A STUDENT’S dream of appearing on an iconic television quiz show has been accomplished.

Fraser Maddox captained London Business School against Hertford College, Oxford, on University Challenge last Monday.

Despite the fact Fraser was on the losing side, he enjoyed the experience of filming the show in Manchester.

He said: “It was quite surreal.

“I’m an avid watcher of the show and recognised the set.

“I’m quite into politics and current affairs, and [host] Jeremy Paxman is somebody I am quite familiar with.

“There he is sat over there and you have got your name on the placards and you get to keep those.

“I have got that at home.”

The quiz show dates back to 1962, with more than 1,500 episodes having been filmed over the last 59 years.

Fraser, 28, studied economics at the University of Aberdeen, having attended Dunbar Grammar School.

After working for HSBC, he started at London Business School, where he is studying for an MBA.

It was while studying in the Capital that he decided to attempt to appear on the popular BBC programme.

A search online brought up the producer’s name and an email was sent to find out how to enter a team.

Details were sent back and the wheels were in motion to try to find three team-mates to line up alongside Fraser – who will be heading to Yale University in the USA next month for a semester – on the show.

He said: “I put a message through the university and got a few people to sign up to do online and face-to-face questions.

“We found people with good scores and it spiralled from ‘should we do this?’ to ‘we’ve got a team’.”

Filming took place in Manchester, where Fraser and team-mates John Butterworth, Frederick Ruess and Malia Valenzuela came up against their rivals from Oxford.

In the end, it was the opposition who emerged victorious 180-100.

Fraser told the Courier that filming took place quite quickly but, despite defeat, the presenter wished the team well.

He said: “There was a funny moment not on television afterwards.

“We were a bit disappointed, as you would expect, and he said: ‘Don’t worry about it, you will be their bosses in a few years’ time!’”

Fraser, whose mum and dad, Karen and Iain, still live in Dunbar, enjoyed the experience and wished his rivals well.

He said: “I think the right team did win at the end.

“They were a very, very strong team and will probably go on to do quite well.

“It is like getting beaten by Italy in the early rounds at the Euros.

“They are on to bigger and better things.

“When I founded the team, the initial goal was to get onto the television.”