SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½’s inaugural University Challenge team is set to take to the nation’s TV screens on Monday night.

The team is the first from Harper Adams to take part in the show, which has run since 1962.

Drawn from across the many courses that SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ offers, an Engineer, a Rural Land Management student, a Student Veterinary Nurse and two PhD candidates were among the five students selected for the show as both on-screen team and backup.

The role of team captain fell to PhD student John Owen – who admits he has been a ‘long-time’ fan of the show – and before Monday’s episode screened, we caught up with him to find out what it was like to appear on one of BBC Two’s most well-loved shows.

He said: “Like most fans of the programme, I sat at home every Monday night, shouting answers at the telly and wondering how I would fare under the glare of Jermey Paxman or Amol Rajan.

“When I returned to Harper to study for my PhD after a long break, I did wonder at the back of my mind if Harper would ever field a team. 

“So when the e-mail arrived, inviting students to try out, it was a given that I would have to put my hat in the ring.

“It was an honour and a privilege to be selected to captain Harper's first ever University Challenge team.  It really was a life's ambition finally fulfilled.”

The team set off for the University Challenge studios in Salford earlier this year and have been keeping both their appearance – and the result – a closely guarded secret.

With their episode now appearing in TV schedules and the Radio Times, the team can finally talk about their appearance – and how it felt to sit behind the fabled buzzers.

John added: “Competing was a slightly surreal experience - being on the set of a programme you have watched for a long time was a little weird, but I think I speak for the team when I say we had a great time.

“The production team at University Challenge looked after us really well, the atmosphere was very cordial, we got on really well with our opposition and both Roger Tilling and Amol Rajan were friendly and generous with their time.”

Viewers will have to wait for Monday night to see how they fared.

A ‘watch party’ has been planned at Harper Adams for students to watch the team – though John admits he will find seeing himself on screen odd.

He added: “Like a lot of folk, I hate watching myself on film, so I am not entirely looking forward to watching the show!

“But I will be there to represent the team and to say a big thank you to all the people who helped get us there.  Throughout the process we enjoyed tremendous support from the whole Harper community - from the porters who ferried us to and from the station to the librarians who helped us with resources, this truly was a Harper Team effort. 

“It is as much their success as it ours. 

“I’d like to say a special thankyou to the teaching staff who gave freely of their time to put us through our paces every week – even over the Christmas break.  I hope they enjoyed the sessions as much as the team did!

“Thank you, too, to the Arts & Crafts Society who created Thomas our mascot - named for the man who bequeathed his estate to found Harper Adams - at incredibly short notice.  

“And most importantly thank you to Executive Support Officer Fanni Nicoll and former Students’ Union Vice-President Tiff Owen, without whom none of this would have happened.

“We prepared hard and competed to the best of our ability with true Harper spirit.

“I hope we showed the world something of the great place that Harper is and the unique experience on offer.”

The after it is broadcast at 8:30pm on Monday, September 29.

Find out more about SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ here or by visiting the University’s Open Days and other events.