For the final time, this is Imperial’s Justin Lee. I have a lot of people to thank - my family, my friends, that guy who runs the History of the Germans podcast… but most of all I would like to thank you viewers for tuning in!
UCL Finlay here one last time. Thanks to everyone here who’s watched the series and said such kind things about us. I’m gonna remember all of this for the rest of my life. I hope everyone enjoyed the finale - sorry we couldn’t make it a bit more competitive (At least I’ll be able to say I had the last buzzer on Amol Rajans first season on the show) as you can see imperial very much deserved this - what a monster of a team! And even more annoyingly they’re also super gracious and have been so kind to us both immediately after this match and since. For anybody who wants to know everybody on university challenge is fantastic, Amol, Roger and the whole production team were so kind and helpful with every issue to give us the best chance possible and they all really know their stuff when it comes to questions and quizzing. As did my wonderful teammates. University Challenge celebrates the wonder of knowing things, not the pressure or embarrassment of not knowing them. If there’s anything to take away from the show to get it (or if you want to try and be on yourself) it’s not what you know that matters but how you can always find out more - curiosity is king. Goodnight That said this definitely won’t be the last time I find myself perusing this comments section as I watch back these episodes and indulge again…and again
Thank you Jacob - I will remember you as the contestant with whom I called out "Liberal England" on the very last question! Congratulations on an extraordinary run and I love your sentiment.
You’ve been absolutely fantastic, really was enjoying your team and somehow it never felt like it was an uneven match, even if there was a gap in the scores. Fair play to you all!
Very well done to you and your teammates! That was an extraordinary final, and I felt your teams were very evenly matched! To have come out with 120 against a winning team with over 200 is a feat in itself. Keep enjoying the extraordinary journey this has brought you on, and may it keep bringing you surprise and joy.
If he wasn't so patronising towards the students, with his Politically Correct and absurdly effusive praises/apologies and total absence of humour, he'd be worthy of praise. The younger Paxman still my favourite.
@@Mikedr55 Yeah it sounds too American. He probably can't use the more traditional terms such as mates, or blokes, or lads, but he needs to find a better form of address.
UCL Hall again here for the last time! Wasn’t that all so much fun. I can’t put into words how fun this all was, and being in the final was more than enough to make us over the moon. First up, big congrats to Imperial. You have to surely be the greatest Uni Challenge team ever (not just saying that to feel better lol), what a team. Each player is incredible and genuinely so lovely. Big up the rest of the UCL team though, what incredible people. Ali, Tayana, and Jacob (and Callum, our reserve) are just all incredible and I couldn’t have quizzed with better people. One of the things I want to emphasise is that we really are layquizzers here - UCL has no quiz soc, and beyond a few pub quizzes this is the first proper quizzing three of us have done. We are so proud to have come from this and equalled UCL’s record! Thank you to all of you for all your support and intrigue this series, it means a lot. Hope you enjoy next year!!
Really impressive stuff, I’d love to see what you’re all like at a pub quiz! Ye’ve been a pleasure to watch. All in all one of the best UC competition seasons in recent years, I think.
You are each exceptional and have so much to be proud of. You are great advertisements for the richness of experience that a university can bring. May it continue to bring you to the most gloriously unexpected places!
I would just like to offer a very big thankyou, to Cosmic Pumpkin, For his sterling work, in getting this series out. Keep up the good work, friend. And I hope to catch you when the next series starts.
Wow! Debnath really performed quite well. He always came across as a Science, Maths and Computers guy. He only occasionally answered questions on other topics. But man, this time he had answers on a lot of varied topics.
