Tom Scott on University Challenge (2022) [CC]

[@doswillrule]

For context, University Challenge is a cultural institution, and has been running in pretty much the same format since 1962. The teams are normally comprised of current students, but they let celebrity graduates on for the Christmas specials. It is very dry and very difficult, but given how many flashy quiz shows there are on British TV, that makes it a bit of a tonic. The host, Jeremy Paxman, is probably the most famous and revered journalist in the country. He's known for his sharp wit and relentless interview style - if you want a crash course, watch his interview with Conservative politician Michael Howard, or the brilliant news satire The Day Today, where Chris Morris is basically doing a Paxman impression. Parkinson's disease has unfortunately robbed him of the wry barbs and sharp tongue he used to inflict on contestants - he's stepping down from the show next year.

[@thebrpob]

Thank you for the educational, albeit somber, bit of knowledge. I am glad to have watched at least one of these shows hosted by such a man as Mr Paxman

[@Myne1001]

I like his interview in "The Thick Of It" where the interviewee blinks uncontrollably

[@damanorelse]

are the celebrity ones less difficult than the normal ones? I knew like 90% of the answers.

[@WelshGuitarDude]

We have a fair few challenging dry quiz shows.. seems only the UK enjoy them.

[@doswillrule]

@@damanorelse They tend to be a bit easier, yes - you see that on the celebrity versions of shows like Pointless and The Chase too.

[@AFGuidesHD]

Tom couldn't have looked more like a Uni student if he tried lol

[@Φωτό-ρ7π]

oh man gamer too

[@colinyoung3685]

​@@besk1Beremy Baxman, successor to Bamber Bascoigne

[@casualdecade]

I've never seen someone who looks more young but old at the same time

[@alexdiezg]

I'm 11 months late but damn seeing AFG outside of gaming is a welcoming surprise.

[@karadan100]

Like a deer in headlights.

[@newshefan]

Tom raised his brows at being called a broadcaster and presenter 😂

[@TomDufall]

Well when the presenter mentioned titles, there were many places that could have gone...

[@deyadeeznutz]

It's how he's titled on wikipedia so that's probably where they got it

[@5ilver42]

@@deyadeeznutz sounds like a breach of protocol on wikipedia's part if true, aren't they only supposed to reference "legitimate" company sources, not be used as a source reference by those "legitimate" companies. or is that a breach on the shows' part? I'm confused now

[@richardmillhousenixon]

@@5ilver42 As for the wikipedia thing, the reason he has an article in the first place is because he is (or was) friends with a Wikipedia admin, so they might have gone a bit overboard just to embarrass Tom

[@barneylaurance1865]

@@5ilver42 Wikipedia is supposed to only reference reliable sources, there's no general rule that says other sources can't take information from Wikipedia. Yes that does mean there's a risk of circular referencing - this is just something editors have to watch out for and try to avoid case by case.

[@AshArAis]

With all the love in the world, Tom does not have a face for poker. He lives in the moment emotionally and enthusiastically.

[@BlueZirnitra]

You're right. I always thought of it as awkwardness but that's a better way of putting it. When he knows he's right he can hardly contain the satisfied smirk lol.

[@sirBrouwer]

@@BlueZirnitra there is a reason he is the one who had to figure out why other where lying and not himself. as he admits he is terrible at deceiving others.

[@K..C]

You fools!!! You’ve all fell for it!!!

[@ProfYaffle]

Who wants a poker face?

[@BurntFrost]

@@ProfYaffle I imagine professional poker players do

[@lauscar]

It was really cool to watch, the teams were "professor, professor, professor, and also Tom" and he not only held his own, he really stood out. I get that some of that was honed quiz show technique, but as a fan I was a little proud of him all the same

[@paulbarnett227]

I watched the who thing - he could have beat Durham all by himself. He missed a couple that I would have expected him to know though.

[@jaredkelly925]

@@paulbarnett227 LED was the biggest one for me that I would have thought he knew

[@paulbarnett227]

@@jaredkelly925 They should have got Julius Caesar too...but they still destroyed the other team.

[@kyle-silver]

@@jaredkelly925 I would have only gotten that because once he said “diode…” what other kind of diode is there?

[@JasperJanssen]

@@kyle-silver diodes that do not emit (visible) light. A diode is a device with an anode and a cathode that passes current in only one direction - originally in the form of a vacuum tube (other popular tubes are triodes and pentodes), later in the form of semiconductors. The LED is a special variant. The schematic symbol shown is a diode with two arrows next to it, the arrows signify light, you can also sometimes have components where those arrows go inward (like phototransistors and photodiodes), which vary their function depending on light being present.

[@ajburdett882]

All of you are talking about how cool and amazing it is to see Tom on here, I'm just amazed to see him wearing something other than a red t-shirt or grey hoodie!

[@tomw3452]

Ive seen more people point this out than anything else.

