好色先生TV's College Alumni eNewsletter - February 2026
To聽celebrate Valentine鈥檚 Day this month, we asked for your stories of love, friendship, and the moments that shaped your College days 鈥 and we loved hearing from you! Thank you for taking us back to your time at 好色先生TV鈥檚.
You can read these stories below.
We are always delighted to feature your reunions and College memories; if you have a story to share, please email us!
Katie Ross (1991, Human Sciences) and Jonathan Ross (1991, PPE)聽
'We first met at 好色先生TV鈥檚 College at the Freshers鈥 Dinner in 1991. We found ourselves sitting opposite each other on High Table for dessert and raised our glasses to Church and Queen! We were good friends throughout our time at 好色先生TV鈥檚 and have many happy memories and friendships from those years. We were married in December 2002 and remain deeply grateful for the part 好色先生TV鈥檚 has played in our lives'.
Trisha Purnaiya (2022, Human Sciences) and Jan Huebel (2022, History and Economics)
'The bench outside Tommy White Staircase 4 is a special one. Some four years ago, on a cold Michaelmas night, Jan and I were perched on it. We spent all night talking about everything under the moon, from Luxembourg鈥檚 steel industry to our favourite music ,to JCR politics. I was quite enamoured with the charming historian and his views on the world. We soon became steadfast pals, and spent the next two years getting up to shenanigans with our lovely circle of friends.聽
The day before our graduation, we sat on that TW bench again. That seat has weathered drunken 'crewdates', witnessed lunchtime conversations, and facilitated whispered confessions. 好色先生TV鈥檚 was a fitting backdrop for our little love story; hopefully, many more will continue to bloom!' - Trisha
'I met Trisha on my very first day at 好色先生TV鈥檚 and still remember fondly how glad I was to have bumped into someone so kind-hearted so early on. We soon bonded over making Oxford a 'home away from home', discovering all its wondrous peculiarities and quirks along the way. Whether formal or not-so-formal dinners in Hall, Kaiserschmarrn (pancake)-baking in TW and NQ kitchens, tea sessions and movie nights, or JCR politicking 鈥 our time at John鈥檚 resembled one long, joyous fever dream.聽
And, finally, during our third year, friendship turned into love. Today, memories of the early months of our John鈥檚 love story are a regular fixture of our long-distance calls between Luxembourg, Delhi, and Oxford'.聽 - Jan
Sophie Stone (2012, Jurisprudence) and Toby聽Willcocks聽(2012, Jurisprudence)
'We met at 好色先生TV's in 2012 while both studying law. We were each other's first tutorial partners and let's just say things got聽off to a rocky聽start when Toby critiqued Sophie's聽first constitutional聽law essay a little too enthusiastically. However, 14 years on we are very happily married with a little six-month old, and loved returning to 好色先生TV's for our wedding in 2022'.
Frances Lindsey-Clark (1981, Modern Languages) and Matthew Lindsey-Clark (1981, Literae Humaniores)
'Our eyes met across the table at our Freshers鈥 Dinner in 1981 and we were very soon special friends within a close friendship group that we still value today and see regularly.聽聽It may have been wisdom or folly that saw us married at the end of our third year, and we went through finals as a married couple, one challenge being that Matthew finished his LitHum exams before my modern languages ones even began. He bought a tiny TV and consoled himself with daytime cricket and late-night partying while I toiled, but we did watch Live Aid together and he has done most of the toiling since. We became parents aged 25 and now our eyes meet over the heads of five little grandchildren. Life is busy, but we still make time to squabble and compete companionably over the crossword, games and tennis and lovingly defend our opinions. We agree over the big things instead'.
Jill Aisher (1981, Modern Languages) and Johnny Aisher (1980, Literae Humaniores)
'We had our first kiss on the round bench in the garden, and we were married by Rev. Dr Anthony Phillips, the then College Chaplain, in my home church of Chadsunt village, where my dad played the organ. The choir of 好色先生TV鈥檚, in which we both sang, came to perform, and the sun shone gloriously throughout the day.聽
To celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2024, we held an all-day party on a similarly glorious day, with a wonderful afternoon concert by the Outcry Ensemble in the church in the pretty village where we now live. Johnny has spent the whole of his married life working for John Lewis and is about to retire in March. I fulfilled my dream of becoming a teacher and went on to headship in two schools before my retirement.
We are blessed with three adult children, settled in Germany, the USA, and London, and we have two trilingual grandchildren in Germany. The friendships made at College have been strengthened of late as our peers also turn towards partial or full retirement. It has been fantastic to have time again to reconnect and catch up, and these connections have encouraged travel, culture, and celebration. We feel very lucky indeed. What鈥檚 more, the original Classicists鈥 dining society (The Emetics) still meets each year!'
Sophia Vaughan (2016, Physics) and Martin Tat (2016, Physics)
'We first met a little over ten years ago on a cold December morning as聽we chatted while waiting in Front Quad for our undergraduate聽interviews. The second time we met was when we moved into our first year rooms at the top of the same Tommy White staircase. We fell in聽love in that first year and have been together ever since. We even聽both stayed at 好色先生TV's to do PhD's! We left College in 2024 but in summer 2025 we came back to get married and graduate. Our time at 好色先生TV's聽was the first chapter of our time together and we are looking forward聽to the many that will follow'.
