University Challenge
| University Challenge | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Quiz show |
| Presented by |
Bamber Gascoigne (1962–87) Jeremy Paxman (1994–) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 46 |
| No. of episodes | 1,671 (as of 26 October 2015) |
| Production | |
| Location(s) |
Granada Studios (1962–2013) MediaCityUK (2013–) |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Granada Television |
| Distributor | ITV Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network |
ITV (1962–87) BBC Two (1994–present) |
| Picture format |
4:3 (1962–2000) 16:9 (2001–present) |
| Audio format |
Mono (1962–87) Stereo (1994–present) |
| Original release | 21 September 1962 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows |
College Bowl University Challenge: The Professionals The 3rd Degree |
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 quiz master Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC revived the programme on 21 September 1994 with Jeremy Paxman as the quizmaster.
The current holders are Peterhouse, Cambridge, who won the 45th series in 2016. The 46th series is being shown on the BBC.
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 inception until the studios closed down in 2013; it is now recorded at MediaCityUK in Salford.
Despite periodic changes to the sets, studio layout, and presentation, University Challenge has evolved in a manner that has preserved a remarkably 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 would produce a similar programme with competing teams from universities across the United Kingdom. From its inception in 1962, University Challenge was hosted by Bamber Gascoigne. The show was a cult favourite with a small but loyal core audience, and was one of a select few ITV shows that were transmitted without any advertising breaks. Originally, the series started off in many areas, being broadcast at peak times or just after the nightly news around 22.30; by the early 1970s, the series was relegated to irregular timeslots by the various ITV regional companies, appearing anywhere in the schedules; daytime, weekends, or even late at night. In the absence of a regular networked slot, audience figures would often fall, leading the producers to make changes to the long-standing format of the programme. In October 1983 LWT decided to broadcast the series no longer, with Thames following suit, which resulted in no broadcasts in the London area. The series was given a rest for the whole of 1985, before returning in April 1986, when it was finally networked by ITV and stripped across the weekday slot of 3pm. The Gameplay was revised, initial games were staged over two legs; the first in the classic format and the second played as a relay, where contestants selected questions from specific categories such as sport, literature and science, passing a baton between players whenever a "lap" of two correct answers was scored. The final series was also network but broadcast around 11am during the summer holiday period. Even so, the new networked time did little to save the series from the axe.
...
Wikipedia