Editing University Challenge (section)

===In popular culture===
*In an episode of the BBC comedy series ''[[Not the Nine O'Clock News]]'', first broadcast on 15 December 1980, [[Griff Rhys Jones]] plays Bamber Gascoigne in a sketch that pitches two teams of criminals representing prisoners from [[HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs|Wormwood Scrubs]] and [[HM Prison Parkhurst|Parkhurst]]. The teams score "points" (remission of sentence) by "[[grassing]]" on possible suspects involved in a crime.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00cys6q|title=BBC Two – Not the Nine O'Clock News, Series 3, Episode 8|website=BBC|access-date=13 February 2019}}</ref>
*In 1984 an episode of ''[[The Young Ones (TV series)|The Young Ones]]'', entitled "[[Bambi (Young Ones episode)|Bambi]]" (a play on Bamber Gascoigne's name), centred on a parody of ''University Challenge'' with a match between the fictitious teams of Scumbag College and [[List of fictional Oxbridge colleges|Footlights College, Oxbridge]]. The cast included Stephen Fry, who participated in the real competition in 1980 while at Cambridge, and fellow alumni and [[Footlights]] members [[Emma Thompson]] and [[Hugh Laurie]] as part of the "Footlights College" team, and Griff Rhys Jones as the host. The teams are arranged physically one above the other, in a parody of the show's split-screen format.<ref>{{cite news|author=Jess Denham |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/features/rik-mayall-dead-actor-and-comedians-funniest-moments-9515759.html |title=Rik Mayall death anniversary: Funniest moments from Blackadder to The Young Ones &#124; Features &#124; Culture |newspaper=The Independent |access-date=18 April 2016}}</ref>
*A quiz themed around BBC science fiction situation comedy ''[[Red Dwarf]]'', broadcast in 1998, is entitled ''Universe Challenge''. It opens as if it were a regular episode, but with [[Chris Barrie]] impersonating Jeremy Paxman. Gascoigne comes from behind with a [[Blaster (Star Wars)|blaster gun]] and blows him out of the chair to take over as host. This was Gascoigne's last appearance as host.<ref>{{IMDb title|469215|Universe Challenge (1998)}}</ref>
*In a list of the [[100 Greatest British Television Programmes]] drawn up by the [[British Film Institute]] in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, ''University Challenge'' was placed 34th.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/list/ls000151593/ | title=The BFI TV 100 (2000) – a list | work=IMDb | date=11 April 2011 |orig-year= 12 February 2013 | access-date=9 November 2014 | author=deadmonger}}</ref>
* ''[[Starter for Ten (novel)|Starter For Ten]]'' is the title of a novel, first published in 2003, by British author [[David Nicholls (writer)|David Nicholls]]. The plot is about a first-year student, Brian Jackson, who attempts to join his university team competing in ''University Challenge''. Nicholls also adapted the novel into the film ''[[Starter for 10 (film)|Starter for 10]]'' in 2006, starring [[James McAvoy]] as Jackson, with [[Mark Gatiss]] portraying Gascoigne.
*In 2006 [[Armando Ianucci]]'s ''[[Time Trumpet]]'' presented a parody of ''University Challenge'', set in a future where students are 'too lazy to learn'; this parody was later referenced in an episode of the 2007–08 series of ''University Challenge'' by the team captain of [[SOAS, University of London|SOAS]], Joe Perry, who, not knowing the real answer, simply answered "Venezuela?"{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}
*The quiz was the subject of the hour-long BBC Two documentary ''The Story So Far'', first broadcast in November 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00793tb|title=The Story So Far, University Challenge – BBC Two|publisher=bbc.co.uk|access-date=12 December 2016}}</ref> 
* In 2014, a two part documentary narrated by [[Richard Osman]] called 'Class of 2014' outlined a brief history of the programme and the team selection process both within the universities and by the production staff. The documentary attracted some criticism due to the large emphasis on Oxbridge and Manchester during the programme.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/news/0032741-university-challenge-criticised-for-oxbridge-bias.html|title=University Challenge criticised for Oxbridge bias|date=14 July 2014|access-date=30 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202072448/http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/news/0032741-university-challenge-criticised-for-oxbridge-bias.html|archive-date=2 February 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* In March 2017 semi-finalist team captains [[Bobby Seagull]] of [[Emmanuel College, Cambridge]], and [[Eric Monkman]] of [[Wolfson College, Cambridge]], appeared on BBC One's ''[[The One Show]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/university-challenge-monkman-seagull_uk_58d8e3a8e4b02a2eaab5703f|title=Monkman Vs Seagull: A Potted History of the University Challenge Captains' Bromance|date=27 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-03-29/eric-monkman-belted-out-the-imperial-march-on-the-one-show-because-monkman|title=Eric Monkman belted out the Imperial March on The One Show, because Monkman|work=Radio Times }}</ref> In August 2017 the two were featured on BBC Radio 4's ''[[Today (BBC Radio 4)|Today]]'' programme<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05br52h|title=Monkman and Seagull on 'divine inspiration' for puzzles, Today – BBC Radio 4|website=BBC|date=7 August 2017 }}</ref> ahead of hosting their own show, ''Monkman and Seagull's Polymathic Adventure'', on 21 August.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40811103|title=University Challenge stars get own show|date=3 August 2017|work=BBC News}}</ref>
*In 2024, Amol Rajan's reply "We need [[Jungle music|jungle]], I’m afraid" was widely sampled by music producers, becoming a [[viral phenomenon]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/jan/13/we-need-jungle-im-afraid-how-university-challenge-went-viral-on-the-rave-scene|title='We need jungle, I'm afraid': how University Challenge went viral on the rave scene|first=James|last=Tapper|newspaper=The Observer |date=13 January 2024|via=The Guardian}}</ref>