The 3rd Degree
"The 3rd Degree" is a funny, lively and dynamic quiz show aimed at cultivating the next generation of Radio 4 listeners whilst delighting the current ones. It’s 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. Being a Radio 4 programme, it of course meets the most stringent standards of academic rigour – but with lots of facts and jokes thrown in for good measure.
Together with host Steve Punt, the show tours the (sometimes posh, sometimes murky, but always welcoming!) Union buildings, cafés and lecture halls of six universities across the UK.
We were overwhelmed with interest from students at every stage of the process – from the hundreds of phone interviews carried out to decide the contestants, to the enthusiastic reception we received from Student Radio stations and Union magazines eager to talk to “The Now Show” star Steve Punt about what he was doing on campus.
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, film, and Lady Gaga… In addition, the Head-to-Head rounds, in which students take on their Professors in their own subjects, were particularly lively, and offered plenty of scope for mild embarrassment on both sides...
The resulting show is funny, fresh, and not a little bit surprising, with a truly varied range of scores, friendly rivalry, and moments where students wished they had more than just glanced at that reading list…
The host, Steve Punt, although best known as a satirist on The Now Show is also someone who delights in all facets of knowledge, not just in the Humanities (his educational background) but in the sciences as well. As well as “The Now Show” he has made a number of documentaries for Radio 4, on subjects as varied as “The Poet Unwound - The History Of The Spleen” and “Getting The Gongs” - an investigation into awards ceremonies - as well as a half-hour comedy for Radio 4’s 2008 Big Bang Day set in the Large Hadron Collider, called “The Genuine Particle”. This makes him the perfect host for a show which aims to be an intellectual, fulfilling and informative quiz, but with wit and a genuine delight in exploring the subjects at hand.
The 3rd Degree
Series 1
Show 1
First Tx: 21/02/11 13.30-14.00
Coming this week from the University of Southampton, host Steve Punt quizzes Biology students and Mathematics dons alike on dachshunds, Dante, and Doctor Who. So if you’ve ever wondered whether “The Golgi Apparatus” refers to part of a eukaryotic cell or is merely a little-read Robert Ludlum novel then this is the show for you.
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 2
First Tx: 28/02/11 13.30-14.00
Coming this week from Durham University, host Steve Punt asks Earth Scientists about Philip Larkin, and English Literature professors about Fish from Marillion. So if you’re struggling to remember what happened to Solomon Grundy on Saturday, why the witches in Macbeth speak in trochees not iambs and which footballer was sent off during the 2006 World Cup Final for nutting his opponent – this is the quiz show for you.
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 7/03/11 13.30-14.00
Coming this week from the University of Stirling, host Steve Punt puts questions to students and lecturers of Psychology, Marketing, and English Studies. So if you’ve got a notion as to who lived at 7 Eccles Street, what is James Bond’s family motto, or why on earth a marketer might use a ‘semantic cognitive differential tangent’ then listen in...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 14/03/11 13.30-14.00
Coming this week from the University of Reading, host Steve Punt quizzes students and lecturers of Food Science & Technology, International Relations, and English and American Literature. Which is why you’re going to find out the meanings of such obscure and outlandish concepts as “interregnum”, “Tetrapak”, “Spationaute”, “Myanmar”, “Thermidore”, “golem” and “Chris Moyles”
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 21/03/11 13.30-14.00
Coming this week from the University of Salford, host Steve Punt puts the questions to lecturers and students alike. So if you’d like to hear a Military Historian humming Beatles songs, a Senior Lecturer in Criminology trying to identify Rihanna, or students trying to list types of fruit that begin with the letter ‘P’, then this is the quiz show for you. Plus the only time in recording history that the word “pebble” has earned a massive cheer.
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 28/03/11 13.30-14.00
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from Middlesex University, where host Steve Punt puts the questions to students and dons of Child Nursing, Design & Art, Biology and Biomedical Sciences. Topics for questions include whirling astronauts, Wagner’s operas, and 300 billion copies of the Queen. So if you’ve ever wondered which exponential function’s derivative is equal to the function itself or what are the exact contents of a Jägerbomb cocktail, then this is the quiz show for you.
