University Challenge team hopes to inspire viewers

The University of Leicester will lock horns with the London School of Economics

Students from the University of Leicester are to appear on the BBC quiz show University Challenge - 61 years since the institution first won the competition.

The university defeated Baliol College, Oxford during the first ever series in 1963.

Noah Lister, George Gowland, Greg Beeden and Edward Owen-Beckwith will do battle with the London School of Economics on BBC Two at 20:30 GMT.

“It’s always something I have wanted to do. It’s quite surreal actually because I got the chance to see how it all worked behind-the-scenes," Mr Beedon, a third year Physics student, said.

“I have a very rare form of dwarfism, and you do not see people with visible disabilities on the show," Mr Beeden said.

“It really inspires people who do not fit the stereotypical mould to really try and achieve these things. That’s really inspirational.”

Sandya Narayanswami had to be known to viewers as just Swami

Sandya Narayanswami was the first Indian woman to appear on the show, during her time studying Biological Science.

“We had a couple of buses take us to the studios, and a lot of my friends were in the audience cheering. That was lovely,” said Ms Narayanswami, who now lives in Pasadena, California.

Ms Narayanswami now lives in California

“They could not use my full name on the lighted-up box. They used ‘Swami’ instead. I should have insisted on them putting my name in full.

“Bamber Gascoigne was wonderful. He was a civil and sophisticated gentleman. He was nice to all of us, and particularly kind to me.

“I experienced a lot of racism at my grammar school. But, at Leicester, I was allowed to bloom. I was treated like an intelligent person.”