If you live in a democracy it’s a good plan to have the casting vote (just in case). Votes cast for watching University Challenge at home are exactly 50% in favour but I don’t have that casting vote, so it’s a treat to be on my own for a few days and to indulge.
First, I notice that men are quicker than women. Is this a Survival of the Fittest instinct not needed by Her in the cave? Secondly, while the contestants have a formidable array of arcane knowledge at their fingertips they are hopeless on PG Wodehouse. In a previous series an Oxbridge college identified Lord Emsworth’s pig as the Countess of Blandings and in the current series another Oxbridge college could not name the author of three of his novels. Thirdly, the celerity of the students is awesome. Watching a celebrity Christmas edition I can see elderly cogs moving slowly and sympathise. I know that Hobart is the capital of Tasmania and that Johnny Depp was in Mordecai but even in the stress-free environment of my kitchen couldn’t get the answers out.
While watching one of those UC celebrity editions I was reminded of a small sub-section of the population who take a ‘plane and send their driver overland to meet them. This is probably excusable by Heads of State or senior members of the Royal Family. I can think of three people who do not fall into those categories. I’m longing to dish the dirt which would certainly count as Unique Content – something I hope you find here – but might end up badly for me. At least one of my targets is no stranger to the Courts. I will say that the drivers were instructed to go to Kuala Lumpur, Penzance and Carlisle. There’s nothing exactly wrong but it must be wrong and the wrongness is in the mindset. If it were me I would fly with my driver, who could help with the bags, and hire a car. But they weren’t me and needed the kudos of arriving in their own trademark cars; sad.
What fun. Just like that competition you like so much in the FT mag.
Carlisle is straightforward. Did a fellow peer meet him at the other end?
Could Penzance be a QC or a judge? Hence the reference to his/her familiarity with the courts? Are they returning from the Scilly Isles?
KL is a real teaser. Difficult to believe the car journey is further than Singapore or Bangkok.
Are the answers on page 38?
A properly swanky person would have two cars and two drivers, one at each end.
However I do think that you are being a little over sensitive to the extravagancies of the rich. Are you verring leftward after your bang on the head? My father trained for the Earl of Sefton. When he came to see his horses in the early sixties, he would be flown in his private airplane from his home at Croxteth, Liverpool and would be collected by his driver/valet in the Bentley at Newbury Racecourse to be brought to our house. His suitcases had been unpacked beforehand. I think he found his visits to our house somewhat Spartan.
This was nothing compared to his grandfather who employed 35 boys whose sole winter job was to tend the fires built into the walled garden so as to allow the growing of exotic fruit to show at RHS where he went head to head with his near neighbour, the Earl of Derby.
I like the way your mind is working …