The University of Manchester's University Challenge-winning team, who excelled in Greek mythology, world politics, and literature, struggled with questions about their own city. Kai Madgwick, Ray Power, Rob Faulkner, and Kirsty Dickson, along with reserve Argyro Olympitis, faced a quiz on Manchester's architecture, music, and soaps, revealing a surprising gap in their local knowledge.
They could answer questions on Greek mythology, world politics, astrophysics and literature with ease on TV's toughest quiz University Challenge . But how would the University of Manchester 's champion student quizzers fare with some questions about the city they now call home?
The MEN met up with the University Challenge champions last week fresh from their historic victory on the hit BBC quiz show. It sees Manchester now having claimed the honour for a record-equalling fifth time. Kai Madgwick, 24, Ray Power, 23, Rob Faulkner, 22, and Kirsty Dickson, 23, claimed victory for Manchester after a nailbiting final against Edinburgh aired on the BBC last month.
Click here for the latest on Manchester's food & drink scene, gigs and more in our CityLife newsletter Now, back in Manchester, the MEN caught up with the team's Kai, Ray, Rob and 'reserve' member Argyro Olympitis to congratulate them on their victory, and find out exactly what it takes to become a quiz champ, which you can read about in our article here . However, while we had an audience with the brilliant brainboxes, we couldn't resist going all Amol Rajan in the hotseat, and testing their quizzing knowledge on all things Manc.
We posed six fairly simple Manchester questions - or so we thought. As it turns out we may have just found their achilles heel - with Manchester music and soaps. Let's put it this way, at the end of the quiz, team member Rob Faulkner was left saying: 'Apologies to Liam and Noel'. You can watch our mini quiz with Kai, Ray, Rob and Argyro in the video above.
Or we've put the questions in full below if you continue reading. First up we aked the team a fairly easy warm up question about Manchester's architecture, asking: Q1 - What is the tallest completed building in Manchester city centre? The team immediately said it was a Deansgate Square Tower, but there was some discussion about which one it is. Ultimately, they agreed it was Deansgate South Tower.
ANSWER - the team were correct, at 201metres tall it is Deansgate Square South Tower. Next, we gave them another question that all Manchester students should be able to answer. Q2 - Which park is music festival Parklife held in each year? There was no hesitation with this one, the team all in agreement with Heaton Park .
ANSWER - the team were correct, Parklife has been held annually in Heaton Park since 2013. Next up it was Manchester music, and it's here that things came unstuck. Q3 - Which was the first Manchester band to have a number one single in the UK charts? This left them scratching their heads.
Ray offered up The Smiths, before Kai said maybe Joy Division before correctly noting they'd probably not had a number one record. However, in lieu of any other answer they went for The Smiths. ANSWER - the team were incorrect. The answer was Herman's Hermits, with I'm into Something Good in 1964 Next, we asked about Manchester's most famous band, Oasis.
Surely they'd get this one... Q4: - Oasis made their triumphant comeback in 2025, but can you name this song that was on the setlist just from these lyrics: 'You take me walking, to where you played when you were young'. Oh dear oh dear, the team fully admitted that they didn't know many Oasis songs. Floundering around for a bit, Ray suggested that it sounded like the lyrics could be from the song Live Forever.
With no other suggestions forthcoming that was the answer they gave. ANSWER - the team were incorrect. Of course as all Oasis fans know, it's from Talk Tonight.
Next it was TV... Q5:- Corrie's Ken Barlow, aka actor William Roache, is the longest-serving UK TV soap character in soap at 65 years. But who is the second longest-serving? Most of the team didn't have a clue, passing it to Rob.
Rob said: 'It must be Ian Beale, he's been round the block.
' Answer: the team were incorrect. It is Corrie's Rita Sullivan, aka Barbara Knox, who first appeared in the soap in 1964 and remains there to this day. Q6:- Who holds the record for most appearances for Manchester United? Rob redeemed himself here without even having to think about it answering Ryan Giggs.
ANSWER: the team were correct - it was Ryan Giggs with 963 appearances for the Reds.
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