60 Here’s your starter for
As University Challenge notches up an impressive milestone, MARION MCMULLEN looks at other TV shows with real staying power
IT was fingers on the buzzers 60 years ago as University Challenge quizzed the first two teams of university students.
Host Bamber Gascoigne was initially paid £40 a week to ask the tough questions and quickly made his mark with viewers.
He had won scholarships himself to Eton and Cambridge and asked thousands of questions during his 25 years at the helm of University Challenge.
The quiz show was filmed by Granada Television in Manchester with Leeds and Reading appearing in the opening episode on September 21, 1962.
University Challenge has since become Britain’s longest running quiz show and Jeremy Paxman introduced his famous formidable interrogating style when he took over when the quiz was revived by the BBC in 1994.
He memorably put future Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his place when he appeared as a contestant in a journalist special in 1999 as team captain of the Broadsheets... who lost to team Tabloids.
Boris celebrated winning the last question by punching the air, only for Jeremy to point out: “I don’t know what you were gesticulating, you were very soundly trounced.”
The veteran broadcaster is now stepping down but University Challenge will continue next year with journalist and broadcaster Amol Rajan as the new host.
Seventy-two-year-old Jeremy said: “I’ve had a blast hosting this wonderful series for nearly 29 years. I’ve been lucky enough to work with an amazing team and to meet some of the swottier brains in the country. It gives me hope for the future.”
University Challenge at 60 is among the oldest TV programmes still being shown on British television.
BBC current affairs documentary series Panorama is among the golden oldies. It began 69 years ago in 1953 with Richard Dimbleby joining the programme in 1955 and presenting the series until his death in 1965. He first wrote to the BBC in the 1930s to propose the idea of a
“radio reporter” and promptly got the job he had envisaged.
He cut his teeth by reporting live from a telephone box on the burning down of Crystal Palace. He was the Beeb’s first war correspondent and air correspondent during the Second World War, remembered for flying with bombers, reporting the horrors of the Bergen-belsen concentration camp and sitting in Hitler’s chair.
Richard was a major factor in turning a faltering Panorama programme into essential viewing for millions and his son, David Dimbleby, joined
the programme in 1974. Famous past Panorama presenters also include the bow-tie loving Sir Robin Day, Sir Ludovic Kennedy and Sir Charles Wheeler.
Sports Personality Of The Year (originally called Sports Review Of The Year) started in 1954 as a lowkey affair and produced a surprise winner when world record runner Chris Chataway beat four-minutemile record-setter Roger Bannister to the title.
The BBC’S long running astronomy series, The Sky At Night, launched 65 years ago in 1957 just six months before the launch of Sputnik.
Sir Patrick Moore, who presented the show, was well known as an astronomer, but was also a pianist, a virtuoso xylophonist and the composer of two operas – and once accompanied the violin-playing of Albert Einstein.
Children’s programme Blue Peter started a year later in 1958 with Christopher Trace and Leila Williams presenting the
then 15 minute show.
Valerie Singleton joined in 1962 following Leila’s departure.
The programme still manages to inspire youngsters to send in more than 100,000 letters and pictures each year and it is reckoned nearly 200,000 under-16s own at least one Blue Peter badge.
ITV’S Coronation Street began in 1960 and was broadcast live in black and white. The opening episode introduced viewers to characters like Elsie Tanner, Annie Walker, Ena Sharples, Albert Tatlock and student Ken Barlow.
Original cast member William Roache is still part of the long-running soap playing Ken and has said: “While I can do it and while they want me, I will be there.”
The BBC’S religious programme Songs Of Praise began in 1961 and is now 61 years old. A special programme from Westminster Abbey marked the 60th anniversary last year and included a message from Queen Elizabeth.
The original Songs Of Praise broadcasts went out live on Sundays from churches, many of which were chosen because they were near sports grounds, where the outside broadcast vehicles were in use on the previous Saturday afternoons.
There have been around 3,000 programmes since Songs Of Praise began and guest presenters over the years have included Sir Cliff Richard, Don Maclean and Charlotte Church.
Aled Jones joined the line-up in 2000 and has now fronted the programme for 22 years. He also presented as a child in 1988 from Pwllheli and has described Songs Of Praise as “one of the biggest joys of my life”.