In 1985, Brian Jackson is a first-year university student in English Literature and an information sponge. Since his working-class childhood in
Southend-on-Sea, Brian has loved the TV quiz show
University Challenge. After arriving at
University of Bristol, Brian attends a party where he meets left-wing Jewish student Rebecca. Brian attempts to join the
University Challenge team, but narrowly fails to secure a place when he helps another candidate, Drama student Alice, cheat on the qualifying test. Brian tries to date Alice, despite her signals that she sees him as a friend. As term starts, Brian is invited to join the team after a member is knocked over by a bus. Patrick, a post-graduate student in mechanical engineering, has remained captain despite having led the team to successive losses on
University Challenge. Lucy, an American student from Minneapolis majoring in medicine, completes the team. Brian impresses with his trivia knowledge and uses his time to get closer to Alice, eventually getting invited to her Suffolk cottage for New Year's Eve. However, Brian embarrasses himself in front of her family by getting stoned while trying to impress Alice. He returns to Bristol for the rest of the vacation and meets Rebecca again. They are about to hookup, when he inadvertently calls Rebecca "Alice", offending her and ruining the moment. Spencer, his friend from Southend who runs a seaside arcade, makes a surprise visit to Brian's student accommodation and admits to being in legal trouble. Brian invites Spencer to a party before his court appearance. During the party, Patrick insults Spencer's upbringing and belittles him. Spencer hits Patrick in the face and disrupts the event. Afterwards, Brian shares a drink with Rebecca and tries to apologise for his own behaviour. However, Rebecca still feels that Brian loves Alice. Rebecca encourages him to tell Alice how he feels. He takes her advice and arrives at Alice's flat to declare his love, but discovers Spencer there. Excited by his violent behaviour at the party, Alice had invited him back. Brian feels betrayed by them both, since Spencer knew how he felt about Alice. Brian gets depressed and struggles with concentrating during
University Challenge practices and his studies, threatening his university place. Patrick becomes frustrated with Brian, and as they arrive for their
University Challenge match against
Queen's College, Cambridge, berates him for his lack of focus. In response, Brian
headbutts Patrick, but only succeeds in knocking himself unconscious. He is revived backstage by Rebecca, who has come to watch the show and gives him encouragement before he is escorted to the set. En route, Brian is briefly left alone with an unsealed envelope containing the quiz questions. He reads one of the cards before putting it back in the envelope, and, inspired by the relative ease of a question about astronomy to which he already knew the answer, rejoins his team. The match starts off poorly, with nerves getting to Patrick as he fails to answer several questions. Brian slowly but surely saves them, getting into his swing as he answers question after question. As the match is heating up and Brian's team has the momentum, quizmaster
Bamber Gascoigne announces that the next question will be on astronomy and Brian inadvertently buzzes and gives the answer to the question he had previously seen before Gascoigne has even begun to read it. Realising that Brian has seen the cards, Gascoigne suspends the match and Brian's team is disqualified. Brian returns home and falls into another depression, sleeping all day and ignoring calls. His mother tries to get him out of the house, but the person who finally reaches him is Spencer. He says that his court case has gone better than expected, with a suspended sentence, and that he is sorry for his behaviour and proud of Brian for chasing his dreams. Inspired by his friend, Brian returns to Bristol and meets his tutor, promising that he is back for good. He then walks past Alice up to find Rebecca, who is taking part in a
political demonstration. He asks her if she could ever forgive him for his mistakes, and if they can start again. She replies that he already knows the answer, and they kiss. ==Cast==