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Gail Trimble on University Challenge

Gail Trimble on University Challenge
  • Posted at 4:07pm
  • 26 February 2009
  • by AlisonGraham-RT
  • 5 comments

If ever a woman's body language shouted, "I'm clever, but I'm rather shy and I don't want to be seen as a show-off", it was that of Gail Trimble, intellectual Panzer and captain of the Corpus Christi College, Oxford team on University Challenge. Acknowledged as the quiz's highest-scoring competitor ever, Trimble laid waste to opponents with her sweetly nervous smile and breathtaking general knowledge.

It was Pollyanna-ish of me not to realise until the day of the grand final (23 February BBC2) that not everyone thought, as I did, that she was terrific - immensely clever and with an endearingly bashful air whenever she answered correctly. And she answered correctly nearly all the time.

No, there was the inevitable internet backlash, prompted by abusive comments on what, for the most part, are those playgrounds of the dim, the deranged and the disappointed - messageboards.

As the final got under way, I wondered if the mighty Trimble had seen any of this rubbish, because she was a bit subdued. Manchester University, Corpus Christi's rivals and no intellectual slouches themselves, powered away, winning round after round of starter questions.

But Gail was quiet. Had she let those who'd spitefully denounced her as "smug" get the better of her? As Manchester soared, we thought the unthinkable: Corpus Christi and their warrior queen, who had so memorably stamped all over their previous opponents, were going to lose.

In the last three or four minutes, suddenly the gap narrowed. This was genuinely exciting stuff, a real television event. And then - as The Ride of the Valkyries played in my head - Gail Trimble put the contest beyond Manchester's reach. Even Jeremy Paxman, I swear, wore the shadow of a smile as this dainty Boudicca pulled her team to victory by 275 points to 190. We cheered and wondered: what will we do on Monday nights now?

**

Alison Graham is TV editor of Radio Times

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Comments

  • Posted on 02 March 2009
  • at 6:39pm
  • by Phill

Ms. Gail Trimble was fabulous ... pity the glory has been stolen by the team disqualification. Consigns her performance to the bin of administrative ignomy. Tragic. We'll not see her again.

  • Posted on 01 March 2009
  • at 8:31pm
  • by Germ

Gail Trimble is the perfect demonstration of my long-held belief,namely that the sexiest part of any woman lies directly between their ears!

I found myself wondering if we'd see more of Gail in the future.I always remember seeing the clips of old UC shows with great (and not so great) politicians and the ever entertaining Stephen Fry) and I wondered if sometime in the not too distant future there'd be the addition of "Trimble-Corpus Christi".

  • Posted on 01 March 2009
  • at 12:18pm
  • by Frank

I found it really sad and depressing that so much energy was put into hating her - I too naively assumed that everyone would find her as endearing as me I did. Class snobbery, IQ snobbery and jealousy (anyone educated enough to speak properly is branded "posh" and dismissed as worthless). And good old fashioned misogyny, of course.

We need more brainy people like her on TV. People have to understand that it's okay to aspire to be clever, and not shameful or dirty to show it.

  • Posted on 27 February 2009
  • at 8:02pm
  • by Rob

I totally agree. Many previous contestants are now familiar faces on our TV - Ian Hislop, Stephen Fry. Perhaps Miss Trimble will one day grace our screens with her own show. I for one will be waiting and watching. Brains and beauty - there's nothing better.

  • Posted on 27 February 2009
  • at 12:24pm
  • by Peter

The quarter finals, semi finals and final were all filmed back in Novemeber! At that time, only one Corpus match had been shown, that against Durham.

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