“Off, off with your head/Dance, dance ‘til you‘re dead”. The first words uttered and in one simple couplet manages to sum up the tone of the next two hours at

If you’ve not really kept up with the adventures of Karen O and friends over the past few years, things have changed drastically since ‘Fever To Tell’ exploded out of the speakers in 2003 with a garage rock scuzz that sent to the blogosphere into overdrive. Three years later they released the criminally underrated ‘Show Your Bones’. If their debut was the intense, sex-fuelled romp then ‘SYB’ is the post-coital record which celebrates itself with a wry smile instead of seductive eyes.

And then we come to ‘It’s Blitz’, the third chapter in the story and the reason why the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are out up north tonight to promote the newly released offering. Basically this is the soundtrack to the first night out with that person you snared on ‘Fever To Tell’, relentlessly danceable and probably 2009’s best disco album.

And as the opening lines of ’Heads Will Roll’ will attest to, these guys still mean business. On comes Brian Chase and Nick Zinner, the crowd goes wild. On comes Karen O, the crowd goes mental. Okay, she’s a wearing a pink gimp mask and there’s a giant floating eyeball at the back of the stage but all of these idiosyncrasies somehow compliment their whole persona.

Live they have always been a force to be reckoned with but as their back catalogue gets bigger and arguably more impressive, YYY’s are now a true spectacle in the flesh.

So after imploring us to dance until we croak it she then insults everyone in the room on a beautifully filthy version of ‘Black Tongue; “Boy you‘re just a stupid bitch/And girl you just a no good dick” still remains one of the best putdowns ever to be put to CD.

With tonight the first UK live performance of some of these songs, it’s amazing how ’Dull Life’ already sounds anthemic with Ms. O stalking the stage like a predator rather than worrying how they will go down with the crowd. Luckily though, they know how good their fans are. The audience is like a tidal wave going from left to right, pushing up against the barrier and trying to catch the countless bottles of water being dished out by the security guards.

By this point the neon gimp mask is off and so it should be as Karen O transforms herself from punky-disco vamp to vulnerable folky for the autumnal sing-along that is ‘Gold Lion’. And whilst it is no ‘Maps’ (we’ll come to that later), ‘Skeletons’ offers a respite for the crowd to listen to a voice that can sound beautifully pure as well as, err, pure filth.

There had been rumours that Zinner had ditched his buzz saw riffs for a synthesised sound but they can be well and truly be dispelled as rather than changing his signature sound, he’s simply diversifying the type of sound that YYY’s can make. Don’t be surprised to see him get the harmonica out for album number four. Being a keen photographer, he takes numerous pictures throughout the night with everyone in the crowd jostling for position to be part of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ scrapbook.

They know how to work the audience too, Karen O intermittently telling the audience “how beautiful you look” and Nick Zinner’s awkward looking frame offering a raised handclap after most songs.

But then all of a sudden, the lead lady skips offstage as if something is amiss, drummer Brian Chase gives his band mate the eye and then the newly familiar introduction to ‘Zero’ kicks in. She runs back on wearing the very same leather biker jacket from the video and the 1500 people inside are all finding themselves jumping higher and singing louder than ever before. As far as lead singles go they don’t get much better than this. The way song builds up into that sky scraping chorus where the vocals are by turns breathy, urgent and orgasmic is special. And even more special when witnessing it ten feet away from the band.

The encore is somewhat predictable but has lost none of its greatness over the years, ‘Y Control’ is still brilliant, ’Maps’ tugs at the heartstrings with new-found sincerity. A song for all the couples in the room, there still remains a dark underbelly to the song; “Lay off/Don‘t stray” compressing the emotions of women everywhere forever scared about their partner’s wandering eye.

‘Date With The Night’ however, is where the band are able to shine brightest. Remembered best for it’s “Choke, choke, choke” squalling, the overtly sexual refrain of “Just take a bite/No hanging/No picture” and “Both thighs/Squeeze tight” is perhaps the most appropriate snapshot of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at their most visceral.

