SOAS returns to the BBC’s iconic University Challenge with a team of talented students ready to compete against some of the UK’s top universities. We caught up with them to find out how they prepared, their unforgettable University Challenge moments, and what to expect after the competition.

SOAS University London is competing on the BBC’s long-running quiz show University Challenge for the first time in 6 years. For the last 62 years, university students from across the UK have been made to answer questions on everything from history to science, literature to popular culture in grueling TV quizzes before the bell rings.

After competing in auditions at the SOAS Students’ Union, five SOAS students were successfully selected as contestants for the final series of the show. Meet this year’s team: Tom Hasler (captain), Ella Dorn, Janet Delves, Cameron Lambert and Lola Finch.

What was it like to be accepted?

Cameron: It was incredibly exciting to be accepted. Having watched the show growing up and knowing how many teams applied for the show but didn’t get in, I had to try hard not to get my hopes up before I heard back. But as soon as I found out, all of that went away and I couldn’t stop smiling for a week.

Janet: I was an undergraduate during the gap years of the University Challenge era, so I knew applying during my master’s degree was a last-ditch attempt to make up for the lost opportunities of my youth. I was so excited to get on the SOAS team and I’m so glad we got to go on the TV tours.

Lola: It was surreal as I’ve been watching University Challenge for as long as I can remember. It was a truly gratifying feeling to know that I was a part of this; Even though I was a reserve player and did not participate in the televised programme, I really enjoyed being part of the team, getting to know my teammates and being constantly impressed by their knowledge.

How did you prepare for the show individually and as a team?

: As a team, we had weekly practice sessions going over old questions from the University Challenge. We tested our general knowledge as we discovered where our various strengths and weaknesses lay and who might be more knowledgeable in various areas.

Cameron: Individually, I must have watched hundreds of old episodes trying to get as fast as possible. As a team, we met frequently to review a book of old questions from the program that Ella had found for us. It was great fun to come together and see who was strong in what area.

How did I prepare? I watch so many old episodes that the theme tune continues to bother me.

Janet: Individually: many facts, UK prime ministers, US state capitals, etc. learning (none of which came up!) I also watch so many old episodes that the theme tune continues to bother me. As a team we met regularly to tackle questions from Ella’s UC book and we tried a few pub quizzes which were fun.

Ella: Preparation begins from the day you are born; I read as much as possible about the topics I was interested in and hoped that they would translate into the series. We studied a book of sample questions from previous series, practiced our bell technique and took part in a few pub quizzes in London.

Lola: I practiced regularly with the team and then my own friends in the SU pub quiz and managed to win lots of free drinks!

What is a striking fact you learned throughout the process?

: It was interesting to hear from one of the producers just before filming how the questions were determined. A few of these are established in-house, but the majority come from a panel of freelance academics. These questions are then filtered by the production team and ranked by difficulty; The relatively easier ones are used for previous rounds, and the more difficult ones are saved for later rounds.

Cameron: The answer is 41 but I’m not allowed to say the question.

Janet: You have to be really quick with the ringtone.

Ella: ‘Bamber Gascoigne’ is an anagram of ‘Organize BBC Game!’

Lola: It’s much easier to answer trivia questions without a hangover; I was guilty of this very often during our practice sessions.

Is there a question you remember in the program?

: Another memorable question that I narrowly missed answering was where did Amol Rajan look for an ancient civilization and mentioned the name of a particular god during the list of facts about this civilization. me and my opponents as well, and we all tried to make our voices heard at almost the same time.

Cameron: There was a bonus round that featured my nerdy teenage years. I knew my siblings would never forgive me if I got anything wrong.

Janet: I don’t remember the question but I know the answer is Coventry Cathedral.

Ella: Our competitors were asked a bonus question about a Classic Hollywood actor; I had seen 19 of his films and was even commissioned by the Guardian to write a long article on the centenary of his 1924 debut. he could do it.

Lola: Our opposition received some bonus questions regarding the regions where shipment forecasts are made. It was especially difficult not to respond to these, even though I bit my tongue throughout the entire shoot. It had become a running joke that I was keen on shipping forecasts during training and would occasionally carry a handkerchief with the zones written on it to help me remember.

What was it like to represent SOAS?

Cameron: I felt great. University Challenge is strongly associated with traditionally prestigious universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, so it was fun to showcase our smaller, more unique institution there.

Janet: From a niche university like SOAS, to a group of pure scientists, mathematicians and medics etc. I was very proud that we went on TV without his help. It looks like SOAS is on to something with its broad world view.

University Challenge is strongly associated with traditionally prestigious universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, so it was fun to showcase our smaller, more unique institution there.

Lola: I was very proud of us for getting through the difficult selection process. I think as a team we were very aware that SOAS’s focus was not on maths and sciences, so competing with more traditional universities was always going to be a challenge for us. There was a lot of pressure on our captain Tom when it came to answering questions on these topics. Watching him face off against a team of scientists was inspiring.

What are you looking forward to for the rest of the academic year?

: I will be busy applying for jobs for the rest of this academic year. However, I have interesting modules such as Environment and Chinese Economy and World Development that I am looking forward to next semester.

Cameron: I am really enjoying starting work on my thesis on labor struggles in the Bangladeshi garment industry. It’s a very scary job, but it’s very rewarding to completely direct the direction of your research.

Ella: I graduated from my undergraduate degree in September and am currently freelancing as a writer while doing events and social media work for the Academy of Ideas in London. I have no plans to return to academia, but I’m really excited to continue writing about film and culture for as many publications as possible, plan some book projects, and possibly branch out into Chinese-English literary translation.

Janet: I’ve finished my Master’s degree, so I’m looking forward to getting the final results and enjoying some time away from studying.

Lola: I just started my third year at SOAS and was mostly interested in studying Zoroastrianism. I chose this topic without any prior knowledge and I am very happy that I did; The instructors are very interesting and their knowledge is very comprehensive. Every time I enter their classroom I am reminded of why I chose to attend SOAS.

Watch the SOAS episode of BBC2’s University Challenge on Monday 11 November at 8pm. There will be a screening at SOAS SU JCR. Interested in joining next year’s SOAS University Challenge team? Express your interest.