Dubliners do battle in University Challenge semi-final

RTÉ News​

21-04-2025

Starter for 10 - it's a battle between two young Dubliners tonight on BBC Two's University Challenge to claim a place in the grand final of the legendary quiz show.
Kevin Flanagan from Dundrum in Dublin is the captain of the Bristol University team.
Opposing him is fellow Dubliner Oscar Despard from Portobello who captains Christ's College Cambridge.
Both teams have qualified for the semi-final stage of the prestigious show.
Filming for the series began in Manchester early last year and then continued in blocks over the following months as both teams separately made their way through the competition rounds.
Oscar Despard said: "Getting involved in the programme has been really, really enjoyable... even more than I thought it might be! Hearing phrases like 'Starter for 10' feels fun!"
"Amol Rajan (presenter) has been good fun too, very entertaining and tells fascinating stories about politicians he has met," he continued.
"Meeting Roger Tilling was very cool too," Kevin Flanagan said. He is the legendary 'voice of University Challenge ' and Kevin said that "he was very nice and talking to him was fun too".
The two Irish captains have become friendly despite the prestigious prize at stake.
"When we met and discovered we were both from Dublin it was so nice and we get on well," Oscar said.
The pair also became friendly with the team from Queen's University Belfast, he added, saying: "We both went up to visit the Queen's University team over the holidays to meet up, which was lovely."
Claiming a prized spot on the teams was no easy task for either contestant though.
Kevin Flanagan said that Bristol University has had "a run of good teams who got to the quarter-finals and then two years ago, one of the teams got to the final, so it has been building".
"Two years ago, I didn't get a place on the University Challenge college team," he laughed. "But I practised a bit since then, which involved a lot of watching the show and doing a lot of quizzes, so it was fun to get it on the team this time."
Cambridge captain Oscar Despard explained how they recruited this team by "running a quiz with 100 questions that you completed on your own time".
"Then we invited the top scorers back and did it again against the clock," he explained. "We needed a range of skills, so we have luckily ended up with a scientist, a linguist, a mathematician, and a classicist."
While both team captains have impressive academic achievements, they are incredibly modest and seem bemused at the attention they are attracting.
Twenty-eight-year-old Kevin Flanagan studied at the De La Salle College in Churchtown where he obtained 7 A1s in his Leaving Cert in 2014.
Talking about his former school, he said: "I had a pretty good experience there, especially with the science and maths subjects. I found it very enjoyable. The school had a good atmosphere, and there was a quite close-knit school community there, so I think for me De La Salle struck a good balance, [a] nice environment... without feeling too much pressure."
Kevin went on to study physics and astronomy in University College Dublin, progressing on to a research master's using AI Methods to analyse astro images, explaining how he then "realised that I wanted to go further with that area so I decided to pursue an AI-focused PhD". He has been studying in Bristol for four years and really enjoys the atmosphere and the community.
Twenty-two-year-old Oscar Despard attended Sandford Park School in Ranelagh in Dublin and was one of just two Leaving Cert students in Ireland in 2021 who clocked up 9 H1s.
He also found time to win the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition Individual Prize in 2020.
"I loved my school. I found it a very intellectually stimulating environment," he said.
"I used to think to myself, 'Someday I will be on University Challenge and all this assortment of information will come into use'," he laughed.
After finishing his Leaving Cert, Oscar then moved to the UK where he obtained a BA in Natural Sciences at Cambridge.
Since filming began, he has continued his studies at Cambridge, progressing on to studying for his PhD in molecular biology.
Back at home in Dublin, meanwhile, the excitement is building for tonight's show.
Kevin Flanagan explained how his parents Joe and Christine will be tuning in to watch from home in Dundrum, as will his sister, who is in Manchester University.
"I have quite a big extended family too," he explained. "I get messages from the WhatsApp group with the aunts and uncles."
Kevin explained that his dad Joe got into horticulture later in life, adding that his mum Christine "was an engineer, so I probably got the numbers from her too".
"I think they have all enjoyed it," he went on to say. "They have been saying there is a good buzz around and it's really nice to bring a positive thing like this to the family."
Oscar Despard's mum is a scientist, Professor Niamh Moran at Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and he recalls fondly watching the quiz show with her on TV over the years.
Oscar's dad William is the man behind the popular Bretzel Bakery in Dublin's Portobello and has been cheering Oscar on, as has his sister Clara, who lives near him in Cambridge.
"They have all been watching and my mum has been organising watch parties on the nights we're on," he laughed.
"One night when the show was on, there was a knock at the door and my mum went out and said, 'Sorry, I have to run, my son is on the TV', which I thought was so funny!"
For Kevin, he and his friends have a weekly watch party at a pub in Bristol.
"Loads of friends from the Quiz Society come along, so it makes for a good atmosphere, a bit like watching a football match," he said, adding that "you get a cheer when you get an answer right!"
Both captains were tight-lipped about the winner from tonight's round, but they both say the friendship will continue regardless of the outcome.
"We went into the competition looking to enjoy it as much as possible and we got further than we were expecting, so that has been great," is all that Kevin will say.
Oscar, meanwhile, says that the reaction to their appearances on University Challenge have been really positive so far.
"A stranger even congratulated me on the street the other day, so it's been a nice surprise," he added.
To find out which Dubliner triumphs, tune in for the semi-final tonight on BBC Two at 8:30pm.