Amol Rajan said he promised Jeremy Paxman he would try not to “screw up” in his new role as the quiz master of University Challenge.
The BBC journalist hailed Paxman as “a giant of broadcasting” but said he would not be trying to “out savage” the former host of the BBC Two academic quiz when dealing with contestants.
Speaking on The One Show ahead of the airing of his first episode, Rajan said: “(Paxman) is a giant of broadcasting; such an enormous heroic figure in our culture.
Describing a phone call they had shared he added: “I had two messages.
“One is ‘thank you for passing the show on in such great condition… the ratings are great, the show’s formats is as solid as ever’.
“But the other thing is I’ll try not to screw it up.”
Asked about his presenting style, Rajan told The One Show: “I don’t know if I can out-savage (Paxman). I’m going to be me.
“I’ve got a rule – I’m going to do put-downs, A, if they deserve it and B, if I really knew the answer.
“I think if you like to have a scathing put down and you’re making up that you knew the answer, people were about to be able to tell.
“But you’ve got to do it in a certain amount of affection – and these young people… are so amazing.
“They’re not from wealthy backgrounds necessarily. They’re incredibly clever and they just want to have a good time.
“So I’m trying to kind of be a friend to them, but I’m also the boss and so if they do say something embarrassing – as I have once or twice been told off myself – I will tell them off.”
Paxman, 73, was host of University Challenge for almost 30 years from 1994 until 2023. He took over from Bamber Gascoigne, who was the programme’s original host from the shows inception on ITV from 1962 to 1987.
