Many distinguished names have written for or edited Varsity over the years – David Frost and Prince Charles to name but two. But none is looked upon with more awe by budding hacks than Jeremy Paxman, alumnus of St Catharine’s College, and former Varsity editor-in-chief in 1972.

Today (16/8) however, Paxman announced that he would be stepping down from his role grilling students, many of them from Cambridge, as host of University Challenge.

Paxman revealed last year that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He is expected to film his last University Challenge episode in the autumn, with the 2022/23 season, which starts at the end of this month, being his last.

Paxman said: “I’ve had a blast hosting this wonderful series for nearly 29 years”, adding that meeting “some of the swottiest brains in the country” had given him hope for the future.

Noting the end of 28 years of “sneering put-downs, curt dismissals and incredulous facial expressions”, BBC Radio Four’s Six O’Clock News announced that his successor would be named next week.

The former Newsnight presenter was at Cambridge in the early 70s where, in addition to writing for Varsity, he was a member of the Labour club and studied English. In 2001 he was made an honorary fellow of his old College.

He joined the newly revived University Challenge in 1994, having cultivated a reputation for grilling politicians on Newsnight, where he was a presenter from 1989 to 2014.

It is unclear what plans Paxman has going forward, but he has indicated that he won’t be idle. Announcing his diagnosis in 2021 he stated that he planned to continue writing “for as long as they’ll have me”.