University Challenge University Challenge University Challenge is a British quiz programme which first aired in 1962. "University Challenge" aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC revived the programme on 21 September 1994 with Jeremy Paxman as the quizmaster. The current title holders are St John's College, Cambridge, who won the 47th series in 2018. The show is produced by Granada Television (re-branded as ITV Studios in 2009), under licence from Richard Reid Productions and the College Bowl Company. It was recorded at Granada Studios in Manchester from its
University Challenge inception until the studios closed down in 2013; it is now recorded at dock10 in Salford. Despite periodic changes to the sets, studio layout, and presentation, "University Challenge" has preserved a high level of continuity from 1962 to the present. Some commentators have cited this as an essential element of its success. Elements of this continuity include: The programme had its beginnings in an American television quiz show called "College Bowl". Cecil Bernstein, brother of Sidney Bernstein who founded Granada Television in 1954, had seen the programme in the United States and liked the format. It was decided that Granada