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Series 2
Show 1
First Tx: 12/03/2012 15.00-15.30
Coming this week from the University of East Anglia, host Steve Punt quizzes Film & TV Studies students and Computer Science dons alike on Di Caprio, Djibouti and decaffeinated coffee. So if you’ve ever wondered what contribution Keira Knightley has made to the academic theory of film or how on earth to pronounce the word “Sfumato” then this is the show for you.
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 2
First Tx: 19/03/2012 15.00-15.30
Coming this week from Swansea University/Prifysgol Abertawe, host Steve Punt asks law professors about Papua New Guinea and Classicists about the Mr Men books. So if you’re struggling to remember in which book Tintin met Captain Haddock, what law prevents you from stealing electricity and just who was Priscilla Queen Of The Desert – this is the quiz show for you.
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 26/03/2012 15.00-15.30
Coming this week from the University of Warwick, host Steve Punt puts questions to students and lecturers of Chemistry, Philosophy and Economics. So if you’ve got a taste for Aristotelian syllogisms, the decolourization of bromine in Carbon Tetrachloride or the invented of Toblerone then listen in...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 02/04/2012 15.00-15.30
Coming this week from the University of Sussex, host Steve Punt quizzes students and lecturers of English Literature, 20th Century Drama and Cognition Science. Which is why you’re going to find out how to use a computer to diagnose a paranoid schizophrenic, which dramatic icon was depicted buried up to their waist in earth and which idiotic dog chased some deer across Richmond Park...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 09/04/2012 15.00-15.30
Coming this week from Queen Mary, University of London, host Steve Punt puts the questions to lecturers and students alike. So if you’d like to hear a rather senior historian have a blazing row about Churchill’s relationship with the price of coal or discover the link between Rupert Brooke and Shirley Bassey then this is the quiz show for you. Plus a surprise appearance by Iggle-Piggle.
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 16/04/2012 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Northampton, where host Steve Punt puts the questions to students and dons of Journalism, Popular Music and the History Of Crime. We’ll be looking at some of the most notorious misdeeds of the 20th century, but as well as questions about Sun headlines, we’ll also consider the politics of George Michael and the sex scenes of Ford Madox Ford. So if you’ve ever wondered why the most popular name in rock history is “Keith” then this is the quiz show for you.
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Series 3
Show 1
First Tx: 25/03/2013 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from Anglia Ruskin University, in Cambridge, where host Steve Punt puts the questions to students and dons of Film Studies, Social Work & Graphic Design and the questions range from gherkins & Gummi Bears to David Cronenberg & Delacroix via Morris Dancing & Beyoncé
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 2
First Tx: 01/04/2013 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Exeter, where host Steve Punt puts the questions to students and dons of Psychology, Philosophy & Biosciences and the questions range from whistling sailors and George Orwell to Pythagoras and guano...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 08/04/2013 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Edinburgh, where host Steve Punt puts the questions to students and dons of Biological Sciences, History of Art and International Relations and the questions range from Lady Chatterley and Aubrey Beardsley through to laughing gas and Carly Rae Jepson...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 15/04/2013 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Leicester, where host Steve Punt puts the questions to students and dons of Medicine, Sociology and, quite literally, Rocket Science (well, Astrophysics and Space Physics) and the questions range from tummy rumbling to black holes via cheese, snooker and T.S. Eliot. And the shadow of King Richard the IIIrd lours upon us all
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 22/04/2013 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from Bath Spa University, where host Steve Punt puts the questions to students and dons of are Creative Music Technology, Creative Writing and Physical & Environmental Geography and the questions range from VAT rates & model railways all the way to Meet The Kardashians & the Ku Klux Klan via Mo Farah & Dame Nellie Melba...
Hosted by | Steve Pemberton |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 29/04/2013 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Leeds, where host Steve Punt puts the questions to students and dons of Civil Engineering, Popular Music Studies and Psychology and the questions range from dada & Dylan to concrete and cogwheels, via penguins and postage stamps...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Series 4
Show 1
First Tx: 07/04/2014 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Bristol. The Specialist Subjects in this episode are Religion & Theology, English Literature to 1700 and Physics, and the questions range from the Book of Job to the books of Raymond Chandler via scalar bosons & Grumpy Cat.
