# The 3rd Degree (radio series)

The 3rd Degree (sometimes written as The Third Degree) is a British quiz show broadcast on BBC Radio 4, hosted by comedian Steve Punt and made by Pozzitive Television. The series is recorded at different universities around the country, the contestants all coming from the university in which the recording takes place. One team consists of three students and the other of three lecturers (known as the "Dons") who teach the subjects the students are studying.

## Format

The show consists of several rounds which are as follows:
* The General Knowledge Round: Each team are asked general knowledge questions in turn, which they are allowed to confer on. If they get the question right, they score two points. If they get it wrong the question is thrown over to the other team for a bonus point.
* Specialist Subject Round 1: The first of three specialist subject rounds. The rounds are between one student and the Don who teaches them. The questions are on the academic subject that the student is learning and the Don teaches. The scoring is asymmetric in favour of the student. Correct answers score two points. If a Don gets a question wrong it can go over for a bonus point to the student, but if a student gets a question wrong no bonus is given.
* The List Round: Each team is given 30 seconds to list as many things in a given category (time begins after Punt finishes reading the question). One point is given for each correct answer (indicated by a "ping" sound effect). If eight correct answers are given in the time limit, a ninth bonus point is awarded.
* Specialist Subject Round 2: The second specialist subject round. Follows the same format as the first.
* Highbrow Lowbrow: Referred to by some as the show's "Signature round", here each contestant is given a short clue to a question and are then asked if they want to answer a highbrow or a lowbrow question based on the clue. The students score two points if they get the highbrow question right or one point if they get the lowbrow question right. For the Dons, it is the other way around (one point for highbrow, two points for lowbrow). When the contestant chooses the question, their academic rival has to answer the question not chosen.
* Specialist Subject Round 3: The third and final specialist subject round. Follows the same format as the others.
* The Quick Fire Round: The final general knowledge "bell and buzzer" round (the students have a bell, the Dons have a buzzer). Correct answers score one point. Incorrect interruptions lose one point. Questions are not thrown over to the other side.

## Reception

Reviews for The 3rd Degree have been mixed. A review in The Guardian, published during the show's first series, was critical of the show's pacing. The reviewer wrote: "There are lots of rather lukewarm, predictable asides", adding that the show "lacks pace and excitement, and you know the dons will win." Iain Weaver from UKGameshows gave a positive review of the series, saying: "We're not tremendously upset by the way the teachers went through the series unbeaten, they are university lecturers, and university lecturers are meant to know an awful lot. We also liked the way Steve Punt kept the programme flowing at a decent pace, adding jokes and asides, and keeping proceedings moving along most enjoyably. He's probably helped by the audience at the student bar, who have doubtlessly taken this opportunity to have their one pint of something for the week. If there's one slight criticism we'd make, it's that the Highbrow Lowbrow round is a bit of a block in the middle of the programme. We might prefer to split the round into two parts, perhaps shifting the first immediately before the lists round. That would add a little bit more variety, and make the programme a little less imposing. That's just a minor criticism: most of what The 3rd Degree does, it does well. Given that it replaced the venerable Quote... Unquote, it didn't have a high bar, but we can see this programme running for a fair few years."

### Awards

In 2015 The 3rd Degree was nominated for the Rose d'Or in the "Radio Game Show" category.

## Episodes
### Series 1

| Episode | Date broadcast | University | Specialist subjects | Students score | Dons score |
| 1 | 21 February 2011 | University of Southampton | Biomedical sciences English Mathematics | 20 | 25 |
| 2 | 28 February 2011 | Durham University | English literature Earth science Law | 20 | 45 |
| 3 | 7 March 2011 | University of Stirling | Psychology English literature Marketing | 23 | 23 |
| 4 | 14 March 2011 | University of Reading | Food science English and American literature International relations | 32 | 40 |
| 5 | 21 March 2011 | University of Salford | English literature (Romantics to Modern) Criminology Military history | 18 | 35 |
| 6 | 28 March 2011 | Middlesex University | Child nursing Art and Design Biology | 27 | 37 |

### Series 2

| Episode | Date broadcast | University | Specialist subjects | Students score | Dons score |
| 1 | 12 March 2012 | University of East Anglia | Film studies Computer science History of art | 19 | 30 |
| 2 | 19 March 2012 | Swansea University | Classics Law English literature | 22 | 34 |
| 3 | 26 March 2012 | University of Warwick | Philosophy Chemistry Economics | 37 | 26 |
| 4 | 2 April 2012 | University of Sussex | European literature Cognitive science 20th century drama | 25 | 35 |
| 5 | 9 April 2012 | Queen Mary, University of London | Biology Modern history Law | 22 | 35 |
| 6 | 16 April 2012 | University of Northampton | History of crime Journalism Popular music | 25 | 35 |

