Ben Pugh (QE 2002-2009) has helped Pembroke College, Cambridge, reach the quarter-finals of the BBC’s University Challenge.
He played a leading part as his team beat St Anne’s College, Oxford, in the first round early in the autumn and then again this month as they saw off Nottingham University by 280 points to 125.
Ben, who is reading German and Russian, put in two impressive individual performances, answering questions on a diverse range of subjects, ranging from chemistry and history to identifying that the S in SIM card stands for ‘Subscriber’. In the first round he was also on the receiving end of presenter Jeremy Paxman’s trademark mockery for his ability to recognise the girl band Girls Aloud in a music round, but then demonstrated his depth of musical knowledge in the next round when he identified Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.
Ben studied English Literature, French, German and History at A-level at QE, securing a grade A in all four subjects – the top grade at the time. He was placed in the top five in the UK in AQA’s GCSE German and French courses. While he was a pupil, Ben supported younger QE boys in the weekly language clinics.