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 2
First Tx: 14/04/2014 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Kent. The Specialist Subjects in this episode are Anthropology, Journalism and Computing, and the questions range from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Engelbert Humperdinck via database hacking and Babar the Elephant
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 21/04/14 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Bedfordshire. The Specialist Subjects in this episode are Psychology, Theatre and Sports Science and the questions involve Konstantin Stanislavski, Geoff Hurst, osmium and cauliflowers.
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 28/04/2014 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from Aberystwyth University/Prifysgol Aberystwyth. The Specialist Subjects in this episode are Welsh Literature & Folklore, Information Management and Art History and the questions involve alien visitations, a mechanical lifesize doll, a perfect circle, a shark, some scorpions and Swedish massage.
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 05/05/2014 16.00-16.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Nottingham. The Specialist Subjects in this episode are British History, Management Studies and Philosophy and the questions range from the International Monetary Fund., Kierkegaard and Wagner to the Fat Slags and Goofy
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 12/04/2014 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Birmingham. The Specialist Subjects in this episode are History of Medicine, Social Policy and American Studies and the questions range from the Russo-Japanese war of 1805 and Tristan & Isolde to Candy Crush Corner and monkey glands...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Series 5
Show 1
First Tx: 27/04/2015 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from Cardiff University/Prifysgol Caerdydd. The specialist subjects are Biology, Journalism and Astrophysics and the questions range from the intricacies of relativistic length contraction to the idiocies of homeopathy via Grexit, webinars and a man called Walter Plinge
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 2
First Tx: 09/05/15 23.00-23.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Manchester. The specialist subjects are Biology, American Studies and Medicine and the questions range from the sound of bats to the films of Eddie Redmayne via The Beggar’s Opera and Morph.
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 11/05/15 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Essex. The specialist subjects are Politics, Literature and 20th Century History and the questions range from the nihilistic anarchy of Brothers both Karamazov and Chuckle, to My Little Pony and the Epic Of Gilgamesh.
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 18/05/15 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from De Montfort University. The specialist subjects are Film, Forensic Science and Contour Fashion, so there are questions on X-rated films, the analysis of blood spatter patterns and the history of lingerie. And also Gogglebox.
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 25/05/15 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from Aston University. The Specialist Subjects are Law, Psychology and Computer Science and the questions range from Wile E Coyote and manslaughter to tennis balls, stamp-collecting and the Treaty of Westphalia...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 01/06/15 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Surrey. The Specialist Subjects are Politics, Business and Physics and the questions range from Black Friday and the Gang Of Four to Ghandi & George Michael - and the show boasts not one, but two jokes about Quantum Mechanics
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Series 6
Show 1
First Tx: 09/05/2016 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of York. The Specialist Subjects are History of Art, Theatre, TV & Film Studies and Physics and the questions range from Bartok to La Belle Et La Bête via David Bowie and the Chinese Renmimbi...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 2
First Tx: 16/05/16 23.00-23.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Gloucestershire. The Specialist Subjects are Biosciences, Media and Religious Studies and the questions range from Betjeman to BB King via Botham and brass instruments...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 23/05/16 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Chester. The Specialist Subjects are Archaeology, English and Computer Science and the questions range from looms to Lemmy via Oscar Wilde and Microsoft Windows...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 30/05/16 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Glasgow. The Specialist Subjects are Earth Science, Medicine and Astrophysics & Cosmology and the questions range from Rudolf Hess to Vaslav Nijinsky via smallpox and syzygys...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 06/06/16 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from Birmingham City University. The Specialist Subjects are Visual Communication, English Literature and Sociology and the questions range from Squash & Stretch to Roger McGough via Clement Attlee and The Duckworth-Lewis Method...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 13/06/16 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Bath. The Specialist Subjects are Biology, Politics and Maths and the questions range from Sierpinski Gaskets to Scottish Nationalism via Francois Mitterand and Adele...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Series 7