[@EllaGP22]

Yeah it is literally in the videos description lol

[@sirBrouwer]

But more not exchanged for his standard black suited with white shirt. the suite jacked is changed for a black sweater.

[@kathrynstemler6331]

Did a double take on the thumbnail.

[@ajburdett882]

@nezuai go outside and familiarise yourself with socialising: learn how to recognise a joke when you see one

[@DavidJamesHenry]

Tom almost enjoys hearing the correct answer after his incorrect answers as much as he enjoys getting the answer right

[@albingrahn5576]

that's the reason he's so good at this

[@nemjef121]

The greatest men are proud of others achievements and proud of themselves to grow and learn

[@VoIcanoman]

I love how, on a team of 50+ year-old professors, Tom is not only the captain, but a worthy leader of his team, a man seemingly tailor-made for quiz show success. The only limiting factor is, I suppose, memory, because he does so many videos (and writes so many scripts), that I would imagine some of it is bound to go in one ear and out the other, as it were. Still, being in his late 30s, that shouldn't be an issue for at least a decade (likely longer). I was, however, expecting him to turn in his red T-shirt for a red velvet suit (straight outta the '70s)...no such luck.

[@VincentGroenewold]

Ah yes, being a professor doesn't mean you have broad knowledge per-se, I worked in science (biology) and frequently explained my hobby (astronomy) to professors and PhD candidates who had no clue whatsoever. I always thought working in science, means you have a broad interest, but that's definitely not always the case.

[@cookie_space]

@@VincentGroenewold working in science often means that you'll hyperfocus on a niche to stand out in that field. Standing out is sadly necessary to survive in that career, so it doesn't seem to be weird to me that they have deep but limited knowledge

[@RJstillalive]

cant believe bro is just 38 and looks like my grandpa

[@BigChiken44]

He's 50+ is his heart 🤘Which is great, generation that is 30yo now are idiots (although not as bad as zoomers, of course, but compare to zoomers anyone is renaissance person)

[@confusedsquirrel]

@@BigChiken44 you must not know a lot of people younger than yourself if you talk like that. You can only completely disregard 2 whole generations like that from a perspective of ignorance. But it doesn't matter what I tell you, I'm just a worthless, no-good "zoomer." Happy Holidays to you. I hope you're not this bitter all the time.

[@flickpad]

Always loved University Challenge. Unashamedly clever - no gimmicks, no real elements of chance, no huge prizes - just a quiz stripped down to its utter basics. Anyone who's watching this and thinking it's hard should bear in mind that this is the easier Christmas special series. If you get an answer on a typical quiz, it means nothing. If you get an answer on this, you feel like you've achieved something - especially if the contestants don't get it.

[@dan_rad]

I was going to ask. I could hold my own on this and got quite a few right. Seems very dumbed down from the normal show where I'm happy to get 2-3 questions right all show 😅

[@TheLonelyBrit]

My dad has been playing along while watching for as long as I can remember. I'm going on 29 soon & he has always kept note of his score on any paper at hand. He often does quite well, sometimes even comparable to the teams themselves. He takes it quite seriously too, getting annoyed & angry when you distract him while he's watching it. I used to play alongside him a little bit, but at most I would get two or three of the answers right throughout the episode. Maximum I ever scored was 35 from a smattering of random knowledge I'd picked up.

[@artyb27]

My partner and I watch and try to play along, I get barely any right but the feeling when you _do_ get one is just pure dopamine. I'm happy if I get 3-5 right in an episode. However failing to answer correctly for questions about the discipline I studied is absolutely crushing.

[@rhysbaker92]

@@artyb27 bro got the same first name and initials as me 🎉

[@fllthdcrb]

I got the LED one right away, but that doesn't feel like an achievement to me. 😆

[@LpSamuelm]

I can't believe how harrowed and serious the atmosphere of this game show is, hahah.

[@1bluecat962]

Especially after seeing Tom play with the Tech Diff so many times. Quite the difference in tone 🤣

[@klaxoncow]

It's still got nothing on the seriousness of "Mastermind", though. Sat in a spotlight, on the "interrogation" chair, with the theme of "Approaching Menace" (yes, that's what the Mastermind theme tune is actually called).

[@rcnhsuailsnyfiue2]

Watch a full (non-Xmas) episode. This was a leisurely affair by comparison 😂

[@ms.antithesis]

university challenge is known for being one of the oldest, stuffiest, and weirdest gameshows in existence, and most people in the uk have never even watched it, but know it through parodies like the famous young one's "scumbag vs Footlights".

[@adstratt]

It's because it has been on since the 60s and the format has barely changed since.

[@GalianMode]

He's certainly one of the most expressive contestants I've seen on this show

[@Jack-mm4cb]

😐😔😲😐

[@DevourerSated]

I get that it’s a much more sophisticated and serious quiz show, but that doesn’t mean it has to be devoid of all life. Bit cringe to hear the “no”s from the quiz master that just sound like insults.

