Editing Bamber Gascoigne

{{short description|English TV presenter and author (1935–2022)}}
{{for|the 18th-century British politicians|Bamber Gascoyne (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox person
|name             = Bamber Gascoigne
|honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE|FRSL}}
|image            = Bamber Gascoigne.JPG
|image_size       = 220
|caption          = Gascoigne in 2006, photographed by Christina Gascoigne
|birth_name       = Arthur Bamber Gascoigne
|birth_date       = {{birth date|1935|1|24|df=y}}
|birth_place      = [[Richmond, London|Richmond]], London, England
|death_date       = {{death date and age|2022|2|8|1935|1|24|df=y}}
|death_place      = Richmond, London, England
|known_for        = Original quizmaster of ''[[University Challenge]]''
|years active     = 1962–2022
|education        = {{ubl|[[Sunningdale School]]|[[Eton College]]}}
|alma_mater       = {{ubl|[[Magdalene College, Cambridge]]|[[Yale University]]}}
|occupation       = Television presenter, historian, author
|spouse           = {{marriage|Christina Ditchburn<br />|1965}}<ref name="burke"/><ref name="Conqueror 170"/>
|website          = {{ubl|[http://www.historyworld.net/ ''HistoryWorld'']|[http://www.timesearch.info/timesearch/ ''Timesearch'']}}
}}

'''Arthur Bamber Gascoigne''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE|FRSL}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|g|æ|s|k|ɔɪ|n}}, 24 January 1935 – 8 February 2022) was an English television presenter and author. He was the original quizmaster of ''[[University Challenge]]'', which initially ran from 1962 to 1987.

==Early life and education==
Gascoigne was born in [[Richmond, London|Richmond]], Surrey (now in London), on 24 January 1935.<ref name="burke">{{cite book |editor-last=Mosley |editor-first=Charles |editor-link=Charles Mosley (genealogist) |title=Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage |title-link=Burke's Peerage |publisher=Burke's Peerage & Gentry |edition=107th |year=2003 |pages=3011–3012 |isbn=0-9711966-2-1 |ref=Burke}}</ref> He was the elder son of Lieutenant-Colonel Derek Ernest Frederick Orby Gascoigne by his marriage in 1934 to Mary ("Midi")<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last=Bloch |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Bloch |title=James Lees-Milne: The Life |publisher=Hachette |date=2010 |pages=71–72}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Hon. Mary ('Midi') Louisa Hermione Gascoigne (née O'Neill) |url=https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp99342/hon-mary-midi-louisa-hermione-gascoigne-nee-oneill |website=[[National Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery]] |access-date=16 July 2020}}</ref> Louisa Hermione O'Neill.

Gascoigne was educated at [[Sunningdale School]] in Berkshire before successively winning scholarships to [[Eton College]] and to [[Magdalene College, Cambridge]] (1955), where he read [[English literature]].<ref name="Brown">{{cite web |title=Bamber Gascoigne: Profile |url=http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/bamber-gascoigne/ |website=[[Curtis Brown (agency)|Curtis Brown]] |access-date=21 September 2013}}</ref> He initially wanted to become an actor, but found it tiresome to play the same part for more than a week, so instead turned to writing. Whilst at Magdalene he initially submitted scripts to the [[Footlights]] sketch troupe, though these were never performed. However, in his second year he wrote a college [[revue]] that was seen by the producer [[Michael Codron]]. Codron liked it enough to put it on in the [[West End theatre|West End]] in 1957, as a musical titled ''Share My Lettuce''.<ref name="Times"/> It was performed by [[Maggie Smith]] and [[Kenneth Williams]] (with music by Keith Statham and [[Patrick Gowers]]).<ref name=Times/><ref name="Stevens">{{cite book |last=Stevens |first=Christopher |title=Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams |publisher=[[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]] |year=2010 |page=368 |isbn=978-1-84854-195-5}}</ref> 

