Christmas University Challenge

Christmas University Challenge is a British quiz programme which has aired on BBC Two since 19 December 2011. It is a spin-off from University Challenge that airs daily over the Christmas period, and features teams of noteworthy alumni from British universities competing in the same format as the parent show.

Christmas University Challenge
Genre	Quiz show
Presented by	Jeremy Paxman (2011–2022) Amol Rajan (2023–)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	14
No. of episodes	137
Production
Production locations	Granada Studios (2011–2012) MediaCityUK (2013–)
Running time	30 minutes
Production company	Granada Television
Original release
Network	BBC Two
Release	19 December 2011 (2011-12-19) – present
Related
University Challenge

Amol Rajan replaced Jeremy Paxman as host from December 2023. The current holders are Durham University.

Series overview

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	19 December 2011	27 December 2011	8
2	17 December 2012	4 January 2013	10
3	20 December 2013	3 January 2014	10
4	20 December 2014	2 January 2015	10
5	20 December 2015	1 January 2016	10
6	19 December 2016	29 December 2016	10
7	24 December 2017	5 January 2018	10
8	24 December 2018	4 January 2019	10
9	23 December 2019	3 January 2020	10
10	21 December 2020	1 January 2021	10
11	20 December 2021	31 December 2021	10
12	19 December 2022	30 December 2022	10
13	18 December 2023	29 December 2023	9
14	23 December 2024	3 January 2025	10
15	December 2025	January 2026	TBA

Series results

Key

• 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 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.

2011 results

First Round

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of York	120	125	University of Manchester	245	19 December 2011
Durham University	60	135	University of Edinburgh	195	20 December 2011
Magdalen College, Oxford	130	85	University College London	215	21 December 2011
University of Warwick	225	50	University of Sheffield	275	22 December 2011
Trinity College, Cambridge	225	80	University of St Andrews	305	24 December 2011

Semi-finals

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Edinburgh	35	265	University of Warwick	300	25 December 2011
Magdalen College, Oxford	105	160	Trinity College, Cambridge	265	26 December 2011

Final

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Warwick	60	235	Trinity College, Cambridge	280	27 December 2011

The 2011 series was won by Trinity College, Cambridge whose team of Robin Bhattacharyya, Daisy Goodwin, John Lloyd, and Edward Stourton beat the University of Warwick's team of Vadim Jean, Daisy Christodoulou, Christian Wolmar and Carla Mendonça.

2012 results

First Round

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Bristol	135	140	University of Leeds	275	17 December 2012
Newcastle University	120	110	Loughborough University	230	18 December 2012
New College, Oxford	240	160	London School of Economics	400	19 December 2012
University of Liverpool	165	140	Cardiff University	305	20 December 2012
Newnham College, Cambridge	155	110	University of Nottingham	265	21 December 2012
University of Exeter	125	165	University of Glasgow	290	31 December 2012
University of Birmingham	115	195	University of East Anglia	310	1 January 2013

Semi-finals

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
New College, Oxford	220	125	University of Liverpool	345	2 January 2013
University of Glasgow	115	150	University of East Anglia	265	3 January 2013

Final

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
New College, Oxford	205	110	University of East Anglia	315	4 January 2013

The 2012 series was won by New College, Oxford whose team of Rachel Johnson, Patrick Gale, Kate Mosse and Yan Wong beat the University of East Anglia's team of John Boyne, Razia Iqbal, David Grossman and Charlie Higson.

2013 results

First Round

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Reading	85	185	Emmanuel College, Cambridge	270	20 December 2013
University of Kent	100	160	Lancaster University	260	21 December 2013
Keele University	140	95	Aberystwyth University	235	23 December 2013
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge	255	65	Christ Church, Oxford	320	26 December 2013
St Hugh's College, Oxford	125	95	University of Stirling	220	27 December 2013
University of Leicester	125	60	University of Sussex	185	30 December 2013
King's College London	105	185	University of Southampton	290	31 December 2013

Semi-finals

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
Emmanuel College, Cambridge	185	105	University of Southampton	290	1 January 2014
Lancaster University	145	180	Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge	325	2 January 2014

Final

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
Emmanuel College, Cambridge	140	175	Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge	315	3 January 2014

The 2013 series was won by Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge whose team of Quentin Stafford-Fraser, Helen Castor, Mark Damazer and Lars Tharp beat Emmanuel College, Cambridge and their team of Hugo Rifkind, Mary-Ann Ochota, Simon Singh and Rory McGrath.

2014 results

First Round

Team 1	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

Semi-finals

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

The 2014 series was won by Trinity Hall, Cambridge whose 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.

