Gail Trimble Explained

Gail Trimble
Birth Date:13 August 1982
Birth Place:Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England
Known For:University Challenge 2009 series, captain of winning team (team later disqualified)
Alma Mater:Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Education:Classics DPhil Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Children:1
Employer:Trinity College, Oxford

Gail Trimble (born 13 August 1982[1]) is a British academic specialising in Latin poetry and literary form. She 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] plus one of the top five marks in the country with A-level general studies.[5]

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.[6] Her research had been funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.[7] In 2010, she was awarded a D.Phil. in Latin literature at Corpus Christi, Oxford, on the subject of Catullus.[8] 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.[9]

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.[10] 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

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Trimble, Gail, 1982– . Library of Congress Authorities . Library of Congress . 2014-01-23.
  2. Web site: Dr Gail Trimble . Classics: People: Academic Staff . University of Oxford . 2014-01-23 . 25 February 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140225195700/http://www.classics.ox.ac.uk/gailtrimble.html . dead .
  3. News: Singh. Amar. University quiz genius could read at age of one. 21 November 2014. London Evening Standard. Evening Standard Limited. 24 February 2009.
  4. News: Walton's Gail in finals of University Challenge. 2009-12-31. 2009-12-31. Vicki. Eltis. Surrey Herald. 12 May 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090512210317/http://www.surreyherald.co.uk/surrey-news/news-surrey/2009/02/18/walton-s-gail-in-finals-of-tv-quiz-show-86289-22954475/. dead.
  5. News: Borough-wide delight at exam results . Richmond and Twickenham Times . 2000-08-23 . 2019-09-03.
  6. Web site: No flailing for Gail: Trimble plots her desert island library. Sophie. Baggott. 10 December 2013. The Oxford Student.
  7. Web site: AHRC-funded scholar makes history as University Challenge's greatest contestant ever. Latest News. 2009-02-24. 2009-12-30. Arts and Humanities Research Council.
  8. News: Gail Trimble quizzed ... out. Church Times. Pat. Ashworth. 2009-02-27. 2009-03-30.
  9. Trimble. Gail. A commentary on Catullus 64, lines 1-201. 2010. Thesis DPhil--University of Oxford.
  10. News: Gallagher . Paul . Your starter for 10: is Gail Trimble the cleverest contestant ever? . . 2009-02-22 . 2009-02-24. London.
  11. News: Ferguson . Brian . University Challenge winners stripped of title – for having zero common sense . The Scotsman . 3 March 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090306141330/https://www.scotsman.com/latestnews/university-challenge-winners--stripped.5030768.jp . 6 March 2009.
  12. News: Gail Trimble's University Challenge winning teammate is not a student. Gallagher. Paul. 2009-03-01. The Observer. 2009-03-01.
  13. Web site: University Challenge: a joint statement from the BBC and Granada. 2009-03-02. 2009-03-02.
  14. News: University Challenge winners and contestants: what happened next?. The Telegraph. 10 April 2017. www.telegraph.co.uk . 12 April 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170412062601/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/university-challenge-winners-contestants-happened-next/gail-trimble/.
  15. News: Why do University Challenge contestants go viral? . 30 November 2023 . BBC News . 9 April 2017.
  16. News: Cotsapas . Phoebus . University Challenge contestant targeted in hate campaign . 30 November 2023 . Cherwell . 13 September 2011.
  17. Web site: Only Connect - S13 - Episode 6: Meeples v Tequila Slammers. Radio Times. 1 September 2017. 2 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170902091248/http://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/fvsf75/only-connect--s13-e6-meeples-v-tequila-slammers/. dead.
  18. Web site: BBC Two - Only Connect, Series 14 Specials, Family: Lasletts v Meeples.
  19. Web site: Only Connect Family Special: Lasletts v Meeples - S14. Radio Times.
  20. Web site: BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Catullus. BBC.
  21. Web site: In Our Time, Ovid . BBC . 30 November 2023.
  22. Web site: BBC Radio 4 - Brain of Britain, Heat 7, 2022 . BBC . 30 November 2023.
  23. Web site: Miss Gail Trimble. Directory of Fellows. Trinity College Cambridge. 2009-12-30.
  24. Web site: Dr Gail Trimble . The Faculty . Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge . 9 May 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110501232333/http://www.classics.cam.ac.uk/faculty/staff-bios/research_staff/gail_trimble/ . 1 May 2011.
  25. Web site: Gail Trimble - Classics. University of Oxford. en. 2018-01-22. 25 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140225195700/http://www.classics.ox.ac.uk/gailtrimble.html. dead.
  26. News: The classical world just refuses to stay dead. The Daily Telegraph. Harry Mount. 2012-05-12. 2012-08-07. London. Harry Mount.
  27. Book: Matzner . Sebastian . Trimble . Gail . Metalepsis: ancient texts, new perspectives . 2020 . Oxford University Press . Oxford . 9780198846987 . First.
  28. News: University Challenge star is 'thoughtful and reflective', says chaplain . Charles . Boyd . . 2009-03-02 . 2009-03-02.
  29. News: Mikhailova . Anna . No conferring needed as brainbox Gail says yes to marriage proposal . The Times . 2009-03-01 . 2009-03-01 . London.
  30. News: Univ Challenge Trimble..a nation trembles. 2009-02-23. 2009-12-30. London Evening Standard. Paul. Waugh. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090226223555/http://waugh.standard.co.uk/2009/02/univ-challenge-trimblea-nation-trembles.html. 26 February 2009.
  31. Web site: Corus Christi College: The Pelican Record - Old Members Update . ccc.ox.ac.uk . 142.