Dublin student Oscar Despard to lead his team in final of BBC's University Challenge tonight
DUBLIN STUDENT OSCAR Despard will be competing in the final of the prestigious BBC quiz show University Challenge tonight.
The 22-year-old Dubliner is captain of the Christ's College team from Cambridge University. He will be leading his team against the University of Warwick.
University Challenge is a long-running quiz show in which teams comprising students from universities in the UK battle it out, answering questions about esoteric topics.
Advertisement
In the recent semi-final, Despard's team competed against the University of Bristol for a place in the final; Bristol's team was also captained by a Dubliner, 28-year-old Kevin Flanagan.
Belfast's Queen's University made it as far as the quarter-finals.
Despard, who is studying for his PhD in molecular biology, is joined by teammates Brendan Bethlehem, Linus Luu, and Anniko Firman.
He told
The Irish Times that the four put together a big spreadsheet covering around 200 topics that were likely to come up in the programme and then divided the categories between themselves.
Humanitarian aid organisation Concern wished Despard and his team luck on X this afternoon. In 2019, he captained his school's team in the finals of the Concern Debates.
Related Reads
Quiz: Could you make it to the University Challenge final?
The student attended Sandford Park School in Ranelagh, Dublin,
where he was one of just two students in the country to achieve
9 H1s in his Leaving Cert in 2021.
The grand final airs tonight on BBC2 at 8:30pm.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Stacey Dooley slammed by ‘disappointed' fans after announcing ‘grim deviant' Lily Phillips as star of new TV series
STACEY Dooley has been slammed by fans after announcing Lily Phillips as one of the stars of her new TV series. The presenter's iconic show, 4 Stacey Dooley has left fans totally divided after announcing Lily Phillips as the star of her new TV series Credit: U&Original 4 The first episode of the sixth series of Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over will follow the controversial OnlyFans creator Credit: Olivia West 4 Many were horrified by the news and expressed their "disappointment" Credit: BBC There will be three brand new episodes, whereby Posting on social media, Alongside a snap of the '3 families, 3 fascinating episodes, you're gonna love it.' Read more on Lily Phillips While some were 'interested' by the idea of seeing The post has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 3,646 likes and 67 comments. One person gasped: 'Pretty grim giving that deviant airtime, not a single positive thing can come from the trainwreck of her life, screams if the worst click bait, expected better tbh.' Whilst another sighed: 'Really disappointing, just don't think Most read in Celebrity 'Lowest derivative entertainment, a real regression in content from you Stacey.' Meanwhile, a third joked: 'If she is sleeping over at Woman claims her dad was in 'homewrecker' Lily Phillips' sex challenge But at the same time, one TV fan wrote: 'Omg wow this will be so interesting!!!!' And another chimed in: 'Can't wait to watch it!' Viewers will see the Brit sex worker, who was recently slammed as 'fake' after Pretty grim giving that deviant airtime, not a single positive thing can come from the trainwreck of her life Instagram user Overjoyed at the news of the news episodes, Stacey Dooley beamed: 'I'm thrilled to be back for another series of 'Truly, it's such a loved format and people always remind me of their fave moments when I'm out and about. Former porn star shares advice for Lily Phillips LILY Phillips is a name many of us now know, thanks to her controversial plan to bed 1,000 men in 24 hours. The OnlyFans star is hoping to break the world record with the endeavour - a record currently held by adult film star Lisa Sparks, with 919 men. But adult film star Jasmin St. Claire - who's most famous for having sex with 300 men in 24 hours for X-rated 1996 film The World's Biggest G**g Bang II - has issued a word of warning to the 23-year-old to ensure she's regularly tested for sexually transmitted diseases. "I get a lot of OnlyFans girls on my podcast ... and the one common story is all of the different STD outbreaks in the business," Jasmin "Like, I've never heard of half this stuff in my life. I'm like, holy s**t. Can a doctor from India cure that? "Like, seriously, because these are some weird things." 'We've got another three episodes that you're gonna love! The themes we touch on feel incredibly timely. 'As always, a sincere thank you to those families who agree to open their doors. Strap in!' Meanwhile, Emile Nawagamuwa, one of the show's commissioners, explained: 'The sixth series of Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over demonstrates the remarkable strength of Stacey's appeal as a documentarian and this simple, compelling concept. 'It has been three years since Stacey last slept over in the homes of UK families, and more people than ever have proudly chosen to break the rules and live life according to their own unique values. This series is going to be a cracker Jes Wilkins, Firecracker Films 'This series promises to be more eye-opening and enlightening than ever.' At the same time, Jes Wilkins from Firecracker Films added: 'To be making a sixth series of Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over in the current commissioning climate is one of the proudest achievements of my career and it's a testament to a wonderful creative and commercial partnership with Stacey and everyone at UKTV. 'This series is going to be a cracker.' The sixth series of Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over will air on U and U&W later this year. All episodes of previous series are available to stream for free on U. Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club 4 The first episode of the show, which is produced by Firecracker Films, will feature Lily Credit: UKTV
Extra.ie
6 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Inside Miriam O'Callaghan's family life as RTE presenter to release memoir