And that’s it. The band depart. Zinner flashes his camera but this time a lightning strike of flashes come straight back at him. We may not have danced ‘til we died, but we gave it a bloody good try.

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One such definition of pop music suggests that it is “popular music intended for, or accepted by a wider audience”. Whilst this sounds about right, there has been a strange trend in the last decade or so which has seen the counter culture take over. Any genre that is seen as anti-establishment automatically becomes cool; the minority becomes the majority if you will.

Back in the 1950s Elvis Presley shuffled his blue suede shoes and drove women wild, similarly four young lads from Liverpool called The Beatles achieved world domination in a way never seen since.

A quick look at the last fifty years and its clear to see that popular music had complete control of the charts, whether it’s Michael Jackson’s unparalleled ‘Thriller’, James Brown’s reassurance that, after all, he is a sex machine, or David Bowie and his Ziggy Stardust guise.

The Spice Girls sold their ‘girl power’ ideology to audiences around the planet and consequently were one of the most successful bands of all time. However, since the birth of the new millennium pop music has been, by and large, in the doldrums somewhat. Why?

Maybe it’s the society we now live in.

Britney Spears seemed almost too perfect a machine when she burst onto the scene with Max Martin production and a skimpy school skirt like some kind of masochistic messiah. The problem was that it was too perfect.

The celebrity culture we crave means that we put artists onto an elevated pedestal before taking great pleasure in knocking them back off. It’s a shame but there was almost voyeuristic pleasure taken in watching her doing her Bruce Willis impression and hitting cars with an umbrella.

True, we have stars like Justin Timberlake but for all his record sales and female adoration it’s not like he’s come up with anything close to ‘Billie Jean or ‘Beat It’.

In the same respect Girls Aloud are too interchangeable with their styles to be truly identifiable- one minute its post-punk (Sound Of The Underground), the next its whole hearted teenage fun (Love Machine) and more recently it seems Cheryl Cole listened to a couple of The Supremes albums (The Promise).

And this is the problem with the artists of today. The Beatles gave people something to believe in. Madonna was fresh, edgy and reinvented herself without ever losing what made the record-buying public fall in love with her. Compare that to the vacuous fluff released by Leona Lewis et al and it’s not hard to see why people are turning to something different.

Hence the colossal resurgence in indie music, an abbreviation on the word independent, indie bands have now ironically been signed up to major record labels on multi-million pound deals. The Strokes transformed modern guitar music and now we have had Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and of course the ill-fated Libertines implosion in recent years.

‘Is This It’ was released in 2001 and now eight years later, a new generation of youngsters are coming through with only the knowledge that guitar music or R&B are cool.

Oasis and Blur kept the country transfixed by their Britpop battles in the charts but Alex Turner doesn’t quite grab attention like Liam Gallagher did, in fact he’s positively anti-celebrity. Which is odd considering Arctic Monkeys smashed all known records for the fastest-selling debut ever when ‘Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not’ came out to rapturous applause from critics and fans alike.

Another case in point is Gerard Way, love him or loathe him, he is at the forefront of the much maligned ‘emo’ genre along with fellow contemporaries Panic at the Disco and Fall Out Boy. Songs such as ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise)’ and ‘Welcome To The Black Parade’ really resonated with audiences. And of course when The Daily Mail printed their laughable article on ‘emo’ being a dangerous cult that promotes self harm and suicide, it allowed thousands of black clad teenagers to protest together, as a community.

It is this which is missing from today’s pop music. People aren’t queuing in their droves to pick up the new Christina Aguilera single; you don’t see hundreds of kids anymore waiting outside the stage door for a quick glimpse of their idols. No, instead we are borne with a faceless industry that is throwing out conveyer-belt pop stars with a limited expiry date.

A lot of this may be due to programmes like ‘X-Factor’ which actively encourages people to become pastiches of other artists by covering songs throughout. In no way do Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh ever try to inspire artistic creativity. Whereas with something like ‘Orange Unsigned’ at least the participants were performing their own material; that said, it’s far too contrived a show to be truly successful. Indie music should not be rising from the ashes of Reality TV and especially with Alex James and Jo Whiley’s interminably smug face there trying to count the money rolling in.