As someone who has watched UC since the age of 10 in 1967 this has to rank as one of THE best ever series . The teams were magnificent and Amol is just brilliant: warm and welcoming like Bamber with just enough Paxo to keep it spicy but also with his own aware and funny style that has made it relevant again
UCL started well, but once Imperial found their groove it was like Concorde on afterburners for their joint-best score of the series. I think when this was filmed in 2023, Imperial at about the same time won the UK student quizzing championships with Lee, Jones, and Michael Mays from the 2022 winners, so they had a quizzing year for the ages 😉. Justin Lee with yet another virtuosic performance has overtaken Arthur Wotton for best buzzer of the series with 36, and we got to a 400+ aggregate score for the first time since the repechage playoffs which made me very happy. That was also the first final with a 400+ aggregate score since 2010 and Alex Guttenplan's exploits; I also enjoyed that both teams were nice and zippy with discussions at all stages regardless of what the lead was. UCL's 14/18 on the bonuses was actually better percentage-wise than Imperial's 28/45 but those four interruptions I think did critically stall momentum. That third loss equals them with St John's College, Oxford for most Runners-Up finishes without winning a title - the bridesmaids of this competition but will they ever be the bride? Great way to finish the series, and thank you Pumpkin for your consistent uploads👍.
I think this has been my favourite season of university challenge in recent years. The energy’s been just great, and I’m repeating myself from previous comments but in every match since the semifinals I’ve been both saddened to see the losers go and delighted to see the winners advance. Great teams and a great host. It’s been especially delightful to get to hear from some of the players in the comments, and I hope we get to see more of that in future seasons too. Congrats to all!
This is the second favourite season for me. =) The participants commenting the YT videos were rare years before but this time it was always in every single video there was at least one. =). (For the unasked record: My fav one is S45, mainly because of the Hannah Woods: "Do we know any german scientists, Oscar?". =P
Am I the only one who noticed that Debnath never had a single mistake on the buzzer questions? That's spectacular. Are there any similar record holders in the past though?
No so true; 13/13 is very impressive. I can remember it happening once before; Caleb Rich the Imperial Captain in 2019-20 got 19/19 when buzzing in which was also really impressive
Absolute demolition from Imperial College London. A very well rounded team! I could see Izzatdust trying to buzz in a few times but Imperial are so quick on that. Besides the quizzing can I just say Sourajit Debnath is the best dressed contestant in a match ever seen in UC? It's so good to see him pay tribute to his culture and wear the traditional Bengali "panjabi".
We have our issues in the UK and things are far from perfect but I swear University Challenge is Britain at it's absolute best. The celebration of not just knowledge but the desire to learn, the demonstration of spectacular levels of class and humility, and the dedication to our long standing tradition of quizzing. Seeing contestants from loads of teams commenting along here as we go has been fantastic. Top work to all involved for an absolute stormer of a series.
@@Tom-xy9yy no idea i was recently seeing the older episodes from around 20 years ago many of them i now know were competing and students back then.Even mastermind india both were hosted by siddhartha basu and one of the mastermind india finallist is now a member of parliament candidate from here lol
Best balanced team I've ever seen. Each bringing a different array of strengths, with great speed. Spectacular. Special thanks to new host Amol Rajan for providing a new and clearly personal vibe to the show. Well done to everyone involved.
As this series ends, let's reflect on the magnificent job Amol has done here. It was a big ask, but he fit in perfectly and instantly made the show his own.
Tiresome hearing about how Haddad didn't answer any questions - facilitation and leadership are just as important when driving a car filled with brains-on-a-stick... You don't need one more Lee, Debnath or Jones [with all due respect to those worthies], you need balance, Hadda brought that in spades. The other thing to consider is that she [other than studying medicine] clearly has a functional intellect worthy of respect otherwise the rest of her team wouldn't defer to her leadership like they clearly did. To echo others, Imperial is possibly the best balanced team on UC I've seen in the years I have ben following it - you don't want to call the result a foregone conclusion, but... yeah... Thanks to the Maestro Pumpkin for the uploads.
She is a great captain, encouraged her teammates, warm smile and a balanced head on shoulders. When she has two outright superstars in Lee and Jones and a very capable role player in Debnath, she does not need to contribute much.
To be honest, I spend the last 15 minutes reading all the comments about her and I missed all of them saying she didn't answer... O.O. And I think she was one of the best captains ever in this show. O.O, VERY supportive, endearing behavior, good knowledge... So... who the hell is criticicing her up to that point? @.@... Maybe that person deleted the comment, I hope... but I didn't get to read it. =)
@@enlisty true - but no one has said that's not the case. Negative commentary has been made about Hadad not answering questions, I've simply pointed out that that is clearly not her defining role within the team.
