Amol Rajan: Critics warm to University Challenge's new presenter

Critics have welcomed Amol Rajan as he presented his first episode of BBC Two quiz show University Challenge.

Rajan is only the third host in the quiz show's history, following Bamber Gascoigne and Jeremy Paxman.

As he introduced the new series, Rajan told viewers: "A few things have changed since the last series, but all the important things remain the same."

The Telegraph said Rajan's manner was "cheerful and relaxed" while iNews said his arrival felt "seamless".

Rajan's first episode was watched by 1.9 million viewers - outperforming Extraordinary Portraits on BBC One in the same timeslot, which achieved 1.22m.

"He has the two essential qualities required for success as the chair of University Challenge," said the Independent's Sean O'Grady in a five-star review.

"First, he looks like he's genuinely enjoying himself just as much as the contestants, and indeed the show's dedicated followers. Second, he has the demeanour of someone clever and knowledgeable (which he is), but doesn't come across as a know-it-all (which he isn't)."

He added: "Quietly spoken and respectful to his youthful charges, [Rajan] is almost paternal in tone... But I'm sure the questions are tougher and more complex than in the Paxman era."

Awarding the episode four stars, the Telegraph's Anita Singh said: "Rajan is a brasher presence than Jeremy Paxman - the bright tie and pocket square, the shiny gold watch and jewellery - and, unsurprisingly, didn't look remotely over-awed by the job. But he didn't over-egg it either.

"Besides, the format doesn't allow any presenter to impose themselves too greatly, because they can't do very much other than ask questions."

However, Singh was one of several critics who mentioned that Rajan looked small in stature compared with Paxman. "The opening episode began with the presenter behind his desk looking strangely tiny, as if we were watching Honey, I Shrunk the Kids," Singh said.

The Guardian's Mark Lawson agreed, writing: "Paxo's chair seems to have been kept which, given Rajan's shorter stature, leaves a lot of leather headrest visible. A less steep seat might make him look more comfortable at the desk."

Lawson praised Rajan's delivery. "The presenter was well down on the speed-gun from his morning radio broadcasting, and up in precision... He has shown how seriously he takes the role by significantly adapting his presenting style to this new challenge."

But he still only awarded the episode three stars overall. "He was close to a fourth - but this is a gig measured by endurance not debuts," Lawson explained. "Gascoigne did 25 years, Paxman 29."

The Daily Mail's Christopher Stevens did award a fourth star, describing Rajan as "cheerful, and patient, and full of praise".

"When the players, from Manchester and Trinity Cambridge, fluffed a question, he didn't scold," Stevens noted. "And when he had to dock one team five points, he sounded genuinely regretful.

"Once or twice, when the students were floundering for answers, he did snap, 'Come on!' but his heart wasn't in it. He sounded much more sincere when heaping approval on both sides.

"He has to set his own style, of course. There'd be no point in performing a Paxo tribute act, dripping with irony and snide asides."

Paxman signed off from his final edition of the programme in May, saying he was "looking forward to watching" future series along with viewers at home.

His departure came two years after the 73-year-old revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

The mood of Rajan's first programme overall was "less daunting" than previous series, suggested Carol Midgeley of the Times in another four-star review

"Rajan certainly seemed to be fostering a more pally vibe, although many of the questions (to me at least) remained ferociously difficult.

"True, he looked smaller in the big black chair than Paxman did, and he didn't command the same vaguely terrifying demeanour. But in a smart suit, orange tie and matching silk pocket square Rajan set his own tone, which was somewhere between 'firm but fair supervisor' and 'study buddy'.

Rajan is well-known for presenting BBC Radio 4's Today programme and his own series of interview programmes on BBC Two.

The Spectator's Melanie McDonagh wrote: "The whole thing was just fine. Amol was cheerful rather than intimidating. He lacks Jeremy Paxman's cherishable incredulity and he doesn't have a long nose to look down at people with, which is nobody's fault."

Like some viewers on Twitter, including former contestant Bobby Seagull, McDonagh noted the switch from question cards to a small screen on the presenter's desk.

"Nobody liked the slate-effect screen," she said. "What you want for a quizmaster are actual cards, which you can deploy to good effect when exasperated. You can't slap down a screen. It also means there's less eye contact with the teams."

Nick Duerden of iNews concluded: "It's traditional to feel a little fear when change befalls a safe and comfortable programme. But Rajan's arrival felt seamless, and so, really, nothing has changed.

"His University Challenge remains a show that's near-impossible to take part in, but feels curiously nourishing just to sit back and watch, often in incomprehension, mostly in awe."