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| University quiz hit by new claims | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| BBC Two's University Challenge has been hit by further embarrassment after it emerged that a previous winning team had fielded an ineligible contestant. | |
| Charles Markland, 23, revealed he had transferred from Christ Church to Balliol College, Oxford, halfway through last year's competition. | |
| On Monday, Oxford's Corpus Christi College was stripped of this year's title by the BBC. | |
| Winning team member Sam Kay had already graduated and was in employment. | Winning team member Sam Kay had already graduated and was in employment. |
| Mr Markland claimed his team captain contacted a researcher on University Challenge concerning the situation and was told that it was not a problem. | Mr Markland claimed his team captain contacted a researcher on University Challenge concerning the situation and was told that it was not a problem. |
| He said: "At the initial auditions in May 2007, my team captain informed a Granada television researcher that there was a possibility that I might be at a different college before the series had concluded filming. | He said: "At the initial auditions in May 2007, my team captain informed a Granada television researcher that there was a possibility that I might be at a different college before the series had concluded filming. |
| The BBC had not been told about these alleged transgressions at the time BBC spokeswoman "He was told that this was not a problem, nor a barrier to entry for our team." | The BBC had not been told about these alleged transgressions at the time BBC spokeswoman "He was told that this was not a problem, nor a barrier to entry for our team." |
| Once his team had advanced to the quarter-finals, Mr Markham had completed his switch to Balliol. | Once his team had advanced to the quarter-finals, Mr Markham had completed his switch to Balliol. |
| But the team captain was told to field the same team "for continuity purposes" and Mr Markham's changed status "was not a problem." | But the team captain was told to field the same team "for continuity purposes" and Mr Markham's changed status "was not a problem." |
| A BBC spokeswoman said: "The BBC had not been told about these alleged transgressions at the time and so was not in a position to do anything about them. | A BBC spokeswoman said: "The BBC had not been told about these alleged transgressions at the time and so was not in a position to do anything about them. |
| Record audience | Record audience |
| "The 2009 final had been broadcast a matter of days ago, so we were in a position to take some meaningful action to address that particular matter and enforce the rules as audiences would expect us to do." | "The 2009 final had been broadcast a matter of days ago, so we were in a position to take some meaningful action to address that particular matter and enforce the rules as audiences would expect us to do." |
| More than 5.3m people, a record audience, tuned in to see last week's final, which featured Corpus Christi's star contestant Gail Trimble. | More than 5.3m people, a record audience, tuned in to see last week's final, which featured Corpus Christi's star contestant Gail Trimble. |
| The 26-year-old Latin scholar scored two-thirds of her team's 1,200 points before the final and has been described as the best contestant to grace the programme. | The 26-year-old Latin scholar scored two-thirds of her team's 1,200 points before the final and has been described as the best contestant to grace the programme. |