[@fahrenheit2101]

Right behind mr hapax legomenemonon.

[@bananya6020]

@@DevourerSated i mean the host seems to be known for that so yeah lol

[@dampaul13]

Na, I think Neil, Vyvinan, Mike, and (P)Rick were.

[@lyricalcarpenter]

never forget that this is the same man who spent a year at his university dressed as a pirate

[@JoaoPedro-ki7ct]

Source?

[@lrrroftheplanetomicronpersei8]

@@JoaoPedro-ki7ct Look up Mad Capt'n Tom

[@lyricalcarpenter]

@@JoaoPedro-ki7ct kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKW8kqOtmq13ack

[@Stuartdouglas19]

Never Happened. .... Or is that Chris being called toast

[@dougalbadger4918]

@@Stuartdouglas19 that's toast

[@randomguy-tg7ok]

RIP Durham, couldn't compete with the team of three professors and one Internet Trivia Man.

[@kyle-silver]

I feel like a decade+ of researching random things is almost an unfair advantage

[@sankang9425]

@@kyle-silver Tom destroyed everyone in only connect a decade ago, so even before he researched random things he was already very competent.

[@t_y8274]

@@sankang9425 maybe he was already researching random things then, simply not as a job

[@thumbdeadred]

From Durham County; does not surprise me at all. There are 2 jobs in the county, drug dealer or drug user

[@QteaTheSwag]

@@thumbdeadred yes but Durham is a highly regarded university and people from all over the country go there

[@SenorKristobbalVLog]

Considering Paxman has Parkinson's he nailed it, he will be missed on this show and I hope he can continue to boost awareness for it in his remaining years.

[@jaapsch2]

I'd not watched it for a couple of years, and when I saw a recent episode was shocked by how much Paxman had changed. I didn't know he had Parkinson's, but thought it must be something like that. Good on him for doing the show for so long.

[@daemonk756890]

I was going to say, he looks like he's aged a decade since I last saw him on something not thaaat long ago. Poor chap.

[@AdrianBawn]

I wasnt aware of that. I did wonder why he was starting to slur his speech at times. Thats a shame.

[@SenorKristobbalVLog]

@@jaapsch2 A new host has been lined up for the main show but he has done these specials for Christmas I guess as his final goodbye to University Challenge. Hope he can still find bits of TV to do moving forward

[@Matthew-bu7fg]

it must be so difficult to film with that but he handled the occasion so well!

[@fogstarmoss]

I know next to nothing about anything so I can't really comment on the show but I just love how animated Tom is compared to the rest of them. That's one of the things I like about his videos too, he's just so lively and enthusiastic.

[@dibby1045]

Had a decade to build a public persona.

[@Milamberinx]

He's the team captain, it's his responsibility to answer the bonus questions on behalf of his team. That often makes the captains appear more animated or dynamic.

[@alexmckee4683]

The quizmaster Jeremy Paxman used to be a lot more animated, he's got Parkinson's.

[@fogstarmoss]

@@alexmckee4683 oh I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't mean it as a criticism of the rest of the team btw. It's just something I've noticed about him that I appreciate.

[@DevourerSated]

@@dibby1045 He’s also just a happy and enthusiastic person, as we should all strike to be.

[@DonQuiKong]

Tom is already an extremely good quiz show player, and he seemingly got outperformed by miss Kind here. Very strong team.

[@pwndnoob4937]

He did do the very important job of team management well too though. He was constantly checking in with the others, trusting others instincts, and keeping them measured.

[@kawag2780]

You can also see the team mates are visibly more relaxed as the show progressed.

[@EmptyMTYT]

Professor Kind

[@HawkOfGP]

@@kawag2780 Easy to get relaxed when you have a huge lead!

[@asterixdx]

it’s Professor Kind not miss Kind. Please stop identifying people by their gender and instead maybe by the title they worked for.

[@adriansrealm]

"I'm Tom Scott and I once ran for parliment as a pirate"

[@rachelle10]

The introduction is so awkward, I love it. I realised while watching it that I didn't know what year he graduated and was curious, but I guess he decided that he doesn't want us to know...

[@DonQuiKong]

We know his grad year relative to the captn tom year and you can probably Google which year that was.

[@Radiil]

it should be 2008, thats the year where he became student council and we know that was also the year he finished his masters in

[@SeanSMST]

@@Radiil I guess he means his undergrad then?

[@micahphilson]

This is so subdued and straight-faced, it's by far the most british game show I've ever seen and I love it.

[@moda5629]

This is the most unbritish game show I’ve ever seen. When it comes to british game shows, University Challenge is the odd one out.

[@sabersz]

Have you seen The Chase? That's absolutely fantastic.

