Quizzy Mondays 2025-26 Week 35: University Challenge Semi-Final 1, Mastermind Semi-Final 5

Hello my friends, and welcome to the antepenultimate Quizzy Monday of the season! Only two more editions of the two remaining quizzes left after tonight; both will come to their dramatic (we hope) conclusions in two weeks' time, as it stands; we'll find that out for sure later this week. Coming up, Mastermind and the return of a slightly different Round Britain Quiz. But first, the first UC semi-final...

 

Edinburgh have gone under the radar a bit this series, competently beating Newcastle and Trinity of Cambridge in the first two rounds and Manchester in their first QF, before emerging on top of the incredibly tough and low-scoring second against Merton, winning 105-85. They were the same unchanged foursome as all those previous matches:

Parthav Easwar, from Portland, Oregon, studying Sustainable Lands and Cities

Johnny Richards, from Los Angeles, studying Ancient DNA

Captain: Alice Leonard, from Portsmouth, studying Environment, Culture and Society

Rayhana Amjad, from Dublin and Glasgow, studying Computer Science

 

Darwin College Cambridge defeated two Oxford teams, Green Templeton and Magdalen, in Rounds 1 and 2, then lost their first QF to Sheffield, but recovered by beating Warwick in their second and, just last week, they too defeated Merton, this time 175-130, to secure the last place in the semis. They too were the same quartet as all those previous occasions:

Lewis Strachan, from North Lanarkshire, studying Parasite Biology

Ruth Ni Mhuircheartaigh, from Cork, studying Education

Captain: Louis Cameron, from London, studying English

Jonathan White, from Buckinghamshire, studying Geography

 

Darwin took the first starter, and all three of a fairly routine first set of bonuses; Edinburgh, in contrast, only got one from their first set. The Cambridge side took the next two starters, including the first picture starter; after the first picture round, they led 55-15. I was pleased with myself for getting 'Bayer' for the next starter even before the chairman gave the giveaway clue of 'Leverkusen'; Darwin went too early, allowing Edinburgh the points and a single bonus followed. Another starter put Edinburgh within five points, and a couple more penalties for their opponents gave them the lead, which they extended with a starter and pair of bonuses. I thought the chairman was a bit hasty to give the answer to the (dropped) music starter before the full clip had played; after the music bonuses (one of which, Blondie's Heart of Glass, was played on Radio 2 this very morning!), Edinburgh led 80-40.

 

A further two penalties, one of which was very unlucky to be fair, dropped Darwin back further; Edinburgh didn't take either, but Ms Amjad took the next two, a full bonus set on the second of which helped the Scots side into three figures. Darwin finally got going again with the second picture starter; after the second picture bonuses, they'd cut the gap to 115-50. They'd have to go for it if they were to have a chance, and they duly took the next two starters and all of the second set of bonuses, which was most deserved as they had to spell the answers to them. This brought them back within sight, but another penalty handed Edinburgh an extensionto their lead and two bonuses put them within sight of victory. Darwin did give it a good go though, taking another two starters, but only half the resulting bonuses followed, and, when Ms Amjad took the next starter, that was game over. At the gong, Edinburgh won 155-110.

 

A good, pleasant first semi-final, that was ultimately decided on the buzzer. Very well done Edinburgh, worthy finalists; very best of luck to them in that final! Hard lines to Darwin, who were undone by some forgivable errors on the buzzer, but they've had a terrific run; thanks very much to them for playing!

 

The stats: Ms Amjad was the best buzzer of the night with six, while Mr Cameron was, again, best for Darwin with four, ending their run their best buzzer of the series with a total of 28 starters over six matches. On the bonuses, Edinburgh managed 14 out of 27 (with one penalty) and Darwin 12 out of 24 (with an ultimately costly six penalties).

 

Next week's match: Imperial vs Manchester in the second semi-final!

 

Mastermind’s penultimate semi-final was opened by Paul Smith, who was answering on Yellowstone National Park; he started well, slipped a bit, then recovered well and finished with 8 points. He was followed into the chair by Milena Malcharek, who was answering on JRR Tolkein’s Silmarillion; a pretty flawless round, she took the early lead with 11 points.

 

Next up was David Ford, who was answering on Grace O’Malley; like Paul, he made a few mistakes, but answered steadily and constantly and finished with 9 points. Finally, another Paul, Paul Richardson, was answering on England at the (men’s football) World Cup; he started well before falling foul of some questions requiring more specified knowledge and, while he did recover to finish with 7 points, you probably fancied he wouldn’t be winning today.