Gascoigne then spent a year as a [[Harkness Fellowship|Commonwealth Fund]] scholar at [[Yale University]] (1958–59). He carried out his [[National Service]] in the [[Grenadier Guards]], including six months of duty at [[Buckingham Palace]], before being posted to Germany.<ref name="Times"/> After completing his National Service he became employed as a theatre critic, first for ''[[The Spectator]]'' and later for ''[[The Observer]]''.<ref name="Brown"/><ref name="Times"/> 

He met his wife, Christina Ditchburn, at Cambridge, and they married in 1965.<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":1"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Gascoigne |first=Christina |title=Castles of Britain |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2073039 |publisher=Thames & Hudson |location=London |date=1975 |pages= |isbn=0-500-24098-1 |oclc=2073039}}</ref>

==Ancestry==
Gascoigne's family were originally Norman, arriving in England in the early 13th century.<ref name="Times"/> Gascoigne's mother was a daughter of Captain the Hon. [[Arthur O'Neill]] and Lady Annabel Hungerford Crewe-Milnes.<ref name="burke"/>

His father was the son of Brigadier-General Sir Ernest Frederick Orby Gascoigne and Laura Cicely, daughter of General [[Edward Clive (British Army general)|Edward Henry Clive]], of that family of [[Styche Hall]], [[Shropshire]], from which also came the soldier and administrator of India [[Robert Clive]] (Clive of India).<ref name=":0">{{cite book |editor-last=Mosley |editor-first=Charles |title=Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage |edition=107th |publisher=Burke's Peerage Ltd. |year=2003}} Vol. 1, p. 362 & Vol. 3, p. 3205.</ref>

Gascoigne's great-grandfathers included [[Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe]], and [[Edward O'Neill, 2nd Baron O'Neill]].<ref name="burke"/> He was a nephew of Sir [[Julian Gascoigne]], who was [[Major-General commanding the Household Division|in charge]] of the [[Household Division]] during the [[coronation of Queen Elizabeth II]], and of [[Terence O'Neill]], Prime Minister of [[Northern Ireland]] (1963–1969).<ref name="Coronation">{{cite web |title=Special Coronation Edition |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00qklzf |work=Television Newsreel |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=2 June 1953 |access-date=11 September 2013}}</ref>

Gascoigne was a direct descendant of the 18th-century [[Lord Mayor of London]] Sir [[Crisp Gascoyne]] and the [[Tories (British political party)|Tory]] politicians [[Bamber Gascoyne (the elder)]] and [[Isaac Gascoyne]]. Isaac's son General Ernest Frederick Gascoyne, of Raby Hall, Liverpool (1796–1867),<ref name="Conqueror 170">{{cite web |last=Freer |first=Alan |title=Conqueror 170 |url=http://www.william1.co.uk/w170.htm |work=Genealogy of William, Duke of Normandy, King of England, and Matilda, daughter of Baldwin, Count of Flanders |access-date=27 March 2015}}</ref> was his great-great-great-grandfather.<ref name="Conqueror 170"/> The name ''Bamber'' was the surname of the Lord Mayor's wife, and was given to their son.<ref name="Times"/>

==''University Challenge''==
Gascoigne was the original presenter (from 1962) of the television quiz show ''[[University Challenge]]'',<ref name="Stevens"/> based on the US series ''[[College Bowl]]''. He held the position for 25 years, until the end of the initial run in 1987.<ref name="About"/> As well as presenting the show, he also set all the questions in its first series.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bamber Gascoigne, urbane presenter and author who made University Challenge a television institution – obituary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2022/02/08/bamber-gascoigne-urbane-presenter-author-made-university-challenge/ |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=8 February 2022 |access-date=8 February 2022}}</ref> His questioning manner was regarded as firm yet polite.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bamber Gascoigne |url=http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Bamber_Gascoigne |publisher=ukgameshows.com |access-date=23 August 2018}}</ref> Phrases he often used which became [[catchphrase]]s include: "Fingers on buzzers", "your starter for ten", "no conferring", and "I'll have to hurry you."<ref>{{cite web |title=University Challenge |url=http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/University_Challenge |url-status=dead |website=ukgameshows.com |access-date=23 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105095425/http://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/University_Challenge |archive-date=5 January 2010}}</ref> The show was at first planned to last for only 13 episodes, but was such a hit that Gascoigne eventually presented 913 episodes.<ref name="Times"/> Some contestants later became notable in their careers, including [[David Lidington]] (whose team won)<ref>{{cite web |title=University Challenge winners and contestants: what happened next? |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/university-challenge-winners-contestants-happened-next/ |work=The Telegraph |access-date=27 February 2025}}</ref> and [[Miriam Margolyes]].<ref name="Times"/> When the show was revived in 1994, Gascoigne declined to apply to present it again, for he was involved with other projects; [[Jeremy Paxman]] took on the role.<ref name="Times"/>