Maybe another issue with the fall of pop music as a successful genre has been the death of the CD. Now there has been a mass surge in downloading (often illegally) rather than taking time out of the day to go to your local record shop. This has de-personalised the whole affair of acquiring music, instead of buying the CD, admiring the artwork and having a quick look at the album sleeve and thank-you notes, we now click a button and it’s on our iTunes play list immediately. There’s no connection with the artists.

Okay, we may have all guiltily hummed along to ‘Don’t Cha’ or quietly enjoyed ‘Just Dance’ when it came on in a club but what pop music is there now to inspire us? On the other hand when the DJ plays ‘Killing In The Name Of’ or ‘Last Nite’ there’s a huge rush to the dance floor and rightly so. These tunes are standing the test of time; I mean people aren’t going to be singing along to ‘Buttons’ in ten years time are they?

It’s not all doom and gloom on the horizon though, it seems that the goalposts of popular music are changing. Instead of cherub-faced boy/girl bands releasing ‘Reach For The Stars’ it’s time for exciting, passionate music. Florence and the Machine, La Roux and Dan Black are moving things well and truly into the 21^st century.

So whether you’re a skinny-jeaned indie kid, a baggy-trousered metal head or a neon-splattered electro fiend, it seems fans can generate a common bond together much easier.

For decades now we have had out musical subcultures- from the mods and rockers to punks, moshers and goths. It may just be that these different strands of musical taste are now more engrained than the Top of the Pops era of old. And yeah, it is ‘horses for courses’ in the respect that diversity breeds interest and a wider industry but there should still be certain songs that elicit communities to enjoy themselves. As good as it was, Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’ wasn’t exactly on a par with when the ‘Thriller’ video had everyone throwing synchronised shapes on the dance floor.

In a time where our cultural identity is currently unknown because of political and economic upheaval it would be nice if popular music was actually well, popular.

Apart from Scouting For Girls, they should never be popular.

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Bikini Black Special are, if you didn’t know, one of

 When asked to describe their sound, both Paddy Green (guitars/synths/vocals) and Kim Seward (vocals) agree that “We just want to make noise. We make noisy electro rock, we like to dance around and we hope that other people want to dance around with us too!”

Luckily then, it seems that people certainly do. Bikini Black Special have just broken the ticket sales record for an unsigned act playing DIY@Promo. You would think this would be a massive cause for celebration but instead Bobby (drums) is putting the stickers on the CDs which will be on sale later in the evening. Still though, there’s a jovial atmosphere to proceedings as Kim often breaks out into a booming, infectious laugh whilst Paddy is normally the one cracking her up.

Their music is an intelligent blend of many different backgrounds, “We‘re into so much stuff between us; jazz, soul, electro, drum‘n‘bass and heavier stuff too. Our sound is poppy without being puerile and I think that makes it more accessible. I mean, come on, we all love pop music. Don‘t tell me you didn‘t enjoy Sound Of The Underground.”

However they aren’t open to all genres, when asked why they didn’t go down the predictable if successful route of indie rock a la Pigeon Detectives, Paddy retorts “It‘s soulless empty music by numbers. The Pigeon Detectives make me shudder; they‘re a horrible, horrible band!”

The name Bikini Black Special is based on an American system they have called DefCon which rates the state of the country in terms of war footing. For example, Bikini Black is absolute peace, Bikini Red is absolute death and war, whilst Bikini Black Special is a state we’ve been in for a while now which is a state of unspecified threat. This makes sense really when you consider their output has been described as having the ambience and atmospherics of a horror movie. However this is coupled with an erotically charged element which has led to ‘The Grim Mathematics Of Intercourse’, the title for their forthcoming debut album.

It’s going to be a self-produced, self-penned and self-released affair. “We‘ve got a big DIY ethos. And you have to because the music industry is starting to lose relevance. We need to connect with our fans directly, we don‘t need a faceless corporation. I mean at the end of the day, they don‘t need to find people, they can just make people.