Miriam O'Callaghan is one of the country's most recognisable broadcasters. The RTÉ presenter, who's been with the national broadcaster for over three decades after working in the BBC, has worn many hats over the years — including hosting Saturday Night with Miriam, Sunday with Miriam on RTÉ Radio One, and Prime Time — making her one of the most well-known presenters on RTÉ. Now, Miriam has announced that she will be releasing a memoir in October, admitting that she is 'really nervous' about telling her story. Sharing the news on social media, she wrote: 'At first I planned it to be just about my work as a journalist, but I soon realised it was impossible to separate the personal and professional parts of my life, that's why it's about life, work and everything. 'In truth I am really nervous about telling my story, that's probably why it took me so long to write it. All I hope is that people will read it and find it interesting, authentic, entertaining and hopeful.' But what of her personal life? Miriam O'Callaghan at the IFTA Awards 2025 at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre. Pic: Brian McEvoy Miriam was born in Foxrock, Dublin in 1960, and is the elder sister of the Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan. Her younger sister Anne passed away from cancer, aged just 33. Her father Jerry was a civil servant in the Department of Energy, but tragically and suddenly passed away from a stroke in 1995. Miriam went on to study law in UCD, and completed a post-grad in European Law — qualifying as a solicitor in 1983. From there, she went on to work as a researcher for a production company after moving to London with her then-husband, poet Tom McGurk — with the pair sharing four daughters together before splitting in 1995. Miriam and her second husband Steve Carson met while working for the BBC, marrying in 2000 and sharing four sons. Pic: Eamonn Farrell/ After Miriam and Tom called time on their marriage, Miriam met her now husband Steve Carson when they both worked on BBC Newsnight — falling 'head over heels' for each other while working on a film about the Irish Potato Famine. However, Miriam ended up going back to Ireland to care for her sister Anne, while Steve remained in the UK — although he was more than understanding of why Miriam had to head home, as he had also lost his mother to cancer when he was a young child. The pair went on to marry in 2000, and after having four girls in her first marriage, Miriam and Steve had four sons — totalling eight children altogether for the broadcaster. Steve currently works for the BBC, with Miriam saying that despite the long distance relationship she wants her husband to be happy. Pic: VIP Ireland With Miriam's career thriving in the national broadcaster, Steve began working behind the scenes — becoming RTÉ's Television Director of Programs in 2009. He was then made the editor of current affairs, and Director of Video, before returning to the BBC where he became BBC NI's Head of Production. He was also heavily involved in launching BBC Scotland back in 2019, with Miriam admitting that a long-distance relationship was tough with her in Dublin and Steve in Scotland. 'I think what matters is that you both end up doing something that you love so that you feel fulfilled,' Miriam told RSVP at the time. 'You've only got one life and I don't want to be on my deathbed wondering what I did with my life. I want to fill every moment of it doing what I enjoy. 'I want my husband Steve to be happy to be able to do what he wants and we are back together before you know it, the week apart flies.' In 2021, Miriam became a grandmother for the first time — after her daughter Alannah McGurk welcomed her first child, a daughter named Éabha, into the world. Speaking on being a grandmother, Miriam said that Éabha was a 'magnificent little girl,' and revealed that Éabha's middle name was a touching tribute to her late sister. 'As you know I have always been careful not to talk about my children and I am conscious that she is not my child, but what I will tell you is that she is a magnificent little girl,' Miriam told VIP at the time. 'She is ten months old, her name is Éabha Anne; they named her Anne after my late sister, and she is divine. I absolutely love her.'
The Irish Sun
15 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Crass' cops slammed for playing ‘snog, marry, kill' with mugshots of local call girls and felons
LAYING 'snog, marry, avoid' with colleagues at work could be sexual harassment, a tribunal has ruled. The 'crass' and 'inappropriate' game may breach the Equality Act, an Employment judge said. The risqué quiz involves naming three people and then asking a person to pick which one you would like to kiss, which one you would get married to and which one you would steer clear of altogether. In the BBC hit comedy Gavin and Stacey, Pam, Mick, Gavin and Smithy played a version of it featuring celebrities during a car ride from Essex to Wales. However, the tribunal found it may break workplace laws. The ruling came in the case of a police officer who sued Derbyshire Police after a female colleague involved him in the game — using mugshots of sex workers. READ MORE UK NEWS The officer candidly admitted to the tribunal that she had 'jokingly' played the game with co-workers and included PC Shafarat Mohammed in their discussion. PC Mohammed claimed that during the discussion in May or June 2022 he was only shown images of black women and was asked what he liked about one of them. He said he was 'embarrassed' and 'offended' by the questioning and felt it was inappropriate. The tribunal judge said: 'We agree that the questions were inappropriate.' Most read in The Sun However, the tribunal found there was no racial or religious element to it as the sex workers were of varying ethnicities. PC Mohammed lost his case for racial and religious discrimination and harassment. Two top cops accused of mocking a colleague's Irish accent in 'grossly offensive' leaving video 1 A cop sued Derbyshire Police after a female colleague dragged him into a game of 'snog, marry, avoid' using sex worker mugshots (stock picture) Credit: Getty
