University Challenge results, 1965-1966
These are the results of the third series of University Challenge which ran weekly on ITV, starting on 25 August 1965 and ending on 8 June 1966 after 42 shows. In most regions the show was broadcast on Wednesdays at 19:00 for the whole series, retaining its prestigious slot immediately before Coronation Street.
The first round had a 'winner-stays-on' format, with a team qualifying for the quarter-finals if they won three in a row. As in the previous series the quarter-finals and semi-finals were single-game knockouts, but the final was again 'best-of-three'.
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.
The Christmas special during the series saw the winner of series two, New College, Oxford, play a team of dons from their college. The dons' team included the philosopher A. J. Ayer.
There are many gaps that I've been unable to find, so please do contact me if you can assist.
| First round | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25/08/1965 | Magdalene, Cambridge | 205 | 105 | Brasenose, Oxford |
| 01/09/1965 | Magdalene, Cambridge | 135 | 120 | York |
| 08/09/1965 | Magdalene, Cambridge | 155 | 145 | Balliol, Oxford |
| 15/09/1965 | Pembroke, Cambridge | 125 | 130 | St David's, Lampeter |
| 22/09/1965 | St David's, Lampeter | 195 | 160 | Exeter, Oxford |
| 29/09/1965 | St David's, Lampeter | 170 | 95 | Corpus Christi, Cambridge |
| 06/10/1965 | St Hilda's, Oxford | 185 | 180 | Strathclyde |
| 13/10/1965 | St Hilda's, Oxford | 220 | 130 | Trinity, Cambridge |
| 20/10/1965 | St Hilda's, Oxford | 215 | 125 | Lancaster |
| 27/10/1965 | King's, Cambridge | 165 | 80 | Keble, Oxford |
| 03/11/1965 | King's, Cambridge | 95 | 90 | Manchester |
| 10/11/1965 | King's, Cambridge | 155 | 125 | St John's, Oxford |
| 17/11/1965 | Oriel, Oxford | 190 | 125 | Keele |
| 24/11/1965 | Manchester | 150 | 100 | Newnham, Cambridge |
| 01/12/1965 | Manchester | 105 | 170 | Jesus, Oxford |
| 08/12/1965 | Jesus, Oxford | 200 | 55 | Reading |
| 15/12/1965 | Jesus, Oxford | 335 | 65 | Newcastle |
| 22/12/1965 | Trinity Hall, Cambridge | 135 | 65 | Trinity, Oxford |
| 05/01/1966 | Trinity Hall, Cambridge | 285 | 50 | Bedford, London |
| 12/01/1966 | Trinity Hall, Cambridge | 115 | 225 | Pembroke, Oxford |
| 19/01/1966 | Pembroke, Oxford | 140 | 205 | Clare, Cambridge |
| 26/01/1966 | Clare, Cambridge | 145 | 165 | Leeds |
| 02/02/1966 | Wadham, Oxford | 240 | 140 | Leeds |
| 09/02/1966 | Wadham, Oxford | 115 | Queens', Cambridge | |
| 16/02/1966 | Wadham, Oxford | 175 | 150 | Imperial, London |
| 23/02/1966 | Somerville, Oxford | 165 | 45 | Trinity, Dublin |
| 02/03/1966 | Somerville, Oxford | 160 | 210 | Downing, Cambridge |
| 09/03/1966 | Downing, Cambridge | 90 | 200 | Birmingham |
| 16/03/1966 | Birmingham | 180 | 70 | Birkbeck, London |
| 23/03/1966 | Birmingham | Sheffield | ||
| 30/03/1966 | St Edmund Hall, Oxford | 155 | 85 | Warwick |
| 06/04/1966 | St Edmund Hall, Oxford | 75 | 195 | Fitzwilliam, Cambridge |
| Quarter-finals | ||||
| 13/04/1966 | St David's, Lampeter | Magdalene, Cambridge | ||
| 20/04/1966 | Jesus, Oxford | 100 | 115 | Oriel, Oxford |
| 27/04/1966 | St Hilda's, Oxford | King's, Cambridge | ||
| 04/05/1966 | Wadham, Oxford | Birmingham | ||
| Semi-finals | ||||
| 11/05/1966 | Oriel, Oxford | 180 | 115 | St David's, Lampeter |
| 18/05/1966 | St Hilda's, Oxford | Birmingham | ||
| Final | ||||
| 25/05/1966 | Oriel, Oxford | 155 | 90 | Birmingham |
| 01/06/1966 | Oriel, Oxford | 125 | 150 | Birmingham |
| 08/06/1966 | Oriel, Oxford | 165 | 105 | Birmingham |
| Specials | ||||
| 29/12/1965 | New College Students | 250 | 50 | New College Dons |
The winning team from Oriel College, Oxford comprised Neil Murray (English), Jonathan Reeve (Medicine), Peter Fulford-Jones (Classics) and Roger Tomlin (Classics). Their prize was a painting by Salford artist Harold Riley for the college, and a copy of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary for themselves. As was the case in the Bamber Gascoigne series, each team received £80 appearance fee per show given to the university's student union or college's JCR. The Oriel team were also given a cut of the £640 by their JCR.
Oriel's first two games were actually the final two games of the 1963-5 series, and they were allowed to carry those wins over to the following series so that they qualified for the quarter finals by scoring only one further victory.
The Magdalene, Cambridge team included the journalist John Simpson. He has since stated that Magdalene made the semi-finals (it was in fact the quarter-finals), where they lost to "a small Welsh theological college" (St David's, Lampeter). Trinity, Dublin, including the Irish president Mary Robinson — then Mary Bourke — and Irish senator David Norris, lost their first game with a "mortifying score" to Somerville, Oxford.
Winning teams advancing to the next round are in bold.