUCH shorter IRL than I thought he’d be though

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Original poster
KnitFastDieWarm · 12/07/2018 16:39

Yes it’s absolutely biased toward oxbridge Angry especially as there are other collegiate universities (such as mine) which don’t get to enter a team per college!

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Original poster
KnitFastDieWarm · 12/07/2018 16:44

What subjects would make an 'ideal' UC team?

One humanities student (art historians are good as they have very strong interdisciplinary breadth across the field), one science student (ideally a final year or postgrad with a good broad knowledge of the hard sciences), someone mathematical is always good, and then another wild card humanities student for good measure Smile

It’s very much divided into questions you need expertise in to succeed in (hard sciences) and stuff you need exceptional broad general knowledge in (everything else). It helps if you’re the kind of person who has a broad interest and awareness of ‘culture’ as it were. In my experience the scientists answer the science questions and the humanities students answer everything else! Both are essential to the team.

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Original poster
KnitFastDieWarm · 12/07/2018 16:45

I have to confess I’ve never seen starter for ten! Blush is it good?

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frasier · 12/07/2018 16:46

It’s funny! You must watch it!

Original poster
KnitFastDieWarm · 12/07/2018 16:48

I shall watch it this evening once I’ve persuaded DS to go to bed Hmm

My entire exposure to university challenge until actually going on it consisted of aforementioned young ones episode and watching with my dad as a kid. I only applied because they were short of women!

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UtterlyDesperate · 12/07/2018 16:49

What selection process did you go through in your university to get on to the team?

Original poster
KnitFastDieWarm · 12/07/2018 16:50

Talking of which female students are hideously underrepresented but I think that is partly the fault of the producers as they have final say on who actually goes on the show (there’s always one or two reserves on each team)

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Original poster
KnitFastDieWarm · 12/07/2018 16:52

What selection process did you go through in your university to get on to the team?

We got invited to take a huge written general knowledge test that was a similar format to a pub quiz but much harder. The best twenty or so took another, harder test, and then five of us were sent off to Manchester to do yet another test with the production company, who then selected a team of four plus a reserve. So they are quite diligent in their process!

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UtterlyDesperate · 12/07/2018 16:55

I've always wondered that - thanks, op!