Show 1
First Tx: 22/05/17 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Roehampton. The Specialist Subjects are Anthropology, Law and Linguistics and the questions range from brachiation to morphemes to Xanadu via Kanye West and Sir Philip Sydney...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 2
First Tx: 29/05/17 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from Queen's University Belfast. The Specialist Subjects are History, Medicine and English and the questions range from Emperor Vespasian to Ed Sheeran via handbags and haematoxylin...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 5/06/17 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Derby.The Specialist Subjects are Education Studies, Forensics and Theatre Studies and the questions range from cannibalistic beetles to Rosencrantz & Guildenstern with a passing nod to Olivia Newton-John and orbital mechanics...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 12/06/17 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from St John's College, Cambridge. The Specialist Subjects are The Specialist Subjects are Human, Social & Political Sciences, World History and Physics and the questions range from Christoffel Symbols to Cannibal Rituals via August Strindberg & Jojo Moyes...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 19/06/17 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Hull. The Specialist Subjects are American Studies, History and Business & Management and the questions range from Credit Card Fraud to Cthulhu with a fretful porpentine thrown in for good measure...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 26/06/17 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Liverpool. The Specialist Subjects are Physiology, Egyptology and Psychology and the questions range from the great god Ammit, the Eater of the Dead to Buzz Aldrin and from gallstones to Gershwin...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Series 8
Show 1
First Tx: 25/06/18 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from Newcastle University. The Specialist Subjects are Physiological Sciences, Sociology and Media & Communication and the questions range from Bach and benzene rings to Mills & Boon and Mick Jagger...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 2
First Tx: 2/07/18 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Hertfordshire. The Specialist Subjects are Aerospace Engineering, English Language & Communication and Computer Sciences and the questions range from DOS Commands and derivatives to Captain Hook and why eating detergent is wrong...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 9/07/18 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Dundee. The Specialist Subjects are Geography, Art & Physics and the questions range from Rachel Whiteread and Röntgen Rays to the Shiba Inu from the meme and Gnasher from The Beano...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 16/07/18 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from Merton College Oxford. The Specialist Subjects are History, Biology and Classics and the questions range from the Rhine Maidens and deponent verbs to Barbie and starfish legs...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 23/07/18 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Sheffield. The Specialist Subjects are Archaeology, Dental Hygiene & Dental Therapy and Civil Engineering and the questions range from Blockchain and Xerostomia to Big Shaq and Slime...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 30/07/18 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from Brunel University. The Specialist Subjects are Politics, Theatre and Computer Science and the questions range from La Dame Aux Camelias and XOR gates to wardrobe malfunctions and Axl Rose...
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Series 9
Show 1
First Tx: 22/07/19 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from Royal Holloway, University of London. The Specialist Subjects are Criminology, English and Law and the questions range from Louis XIV to Lego via yowling and yodeling...
The teams are:
Dr Serena Wright vs Sam Walker (Criminology)
Professor Bob Eaglestone vs Holly Feeny (Law)
Dr David Yuratich vs Alex Mullen (English Literature)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 2
First Tx: 29/07/19 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Aberdeen. The Specialist Subjects are Law, Language & Linguistics and Music and the questions range from Scottish Gaelic fishing jargon to Scottish Stop & Search Law via mallets, marimbas and a dead pigeon.
The teams are:
Professor Robert Millar vs Laura Sudhof (Linguistics)
Dr Olivia Woolley vs Mitch Skilling (Law)
Professor Pete Stollery vs Eden Mikula (Music)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 05/08/19 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Plymouth. The Specialist Subjects are History, Geology and Human Biosciences and the questions range from deadly jellyfish to glowing jellyfish via Jack Straw, Krishna and Planck’s Constant...
The teams are:
Professor Iain Stewart vs Sophie Diver (Geology)
Dr Jameson Tucker vs Jacob Baker (History)
Dr Tina Joshi vs Benita N’Sanda (Biomedical Science)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 12/08/19 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from St Catharine’s College, Cambridge. The Specialist Subjects are Geography, French and Veterinary Medicine and the questions range from French gender to horse teeth via James Bond and Dick Dastardly...