In 1984 ''University Challenge'' was lampooned in the "[[Bambi (The Young Ones)|Bambi]]" episode of the alternative comedy series ''[[The Young Ones (TV series)|The Young Ones]]'', in which [[Griff Rhys Jones]] parodied Gascoigne.<ref name=BBC_obit/> In 1998, Gascoigne presented a parody titled ''Universe Challenge'', based on the sci-fi comedy series ''[[Red Dwarf]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Red Dwarf Night |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/664ef8c355ba411ab2bbfc89a76daeda |publisher=BBC |date=14 February 1998 |access-date=8 February 2022}}</ref>

Gascoigne is portrayed by actor [[Mark Gatiss]] in the 2006 comedy-drama film ''[[Starter for 10 (film)|Starter for 10]]'' and by [[Robert Portal]] in the 2024 stage musical adaptation.<ref name="Times"/>

==Television and books==
Gascoigne was the author of ''Murgatreud's Empire'', a 1972 satirical novel concerning an entrepreneur who finds an island of [[pygmies]] and trades them arms for treasure, recreating the development of European medieval weaponry and armour.<ref name="indy">{{cite news |last=Nugent |first=Annabel |title=Former University Challenge host Bamber Gascoigne has died |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/bamber-gascoigne-death-age-cause-b2010050.html |work=[[The Independent]] |date=8 February 2022 |access-date=14 July 2023}}</ref> This was originally written as a script, although the play was abandoned because of the impossibility of finding suitable performers for a cast of forty pygmies.<ref name="Times"/>

In 1977, Gascoigne wrote and presented ''The Christians'',<ref name="Midgley"/> a 13-hour television documentary series on the [[history of Christianity]], produced by [[Granada Television]] and broadcast on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]. The same year he wrote a companion book, under the same title, with photography by his wife, Christina Gascoigne, published by [[Jonathan Cape]]. In 2003 it was revised and republished as ''A Brief History of Christianity'' by [[Robinson Publishing]].<ref name="Christianity">{{cite web |title=A brief history of Christianity / Bamber Gascoigne. |url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/24466152?q&versionId=29535993 |publisher=[[National Library of Australia]] |access-date=10 September 2013}}</ref>

Gascoigne wrote ''Quest for the Golden Hare'', a 1983 account of the internationally publicised treasure hunt associated with the publication in 1979 of [[Kit Williams]]' book ''[[Masquerade (book)|Masquerade]]''.<ref name=Times>{{cite news |title=Bamber Gascoigne obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/bamber-gascoigne-obituary-m2pvj0svj |url-access=subscription |work=[[The Times]] |date=8 February 2022 |access-date=8 February 2022}}</ref> On 8 August 1979, Gascoigne was witness to the burial by Williams, in an [[earthenware]] jar "somewhere in Britain", of a unique jewelled, solid gold [[pendant]] in the design of a [[hare]]. The book documents the search and a scandal associated with the pendant's eventual discovery.<ref name=Times/><ref>{{cite news |last=Shields |first=Mark |title=Masquerade: How a real-life treasure hunt obsessed a nation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-47671776 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=6 April 2019 |access-date=9 February 2022}}</ref>

In 1987, Gascoigne presented a documentary series of six 30-minute programmes on [[Victorian era|Victorian history]], ''Victorian Values'', produced by Granada Television. The programmes looked at how Victorian society put in place the infrastructure of the [[Welfare state#United Kingdom|modern welfare state]].<ref name="indy"/>