[@ailaG]

British stereotype at least. Do watch a regular one, you spend most of it with a "what the heck was that question?" impression on your face, and the rest screaming "how did they know that??". I'm not even joking. British stereotype = elderly well-dressed gentleman drinking tea with a RP accent British people = the bunch of cheerful students I came across on the London Underground, dressed as pirates for probably someone's birthday, on their way to a pub. (though in retrospect there's a tiny chance that was on the Talk Like a Pirate Day)

[@kaybrann]

I raise you another game show Tom Scott has appeared, Only Connect. Very stereotypically English, dry, serious and intellectual. In fact, we would just call it very BBC2.

[@scarlettptheoriginal]

And it was based on an American quiz show called College Bowl that originally ran from 1953 to 1982, and which was relaunched in 2021.

[@awerawer0708]

Everyone talking about how this show is dry and serious, but as someone who is watching this for the first time I want to say this is invigorating. I could watch people doing trivia with no interruptions for hours, love this, and obviously, its always a lot of fun to watch Tom flex his endless pit of knowledge

[@hutch1355]

Well if you want a back catalogue of it, University Challenge has been running since the 60s (except for a small break in the late 80s/early 90s). Paxman has unfortunately lost some of his edge due to Parkinson's but has hosted it since it started again in 1994.

[@jacksont94]

AND there aren’t even any advert breaks

[@twilliamspro]

@@hutch1355 i hadn't heard Paxman had been ill i thought he looked a bit unwell that explains it. He'll always be a legend

[@shaun__3]

Lots of people in the comments are lowest common denominators who need a 'quiz' show with flashing lights, gimme questions and more attempts at humour than actual questions set than this. They'd rather watch The Wheel with 10 easy questions per hour.

[@awerawer0708]

@@hutch1355 I appreciate that

[@ExtraMaestro]

Hi people. Seeing all the comments about speech and transcription, mainly about Paxman, as well as the unprecedented views the video is getting, and Tom Scott's wise and passionate words about standardised subtitling, has led me to sensibly conclude that the video could do with some subtitles. They are now UP, ENJOY!

[@r_mmm]

Monk should be Munch, and Hoksai is Hokusai. Non-native speaker here just wanna say thank you and thought you’d appreciate these corrections just as Tom Scott himself would.

[@ExtraMaestro]

@@r_mmm thanks for the feedback!!

[@beth12svist]

Heh, I am another non-native speaker who would have written in the exact same corrections. :D Good job on the subtitles otherwise, as far as I can tell!

[@DigiYF]

If it helps, I'm not 100% certain but I believe the (indiscernible) word at 12:43 would be "gardenia". Thank you for your efforts!

[@InterFelix]

Toms quiz show technique and general knowledge is amazing. The way he dominated this show was outstanding.

[@lilybird4030]

There is nothing more delightful than watching this video and knowing that there exists a video of the Tech Dif crew called The Experiments wherein there is a several-minute segment dedicated to making fun of Jeremy Paxman.

[@ManInDark]

Yeah and a citation needed episode about the SS Bessemer

[@aoifependry1029]

Name Jeremy's?

[@scotttaylor7146]

Which one?

[@shrimpypyeah]

Which one

[@oscarcacnio8418]

I only remember Gary inexplicably making fun of Mulhern.

[@Jelmergu]

so refreshing to see a quiz show that is actually about the quiz, and therefor doesn't need to be flashy at all

[@MrRowntree27]

Found the american

[@DevourerSated]

There’s a difference between just not being flash and being devoid of all life. Tom made it bearable, mostly just the small details about how the quiz master spoke makes him seem like a tosser, and very stuck up.

[@Drawyah]

University Challenge, it's definitely worth a watch if you like more obscure trivia.

[@pemo2676]

@@MrRowntree27 as if basically all other british quizzes are either hugely flasy with a big stupid prop, clock, or other thing, or is infact a comedy panel show, or both

[@legatelaurie]

I think Jeopardy is relatively similar - of course there's the ad breaks, etc, though

[@BoganFromBama]

As an American who has never seen this program before, I love it. It is a real throwback to before COVID when I did quiz bowl. So much fun!

[@UltraMaXAtAXX]

Same. Was part of my high school's team in San Diego, 2008-2012. Miss the style. We were coached by my history teacher who was on Jeopardy.

[@Platnex]

A quiz bowl is fairly accurate to how this Quiz show is, it's a no-nonsense fact show with some extraordinarily tough questions with some of the countries brightest people

[@kicorse]

A bit of trivia: University Challenge is a rare example of a British adaptation of an American TV concept. It started in 1962 but its roots can be traced to College Bowl, which started in 1953. There are lots of British programmes that have been adapted for an American audience but not the opposite.

[@stamfordly6463]

@@kicorse Yep "American College Bowl" is still mentioned in the credits.

[@ailaG]

Watch the regular shows. Other people here aren't joking, it's bizarrely tough.

