University Challenge 2012–13

Series 42 of University Challenge began on 16 July 2012 on BBC Two.

It also marked the 50th anniversary of the show’s formation.

Results

 * Winning teams are highlighted in bold.
 * Teams with green scores (winners) returned in the next round, while those with red scores (losers) were eliminated.
 * Teams with orange scores must win one more match to return in the next round (current highest scoring losers, teams that won their first quarter final match, teams that won their second quarter final match having lost their first, or teams that won their first quarter final match and lost their second).
 * Teams with yellow scores indicate that two further matches must be played and won (teams that lost their first quarter final match).
 * A score in italics indicates a match decided on a tie-breaker question.

Final

 * The trophy and title were awarded to the Manchester team of David Brice, Adam Barr, Richard Gilbert and Debbie Brown.
 * The trophy was presented by the Astronomer Royal Martin Rees.

Spin-off: Christmas Special 2012
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.

Results

 * Winning teams are highlighted in bold.
 * Teams with green scores (winners) returned in the next round, while those with red scores (losers) were eliminated.
 * Teams with grey scores won their match but did not achieve a high enough score to proceed to the next round.
 * A score in italics indicates a match decided on a tie-breaker question.

First Round

Standings for the winners
Semi-finals

Final

The New College, Oxford team of Rachel Johnson, Patrick Gale, Kate Mosse and Yan Wong beat the University of East Anglia team of John Boyne, Razia Iqbal, David Grossman and Charlie Higson.