Which TV presenter was the original host of the British quiz show 'University Challenge'?

'University Challenge' is a British television quiz programme that first aired in 1962. From 21st September 1962 to 31st December 1987, the show was presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. It was later revived in 1994 with Jeremy Paxman as the quizmaster.

The game is played by teams of four members from a single British university, who go head-to-head in each episode, gradually eliminating the losing teams until only one remains. The quiz begins with questions that are worth ten points. For each correct answer, three bonus questions are asked that are worth 15 points. During the show, there are also picture rounds and music rounds.

Bamber Gascoigne (1935-2022) initially wanted to go into stage acting but found it tiresome to act out the same play every day. Instead, he became a theatre critic and writer, before joining 'University Challenge' as the first presenter. In the first series, Gascoigne also wrote the questions.

In 1987, Gascoigne presented 'Victorian Values', a documentary series about Victorian history. After this, he worked on other television shows but decline to present the revived series of 'University Challenge' in 1994. Gascoigne also published a number of books, most of which focused on historical topics. In 1994, he began developing 'HistoryWorld', an online encyclopaedia based on his research.

Gascoigne passed away after a short illness in 2022 at the age of 87.