“We‘ve got the Internet; we can give our music away or sell it. The only downside is that we can‘t give ourselves a cash advance! (Apparently Kim would spend it all on shoes) It‘s all about targeting your audience and getting people to hear it which is why we use Facebook, MySpace and even Pluto.”

Although the free alcohol is a welcome bonus to the band, extroverted Paddy recalls how “I once wrote a rider which consisted of 200 items, mostly booze and a donkey in a paddling pool. Next time I‘ll ask for some food, oh and world peace and the truth.”

When asked what one song they would listen to, if they could only listen to one for the rest of their lives ‘We Become Silhouettes’ by The Postal Service is Paddy’s answer. Whilst on the adjacent red sofa, Kim begins to malfunction under the pressure of the question, referring to it for the next ten minutes without actually giving an answer, “I can‘t cope with that!” she squirms.

Luckily by the time they go on stage, the ill-effects have worn off. Showcasing songs of their new EP they more than justify the ticket sales. ‘Electric Eye’ has developed a sneering attitude live, whilst ‘El Tango Del Hombre Diablo’s’ atmospherics echo Dummy-era Portishead. The distorted male/female vocals playing off against each other ferociously.

As Paddy had earlier mentioned, the local music scene suffered a blip after the initial excitation caused by Radio 1’s Big Weekend but things are starting to look up again. Team Waterpolo have cracked the NME crowd and if there’s any justice Bikini Black Special will be the next band to make it big from Preston.

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A UCLan student has landed his first professional screenwriting contract, after beating competition to write a short film.

Martin Stocks, a third year undergraduate studying Film and Television screenwriting, won the Andrassi Designs competition.

His winning film, which highlights gas safety, has been given a £100,000 budget, funded by the Guinness Trust and will be delivered to homes in Lancashire.

Martin’s networking meant he had a head start in the competition. He pitched his idea to Mr. Andrassi and drafted a script, receiving the job before potential candidates got the chance.

Martin, 22, said: “I felt ecstatic to be chosen out of everyone. I felt very privileged to be chosen ahead of the pack and to be the screenwriter for such an innovative company and project.”

Andrassi Designs make films and projects for the non profit sector. The company wanted a short film created with a funny, fresh style highlighting the serious safety issue. Martin came up with the idea of using a Yorkshire gas man and his sidekick, who liked to crack jokes whilst working.

Martin said when he graduates he would like to work on future collaborations with Andrassi Designs, continuing to build up his professional portfolio.

“I’m looking to develop more film and TV contacts when my short film ‘Mark King’ gets released in the Curzon Renoir Cinema, London, later this year. I’d love to become a regular TV and Radio writer for the BBC in and around Manchester when I get my degree,” he said.

UCLan Screenwriters were rewarded the opportunity after carrying out extensive networking. The students have recently attended the Bafta/Rocliffe Writing Forum in London. They used the trip to receive advice from the well know Bafta Chairman and Shakespeare in Love Producer, David Parfitt.

They also met with the Environment Agency and sent scripts for their Tomorrow’s World Competition. The short films highlighted the serious issue of flooding and water efficiency.

Martin said: “The Tomorrow’s World competition gave me the experience of writing public information videos in an innovative, funny style. My degree has given me the opportunity to broaden my portfolio and meet and pitch ideas to top level industry professionals.”

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Well now Butlins has joined forces with a university to offer a degree in becoming a Redcoat. 

Butlins, the well-renowned family holiday camp, has teamed up with the University of Chichester, Sussex, to provide a two-year foundation degree in musical theatre. 

Situated in the coastal resort of Bognor, wannabe redcoats will train at the university’s campus in the town Bognor Regis.

A Butlins spokeswoman said: “If we can develop some stars for the future through this programme then that can only be a good thing.” 

“Redcoats are renowned for going through tough training and by joining forces with the university we are showing our commitment to providing top quality entertainment,” she added.