I am Australian and frankly speaking I was not familiar with this show until I came across these clips on youtube in the past six months. I have absolutely loved watching this season of University Challenge and I thank you sincerely for uploading them for us. I particularly love the focus on the classics and science which seems to be lost from a lot of modern quizzes, that rather focus on pop trivia and similar.
Thank you so much for uploading this amazing series. Mondays will not be the same … until the next series. Two really strong teams in the final but the winners were simply outstanding.
Really good to see a fellow countryman in Sourajit Debnath winning the UC while being a really good role player. There was an article today in India Today about him which I thought I will share. Debnath is apparently 31 which I absolutely would'nt have guessed, I thought he would be in his 20s. Moreover he was involved in India's Lunar Mission - Chandrayaan 2 (unfortunately wasn't a complete success). Also, it was good to see the traditional representation of Kurta at UC Finals. Even though, there have been Indian contestants in past, I think he has been the best candidate ever from our country to play in the UC, the European questions are always so difficult for me to get, he did really well, I am proud of him. I think Lee is overall the best contestant I have ever seen on UC, remind me of Hutchinson from the Imperial Zeng Finals. His overall knowledge is breathtaking. I cannot understand some of the buzzes. His memory makes me wonder how am I so stupid. Congrats to Imperial and also congrats to UCL. This Imperial team was very strong, otherwise the finals would have been close.
I would have also put Debnath in his early 20s, that's surprising. I've been impressed by individual answers previously, but Lee's consistent quick buzzering and getting the right answers with very little information felt simply superhuman. Truly made this feel like the Finals game it is. Regarding Chandrayaan 2, I think it's inaccurate and unfair to say it failed. It would be the same to simply say it was a success, too - it's a complex mission with multiple objectives. The takeoff and guidance successfully taking it to the lunar orbit was itself an achievement that a lot of space missions don't pass. Then, the lander crashed, but the rover successfully entered orbit and continues to perform its experiments as expected. My quibble is only with the phrasing "did fail", which in terms of the average space mission failure denotes something a lot worse. "unfortunately wasn't a complete success" would be more accurate.
Lee is fantastic but I have never seen anybody as good as Imperial Brandon. Felt like he could have won the whole series alone that year. As to Indian competitors, it sure was nice to see Debnath dominate after a whole series of watching Jesudoss do nothing a couple years ago.
Very true. Imperial Brandon from 2019 UC gave a sterling performance and displayed unparalleled brilliance which was difficult to fathom. I can see Zeng and Lee equally have such flair for quizzing success.
I wish it had been a closer finish that reflected the strength of both teams more truly. Izzatdust just didn’t get his opportunity to shine this time! Debnath came into his own ! Congratulations to both teams, and thank you all for an exciting season that brightened up Monday evenings in Seattle !
Imperial have probably been the most complete team I can remember. Debnath and Lee were particularly ferocious on the flanks. Hard luck UCL….those 3 early penalties took some of the wind out of your sails.
Regarding the stats for last week's match up, I apologize for not being able to put them. I was met with a lot to deal with last week. They will be up in a moment.
In addition to Cosmic Pumpkin for uploading the videos, a big thank you to you too for painstakingly keeping stats and posting them. Your stats always provide a nice summary of the quiz, which is interesting to read after watching.
Isn’t it great to *finally* see two female team captains here? Maybe UC historians can tell us if this is a first. I think it is worth celebrating their equally stellar performances, along with simply outstanding contributions from quizzing beasts on both teams. Congratulations to all and thank you so much to Cosmic for allowing me to view these contests in Australia. Well done to the winning team 🏆
@@Tom-xy9yy Yes, Tom. Yes it does. I’ve watched this competition for years and so many times it’s been a total bro show. It’s rare enough to see women at all on the teams, much less as team captains. I feel certain this cannot be due to any numerical imbalance in the student body at large. So other forces have led to the under representation of women on UC teams. Hmmm, 🧐 I wonder what they could be?
