In 1985, against the backdrop of Thatcherism, Brian Jackson enrolls in the University of Bristol, a scholarship boy from seaside Essex with a love of knowledge for its own sake and a childhood spent watching University Challenge, a college quiz show. At Bristol he tries out for the Challenge team and falls under the spell of Alice, a lovely blond with an extensive sexual past.
James McAvoy
as Brian Jackson
Alice Eve
as Alice Harbinson
Rebecca Hall
as Rebecca Epstein
Catherine Tate
as Julie Jackson
Dominic Cooper
as Spencer
Benedict Cumberbatch
as Patrick Watts
James Corden
as Tone
Mark Gatiss
as Bamber Gascoigne
Guy Henry
as Dr. Morrison
John Henshaw
as Des
Elaine Tan
as Lucy Chang
Simon Woods
as Josh