In 1988, Gascoigne devised and presented a [[BBC Two]] arts quiz called ''Connoisseur'', for which he also set the questions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Connoisseur |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/9f9803a50ad849b194fb484242a5facf |work=Programme Index |publisher=BBC |date=3 May 1988 |access-date=9 February 2022}}</ref>

Gascoigne was the writer and presenter of the TV series ''[[The Great Moghuls]]'' (1990), a study of the [[Mughal Empire]] of India.<ref name="Moghuls">{{cite news |last=Brogan |first=Benedict |author-link=Benedict Brogan |title=Gascoigne rides in hot pursuit of the great Moghuls |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/gascoigne-rides-in-hot-pursuit-of-the-great-moghuls-1.592369 |work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |location=Glasgow |date=2 February 1990 |access-date=20 September 2013}}</ref> The series was based on Gascoigne's 1971 book of the same name, which features photographs by his wife.<ref name="Moghuls"/>

In 1994 Gascoigne held the [[Sandars Lectures|Sandars Readership in Bibliography]] and presented "From priceless perfection to cheap charm: stages in the development of colour printing."

==Other activities==
Gascoigne established an online history encyclopaedia, ''[[HistoryWorld]]'',<ref>{{cite web |title=History and Timelines |url=http://www.historyworld.net/ |work=[[HistoryWorld]] |access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref> based on British history. He had already published a hard copy of this encyclopaedia, but he saw the internet as an opportunity to reach millions more people than would see the book.<ref name="Times"/> He also established ''TimeSearch'',<ref>{{cite web |title=Home |url=http://www.timesearch.info/timesearch/ |url-status=dead |website=TimeSearch History |access-date=16 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129063803/http://timesearch.info/timesearch/ |archive-date=29 November 2018}}</ref> which presents multiple searchable timelines collected from various websites.<ref>''[[Start the Week]]'', [[BBC Radio 4]], 12 March 2007</ref>

Gascoigne was a lifelong supporter of the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] and subsequently the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]]. He publicly endorsed the latter during their [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]] campaign.<ref>{{cite news |last=Meadowcroft |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Meadowcroft |title=Letters: Bamber Gascoigne obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/feb/20/letters-bamber-gascoigne-obituary |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=20 February 2022 |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Lindsay |first=Caron |title=Bamber Gascoigne: This is the essential moment to support Lib Dems |url=https://www.libdemvoice.org/bamber-gascoigne-this-is-the-essential-moment-to-support-the-lib-dems-60864.html |website=Liberal Democrat Voice |date=21 May 2019 |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref> In August 2014, Gascoigne was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to ''[[The Guardian]]'' opposing [[Scottish independence]] in the run-up to September's [[2014 Scottish independence referendum|referendum on that issue]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Celebrities' open letter to Scotland |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/07/celebrities-open-letter-scotland-independence-full-text |work=The Guardian |date=7 August 2014 |access-date=26 August 2014}}</ref>

