Gail Trimble
Born (1982-08-13) 13 August 1982
Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England
EducationClassics DPhil Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Alma materCorpus Christi College, Oxford
EmployerTrinity College, Oxford
Known forUniversity Challenge 2009 series, captain of winning team (team later disqualified)
Spouse
Tom West
​
(m. 2010)​
Children1

Gail Christina Trimble (born 13 August 1982[1]) was captain of the Corpus Christi College team for the BBC television programme University Challenge in 2009 and scored a high proportion of the team's points. While her team won the challenge, they were subsequently disqualified after it was found that one of her teammates had finished his studies while the show was being recorded. Trimble has continued to appear on quiz programmes. She is now a fellow and tutor in Classics at Trinity College, Oxford.[2]

Early life and education

Trimble was born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, to Mary and Michael Trimble. Her father worked as a manager for British Telecom[3] and her mother was a magistrate at Staines Magistrates' Court.[4]

Growing up, Trimble attended the Ambleside Infant and Middle School[4] before enrolling at the girls-only Lady Eleanor Holles School in Hampton, London. While there, she gained 11 GCSEs followed by four A-levels at grade A: in Latin, Ancient Greek, English literature and mathematics,[4][5] plus one of the top five marks in the country with A-level general studies.[6]

She was awarded a place at Corpus Christi College, Oxford in 2000. She won a declamation prize at Oxford for Latin recital in 2001 and was also reported to give recitals in her lunchtimes at college as a soprano singer, and to lecture on Ovid, Hellenistic poetry and Catullus.[5][7] Her research had been funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.[8] In 2010, she was awarded a D.Phil. in Latin literature at Corpus Christi, Oxford, on the subject of Catullus.[9] The title of her D.Phil. was "A commentary on Catullus 64, lines 1-201". Her doctoral project was supervised by Professor Philip Hardie and Dr Stephen Heyworth.[10]

Television and radio

While a postgraduate student of Latin literature at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, in 2009, she gained media attention by her performance on the BBC television quiz programme University Challenge. Trimble captained the Corpus Christi team from the second round onwards, and scored a high proportion of the team's points. In the rounds before reaching the final, Trimble had provided two-thirds of her team's total points: 825 out of 1,235.[5] She was dubbed the "human Google" by media outlets.[11] Corpus won with 275 points, beating Manchester's score of 190 points.[12] However, the team was disqualified after an investigation revealed that her teammate, Sam Kay, had finished studying at Corpus Christi while the series was being recorded.[13] The winner's trophy was awarded to the runners-up, Manchester University.[14] Trimble attracted media attention,[15] including misogynistic attacks in social media.[16]

Trimble appeared in Series 13 of the BBC Quiz show Only Connect in 2017, as the captain of the "Meeples" team, accompanied by husband Tom West, and brother Hugh.[17] The team returned in 2018 for a "Family Special" episode.[18][19]

On 9 January 2020 she was a panellist on BBC Radio 4's In Our Time for the edition on Catullus,[20] and again on 29 April 2021 for the edition on Ovid.[21] In 2022, she was a contestant in Brain of Britain.[22]

Career

In 2009, Trimble was elected as a junior research fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge[23][24] and held the position for a year before returning to Oxford as a senior faculty member.[2] She is Associate Professor in Classical Languages and Literature in the Faculty of Classics and Brown Fellow and Tutor in Classics at Trinity College, Oxford.[25]

Trimble was one of the contributors to the 4th edition of the Oxford Classical Dictionary which was published in 2012.[26] She is working on a commentary on Catullus' longest poem with newly edited text, to appear in the Cambridge University Press series Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries.[25] Together with Sebastian Matzner she co-edited Metalepsis: Ancient Texts, New Perspectives, published by Oxford University Press in 2020, relating to metalepsis in classical texts, after an international conference in September 2015.[25][27]

Personal life

Trimble is a practising Anglican, and sang in the choir at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, in Oxford.[28] In March 2009, Trimble became engaged to Tom West, a trainee solicitor, with whom she has a child.[28][29][30] The couple married, in Corpus Christi College, in August 2010.[31]

Selected publications

  • Matzner, Sebastian; Trimble, Gail, eds. (2020). Metalepsis: ancient texts, new perspectives (First ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198846987.

