West horsley place bamber gascoigne biography

English TV presenter and author (1935–2022)

For the 18th-century British politicians, see Bamber Gascoyne (disambiguation).

Arthur Bamber GascoigneCBE FRSL (, 24 January 1935 – 8 February 2022) was an English television presenter and author.

West horsley place bamber gascoigne biography

He was the original quizmaster on University Challenge, which initially ran from 1962 to 1987.

Early life and education

Gascoigne was born in Richmond, 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 at Sunningdale School in Berkshire before winning scholarships to both Eton College and Magdalene College, Cambridge (1955), where he read English literature.^[5] He initially wanted to become an actor, though found it tiresome to have to play the same part for more than a week, so instead turned to writing.

While at Ma