University Challenge results, 1969-70

These are the results of the seventh series of University Challenge which ran weekly on ITV, starting in the week of 20 July 1969 and ending on 30 August 1970, running for 46 shows. In Anglia the series was shown on Sunday afternoons starting at 15:25, 15:45 or 16:15.

Once again the first round had a 'winner-stays-on' format, with a team qualifying for the quarter-finals if they won three in a row, and the quarter-finals and semi-finals were single-game knockouts, with the final 'best-of-three'.

The two special shows shown around the Christmas and New Year saw the 1968 champions team of Keele lose to a team of Keele dons (including David Battye), and also the final appearance of the St Hilda's College, Oxford 1966 team as they lost to 1968 Keele team.

For the whole of the Bamber era TV schedules differed between the different ITV regions, and the show was often broadcast at different times and on different days in different parts of the country, and sometimes the regions were even a week or two out of sync with each other. Where the date differed, I try to use the date the show was broadcast in the Anglia region in the tables.

There are many gaps that I've been unable to find, so please do contact me if you can assist.

First round
20/07/1969
27/07/1969
03/08/1969
10/08/1969
17/08/1969
24/08/1969
31/08/1969
07/09/1969
14/09/1969
21/09/1969
28/09/1969
05/10/1969
12/10/1969
19/10/1969
26/10/1969
02/11/1969
09/11/1969
16/11/1969Southampton
18/01/1970SouthamptonNewnham, Cambridge
25/01/1970SouthamptonNuffield, Oxford
01/02/1970DurhamEmmanuel, Cambridge
08/02/1970DurhamManchester
15/02/1970ManchesterSomerville, Oxford
22/02/1970Somerville, OxfordHull
01/03/1970Somerville, OxfordBristol
08/03/1970Gonville and Caius, CambridgeHertford, Oxford
15/03/1970Gonville and Caius, CambridgeCardiff
22/03/1970Gonville and Caius, Cambridge
29/03/1970Hughes Hall, CambridgeNewcastle
17/05/1970Hughes Hall, CambridgeManchester
24/05/1970ManchesterChrist's, Cambridge
31/05/1970Christ's, Cambridge
07/06/1970Christ's, Cambridge
14/06/1970
21/06/1970
28/06/1970
Quarter-finals
05/07/1970Gonville and Caius, CambridgeSouthampton
12/07/1970King's, CambridgeQueen's, Oxford
19/07/1970
26/07/1970
Semi-finals
02/08/1970
09/08/1970
Final
16/08/1970Churchill, CambridgeChrist's, Cambridge
23/08/1970Churchill, CambridgeChrist's, Cambridge
30/08/1970Churchill, CambridgeChrist's, Cambridge
Specials
/12/1969KeeleSt Hilda's, Oxford
11/01/1970Keele studentsKeele Dons

The winning team from Churchill College, Cambridge were John Armytage, Gareth Aicken (English), Meredith Lloyd-Evans (Veterinary Medicine & History of Art), and Malcolm Keay (English). Their prize was a sculpture of the Madonna & Child by Liverpool artist Arthur Dooley.

Other teams appearing on this series include Balliol, Oxford; Keele (who reached the quarter-finals); New, Oxford; Pembroke, Oxford.

The losing semi-finalists were Gonville and Caius, Cambridge (who lost to Christ's) and King's, Cambridge (who lost to Churchill) when the four semi-finalists were all Oxbridge for the first time. Balliol and New played each other. Churchill won the final "by the narrowest of margins".

Winning teams advancing to the next round are in bold.