The degree will aim to teach students the skills needed to entertain campers; from singing, dancing and performing, to stage management and pyrotechnics.

The move follows fast-food corporation McDonald’s, who were approved status to offer courses with diploma qualifications. 

Many famous celebrities started out as former redcoats including Duncan James from Blue, “H” from Steps and presenter Des O’Connor. 

University officials said the course would help to raise skill levels and would see Butlins marry its entertainment business with educational enterprise.

Students will be able to follow the course with a third-year programme to gain a BA Hons in Music.

A spokesman for UCLan said: “The University has a range of Hospitality Management and Performing Arts courses but has no plans to launch a specific ‘Redcoats’ degree for employers like Butlins.”

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The Production Line 09 was a five-day extravaganza starring the finest musical talent UClan has to offer. As standard with these types of events, there is a strong element of pretension circling around the Media Factory (you may realise this as soon as you step through the doors and see three discarded toilets bellowing music).

A quick look at the titles of the pieces will tell you that, from ‘Juxtaposed Artefacts Creating Obtuse Ballet’, to ‘The Conscious and Unconscious Mind: Conditions of Normality and Abnormality’ and the oddly if somewhat fabulously titled ‘Failure/Sustain/Ecstacy/Revolve’.

From Luke Hesketh’s frenetic showcasing of breakbreat to a minimalist expression based on the Nurburgring motor circuit in Germany. It seems that all involved in The Production Line 09 are really striving to create something successfully avant garde and whilst the results can sometimes be mixed, when the proverbial right notes are hit things can get genuinely exciting.

For example Paul Harrison’s ‘Increased Perception of an Elastic Time’ sees the author challenge his own physicality by running for an indeterminate amount of time on a treadmill which is wired up to a gramophone. The movement he produces causes a monotonous loop of sound which lasted for 38 minutes until a technical fault ended the performance. However those that saw it seemed highly impressed with his rather kinaesthetic music production.

The accompanying description to Ed Jervis’ ‘The Trigger Law Theory’ is a bold piece of prose that asks the reader to “Vote for Audio Peace!” and to “Join The Revolution!”  The musical output is an amplified fuzz of distortion that strives to be inspired but ends up falling just short whilst Jervis slowly started to take his clothes off. Though it is probably unfair to deride the finished article as The Production Line’s mantra seems to be to try and draw from the left-field and create something unique. It was.

By the same token ‘Vocalised Interpretation of Written Emotion’ drew on selected scenes from cinema and theatre and transformed them into a… vocalised interpretation. Josh Baldwin’s performance saw six vocalists of varying ranges create what seemed to be The Media Factory’s version of a Honda advert.

But when these techniques come together well, it can be exhilarating. ‘Chaotic Verse pt. 3’ bore witness to four performers separated by white slides and improvising under the direction of Adam Spencer. The impressive aspect of this kind of piece is how the audience are encouraged to move around the room to hear a different set of sounds dependant on where they are sat. And once it has finished we are assured that all of the individual pieces were performed without any knowledge whatsoever of what their contemporaries may be about to play.

In a similar vein, the final piece on Wednesday night was the dizzying cacophony that is ‘Signature Sounds’. According to the creator Marianne Holland it’s all about the polyrhythmic structures and the soundscapes that are being fashioned from a simple pre-recorded track and five live vocals. It left this listener still murmuring “chasing raindrops” long after the act had finished.  Again, the main attraction of this recital is how the positioning of the audience members around the room creates a significantly different auditory experience.

At times it was indisputably thrilling but it would be fair to say that the impact was blunted somewhat due to length of the piece.

If The Production Line aimed to showcase strength in depth, then without doubt it is a successful exercise. Whether it’s the ensemble performance based on a Japanese short story called “Red Demon and the Blue Demon” or Peter Bryant’s ‘The Festival of Free Expression’ there is something to whet even the sternest of musical appetites.

There’s also a strong academic element to the week’s proceedings with Pinker’s view of music as “auditory cheesecake” challenged by Julia Marshall and Robbie Judkins garnering influences from Japanese noise and glitch artists, Ryoji Ikeda and Merzbow.

