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Jeremy Paxman quits University Challenge

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Jeremy Paxman quits University Challenge

The former face of Newsnight has called time on the highbrow game show.

Jeremy Paxman, who has presented the show since 1994, will film his last episode this autumn and his final series will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer from Monday 29th August through to summer ’23.

Jeremy Paxman:

“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.”

This year University Challenge celebrates 60 years of being Britain’s longest-running quiz show. A special documentary will air on BBC Two and iPlayer later this month. University Challenge is produced by Lifted Entertainment, part of ITV Studios, and is based on the format of College Bowl by Richard Reid.

The series was introduced to viewers by ITV’s Granada Television in 1962 with Bamber Gascoigne hosting the original run of the show for just over 900 episodes between 1962 and 1987.

It switched to the BBC in 1994 with Newsnight and BBC Breakfast Time host Paxman taking on quizmaster duties. Bamber Gascoigne died in February this year aged 87.

Peter Gwyn, Executive Producer of University Challenge:

“Jeremy has been our presenter, colleague and friend for twenty-eight years, and everyone on the University Challenge production team will miss him greatly. He’ll be sorely missed too by both our audience and by the generations of students who’ve relished the chance to pit themselves against him in more than a thousand matches.”

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