2015 results

First Round

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University College London	155	80	University of Birmingham	235	20 December 2015
Oriel College, Oxford	135	140	Trinity College, Cambridge	275	21 December 2015
University of Manchester	195	35	University of East Anglia	230	22 December 2015
Christ's College, Cambridge	90	140	University of Essex	230	23 December 2015
University of Exeter	130	220	Magdalen College, Oxford	350	24 December 2015
University of Aberdeen	90	185	University of Sheffield	275	28 December 2015
Durham University	140	130	London School of Economics	270	29 December 2015

Semi-finals

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Manchester	105	160	University of Sheffield	265	30 December 2015
University College London	100	195	Magdalen College, Oxford	295	31 December 2015

Final

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Sheffield	60	230	Magdalen College, Oxford	290	1 January 2016

The 2015 series was won by Magdalen College, Oxford whose team of Robin Lane Fox, Heather Berlin, Louis Theroux and Matt Ridley beat the University of Sheffield and their team of Sid Lowe, Nicci Gerrard, Adam Hart and Ruth Reed.

2016 results

First Round

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Manchester	55	185	St Anne's College, Oxford	240	19 December 2016
University of Kent	245	35	University of Sussex	280	20 December 2016
City, University of London	145	35	Newcastle University	180	21 December 2016
SOAS University of London	85	175	University of Leeds	260	22 December 2016
University of Edinburgh	115	60	St Catharine's College, Cambridge	175	23 December 2016
Magdalene College, Cambridge	65	225	St Hilda's College, Oxford	290	25 December 2016
University of Bristol	70	75	University of Nottingham	145	26 December 2016

Semi-finals

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Kent	130	140	University of Leeds	270	27 December 2016
St Anne's College, Oxford	75	165	St Hilda's College, Oxford	240	28 December 2016

Final

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Leeds	55	160	St Hilda's College, Oxford	215	29 December 2016

The 2016 series was won by St Hilda's College, Oxford whose team of Fiona Caldicott, Daisy Dunn, Val McDermid and Adèle Geras beat the University of Leeds and their team of Louise Doughty, Gus Unger-Hamilton, Kamal Ahmed and Steve Bell.

2017 results

First Round

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
Durham University	35	220	Keble College, Oxford	255	24 December 2017
Selwyn College, Cambridge	145	90	University of St Andrews	235	26 December 2017
York University	70	150	University of Southampton	220	27 December 2017
University of Leicester	45	175	University College London	220	28 December 2017
St John's College, Cambridge	155	40	St Edmund Hall, Oxford	195	29 December 2017
Queen Mary University of London	110	60	Cardiff University	170	1 January 2018
Brunel University London	45	155	University of Reading	200	2 January 2018

Semi-finals

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
Keble College, Oxford	160	105	St John's College, Cambridge	265	3 January 2018
University College London	125	130	University of Reading	255	4 January 2018

Final

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
Keble College, Oxford	240	0	University of Reading	240	5 January 2018

The 2017 series was won by Keble College, Oxford whose team of Paul Johnson, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Katy Brand and Anne-Marie Imafidon beat the University of Reading and their team of Anna Machin, Martin Hughes-Games, Sophie Walker and Pippa Greenwood.

2018 results

First Round

Team 1	Score		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
University of Sheffield	90	115	University of Manchester	205	31 December 2018
University of Edinburgh	120	160	London School of Economics	280	1 January 2019

Semi-finals

Team 1	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		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Bristol	125	190	Peterhouse, Cambridge	315	4 January 2019

The 2018 series was won by Peterhouse, Cambridge whose 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.

2019 results

First Round

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Leeds	205	55	Clare College, Cambridge	260	23 December 2019
Birmingham City University	75	160	Wadham College, Oxford	235	24 December 2019
Guildhall School of Music and Drama	120	165	University College London	285	25 December 2019
University of Liverpool	75	150	University of Hull	225	26 December 2019
Royal Holloway, University of London	70	130	University of Sussex	200	27 December 2019
Trinity Hall, Cambridge	180	85	St Peter's College, Oxford	265	30 December 2019
University of Warwick	80	115	Imperial College London	195	31 December 2019

Semi-finals

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
Trinity Hall, Cambridge	25	215	Wadham College, Oxford	240	1 January 2020
University of Leeds	205	45	University College London	250	2 January 2020

Final

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
Wadham College, Oxford	130	235	University of Leeds	365	3 January 2020

The 2019 series was won by the University of Leeds whose team of Jonathan Clements, Henry Gee, Richard Coles and Timothy Allen beat Wadham College, Oxford and their team of Jonathan Freedland, Tom Solomon, Anne McElvoy and Roger Mosey.

2020 results

First Round

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
Christ's College, Cambridge	50	180	St John's College, Oxford	230	21 December 2020
University of Manchester	175	30	Queen's University Belfast	205	22 December 2020
The Courtauld Institute of Art	150	100	Goldsmiths, University of London	250	23 December 2020
University of Nottingham	145	70	University of Sheffield	215	24 December 2020
University of Central Lancashire	60	170	Loughborough University	230	26 December 2020
Durham University	90	65	Downing College, Cambridge	155	28 December 2020
New College, Oxford	110	60	University of Reading	170	29 December 2020

Semi-finals

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
St John's College, Oxford	135	180	The Courtauld Institute of Art	315	30 December 2020
University of Manchester	140	70	Loughborough University	210	31 December 2020

Final

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
The Courtauld Institute of Art	150	90	University of Manchester	240	1 January 2021

The 2020 series was won by The Courtauld Institute of Art whose team of Tim Marlow, Lavinia Greenlaw, Jacky Klein and Jeremy Deller beat the University of Manchester and their team of David Nott, Juliet Jacques, Adrian Edmondson and Justin Edwards.

