The winners, Magdalen College, Oxford narrowly took the prize from Leicester University, the team that won the first title 35 years ago.

Leicester in winning form in 1963

The new kids on the block proved that today's academics are at least as clever as those of the past by winning 220 to 145.

Magdalen are the BBC Two show's current title holders and in April of this year became the first team to win a second consecutive title for their college.

After a slow start the same Leicester contestants who competed in - and won - the first series in 1963, reached the halfway stage in the lead.

Older but not necessarily wiser in 1998

But Magdalen pulled back in the final stages to achieve their winning score.

Question master Jeremy Paxman said: "It was evenly matched right up until the last few minutes."

And the show's host - not known for his charitable comments towards the teams - told the winners that they had showed how students were indeed able to hold their own against the academics of past years.

"You demonstrated you can hold your head high with any previous generation no matter what old fogeys may say about students not knowing anything nowadays. You clearly do, you're a terrific team."