University Challenge host Bamber Gascoigne has died aged 87.
The broadcaster and author, famous as the original host of the high-brow quiz, died at home in Richmond after a short illness.
His polite but firm style – honed during 25 years as quizmaster on the show - made him a household name with catchphrases including “Your starter for 10” making him a popular target for parodies.
The quiz was so popular it was famously lampooned on cult sitcom The Young Ones and inspired the book Starter for Ten which was made into a film starring James McAvoy as student appearing on the show.
Gascoigne, who was descended from a family of prominent politicians and aristocrats, was married to his wife Christina for 55 years.
He was instrumental in providing a home for Grange Park Opera after inheriting West Horsley Place, a country estate in Surrey, from his aunt the Duchess of Roxburghe in 2014.
He gifted the estate to a trust and agreed to a proposal that Grange Park could build an opera house on the land – providing a venue which has since welcomed hundreds of thousands of music lovers.
