Bamber Gascoigne | |
|---|---|
 Gascoigne in 2006, photographed by his wife | |
| Born | Arthur Bamber Gascoigne (1935-01-24)24 January 1935 |
| Died | 8 February 2022(2022-02-08) (aged 87) Richmond, London, England |
| Education | |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations | Television presenter, historian, author |
| Years active | 1962–2022 |
| Known for | Original quizmaster ofUniversity Challenge |
| Spouse | [1][2] |
| Website | |
Arthur Bamber GascoigneCBE FRSL (/ˈɡæskɔɪn/GASK-oyn; 24 January 1935 – 8 February 2022) was an English television presenter and author. He was the original quizmaster ofUniversity Challenge, which initially ran from 1962 to 1987.
Gascoigne was born inRichmond, Surrey (now in London), on 24 January 1935.[1] He was the elder son of Lieutenant-Colonel Derek Ernest Frederick Orby Gascoigne by his marriage in 1934 to Mary ("Midi")[3][4] Louisa Hermione O'Neill.
Gascoigne was educated atSunningdale School in Berkshire before successively winning scholarships toEton College and toMagdalene College, Cambridge (1955), where he readEnglish literature.[5] He initially wanted to become an actor, but found it tiresome to play the same part for more than a week, so instead turned to writing. Whilst at Magdalene he initially submitted scripts to theFootlights sketch troupe, though these were never performed. However, in his second year he wrote a collegerevue that was seen by the producerMichael Codron. Codron liked it enough tostage it in the West End in 1957, as a musical titledShare My Lettuce.[6] It was performed byMaggie Smith andKenneth Williams (with music by Keith Statham andPatrick Gowers).[6][7]
Gascoigne then spent a year as aCommonwealth Fund scholar atYale University (1958–59). He carried out hisNational Service in theGrenadier Guards, including six months of duty atBuckingham Palace, before being posted to Germany.[6] After completing his National Service he became employed as a theatre critic, firstly forThe Spectator and later forThe Observer.[5][6]
He met his wife, Christina Ditchburn, at Cambridge, and they married in 1965.[8][3][9]
Gascoigne's family were originally Norman, arriving in England in the early 13th century.[6] Gascoigne's mother was a daughter of Captain the Hon.Arthur O'Neill and Lady Annabel Hungerford Crewe-Milnes.[1]
His father was the son of Brigadier-General Sir Ernest Frederick Orby Gascoigne and Laura Cicely, daughter of GeneralEdward Henry Clive, of that family ofStyche Hall,Shropshire, from which also came the soldier and colonial administrator in India,Robert Clive ('Clive of India').[8]
Gascoigne's great-grandfathers includedthe 1st Marquess of Crewe andthe 2nd Baron O'Neill.[1] He was a nephew ofSir Julian Gascoigne, who wasin charge of theHousehold Division during thecoronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and ofTerence O'Neill,Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (1963–1969).[10]
Gascoigne was a direct descendant ofSir Crisp Gascoyne, an 18th-centuryLord Mayor of London, and theTory politiciansBamber Gascoyne (the elder) andIsaac Gascoyne. Isaac's son, General Ernest Frederick Gascoyne, of Raby Hall, Liverpool (1796–1867),[2] was his great-great-great-grandfather.[2] The nameBamber was the surname of the Lord Mayor's wife, and was given to their son.[6]
Gascoigne was the original presenter (from 1962) of the television quiz showUniversity Challenge,[7] based on the US seriesCollege Bowl. He held the position for 25 years, until the end of the initial run in 1987.[11] As well as presenting the show, he also set all the questions in its first series.[12] His manner of questioning was regarded as firm yet polite.[13] Phrases he often used which becamecatchphrases include: "Fingers on buzzers", "your starter for ten", "no conferring", and "I'll have to hurry you."[14] The show was at first planned to last for only 13 episodes, but was such a hit that Gascoigne eventually presented 913 episodes.[6] Some contestants later became notable in their careers, includingDavid Lidington (whose team won)[15] andMiriam Margolyes.[6] When the show was revived in 1994, Gascoigne declined to apply to present it again, for he was involved with other projects;Jeremy Paxman took on the role.[6]
In 1984University Challenge was lampooned in the "Bambi" episode of the alternative comedy seriesThe Young Ones, in whichGriff Rhys Jones parodied Gascoigne.[16] In 1998 onBBC Two'sRed Dwarf Night, Gascoigne presented a parody titledUniverse Challenge, based on the sci-fi comedy seriesRed Dwarf.[17]
Gascoigne is portrayed by actorMark Gatiss in the 2006 comedy-drama filmStarter for 10 and byRobert Portal in the 2024 stage musical adaptation.[6]
Gascoigne was the author ofMurgatreud's Empire, a 1972 satirical novel concerning an entrepreneur who finds an island ofpygmies and trades them arms for treasure, recreating the development of European medieval weaponry and armour.[18] This was originally written as a script, although the play was abandoned because of the impossibility of finding suitable performers for a cast of forty pygmies.[6]