@@lucylou5766 One of my favourite teams to win was Peterhouse Cambridge in 2016 captained by none other than the ebullient Hannah Woods. I think at that time she made reference to the lower number of women on teams being because of the unwelcome attention it brought to participants such as unflattering comments on social media concerning their dress or appearance. Woods also revealed that she was sent gifts by unknown admirers and even received an offer of marriage from someone she had never met.
I thought Izzadust, poor man, was going to implode with frustration at being beaten to the buzzer by a split second by a fearsome opposing team, notably Lee!
Izzadust was amazing throughout the series and clenched a few starters for his team in the final. Surprised people aren’t singing his praises in the comments more.
As an American who has never even heard of this show before this series, I’m hooked! The whole series has been amazing and this final was wonderful. Congrats to both of the teams and thank you for providing these videos for us non-UK viewers. Looking forward to the next series!
What an extraordinary finish to an extraordinary series!!!! All gorgeous contestants with exceptional skills - very well done to all participants! Really appreciate the kindness and humour Amol brings to the show. And thank you so much, Cosmic Pumpkin, for creating this nerd-tastic corner of internetland - so good, the participants can't help but to keep coming back for more! See y'all for the next series!
Spoilers I guess Genuinely stunned they got Tom Stoppard, must be the most famous 'celebrity guest' they've had to deliver the trophy, certainly since I started watching UC. Really awesome!
Just an incredible final, many congratulations to both teams! I also really loved the final section with Lee swapping his lucky(?) hoodie for a suit. Thanks again for all the uploads CP, hope to see you next season!
I've been riveted from the first game to the last, best series for a couple of years (sorry Jezza!) and Amol is a fantastic quizmaster, bringing his own strong knowledge into the mix at times. Thanks Cosmic Pumpkin, from me in Papamoa Beach, New Zealand.
Imperial has had some crazy good teams in the last few years. Definitely gonna miss my weekly match while I make dinner. Only Connect and Mastermind just don't scratch the same itch.
Thank You, Cosmic. This is a staple of so many people's week. In the US, I can watch it at the same time of night here, because of you, as it would have been shown in the UK, Have a safe and happy year to the next series. Cheers.
Wow! I must say, I have SO much enjoyed Imperial’s teams over the years but this one might be my favorite. Maybe I’m still partial to Imperial Brandon’s team from a few years ago… but then again, that team with Zeng was amazing too 😅 congratulations to the winners and commiserations to UCL. Great run, but clearly Izzatdust just couldn’t overcome Lee - he just got beat on a number of those starters.
@@castelodeossos3947 Yeah I am amazed at how they complain about the cold at work in the winter and still go out on the town later that night wearing a skimpy black dress.
Absolutely fantastic final, with extraordinary high standards all round. Imperial were imperious, and worthy champions; a fabulous team performance. Congrats also to UCL, worthy finalists and 120 is a brilliant score at this stage. Picked up maybe 10 answers myself, which is probably a personal best for a final, but would definitely see me relegated from either team 😂😂😂 Thanks immensely Pumpkin for all the uploads. Best wishes and good health to you all, and see you soon for the new series
Congratulations🎉🎉🎉 Imperial is great. LEE is knowledgeable and fast. JONES is wise and confident. Debnath is intelligent and calm. Love you guys. All teams which are defeated by Imperial are strong too actually.
I haven't been watching University Challenge for very long, but purely for his buzzer skills, Lee seems like a good bet for a hypothetical GOAT team, along with Max Zeng and Brandon Blackwell. The height of recency bias, I know, but those are the players that stick out to me.
After folowing this season for so long I like both teams! The combined score over 400 is just nuts! The fact that show has been runnign for over 50 years shows the humans' endless facination with knowledge. =)
Do you or anyone have S49 stats of Imperial Brandon & S51 for Imperial Zeng & Reading Hutchinson (no. of correct answers + no. of buzzes + no. of incorrect interruptions), since both final videos have been deleted, along with the stats comments?
omg what an exciting final!!! esp since Imperial and UCL were one of my fav teams (women in med you are my heroes!!) it's always so inspiring seeing college students participating on this show as a HS student, thank you cosmicpumpkin for the continuous uploads! now my Mondays will return to being boring :,(
Justin Lee & Adam Jones were monolithic during this series. My hand trembles as I type their names. They rank among the greats of UC, alongside Trimble, Loveday, Mays and Zeng. Izzatdust was the bow and the arrow, the cocoon and the butterfly, for UCL, and without him this series would never have felt as complete. When I think about AI in the future, I will not think about computers that simulate human intelligence, no dear reader, I will remember Ali Izzatdust. What will we all do now without UC on a Monday evening? i. Bleed the radiators; ii. go about our days as if nothing has happened; iii. hungry hippos; iv. withhold sunlight from inferiors.
