University Challenge 2023-24: Series Highlights

OK, time to conclude my coverage of this year's UC on this blog. A series that began amidst a big cloud of uncertainty, with Paxo gone and Amol Rajan incoming. In the end, the new host has done his predecessors proud and the show's future looks very secure indeed if it carries on in the same vein. Indeed, this was a very good series indeed; let's look back at some of the more notable bits of it...

So, let's start as usual with my picks for the best match of each round:

• First Round + Play-Offs: I would have to say the first match of the series, Trinity vs Manchester, not just for being a great contest to start the series, but also for comfortably allaying any fears about how the show would be like in Paxo's absence. Birkbeck vs Oxford Brookes two weeks later comes second.
• Second Round: Very definitely Warwick vs Trinity.
• Quarter-Finals: Very definitely Trinity vs U.C.L..
• The Final Three: The second semi, then the final, then the first semi.

Once again, some very good contests this series. A very high standard indeed throughout. This was also the highest scoring series for a long time as well, with the new chairman's speedier delivery than Paxo's forgivably slow during his final series playing a big role in this, along with the teams reacting to this as well. In fact, there were only seven games all series with an aggregate less than 300. And seven with aggregate above 400.

The highest aggregate of the series was 470, in the first round match between Bangor and Edinburgh. The latter won that match with the highest score of the series, 320. Sheffield were next with 290 in their first match, while champions Imperial came third with two scores of 285, achieved, very neatly, in the first match of the series and the final. For the first time in a while, there were no scores less than 50; Jesus of Oxford had the lowest score of the series with 60.

In terms of representation, Oxbridge was represented by five Oxford teams and four Cambridge teams, of which one from each made it to the quarter-finals, the first time an Oxford team had made it that far for three series. For the third series in a row, though, there were none in the final. London, once again, had five teams in attendance, while the Celtic nations were represented by three Scottish teams and one from Wales.

As for the show itself, I must give real credit to Amol Rajan and all involved in it. This was a make-or-break series; with Paxo going, there was always a chance the show could have collapsed in his absence. But, most thankfully, it hasn't; Mr Rajan has been excellent this series. He's been pretty much what I would've wanted from Paxo's successor: like Paxo in enough ways we're familiar with, but still different enough to be his own person.

I can only hope this newfound momentum will carry on into the next series.

Which brings us on to this blog's future.

 

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I've decided to end my regular full UC reviews, for now at least. Sorry, but after twelve years, there really isn't much left I have to say about the show, especially given how successful the change of host has been.

That said, I'm not going to retire this blog altogether.

Instead, I intend next series to do something I was thinking of doing a few years back, but ended up not doing so: a streamlined Quizzy Mondays digest blog, with shorter summaries of UC, longer summaries of OC (and Mastermind and Brain of Britain), plus anything else I feel the need to discuss that particular week. I'll still be publishing on Mondays though, most of the time.

I will still also be publishing full teams lists for UC in the first round at least, but not in the later rounds unless a substitution has been made.

And the rest... well, I have that sort of planned as well, but I'll save it until the time comes itself before revealing that.

For now, thank you to everyone who has read and supported my UC blogs over the years.

And thanks once again to all involved on another excellent quizzing season; I await the next, and my new way of covering it, already!

That's it for now then folks; I shall be back with my new look blogs when Quizzy Monday returns in the summer. Until then, sayonara...