The teams are:
Dr David Bainbridge vs Natasha Prindezis (Veterinary Medicine)
Dr Miranda Griffin vs Daíre Toal (French)
Dr Ivan Scales vs Anousa Parkin (Geography)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 19/08/19 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from the University of Brighton. The Specialist Subjects are Biomedical Sciences, Marketing and History & Globalization and the questions range from Chinese state infrastructure to the heraldic name for a squirrel via Trypanosoma and tzatziki.
The teams are:
Dr Sarah Pitt vs Sara Letham (Biomedical Sciences)
Philip Holden vs Vincent Kane (Marketing)
Dr Jonathan Watson vs Rachel Baylis (History & Globalisation)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 26/08/19 15.00-15.30
This episode of ‘The 3rd Degree’ is brought to you from Oxford Brookes University. The Specialist Subjects this week are Anthropology, Motorsport Engineering and Human Biology & Biological Sciences and the questions range from myelinated axons to the Neolithic Revolution via Wendy Houses and Sabrina The Teenage Witch.
The teams are:
Dr Patrick Alexander vs Lois Morton (Anthropology)
Dr James Balkwill vs James Ganderton (Motorsport Engineering)
Dr Dianne Newbury vs George Youens (Human Biology & Biological Sciences)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Series 10
Show 1
First Tx: 29/06/20 15.00-15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Bournemouth University. The Specialist Subjects are Psychology, Nursing, and Economics, and the questions range from sarcophagi to super overs with a bit of triangular arbitrage thrown in.
The teams are:
Dr Sarah Hodge vs Ben Tredinnick (Psychology)
Mark Gagan vs Lucinda King (Nursing)
Professor Christopher Hartwell vs Jack Williams (Economics)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 2
First Tx: 06/07/20 15.00-15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Imperial College London. The Specialist Subjects this week are Material Sciences, Biochemistry and Maths and the questions range from carbon nanotubes to cocktail ingredients via Mah Jongg and rucksacks. Plus – bonus feature! - someone calculating i to the power of i in front of a stunned audience
The teams are:
Professor Milo Shaffer vs Zack Jeanrenaud (Materials Science)
Professor Jake Baum vs Rachel Ng (Biochemistry)
Dr Philip Ramsden vs Sorcha Owens (Maths)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 13/07/20 15.00-15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from the University of Reading. The Specialist Subjects this week are Linguistics, Law and Film & Theatre Studies and the questions range from dental fricatives to Jack Reacher via a burst water pipe in Birmingham.
The teams are:
Professor Jane Setter vs Sabrina Aulak (Linguistics)
Professor Paul Almond vs Konstantina Nouka (Law)
John Witney vs Conor Chamiec (Film & Theatre)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 20/07/20 15.00-15.30
This is episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Durham University. The Specialist Subjects this week are Classics, Education and Modern British History and the questions take us from Rwanda to Finland to South Korea to Sainsburys. Plus we solve the mystery of how the infant Hermes stole Apollo’s cattle
The teams are:
Dr Lucy Jackson vs Nick Perret-Green (Classics)
Professor Vanessa Kind vs Ellen Clifton (Education)
Dr Matthew Johnson vs Ollie Scott (Modern History)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 27/07/20 15.00-15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Ulster University. The Specialist Subjects this week are Engineering, Sport, Physical Activity & Health and Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Studies and the questions range from chuck keys to trampolines via CAT scans and cannabinol.
The teams are:
Professor Colin Turner vs Michael Jennings (Engineering)
Dr Angela Carlin vs Rebecca King (Sport, Physical Activity & Health)
Iain Jack vs Fatima Khan (Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Studies)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 03/08/20 15.00-15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Mansfield College, Oxford. The Specialist Subjects this week are English, Physics and Theology and the questions range from petrol pumps to Philistines via Tristram Shandy and Burt’s Bees.
The teams are:
Professor Ros Ballaster vs Maya Little (English Literature)
Professor Stephen Blundell vs Lex Joosten (Physics)
Professor Alison Salveson vs Lottie Moore (Theology)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Series 11
Show 1
First Tx: 31/05/21 15.00-15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from the University of Southampton. The Specialist Subjects this week 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...