They were both winners IMO. Outstanding knowledge and incidentally, seemingly, just splendid people. Congratulations to all four and lastly a big thank you to Amol Rajan
Thanks again, CosmicPumpkin! What an amazing performance by the winning team! I've been on their bandwagon all year long, and I have to say that this match was their most impressive performance yet. To win by the margin they did over another outstanding team...as Rajan noted...that would have won this in any other year. What a stellar end to a stellar series. My best to both teams, and to each individual. My best to all of you who followed the series, wherever you reside. Until next series!
Considering I view Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead as the best thing created by a human, my envy of both Imperial and UCL's teams of getting to meet Sir Tom Stoppard is palpable. The only thing I'm more envious of would be their intellect; an incredible showing, and well done to all involved!
OMG IS THIS ALREADY HAPPENED??? I LOVE UCL DRESS CODE IN THIS EPISODE🤩 it is beautiful to see Sawh and Haddad smile I feel relieved when izzat-dust breaks the tension and Happy Eid al-Fitr everyone🌟
Congratulations, Imperial, on trouncing UCL so convincingly! Your mental speed and agility, accuracy, and very well-balanced team won us over. Thank you so much for uploading these unique and fascinating series! Made my day!
Amazing episode. Congratulations to both teams. Izzatdust you are the best, brilliant and intelligent E (Rapaz tues muy safo e culto). Thanks, CP for bringing us all these episodes. Hope you can upload the next season of UC .
thank you so much cp for taking up the mantle and recording the whole incredible series, especially for those of us outside the uk; thanks also to the brilliant and talented contestants, and to amol for a great first season as host
This has definitely been the best season I have seen in my 10 years of watching the UC. Amol has given new vigour to the shoe, but also the teams this year were fantastic, so if any participant of this year's UC reads this, thank you! You were all amazing. Thanks for making this a delightful show and competition. The comments all the team members have left in these videos have really been a joy to read. And of course a very special thank you to Cosmic Pumpkin for giving all of us the opportunity to watch the shoe and see the comments of the participants.
Thank you for your uploads! I had a great time watching these. If any of the contestants read this, many congratulations to you as well! Can't wait for the next season.
Lee is a machine but my man Debnath also performed really well. Brandon really influenced Imperial to become a powerhouse, like no championships from 2002 to 2019, but now they have won 3 times since his appearance in 2020.
Fantastic match, fantastic series and fantastic winners. This series was fast paced, energetic and competitive. Kudos to Amol Rajan for holding it together and showing that he is a worthy replacement for the Paxperson. I'm sure lots of people were unsure whether he was the right fit, but he proved that he can run a tight ship on this show. The average number of questions per episode that he managed to put in, kept the interest going. Imperial were unstoppable this season. I don't think they ever went below 210 in any of their matches, which is an amazing feat. They had a well-balanced team and they were well prepared, going by the sheer number of obscure topics they cracked. Congratulations Imperial and UCL, for selecting worthy captains who made great decisions throughout, and congratulations again to both teams for showing how enjoyable competitive quizzing can be. Sadly one team had to come second. And a big THANK YOU to @cosmicpumpkin for the prompt uploads. The first thing I looked forward to on Tuesday mornings.
A very satisfying conclusion to an excellent series. I can now give my family a rest from wondering why I am shouting random words at my computer. Well done both teams and Amol. Thanks to CosmicPumpkin. See you all in autumn.
What an outstanding team. As someone who follows cricket, this performance by Imperial is very reminiscent of what the great Aussie teams would do in Cricket World Cups in the early 2000s. Just absolute destruction of the opponents.
