# University Challenge 2018–19

Series 48 of University Challenge began on 16 July 2018 on BBC Two.
The University of London Institute in Paris and Darwin College, Cambridge appeared for the first time in this series.

## Results

* Winning teams are highlighted in bold.
* Teams with green scores (winners) returned in the next round, while those with red scores (losers) were eliminated.
* Teams with orange scores had to win one more match to return in the next round.
* Teams with yellow scores indicate that two further matches had to be played and won (teams that lost their first quarter-final match).
* A score in italics indicates a match decided on a tie-breaker question.

### First round

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| University of Warwick | 165 | 150 | University of Exeter | 315 | 16 July 2018 |
| Emmanuel College, Cambridge | 175 | 200 | University of Glasgow | 375 | 23 July 2018 |
| Pembroke College, Oxford | 75 | 230 | Downing College, Cambridge | 305 | 30 July 2018 |
| School of Oriental and African Studies | 90 | 260 | Darwin College, Cambridge | 350 | 13 August 2018 |
| Clare College, Cambridge | 160 | 150 | Hertford College, Oxford | 310 | 20 August 2018 |
| University of Strathclyde | 55 | 360 | Durham University | 415 | 27 August 2018 |
| University of York | 105 | 240 | St Edmund Hall, Oxford | 345 | 3 September 2018 |
| University of Edinburgh | 210 | 75 | Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge | 285 | 10 September 2018 |
| University of Bristol | 140 | 110 | Queen's University Belfast | 250 | 17 September 2018 |
| University of London Institute in Paris | 55 | 180 | Goldsmiths, University of London | 235 | 24 September 2018 |
| St Peter's College, Oxford | 225 | 50 | Pembroke College, Cambridge | 275 | 1 October 2018 |
| University College London | 180 | 145 | King's College London | 325 | 8 October 2018 |
| University of East London | 135 | 155 | University of Manchester | 290 | 22 October 2018 |
| Keble College, Oxford | 180 | 115 | University of East Anglia | 295 | 29 October 2018 |

#### Highest scoring losers play-offs

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| Emmanuel College, Cambridge | 235 | 140 | King's College London | 375 | 5 November 2018 |
| Hertford College, Oxford | 215 | 165 | University of Exeter | 380 | 12 November 2018 |

### Second round

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| St Peter's College, Oxford | 120 | 195 | Emmanuel College, Cambridge | 315 | 19 November 2018 |
| Hertford College, Oxford | 115 | 185 | University of Manchester | 300 | 26 November 2018 |
| University of Edinburgh | 180 | 160 | University College London | 340 | 3 December 2018 |
| Clare College, Cambridge | 105 | 245 | St Edmund Hall, Oxford | 350 | 10 December 2018 |
| Goldsmiths, University of London | 125 | 135 | University of Glasgow | 260 | 17 December 2018 |
| Durham University | 200 | 100 | Keble College, Oxford | 300 | 7 January 2019 |
| Downing College, Cambridge | 120 | 205 | Darwin College, Cambridge | 325 | 14 January 2019 |
| University of Warwick | 125 | 190 | University of Bristol | 315 | 21 January 2019 |

### Quarter-finals

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| University of Glasgow | 110 | 170 | Durham University | 280 | 28 January 2019 |
| Darwin College, Cambridge | 105 | 115 | University of Bristol | 220 | 4 February 2019 |
| University of Manchester | 130 | 170 | University of Edinburgh | 300 | 11 February 2019 |
| Emmanuel College, Cambridge | 55 | 190 | St Edmund Hall, Oxford | 245 | 18 February 2019 |
| Durham University | 165 | 110 | University of Edinburgh | 275 | 25 February 2019 |
| University of Glasgow | 70 | 155 | University of Manchester | 225 | 4 March 2019 |
| University of Bristol | 130 | 150 | St Edmund Hall, Oxford | 280 | 11 March 2019 |
| Darwin College, Cambridge | 225 | 130 | Emmanuel College, Cambridge | 355 | 18 March 2019 |
| University of Edinburgh | 155 | 120 | University of Bristol | 275 | 25 March 2019 |
| University of Manchester | 120 | 195 | Darwin College, Cambridge | 315 | 1 April 2019 |

