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|website = [http://www.historyworld.net/ History World]<br>[http://www.timesearch.info/timesearch/ Timesearch]
|website = [http://www.historyworld.net/ HistoryWorld]<br>[http://www.timesearch.info/timesearch/ Timesearch]
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'''Bamber Gascoigne''', '''[[Royal Society of Literature|FRSL]]''' (born 24 January 1935) is a British television presenter and author, best known for being the original quizmaster on ''[[University Challenge]]''.<ref name="Stevens">{{cite book |last= Stevens |first= Christopher|title= Born Brilliant: The Life Of Kenneth Williams|publisher= John Murray|year= 2010|isbn = 1-84854-195-3|page=368
'''Bamber Gascoigne''', '''[[Royal Society of Literature|FRSL]]''' (born 24 January 1935) is a British television presenter and author, best known for being the original quizmaster on ''[[University Challenge]]''.<ref name="Stevens">{{cite book|last= Stevens |first= Christopher|title= Born Brilliant: The Life Of Kenneth Williams|publisher= John Murray|year= 2010|isbn = 1-84854-195-3|page=368}}</ref>
|accessdate=10 June 2012}}</ref>


==Biography==
==Biography==
Gascoigne was born in London and won scholarships to both [[Eton College]] and [[Magdalene College, Cambridge]] (1955), where he read English literature. While at Magdalene, he wrote a musical, ''[[Share My Lettuce]]'', which was produced in London in 1957 by [[Michael Codron]], and performed by [[Maggie Smith]] and [[Kenneth Williams]] (music by [[Patrick Gowers]] and [[Keith Statham]]).<ref name="Stevens"/><ref>[http://www.magd.cam.ac.uk/about/alumni/gascoign.html biographical sketch at the Magdalene College alumni website]</ref> He then spent a year as a [[Harkness Fellowship|Commonwealth Fund]] scholar at [[Yale University]] (1958–59). After [[National Service]] in the [[Grenadier Guards]] he became a theatre critic. He is a Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Literature]] (elected 1976). He has served as a trustee of the [[National Gallery]], a trustee of the [[Tate Gallery]], a member of the council of the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]], and as a member of the board of directors of the [[Royal Opera House, Covent Garden]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyworld.net/about/about.asp |title=HistoryWorld |publisher=HistoryWorld |date= |accessdate=2012-06-10}}</ref> His uncle is [[Julian Gascoigne|Sir Julian Gascoigne]] who was [[Major-General commanding the Household Division|in charge]] of the [[Household Division]] during the [[coronation of Queen Elizabeth II]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00qklzf BBC - Special Coronation Edition]</ref>
Gascoigne was born in London and won scholarships to both [[Eton College]] and [[Magdalene College, Cambridge]] (1955), where he read English literature. While at Magdalene, he wrote a musical, ''[[Share My Lettuce]]'', which was produced in London in 1957 by [[Michael Codron]], and performed by [[Maggie Smith]] and [[Kenneth Williams]] (music by [[Patrick Gowers]] and [[Keith Statham]]).<ref name="Stevens"/><ref>[http://www.magd.cam.ac.uk/about/alumni/gascoign.html biographical sketch at the Magdalene College alumni website]</ref> He then spent a year as a [[Harkness Fellowship|Commonwealth Fund]] scholar at [[Yale University]] (1958–59). After [[National Service]] in the [[Grenadier Guards]] he became a theatre critic. He is a Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Literature]] (elected 1976). He has served as a trustee of the [[National Gallery]], a trustee of the [[Tate Gallery]], a member of the council of the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]], and as a member of the board of directors of the [[Royal Opera House, Covent Garden]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyworld.net/about/about.asp |title=HistoryWorld |publisher=HistoryWorld |date= |accessdate=10 June 2012}}</ref> His uncle is [[Julian Gascoigne|Sir Julian Gascoigne]] who was [[Major-General commanding the Household Division|in charge]] of the [[Household Division]] during the [[coronation of Queen Elizabeth II]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00qklzf BBC - Special Coronation Edition]</ref>