The teams are:
Dr Neil Gostling vs Sam Burt (Biological Sciences)
Delia Crowe vs Niamh Hodghton (Fashion Design)
Dr Louis Bayman vs Theo Smith (Film Studies)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 2
First Tx: 07/06/21 15.00-15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from the University of Cumbria. The Specialist Subjects this week are Marine & Freshwater Biology, Education and Forestry Management & Conservation and the questions range from brothels and bats to Barnaby Bear - plus a chance to brush up on your fronted adverbials....
The teams are:
Dr Gill Notman vs Ella Farley (Marine & Freshwater Biology & Conservation)
Dr Steve Chubb vs Lauren Toyne (Education)
Dr Andrew Weatherall vs Barney Price (Forestry Management & Conservation)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 14/06/21 15.00-15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Brasenose College, Oxford. The Specialist Subjects this week are Philosophy, Law and Chemistry and the questions range from rocket fuel and robbing a bank to Plato and pole vault
The teams are:
Dr Simon Shogry vs Joe Cary (Philosophy)
Professor Bill Swadling vs Emma Rawkins (Law)
Professor Mark Wilson vs Tim Jenkins (Chemistry)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 21/06/21 15.00-15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Anglia Ruskin University. The Specialist Subjects this week 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...
The teams are:
Rachel Ryder vs Tyla Beavan (Sociology)
Dr Kez Latham vs Sara Woo-Sam (Optometry)
Dr Suzanna Forwood vs Anna Bartol-Bibb (Psychology)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 28/06/21 15.00-15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from the University of Northampton. The Specialist Subjects this week are International Development, Law & Organized Crime and Nursing and the questions range from piercings and postage to erythema and smokeballs
The teams are:
Dr Alison Hulme vs Ryhan Khan (International Development)
Dr Simon Sneddon vs Lenny Emanuel (Law & Organised Crime)
Win Hughes vs Helen Morgan (Nursing)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 05/07/21 15.00-15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Nottingham Trent University. The Specialist Subjects this week are English Literature, Broadcast Journalism and Law and and the questions range from oblate spheroids to Grover Cleveland via Le Corbusier and BT Openreach...
The teams are:
Dr Amy Rushton vs Iwan Hughes (English)
John Collins vs James Place (Journalism)
John Hodgson vs Andrea Burton (Law)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Series 12
Show 1
First Tx: 20/06/2022 15.00 - 15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from University College London. The Specialist Subjects this week are Biochemical Engineering, Psychology and English Literature; 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.
The teams are:
Dr Michael Sulu vs Nvard Chalabyan (Biochemical Engineering)
Professor Sophie Scott (CBE) vs Neil Hegde (Psychology)
Professor John Mullan vs Nashwa Shah (English Literature)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 2
First Tx: 27/06/2022 15.00 -15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Leeds Beckett University. The Specialist Subjects this week are Journalism, English Literature and Sport & Exercise Science, and the questions range from whey powder and NIBs to Y2K and CQD. Plus, guaranteed, an interesting fact about Basildon.
The teams are:
Katie Hall vs Emmie Penkett (Journalism)
Dr Andrew Manley vs Daniel Payne (Sport & Exercise Science)
Professor Ruth Robbins vs Luka Watts (English Literature)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 04/07/2022 15.00 - 15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. The Specialist Subjects this week 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.
The teams are:
Dr Andrew Spencer vs Seb Erskine (History)
Dr Will Handley vs Stefan Ivanov (Physics)
Dr Thea Don-Siemion vs Sunay Challa (Economics)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 11/07/2022 15.00 - 15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from the University of Warwick. The Specialist Subjects this week are Maths & Statistics, Linguistics and Engineering, and the questions range from Kartvelian Languages and Prismatic Actuators to Yellow Submarines and Vanessa Shanessa Jenkins.
