Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson is among the famous faces taking part in Christmas University Challenge, reports Belfast Telegraph.

More than 50 prominent alumni from 14 universities and university colleges will take part in the festive specials.

The first clash will air on BBC Two on Christmas Eve at 8 PM. Each team will compete in one of seven first-round matches, after which the four teams with the highest winning scores will face each other in two semi-finals. The winners of each of those ties will then face off for the title of series champions.

Dickinson will be joined on the team from Queen Mary, London, by broadcaster Adrian Chiles, TV chef Ching-He Huang and science writer Marcus Chown.

Read more at Belfast Telegraph.

Following the massively successful global tour of 2016/17 in support of their sixteenth studio album The Book Of Souls, Iron Maiden will take to the road again in 2018 with a series of arena and festival shows in Europe on the Legacy Of The Beast World Tour, opening in Tallinn, Estonia on May 26th and finishing at the O2 Arena, in London.

Tickets for all shows are on sale now and can be found here. A tour trailer can be found below.

Legacy Of The Beast 2018 tour dates:

May
26 - Saku Arena - Tallinn, Estonia
28 - Hartwall Arena - Helsinki, Finland
29 - Hartwall Arena - Helsinki, Finland

June
1 - Tele2 Arena - Stockholm, Sweden
3 - Dahls Arena - Trondheim Rocks, Norway
5 - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark
7 - Sweden Rock Festival - Solvesborg, Sweden
9 - Rockavaria, Königsplatz - Munich, Germany
10 - Expo Plaza - Hannover, Germany
13 - Waldbuhne - Berlin, Germany
16 - Firenze Rocks - Firenze, Italy
17 - Novarock Festival - Nickelsdorf, Austria
20 - Letnany Airport - Prague, Czech Republic
22 - Graspop - Dessel, Belgium
24 - Hellfest - Clisson, France
26 - Geneva Arena - Geneva, Switzerland
28 - Volt Festival - Sopron, Hungary
30 - Messegelaende - Freiburg, Germany

July
1 - Gelredome - Arnhem, Holland
5 - Accorshotel Arena - Paris, France
6 - Accorshotel Arena - Paris, France
9 - San Siro Ippodromo - Milan, Italy
10 - Hallenstadion - Zurich, Switzerland
13 - Altice Arena - Lisbon, Portugal
14 - Wanda Metropolitano Stadium - Madrid, Spain
17 - Piazza Dellã Unita D'italia - Trieste, Italy
20 - Rockwave Festival - Athens, Greece
22 - Hills Of Rock - Plovdiv, Bulgaria
24 - Zagreb Arena - Zagreb, Croatia
27 - Tauron Arena - Krakow, Poland
31 - Metro Radio Arena - Newcastle, England  

August
2 - Sse Arena - Belfast, Northern Ireland
4 - Exhibition & Conference Centre - Aberdeen, Scotland
6 - Manchester Arena - Manchester, England
7 - Genting Arena - Birmingham, England
10 - O2 Arena - London, England
11 - O2 Arena - London, England