Jeremy Paxman’s final starter for 10
STUMBLING students breathed a sigh of relief last night as Jeremy Paxman retired as the acid-tongued host of University Challenge.
The acerbic presenter fronted his final edition of the hugely popular general knowledge quiz, ending his reign as the longest-serving current quizmaster on British TV.
The broadcaster, 73, who has hosted the show since it was revived by the BBC in 1994, announced he was stepping down a year after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
During his time in the chair, Paxman became famed for his disapproving looks and combative style, which saw him clash with contestants during his 29 years at the helm.
But millions of avid viewers who turned on BBC Two expecting an emotional goodbye from the hardest of hosts were left sorely disappointed last night.
After a match up between Bristol and Durham, Paxman, the least sentimental of men, simply said:
“University Challenge returns later in the year… and I look forward to watching it with you.” He started his career in 1972 on the BBC’s graduate trainee programme, worked in local radio and reported on the Troubles in Belfast. Shortly after moving to London in 1977, he joined investigative flagship programme Panorama, before stints on the Six O’Clock News and BBC One’s Breakfast Time.
He became presenter of Newsnight in 1989, a position he held until June 2014. He announced in May 2021 he was being treated for Parkinson’s but said his symptoms were “currently mild”. University Challenge will return this summer. Today programme presenter Amol Rajan, 39, will become the third host of the quiz in its 60-year history, after Bamber Gascoigne launched it in 1962.
The BBC recently released images of the modernised set, which will feature a new title sequence, but the music remains.