Forget the revamp, the quizshow is as tricky as ever. Scott Bryan plays along disastrously, then meets new anchor Amol Rajan to talk nerves, piña coladas and replacing Paxman
Amol Rajan is fresh out of his quizmaster booth. The new host of University Challenge, the third in the show’s 61-year history (following Bamber Gascoigne and, of course, Jeremy Paxman) is wearing his trademark suit and tie. He is also holding a bag for life full of tins. “Who wants a gin and tonic or piña colada?” he asks. This is not a moment I expected.
Filming has just finished (the tins are Rajan’s way of thanking the crew) and I’m here because, as well as talking to him about taking over as host of the iconic student quizshow, I have been invited to try it out. You won’t be surprised to find out that it is hard. So hard, in fact, that having just played I rummage through Rajan’s bag and down an entire piña colada in one go out of stress.
