University Challenge has only had three question masters.
Bamber Gascoigne (1962-1987), who always gave the impression that he knew more than anyone else in the room, and that he probably wrote the questions, while at the same time giving out a real sense of enthusiasm. We did meet him once, back in the 1970s, when Durham were in the final. (I wasn't on the team, but the much-missed Ken Brown was).
Jeremy Paxman (1994-2023) was the second person to take the role. He came over as the arch-inquisitor, not suffering fools gladly. Replaying his persona as questioner on Newsnight and other current affairs programmes into the UC role. But he lacked Bamber's warmth.
And so to Amol Rajan. To be honest, we haven't had that much time for him as a journalist, either at the Independent or on the BBC Today programme. He seemed to us to come across as both shallow and a know-it-all. An amazing trick. However, he has done very well, we think, in the UC job. To our surprise. He shows Bamberish enthusiasm, and glints of knowledge, while still being firm.
A success, we believe.
