Jeremy Paxman Jeremy Paxman Jeremy Dickson Paxman (born 11 May 1950) is a British broadcaster, journalist, author, and the quizmaster of "University Challenge", having succeeded Bamber Gascoigne at the time the programme was revived in 1994. Born in Leeds, Paxman was educated at Malvern College and St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he edited the undergraduate newspaper "Varsity". At Cambridge, he was a member of a Labour Party club and described himself as a socialist, although in later life described himself as a one-nation conservative. He joined the BBC in 1972, initially at BBC Radio Brighton, although relocated to London in 1977. In
University Challenge team of celebrity alumni who had previously appeared on the programme as students, including journalist John Simpson and actor Stephen Fry. This show was preceded by a short documentary about the show's history. Bamber Gascoigne's final appearance as host was in "Universe Challenge" in 1998 (see below). The show has, since its revival in 1994, featured a number of teams of postgraduate and mature students, whose participation has been criticised. The Open University (OU) won the 1999 series with a team whose ages averaged 46. In the quarter-final, they narrowly beat a slightly younger team from part-time and mature student