2021 results

First Round

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Edinburgh	160	125	University of Leicester	285	20 December 2021
University of Winchester	95	130	University of Bradford	225	21 December 2021
University of Bristol	95	125	King's College, Cambridge	220	22 December 2021
London School of Economics	75	130	Hertford College, Oxford	205	23 December 2021
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge	130	145	St Anne's College, Oxford	275	24 December 2021
Birkbeck, University of London	125	30	University of Portsmouth	155	27 December 2021
University of Kent	115	95	Goldsmiths, University of London	210	28 December 2021

Semi-finals

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Edinburgh	145	125	University of Bradford	270	29 December 2021
Hertford College, Oxford	155	95	St Anne's College, Oxford	250	30 December 2021

Final

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Edinburgh	235	95	Hertford College, Oxford	330	31 December 2021

The 2021 series was won by the University of Edinburgh whose team of Catherine Slessor, Thomasina Miers, Miles Jupp and Phil Swanson beat Hertford College, Oxford and their team of Soweto Kinch, Elizabeth Norton, Adam Fleming and Isabelle Westbury.

2022 results

First Round

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
SOAS University of London	75	155	Balliol College, Oxford	230	19 December 2022
University College, Oxford	75	110	University of Glasgow	195	20 December 2022
Durham University	45	200	University of York	245	21 December 2022
Exeter College, Oxford	150	70	Queen Mary University of London	220	22 December 2022
University of Hull	135	35	University of the West of England	170	23 December 2022
University College London	85	115	University of Aberdeen	200	26 December 2022
University of Bristol	125	105	Cardiff University	230	27 December 2022

Semi-finals

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of York	100	155	University of Hull	255	28 December 2022
Balliol College, Oxford	215	125	Exeter College, Oxford	340	29 December 2022

Final

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Hull	70	165	Balliol College, Oxford	235	30 December 2022

The 2022 series was won by Balliol College, Oxford whose team of Elizabeth Kiss, Andrew Copson, Martin Edwards and Martin O’Neill beat the University of Hull and their team of Katharine Norbury, James Graham,^[a] Sian Reese-Williams and Graeme Hall. This was the last Christmas special to be hosted by Jeremy Paxman after 11 years.

1. As the opening weekend of Graham's musical Tammy Faye clashed with the recording of the Final, Sarah Peverley took his place.

2023 results

There were only six first-round matches due to one episode being removed. This was after complaints were received from two contestants who felt their accessibility requirements were not met during filming.^[1] Neither the contestants nor their institution have been named, other than being colleges of Oxford and Cambridge. The rest of the series was broadcast as normal.

First Round

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
King's College London	155	120	City, University of London	275	18 December 2023
Royal Holloway, University of London	170	95	University of East Anglia	265	19 December 2023
University of Dundee	75	185	Bangor University	260	20 December 2023
Corpus Christi College, Oxford	265	80	University of Edinburgh	345	21 December 2023
Imperial College London	110	80	University of Liverpool	190	22 December 2023
Middlesex University	175	115	University of Leeds	290	26 December 2023

Semi-finals

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
Royal Holloway, University of London	160	180	Corpus Christi College, Oxford	340	27 December 2023
Bangor University	85	195	Middlesex University	280	28 December 2023

Final

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
Corpus Christi College, Oxford	80	175	Middlesex University	255	29 December 2023

The winning Middlesex University team consisted of David Heathcote, Lola Young, Heather Phillipson^[a] and David Hepworth, who beat Corpus Christi College, Oxford and their team of Francesca Happé, Michael Cockerell, Alex Bellos and Steve Waters.

1. Originally Dan Renton Skinner was the team captain, but he was unable to make the recordings of the semi-finals/final, so Heather Phillipson took over as captain, and David Heathcote took his place as a team member.

2024 results

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
University of Warwick	35	265	Durham University	300	23 December 2024
Worcester College, Oxford	155	105	University of Bristol	260	24 December 2024
Manchester Metropolitan University	110	135	University of Brighton	245	26 December 2024
Leeds Trinity University	100	115	University of Nottingham	215	27 December 2024
University of Southampton	125	150	Churchill College, Cambridge	275	29 December 2024
Emmanuel College, Cambridge	95	175	Queens' College, Cambridge	270	30 December 2024
University of St Andrews	130	65	London School of Economics	195	31 December 2024

Semi-finals

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
Durham University	120	85	Worcester College, Oxford	205	1 January 2025
Churchill College, Cambridge	95	105	Queens' College, Cambridge	200	2 January 2025

Final

Team 1	Score		Team 2	Total	Broadcast date
Durham University	125	120	Queens' College, Cambridge	245	3 January 2025

Snatching victory on the final starter-for-ten, the winning Durham University team consisted of Liz James, Tracey MacLeod, Carla Denyer, and Sophia Smith Galer, who beat the Queens' College, Cambridge team of John Zarnecki, Stephanie Merritt, Jenny Kleeman and Richard K. Morgan.