==''University Challenge''==
==''University Challenge''==
He came to fame as the first presenter of the popular television quiz show ''[[University Challenge]]'',<ref name="Stevens"/> first airing in 1962, based on the US series ''[[College Bowl]]''. He held the position for 25 years, stepping down in 1987. Although he has written several books, mostly works of history, and presented other television programmes, his name is permanently connected with ''University Challenge'' for many viewers of the show.<ref>[http://www.historyworld.net/about/about.asp biographical sketch at HistoryWorld website]</ref>
He came to fame as the first presenter of the popular television quiz show ''[[University Challenge]]'',<ref name="Stevens"/> first airing in 1962, based on the US series ''[[College Bowl]]''. He held the position for 25 years, stepping down in 1987. Although he has written several books, mostly works of history, and presented other television programmes, his name is permanently connected with ''University Challenge'' for many viewers of the show.<ref>[http://www.historyworld.net/about/about.asp biographical sketch at HistoryWorld website]</ref>


His questioning manner was firm yet polite.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Bamber_Gascoigne |title=Bamber Gascoigne - UKGameshows |publisher=www.ukgameshows.com |accessdate=23 January 2011 | archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20101224012051/http://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Bamber_Gascoigne| archivedate= 24 December 2010 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> Phrases he often used which became [[catchphrase]]s include: "Your starter for ten", "fingers on the buzzers" and "I'll have to hurry you".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/University_Challenge |title=University Challenge - UKGameshows |publisher=www.ukgameshows.com |accessdate=3 January 2011 }}</ref>
His questioning manner was firm yet polite.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Bamber_Gascoigne |title=Bamber Gascoigne - UKGameshows |publisher=www.ukgameshows.com |accessdate=23 January 2011 | archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20101224012051/http://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Bamber_Gascoigne| archivedate= 24 December 2010 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> Phrases he often used which became [[catchphrase]]s include: "Your starter for ten", "fingers on the buzzers" and "I'll have to hurry you".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/University_Challenge |title=University Challenge - UKGameshows |publisher=www.ukgameshows.com |accessdate=3 January 2011}}</ref>


==Television and books==
==Television and books==
Line 101: Line 100:


==Current work==
==Current work==
In recent years, he has established an online history encyclopaedia, called ''History World''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyworld.net/ |title=History and Timelines |publisher=HistoryWorld |date= |accessdate=2010-05-02}}</ref> His latest project is ''TimeSearch''<ref>[http://www.timesearch.info/ Timesearch website]</ref> which presents multiple searchable [[timeline]]s collected from various websites.<ref>Start the Week, BBC Radio 4, 12 March 2007</ref>
Gascoigne has established an online history encyclopaedia, ''HistoryWorld'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyworld.net/ |title=History and Timelines |publisher=HistoryWorld |date= |accessdate=2 May 2010}}</ref> and ''Timesearch''<ref>[http://www.timesearch.info/ Timesearch website]</ref> which presents multiple searchable [[timeline]]s collected from various websites.<ref>''Start the Week'', BBC Radio 4, 12 March 2007</ref>

==Personal life==
He and his wife Christina, who met at Cambridge, have lived in [[Richmond, London|Richmond]] since the late 1960s.<ref name="Midgley">{{cite news | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/the_queens_diamond_jubilee/9193030/Bamber-Gascoignes-Diamond-Jubilee-challenge.html | title=Bamber Gascoigne’s Diamond Jubilee challenge | work=[[The Telegraph]] | date=8 April 2012 | accessdate=10 September 2013 | author=Neil Midgley | location=London}}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 09:00, 10 September 2013

