It’s hardly news that Roy Cropper lookalike Eric Monkman has earned himself thousands of fans as the overly-enthusiastic team captain of Wolfson College, Cambridge on University Challenge.
Heralded as the “a hero of our time” and the “perfect man” by viewers, his name trends on Twitter every time he makes an appearance on the show.
But the bellowing Canadian took it to the next level on Monday night, with his incredibly theatrical response to one question leaving even the notoriously stony-faced Jeremy Paxman in awe.
Asked to translate a phrase from Latin, Monkman dramatically recited: “He who lives by the sword shall perish by the sword,” throwing his hands in the air for extra emphasis.
“You would have made a wonderful revivalist preacher,” a grinning Paxman responded, leading viewers to suggest that a “bromance” may be forming between the two brainiacs.
As expected, fans were very excited about the whole thing:
Thankfully, Monkman and his team beat their rivals from Warwick University 205 points to 175 and bagged a place in the semi-finals, meaning the pair will meet again before the end of the series.
Long may the bromance continue!