It’s hard to argue that University Challenge isn’t elitist. The quizshow relies upon the assumption that Oxford and Cambridge will be the favourites to win, aided not only by virtue of historical reputation, but by the fact that individual colleges are invited to enter thanks to an archaic entrance process devised in 1962. This creates a programme premised on class divides, illustrated weekly by social media users who post the satirical image of Scumbag College sitting atop Footlights College, Oxbridge in a 1984 episode of The Young Ones.
Professor of education Frank Coffield is calling for the programme to address this bias, and has complained to the BBC regarding the weighted screen time given to Oxbridge students – given that these two universities constitute about a third of the teams competing.