### Series 3

| Episode | Date broadcast | University | Specialist subjects | Students score | Dons score |
| 1 | 25 March 2013 | Anglia Ruskin University | Film studies Social work Graphic design | 28 | 35 |
| 2 | 1 April 2013 | University of Exeter | Biosciences Psychology Philosophy | 25 | 22 |
| 3 | 8 April 2013 | University of Edinburgh | Biosciences History of art International relations | 29 | 36 |
| 4 | 15 April 2013 | University of Leicester | Medicine Sociology Astrophysics | 33 | 38 |
| 5 | 22 April 2013 | Bath Spa University | Creative music technology Creative writing Geography | 22 | 24 |
| 6 | 29 April 2013 | University of Leeds | Civil engineering Popular music Psychology | 29 | 27 |

### Series 4

| Episode | Date broadcast | University | Specialist subjects | Students score | Dons score |
| 1 | 7 April 2014 | University of Bristol | English literature to 1700 Physics Religion and theology | 30 | 40 |
| 2 | 14 April 2014 | University of Kent | Anthropology Journalism Computing | 32 | 31 |
| 3 | 21 April 2014 | University of Bedfordshire | Psychology Theatre and professional practice Sports science | 23 | 31 |
| 4 | 28 April 2014 | Aberystwyth University | Information studies Welsh language and literature History of art | 19 | 29 |
| 5 | 5 May 2014 | University of Nottingham | History Management studies Philosophy | 20 | 17 |
| 6 | 12 May 2014 | University of Birmingham | History of medicine Social policy American studies | 34 | 25 |

### Series 5

| Episode | Date broadcast | University | Specialist subjects | Students score | Dons score |
| 1 | 27 April 2015 | Cardiff University | Biology Journalism, media and cultural studies Astrophysics | 31 | 29 |
| 2 | 9 May 2015 | University of Manchester | Biology American studies Medicine | 22 | 36 |
| 3 | 11 May 2015 | University of Essex | Politics Literature 20th century history | 31 | 41 |
| 4 | 18 May 2015 | De Montfort University | Forensic science Film studies Contour fashion | 30 | 28 |
| 5 | 25 May 2015 | Aston University | Law Psychology Computer science | 22 | 38 |
| 6 | 1 June 2015 | University of Surrey | Politics Business studies Physics | 25 | 35 |

### Series 6

| Episode | Date broadcast | University | Specialist subjects | Students score | Dons score |
| 1 | 9 May 2016 | University of York | History of art Theatre, film and television studies Physics | 22 | 30 |
| 2 | 16 May 2016 | University of Gloucestershire | Biosciences Media studies Religious studies | 20 | 32 |
| 3 | 23 May 2016 | University of Chester | Archaeology English Computer science | 27 | 26 |
| 4 | 30 May 2016 | University of Glasgow | Earth sciences Medicine Astrophysics and cosmology | 22 | 33 |
| 5 | 6 June 2016 | Birmingham City University | Visual communication English literature Sociology | 25 | 29 |
| 6 | 13 June 2016 | University of Bath | Biology Politics Maths | 17 | 30 |

### Series 7

| Episode | Date broadcast | University | Specialist subjects | Students score | Dons score |
| 1 | 22 May 2017 | University of Roehampton | Anthropology Law Linguistics | 22 | 33 |
| 2 | 29 May 2017 | Queen's University Belfast | History Medicine English | 24 | 30 |
| 3 | 5 June 2017 | University of Derby | Forensics Education studies Theatre arts | 27 | 26 |
| 4 | 12 June 2017 | St John's College, Cambridge | History Human, social and political sciences Physics | 22 | 32 |
| 5 | 19 June 2017 | University of Hull | American studies History Business and management | 22 | 27 |
| 6 | 26 June 2017 | University of Liverpool | Physiology Egyptology Psychology | 31 | 32 |

### Series 8

| Episode | Date broadcast | University | Specialist subjects | Students score | Dons score |
| 1 | 25 June 2018 | Newcastle University | Physiological sciences Sociology Media and communication studies | 30 | 30 |
| 2 | 2 July 2018 | University of Hertfordshire | Aerospace engineering English language and communication Computer science | 23 | 29 |
| 3 | 9 July 2018 | University of Dundee | Geography Animation Physics | 19 | 32 |
| 4 | 16 July 2018 | Merton College, Oxford | Biology Classics History | 39 | 26 |
| 5 | 23 July 2018 | University of Sheffield | Archaeology Dental hygiene and therapy Civil engineering | 24 | 31 |
| 6 | 30 July 2018 | Brunel University | Politics Theatre Computer science | 27 | 30 |