On the death of his great-aunt [[Mary Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe]], in 2014,<ref name="Obituary notice">{{cite web |url=http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/179054/roxburghe |title=Roxburghe |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |department=Announcements: deaths |date=July 2014 |access-date=16 September 2016 |archive-date=16 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116092356/http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/179054/roxburghe |url-status=dead}}</ref> Gascoigne inherited an estate at [[West Horsley]], [[Surrey]], including [[West Horsley Place]], a large [[English country house|country house]] dating from the 16th century.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe&nbsp;– obituary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10956833/Mary-Duchess-of-Roxburghe-obituary.html |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=9 July 2014 |access-date=10 July 2014}}</ref><ref name="Accidental">{{cite news |title=Bamber Gascoigne to save 500-year-old manor after accidental inheritance |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11486628/Bamber-Gascoigne-to-save-500-year-old-manor-after-accidental-inheritance.html |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=21 March 2015 |access-date=12 April 2015}}</ref> Gascoigne sold some of the late Duchess's possessions and used the proceeds to restore the house. This was followed by the building of an opera house in its grounds, the Theatre in the Woods, which serves as the home base of the [[Grange Park Opera]].<ref name="Sherwood"/><ref name="Art Daily">{{cite news |title=Sotheby's to offer the historic collection of Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe |url=http://artdaily.com/news/77343/Sotheby-s-to-offer-the-historic-collection-of-Mary--Duchess-of-Roxburghe-#.VSqRCPnF9WZ |work=Art Daily |date=12 April 2015 |access-date=12 April 2015}}</ref> An original pencil-and-chalk study for the painting ''[[Flaming June]]'' by Sir [[Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton|Frederic Leighton]] was found on the back of a bedroom door in the house. Art historians knew a sketch had existed, for it was published in an art magazine in 1895, but did not know who had owned it; it was probably bought by the Duchess's paternal grandfather after Leighton's death.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Mark |title=Pre-Raphaelite study discovered behind door in English mansion |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/may/01/pre-raphaelite-study-discovered-behind-door-in-english-mansion |url-status=live |work=The Guardian |date=1 May 2015 |access-date=3 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518085215/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/may/01/pre-raphaelite-study-discovered-behind-door-in-english-mansion |archive-date=18 May 2015}}</ref> From 2018 until 2023, West Horsley Place was used as the filming location for the fictional Button House in the BBC TV comedy series ''[[Ghosts (2019 TV series)|Ghosts]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=In pictures: Inside the historic West Horsley Place where hit BBC comedy 'Ghosts' is filmed |url=https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/gallery/pictures-inside-historic-west-horsley-21482457 |work=Surrey Live |date=4 September 2021 |access-date=8 February 2022}}</ref>

==External interests==
Gascoigne was elected in 1976 as a Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Literature]].<ref name="RSL Fellows">{{cite web |url=http://rsliterature.org/fellows/current-fellows/ |title=Current RSL Fellows |website=[[Royal Society of Literature]] |access-date=9 February 2016}}</ref> He was a trustee of the [[National Gallery]], a trustee of the [[Tate|Tate Gallery]], a member of the council of the [[National Trust]], and a member of the board of directors of the [[Royal Opera House]], Covent Garden.<ref name = "About">{{cite web|url=http://www.historyworld.net/about/about.asp |title=About us |work=[[HistoryWorld]] |access-date=14 February 2016}}</ref> He was also a patron of the [[Museum of Richmond]].<ref name="Living and Dying">{{cite news |url=http://www.sheengate.co.uk/richmond-and-barnes/2013/02/22/living-and-dying-in-19th-century-richmond/ |title=Living and Dying in 19th Century Richmond |work=The Richmond Magazine |date=22 February 2013 |access-date=3 September 2013 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115145608/http://www.sheengate.co.uk/richmond-and-barnes/2013/02/22/living-and-dying-in-19th-century-richmond/ |archive-date=15 November 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Personal life, honours and death==
Gascoigne was married, for 57 years,<ref name=Times/><ref name="Sherwood">{{cite news |last=Sherwood |first=Harriet |title=Bamber Gascoigne, former University Challenge quizmaster, dies at 87 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/feb/08/bamber-gascoigne-former-university-challenge-quizmaster-dies-at-87 |work=The Guardian |date=8 February 2022 |access-date=8 February 2022}}</ref> to Christina (''née'' Ditchburn), daughter of civil servant Alfred Henry Ditchburn.<ref name="burke"/><ref name="Conqueror 170"/> He met Christina at [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]]. They lived in [[Richmond, London]], from the late 1960s onward.<ref name="Midgley">{{cite news |last=Midgley |first=Neil |title=Bamber Gascoigne's Diamond Jubilee challenge |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/the_queens_diamond_jubilee/9193030/Bamber-Gascoignes-Diamond-Jubilee-challenge.html |work=[[The Sunday Telegraph]] |location=London |date=8 April 2012 |access-date=23 August 2018}}</ref> She is an artist working in ceramics, silks and other media.<ref>{{cite web |title=Home < Christina Gascoigne |url=http://christinagascoigne.com/ |website=christinagascoigne.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Christina Gascoigne – Alex Ingram – Alex Ingram &#124; Photographer |url=https://www.alexingramphoto.com/alex-ingram-news/christina-gascoigne}}</ref> The couple did not have any children.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bamber Gascoigne plans 'mini Covent Garden' for mansion gardens |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-34809520 |publisher=BBC News |date=13 November 2015 |access-date=21 February 2022 |language=en-GB}}</ref> With regard to religion, he described himself as "a perfectly friendly agnostic".<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 – Desert Island Discs, Bamber Gascoigne |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009ml76 |publisher=BBC |access-date=2 January 2025 |language=en-GB}}</ref> 

