BBC accused of Oxbridge bias over University Challenge

A UCL professor has accused the BBC of “hiding” an alleged Oxbridge bias on University Challenge.

Professor Frank Coffield has called for each university to be limited to one entry each on the quiz show, after submitting a series of complaints claiming that the format is “rigged” towards elitist colleges.

University Challenge currently allows separate Oxford and Cambridge colleges to enter the contest, while limiting most other universities to one entry each.

Professor Coffield submitted a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to the BBC, asking the broadcaster to reveal exactly how many teams from Oxford or Cambridge had appeared on the show since 1994, when Jeremy Paxman took over as the host.

The request was turned down, and Coffield said he was suspicious of the broadcaster’s refusal to disclose the information: “What has it got to hide? Quite a lot, I suspect. The director general, Tim Davie, said that ‘impartiality is the cornerstone’ of the organisation, so why does it keep chipping away at it with a rigged format?”

He added: “I call upon Davie to disown this shameful snobbery, to take down the mock-up, provide me with the information requested and allow Oxford and Cambridge one entry each from now on. I’ve learned from, been entertained by and stoutly defended the BBC all my life, so that surely permits me to ask for the boil on a much-loved face to be lanced.”

What has it got to hide? Quite a lot, I suspect. The director general, Tim Davie, said that ‘impartiality is the cornerstone’ of the organisation, so why does it keep chipping away at it with a rigged format?

– Professor Frank Coffield

The show’s website reveals that on average more than 10 of the 28 teams to have competed in the quiz show in the last nine series were Oxbridge colleges. The current series, the 52nd since it was first broadcast in 1962, has the fewest Oxbridge colleges with just eight. The previous seven series had either 10 or 11 entries from Oxbridge and in the 2013-14 series there were 13 Oxbridge teams. Information on entries from earlier series is not available.

Oxbridge colleges have won the competition 27 times in the previous 51 series.

Coffield said that was no surprise because Oxbridge colleges had made up more than 35% of the entries: “Obviously, if you have 10 raffle tickets out of a total of 28, you are more likely to win prizes than if you have one.”

The BBC said that the response to the FoI request was bound by FoI rules – the request asked for 29 years’ worth of information, which it said would have exceeded both cost and time limits.

A spokesperson said: “All education institutions that design and deliver teaching towards university level qualifications are welcome to apply to University Challenge independently.

If you were to design University Challenge as a new gameshow now, in 2023, you would find it hard to justify that rationale. It’s just a quirk from the 1960s. I’ve got friends at Durham University, which has individual colleges, why can’t they enter separately? The BBC really needs to try and explain properly why we still have this historical bias

– Bobby Seagull

“This is not limited to Oxbridge colleges, but also includes around 300 colleges of further and higher education across the UK, several member institutions of the University of London, and a number of UK conservatoires and art schools.

“We actively encourage a variety of educational institutions to apply to University Challenge and welcome greater diversity on the show.

“There’s no secret as to who’s been on University Challenge over the years, as the programme has been televised.”

Bobby Seagull, a broadcaster and maths teacher who represented Emmanuel College, Cambridge on University Challenge and who currently coaches teams competing on the show, agreed that its entry rules were biased in favour of Oxbridge.

Speaking on BBC 5 Live, he said: “If you were to design University Challenge as a new gameshow now, in 2023, you would find it hard to justify that rationale. It’s just a quirk from the 1960s. I’ve got friends at Durham University, which has individual colleges, why can’t they enter separately? The BBC really needs to try and explain properly why we still have this historical bias.”