#1 - The 3rd Degree: Series 1-7
A quiz show hosted by Steve Punt (star of BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show and the brains behind Horrible Histories) where a team of three University students take on a team of three of their professors.
Every week, at a different University, it pits a team of three Students against three of their Lecturers. The rounds vary between Specialist Knowledge and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and ‘Highbrow and Lowbrow’. Which of the students will turn out to be complete trivia-boffins? Will the Lecturers reveal they know more about Beyoncé than Barthes? There’s plenty of scope for embarrassment on both sides...
The universities in the first series are Southampton, Durham, Stirling, Reading, Salford & Middlesex.
The universities in the second series are the University of East Anglia, Swansea, Warwick, Sussex, Queen Mary London and Northampton
The universities in the third series are Edinburgh, Leeds, Leicester, Exeter, Bath Spa and Anglia Ruskin (in Cambridge) and the subjects range from Rocket Science (literally!) to Creative Music Technology. Meanwhile, the questions cover every subject under the sun, including dada & Dylan, The Kardashians & the Ku Klux Klan, gherkins & Gummi Bears and concrete & cogwheels...
The universities in the fourth series are Bristol, Kent, Bedfordshire, Aberystwyth, Nottingham & Birmingham and the subjects range from Sports Science to Theatre Studies via Welsh Folklore and Journalism. Meanwhile, the questions cover every subject under the sun, including Candy Crush Corner & cauliflowers, Kierkegaard and Kim Kardashian, Wagner, Debussy, Scooby-Doo, Geoff Hurst, Swedish massage and monkey glands...
The universities in the fifth series are Cardiff, Manchester, Essex, De Montfort, Aston & Surrey and the subjects range from Forensic Science to Contour Fashion via Psychology and Astrophysics. Meanwhile, the questions cover every subject under the sun, including both the Epic Of Gilgamesh and My Little Pony, Gogglebox & blood spatter patterns, tennis balls and the Treaty of Westphalia...
The universities in the sixth series are York, Gloucestershire, Chester, Glasgow, Birmingham City University & Bath and the subjects range from Theatre History to Cosmology via Sociology and Visual Communication. Meanwhile, the questions cover every subject under the sun, including such diverse concepts as Mary Poppins, Hugo Boss, trampolining and Star Wars, not to mention an unexpected fact about rats that’s once heard, never forgotten...
In the seventh series, the universities are Roehampton, Queen’s University Belfast, Hull, Derby, Liverpool and St John’s College Cambridge
Every week, at a different University, it pits a team of three Students against three of their Lecturers. The rounds vary between Specialist Knowledge and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and ‘Highbrow and Lowbrow’. Which of the students will turn out to be complete trivia-boffins? Will the Lecturers reveal they know more about Beyoncé than Barthes? There’s plenty of scope for embarrassment on both sides...
The universities in the first series are Southampton, Durham, Stirling, Reading, Salford & Middlesex.
The universities in the second series are the University of East Anglia, Swansea, Warwick, Sussex, Queen Mary London and Northampton
The universities in the third series are Edinburgh, Leeds, Leicester, Exeter, Bath Spa and Anglia Ruskin (in Cambridge) and the subjects range from Rocket Science (literally!) to Creative Music Technology. Meanwhile, the questions cover every subject under the sun, including dada & Dylan, The Kardashians & the Ku Klux Klan, gherkins & Gummi Bears and concrete & cogwheels...
The universities in the fourth series are Bristol, Kent, Bedfordshire, Aberystwyth, Nottingham & Birmingham and the subjects range from Sports Science to Theatre Studies via Welsh Folklore and Journalism. Meanwhile, the questions cover every subject under the sun, including Candy Crush Corner & cauliflowers, Kierkegaard and Kim Kardashian, Wagner, Debussy, Scooby-Doo, Geoff Hurst, Swedish massage and monkey glands...
