The 50th series of

University Challenge ''University Challenge'' is a British television quiz programme which first aired in 1962. ''University Challenge'' aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC ...

began on 13 July 2020 on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

and ended on 5 April 2021. It was won by the

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...

for the institution's second title.

COVID-19

Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, University Challenge took a six-month hiatus from filming episodes. Recording resumed with the highest scoring losers play-offs, with contestants now separated by perspex screens and wearing ear-pieces to allow them to hear their teammates. The show also relaxed the rule that banned students from competing if they completed their degree during the recording of the series. The

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

and three Oxford colleges – Merton, Balliol and Corpus Christi – all fielded reserves when filming resumed. There were no debutant institutions in this series, with all institutions having appeared at least once previously. However this was only the second appearance of the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

, having last been seen back in 1999.

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

Highest scoring losers play-offs

Second round

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Final

* The trophy and title were awarded to the Warwick team of Richard Pollard, George Braid, Andrew Rout, and Owain Burrell. *

Simon Armitage Simon Robert Armitage (born 26 May 1963) is an English poet, playwright, musician and novelist. He was appointed Poet Laureate on 10 May 2019. He is professor of poetry at the University of Leeds. He has published over 20 collections of poetr ...

, Poet Laureate and former

Oxford Professor of Poetry The Professor of Poetry is an academic appointment at the University of Oxford. The chair was created in 1708 by an endowment from the estate of Henry Birkhead. The professorship carries an obligation to deliver an inaugural lecture; give one ...

, presented the trophy; he had captained a University of Manchester team in the Christmas series in 2016.

Spin-off: Christmas Special 2020

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.

Standings for the winners

Semi-finals

Final

The winning

The Courtauld Institute of Art The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. The art collection is known particularly for ...

team of

Tim Marlow Timothy John Marlow (born 1962) is a British writer, broadcaster and art historian who is the Director and Chief Executive of the Design Museum,Hannah McGivern (October 7, 2019)Tim Marlow leaves Royal Academy of Arts to head London’s Design Mu ...

Lavinia Greenlaw Lavinia Elaine Greenlaw (born 30 July 1962) is an English poet, novelist and non-fiction writer. She won the Prix du Premier Roman with her first novel and her poetry has been shortlisted for awards that include the T. S. Eliot Prize, Forward Pri ...

, Jacky Klein and

Jeremy Deller Jeremy Deller (born 30 March 1966) is an English people, English conceptual, video and installation artist. Much of Deller's work is Collaboration, collaborative; it has a strong political aspect, in the subjects dealt with and also the Idealiz ...

beat the

team of

David Nott David Malcolm Nott (born 1956) is a Welsh consultant surgeon who mainly works in London hospitals as a general and vascular surgeon, but also volunteers to work in disaster and war zones. Having recognised that training others could greatly in ...

Juliet Jacques Juliet Jacques (born 3 October 1981) is a writer, journalist and filmmaker. She is known for writing on her experiences as a trans woman, as well as her short fiction and cultural criticism, and also her critical writing on football. Jacques f ...

Ade Edmondson Adrian Charles Edmondson (born 24 January 1957) is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. Part of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s, he and his comedy partner Rik Mayall starred in the television sit ...

and Justin Edwards.

References

External links

University Challenge homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:University Challenge 2020-21

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

2020 British television seasons 2021 British television seasons