Nevertheless, if these names mean nothing to you (they mean little to me) there is also the chance simply to take in music crafted by people who are clearly passionate about what they do.

And although he isn’t a student, someone who is most certainly passionate about his craft is Daryl Runswick- a man who appeared with Mercury Award and Grammy nominees Zero 7, played with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and has recorded with Sir Paul Mc Cartney and Sir Elton John in the past.

Daryl Runswick in Droves turned out to be a great highlight for The Production Line 09; he came to Preston just two weeks after giving the World premiere of Scafra Preludes, Book 4. A man that combines humour and some startling sounds with consummate ease, he acted as the marvellous finale to a week of strange, and on the most part, rewarding music. OK, yeah a lot of it was ostentatious but then again, most of the best music is.

BY LEE SENTINO               

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Preston Tringe, which is in the style of Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival, is taking place from 27^th- 31^st July.

Sam Buist, Director of Screaming Theatre, said: “During the Tringe we want to create a vibrant atmosphere, where artists feel they can experiment, produce new work and where audiences are excited by the opportunity to see a variety of different arts in Preston.” 

The open- access festival already has several artists booked from the North-West and many local acts but are looking for students who would be interested in putting on a show.

It has the support of the Adelphi, The Angel, Avenham Park Pavilion and The Continental. 

For more information on how to get involved go to the Facebook group ‘Preston Screaming Tringe’ or call 07841 391068. Alternatively, email screaming_theatre2004@yahoo.co.uk

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UCLan’s excellent Research Assessment Exercise result has been rewarded through a major increase in research from the HEFCE.

This new figure means UCLan’s research funding allocation has increased by a huge 154.15 percent.

In a letter to the Vice-Chancellor, HEFCE’s Regional Consultant Roger Lewis, said: “UCLan research funding has increased by 154.15 percent, compared with a sector average increase of 7.79 percent. The largest part of the change is attributable to an increase in funded volume.”

Professor Patrick McGhee, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of UCLan, said the increase confirms the success of the university’s RAE result and that it shows that an ambitious approach to research investment and to the RAE itself was the right thing to do.

He added: “My congratulations and thanks go out to everyone across the institution who has helped lift our research activity to a new level.”

It is anticipated that the funding will continue for the next five years. This provides an excellent foundation for the universities long term research vision.

The boost in funding for new universities was welcomed by Pam Tatlow, Chief Executive of Million+.

“Post-92 universities have paid back with abundance the very modest levels of research funding received in the past,” Pam said.

The allocation of research funding is in line with the stated aim of the 2008 RAE, which was to fund excellence wherever it is found. The result of this is that almost all institutions will now receive quality-related research funding.

The increased funding comes as great news for the university, its researchers and research students across the institution.

Overall, UCLan has been awarded an 8.8 percent increase in regular funding for teaching and research in 2009-10.

This is more than double the sector average of 4.1 percent.

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John Potter, who graduated from UCLan in 2004, will stand as a Liberal Democrats candidate for the Preston Central South District in the elections on 4^th June. 

John, who is currently Chair of the Preston Liberal Democrats, will stand for the district against candidates from the Labour and Conservatives parties as well as candidates from smaller groups.

The Central South district for which he will stand includes the University Wards as well as the St George’s area of the city centre and Tulketh. 

John got involved with the party after searching to add purpose to his life beyond his 9 -5 job as Head of Audio Visual Production for a nationwide catalogue company. 

John said: “I had always had a passion for liberalism and its inherent virtues of fairness, equality and freedom of choice.” 

“I quickly threw myself into helping the Preston Liberal Democrats in the campaigns across the city. I found it incredibly rewarding helping residents with local issues,” he added. 

He says that most of the students in Preston are overlooked when it comes to voting as the election takes place in the summer months. 

After graduating from UCLan himself, with a degree in Audio Video Media with Journalism, he wants to get students more involved in the city’s future. 

