LONDON, ENGLAND - A TEAM from Oxford University which won a prestigious British TV quiz thanks to a contestant nicknamed the 'Human Google' was stripped of its title on Monday, the BBC said.

Team member Sam Kay was deemed to be an ineligible contestant after it emerged he was working as an accountant when his team from Corpus Christi College beat Manchester University in the final of 'University Challenge'.

Oxford swept to victory thanks to the intellectual brilliance of 26-year-old Gail Trimble, who scored two-thirds of her team's points, but Manchester will now be handed the title.

A BBC statement said: 'The University Challenge rules on student eligibility are that students taking part must be registered at their university or college for the duration of the recording of the series.

'Whilst obviously not intending to, Corpus Christi broke this important rule where other universities and colleges taking part adhered to it. We therefore find ourselves in the regrettable position of having no choice but to disqualify Corpus Christi from the final.'

Mr Kay, who was working for PricewaterhouseCoopers when the final was filmed in November, has apologised and said he did not intend to mislead anyone. -- AFP