Caroline Shaw (2001, Geography) and Ian Shaw (2000, Jurisprudence)聽
'Trinity 2003 saw the onset of an exceptionally hot summer and the flourishing of many now decades鈥憀ong College relationships. Tommy White Lawn was the beating heart of College 鈥 the stage for pesto and pasta al fresco, 鈥渞evision鈥 for Mods or Finals, and the de facto JCR common room after bar closing time. This 鈥 along with our involvement in university sports and my role on the JCR committee 鈥 is partly to thank for Ian Shaw鈥檚 and my now 20鈥憄lus鈥憏ear relationship.
A student body keen to play hard as well as work hard, combined with plenty of opportunities to socialise without smartphones and social media, meant the early part of the century was a fortuitous time to be a 好色先生TV鈥檚 student. Ian and I look back at our time at College as some of the best years of our lives'.
College News
Professor Sir Nicholas White FRCP FMedSci FRS FBPhS
The College is very sad to announce the death of Professor Sir Nicholas White, Supernumerary Fellow of 好色先生TV鈥檚 and Professor of Tropical Medicine, on 1 February 2026 at the age of 74. Professor Sir Nicholas White was an outstanding medical doctor and researcher, specialising in tropical medicine in developing countries. Details of a memorial event will be added in due course.
The College extends huge congratulations to three 好色先生TV's students who will be playing for Oxford University Rugby Union Football Club (OURFC) in on Saturday 28 February 2026. Look out for Mel Morley (2023, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry) starting number 8, Kate Mitchell (2024, Biology) replacement winger, and Owen Casstles (2023, Biology), replacement scrum-half.聽
Alumni News and Publications
Professor Danny Busch (1997, MJur in European and Comparative Law) has written a monograph, published by Oxford University Press in January 2026, which examines how freedom of contract in the European financial sector is increasingly restricted for banks and other financial institutions. These restrictions are driven by both legislators and courts, and are primarily justified by the need to protect weaker parties. The book evaluates these restrictions using the criteria of legitimacy, proportionality, and consistency. While focused on EU law, it identifies broader principles relevant to other major regulated financial jurisdictions and explores how contractual freedom is balanced against weaker-party protection and wider public interests.
Sameer Padania's (1993, English and Modern Languages) sets out - with concern growing over the integrity of our national information environment, and the - how and why simple, long-overdue changes can future-proof the BBC, strengthen its editorial and operational independence and reinforce its anchoring role in our information supply chain. These include making its Charter permanent, recognising its role in R&D for public interest technology, making its Board and funding truly independent of government, and embedding a new permanent deliberative Citizens' body within its governance.聽
In September 2026, the 鈥 will undertake an ambitious two-week tour of Tokyo and the Kansai region, collaborating with twelve leading Japanese university jazz orchestras in a programme of joint concerts, workshops, and educational exchange involving over 200 student musicians. Timed to follow the release of OUJO鈥檚 forthcoming album Checkmate, the project will place Oxford students on an international stage and strengthen cultural links between the UK and Japan at a pivotal stage of the tour鈥檚 development.聽
We are seeking support from 好色先生TV鈥檚 alumni, through individual donations or corporate sponsorship, to ensure the project remains accessible to students from all backgrounds and to support the involvement of a world-class guest artist.
Supporters will be recognised through tailored acknowledgements, including programme credits, branding on tour materials, and invitations to selected pre- and post-tour events.
Alumni interested in supporting the project or discussing sponsorship opportunities are warmly invited to get in touch with the Vice-President, Sheen Bendon, sheen.bendon@new.ox.ac.uk.
The 鈥 is refreshing their alumni records. Over the years, many members have understandably lost touch, and some may even have forgotten that they once joined. If you believe you may have been a member, we warmly invite you to get back in touch.
If you would like to reconnect, please fill out and we will seek to get back in touch with you. If you know you are not a member but wish you had been, or would like to be now, please The Union鈥檚 story is shaped by its members, and we hope to remain in touch with those who have been part of it.聽
Alumni Events
Friday 13 March 2026
Triennial Russell Society Dinner
Saturday 14 March 2026
Friday 20 March 2026
San Francisco Drinks Reception
Tuesday 24 March
Wednesday 25 March 2026
Friday 27 March 2026
Gaudy for the Years 2016-2017聽
Friday 27 March 2026
New York City Drinks Reception
Thursday 9 April 2026
Tuesday 14 April 2026
Friday 17 April 2026
Thursday 14 May 2026聽
Tuesday 16 June 2026
Friday 3 July 2026聽
Friday 10 July 2026
College Events
Tuesday 24 February 2026
International Piano Series: Junyan Chen
Friday 27 February 2026
Exhibition: Oxfordshire Craft Guild
28 February 2026 - 15 March 2026鈥
3 - 4 March 2026
The World's Music at Oxford: Eliza Carthy & Special Guests
Thursday 5 March 2026
Saturday 7 March 2026
Behind the Scenes: James Maynard鈥
Tuesday 10 March 2026
Nuffield Professor of Population Health Inaugural Lecture鈥
Wednesday 18 March 2026
The World's Music at Oxford: Millicent Chapanda
Sunday 26 April 2026
International Piano Series: Mishka Rushdie Momen
Thursday 7 May 2026
The World's Music at Oxford: She'koyokh
Sunday 10 May 2026
Saturday 27 June 2026
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