Alumni team storm through to University Challenge final

Friday, 05 January 2018

Further success for alumni Anna Machin, Martin Hughes-Games, Sophie Walker and Pippa Greenwood!

They’ve only gone and done it again! 

Two days after their landslide victory against Brunel University, alumni from the University of Reading have secured a place in the University Challenge Christmas Grand Final. 

In the second heat of the semi-final, our all-star alumni team battled against University College London (UCL). Once again, Reading was represented by evolutionary anthropologist Anna Machin, who completed a PhD in Archaeology in 2006; BBC wildlife presenter and BSc Zoology graduate Martin Hughes-Games; bestselling gardening writer and MA Crop Protection graduate Pippa Greenwood; and team captain and leader of the Women’s Equality Party Sophie Walker, who graduated in 1993 with a BA in French and English.  

Warning, results ahead! The competition was very close, with UCL leading comfortably for much of the contest. In a dramatic turn of events, a correct answer from Pippa Greenwood led Reading to victory in the closing moments of the show, ending with a final score of 130 to 125.  

Reading will now play against Keble College, Oxford in the University Challenge Christmas Grand Final, which will be shown on BBC Two tonight at 8.30 pm. 

Please join us in congratulating Anna Machin, Martin Hughes-Games, Sophie Walker and Pippa Greenwood! We’ll be cheering them on from our sofas in tonight’s final! 

You can catch up with Reading’s University Challenge qualifier and semi-final rounds on the BBC iPlayer.