The universities in the fifth series are Cardiff, Manchester, Essex, De Montfort, Aston & Surrey and the subjects range from Forensic Science to Contour Fashion via Psychology and Astrophysics. Meanwhile, the questions cover every subject under the sun, including both the Epic Of Gilgamesh and My Little Pony, Gogglebox & blood spatter patterns, tennis balls and the Treaty of Westphalia...
The universities in the sixth series are York, Gloucestershire, Chester, Glasgow, Birmingham City University & Bath and the subjects range from Theatre History to Cosmology via Sociology and Visual Communication. Meanwhile, the questions cover every subject under the sun, including such diverse concepts as Mary Poppins, Hugo Boss, trampolining and Star Wars, not to mention an unexpected fact about rats that’s once heard, never forgotten...
In the seventh series, the universities are Roehampton, Queen’s University Belfast, Hull, Derby, Liverpool and St John’s College Cambridge
#2 - The 3rd Degree: Series 8-14
Steve Punt's quiz show where a team of three students take on a team of three of their professors
A quiz show hosted by Steve Punt (star of BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show and the brains behind Horrible Histories) where a team of three University students take on a team of three of their professors.
Every week, at a different University, it pits a team of three Students against three of their Lecturers. The rounds vary between Specialist Knowledge and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and ‘Highbrow and Lowbrow’. Which of the students will turn out to be complete trivia-boffins? Will the Lecturers reveal they know more about Beyoncé than Barthes? There’s plenty of scope for embarrassment on both sides...
Production credits
Devised and produced by David Tyler
Hosted by Steve Punt
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.
A quiz show hosted by Steve Punt (star of BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show and the brains behind Horrible Histories) where a team of three University students take on a team of three of their professors.
Every week, at a different University, it pits a team of three Students against three of their Lecturers. The rounds vary between Specialist Knowledge and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and ‘Highbrow and Lowbrow’. Which of the students will turn out to be complete trivia-boffins? Will the Lecturers reveal they know more about Beyoncé than Barthes? There’s plenty of scope for embarrassment on both sides...
Production credits
Devised and produced by David Tyler
Hosted by Steve Punt
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.
#6 - The 3rd Degree: Series 11
A quiz show hosted by Steve Punt where a team of three university students take on a team of three of their professors.
The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and it pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in a genuinely original and fresh take on an academic quiz
The rounds vary between Specialist Subjects and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and the 'Highbrow & Lowbrow' round cunningly devised to test not only the students' knowledge of current affairs, history, languages and science, but also their Professors' awareness of television, sport, and quite possibly Justin Bieber... In addition, the Head-to-Head rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects; offer plenty of scope for mild embarrassment on both sides...
In this series, the universities are Southampton, Cumbria, Brasenose College Oxford, Anglia Ruskin, Northampton and Nottingham Trent.
Production Credits:
Devised & produced by David Tyler
Hosted by Steve Punt
Episode 1
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from the University of Southampton.
The Specialist Subjects are Biological Sciences, Fashion Design and Film Studies and the questions range from Harry Styles to dinosaur hips via Bullet Time and British Home Stores...
Episode 2
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from the University of Cumbria.
The specialist subjects are Marine & Freshwater Biology, Education and Forestry Management & Conservation, while the questions range from brothels and bats to Barnaby Bear - plus a chance to brush up on your fronted adverbials....
Episode 3
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Brasenose College, Oxford.
The Specialist Subjects are Philosophy, Law and Chemistry and the questions range from rocket fuel and robbing a bank to Plato and pole vault...
Episode 4
This is episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Anglia Ruskin University.
The Specialist Subjects are Sociology, Optometry and Psychology and it's your chance to find out about the Pole Of Ignorance, the Tumbling E and a CGI lion...
Episode 5
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from the University of Northampton.
The Specialist Subjects are International Development, Law & Organized Crime and Nursing and the questions range from piercings and postage to erythema and smokeballs...