For the 17th and 18th century British politicians, see Bamber Gascoyne (disambiguation).
Bamber Gascoigne
2006 photo
Born (1935-01-24) 24 January 1935 (age 89)
London, England
NationalityBritish
EducationEton College, Magdalene College, Cambridge, Yale University
Occupation(s)Television presenter
Author
Known forUniversity Challenge
WebsiteHistoryWorld
Timesearch

Bamber Gascoigne, FRSL (born 24 January 1935) is a British television presenter and author, best known for being the original quizmaster on University Challenge.[1]

Biography

Gascoigne was born in London and won scholarships to both Eton College and Magdalene College, Cambridge (1955), where he read English literature. While at Magdalene, he wrote a musical, Share My Lettuce, which was produced in London in 1957 by Michael Codron, and performed by Maggie Smith and Kenneth Williams (music by Patrick Gowers and Keith Statham).[1][2] He then spent a year as a Commonwealth Fund scholar at Yale University (1958–59). After National Service in the Grenadier Guards he became a theatre critic. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (elected 1976). He has served as a trustee of the National Gallery, a trustee of the Tate Gallery, a member of the council of the National Trust, and as a member of the board of directors of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.[3] His uncle is Sir Julian Gascoigne who was in charge of the Household Division during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.[4]

University Challenge

He came to fame as the first presenter of the popular television quiz show University Challenge,[1] first airing in 1962, based on the US series College Bowl. He held the position for 25 years, stepping down in 1987. Although he has written several books, mostly works of history, and presented other television programmes, his name is permanently connected with University Challenge for many viewers of the show.[5]

His questioning manner was firm yet polite.[6] Phrases he often used which became catchphrases include: "Your starter for ten", "fingers on the buzzers" and "I'll have to hurry you".[7]

Television and books

Gascoigne is the author of Murgatroyd's Empire, a 1972 satirical novel concerning an entrepreneur who finds an island of pygmies, and trades them arms for treasure, recreating the development of European medieval weaponry and armour.

In 1977, Gascoigne wrote and presented The Christians, a thirteen-hour television documentary series on the history of Christianity, produced by Granada Television and broadcast on ITV. He wrote a companion book, under the same title, with photography by his wife, Christina Gascoigne, published by Jonathan Cape.

He wrote Quest for the Golden Hare, a 1983 account of the internationally publicized treasure hunt associated with the publication in 1979 of Kit Williams' book, Masquerade. On 8 August 1979, Gascoigne was witness to the burial by Williams of a unique jeweled, solid gold hare pendant in an earthenware jar "somewhere in Britain". The book documents the search and a scandal associated with finding it.

In 1987, Gascoigne presented a documentary series of six 30 minute programmes on Victorian history, Victorian Values, which looked at how Victorian society put in place the infrastructure of the modern welfare state, also produced by Granada Television.

He was the writer and presenter for the TV series The Great Moghuls, a study of the Mughal Empire of India. The series was also accompanied by a book of the same name, again with photographs by his wife, and has been reprinted numerous times.