The teams are:
Professor Ian Tuersley vs Will Owens (Engineering)
Dr Matthew Voice vs Mia Harris (Linguistics)
Professor Jane Hutton vs Conrad Freidson (Statistics)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 18/07/2022 15.00 - 15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Bangor University. The Specialist Subjects this week are Education, Film Studies and Zoology with Herpetology, and the questions range from the Miracle at Cana to the sex life of Komodo Dragons. Plus you can play along to the well-known game "Name Five Famous Spaniards".
The teams are:
Dr Sarah Olive vs Ben Wilkinson (Educational Science)
Dr Anita Malhotra vs Callum Cocks (Zoology with Herpetology)
Professor Nathan Abrams vs Fede Celyn Thomas (Film Studies)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 25/07/2022 15.00 - 15.30
This episode of 'The 3rd Degree' is brought to you from Lancaster University. The Specialist Subjects this week are English Literature, Marketing and French, and the questions range from Les Immortels and Roland Barthes to shopping trolleys and Philip K Dick.
The teams are:
Dr Helen Bruce vs Nikita Nielsen (Marketing)
Cyrille Rollet vs Joe Liptrot (French)
Dr Michael Greaney vs Erin Craine (English Literature)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Series 13
Show 1
First Tx: 03/07/2023 15.00 - 15.30
Coming this week from the University of Exeter, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.
The specialist subjects this week are Economics, Natural Sciences and History, and the questions range from Dirac Points and fat tails to what Napoleon was really doing in Fishguard. Also, there's your chance to hear the most-played piece of music ever.
The teams are:
Professor John Maloney vs Taylor Haughton-Kedo (Economics)
Dr Sharon Strawbridge vs Erin Grant (Natural Sciences)
Dr Edward Mills vs Oscar Young (History)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 2
First Tx: 10/07/2023 15.00 - 15.30
Coming this week from the University of Strathclyde, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.
The specialist subjects this week are Creative Writing, Business Analysis & Technology and Civil & Environmental Engineering so there'll be questions involving words like "babok", "chiasmus" and "vug". Also, a chance to find out about the fascinating Mavis Grind.
The teams are:
Dr Rodge Glass vs Bryce Drennan (Creative Writing)
Dom Finn vs Sami Alshaibi (Business Analysis & Technology)
Professor Zoe Shipton OBE vs Emma Robinson (Civil & Environmental Engineering)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 17/07/2023 15.00 - 15.30
Coming this week from Somerville College, Oxford, The 3rd Degree is a a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.
The specialist subjects this week are Classics, Classical Archaeology & Ancient History, Physics and Linguistics, so the questions range from a sybil in a bottle to an electron in a spiral via mustard, runes and Kate Winslet. And you'll learn some simple tips for translating Japanese into Hungarian.
The teams are:
Dr Luke Pitcher vs Charlotte Perry (Classics)
Dr Steve Rayner vs Ying Di (Physics)
Dr Louise Mycock vs Lizzy Abel (Linguistics)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 24/07/2023 15.00 - 15.30
Coming this week from Keele University, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.
The specialist subjects this week are Film Studies, Medicine and Law so the questions involve catabolics, contracts and Carry On up the Costa Plonka. And if you thought there were only eight states and territories in Australia, prepare to be mildly amazed...
The teams are:
Dr Neil Archer vs Miles Bailey (Film Studies)
Dr Gordon Dent vs Evie Martin (Medicine)
Dr Michael Fay vs Owen Foster (Law)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 31/07/2023 15.00 - 15.30
Coming this week from King’s College London, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.
The specialist subjects this week are Law, Cosmology and Culture, Media & Creative Industries so there are questions about a giant spider, a silver hammer and why it's no longer illegal to commit champerty. Also, there are not one but two questions about Audrey Hepburn and stamps. How can you resist?
The teams are:
Professor James Lee vs Asher Kaul (Law)
Dr David Marsh vs Fannie Vaquero (Cosmology)
Dr Ruth Adams vs Isabella Lercari (Culture, Media & Creative Industries)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 07/08/2023 15.00 - 15.30
Coming this week from the University of Portsmouth, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.
The specialist subjects this week 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? Also, the world's dodgiest song in the world's first ever musical.
