Arthur Bamber Gascoigne was an English television presenter and author. He was the original quizmaster on University Challenge, which initially ran from 1962 to 1987.
Gascoigne in 2006, photographed by Christina Gascoigne
University Challenge is a British television quiz programme which first aired in 1962. University Challenge aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC revived the programme on 21 September 1994, the programme's 32nd anniversary, with Jeremy Paxman as the quizmaster. Paxman relinquished his role as host following the conclusion of the 52nd series in 2023, after which he was succeeded by Amol Rajan. In October 2022, an ITV documentary, Paxman: Putting Up With Parkinson's, explored how Parkinson's disease has impacted him and revealed that Paxman recorded his very last episode of University Challenge on 15 October 2022, which aired on 29 May 2023.
Bamber Gascoigne hosted the original series of University Challenge from 1962 to 1987 and the 1992 Granadaland special.
Jeremy Paxman hosted University Challenge from 1994 to 2023 and its Christmas spin-off from 2011 to 2022.
Angus Deayton hosted the 2003 and 2005 Comic Relief editions of University Challenge.
David Baddiel hosted the 2019 Comic Relief edition of University Challenge.