 

Nonetheless, Paul R came straight back for GK; needing a good score, he put up a perfectly fine 9 for a respectable enough total of 16, but you fancied it would be beaten. Paul S went next and did indeed beat his namesake’s score; 10 gave him a total of 18, but two passes meant it too felt like it might not be enough.

 

David was next, and he too scored 10 points, giving him a total of 19; he too incurred a pass though, which left Milena needing eight provided she didn’t pass, nine if she did. She started slowly, then picked up the pace and it looked like she was going to make it; alas, she missed the last question and so fell agonisingly short, scoring 7 for a still perfectly good total of 18.

 

Which means, much to his own surprise, David was though to the final! Well done him, and thanks to the others for playing.

 

Also, Round Britain Quiz returned yesterday, with a couple of slight changes to its format. Firstly, there are just four teams now, one of each UK nation, with the Midlands, North and South of England teams merged into a single England team, with last series’ winners the North, Stuart Maconie and Jenny Ryan, comprising the team. Secondly, it appears there is going to be some sort of tournament structure instead of the teams playing each other multiple times and a big table at the end; there will actually be a ‘Grand Final’ this time. Quite how this will work remains clear; watch this space. At the end of the day though, the format of a single episode, the teams try to answer four questions each, hasn’t changed, so no real complaints from me. Yet, anyway.

 

And that's it for another week! Thanks as ever for reading; just two weeks to go now, and then that's us done for the season. Earlier today, I had an idea for something I might do to keep the blog ticking over until next season, but I haven't made any firm plans yet; anything I do decide will be announced in due course. If any. Anyway, back same time same place next week with the penultimate write-up of the season, so, see yous then...

Quizzy Mondays 2025-26 Week 34: University Challenge Play-Off Quarter-Final 2, Mastermind Semi-Final 4

Hello my friends, and welcome to another Quizzy Monday! Coming up, the next Mastermind semi-final, plus an update on, what used to be (and, indeed, still is for me), the 3pm Monday slot on Radio 4. But we begin as ever with UC, and the final quarter-final match, between two teams, one of whom began the process as favourites to progress, the others as rank outsiders, but only one of them would join Edinburgh, Imperial and Manchester as the final team, and, indeed, sole Oxbridge representatives, in the semi-finals...

 

Merton College Oxford defeated Durham and Churchill of Cambridge comfortably in the first two rounds, and U.C.L. narrowly in their first QF, but their second against Edinburgh saw both teams struggle quite a bit, before their opponents edged a very low scoring affair 105-85. They were the same foursome as all those previous affairs:

Ciaran Duncan, from High Wycombe, studying English Literature

Eveline Ong, from Singapore, studying Maths and Philosophy

Captain: Elliot Cosnett, from Hatton in Warwickshire, studying History

Verity Fleetwood-Law, from Amersham, studying English and French

 

Darwin College Cambridge defeated two Oxford teams, Green Templeton and Magdalen, narrowly and comfortably respectfully in Rounds 1 and 2, then lost to Sheffield in their first QF, but bounced back by once again defying the form book and beating Warwick 175-125 in their second. They were also the same quartet as all those previous encounters:

Lewis Strachan, from North Lanarkshire, studying Parasite Biology

Ruth Ni Mhuircheartaigh, from Cork, studying Education

Captain: Louis Cameron, from London, studying English

Jonathan White, from Buckinghamshire, studying Geography

 

Merton got off the mark first with a starter and pair of bonuses; their opponents didn't get any of their first set, but a penalty to the Oxonians allowed Darwin to take the lead with the third starter of the night. The first picture round went to Merton, who took one bonus and were unfortunate not to get another, after which the teams were level on 30-each. A starter and full set of bonuses saw Merton pull back in front, but Darwin responded in kind to pull level again and a second starter in a row put them back in front. A third starter in a row ensured all four of the Cambridge team had at least one correct starter, and, again, all three bonuses were taken. Merton took the music round though; after the music bonuses, they'd cut the gap to 95-65.

 

A further two starters went to the Oxonians, which also ensured that, for the second week in a row, all eight players had answered a starter correctly, and the resulting bonuses put them back in front. But back in front went Darwin with the next starter, only for Merton to immediately bite back and draw level again! The second picture round gave the Cambridge side the lead back; after the second picture bonuses, they led 130-115. A second starter in a row gave Darwin more room to breathe, and, two dropped starters later, a third plus one bonus gave them a 50-point lead and they had one foot in the semis. Mr Cosnett kept his side in the game with the next starter; two bonuses followed, but they'd really needed all three, and, when they forgivably lost five on the next starter, which they did need to go for, that was game over. Darwin picked up the points and saw the game out. At the gong, they won 175-130.

