University Challenge fans were left distracted by an unexpected detail during Monday night’s episode. Hosted by Amol Rajan, who recently took over from long-time presenter Jeremy Paxman, the episode saw Darwin College, Cambridge, face off against Birkbeck, University of London, in the seventh first-round match. Amol Rajan joined University Challenge as the new host in 2023, taking over from long-time presenter Jeremy Paxman, who had hosted the show for 29 years.
During the head-to-head matches, some viewers were left distracted by Birkbeck contestant Van Onzenoort, after her festive Christmas jumper stole the spotlight. Taking to X, one person asked: “Is Van Onzenoort on #UniversityChallenge wearing a Christmas jumper?!” A second person joked: “#universitychallenge Van Onzenoort busting out the Christmas Jumper a tad early if you ask me.” A third person said: “#UniversityChallenge When was this recorded Christmas? Earliest sighting of a Xmas Jumper” A fourth person added: “Is that an early Christmas jumper from van onzenoort? #universitychallenge” Unfortunately, by the end of the programme, Darwin College outscored Birkbeck, resulting in their elimination from the competition.
Some people were left disappointed by the results, one person said: “Fair effort from both teams there, but it was Mr Whitaker's remarkable ELEVEN(!) starters that won the game for Darwin; well done them and best of luck next time! And thanks Birkbeck for playing; a pleasant team to .