Episode 6
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Nottingham Trent University.
The Specialist Subjects are English Literature, Broadcast Journalism and Law and the questions range from oblate spheroids to Grover Cleveland via Le Corbusier and BT Openreach...
First broadcast BBC Radio 4: 31st May - 5th June 2021
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
A quiz show hosted by Steve Punt where a team of three university students take on a team of three of their professors.
The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and it pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in a genuinely original and fresh take on an academic quiz
The rounds vary between Specialist Subjects and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and the 'Highbrow & Lowbrow' round cunningly devised to test not only the students' knowledge of current affairs, history, languages and science, but also their Professors' awareness of television, sport, and quite possibly Justin Bieber... In addition, the Head-to-Head rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects; offer plenty of scope for mild embarrassment on both sides...
In this series, the universities are Southampton, Cumbria, Brasenose College Oxford, Anglia Ruskin, Northampton and Nottingham Trent.
Production Credits:
Devised & produced by David Tyler
Hosted by Steve Punt
Episode 1
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from the University of Southampton.
The Specialist Subjects are Biological Sciences, Fashion Design and Film Studies and the questions range from Harry Styles to dinosaur hips via Bullet Time and British Home Stores...
Episode 2
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from the University of Cumbria.
The specialist subjects are Marine & Freshwater Biology, Education and Forestry Management & Conservation, while the questions range from brothels and bats to Barnaby Bear - plus a chance to brush up on your fronted adverbials....
Episode 3
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Brasenose College, Oxford.
The Specialist Subjects are Philosophy, Law and Chemistry and the questions range from rocket fuel and robbing a bank to Plato and pole vault...
Episode 4
This is episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Anglia Ruskin University.
The Specialist Subjects are Sociology, Optometry and Psychology and it's your chance to find out about the Pole Of Ignorance, the Tumbling E and a CGI lion...
Episode 5
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from the University of Northampton.
The Specialist Subjects are International Development, Law & Organized Crime and Nursing and the questions range from piercings and postage to erythema and smokeballs...
Episode 6
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Nottingham Trent University.
The Specialist Subjects are English Literature, Broadcast Journalism and Law and the questions range from oblate spheroids to Grover Cleveland via Le Corbusier and BT Openreach...
First broadcast BBC Radio 4: 31st May - 5th June 2021
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
#7 - The 3rd Degree: Series 12
A quiz show hosted by Steve Punt where a team of three university students take on a team of three of their professors
The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and it pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in a genuinely original and fresh take on an academic quiz
The rounds vary between Specialist Subjects and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and the 'Highbrow & Lowbrow' round cunningly devised to test not only the students' knowledge of current affairs, history, languages and science, but also their Professors' awareness of television, sport, and quite possibly Justin Bieber... In addition, the Head-to-Head rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects; offer plenty of scope for mild embarrassment on both sides...
In this series, the universities are UCL, Leeds Beckett, Gonville & Caius College Cambridge, Warwick, Bangor and Lancaster.
Production Credits
Devised & produced by David Tyler
Hosted by Steve Punt
Episode 1
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from University College London. The specialist subjects are Biochemical Engineering, Psychology and English Literature and the questions range from Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway to Willy Wonka's Timothée Chalamet and the answers include the words yttrium, walla and quinquereme.
Episode 2
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from Leeds Beckett University, the specialist subjects are Journalism, English Literature and Sport and Exercise Science, and the questions range from whey powder and NIBs to Y2K and CQD. And, guaranteed, an interesting fact about Basildon.
Episode 3
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, the specialist subjects are Physics, Economics and History, and the answers involve the isotropy of the universe, pre-war Poland's relation to the Gold Standard and a song about sausage rolls.
Episode 4
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from the University of Warwick, the specialist subjects are Maths and Statistics, Linguistics and Engineering, and the questions range from Kartvelian Languages and Prismatic Actuators to Yellow Submarines and Vanessa Shanessa Jenkin.
