It’s late September, the time of year when I start complaining about my nice relaxing university being full of bloody students. I have to teach some of them, on Tuesday evenings, and for the next three months I’m going to be arriving at the pub even later than usual. By the time I get there this evening, round one is almost over. Ivan’s been working away on his own. The other astronomers are now turning into regulars here, and one of my rival teams only has three people on it. Ivan and I decide to join them. We pool all the answers we’ve got so far, and we end up in fourth place after round one. My negligible contribution to the answers so far doesn’t stop me flicking Vs at the other UCL team across the pub who are a few places behind us.

There are an unusual number of popular culture questions tonight. There’s a question about Dan Brown’s most recent book, something about Wallace and Gromit’s latest film, and a great question about the TV program that used to get higher viewing figures than the population of the country in which it was made. It has to be Neighbours.

Later rounds are more cerebral. There’s a question about composers born in 1685, and Ivan and Sam both know the answer is Scarlatti. I’ve never heard of him. I reckon Herbie Hancock invented music. Before that it was just tuning up. Argument ensues.

We’re constantly running just outside the money. By the fourth round, though, there’s a six point gap between us and cash. Can we make it up? Turns out we can’t. We finish sixth but we’re pretty pleased with that. There were 18 teams in the house tonight, so the competition was fierce. And our friends across the other side of the pub finish 16th. 18th went home after round two; 17th was a guy on his own.

The snowball prize is a grand, as it’s been for a very long time now. I’ve been coming to this pub for five years and my ticket has only come up five times. Ivan has never yet even had the opportunity to choke on a snowball question. No-one gets the £1000 question, or the £500, but £250 would still be nice. And who’s number comes up but Emily’s? She’s only been coming to the pub for three weeks. Luckily the question is about obscure artists on Stiff Records. To the best of anyone’s knowledge, Cliff Richard never did sign for Stiff. The money is safe for another week.