[@salamanda550]

"Broadcaster and Presenteer" "Uh, ok, sure, we'll go with that" eyebrows XD

[@mattlm64]

Getting the "sort" question that fast was impressive. Surprised he didn't know the symbol for an LED though. An impressive performance nonetheless.

[@PrograError]

well... unless you read electrical diagrams or remembered your science/ "craftman" (workshop-type) lesson, I think most people wouldn't recognize it for it being relatively new and not often used even in school textbooks. I guess if by process of elimination, you could piece it together...

[@Costelad]

Tom seems like a guy that did GCSE Systems & Control.

[@crab_with_no_legs]

And, as a Russian, I am surprised he didn't know about the October Revolution. To be fair, we commemorate that in November now¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@janhetjoch]

I knew the Bessemer one at 15:35 purley because it came up in one of the citation needed episodes which I recently rewatched. Was hoping Tom would get it, but guess you can't expect him to remember everything years later.

[@ragnkja]

It doesn’t really matter which team member buzzed first there, since Kind also knew it.

[@janhetjoch]

@@ragnkja ik, I just hoped he remembered Gary talking about the Bessemer Steel making process.

[@gingerthe2nd]

I got far too excited when it got to that because I learned it from that citation needed episode

[@secondrateseth8360]

I think he was going for the buzzer there and Kind simply happened to beat him to it! It looked like his hand was moving.

[@oscarcacnio8418]

Like how he talked about postal bees in the Reverse Trivia podcast, but was still surprised that postal bee deliveries were an actual thing in the first Lateral podcast.

[@mrsquid_]

I like how passionate tom is about this. he's very excited to press a buzzer as soon as he gets the answer, and if he gets it wrong he just shrugs like "welp, i tried" and if he gets it right he has such a proud smile on his face

[@duffman18]

Tom is an enormous quiz show enthusiast. This is not the first time he's been on quiz shows on British TV, he's been on multiple different ones before this one. And also he makes his own quiz shows and publishes them on KZbin and Nebula. I really wouldn't be surprised if Tom ends up hosting a quiz show for the BBC one day. He's already worked on BBC TV shows before, both as part of the crew and as part of the onscreen talent. So he must know some people there. And he's internationally famous as a youtuber. So yeah, he clearly would love to host his own quiz show on TV. And I hope that one day he's afforded that opportunity.

[@samconboy459]

The Bessemer process.... Recalling conversations about a giant steel ass crossing the Channel with bowel opening doors

[@dxdraiba7604]

LOLOLOL...i am really hoping we get some more citation needed

[@paulbarnett227]

I watched it. He smashed it out of the park!

[@adjectiveollie]

i love the bit at 2:06 where they all “yea” in unison it’s so good (and they do it every single time they get a question wrong)

[@conormurphy4328]

The answer is always obvious once you know it

[@noahmay7708]

The 'Shostakovich' one is great.

[@StalwartShinobi]

I'll admit Tom is exaggerates himself a bit but no more so here than normal and I do thoroughly enjoy him, he's an efficient bloke and is smart enough to know this

[@evilectric5109]

15:43 You can see Tom physically flinch due to the loudness of the buzzer.

[@jashton3014]

I think he was just going for the buzzer at the same time, the Bessemer process has come up several times on citation needed.

[@Bananaman412]

As someone who does quiz bowl, which is essentially the same format as this show, another buzz a moment before you are expecting your own buzz can be very surprising, especially with how tense it must be to do this on the BBC.

[@mqxogames]

My good sir you are a legend for memorializing this.

[@no1fanofthepals]

It is also saved by the BBC as well but most people probably won't access it outside the UK.

[@Dribbleondo]

@@no1fanofthepals Which episode is this? (EDIT: it's the second latest xmas special). It's on IPlayer for well over a year, so it isn't getting removed anytime soon.

[@sirBrouwer]

@@Dribbleondo satly you can't watch those shows outside of the UK. they have a pretty strong geolocker and even with a VPN it is hard getting around.

[@MervynPartin]

When I saw the faces of the team, I said to my wife "Hey, it's Tom Scott". And then he shocked me by not recognising a Light Emitting Diode! How will he ever live that down?

[@LelouchVee]

I bet Matt Gray will give hime a ribbing about it in the next run of TechDiff. Also, to be fair, as an engineer myself I would've given the 'diode' answer in a rush, not noticing those arrows.

[@ZipplyZane]

@@LelouchVee Yeah, but when someone asks you to be more specific about a diode, the first thing I'm going to say is "light emitting diode." It's the only specific kind I can think of.

[@PrograError]

@@ZipplyZane anyway how many kind of diodes are there? i don't suppose it's more than 20... and the more common more than 5... I suppose resistor is a kind of diode?

[@caramelldansen2204]

@@PrograError A resistor is NOT a type of diode. This is a very easy question to Google.

[@adityachaudhari1579]

Tom just looks more british on a panel show than in his videos

[@Ther3tr0]

The duo of Scott and Ms Kind is unstoppable.

