University Challenge results, 1977-1978
These are the results of the fifteenth series of University Challenge which ran weekly on ITV, starting in the week of 7 November 1977 and ending on 20 November 1978, running for 43 shows. In Anglia the series was shown on Mondays at 17:15, with a running time of 30 minutes.
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'. It appears nine teams qualified for the quarter-finals as there was an additional "elimination round" between York and King's College, Cambridge in which the winner moved on to the quarter-finals (to play Magdalene College, Cambridge).
The Christmas special for 1977 was the usual match between the winners of the previous series and a team of their professors.
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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07/11/1977 | Dundee | Aberystwyth | ||
| 14/11/1977 | Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford | Westfield, London | ||
| 21/11/1977 | ||||
| 28/11/1977 | ||||
| 05/12/1977 | ||||
| 12/12/1977 | ||||
| 19/12/1977 | ||||
| 09/01/1978 | ||||
| 16/01/1978 | ||||
| 23/01/1978 | ||||
| 30/01/1978 | ||||
| 06/02/1978 | ||||
| 13/02/1978 | ||||
| 20/02/1978 | ||||
| 27/02/1978 | ||||
| 06/03/1978 | ||||
| 13/03/1978 | ||||
| 20/03/1978 | ||||
| 03/04/1978 | ||||
| 10/04/1978 | ||||
| 17/04/1978 | ||||
| 24/04/1978 | St John's, Cambridge | University, London | ||
| 08/05/1978 | St John's, Cambridge | Liverpool | ||
| 15/05/1978 | St John's, Cambridge | Keele | ||
| 22/05/1978 | ||||
| 05/06/1978 | ||||
| 26/06/1978 | ||||
| 03/07/1978 | ||||
| 10/07/1978 | ||||
| 17/07/1978 | ||||
| 24/07/1978 | ||||
| 31/07/1978 | Trinity, Cambridge | York | ||
| 07/08/1978 | York | Keble, Oxford | ||
| 25/09/1978 | York | King's, Cambridge | ||
| Quarter-finals | ||||
| 02/10/1978 | York | 185 | 235 | Magdalene, Cambridge |
| 09/10/1978 | St Anne's, Oxford | Queen's, Belfast | ||
| 16/10/1978 | St John's, Cambridge | Hull | ||
| 23/10/1978 | Sidney Sussex, Cambridge | Dundee | ||
| Semi-finals | ||||
| 30/10/1978 | Queen's, Belfast | 190 | 240 | Magdalene, Cambridge |
| 06/11/1978 | Sidney Sussex, Cambridge | Hull | ||
| Final | ||||
| 13/11/1978 | Sidney Sussex, Cambridge | 300 | 165 | Magdalene, Cambridge |
| 20/11/1978 | Sidney Sussex, Cambridge | 385 | 85 | Magdalene, Cambridge |
| Specials | ||||
| 28/12/1977 | Durham students | Durham dons | ||
The series champions from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge were John Gilmore (History), John Adams (Medicine), David Lidington (History), and Nicholas Graham (English). They chose a punt as their series prize. They returned in Christmas 1979 to take on the winners of College Bowl, Davidson College, and in 2002 they also returned to become champions of the Reunited series.
Other teams appearing on this series include Bath; Edinburgh; Exeter, Oxford; Leeds; Mansfield, Oxford; Nottingham; Pembroke, Oxford; Trinity, Dublin; UEA; Warwick.
Leeds were beaten 400-170 by Sidney Sussex, Cambridge in their first game. York beat Mansfield, Oxford played York early in the first round, before losing narrowly to Warwick. York's loss included a starter where the answer "earthenware" wasn't accepted when the answer "terracotta" was sought, so they were invited back later in the series. After winning two further games, they played King's, Cambridge in an extra "elimination round", which was used when there were more than 8 teams who had qualified for the quarter-finals. Nottingham beat an Oxford college and Leicester before losing to Queen's, Belfast in their third game. Dundee qualified for the quarter-finals after only one win so presumably had two wins under their belt from the previous series. Pembroke, Oxford lost their first game 190-200 to Edinburgh. Nottingham beat a Cambridge college then lost. The Trinity, Cambridge team was captained by journalist Charles Moore. Magdalene, Cambridge's first-round games began with a 195-160 win over Warwick, before losing 190-185 to Trinity, Dublin. Presumably after another protest against an incorrect question or ambiguous answer, they were allowed to return and beat Exeter, Oxford 205-175. A victory over UEA by 270-75 saw them through to the quarter-finals.
Winning teams advancing to the next round are in bold.