 

A good close contest between two excellent teams which could've gone either way until the final straight. Well done Darwin, and very best of luck to them in the semi-finals! Hard lines to Merton, but they've had a fine run in the competition and can go out of it pleased with themselves; thanks for playing!

 

The stats: Messrs Cosnett and Cameron were joint best buzzers of the night with four starters each, the former ending the series his side's best buzzer with a total of 23 over five games. On the bonuses, Merton managed 13 out of 24 (with three penalties) and Darwin 15 out of 28 and, as I said before, for the second week in a row, all eight players contributed at least one correct starter to the game (in fact, all four of Darwin had at least two).

 

Next week's match: the first semi-final! Don't know the draw but, if it were up to me, Edinburgh and Manchester, who've already met, would be kept apart, so it would be Edinburgh vs Darwin and Imperial vs Manchester; but then, given Quizzy Mondays PTB's well-established love for avoidable rematches, who knows?

 

Mastermind’s fourth semi-final was opened by Roger Easy, who was answering on the composer Handel; he made a good start, then dipped slightly, then recovered well and finished with 9. He was followed into the chair by Danielle Connolly, who was answering on the films of Christopher Nolan; like Ross last week, she made light work of a risky subject, a single pass her only missed answer as she scored 11.

 

Next up was Richard Carr, who was answering on Hannibal; he started well before dropping off a bit and a few noticeable pauses before answering ran the clock down a bit, but he still scored 8 points. Finally, Alan Hotchkiss was answering on the US Masters from 1990 onwards; his round was similar to Roger’s, he started well, wavered and bit, then came back strongly and indeed also scored 9.

 

Richard thus returned for GK first, but his round stalled quite early on and, when he had to pass a second time, I think he knew he probably wasn’t going to win; he recovered afterwards and scored 7 for a respectable total of 15. Roger then went first of the two gentlemen on 9; his round was also a bit stop start, scoring steadily but not that highly, and he too scored 7, giving him a perfectly fine total of 16. Alan was next, and his round too never really caught fire; he nonetheless scored 6, equalling Richard’s total of 15.

 

Which left Danielle needing just 6 to win; even a modest target like that is easier said than done on Mastermind though, and, for a long time as the questions didn’t fall for her too, it looked like she might not make it. In the end, on the very last question, which Clive M got the dramatic effect pause on just right(!), she did it, scoring 6 for a total of 17! Well done her, and best of luck in the final!

 

Also, yesterday saw the final of Counterpoint. Greg Butler was the winner, beating fellow finalists Paul and Cavan, whose surnames I unfortunately missed, apologies to them; well done to him! I’m still not exactly satisfied with the show’s lack of an audience though; it somehow makes the show feel rather different and less satisfying than before.

 

Next week(/this coming Sunday), Round Britain Quiz returns, which means still no new series of Brain of Britain; I did see on Twitter X earlier that auditions for one are now open though, so we should be getting one later in the year hopefully.

 

And that's it for another week! Thanks as ever for reading; only three weeks left to go now, with UC finally reaching its semi-finals next week, and then we'll be done for another season! Hopefully said season can end on a high in those remaining weeks. Anyway, I'll be back, same time same place next Monday with my write-up of the ante-penultimate quizzes of the season, so, see yous then...

Quizzy Mondays 2025-26 Week 33: University Challenge Play-Off Quarter-Final 1, Mastermind Semi-Final 3

Hello my friends, and welcome to another Quizzy Monday! Coming up, both UC and Mastermind continue on the final stages of their current series, with only four more episodes of both after tonight. But first, a shout out to our friend Dave Clark, who announced on LAM yesterday that he has been diagnoses with diabetic eye disease, which he had an appointment to discuss further this very morning; I'm sure you'll all join me when I say our thoughts are with him and we wish him all the best. In the meantime, on with tonight's shows, beginning with UC...

