A student from Port Erin appeared on this week’s University Challenge, broadcast on Monday night.

Niamh Merritt, aged 21, represented the University of London Institute in Paris and faced a barrage of hard questioning from Jeremy Paxman.The team battled to answer some very obscure questions but lost to Goldsmiths by 55 to 180 points.

Their obvious bemusement at some questions won over the audience and even their tough questionmaster laughed. At one question about 18th century painter Joseph Wright, as all her team mates turned to her for an answer, Niamh said: ’Why’s everyone looking at me?’

Searching for other answers, the team’s captain said: ’Any guesses? Choose someone, anyone!’

’It was really good fun, a really good laugh,’ said Niamh. ’We all do French, apart from one who does international studies, but they are niche subjects.

’We did not go in expecting to win, we really love the show and wanted to take part. We wanted to have fun doing something worth doing even though we did not have a good spread of subjects.’

There are just 120 students at the university from whom to choose for the team. There were a few rounds of general knowledge questions and the top scorers were selected. ’We applied to University Challenge, we did not think much about it. We crammed, we learned some very weird things that did not come up. I learned counties in Ireland and Scotland and early Scottish history. Our approach was read whatever you can, we might as well have a go.’

Niamh continued a family tradition in introducing herself in Manx when she said ’Oie Vie’.

Many years ago her father Hugo represented Aberystwyth University in the competition.

They got through three round,’ said Naimh. ’My father, as a proponent of marginalised languages, introduced himself in different Celtic languages each time. Bamber Gascoigne [who was the show’s host then] called him a "one man Celtic revival".’

At the end of the show, Jeremy thanked them and said, ’you had a great sense of humour to take part in this â?¦ you were great sports.’

Niamh said: ’We were shocked we got that many points. We are university students, but we are young so there’s a lot we do not know.

’We were nervous, but adrenalin kicks in you are hyped, you forget where you are.

’We were all really nervous.’

Female students are sometimes reluctant to appear because of the comments about their appearance on social media.

Was that a consideration for Niamh?

’I do not need people to validate my intellect, I know I’m bright.

’Nasty, acerbic comments about appearance can act as a dissentive. About me the comments were flattering but I was not there for my appearance.

’I should not have had to worry about that. Female students have to worry about a barrage of comments.

’People are starting to comment on their intellect, it’s getting better. People need to stop focusing on appearance, there’s this creepy pressure, there’s a change amongst viewers and the population is changing slowly. Until it aired, I thought: "What have I done?", but it’s brilliant.’