Tory peer pays damages after alleging University Challenge mascot was antisemitic

Gorgianeh and her Christ Church, Oxford, team in the episode, which was filmed in March last year. Photograph: BBC

A Conservative peer has apologised and paid damages to a doctoral student after wrongly saying an octopus soft toy used as her University Challenge team’s mascot was chosen as an antisemitic symbol.

The former MEP Jacqueline Foster had already apologised publicly and privately to Melika Gorgianeh, a doctoral student in astrophysics at Oxford University, following comments made after the episode of the BBC Two quizshow was broadcast in November.