IN LIVING rooms across Kirkby Stephen, family and friends cheered as 21-year-old William Tams and team-mates won this week's University Challenge.

The biology student faced difficult questions on subjects from French painters to ancient history, maps, chemical compounds and literature from Jeremy Paxman, the BBC Two show's stern-faced quizmaster.

William and his three fellow academics from Durham University secured their place in the second round after beating their rival team York, 240 to 145.

"It was very exciting," said the former head boy at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School. "We were very happy with what happened."

Watching nervously at home were William's mum Daphne Fisher and sister Bridget, who live at Mellbecks, in Kirkby Stephen, and grandparents Anne and Geoffrey Fisher, of Shap. William's brother, George, is also away at university.

After filming Monday night's episode at the BBC studios at Salford's MediaCity earlier this year, the final-year student and three fellow contestants were sworn to secrecy. Not even William's mum knew he had won.

"I think they were probably more nervous than I was," said the 21-year-old of his family.

"You do get really nervous, especially at the beginning when you walk on," he added, "but when the questions start you are concentrating on them and you completely forget you're being filmed. It's very exciting."

University Challenge is famed for its tricky subjects, so the biology student was delighted when it was "fingers on buzzers" for bonus questions about extinct animals, including species of wombat and armadillo.

William had chance to chat to legendary host Jeremy Paxman after the final gong sounded.

"Jeremy is lovely," he said. "Everyone is, honestly - the production team, hair and make-up, the camera crew, everyone. It was a brilliant experience."

Family and friends are now on tenterhooks to see if the Durham team makes the quarter-finals of the 57-year-old quiz.

"Everyone will just have to wait till the next episode," said William, who loves the outdoors and hopes to pursue a career in ecology.