JEREMY Paxman will be firing his starters for ten at a former Colchester student.

Loren Parry and her team-mates from St John’s College, Oxford, have qualified for this year’s University Challenge and are preparing to put their knowledge to the test before a TV audience of millions in September.

The 24-year-old completed her A-levels at Colchester County High School and went on to study Chemistry at Oxford. She is currently studying for a PhD at St John’s.

She said: “This was the first year I heard about applying for the show. I don’t watch the programme religiously, but I remember seeing a couple before I went to Oxford.

“I’ve never really done anything like this before, apart from the odd pub quiz.

“But since getting through, I have been watching every single show and looking out for some of the other teams.”

About 100 hopeful university teams apply to be on the show and the selection process is almost as gruelling as the programme itself.

Miss Parry, whose parents live in Newton, near Sudbury, said: “People probably don’t realise it’s so competitive to get onto the show. There’s a test of about 40 questions as well as an interview with the TV producers.”

The competition is finally whittled down to the top 28 teams for filming.

The St John’s team has already filmed the first round match against Durham, which will be aired on September 7.

Miss Parry, who cannot reveal anything about how the show went, said: “I just hope I don’t pull too many funny faces.”