University Challenge 2014–15
# University Challenge 2014–15

Series 44 of University Challenge began on 14 July 2014 on BBC Two. This was the 21st series to be broadcast on the BBC. It was won by the team from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.

## 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 (current highest scoring losers, teams that won their first quarter-final match, teams that won their second quarter-final match having lost their first, or teams that won their first quarter-final match and lost their second).
* 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 Manchester | 160 | 190 | Selwyn College, Cambridge | 350 | 14 July 2014 |
| Oxford Brookes University | 130 | 120 | Jesus College, Oxford | 250 | 21 July 2014 |
| University of Bristol | 190 | 75 | Courtauld Institute of Art | 265 | 28 July 2014 |
| St Anne's College, Oxford | 105 | 305 | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge | 410 | 11 August 2014 |
| St Peter's College, Oxford | 205 | 150 | University of Sussex | 355 | 18 August 2014 |
| London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine | 150 | 140 | London School of Economics | 290 | 25 August 2014 |
| University of Liverpool | 155 | 130 | University of Sheffield | 285 | 1 September 2014 |
| University of Bath | 120 | 190 | University of Glasgow | 310 | 8 September 2014 |
| University of Leicester | 245 | 190 | The Open University | 435 | 15 September 2014 |
| Trinity College, Cambridge | 150 | 100 | University of St Andrews | 250 | 22 September 2014 |
| University College London | 230 | 140 | University of Exeter | 370 | 29 September 2014 |
| Brasenose College, Oxford | 35 | 250 | Durham University | 285 | 6 October 2014 |
| Corpus Christi College, Cambridge | 135 | 170 | University of York | 305 | 13 October 2014 |
| Magdalen College, Oxford | 220 | 110 | Pembroke College, Cambridge | 330 | 20 October 2014 |

**Highest Scoring Losers play-offs**

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast Date |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| The Open University | 180 | 140 | London School of Economics | 320 | 27 October 2014 |
| University of Manchester | 210 | 95 | University of Sussex | 305 | 3 November 2014 |

### Second round

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| University of Leicester | 140 | 220 | Trinity College, Cambridge | 360 | 10 November 2014 |
| Durham University | 210 | 160 | University of York | 370 | 17 November 2014 |
| Magdalen College, Oxford | 225 | 130 | The Open University | 355 | 24 November 2014 |
| Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge | 200 | 135 | University of Manchester | 335 | 1 December 2014 |
| London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine | 135 | 160 | University of Bristol | 295 | 8 December 2014 |
| University of Glasgow | 105 | 170 | University of Liverpool | 275 | 15 December 2014 |
| Selwyn College, Cambridge | 100 | 235 | St Peter's College, Oxford | 335 | 5 January 2015 |
| Oxford Brookes University | 180 | 90 | University College London | 270 | 12 January 2015 |

### Quarter-finals

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| University of Bristol | 115 | 175 | University of Liverpool | 290 | 19 January 2015 |
| St Peter's College, Oxford | 240 | 80 | Oxford Brookes University | 320 | 26 January 2015 |
| Durham University | 95 | 275 | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge | 370 | 2 February 2015 |
| Magdalen College, Oxford | 315 | 55 | Trinity College, Cambridge | 370 | 9 February 2015 |
| University of Liverpool | 100 | 245 | St Peter's College, Oxford | 345 | 16 February 2015 |
| Oxford Brookes University | 85 | 150 | University of Bristol | 235 | 23 February 2015 |
| Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge | 215 | 155 | Magdalen College, Oxford | 370 | 2 March 2015 |
| Durham University | 145 | 105 | Trinity College, Cambridge | 250 | 9 March 2015 |
| University of Bristol | 115 | 250 | Magdalen College, Oxford | 365 | 16 March 2015 |
| University of Liverpool | 100 | 175 | Durham University | 275 | 23 March 2015 |

### Semi-finals

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| St Peter's College, Oxford | 120 | 235 | Magdalen College, Oxford | 355 | 30 March 2015 |
| Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge | 170 | 75 | Durham University | 245 | 6 April 2015 |

### Final

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Magdalen College, Oxford | 105 | 255 | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge | 360 | 13 April 2015 |

* The trophy and title were awarded to the Gonville & Caius Cambridge team comprising Ted Loveday, Michael Taylor, Anthony Martinelli and Jeremy Warner. Loveday later claimed that he had "learned his answers on Wikipedia".
* The trophy was presented by Will Self, who claimed to have known "about 35%" of the answers.

## Spin-off: Christmas Special 2014

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.

### 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 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.

First Round

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford | 195 | 45 | University of Warwick | 240 | 20 December 2014 |
| University of Hull | 205 | 25 | Newcastle University | 230 | 23 December 2014 |
| King's College, Cambridge | 160 | 150 | Royal Holloway, University of London | 310 | 24 December 2014 |
| University of Edinburgh | 235 | 45 | University of Leeds | 280 | 25 December 2014 |
| Trinity Hall, Cambridge | 195 | 120 | Balliol College, Oxford | 315 | 26 December 2014 |
| University of York | 135 | 110 | University of Surrey | 245 | 29 December 2014 |
| Manchester Metropolitan University | 145 | 75 | Goldsmiths, University of London | 220 | 30 December 2014 |

**Standings for the winners**

| Rank | Team | Team captain | Score |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | University of Edinburgh | Philippa Gregory | 235 |
| 2 | University of Hull | Jenni Murray | 205 |
| 3= | Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford | Cathy Newman | 195 |
| 3= | Trinity Hall, Cambridge | Adam Mars-Jones | 195 |
| 5 | King's College, Cambridge | Noreena Hertz | 160 |
| 6 | Manchester Metropolitan University | Bernard Hill | 145 |
| 7 | University of York | Michael Dixon | 135 |

Semi-finals

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford | 145 | 175 | University of Hull | 320 | 31 December 2014 |
| University of Edinburgh | 135 | 165 | Trinity Hall, Cambridge | 300 | 1 January 2015 |

Final

| Team 1 | Score | Score | Team 2 | Total | Broadcast date |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| University of Hull | 65 | 215 | Trinity Hall, Cambridge | 280 | 2 January 2015 |

The winning Trinity Hall, Cambridge team of Tom James, Emma Pooley, Adam Mars-Jones and Dan Starkey beat the University of Hull and their team of Rosie Millard, Malcolm Sinclair, Jenni Murray and Stan Cullimore.