The teams are:
Dr Phoebe Rumsey vs Oliver Ray (Musical Theatre)
Dr Thomas Waters vs Rosie Sloane (Maths)
Dr Ed Morrison vs Tom Cooper (Psychology)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Series 14
Show 1
First Tx: 14/07/2024 16.30 - 17.00
Coming this week from the University of Leicester, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.
The Specialist Subjects this week are French, Genetics and Criminology so we’ll meet a five-legged sheep, some Italian cheekbones and the one thing Hannibal Lecter really shouldn’t eat, plus there’ll be tips on how to tell your Larkin from your Lineker.
The teams are:
Dr Madeleine Chalmers vs Jess Pascal (French)
Professor Ed Hollox vs Aymunn Ibrahim (Genetics)
Dr Jess Urwin vs Amelia Phillips (Criminology)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 2
First Tx: 21/07/2024 16.30 - 17.00
Coming this week from the University of St Andrews, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.
The Specialist Subjects this week are English, Computer Science and Philosophy so we’ll be meeting a glistering goldfish, a Belgian biscuit, a Peruvian bird and Nietzsche. Oh, plus Bambi and a Japanese Water Zither.
The teams are:
Dr Rosa Campbell vs Callum MacKillop (English)
Dr Michael Young vs Vlad Tronciu (Computer Science)
Dr Ben Sachs-Cobbe vs Zoë Hemming-Clark (Philosophy)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 28/07/2024 16.30 - 17.00
Coming this week from Loughborough University, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.
The Specialist Subjects this week are Construction Management, Maths and Sport & Society with Sport Exercise & Psychology so you’ll discover how to luff a jib, deconstruct a dodecagon and demonstrate a quadruped superman. All this plus darts and D’Urbervilles too
The teams are:
Dr Vivien Chow vs Julian Saade (Construction Management)
Dr Verity Postlethwaite vs Grace Bradshaw (Sport & Society with Sport Exercise & Psychology)
Dr Artie Prendergast-Smith vs Jigyasa (Maths)
Hosted by | Steve Steen |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 04/08/2024 16.30 - 17.00
Coming this week from Falmouth University, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.
The specialist subjects this week are Film, Journalism & Creative Writing so we’ll be discussing diagesis in the films of Herzog, polyperspectivity in fictional narratives and that bloke who got fired off GB News. The show that has everything from air fryers to zugzwangs.
The teams are:
Dr Laura Canning vs Jonathan Geach (Film)
Dr Kit Chapman vs Joe Hicks (Journalism)
Dr Jo Parsons vs Molly Jones (English & Creative Writing)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 11/08/2024 16.30 - 17.00
Coming this week from Robinson College, Cambridge, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.
The Specialist Subjects this week are Law, English & Spanish and so there’ll be questions involving eggshells, stilts, plums, dragons and the Bolivian Navy. Plus exciting updates about Cillian Murphy and Sir Alec Douglas-Home
The teams are:
Dr Philip Murray vs Jonny Keyte (Law)
Dr Lizzi Rawlinson-Mills vs Kaz Rawdanowicz (English)
Dr Oliver Wilson-Nunn vs Tomás Mayorga (Spanish)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 18/08/2024 16.30 - 17.00
Coming this week from the University of East Anglia, The 3rd Degree is a funny, upbeat and brainy quiz show.
The Specialist Subjects this week are Physics, Biological Studies and History so we’ll find out the relevance to each of those subjects of a sombrero, pishing and the Northcote-Trevelyan Report of 1853. Avocets, quangos, muesli and Reginald Maudling all play a key role in the fun
The teams are:
Dr Robert Ferdman vs William Pik (Physics)
Dr Geoff Hicks vs Marlowe North (History)
Dr Kelly Edmunds vs Alessandro Pinto (Biological Studies)
Hosted by | Steve Punt |
Devised & produced by | David Tyler |
The 3rd Degree
Don't forget, you can download a bumper brainy bundle of the first seven series by clicking here and all the later series are available too
And you can have a look at the lovely flyer we sent out to mark the start of the second series by clicking here