Comedian and actor James Redmond will be wowing local sixth-form students who take part in a special quiz on 1 November at the University of Essex.

Redmond, who made his name in TV programmes Casualty and Hollyoaks, will be celebrity question master at a social science quiz organised by the University’s UK Data Archive as part of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Festival of Social Science.

The Festival is a nationwide programme of events running from 29 October to 5 November showcasing the country’s leading social science research and their relevance in today's society. It is sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Around 60 students from local schools and sixth forms will take part in the quiz at the University’s Colchester Campus on 1 November. The teams will be welcomed by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Colin Riordan. They will also hear from Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor David Sanders, renowned for his work as a political scientist.

The winning teams will be presented with prizes of Amazon vouchers for their school or college, thanks to funding from the ESRC. They will also have an opportunity to experience the University of Essex campus and to learn a bit more about student life.

Students will be attending from schools and sixth forms in Colchester, Clacton, Braintree, Bury St. Edmunds, Sudbury and Ipswich.

More details about the ESRC Festival of Social Science are available at www.esrcfestival.ac.uk.

Notes to editors:

You are invited to send a photographer/reporter to the prize ceremony at 2.30pm on Tuesday 1 November at the Colchester Campus. Please confirm your attendance in advance by contacting the University’s Communications Office, telephone: 01206 872807, e-mail: comms@essex.ac.uk.

The most recent UK-wide Research Assessment Exercise ranked the University of Essex ninth in the UK for the quality of our research and first for Social Sciences.

The UK Data Archive is curator of the UK’s largest collection of digital data in the social sciences and humanities. Founded in 1967, it now holds several thousand datasets both historical and contemporary - a vital resource for researchers, teachers and learners. To find out more, visit www.data-archive.ac.uk.