Dublin’s own Oscar Despard has just led Cambridge’s Christ’s College to a thrilling win on BBC’s University Challenge – and it’s a bit of a historic one.
The 22-year-old PhD student in molecular biology captained the team to a razor-thin 175–170 victory over Warwick, giving the college its first-ever win in the show’s 63-year history.
It was a proper edge-of-your-seat final, with Warwick storming ahead early on. But Despard and his crew – Brendan Bethlehem, Linus Luu, and Anniko Firman – pulled off a last-minute comeback. Firman levelled the score with a clutch buzz, and Bethlehem sealed the deal with the final answer. Talk about drama!
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Back in Portobello, Despard’s proud family and friends gathered to watch the action unfold. His dad runs a local bakery, while his mum is a scientist – and it turns out quiz night in the Despard house was a thing. All that telly trivia clearly paid off.
Now, after leading his team to glory and even meeting Sir Ian McKellen, Oscar says he's been blown away by the support – and plans to stick with academia. Brainy, humble and now a bit of a quiz legend – we love to see it.
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