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The 'Berks' who finally lived up to the Challenge  

Education Editor,Richard Garner
Tuesday 01 April 2003 00:00 BST
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Six years ago the team from London's Birkbeck College left the University Challenge studios with an unwanted nickname, the "berks from Birkbeck".

Their total score of 40 was the lowest score for the series. And, for much of the game, their score was less than zero as they were penalised for interrupting Jeremy Paxman's questions with incorrect answers.

Even the hard-nosed presenter was moved to try to cheer them up, saying: "Come on, there's still time for a spectacular comeback." They eventually lost by 320 points to Manchester University.

But last night the college, which uniquely offers higher education to only part-time students, finally laid their "berks" image to rest by winning the competition. They squeezed ahead of Cranfield, the Bedfordshire-based university specialising in aeronautics, whose team was also made up of mature students, in a nail-biting finish by 180 points to 155. It was the closest they had been run in the whole of the competition.

Birkbeck's oldest team member was Colum Gallivan, 57, an actor in EastEnders, Father Ted and Juliet Bravo who is a BA classics student. The oldest person on the Cranfield team was 60.

Tony Gillham, 38, the Birkbeck captain, a college administrator studying for an MA in applied linguistics, said: "We may not have the fastest fingers on the buzzers, but what we lack in that respect we make up for in knowledge we have acquired over the years."

Mr Gallivan said: "EastEnders is much more frightening than University Challenge. Paxman is not exactly scary, he's just very busy and his mind is elsewhere. He wants the answer and if he doesn't get it, you feel like you've sunk into the abyss when he gives you his look."

The four-strong team was completed by Tony Walsh, 39, a systems operator studying for a BA in history and archaeology, and Thor Halland, 35, an engineer taking a BA in philosophy. Mark Andrews, 40, a computer expert studying for a BSc in computing science, was team reserve.

Their relatively advanced age led Paxman to tell one team they defeated: "Never mind, at least you still have your own teeth."

Professor David Latchman, the Master of Birkbeck, said: "This is all the more remarkable when one considers that on the way to the final they beat two Cambridge colleges as well as two much larger universities, University College London and Sheffield. Throughout the competition, Birkbeck came up against teams of full-time students. The Birkbeck team combine education with their full-time jobs."

At Birkbeck, part of the University of London, 95 per cent of students are between 25 and 45 and one in four come from ethnic minority groups.

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