Gascoigne was appointed [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[2018 Birthday Honours]] for services to the Arts.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=62310 |date=9 June 2018 |page=B8 |supp=y}}</ref>

In January 2022, Gascoigne was hospitalised for three weeks with [[pneumonia]]. Following his hospitalisation, his health drastically declined.<ref>{{cite news |last=Allfree |first=Claire |title='My husband Bamber Gascoigne had a brilliant mind – but I wouldn't call him an intellectual' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/husband-bamber-gascoigne-had-brilliant-mind-wouldnt-call-intellectual/ |work=The Telegraph |date=12 February 2022 |access-date=4 September 2022 |issn=0307-1235 |language=en-GB}}</ref> He died at his home in Richmond on 8 February 2022, at the age of 87.<ref name=BBC_obit>{{cite news |title=Bamber Gascoigne: Original University Challenge presenter dies at 87 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60301687 |publisher=BBC News |date=8 February 2022 |access-date=8 February 2022}}</ref> [[Stephen Fry]], another famous ''University Challenge'' alumnus,<ref name="Times"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Dessau |first=Bruce |title=News: Scumbag College Appears On University Challenge For Real? |url=https://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/9839/ade-edmondson-university |website=Beyond the Joke |date=16 December 2020 |access-date=8 February 2022}}</ref> led the tributes to Gascoigne, saying he was "such an elegant, intelligent man". [[Victoria Coren Mitchell]], host of BBC quiz show ''[[Only Connect]]'', said: "No quiz host has ever seemed more like they could answer all the questions themselves."<ref name=BBC_obit/>

