University Challenge was conceived during the early years of U.K. commercial television. Granada had only started broadcasting in 1956. but three years later it was mired in Britain's quiz show scandal. Granada's Twenty One quiz paid out the largest amount of cash ever by a British TV show. Shortly thereafter, a runner-up contestant went public with the fact that he received help with his answers. In 1960 Granada submitted evidence to the Pilkington Committee on commercial television. stating "It is a mistake to think of  programs  as  'highbrow·  or 'lowbrow· ... these) are snob words ... never underestimate the public's intelligence-always underestimate their knowledge." Granada and ITV were ripe for an intellectual quiz. where kudos were the greatest prize.

     Based on the Emmy award-winning American program College Bowl, the format was simple. Two teams of four university students each competed. The questions were noted for their difficulty and went from the classics and applied sciences to general knowledge. Individuals would buzz in for an initial question, the "starter for ten" (points). A successful answer would give the team a chance to answer three more themed questions, each worth five points. For these the team could confer, but must always answer through the captain, who sits third from the left. Incorrect interruptions of the starter would cost the team five points. and the starter (and chance for the bonuses) would be thrown over to the other team. Incorrect answers to the bonus questions would not be passed across. The quiz rules only varied slightly through the years. In the first series any contestant could be asked to speak on any subject for 45 seconds. The show always included two picture rounds and one music round. Originally teams would attempt to win three matches in a row to qualify for an end-of-series knockout. When the show moved to the BBC this was replaced by a straight knockout format.

     The affable Bamber Gascoigne fronted the new program. A Cambridge graduate, he brought with him the scholarly humor of the university common room. His ease with the complexity of the questions (sometimes up to 50 or so words long) and background knowledge helped each episode maintain its momentum. The quiz indeed felt like a varsity race. with the questions being delivered with greater and greater speed until the final gong. Gascoigne was always ready to say "have to hurry you," which, with "starter for ten" became recognizable catchphrases. The program’s iconography also included a split screen effect. Both teams were seated at long desks in the studio. but on screen one team was positioned directly above the other. During one season the two tier desks were built in the studio, but this was later abandoned. Partisan studio audiences and the range of team mascots helped to enliven the program. Students would introduce themselves at the beginning, and after their name would always give the subject that they were "reading" (studying or majoring in). Competitors were addressed by their surnames throughout, and on buzzing in the announcer would quickly give the college name and the surname of the student before the answer was given.

     Despite its 10:45 P.M. slot, the program succeeded in the ratings. Within two years it moved to a networked prime-time 7:00 p.m. slot, immediately preceding the ITV hit Coronation Street, also made by Granada. Ratings reached up to 12 million. As the ratings fell the program was bounced around the schedules, later becoming a regular staple of Sunday afternoons. Regional scheduling then denied the program a networked slot.

     Eventually the show seemed to lose its appeal and was dropped by the London weekend franchisee LWT in 1983. With Thames, the London weekday broadcaster, refusing to dislodge any other program to show University Challenge, the end was in sight. In 1987, after an attempt to strip the show across the weekday daytime schedule, the plug was pulled. University Challenge went off the air 25 years after the first match between Leeds and Reading universities. Gascoigne had never missed a recording.

     In 1992 a celebrity special was made as part of a BBC 2 theme night tribute to Granada. Gascoigne, the split screen, mascots, and "starters for ten" were back. This one-off proved popular, and BBC 2 commissioned the show. Gascoigne, however, was not to return. After much media speculation, the host's position was given to Jeremy Paxman, a journalist and already a familiar figure in the United Kingdom. The regular front man of the BBC 2 flagship current affairs program Newsnight, Paxman was known for his acerbic wit  and  aggressive  interviewing  style.  Where  Gas­-coigne  had  affability,   Paxman  brought  authority, and although ready to congratulate or chat with the contes­ tants. he carried with him a ready putdown and a hint of menace. The set was updated and mascots were banned. Gascoigne made a special appearance to pre­sent the trophy to the first season's winners.

     In 2002, the program's 40th anniversary, a series of University Challenge Reunited was aired, bringing together past team members to compete against other teams from seasons past. Past competitors had made it into the elite of British politics, journalism, and entertainment. These included politicians David Mellor and Malcolm Rifkind, journalists John Simpson, Andrew Morton, and Clive James, and actor Stephen Fry.

     University Challenge reflected huge changes in British society and higher education. It showed the new reach of higher education, and always featured the Twentieth Century "Redbrick" universities as well as the traditional Oxford and Cambridge [Oxbridge] colleges. In the 1990s, most U.K. polytechnics became universities and, along with the Open University, often appeared. The 1997 Open University team won the series and included the show's oldest ever player, Ida Staples (73 years old). Notable failures by teams were traditionally picked over by the press, always ready for an excuse to rail against the state of Britain's education system.