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Original poster

Jeremy Paxman is retiring from University Challenge

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 2022-08-16T16:37:44+00:00

[sad] Sorry to hear this. I think he's done a great job for the last 28 years. Different from Bamber Gascoigne, of course, but UC has remained a huge favourite in our house. I thought he might retire soon when I heard about his Parkinson's diagnosis. The news release below seems to imply he's filming the current series and someone else will be replacing him for the next series. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-62561558 Two things then: When will the current series start? It's long overdue and I'm getting twitchy. It normally gets under way in July. Not scheduled for next Monday. Who will replace him? Due to be announced later this week. Speculation in the article it could be Kirsty Wark, Sandy Toksvig, Samira Ahmed, Victoria Coren-Mitchell or Richard Osman, and various others. My personal choice would be Richard Osman from that group but I think it's a lot more likely to be a woman.

85 replies

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 16/08/2022 17:37

Sorry to hear this. I think he's done a great job for the last 28 years. Different from Bamber Gascoigne, of course, but UC has remained a huge favourite in our house. I thought he might retire soon when I heard about his Parkinson's diagnosis. The news release below seems to imply he's filming the current series and someone else will be replacing him for the next series.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-62561558

Two things then:

When will the current series start? It's long overdue and I'm getting twitchy. It normally gets under way in July. Not scheduled for next Monday.
Who will replace him? Due to be announced later this week. Speculation in the article it could be Kirsty Wark, Sandy Toksvig, Samira Ahmed, Victoria Coren-Mitchell or Richard Osman, and various others. My personal choice would be Richard Osman from that group but I think it's a lot more likely to be a woman.

OP posts:

balalake · 18/08/2022 19:02

Not my choice as my comments earlier show, though I think he will be a good presenter.

ParvuliThankYouDebbie · 18/08/2022 22:59

NellyNothing · 18/08/2022 14:11

Ohh, I'm beginning to like him a lot more!

Show quote history

Yeah, I liked him anyway but that definitely swung it 😁

ParvuliThankYouDebbie · 18/08/2022 23:01

TugboatAnnie · 18/08/2022 16:09

Oh I wanted Michael Portillo. He'd be perfect. It's got to be someone who gives the impression they find all the questions easy to answer.

There’s no getting away from it, #Sadmanonatrain was the ultimate candidate. But Amol will do 😁.

Leafy3 · 18/08/2022 23:09

Should be me, I'd be brilliant at it.

But I don't have a TV career.

Octothorpe · 19/08/2022 11:12

Pemba · 18/08/2022 11:54

I don't really know anything about Amol Rajan but good luck to him. Is he an academic type?

No.

Novum · 19/08/2022 18:48

NellyNothing · 17/08/2022 14:17

I like Victoria Coren but the fact that she got famous due to her Dad and the fact she was in the Oxford crowd. I really like her but I don't like nepotism

I'd have suggested Paul SINHA but I'm not sure how his health is. He has a fabulous voice and as well as being a brilliant quizzed is extremely intelligent.

I think she would always have done well on her own merits.

Novum · 19/08/2022 18:52

Fluffyfluffflufffluff · 18/08/2022 13:19

The Guardian wrote, "Amol Rajan, (...) is a declared republican who once branded the royal family as 'absurd' and the media as a 'propaganda outlet' for the monarchy."[33] In 2021, he publicly apologised for comments made in a 2012 article he wrote for The Independent, in which he described Prince Philip as a "racist buffoon" and Prince Charles as "scientifically illiterate", and for an open letter he sent to Prince William and his wife Catherine while the two were expecting their first child, in which he described their public role as a "total fraud", the Queen's Diamond Jubilee as a "celebration of mediocrity", and the royal family as a clan "unusually full of fools".[34]

Hadn't heard of him before but from this it seems like he has a good head on his shoulders! A bit disappointing he's an Oxbridgey type, but alas, the media is going to media 🤷‍♀️

As long as he remembers to remove points from teams at the same rate as the teams he dislikes, due to interruptions/incorrect answers etc. Paxman was terrible about forgetting to do that. His biases often shone through.

Removing points isn't within Paxman's control, though. It's whoever controls the points displays on the instructions of someone in the control room, and they will do it if required irrespective of whether or not Paxman actually says someone has lost points.

Suasthuasanuas · 19/08/2022 19:00

Michael Portillo straight after VCM would be amazing though. She'd have a field say with the double entendres!

Suasthuasanuas · 19/08/2022 19:01

Field day🙄

cyclamenqueen · 19/08/2022 19:05

Amol Rajan has long been a massive UC fan. He did go to Cambridge but was a first generation student who has written on and made at least one documentary about the invisible barriers to success for those from non privileged backgrounds. He is very committed to widening access. I think he will be very good .

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