Selected publications

  • 1968: World Theatre: An Illustrated History, Ebury Press
  • 19??: A Brief History of Christianity, revised edition, 2003, Robinson Publishing (ISBN 1-84119-710-6)
  • 2003: A Brief History of the Dynasties of China (ISBN 1-84119-791-2) - originally published as The Treasures and Dynasties of China (1973)
  • 1971: The Great Moghuls, photographs by Christina Gascoigne, Jonathan Cape, London; Harper & Row, New York
  • 1973: The Treasures and Dynasties of China, photographs by Christina Gascoigne and Derrick Witty, Jonathan Cape ( ISBN 0-224-00925-7 )
  • 1973: The Heyday (novel), Jonathan Cape
  • 1974: Ticker Khan: A Fable
  • 1977: The Christians, photographs by Christina Gascoigne, Jonathan Cape
  • 1981: Why the Rope Went Tight
  • 1982: Fearless Freddy's Sunken Treasure
  • 1982: Fearless Freddy's Magic Wish
  • 1983: Quest for the Golden Hare, Jonathan Cape (ISBN 0-224-02116-8
  • 1986: Cod Streuth, Jonathan Cape (ISBN 0-224-02388-8)
  • 1986: How to Identify Prints: A Complete Guide to Manual and Mechanical Processes from Woodcut to Inkjet, Thames & Hudson; revised 2nd edition 2004(ISBN 0-500-28480-6)
  • 1998: Book of Amazing Facts
  • 1993: Encyclopaedia of Britain: The A-Z of Britain's Past and Present, Macmillan Publishers (ISBN 0-333-54764-0)
  • 1997: Milestones in Colour Printing 1457-1859: with a bibliography of Nelson Prints (The Sandars Lectures in Bibliography)
  • A Brief History of the First World War
  • A Brief History of the Second World War
  • 1998: A Brief History of the Great Moghuls: India's most flamboyant rulers, Running Press (ISBN 0-78671-040-3)
  • 2011: The Maya, Aztecs, Incas and Conquistadors: a Brief History

In the Young Ones episode "Bambi" he is parodied by Griff Rhys Jones as "Bambi Gascoigne" (with considerable emphasis being placed on the resemblance of his name to the Disney character), and several years previously Griff Rhys Jones played Gascoigne in a sketch on Not the Nine O'Clock News. He was also portrayed by actor Mark Gatiss in the 2006 film Starter for 10.[8]

In the early 1970s, comedian Billy Connolly poked fun at Gascoigne's unusual name in his song "Talkin' Blues (What's in a Name)".

In 1998, as part of BBC2's Red Dwarf night, he presented a special "Red Dwarf" edition of Universe Challenge between the cast and fans of the show. The show begins with actor Chris Barrie impersonating host Jeremy Paxman, before being blown up as Gascoigne enters with a mock space-shotgun to much applause. (The fans won by a narrow margin.)

In 1974, while impersonating Richard Attenborough in the last Monty Python television episode, Michael Palin sought out the legendary 'Walking tree of Dahomey', but instead happened upon "one of Africa's many stationary trees, Arborus Bamber Gascoignus". His name also appears in one version of the Monty Python "Lumberjack Song" when Michael Palin sings of the "Quercus maximus Bamber Gascoigneii", and in the Python song "I Like Traffic Lights" the singer, Terry Jones, points out that his name is not Bamber.

In 2004, he appeared as a television presenter in an episode of Jonathan Creek, "Gorgon's Wood".[9]

For a number of years, the satirical magazine Private Eye had a motoring column written by Bamber Gasket.

Current work

Gascoigne has established an online history encyclopaedia, HistoryWorld,[10] and Timesearch[11] which presents multiple searchable timelines collected from various websites.[12]

Personal life

He and his wife Christina, who met at Cambridge, have lived in Richmond since the late 1960s.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c Stevens, Christopher (2010). Born Brilliant: The Life Of Kenneth Williams. John Murray. p. 368. ISBN 1-84854-195-3.
  2. ^ biographical sketch at the Magdalene College alumni website
  3. ^ "HistoryWorld". HistoryWorld. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  4. ^ BBC - Special Coronation Edition
  5. ^ biographical sketch at HistoryWorld website
  6. ^ "Bamber Gascoigne - UKGameshows". www.ukgameshows.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "University Challenge - UKGameshows". www.ukgameshows.com. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  8. ^ "Mark Gatiss credits". London: Curtis Brown. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  9. ^ "Episode 4.6 – Gorgon's Wood". Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  10. ^ "History and Timelines". HistoryWorld. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  11. ^ Timesearch website
  12. ^ Start the Week, BBC Radio 4, 12 March 2007
  13. ^ Neil Midgley (8 April 2012). "Bamber Gascoigne's Diamond Jubilee challenge". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
Preceded by
First host 		University Challenge host
1962–1987 		Succeeded by
Jeremy Paxman
1994–present

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