How many of the Canterbury Pilgrims can you name off the top of your head? What substance is used to simulate human tissue in firing experiments? Which Roman Catholic Church completed in 1967 was nicknamed ‘The Mersey funnel’? What meal do George Baeza’s ‘Carmen’ and Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Espresso’ have in common? If you are shouting out the answers whilst reading, Radio 4 quiz show The Third Degree is for you.
To celebrate opening our doors 60years ago, the BBC transmitted a Kent edition of the long-running BBC panel quiz show over arrivals weekend. Recorded on campus, the show pitted three Undergraduates against three of their professors in an academic quiz. Brave participants included Dr Ambrose Gillick and Marco Hurst from Architecture, Dr Sarah Dustagheer and Darcy Priston from English Literature and Dr Chris Shepherd and Hannah Lim from Forensic Science.
The General Knowledge rounds include a quickfire bell-and-buzzer finale and the Highbrow & Lowbrow round is cunningly devised to test not only the students’ knowledge of history, art, literature and politics, but also their professors’ popular culture awareness. Meanwhile there are the three Specialist Subject rounds, in which students take on their professors in their own subjects, and reveal how much attention they have been paying in their lectures!
‘It was an exciting experience to take part and an opportunity to showcase some of our fantastic courses and students at the University of Kent,’ Chris Shepherd, Reader in Forensic Science told us. ‘It pushed me out of my comfort zone, but luckily, I rather surprised myself with some of the answers I came out with under pressure!’
He was pitched against his student Hannah Lim:
‘I was originally on the fence as to whether I should try out for the 3rd Degree or not as at the time I had a major piece of coursework coming up. But in the end I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and have a go! It was honestly such a fun experience, and I am so glad to have been able to take part.’
Recorded in front of a live studio audience on campus, you’ll need to tune into the episode to see whether the students or the academics came out tops. Listen here.