[@giathorsen9813]

Once it happens please post the semi-finals with Tom! I’d love to see any time he gets to be on the show! We wanna see him win! Thank you for immortalizing this from a fan in the USA! Earned my sub to see future videos!

[@edmundblackaddercoc8522]

Can we just appreciate Tom, did this in one take.

[@AprilFool91]

Who else shouted "boxes of knives" when the question on Bessemer came up?

[@michaelmccrory2220]

When someone like Tom is passionate and enthusiastic about what he knows and wants to share his knowledge with the world, that is a very welcome and admiral attitude to have.

[@Xyponx]

Tom's general attitude is great and much needed in this world!

[@michaelmccrory2220]

@@Xyponx 100%👍

[@ChaosPootato]

Dude is an absolute beast even without his red shirt

[@timez9663]

It sounds like he's being announced as "young scott"

[@biancamlf288]

York Scott, but I read this before watching the video and was severely disappointed that he didn't go by young Mad Capn Tom or the other.

[@owenleal]

I like that Tom gives a little smirk at being called a broadcaster. Like he's thinking "little ol me!"

[@Volt64bolt]

Semi-final next Wednesday, can’t wait!! Hope Tom’s team make it!

[@simonlott7422]

And having seen heat 4 on Thursday... Tom and team York are definitely in the semifinals. There are still three more heats, so we won't yet know who they will face.

[@ab8jeh]

He's out unfortunately to Hull tonight!

[@simonpowell9975]

That was some great captaining. I liked his "steady, listen to the whole thing" hand gestures at 4:00.

[@CharlesAbell]

I love Tom’s reaction to his introduction 😂

[@JNCressey]

3:18 Amazing how they know all these amazing things, then don't recognise a LED symbol.

[@jakewynn]

Yeah like when this question came up I was expecting everone to buzz in. I learnt this pre-GCSE level. Not only that but its quite self explanatory given Tom knew it was a diode.

[@user-uv2cp1qd1j]

Apart from Tom, they all seem to be a bit older. It may not have been in their curriculum when they were in school. So unless they’re an electrical engineer they’d have to guess.

[@MegaMonkeVr]

Did you recognise the led symbol? 😂😂😂😂

[@michaeldibb]

Don't think I've ever seen Tom Scott without a red T-Shirt 😂. Nice to see he has other clothes to wear.

[@oz_jones]

Lateral

[@nitehawk86]

He was dressed like a bond villian on Tom Scott Presents: Money

[@JoaoPedro-ki7ct]

He probably is still wearing one there

[@CH11LER.]

Genuinely great to see a KZbinr who is intelligent and not just someone who reels off stuff they find on the Web. Also, I surprised myself on how many I got right myself

[@Jon1950]

Brave to return to take part as a University Challenge alumni, when you have a reputation as someone who is knowledgeable and informed. Not so bad if you are an obscure author, but when you are well known, it must be daunting. Well done Tom. Well done York.

[@jmamassey3979]

Tom is a truly awesome presenter and conveys his message so clearly

[@Olcixx95]

While also being really nervous on tv, even after all his years in you tube

[@chewbekah]

It just goes to show how knowledgeable he is because he did English Lit at uni, and tbh a lot of the time humanities specialists on University Challenge don’t get much of a chance to shine because there can be a lot of detailed science and maths questions 😅

[@Frikcha]

I love the questions they use on this show so much, the way they are worded lets you draw from multiple different general knowledge topics when trying to find your answer. They're difficult questions but the topics are far-reaching and significant.

[@DanTheStripe]

Always found University Challenge to be rock hard. I got 4 questions right in this video which I'm quite happy with although a few were just punts. Cool to see Tom on telly!

[@Milamberinx]

The celebrity and alumni editions are always easier than the regular version.

[@Raju-rx7ed]

I can get like 60-70 % right, is it really that hard for ppl?

[@krashd]

@@Raju-rx7ed If you could get 60-70% of a regular episode correct then you spent your childhood reading 8hrs a day.

[@StephenGibson]

Similar here. I got the 1920's, Caravan, LED & Australia. Was a passenger for the rest.

[@ahappycoder2925]

Got LED, peas, and chromosomes

[@John-Smlth]

Wednesday the 28th and Thursday the 29th are the two semi-finals dates for anyone interested. With 200, York will likely make one of the slots. It will be interesting to see this live!

[@collinbeal]

Tom was great, but Prof. Kind was also on top of it. Was bummed when they didn't catch the Van Gogh, but I couldn't remember the names of Hokusai and Bruegel despite knowing that they were the artists responsible. I don't have a good memory for names. This took me back to Scholastic Bowl in high school. Good stuff.

