‘Adopted Manxie’ Suraiya Haddad is set to compete in tonight’s University Challenge final.

The final, which will be broadcast on BBC Two at 8.30pm, will see Suraiya’s team Imperial College London take on University College London in the grand final of the quiz competition.

Although originally from Manchester, Suraiya’s grandmother Muriel King was born and raised in the island and her family would visit once a year.

Suraiya also undertook a month’s placement at Snaefell Surgery in Anagh Coar as part of her medical degree in 2022.

Talking about the island, Suraiya said: ‘I distinctly remember leaving a nutcracker at the Fairy Bridge just before Christmas when I was younger. You’ve got to get a gift for the fairies!

‘I also remember us driving along Douglas Promenade while the waves were crashing over my Dad’s Land Rover. I absolutely loved it!’

During Suraiya’s month-long placement in Douglas, she met Carole Johnson - a practice manager at Snaefell Surgery.

Describing her as a ‘wonderful woman’, Suraiya has named her University Challenge team’s toy otter mascot ‘Carole’ in her honour.

Suraiya said: ‘I was only there for a month, but Carole made me feel so at home and she was amazing. It was quite emotional because I felt like I was keeping a promise to my grandmother.

‘I really loved it at the surgery. I wasn’t there for long yet I was made to feel so welcome and part of the community.

‘I remember once mentioning in passing that I like blueberries, and a patient came in the next day and gave me a basket of blueberries from Ramsey. Everyone is so kind, and I would definitely consider moving over there permanently in the future.’

Suraiya is the captain of Imperial College London’s team who prevailed over Trinity College Cambridge in the semi-final with a score of 240 to 110.

Their opponents in tonight’s final, UCL, beat Manchester in the other semi-final with a score of 210 to 165.

Talking about the competition, Suraiya said: ‘It was filmed in my final year of University in April last year. The only thing I was nervous about was getting a medicine question wrong.

‘It’s also quite nervy when you buzz for a question and all the cameras zoom in on you, while someone shouts out your name. To be honest, everything moves so quickly you’re pretty much just operating on adrenaline.

‘I remember saying to my team that it would be great to win our first match, and anything that happens after that is a bonus. We gained momentum after that and here we are.’