logo
University Challenge winner Oscar Despard

University Challenge winner Oscar Despard

RTÉ News​13-05-2025

Oscar Despard told Oliver what it was like to captain the winning Cambridge team in the final of the University Challenge that aired last night.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pixie Lott reveals she's pregnant with second child as she makes announcement live on stage at Mighty Hoopla
Pixie Lott reveals she's pregnant with second child as she makes announcement live on stage at Mighty Hoopla

The Irish Sun

time3 days ago

  • The Irish Sun

Pixie Lott reveals she's pregnant with second child as she makes announcement live on stage at Mighty Hoopla

PIXIE Lott has revealed she's expecting her second child with husband Oliver Cheshire. The singer, 34, made the surprise announcement during her performance 3 Pixie and Oliver are expecting their second child Credit: MEGA 3 The singer - pictured on stage in 2019 - made the announcement live at Mighty Hoopla Credit: Jo Hale/Redferns 3 Pixie and Oliver are already parents to son Albert Credit: Instagram Pixie and Oliver, 36, are already parents to son Albert, who was born in October 2023. The couple only Taking to Instagram with a loving snap of her brood at the church, she announced the moniker they had chosen. The Mama Do songstress wrote, "Albert Charles Cheshire. It has already been the most amazing time of our lives with you little Bertie and we feel so incredibly lucky you." More on Pixie Lott The couple met at a Select Models event in 2010 - with Oliver popping the question in November 2016 . Last month She told The Sun: "I have already been working on some new music. I don't want it to be as big a gap as it was before. Most read in Celebrity "It was a really long time. It won't be as long this time. I am excited about some of the tracks already. "I love music documentaries, they are so fascinating. I love where you get to see the real behind the scenes stuff so I think that would be really fun to do." Pixie Lott performs at the Six Nations rugby

Chef Jamie Oliver says dyslexia documentary was ‘most painful' thing he has done
Chef Jamie Oliver says dyslexia documentary was ‘most painful' thing he has done

Irish Independent

time3 days ago

  • Irish Independent

Chef Jamie Oliver says dyslexia documentary was ‘most painful' thing he has done

The 50-year old celebrity chef has lived with the learning difficulty all his life and will now present a one-hour documentary on Channel 4 titled Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution. The show will dive into the challenges and issues children with dyslexia face in Britain while asking whether the Government can do more to fix the education system. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Oliver said: 'I'm unpacking quite a lot of stuff. 'I thought I'd buried it but it's hitting a nerve. 'Genuinely, of all the things I've ever done, this documentary is the most viscerally painful,' 'I've seen so many high-flying, talented, grown men cry about this — I've just done it to you — the concept of being worthless (when you're) young is real. It's really triggering.' According to the NHS dyslexia is described as a 'common learning difficulty that causes problems with reading, writing and spelling'. Having left school with two GCSEs, the chef opened up about the challenges he faced, adding that the kitchen 'saved' him. He said: 'I didn't have any extra time in exams, there were no strategies, just a bit of extra tutoring help. 'There was no robust dyslexic knowledge then.' He also described feeling 'stupid, worthless and thick' and developing 'a hatred of words and a total resentment for education' while other students called him a 'stupid dunce', leaving him with a 'deep-seated feeling of constantly being behind'. 'I didn't tell mum, dad or the teachers. I just bottled it up inside. 'The kitchen saved me. I knew I had something to offer. I knew I wasn't a useless piece of shit.' The Essex-born chef and author is known for hosting cooking shows and documentaries including The Naked Chef and Jamie's Kitchen along with publishing a series of cookbooks including Jamie's 30-Minute Meals. He has also been an avid campaigner over the years including calling on the Government for greater provisions for healthier school meals and playing a role in imposing a sugar tax on soft drinks. He is now campaigning for greater support in schools, calling for early screenings for dyslexia and neurodiversity. Oliver added: 'We also need more training for teachers. In a two to three-year training course only about half a day is given to neurodiversity. 'I've only got love for teachers, we need to appreciate them more. 'But they want to be trained, they want to have the tools to notice, understand and react.' Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution can be watched on Channel 4 on June 9 at 9pm.

‘I hope you don't expect us to win': rival Irish University Challenge captains join forces for a fiendish pub quiz
‘I hope you don't expect us to win': rival Irish University Challenge captains join forces for a fiendish pub quiz

Irish Independent

time5 days ago

  • Irish Independent

‘I hope you don't expect us to win': rival Irish University Challenge captains join forces for a fiendish pub quiz

Oscar Despard and Kevin Flanagan were recent opponents on a semi-final of the long-running BBC show. Louise McLoughlin takes them to a London pub to see how they fare with a less academic test I've never been great at pub quizzes. So the opportunity to team up with two of Ireland's best and brightest minds promised some vindication – even if only as part of a team. On a personal level, a friend had suggested beforehand that the experience had the potential to be humiliating. I suggested 'humbling' was perhaps a better word. A win is a win, after all. In all honesty, I expected my contribution to be minimal. The two other members of my team were Dubliners Oscar Despard (22) from Portobello and Kevin Flanagan (29) from Dundrum, who recently went head-to-head in the semi-finals of University Challenge. Despard, who is studying for a PhD in molecular biology, went on to lead Christ's College Cambridge to its first ever victory on the show, winning a tense final by just five points. Flanagan captained the team from Bristol University, where he is doing a PhD in AI.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store