[@luminescentlion]

The LED question hurt me inside but I guess I'm an electrical engineer so I can't talk much.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

200 points to 45...didn't know public executions in the UK were still legal! Love the host's charm. Even with Parkinson's, Paxman still gets it done! Seeing Tom wear a different outfit other than a red shirt is so unreal. It's like swapping the head of a Lego minifig to a different body. It fits, but it just doesn't look right. Loved how Tom couldn't stop smirking at the beginning of the video! It was so funny to see him try to keep a straight face and eventually give up. And to be fair for the question asking about the conflict between India and which other country, when in doubt, it's usually Pakistan so I can't quite fault them for that.

[@doki531]

So great seeing Tom back on university challenge after so many years!

[@Deuling1]

I love how Tom has the exact same reaction every time he buzzes in and gets the answer right, like he was bluffing the entire time. And let's be honest, he probably was.

[@beth12svist]

Bluffing may be too strong a word for a competition that tests knowledge; it's "I think I came across this five years ago somewhere and I have no idea how I remember this so there's a possibility I got this wrong but we need an answer and we need it before the other team gets it so here goes."

[@Queleb1]

Thank you for this! When he tweeted about it I was hoping someone would post it to YT as I'm not based in the U.K. Cheers!

[@MINKIN2]

200 points?! Dear god. Well done guys.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Even if Tom struggled with geography and the Bolshevik Revolution, Tom's wealth of knowledge remains one of a kind and he definitely carried the team. They were lucky to have fine member of society like him. So the Straits in Straits Settlements refers to the significant Strait of Malacca, with Singapore being the most important Straits Settlement because one who controls Singapore, controls the strait's trade. Singapore was especially important militarily for the British. That's why Singapore's surrender to the Japanese was an embarrassing loss for the British. They believed the Japanese would invade from either the south or the northeast....they invaded from the northwest on bikes.

[@George_vv]

This is my first time seeing this show, that buzzer effect is so intense it felt like getting a brick dropped on your head.

[@toddbod94]

Just mastermind and then Tom has been on all the posh game shows.

[@MargaretUK]

Oh hell yes! 👍😁

[@ColinRichardson]

I knew almost none of those answers.. Except "What Component: L.E.D"... at which point I felt the smartest person.

[@oscarramage95]

You can tell Jeremy is struggling, but he’s doing a very good job, considering

[@peperoni_pepino]

I think he is both getting old, but also had trouble not speaking too quickly. He is used to rattling these words at a mad pace for young adults, but here it seems like he is straining himself to speak slowly. Though the getting old part might be more important.

[@tobyk8125]

@@peperoni_pepino It's not just age that is holding him back

[@peperoni_pepino]

@@tobyk8125 Yeah, I'm sorry. Just age never holds someone back, but there are many diseases that are much more common in old people, so that are 'old age diseases'. I just mean that he is less physically fit than he was years ago, but of course due to his disease not laziness or anything like that.

[@ellekell9317]

@@peperoni_pepino you know he has Parkinson’s Disease right?

[@peperoni_pepino]

@@ellekell9317 Yeah, I know.

[@graceygrumble]

Excellent performance by the York alumni. Congratulations. I like this idea. I wish they would have an 'undergrads' series, though. The younger people are increasingly rare, having been given the elbow by 'mature' students with whom they could not possibly compete. It irritates me.

[@jamesl8640]

They do a whole series with mostly younger students through the year during Christmas holidays though they get alumni in a shorter series

[@graceygrumble]

@@jamesl8640 University students are usually 18-21. Some students are older because it takes longer to get a their degree. I don't think Masters or PhD students should be allowed to compete unless they are under 25. It would be good to see how young students perform and not a team of 30-40+ year-old men and women. It just seems 'wrong'.

[@user-uv2cp1qd1j]

@@graceygrumble the regular series has students that are (estim) 90% of the time in their early twenties.

[@graceygrumble]

@@user-uv2cp1qd1j The 10% is what I irritates me.

[@duffman18]

@@graceygrumble the main series is young university students. This version of the show is a special spin off that has far far fewer episodes. You're complaining about it when you clearly don't know anything about it.

[@hillsinhighplaces]

I'm loving the breath holding everytime he gets a question right haha

[@mennonis]

It's ya boi, doin another gameshow! The duality of tomscott.

[@nitehawk86]

Tom Scott as contestant: Reserved and dignified Tom Scott as host: Technical Difficulties

[@shanshansan]

He should've been filming it whilst he's at the show. "I am at the University Challenge game show."

[@thetrends5670]

This Tom Scott guy looks genius, I hope he does start his own KZbin channel.

[@wafflicious359]

He looks like he could introduce stuff that we might not know

[@bellaryder5044]

i just did my rewatch of starter for 10 to see young benedict cumberbatch and james mcavoy. it never fails to make me crack how BC's uptight character takes university challenge so seriously. rightfully so

[@DaemonDeath]

Could we get a pinned comment or something just make reference to Jeremy Paxman being diagnosed with Parkinson’s saves the number of he sounds drunk comments

[@eshiffer]

I'm about to rehearse later today (and perform tomorrow) my own metal-ified rearrangement of this Ellington Sugar Plum Fairy! Retitling it Meshuggah Plum Fairy of course

[@timsplosion]

Was anyone else expecting this to be a YTP with Tom editted in?