References

  1. ↑ "Trimble, Gail, 1982–". Library of Congress Authorities. Library of Congress. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Dr Gail Trimble". Classics: People: Academic Staff. University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  3. ↑ Singh, Amar (24 February 2009). "University quiz genius could read at age of one". London Evening Standard. Evening Standard Limited. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Eltis, Vicki (31 December 2009). "Walton's Gail in finals of University Challenge". Surrey Herald. Archived from the original on 12 May 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 Gallagher, Paul (22 February 2009). "Your starter for 10: is Gail Trimble the cleverest contestant ever?". The Observer. London. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
  6. ↑ "Borough-wide delight at exam results". Richmond and Twickenham Times. 23 August 2000. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  7. ↑ Baggott, Sophie (10 December 2013). "No flailing for Gail: Trimble plots her desert island library". The Oxford Student.
  8. ↑ "AHRC-funded scholar makes history as University Challenge's greatest contestant ever". Latest News. Arts and Humanities Research Council. 24 February 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  9. ↑ Ashworth, Pat (27 February 2009). "Gail Trimble quizzed ... out". Church Times. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
  10. ↑ Trimble, Gail (2010). A commentary on Catullus 64, lines 1-201 (Thesis). Thesis DPhil--University of Oxford.
  11. ↑ Ferguson, Brian (3 March 2009). "University Challenge winners stripped of title – for having zero common sense". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 6 March 2009.
  12. ↑ Gallagher, Paul (1 March 2009). "Gail Trimble's University Challenge winning teammate is not a student". The Observer. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  13. ↑ "University Challenge: a joint statement from the BBC and Granada". 2 March 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2009.
  14. ↑ "University Challenge winners and contestants: what happened next?". The Telegraph. 10 April 2017. Archived from the original on 12 April 2017 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  15. ↑ "Why do University Challenge contestants go viral?". BBC News. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  16. ↑ Cotsapas, Phoebus (13 September 2011). "University Challenge contestant targeted in hate campaign". Cherwell. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  17. ↑ "Only Connect - S13 - Episode 6: Meeples v Tequila Slammers". Radio Times.
  18. ↑ "BBC Two - Only Connect, Series 14 Specials, Family: Lasletts v Meeples".
  19. ↑ "Only Connect Family Special: Lasletts v Meeples - S14". Radio Times.
  20. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Catullus". BBC.
  21. ↑ "In Our Time, Ovid". BBC. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  22. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - Brain of Britain, Heat 7, 2022". BBC. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  23. ↑ "Miss Gail Trimble". Directory of Fellows. Trinity College Cambridge. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  24. ↑ "Dr Gail Trimble". The Faculty. Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  25. 1 2 3 "Gail Trimble - Classics". University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  26. ↑ Harry Mount (12 May 2012). "The classical world just refuses to stay dead". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  27. ↑ Matzner, Sebastian; Trimble, Gail, eds. (2020). Metalepsis: ancient texts, new perspectives (First ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198846987.
  28. 1 2 Boyd, Charles (2 March 2009). "University Challenge star is 'thoughtful and reflective', says chaplain". Christian Today. Retrieved 2 March 2009.
  29. ↑ Mikhailova, Anna (1 March 2009). "No conferring needed as brainbox Gail says yes to marriage proposal". The Times. London. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  30. ↑ Waugh, Paul (23 February 2009). "Univ Challenge Trimble..a nation trembles". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
  31. ↑ "Corus Christi College: The Pelican Record - Old Members Update" (PDF). ccc.ox.ac.uk. p. 142.
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