Teams from The University of Warwick and the University of East Anglia faced off last night in their first starter for ten – with Warwick cinching the win 275-125.

University Challenge is back on our screens for its 31^st series, with 28 universities from across the country competing to win the coveted trophy.

Last night the team from the University of Warwick, consisting of Captain Oscar Siddle, Ananya Govindarajan, Thomas Hart, and Benjamin Watson, took on the University of East Anglia in an exciting first round that saw Warwick take the win with a whopping 275 points.

Team Captain Oscar Siddle, third year Maths, said, “I think we have a good team who’ve practised a lot with very good quizzers. Knowing when to buzz in is a skill that takes a lot of practice to hone so our preparation will help with regards to that.

“There’s a lot of luck involved with a show like UC though and a question set ill-suited to your team’s strengths and suited to your opponent’s can eliminate any team.”

Speaking about last night’s episode he said, “It was really interesting to see the behind-the-scenes of how everything worked.

“There’s definitely a disconnect between when you play your match (which happened in February) and when it actually airs so being on the show didn’t really feel like being on TV.

“Thomas acing the music starter was very impressive, and both of us flailing at the maths bonuses was funny though, I’ve never been very good at answering quiz questions about my degree under pressure”

The University of Warwick has provided formidable teams in the past, most recently winning the tournament in 2021 against Magdalene College, Cambridge.

That victory marked Warwick’s second win in their University Challenge competitive history, having first triumphed in 2007. The achievement distinguished Warwick as being one of six institutions to have gained two titles.