### Semi-finals

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| Durham University | 110 | 180 | University of Edinburgh | 290 | 8 April 2019 |
| St Edmund Hall, Oxford | 165 | 140 | Darwin College, Cambridge | 305 | 15 April 2019 |

### Final

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| University of Edinburgh | 155 | 140 | St Edmund Hall, Oxford | 295 | 22 April 2019 |
In what was the most closely contested final University Challenge had seen for the past decade, St Edmund Hall, Oxford had leads of 40 to -5 and 80 to 40 before Edinburgh fought back to take a commanding 125 to 70 lead with around seven minutes left. St Edmund Hall, however, mounted a comeback of their own and took a 5-point lead with under a minute remaining.
However, Robbie Campbell-Hewson correctly answered the difficult ensuing starter question, identifying that the first three letters of the birthplace of William Gladstone, Beryl Bainbridge and Wayne Rooney (LIV of Liverpool) equalled 54 when spelt using roman numerals, to give Edinburgh a 5 point lead of their own. Edinburgh then successfully answered two bonus questions and allowed the clock to run down sufficiently to snatch victory.
* The trophy and title were thus awarded to the Edinburgh team of Matt Booth, Marco Malusà, Max Fitz-James, and Robbie Campbell Hewson.
* The Edinburgh team were the only Scottish champions in the Paxman era and the first since 1983.
* The trophy was presented by Sebastian Faulks.

## Spin-off: Christmas Special 2018
### First round

Each year, a Christmas special sequence is aired featuring distinguished alumni. Out of 7 first-round winners, the top 4 highest-scoring teams progress to the semi-finals. The teams consist of celebrities who represent their alma maters.
* Winning teams are highlighted in bold.
* Teams with green scores (winners) returned in the next round, while those with red scores (losers) were eliminated.
* Teams with grey scores won their match but did not achieve a high enough score to proceed to the next round.
* A score in italics indicates a match decided on a tie-breaker question.
| Team 1 | | | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| Brasenose College, Oxford | 100 | 150 | University of Bristol | 250 | 24 December 2018 |
| University of Westminster | 130 | 100 | University of East Anglia | 230 | 25 December 2018 |
| Pembroke College, Cambridge | 85 | 150 | King's College London | 235 | 26 December 2018 |
| St Catherine's College, Oxford | 130 | 135 | Peterhouse, Cambridge | 265 | 27 December 2018 |
| University of Exeter | 110 | 85 | University of Birmingham | 195 | 28 December 2018 |
| Sheffield University | 90 | 115 | University of Manchester | 205 | 31 December 2018 |
| University of Edinburgh | 120 | 160 | London School of Economics | 280 | 1 January 2019 |

#### Standings for the winners

| Rank | Team | Team captain | Score |
| 1 | London School of Economics | Ekow Eshun | 160 |
| 2= | University of Bristol | Misha Glenny | 150 |
| 2= | King's College London | Anita Anand | 150 |
| 4 | Peterhouse, Cambridge | Michael Howard | 135 |
| 5 | University of Westminster | Danny Wallace | 130 |
| 6 | University of Manchester | David Aaronovitch | 115 |
| 7 | University of Exeter | Paul Jackson | 110 |

### Semi-finals

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| University of Bristol | 205 | 100 | King's College London | 305 | 2 January 2019 |
| Peterhouse, Cambridge | 215 | 60 | London School of Economics | 275 | 3 January 2019 |

### Final

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| University of Bristol | 125 | 190 | Peterhouse, Cambridge | 315 | 4 January 2019 |
The winning Peterhouse, Cambridge team of Dan Mazer, Mark Horton, Michael Howard, and Michael Axworthy beat the University of Bristol and their team of Philip Ball, Laura Wade, Misha Glenny and Iain Stewart.