University Challenge 2017–18


Series 47 of University Challenge began on 17 July 2017 on BBC Two.
In this series, Ulster University made its debut appearance in the BBC era of the programme, having last appeared in the Bamber Gascoigne era in the 1980s. Sheffield Hallam University made only its second appearance since 2001.

Results

  • Winning teams are highlighted in bold.
  • Teams with green scores returned in the next round, while those with red scores were eliminated.
  • Teams with orange scores had to win one more match to return in the next round.
  • Teams with yellow scores indicate that two further matches had to be played and won.
  • A score in italics indicates a match decided on a tie-breaker question.

Final

Spin-off: Christmas Special 2017

Qualification round

Each year, a Christmas special sequence is aired featuring distinguished alumni. Out of 7 first-round winners, the top 4 highest-scoring teams progress to the semi-finals. The teams consist of celebrities who represent their alma maters.
  • Teams with green scores won their match and achieved a high enough score to return in the next round, teams with red scores lost and were eliminated.
  • Teams with grey scores won their first round match but did not achieve a high enough score to return.
Team 1Team 2TotalBroadcast date
University of Durham220Keble College, Oxford25524 December 2017
Selwyn College, CambridgeUniversity of St Andrews23526 December 2017
University of YorkUniversity of Southampton22027 December 2017
University of Leicester175University College London22028 December 2017
St John's College, Cambridge155St Edmund Hall, Oxford19529 December 2017
Queen Mary University of LondonCardiff University1701 January 2018
Brunel University London155University of Reading2002 January 2018

Final

The winning Keble College, Oxford team consisted of Paul Johnson, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Katy Brand and Anne-Marie Imafidon, who beat the University of Reading team of Anna Machin, Martin Hughes-Games, Sophie Walker and Pippa Greenwood.