BBC Two refresh look of University Challenge as Amol Rajan takes over hosting duties

Following the departure of Jeremy Paxman as host, the show has undergone a whole new look. First look images of new University Challenge host Amol Rajan and the new look set have been released as the show goes into production, 61 years after its first broadcast.

Jeremy Paxman, who has presented the show since 1994, announced he had decided to step down last August. The series was introduced to viewers by ITV’s Granada Television in 1962 with Bamber Gascoigne hosting the original run of the show for just over 900 episodes between 1962 and 1987. It switched to the BBC in 1994 with Newsnight and BBC Breakfast Time host Paxman taking on quizmaster duties. Bamber Gascoigne died in February 2022 aged 87.

Jeremy Paxman on the original 1990s set of University Challenge.

Jeremy Paxman:

“I’ve had a blast hosting this wonderful series for nearly 29 years. I’ve been lucky enough to work with an amazing team and to meet some of the swottier brains in the country. It gives me hope for the future.”

Now as the show enters a new era the set has been modernised, replacing the previous look which was in place from 2013 and saw 1,736 contestants compete during that time. Among those were the alumni who competed in Christmas specials, including Amol Rajan who appeared as a contestant in 2020. To go with the new set, the series has a new titles sequence which will be revealed when the show returns this summer.

University Challenge will return to screens this summer, it is still an ITV format based on the original stateside programme College Bowl. It is produced for BBC Two by Lifted Entertainment which is part of ITV Studios.

First look images of new University Challenge host Amol Rajan and the new look set have been released as recording is underway for the programme’s 61st year

Amol Rajan:

“I have spent years re-arranging Monday nights around the need to be in front of my television at 20.30. University Challenge really is my favourite programme. And from their feedback and sheer numbers, our treasured audience has made very clear I am far from alone. Perhaps that’s no surprise given this is Britain’s longest running TV quiz, in a nation of quiz lovers. While there is a new a set and presenter, everything else remains: the perfect title music; the peerless voice of Roger Tilling; the fiendish questions; and above all the remarkable students, some of whom come this year from universities competing for the first time.

“What we’ve seen so far includes moments of huge tension, flashes of genius, and brilliant starters and bonuses that will have viewers joining in and shouting at their screens.”

The most recent studio look for University Challenge