==Selected publications==
* 1962: ''Twentieth Century Drama'', London: [[Hutchinson (publisher)|Hutchinson University Library]] {{ISBN|978-0-0906-5843-5}}<ref name="Drama">{{cite web |title=Twentieth-Century Drama / Bamber Gascoigne |url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/5881500?q=Bamber+Gascoigne&c=book&sort=holdings+desc&_=1378804356777&versionId=25979495 |publisher=[[National Library of Australia]] |access-date=10 September 2013}}</ref>
* 1968: ''[[Leda Had a Little Swan]]'' {{OCLC|44110879}} (play, cancelled on the day before opening, in New York, after fourteen previews)
* 1968: ''World Theatre: An Illustrated History'', [[Ebury Publishing|Ebury Press]] {{ISBN|978-0316305006}}
* 1971: ''The Great Moghuls'' (with photographs by Christina Gascoigne), London: [[Jonathan Cape]]; New York: [[Harper & Row]]<ref name="Moghuls"/>
* 1973: ''The Treasures and Dynasties of China'' (with photographs by Christina Gascoigne and Derrick Witty), Jonathan Cape. {{ISBN|0-224-00925-7}} Republished 2003 as ''A Brief History of the Dynasties of China'' {{ISBN|1-84119-791-2}}
* 1973: ''The Heyday'', Jonathan Cape {{ISBN|978-0224009058}} (novel)
* 1974: ''Ticker Khan: A Fable'', Jonathan Cape {{ISBN|978-022-401061-0}}
*1975: ''Castles of Great Britain'' (introduction; with Christina Gascoigne), Thames & Hudson {{ISBN|0-500-24098-1|}}
* 1977: ''The Christians'' (with photographs by Christina Gascoigne), London: Jonathan Cape; New York: [[William Morrow and Company|William Morrow & Co.]] {{ISBN|0-688-03220-6}} Revised and republished 2003 as ''A Brief History of Christianity'', [[Robinson Publishing]] {{ISBN|1-84119-710-6}}<ref name="Christianity"/>
* 1981: ''Why the Rope Went Tight'' (children's stories, with pictures by Christina Gascoigne), London: [[Methuen Publishing|Methuen]]; New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books {{ISBN|978-0688005900}}
* 1982: ''Fearless Freddy's Sunken Treasure'' (children's stories, with pictures by Christina Gascoigne), London: Methuen {{ISBN|0-416-06510-4}}<ref name="Treasure">{{cite web |title=Fearless Freddy's sunken treasure / words by Bamber Gascoigne; pictures by Christina Gascoigne. |url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/26337133?q&versionId=31729386 |publisher=[[National Library of Australia]] |access-date=12 September 2013}}</ref>
* 1982: ''Fearless Freddy's Magic Wish'' (children's stories, with pictures by Christina Gascoigne), London: Methuen {{ISBN|978-0-416-06520-6}}
* 1983: ''Quest for the Golden Hare'', Jonathan Cape {{ISBN|0-224-02116-8}}
* 1986: ''Cod Streuth'', Jonathan Cape {{ISBN|0-224-02388-8}}
* 1986: ''How to Identify Prints: A Complete Guide to Manual and Mechanical Processes from Woodcut to Inkjet'', [[Thames & Hudson]]; revised 2nd edition 2004 {{ISBN|0-500-28480-6}}
* 1988: (with J Wright): ''Bamber Gascoigne's Book of Amazing Facts'', London: [[Walker Books]] {{ISBN|0-7445-1082-1}}; {{ISBN|978-0-7445-1082-9}}
* 1993: ''Encyclopaedia of Britain: The A–Z of Britain's Past and Present'', [[Macmillan Publishers]] {{ISBN|0-333-54764-0}}
* 1997: ''Milestones in Colour Printing 1457–1859: With a Bibliography of Nelson Prints'' (The Sandars Lectures in Bibliography), [[Cambridge University Press]] {{ISBN|978-0-521-55441-1}}<ref name="Milestones">{{cite web |url=http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/literature/printing-and-publishing-history/milestones-colour-printing-14571859-bibliography-nelson-prints?format=HB |title=Milestones in Colour Printing 1457–1859 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |access-date=12 September 2013}}</ref>
* 1998: ''A Brief History of the Great Moghuls: India's Most Flamboyant Rulers'' [revised edition of ''The Great Moghuls'' (1971)], Philadelphia, PA: [[Running Press]] {{ISBN|0-7867-1040-3}}
* 2007: ''Bamber Gascoigne's Challenging Quiz Book'', London: [[Penguin Books]] {{ISBN|978-0-14-103470-6}}
* 2010: ''A Brief History of the Second World War'', ''[[HistoryWorld]]'' {{ISBN|1-908143-00-2}}
* 2011: ''A Brief History of the First World War'', ''HistoryWorld'' {{ISBN|1-908143-03-7}}, {{ISBN|1-908143-03-7}}
* 2011: ''The Maya, Aztecs, Incas and Conquistadors: A Brief History'', ''HistoryWorld'' {{ISBN|978-1-908143-06-8}}
* 2014: ''The Dynasties of China: A History'', The [[Folio Society]] {{ISBN|0-786712-19-8}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/643570.The_Dynasties_of_China |title=The Dynasties of China: A History |website=Goodreads |access-date=22 December 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.historyworld.net/ ''HistoryWorld'' website]
* [http://www.timesearch.info/timesearch/ Timesearch website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129063803/http://timesearch.info/timesearch/ |date=29 November 2018}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110927015451/http://www.magd.cam.ac.uk/about/alumni/gascoign.html Gascoigne at the Magdalene College alumni website]
* {{IMDb name|309056}}
* {{Discogs artist|Bamber Gascoigne (2)}}
* {{NPG name|id=58880}}

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