What about this brainy University Challenge girl then?

[UnquietDad]

I've been following Miss Trimble's progress keenly over the last few weeks. Now she is featured in both the Observer and the Mail on the same day.

Some of the blog articles mentioned in the article and linked to in the comments are not very nice.

What's the betting she turns up presenting a "Classical world for Beginners" type documentary? I'd watch!

[Frasersmum123]

I noticed how hysterical he got, I suppose its quite a mouthful and when your against the clock!

I would like to add that as a Cambridge girl I dont really like Oxford, but im glad she won!

[Frasersmum123]

I thought it was live!

[Grammaticus]

I think she's great. Paxo is terribly terribly smug, did anyone see him in the Glasgow art gallery on his programme about the Victorians?

[Blu]

Good for her!

I would look like a hideous gurning ninny and sound worse if I went on UC (which obviously i wouldn't fro lack of brain power and knowledge bank). Anyone who does it has real guts, IMO.

And I agree - much better study Latin than invent quilted toilet paper. Or pop tarts.

[ABetaDad]

Lets all remember this woman (not a girl) is 24 and is doing a PhD in Classics in the leading college in the world for that subject.

She is probably in the top 0.1% of intellect on the planet. We should be celebrating that and remember also that for her UC is a bit of fun compared to what she does as her day job.

She is not a celebrity or a reality TV star wanabee.

Well done to her and the team.

[Frasersmum123]

Here Here ABetaDad.

There is a good article in the DM (My DH reads it okay ) about the difference between Gail Trimbe and Jade Goody, and how one is a 'national treasure' and the other is vilified horribly.

here

[Kimi]

I thought she was bill and I was so glad to see her team win.

Some people are just so jealous and nasty.

[DaDaDa]

I punch the air if I manage to answer more than one question right through the half hour. So well done her.

She doesn't do much for me though (which of course is the main criteria for any stupendously intelligent woman appearing on television... .) Great PR by the Beeb.

[Kimi]

Oh and she reminded me a lot of DPs sister.
DPs family are all bloody smart, google anyone of them and they are all outstanding in their fields (I am so out of place here LOL)

[ABetaDad]

Frasermum123 - I read the article and thanks for bringing it to my attention.

It is truely depressing where we have got to in this country.

[senua]

LOL @ pop tarts.

The poor girl probably spent her school-life being bullied for being a geeky nerd and thought that she had escaped it when she went to Oxford. Yet here she is again, getting snidey comments for being too clever.

We don't expect supermodels to be academics or chefs to be sportsmen - why can't we just accept that she is academic & has a good memory and allow her to be less than average at other things. She only went on telly to answer general knowledge questions: she didn't set herself up as anything more or less.

[Kimi]

Sad world when completely useless people like Kerry Katonia are seen as celebrated people and this remarkable young woman who has something to offer the world is seen as some sort of joke .

I have a 12 year old DS with a 148 IQ who has spent most of his school life so far being bullied for being smart, my 8 year old DS got all 4s in his year 4 exams the teacher tells us at this age 2s and the norm 3s are good 4s are outstanding.

DS1 is already thinking of uni, and it is sad to see that being clever or good at something is now something to be joked about, really is a case of rewarding stupid people these days.
Still as DS1 self confessed geek says , what do you say to a geek when he leaves school, morning boss!!
And at least while he is engrossed in chess, computers and all things geeky he is not getting 15 year olds pregnant

[abraid]

The point about studying Latin is that it hones your brain so that you become very good at decoding, analysing and writing.

She could go on to do any one of many 'difficult' jobs, from law to being a high-flier in the Civil Service.

Studying a dead language like Anglo-Saxon will do something similar. I studied lots of 'dead' texts and have always found my way into good and usually interesting work, where these skills have been very well used.

[Pruners]

Message withdrawn

[Thatsnotmynamechange]

We heart Trimble.

[Frasersmum123]

Jealousy Pruners!

[UnquietDad]

Video image not flipped - or the names would have been written in mirror-writing! She wasn't the captain for the first round. A chap called Hamid was. What happened to him? I know they are allowed to bring one reserve in, which must have been Miss Schwartzman.

Does anyone remember the infamous (and almost unbelievable) occasion on which a contestant was changed after 5 minutes and they used computer wizardry to cover the fact up?

[Wizzska]

I heart Trimble.

As for that DM Goodey vs Trimble [sigh] what a surprise, DM spouting sh*te again. Surely Jade was the one being vilified in same rag last week - er... now she's a national treasure?

[bellabelly]

Did you see her on bbc breakfast this morning? She was great I thought - bravo la Trimble!

[AbbyLubber]

Totally agree with all this, but surely you can't be the same Mumsnetters who diss everyone who contributes to the Gifted thread? The ones who pounded those people on the telly with the child genii? Does intelligence become ok at 20, or something?

[bagsforlife]

I don't think there can be anyone on this thread who doubts that she is very intelligent and who thinks that she should be villified for being clever (leave that to the tabloid press). We are all intelligent women and men who enjoy University Challenge for what it is, have no problem with the students on there, realise they are top of their cohort etc etc. BUT I still find her bloody irritating.......so there!!!

Absolutely nothing to do with her a) being a woman or b) doing classics or c) being at Oxford or d) any other subtext.

It's a shame the press have latched on to her. As usual it will become a great big story commented upon by the great British public who probably never, ever watch University Challenge. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

[bellabelly]

I know this thread has tailed off now but just saw www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/gail-trimble-to-be-burnt-as-a-witch-200902251601/this on the Daily Mash and thought some of you might like to see it...

[bagsforlife]

[UnquietDad]

Daily Mash is very funny. And I love Gail.