Congratulations IC. It is fantastic to watch this. You have lived our long history of simply winning and be a giant leader. It is fantastic and this brings back nostalgic memories 💖. Seeing royal Albert Hall which was over our laboratory window that is Department of Biology before the current relocation within the campus. Best wishes . Agnes
And so it ends... Many wondered whether it would come down to a titanic contest between Izzatdust and Imperial Lee, others questioned the wisdom of Sawh and Haddad as captains. What we saw was two outstanding teams, the cream of British education [I know, half the contestants weren't from the UK], and two captains that have repeatedly shown the rare ability to lead their polymathic teams to victory. In a UC final the three major misstarts by UCL were always likely to be fatal, and so it proved. MJM in Melbourne, Australia.
Writing this before I watch. My two favorite teams of the season. I guess that means I can't lose either way. It's just too bad that one team has to lose. Congratulations to all 8 players for making it to the final. As a Canadian who can't (legitimately/easily) see the show any other way, huge thanks to C. Pumpkin for the effort. Now to watch and enjoy!
Exciting finale, as predicted! Congratulations to lmperial on a stellar win , also to the very worthy runners up, UCL, and all the teams who participated.Wonderful to see both teams on the roof tops being congratulated by the legendary Sir Tom. Amol did a fantastic job in his first series as host. Thanks to CP for bringing this wonderful quiz to our screens. Roll on next season! Best wishes to all U.C fans.
MATCH STATISTICS AND COMMENTS BELOW S53/E37 FINAL Note: individual team member stats are towards the bottom. 22 rounds (21 rounds completed; the game ended immediately after the starter question was answered correctly in the 22nd round) 25 starter questions (22 answered correctly + 3 additional starter questions as neither side got 'Venice' in round 2, 'Pierre Bourdieu' in round 11, or 'Thiamin/Vitamin B1' in round 19) 63 bonus questions (21 rounds x 3) 88 questions in total (25 starter + 63 bonus) 565 points available in total (25 x10, plus 63 x 5) 71.7% of the 565 points available were scored ((285 + 120)/565) Imperial 50.4% of the total points available (285/565); Starters 15/25; Bonuses 28/45 (62.2%); Penalties x1 UCL 21.2% of the total points available (120/565); Starters 7/25; Bonuses 14/18 (77.8%); Penalties x4 IMPERIAL 285 POINTS (starters 145 points + bonuses 140 points) STARTERS 145 points Haddad (Capt.) 0/0 = 0 points Lee 8/10 less penalties x1 = 75 points Jones 4/5 = 40 points Debnath 3/3 = 30 points UCL 120 POINTS (starters 50 points + bonuses 70 points) STARTERS 50 points Sawh (Capt.) 0/3 less penalties x1 = Minus 5 points Hall 1/3 less penalties x1 = 5 points Izzatdust 4/5 less penalties x1 = 35 points Finlay 2/3 less penalties x1 = 15 points The best team in the series won. No doubt. Imperial has now won 3 of the last 5 series, with wins in 2020 (Brandon Blackwell, Caleb Rich & co.), 2022 (Max Zeng, Michael Mays & co.) and 2024 (Justin Lee looks set to become the team member from this series that is remembered). Imperial is also now THE most successful team in the history of the show with 5 series wins, ahead of Magdalen College Oxford and Manchester, who have 4 series wins each. Which begs the question: is there any particular reason why is Imperial doing so well? Well. Maybe. It is worth reading a New York Times article about Brandon Blackwell and Imperial, which is easy to find online. In the article, Imperial's present captain - Suraiya Haddad - describes Brandon Blackwell as 'the father of this dynasty', and explains that Imperial has become more strategic in the selection of its team members due to Brandon's influence. Rather touchingly, Brandon was recently presented with a coffee mug by various Imperial team members, inscribed with the words 'Imperial Dad'.
If you're going to complain about the contestants' pronunciation, at least spell it right, old girl. According to Wikipedia, the pronunciation is /ˈnʌlərbɔːr/ as in 'null' and the 'arbor' of arborial).