Series 48 of University Challenge began on 16 July 2018 on BBC Two.

The University of London Institute in Paris and Darwin College, Cambridge appeared for the first time in this series.

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 Team 1 Score Team 2 Total Broadcast date University of Warwick165150 University of Exeter 315 16 July 2018 Emmanuel College, Cambridge175200 University of Glasgow 375 23 July 2018 Pembroke College, Oxford230 Downing College, Cambridge 305 30 July 2018 School of Oriental and African Studies260 Darwin College, Cambridge 350 13 August 2018 Clare College, Cambridge160150 Hertford College, Oxford 310 20 August 2018 University of Strathclyde360 Durham University 415 27 August 2018 University of York240 St Edmund Hall, Oxford 345 3 September 2018 University of Edinburgh210 Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge 285 10 September 2018 University of Bristol140 Queen's University Belfast 250 17 September 2018 University of London Institute in Paris180 Goldsmiths, University of London 235 24 September 2018 St Peter's College, Oxford225 Pembroke College, Cambridge 275 1 October 2018 University College London180145 King's College London 325 8 October 2018 University of East London155 University of Manchester 290 22 October 2018 Keble College, Oxford180 University of East Anglia 295 29 October 2018

Highest scoring losers play-offs Team 1 Score Team 2 Total Broadcast date Emmanuel College, Cambridge235 King's College London 375 5 November 2018 Hertford College, Oxford215 University of Exeter 380 12 November 2018

Second round Team 1 Score Team 2 Total Broadcast date St Peter's College, Oxford195 Emmanuel College, Cambridge 315 19 November 2018 Hertford College, Oxford185 University of Manchester 300 26 November 2018 University of Edinburgh180 University College London 340 3 December 2018 Clare College, Cambridge245 St Edmund Hall, Oxford 350 10 December 2018 Goldsmiths, University of London135 University of Glasgow 260 17 December 2018 Durham University200 Keble College, Oxford 300 7 January 2019 Downing College, Cambridge205 Darwin College, Cambridge 325 14 January 2019 University of Warwick190 University of Bristol 315 21 January 2019

Quarter-finals Team 1 Score Team 2 Total Broadcast date University of Glasgow110170 Durham University 280 28 January 2019 Darwin College, Cambridge105115 University of Bristol 220 4 February 2019 University of Manchester130170 University of Edinburgh 300 11 February 2019 Emmanuel College, Cambridge 55190 St Edmund Hall, Oxford 245 18 February 2019 Durham University165110 University of Edinburgh 275 25 February 2019 University of Glasgow155 University of Manchester 225 4 March 2019 University of Bristol130150 St Edmund Hall, Oxford 280 11 March 2019 Darwin College, Cambridge225 Emmanuel College, Cambridge 355 18 March 2019 University of Edinburgh155 University of Bristol 275 25 March 2019 University of Manchester195 Darwin College, Cambridge 315 1 April 2019

Semi-finals Team 1 Score Team 2 Total Broadcast date Durham University180 University of Edinburgh 290 8 April 2019 St Edmund Hall, Oxford165 Darwin College, Cambridge 305 15 April 2019

Final Team 1 Score Team 2 Total Broadcast date University of Edinburgh155 St Edmund Hall, Oxford 295 22 April 2019

In what was the most closely contested final University Challenge had seen for the past decade, St Edmund Hall, Oxford had leads of 40 to -5 and 80 to 40 before Edinburgh fought back to take a commanding 125 to 70 lead with around seven minutes left. St Edmund Hall, however, mounted a comeback of their own and took a 5-point lead with under a minute remaining.

However, Robbie Campbell Hewson correctly answered the difficult ensuing starter question, identifying that the first three letters of the birthplace of William Gladstone, Beryl Bainbridge and Wayne Rooney (LIV of Liverpool) equalled 54 when spelt using roman numerals, to give Edinburgh a 5 point lead of their own. Edinburgh then successfully answered two bonus questions and allowed the clock to run down sufficiently to snatch victory.

The trophy and title were thus awarded to the Edinburgh team of Matt Booth, Marco Malusà, Max Fitz-James, and Robbie Campbell Hewson. The Edinburgh team were the only Scottish champions in the Paxman era and the first since 1983. The trophy was presented by Sebastian Faulks.

Spin-off: Christmas Special 2018

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.

Team 1Team 2TotalBroadcast date Brasenose College, Oxford150 University of Bristol 250 24 December 2018 University of Westminster University of East Anglia 230 25 December 2018 Pembroke College, Cambridge150 King's College London 235 26 December 2018 St Catherine's College, Oxford135 Peterhouse, Cambridge 265 27 December 2018 University of Exeter University of Birmingham 195 28 December 2018 Sheffield University University of Manchester 205 31 December 2018 University of Edinburgh160 London School of Economics 280 1 January 2019

Standings for the winners RankTeamTeam captainScore1London School of EconomicsEkow Eshun160 2=University of BristolMisha Glenny 150King's College LondonAnita Anand4Peterhouse, CambridgeMichael Howard1355University of WestminsterDanny Wallace1306University of ManchesterDavid Aaronovitch1157University of ExeterPaul Jackson110

Semi-finals Team 1 Score Team 2 Total Broadcast date University of Bristol205 King's College London 305 2 January 2019 Peterhouse, Cambridge215 London School of Economics 275 3 January 2019

Final Team 1 Score Team 2 Total Broadcast date University of Bristol190 Peterhouse, Cambridge 315 4 January 2019

The winning Peterhouse, Cambridge 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.

References

External links University Challenge homepage Blanchflower Results Table