He said: “As your next county councillor I would set up regular meetings with student representatives alongside community leaders to make sure both are given a voice in the running and future of Preston.” 

“Students would represent a significant proportion of potential voters who would not be as ignored as I believe they are now,” he added. 

Born in Whitehaven, Cumbria, John believes that coming to UCLan to study was one of the most significant decisions of his life. 

“I spent three of the best years at UCLan, so good was my time here as a student I decided to stay in Preston after I graduated in 2004,” he said.

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After 46 years of watching regular winners Cambridge, London and Oxford, UCLan has formed a team to compete in this year’s competition. 

Education Officer Sarah Delli-Colli, who co-ordinated the auditions, said: “Selecting a team for University Challenge used to be a bit of a tradition and by keeping that going we can demonstrate how it isn’t just the red brick universities that can do things like this. There are some really intelligent students at UCLan.” 

The team is Maureen McElroy, David Martin, and Jonathan Cooper and Lisa Atkinson, with reserve Mark Swallow. 

The audition process began earlier this year when Sarah devised an online survey for potential applicants to test their knowledge. Auditions were held on March 11 and 16 and the team of four and one reserve were selected. 

“The standard was quite high. There were fifty questions on the sample we received from University Challenge and the people we selected for the team all scored in the 20s,” said Sarah. 

The team now have less than two months before the heats begin. A series of knock out rounds begin in Manchester in June, the top teams then go through to face Jeremy Paxman in the televised rounds this the Autumn. 

Despite finding and auditioning UCLan’s entrants, Sarah’s role as Education Officer ends this semester. It’ll be up to the newly elected officer to lead the team through the Manchester and television heats. 

University Challenge began on ITV in 1962. The familiar format broadcast today was created by the BBC when they revived the show in 1994 following a seven year hiatus. The show was recently embroiled in controversy after Manchester University won with a non student team member.   

But that won’t deter the UCLan team and preparations are already under way. Sarah said: “The team have started their ‘training’… they’re practicing with the University Challenge board game!”  

Breakout:

Think you’re up to the University Challenge? Here are some of the sample questions students were asked at the UCLan auditions: 

Said to be the region where the first urban civilisation evolved, which part of lower Mesopotamia, between Babylon and the Persian Gulf, included the city states of Uruk, Eridu and Ur? 

In Greek Mythology, who was the youngest son of Laomedon and, in later years, Kind of Troy during the siege by the Greeks?

Profiles for each team member: 

Name: Maureen McElroy

Where are you from: Prestwick, Scotland.

Course: Homeopathic Medicine

‘Specialist’ Subjects: Medical Science or History

IQ: 140+

Audition score: 21

Previous experience: Pub quizzes and the like.

Where next after your degree: “I want to open up my own clinic in Prestwick, and also one in Northern Ireland, where my daughter lives!”

Name: David Martin

Where are you from: Preston.

Course: Social Work

‘Specialist’ Subjects: History, Politics or Art.

IQ: unknown

Audition score: 29

Previous experience: Won the weakest link, eight years ago!

Where next after your degree? “Either a masters or straight into Social Wor.k”

Name: Lisa Atkinson

Where are you from: Liverpool

Course: Arabic & Islamic studies

‘Specialist’ Subjects: “I know lots of things about nothing in particular”

IQ: unknown

Audition score: 22

Previous experience: Other quiz teams

Where next after your degree? “I’d like to work as a translator.”

Name: Jonathan Cooper

Where are you from: Angus, Scotland

Course: Phd in Sustainable Development

‘Specialist’ subject: sciences

IQ: unknown

Audition score: 21

Previous Experience: pub school quiz teams

Where next after your degree: “I plan to stay in academia.”

Name: Mark Swallow

Where are you from: Harrogate

Course: Film & Media studies

‘Specialist’ Subjects: I know a little bit of everything

IQ: unknown

Audition score: 16

Previous experience: Mostly pub quizzes. The team I was on won the SLO course rep quiz recently- but we lost out on the trophy!

Where next after your degree: “I’ve no plans yet other than to see where it takes me.”

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