 

Manchester, largely fueled on by their captain's virtuoso buzzer showings, reached this stage after beating New College of Oxford and L.S.E., then losing their first QF to Edinburgh, before bouncing back with a 150-120 victory over U.C.L. in their second. They were the same unchanged foursome as those prior occasions:

Ray Power, from Bangkok, studying Film Studies and English Literature

Kirsty Dickson, from Morley Green in Cheshire, studying Medicine

Captain: Kai Madgwick, from Fowey in Cornwall, studying AI and Astrophysics

Rob Faulkner, from Norwich, studying Physics with Astrophysics

 

Sheffield came through the repechage after an opening day defeat to fellow quarter-finalists Warwick, then they also defeated New College and also Strathclyde, and then Darwin in their first QF, but they were defeated by Imperial 160-120 in their second. They were also the same quartet as all those previous outings:

Rhys Lewis, from Haverfordwest, studying Maths

Abdelrahman Elsisi, from Alexandria, Egypt, studying Engineering

Captain: Jacob Price, from Hethersett in Norfolk, studying Astrophysics

Isobel Dobbie, from Haringey in London, studying English Literature

 

Who else but Kai Madgwick opened the scoring for the night, and two bonuses accompanied their first starter; Sheffield responded in kind, but a penalty allowed the Manchester captain to pounce again. The Mancunians also took the first picture round, after which they led 60-15. Sheffield duly took two starters in a row, and went from getting none of the first bonuses to all of the second. But the Manchester captain halted their momentum with the next starter, before Ms Power gave them a second in a row to pull away again. Sheffield did take the music round, and devoured it in short order, which reduced the gap to 90-75.

 

Back came Manchester as their captain pulled them into three figures with a starter and two bonuses. Sheffield responded with two in a row which; only one bonus went with both, but it nonetheless pulled them back to within five points. But the inevitable Manchester captain opened their side's lead further again with two starters in a row and all but one of the esulting bonuses. They also took the second picture round, after which they now led 175-105. And when their captain took yet another starter, that was game over; no bonuses followed, but it didn't matter now. Sheffield did go out with a bit of a flurry, taking three starters, but none of the resulting bonuses killed off any chances of a late fightback. At the gong, Manchester won 185-135.

 

A good contest that was, as the chairman said, a lot closer than the final scores suggest. Well done Manchester, another excellent performance, from their captain especially again, but their teammates all did their bit as well this time; best of luck in the semis! Hard lines to Sheffield, but they've had a great run that they can be most pleased with; thanks very much for playing!

 

The stats: Kai Magdwick was, once again, the best buzzer of the night, with seven starters, taking their series total to 38, while Messrs Elsisi and Price were joint best for Sheffield with three each, the latter ending the series their best buzzer with a total of 25 over six games. On the bonuses, Manchester managed 17 out of 30 and Sheffield 10 out of 27 (with the night's one penalty).

 

Next week's match: Merton vs Darwin in the final quarter-final

 

Mastermind’s third semi-final, with a now-ultra rare all-male line-up, was opened by Ross Taylor, who was answering on the western films of Clint Eastwood; a potential banana skin subject, but he made light work of it, only getting the last question wrong (I think) and scoring a very good 12. He was followed into the chair by Pete Simmonds, who was answering on Hieronymos Bosch; he also had a very good round with only one error (that I noticed), but didn’t quite match Ross’ score, finishing with 11.

 

Next up was Tomas Stevenson, who was answering on the studio albums of Bruce Springsteen; sadly, the questions didn’t fall for him, and he finished with just 4, which all but ruled him out of the running already. Finally, Eric Davis was answering on the late great Cyrille Regis; he duly knocked the round out of the park, getting everything right and topping the half-time scores (pun unintended) with 13.

 

So Tomas returned first for GK, with putting up as good a score as he could his only real achievable objective; he did that, scoring 10 for a perfectly respectable total of 14 and, as Dave C often says, he was still a Mastermind semi-finalist and that can’t be taken away from him. After the end credits, we were given the very sad news that Tomas has since passed away; my deepest condolences to his family and friends.

 

It was going to be a three-way sprint for the finish between the others now though; Pete went first, and put down a big benchmark, scoring an excellent 14 for a great total of 25, which was really going to give Ross and Eric something to think about.

 

Ross would be first to try and top that; it was a close run thing, but he did indeed just about do that, and went one better for good measure, scoring a fantastic 15 for a monstrous total of 27. Which meant Eric was going to have to match that to win, and he’d definitely have to do it as I believed he’d passed in the first round; he gave it a go, but was soon off the pace and wasn’t going to make it. He scored 10, giving him a still very good total of 23, but it did mean Ross was indeed through to the final! Well done him, and best of luck to him in it!

 

And that's it for another week! Thanks as ever for reading; I'll try and keep these final remarks short as I'm running late tonight, but only four more outings to go and, hopefully, if the two finals are on the same day, I'll be able to do an on the day write-up and not have to wait until the next day again. Anyway, I'll definitely be back same time same place next Monday with my write-up, so, see yous then...