University of Leicester Team to Compete on University Challenge, Aiming to Inspire

Students from the University of Leicester are scheduled to appear on the BBC quiz show University Challenge, marking 61 years since the institution’s initial victory in the competition. The university previously triumphed over Baliol College, Oxford, during the first ever series in 1963. Noah Lister, George Gowland, Greg Beeden, and Edward Owen-Beckwith will face the London School of Economics. The broadcast is set for BBC Two at 20:30 GMT. Mr. Beedon, a third-year Physics student, remarked, “It’s always something I have wanted to do. It’s quite surreal actually because I got the chance to see how it all worked behind-the-scenes.” Mr. Beeden also stated, “I have a very rare form of dwarfism, and you do not see people with visible disabilities on the show.” He further commented, “It really inspires people who do not fit the stereotypical mould to really try and achieve these things. That’s really inspirational.” Sandya Narayanswami, during her time studying Biological Science, was the first Indian woman to participate in the program. Ms. Narayanswami, currently residing in Pasadena, California, recalled, “We had a couple of buses take us to the studios, and a lot of my friends were in the audience cheering. That was lovely.” She additionally noted, “They could not use my full name on the lighted-up box. They used ‘Swami’ instead. I should have insisted on them putting my name in full.” Regarding the host, she said, “Bamber Gascoigne was wonderful. He was a civil and sophisticated gentleman. He was nice to all of us, and particularly kind to me.” She concluded, “I experienced a lot of racism at my grammar school. But, at Leicester, I was allowed to bloom. I was treated like an intelligent person.”