Fourteen teams of celebrities will be going head to head this December in a brand-new 2022 series of Christmas University Challenge.
Airing on BBC Two and iPlayer, the festive season of University Challenge will feature 56 “distinguished alumni” who are “hoping they’ve retained at least some of what their alma maters once taught them, as they compete for the coveted champions title”.
This is your comprehensive guide to Christmas University Challenge 2022 including dates, teams, and the fixture schedule. Let’s dive in…
Episode list for Christmas University Challenge
Mon 19 December at 8:30 pm: SOAS, London vs. Balliol, Oxford
Tues 20 December at 7:30 pm: University, Oxford vs. Glasgow
Wed 21 December at 7:30 pm: Durham vs. York
Thurs 22 December at 7:30 pm: Exeter, Oxford vs. Queen Mary, London
Fri 23 December at 8:30 pm: Hull vs. West of England
Mon 26 December at 8:30 pm: UCL vs. Aberdeen
Tues 27 December at 8:30 pm: Bristol vs. Cardiff
Wed 28 December at 8:30 pm: Semi-final 1
Thurs 29 December at 8:30 pm: Semi-final 2
Fri 30 December at 8:30 pm: Final
The teams
SOAS, London
Alys Tomlinson- multi-award winning photographer and filmmaker
Sanjoy Bhattacharya- Head of School of History at the University of Leeds
Emma Dabiri- broadcaster, historian and author
Sherelle Jacobs- editor and columnist
Balliol, Oxford
Elizabeth Kiss- Warden of Rhodes House University of Oxford and CEO of the Rhodes Trust
Andrew Copson- Chief Executive of Humanists UK
Martin Edwards- crime writer and President of the Detection Club
Martin O’Neill- Professor at the University of York
University, Oxford
Sophie Solomon- violinist and composer
Owen Jones- journalist and author
Paul Gambaccini- radio and television broadcaster
Ivo Graham- stand-up comedian
Glasgow
Helen Smith- Professor at the University of York
Alana Vincent- Professor at the University of Chester
Chris Brookmyre- novelist
Tamara Galloway- Professor at the University of Exeter
Durham
Gillian Foulger- Emerita Professor at Durham University
Simon Parson- Regius Professor at the University of Aberdeen
Chris Terrill- anthropologist, author and filmmaker
Emma Chapman- award-winning astronomer and author
York
Vanessa Kind- Professor at Durham University
David Conn- journalist and author
Tom Scott- presenter and broadcaster
Sophie Woodward- Professor at the University of Manchester
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Exeter, Oxford
Alex Watson- Wolfson Prize-winning historian and Professor at Goldsmiths, University of London
Sanchia Berg- BBC correspondent
Reeta Chakrabarti- BBC news presenter and correspondent
Andy Anson- CEO of the British Olympic Association
Queen Mary, London
Nighat Arif- GP and broadcaster
Lynsey Hanley- journalist and author
Lucy Siegle- environmental journalist, broadcaster and author
George Parker- political editor
Hull
Katharine Norbury- author
James Graham- playwright and screenwriter
Sian Reese-Williams- actor
Graeme Hall- dog trainer, author and TV presenter
West of England
Ita O’Brien- intimacy coordinator
Rebecca Salter- President of the Royal Academy of Arts
Victoria Gill- BBC Science reporter
Seyi Rhodes- investigative journalist and reporter
UCL
Jess French- vet, author and children’s TV presenter
Ken Follett- author
Ria Lina- stand-up comedian
Susan Collins- artist and Professor of Fine Art at UCL
Aberdeen
Margaret McCartney- GP, freelance writer and broadcaster
Neil Fachie- multiple gold medal-winning paracyclist
Jon Baird- TV and film director
Loma Dawson- Head of Soil Forensics at the James Hutton Institute
Bristol
Nigel Marven- TV presenter and producer, conservationist
Georgie Twigg- member of the gold medal-winning Team GB Olympic hockey team
Dominic Waghorn- Sky News’ International Affairs Editor
Nizar Ibrahim- Senior Lecturer in Palaeontology at the University of Portsmouth
Cardiff
Rachel Burden- broadcaster and presenter of BBC Radio 5 Live’s ‘Breakfast Show’
Heather Knight- captain of the England Women’s cricket team
Adam Price- leader of Plaid Cymru
Dan Saladino- author and presenter
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