### Series 9

| Episode | Date broadcast | University | Specialist subjects | Students score | Dons score |
| 1 | 22 July 2019 | Royal Holloway, University of London | Criminology English Law | 27 | 36 |
| 2 | 29 July 2019 | University of Aberdeen | Linguistics Law Music | 27 | 25 |
| 3 | 5 August 2019 | University of Plymouth | Geology History Human biosciences | 24 | 33 |
| 4 | 12 August 2019 | St Catharine's College, Cambridge | Veterinary medicine French studies Geography | 29 | 33 |
| 5 | 19 August 2019 | University of Brighton | Biomedical sciences Marketing Globalisation | 24 | 38 |
| 6 | 26 August 2019 | Oxford Brookes University | Anthropology Motorsport engineering Human biology | 26 | 23 |

### Series 10

| Episode | Date broadcast | University | Specialist subjects | Students score | Dons score |
| 1 | 29 June 2020 | Bournemouth University | Psychology Nursing Economics | 28 | 29 |
| 2 | 6 July 2020 | Imperial College London | Material science Biochemistry Mathematics | 21 | 39 |
| 3 | 13 July 2020 | University of Reading | Linguistics Law Film and theatre studies | 17 | 32 |
| 4 | 20 July 2020 | Durham University | Classics Education Modern history | 36 | 30 |
| 5 | 27 July 2020 | Ulster University | Engineering Sports science Pharmacy | 25 | 40 |
| 6 | 3 August 2020 | Mansfield College, Oxford | English Physics Theology | 23 | 36 |

### Series 11

| Episode | Date broadcast | University | Specialist subjects | Students score | Dons score |
| 1 | 31 May 2021 | University of Southampton | Biological Sciences Fashion Design Film studies | 29 | 31 |
| 2 | 7 June 2021 | University of Cumbria | Marine and freshwater biology Education Forestry management and conservation | 28 | 32 |
| 3 | 14 June 2021 | Brasenose College, Oxford | Philosophy Law Chemistry | 32 | 21 |
| 4 | 21 June 2021 | Anglia Ruskin University | Sociology Optometry Psychology | 38 | 30 |
| 5 | 28 June 2021 | University of Northampton | International Development Law and Organized Crime Nursing | 24 | 25 |
| 6 | 5 July 2021 | Nottingham Trent University | English Literature Broadcast Journalism Law | 29 | 37 |

### Series 12

| Episode | Date broadcast | University | Specialist subjects | Students score | Dons score |
| 1 | 20 June 2022 | University College London | Biochemical engineering Psychology English literature | 15 | 29 |
| 2 | 27 June 2022 | Leeds Beckett University | Journalism Sport and exercise science English literature | 29 | 29 |
| 3 | 4 July 2022 | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge | History Physics Economics | 29 | 33 |
| 4 | 11 July 2022 | University of Warwick | Engineering Linguistics Statistics | 33 | 27 |
| 5 | 18 July 2022 | Bangor University | Zoology with herpetology Film studies Educational sciences | 26 | 41 |
| 6 | 25 July 2022 | Lancaster University | Marketing French studies English literature | 31 | 31 |

### Series 13

| Episode | Date broadcast | University | Specialist subjects | Students score | Dons score |
| 1 | 3 July 2023 | University of Exeter | Economics Natural sciences History | 18 | 35 |
| 2 | 10 July 2023 | University of Strathclyde | Creative writing Business analysis and technology Civil and environmental engineering | 13 | 23 |
| 3 | 17 July 2023 | Somerville College, Oxford | Classical archaeology and ancient history Physics Linguistics | 22 | 41 |
| 4 | 24 July 2023 | Keele University | Film studies Medicine Law | 29 | 29 |
| 5 | 31 July 2023 | King's College London | Law Cosmology Culture, media and creative industries | 32 | 37 |
| 6 | 7 August 2023 | University of Portsmouth | Musical theatre Maths Psychology | 23 | 28 |

### Series 14

| Episode | Date broadcast | University | Specialist subjects | Students score | Dons score |
| 1 | 14 July 2024 | University of Leicester | French Genetics Criminology | 27 | 34 |
| 2 | 21 July 2024 | University of St Andrews | English Computer science Philosophy | 31 | 30 |
| 3 | 28 July 2024 | Loughborough University | Construction management Sport & society with sport science Maths | 23 | 39 |
| 4 | 4 August 2024 | Falmouth University | Film studies Journalism Creative writing | 29 | 33 |
| 5 | 11 August 2024 | Robinson College, Cambridge | Law English Spanish | 31 | 28 |
| 6 | 18 August 2024 | University of East Anglia | Physics History Biology | 31 | 33 |