A UNIVERSITY Challenge contestant has hit back at age complaints after she was branded ‘too old’ for the show.
The University of Reading has made it to the final of the BBC show for the first time in its history.
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The team of four includes Margaret Ounsley, who is studying for a PHD in poor law history.
Margaret has been a strong member of the team during the rounds, but some viewers have taken issue with the fact that she’s significantly older than the average University Challenge contestant.
Margaret is 63 and the online backlash at her participation in the show hasn’t gone unnoticed.
She told The Reading Chronicle: “A controversy that’s been bubbling away on social media is whether or not old crocks like me should be allowed on the programme at all.”
“My view is that when University Challenge started as a programme back in the 1960s, universities were sort of Brideshead Revisited: They were young, posh and male.
“But universities aren’t like that anymore. They’re much more diverse, many more Black and ethnic minorities, many more women, many more people from working class origins and a lot more older people and I personally celebrate the fact that the program reflects that now.”
University Challenge guidelines don’t state an upper or lower age limit for the show.
Last night’s final saw Reading take on Imperial College London with Margaret’s team leading into the final minutes.
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However, Imperial made a last minute comeback with biochemistry student Maximilian Zeng hitting the buzzer and getting an answer to correct.
Host Jeremy Paxman then gave them a bonus round which saw the team get two out of the three questions right, and nudged them ahead of Reading.
Imperial then attempted to claw things back but got a question wrong, knocking five points off their score, before the final buzzer rang.
The final ended with Imperial winning by 125 to Reading’s 115.
Jeremy said: “By the narrowest of margins, Imperial have won and Reading have lost. Bad luck.
“Many congratulations to you, Imperial. It was a very, very strong performance, I thought.”
University Challenge is available on BBC iPlayer.
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