A team of four former UEA students was beaten in the final of the special Christmas edition of BBC2's University Challenge.

The team, featuring author John Boyne, BBC journalists Razia Iqbal and David Grossman, and comedian and writer Charlie Higson, beat the University of Glasgow in the semi-final. But the team lost to New College Oxford in tonight's final. The UEA team gained 110 points to Oxford's 205.

Quizmaster Jeremy Paxman congratulated both teams at the end, and told the UEA team that it had been beaten by very strong competition. 'You were a jolly entertaining team to watch,' he told them.

Charlie Higson answered questions correctly on the Three Musketeers and US composer John Cage, and the team was right about the DUP. Newsnight political correspondent Mr Grossman also answered questions on Marcel Proust, Mannerism and the Pre-Raphaelites correctly. But the team's last hope evaporated when it was stumped on a question on the languages of the Caucasus.