Episode 5
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from Bangor University, the specialist subjects are Education, Film Studies and Zoology with Herpetology, and the questions range from the Miracle at Cana to the sex life of Komodo Dragons. And you can play along to the well-known game, Name Five Famous Spaniards.
Episode 6
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from Lancaster University, where the specialist subjects are English Literature, Marketing and French, and the questions range from Les Immortels and Roland Barthes to shopping trolleys and Philip K Dick...
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4: 20th June - 25th July 2022
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
The show is recorded on location at a different University each week, and it pits three Undergraduates against three of their Professors in a genuinely original and fresh take on an academic quiz
The rounds vary between Specialist Subjects and General Knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and the 'Highbrow & Lowbrow' round cunningly devised to test not only the students' knowledge of current affairs, history, languages and science, but also their Professors' awareness of television, sport, and quite possibly Justin Bieber... In addition, the Head-to-Head rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects; offer plenty of scope for mild embarrassment on both sides...
In this series, the universities are UCL, Leeds Beckett, Gonville & Caius College Cambridge, Warwick, Bangor and Lancaster.
Production Credits
Devised & produced by David Tyler
Hosted by Steve Punt
Episode 1
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from University College London. The specialist subjects are Biochemical Engineering, Psychology and English Literature and the questions range from Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway to Willy Wonka's Timothée Chalamet and the answers include the words yttrium, walla and quinquereme.
Episode 2
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from Leeds Beckett University, the specialist subjects are Journalism, English Literature and Sport and Exercise Science, and the questions range from whey powder and NIBs to Y2K and CQD. And, guaranteed, an interesting fact about Basildon.
Episode 3
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, the specialist subjects are Physics, Economics and History, and the answers involve the isotropy of the universe, pre-war Poland's relation to the Gold Standard and a song about sausage rolls.
Episode 4
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from the University of Warwick, the specialist subjects are Maths and Statistics, Linguistics and Engineering, and the questions range from Kartvelian Languages and Prismatic Actuators to Yellow Submarines and Vanessa Shanessa Jenkin.
Episode 5
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from Bangor University, the specialist subjects are Education, Film Studies and Zoology with Herpetology, and the questions range from the Miracle at Cana to the sex life of Komodo Dragons. And you can play along to the well-known game, Name Five Famous Spaniards.
Episode 6
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from Lancaster University, where the specialist subjects are English Literature, Marketing and French, and the questions range from Les Immortels and Roland Barthes to shopping trolleys and Philip K Dick...
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4: 20th June - 25th July 2022
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
#8 - The 3rd Degree: Series 13
Steve Punt's quiz show where a team of three students take on a team of three of their professors
Recorded on location at a different university each week, The 3rd Degree pits three undergraduates against three of their professors in a genuinely original and fresh take on an academic quiz.
The rounds vary between specialist subjects and general knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and the 'Highbrow and Lowbrow' round - which is cunningly devised to test not only the students' knowledge of current affairs, history, languages and science, but also their professors' awareness of television, sport and, quite possibly, Ed Sheeran... In addition, there are head-to-head rounds where the students take on the professors in their own subjects, offering plenty of scope for embarrassment on both sides.
In Series 13, the universities are Exeter, Strathclyde, Somerville College Oxford, Keele, King's College London and Portsmouth.
Production credits
Devised and produced by David Tyler
Hosted by Steve Punt
Episode 1
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from Exeter, where the specialist subjects are Economics, Natural Sciences and History, and the questions range from Dirac points and fat tails to what Napoleon was really doing in Fishguard. Plus, your chance to hear the most-played piece of music ever.
Episode 2
This episode of The 3rd Degree comes from the University of Strathclyde, where the specialist subjects are Creative Writing, Management Science and Civil & Environmental Engineering. The questions involve words like 'babok', 'chiasmus' and 'vug'. Also, listen to find out about the fascinating Mavis Grind.
