The last competition in the Semi-final round, which gives a chance to the four best losers from the earlier heats to compete for the last place in the Final. Tonight, at the University of Salford, the contenders are:

TOM DAWKES, librarian - The history of linguistics, 19th and 20th centuries

SIR DAVID HUNT, retired ambassador - The Allied Armies in Italy, World War II

ANDREW WOOD, graduate - The Glorious Revolution

JONATHAN DALRYMPLE-SMITH, air-taxi pilot - English poetry of World War I