University Challenge results, 1973-74
These are the results of the eleventh series of University Challenge which ran weekly on ITV, starting in the week of 31 October 1973 and ending on 2 or 9 October 1974, running for 39 or 40 shows. In Anglia the series was shown on Wednesdays at 17:20, 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'.
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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31/10/1973 | Keele | UEA | ||
| 07/11/1973 | UEA | Trinity, Oxford | ||
| 21/11/1973 | Trinity, Oxford | |||
| 28/11/1973 | Trinity, Oxford | Bath | ||
| 05/12/1973 | ||||
| 12/12/1973 | ||||
| 19/12/1973 | University, London | Corpus Christi, Oxford | ||
| 02/01/1974 | ||||
| 09/01/1974 | ||||
| 16/01/1974 | ||||
| 06/03/1974 | ||||
| 13/03/1974 | ||||
| 20/03/1974 | ||||
| 27/03/1974 | ||||
| 03/04/1974 | ||||
| 10/04/1974 | ||||
| 17/04/1974 | ||||
| 24/04/1974 | ||||
| 01/05/1974 | Balliol, Oxford | |||
| 08/05/1974 | Balliol, Oxford | St David's, Lampeter | ||
| 15/05/1974 | Balliol, Oxford | University, Swansea | ||
| 22/05/1974 | ||||
| 29/05/1974 | ||||
| 05/06/1974 | Lancaster | St Hilda's, Oxford | ||
| 12/06/1974 | Edinburgh | Trinity, Cambridge | ||
| 10/07/1974 | Trinity, Cambridge | Birkbeck, London | ||
| 17/07/1974 | Trinity, Cambridge | Lincoln, Oxford | ||
| 24/07/1974 | Manchester | Trinity, Dublin | ||
| 31/07/1974 | Manchester | Peterhouse, Cambridge | ||
| 07/08/1974 | Peterhouse, Cambridge | Exeter, Oxford | ||
| Quarter-finals | ||||
| 14/08/1974 | Jesus, Oxford | Trinity, Cambridge | ||
| 21/08/1974 | ||||
| 28/08/1974 | ||||
| 05/09/1974 | ||||
| Semi-finals | ||||
| 11/09/1974 | Trinity, Oxford | Trinity, Cambridge | ||
| 18/09/1974 | University, London | Balliol, Oxford | ||
| Final | ||||
| 25/09/1974 | Trinity, Cambridge | Balliol, Oxford | ||
| 02/10/1974 | Trinity, Cambridge | Balliol, Oxford | ||
| Specials | ||||
The series champions from Trinity College, Cambridge were Frederick 'Wynn' Jolley, Simon Schaffer, Christopher Vane (captain), and Paul Hopkins. They won a punt for the college, which became part of a set of three named Bamber I, Bamber II and Bamber III. The team returned during the following series to play a team of Trinity fellows.
Other teams appearing on this series include Bradford; Clare, Cambridge; Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford; Newnham, Cambridge.
Clare, Cambridge lost in the quarter-finals. Balliol beat Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford in the quarter-finals on a question that turned out to be incorrect, so LMH were invited back again to compete in the following series. Bradford lost their first game to LMH.
The team from Lancaster University had a contestant whose surname was Lancaster, leading Jim Pope to have to announce "Lancaster Lancaster" when he buzzed for a starter. The same thing happened five years later when Mike Bradford was part of the series-winning Bradford team.
Winning teams advancing to the next round are in bold.