Episode 3
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from Somerville College, Oxford, where the specialist subjects are Classics, Classical Archaeology & Ancient History, Physics and Linguistics, and the questions range from a Sybil in a bottle to an electron in a spiral (via mustard, runes and Kate Winslet). And some simple tips for translating Japanese into Hungarian.
Episode 4
This episode of The 3rd Degree comes from Keele University, where the specialist subjects are Film Studies, Medicine and Law. The questions involve catabolics, contract law and Carry On up the Costa Plonka. And if you thought there were only eight states and territories in Australia, prepare to be amazed.
Episode 5
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from King's College London, where the specialist subjects are Law and Cosmology, as well as the Culture, Media and Creative Industries. The questions involve a giant spider, a silver hammer and the reason why it's no longer illegal to commit champerty. Also included are not one but two questions about Audrey Hepburn and stamps. How can you resist?
Episode 6
This episode of The 3rd Degree comes from University of Portsmouth, where the specialist subjects are Musical Theatre, Maths and Psychology, and the teams are quizzed on Cauchy sequences, Hilbert spaces, the Dunning-Kruger effect and what on earth is dangling from Mick Fleetwood? Plus, the world's dodgiest song in the first ever musical.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4: 3rd July - 7th August 2023.
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.
Recorded on location at a different university each week, The 3rd Degree pits three undergraduates against three of their professors in a genuinely original and fresh take on an academic quiz.
The rounds vary between specialist subjects and general knowledge, quickfire bell-and-buzzer rounds and the 'Highbrow and Lowbrow' round - which is cunningly devised to test not only the students' knowledge of current affairs, history, languages and science, but also their professors' awareness of television, sport and, quite possibly, Ed Sheeran... In addition, there are head-to-head rounds where the students take on the professors in their own subjects, offering plenty of scope for embarrassment on both sides.
In Series 13, the universities are Exeter, Strathclyde, Somerville College Oxford, Keele, King's College London and Portsmouth.
Production credits
Devised and produced by David Tyler
Hosted by Steve Punt
Episode 1
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from Exeter, where the specialist subjects are Economics, Natural Sciences and History, and the questions range from Dirac points and fat tails to what Napoleon was really doing in Fishguard. Plus, your chance to hear the most-played piece of music ever.
Episode 2
This episode of The 3rd Degree comes from the University of Strathclyde, where the specialist subjects are Creative Writing, Management Science and Civil & Environmental Engineering. The questions involve words like 'babok', 'chiasmus' and 'vug'. Also, listen to find out about the fascinating Mavis Grind.
Episode 3
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from Somerville College, Oxford, where the specialist subjects are Classics, Classical Archaeology & Ancient History, Physics and Linguistics, and the questions range from a Sybil in a bottle to an electron in a spiral (via mustard, runes and Kate Winslet). And some simple tips for translating Japanese into Hungarian.
Episode 4
This episode of The 3rd Degree comes from Keele University, where the specialist subjects are Film Studies, Medicine and Law. The questions involve catabolics, contract law and Carry On up the Costa Plonka. And if you thought there were only eight states and territories in Australia, prepare to be amazed.
Episode 5
This episode of The 3rd Degree is brought to you from King's College London, where the specialist subjects are Law and Cosmology, as well as the Culture, Media and Creative Industries. The questions involve a giant spider, a silver hammer and the reason why it's no longer illegal to commit champerty. Also included are not one but two questions about Audrey Hepburn and stamps. How can you resist?
Episode 6
This episode of The 3rd Degree comes from University of Portsmouth, where the specialist subjects are Musical Theatre, Maths and Psychology, and the teams are quizzed on Cauchy sequences, Hilbert spaces, the Dunning-Kruger effect and what on earth is dangling from Mick Fleetwood? Plus, the world's dodgiest song in the first ever musical.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4: 3rd July - 7th August 2023.
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.