In 1977, Gascoigne wrote and presentedThe Christians,[19] a 13-hour television documentary series on thehistory of Christianity, produced byGranada Television and broadcast onITV. In the same year he wrote a companion book, under the same title, with photography by his wife, Christina Gascoigne, which was published byJonathan Cape. In 2003 it was revised and republished asA Brief History of Christianity byRobinson Publishing.[20]
Gascoigne wroteQuest for the Golden Hare, a 1983 account of the internationally publicised treasure hunt associated with the publication in 1979 ofKit Williams' bookMasquerade.[6] On 8 August 1979, Gascoigne was witness to the burial by Williams, in anearthenware jar "somewhere in Britain", of a unique jewelled, solid goldpendant in the design of ahare. The book documents the search and a scandal associated with the pendant's eventual discovery.[6][21]
In 1987, Gascoigne presented a documentary series of six 30-minute programmes onVictorian history,Victorian Values, produced by Granada Television. The programmes looked at how Victorian society put in place the infrastructure of themodern welfare state.[18]
In 1988, Gascoigne devised and presented aBBC Two arts quiz calledConnoisseur, for which he also set the questions.[22]
Gascoigne was the writer and presenter of the TV seriesThe Great Moghuls (1990), a study of theMughal Empire of India.[23] The series was based on Gascoigne's 1971 book of the same name, which features photographs by his wife.[23]
In 1994, Gascoigne held theSandars Readership in Bibliography and presented "From priceless perfection to cheap charm: stages in the development of colour printing".
Gascoigne established an online history encyclopaedia,HistoryWorld,[24] based on British history. He had already published a hard copy of this encyclopaedia, but he saw the internet as an opportunity to reach millions more people than would see the book.[6] He also establishedTimeSearch,[25] which presents multiple searchable timelines collected from various websites.[26]
Gascoigne was a lifelong supporter of theLiberal Party and subsequently theLiberal Democrats. He publicly endorsed the latter during their2019 general election campaign.[27][28] In August 2014, Gascoigne was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter toThe Guardian opposingScottish independence in the run-up to September'sreferendum on that issue.[29]
On the death of his great-auntMary Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe, in 2014,[30] Gascoigne inherited an estate atWest Horsley,Surrey, includingWest Horsley Place, a largecountry house dating from the 16th century.[31][32] Gascoigne sold some of the late Duchess's possessions and used the proceeds to restore the house. This was followed by the building of an opera house in its grounds, the Theatre in the Woods, which serves as the home base of theGrange Park Opera.[33][34] An original pencil-and-chalk study for the paintingFlaming June by SirFrederic Leighton was found on the back of a bedroom door in the house. Art historians knew a sketch had existed, for it was published in an art magazine in 1895, but did not know who had owned it; it was probably bought by the Duchess's paternal grandfather after Leighton's death.[35] From 2018 until 2023, West Horsley Place was used as the filming location for the fictional Button House in the BBC TV comedy seriesGhosts.[36]
Gascoigne was elected in 1976 as a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Literature.[37] He was a trustee of theNational Gallery, a trustee of theTate Gallery, a member of the council of theNational Trust, and a member of the board of directors of theRoyal Opera House, Covent Garden.[11] He was also a patron of theMuseum of Richmond.[38]
Gascoigne was married, for 57 years until his death,[6][33] to Christina (née Ditchburn), daughter of civil servant Alfred Henry Ditchburn.[1][2] He met Christina atCambridge. They lived inRichmond, London, from the late 1960s onward.[19] A fulltime artist, she has worked in ceramics, silks and other media.[39][40][41] The couple did not have any children.[42] With regard to religion, he described himself as "a perfectly friendly agnostic".[43]
Gascoigne was appointedCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the2018 Birthday Honours for services to the Arts.[44]
In January 2022, Gascoigne was hospitalised for three weeks withpneumonia. Following his hospitalisation, his health drastically declined.[45] He died at his home in Richmond on 8 February 2022, at the age of 87.[16]Stephen Fry, another famousUniversity Challenge alumnus,[6][46] led the tributes to Gascoigne, saying he was "such an elegant, intelligent man".Victoria Coren Mitchell, host of BBC quiz showOnly Connect, said: "No quiz host has ever seemed more like they could answer all the questions themselves."[16]