[@raffitz]

THEY GOT A STARTER FOR THE BESSAMER PROCESS! This is just lovely.

[@ailestriker9888]

This is a stark contrast to the last time he was on the show where he was answering most of the questions. The team he has seems more involved

[@CanadaPlayz48]

I love how Tom smiled at "Recent titles being: I rode a giant mechanical elephant, you can too"

[@dylanpritchard4981]

Dr Simon Clark used some of these questions in the Yogscast charity quiz!

[@cash4gold697]

It's crazy seeing all the people new to university challenge, it's been a staple of my life soo far

[@howesy]

Very impressive! Always happy to get one answer correct across the whole show whenever I watch...

[@fredherfst8148]

Lol…I got three…

[@oscar_n_t]

Of course Tom Scott smashed it, his whole career is basically the answers to the questions on this show. Nice one.

[@midaspool6229]

There is no such feeling like knowing an answer Tom Scott doesn’t know.

[@ab8jeh]

The LED one was a surprise but the pressure of being on the show must have been a factor. He must know that.

[@javieryeo4032]

Surprisingly never mention that while Tom Scott was in York University, he tried to run for president for the Student Union as 'Mad Cap'n Tom'. Now he is the Captain for York for University Challenge.

[@LIES666]

Felt really smart for actually doing well on these questions. Mostly a coincidence since they happened to ask obscure stuff i know for once. The nonsense my brain keeps hold of usually never comes up in quizes.

[@VexWerewolf]

2:20 "Bubble, heap, cube, shell" I immediately heard a very distinctive set of noises in my head.

[@officialSgtPepperArc360]

“Sort. 😣”

[@TheNinjaMarmot]

Tom is living dangerously again. He killed it

[@woodrobin]

When the question about the Bessemer steel smelting process came up I could almost hear (everybody's favorite) Gary Brannan shouting about "the hot steel and the boxes of knives" from their Citation Needed show about the SS Bessemer (a ship designed by the same man, that did not do nearly so much to increase his reputation as the steel smelting process did).

[@skeggoxoverland4824]

Young Scott! Took me far too long to realize he was saying York, not young 😂

[@roses10k]

was good to see toms team get the question about the bessemer steel smelting process!

[@Deuling1]

I love that Tom's hand was going for the buzzer and Kind beat him to it. You can see him flinc his hand back in surprise too!

[@Not_in_Your_Contacts]

When questions came related to my country I was jumping on my chair to answer them and now the whole house thinks I am mad😂

[@mercurialinterference6931]

same but it's related to the island i live in (java)! to me it's so obvious without the additional detail about the island but they are not from here so i should give em some slack 🤣

[@local9]

I love that we've watched Tom soo much, that we know when he is really thinking.

[@kwerk2011]

Love him or not, it's always incredibly sad to see someone in the ravages of Parkinson's. It's a cruel affliction.

[@Twyzan]

I didn't know the answers to most but knowing the LED symbol when Tom didn't makes me feel something.

[@Daveman1123]

15:44 The buzzer got Tom goooood 😂

[@jonas1015119]

Maybe its because I've mostly seen just the finals, but many of the questions seemed easier than usual (i.e. I wasnt completely lost most of the time). Easter Islands, Java, Caesar, Halley, Austria, Liberia, Monrovia, peas (the latin name basically contained the answer!), Indus river (where Tom said Ganges), van Gogh, Hokusai, Robinson Crusoe, October Revolution (famously in November), Winter Palace, Shostakovich, Extinction Rebellion, Steel (i swear Tom talked about Bessemer before) were pretty easy by the shows standard (and I liked the chemical indicator questions, and Boar/Bear was a great trick question where I would have fallen for Hog/Dog) Toms music answers were impressive.

[@roboduck200]

The Christmas episodes are a casual side-competition with alumni, and they do usually go more easy on the old folks with the question set!

[@SJohann]

The Tech Dif crew covered Bessemer on Season 3 of Citation Needed. It was about the SS Bessemer, a ship made to combat seasickness. I specially remembered this episode because it was slyly referenced in one of the recent Tech Dif episodes with Gary saying "Boxes of knives".

[@Deuling1]

"October Revolution (famously in November)" explains exactly why my gut answer was October and the answer I tried to actually work toward was November.

[@IHaveAVeryCommonName]

@@Deuling1 it was October on the old Julian calendar, which Russia was using at the time and which was I think 16 days behind the Gregorian (ours) by then.

[@HarrisonJamess]

agreed, I am usually happy to get two questions right watching UC, this time I managed 13 answers so it is definitely easier.

[@PixieII]

So sad seeing what Parkinsons (and maybe age too) has done to Jeremy🥺