Magnus Magnusson, KBE (born Magnús Sigursteinsson; 12 October 1929 – 7 January 2007) was an Icelandic-born British-based journalist, translator, writer and television presenter. Born in Reykjavík, he lived in Scotland for almost all his life, although he never took British citizenship. He came to prominence as a BBC television journalist and was the presenter of the BBC television quiz programme Mastermind for 25 years.[1] His catchphrase "I've started so I'll finish" was said whenever the time ran out while he was reading a question on the show.
Magnús Sigursteinsson was born in Reykjavík on 12 October 1929, but grew up in Edinburgh, where his father, Sigursteinn Magnússon, was the Icelandic consul. In Scotland his family adopted a British naming convention, and from childhood Magnus used his father's patronymic as a surname.
Magnusson lived with his family in John Street, Joppa, an eastern suburb of Edinburgh. He was educated at the Edinburgh Academy, where he was in the school's marching brass band, and at Jesus College, Oxford.[2]
Magnusson presented the long-running quiz show Mastermind from 1972 to 1997 on BBC1. His catchphrase, which one of his successors John Humphrys continued to use, was "I've started so I'll finish". Magnusson made cameo appearances as himself, hosting Mastermind in Morecambe and Wise as well as the children's series Dizzy Heights and as Magnus Magnesium in The Goodies episode "Frankenfido".
Magnusson ended his 25-year run hosting Mastermind in September 1997, and the original black chair was given to him at the end of the production, passing to his daughter Sally Magnusson after his death.
Magnusson later returned to present a one-off celebrity special, originally broadcast on 30 December 2002 on BBC Two, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first ever Mastermind final.[4] This was a precursor to the main show returning to the BBC with Humphrys as the new host.[5] Shortly before his death, Magnusson returned to the regular Mastermind series to present the trophy to the 2006 champion Geoff Thomas. Sally Magnusson presented the trophy to the next series winner, David Clark, while also paying tribute to her father and his legacy to the show.
Books
Scotland: The Story of a Nation
Introducing Archaeology
Viking Expansion Westwards
The Clacken and the Slate (The Edinburgh Academy, 1824 – 1974)
In 1968 he appeared as a storyteller in five episodes of the BBC children's programme Jackanory, narrating English translations of 'Stories from Iceland'.
Magnusson was also the author of a popular history of the Viking Age, called The Vikings (revised edition, 2000).[6]
On 12 October 2006, his 77th birthday, Magnusson was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Magnusson mordantly noted that "This has to be one of my worst birthdays ever." His condition forced him to cancel a string of public appearances. He died on 7 January 2007.[10][11][12] The Aigas Field Centre has a building named the Magnus House in his honour.
Family
Magnusson was married to Mamie Baird from 1954 until his death.[13] They had five children. Their eldest son, Siggi, died in a traffic accident in 1973, when he was struck by a vehicle close to the Glasgow Academy playing fields at Anniesland in the city's West End. Their daughter Sally is a journalist, writer and TV presenter, and youngest son Jon is a TV producer, writer and director.[14][15][16]
^ODNB, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2005–2008 ed. Lawrence Goldman 2013 page 740
^"Magnus Magnusson". Telegraph Media Group Limited. 8 January 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
^Magnusson, Magnus (ed.), New Saltire No. 11, April 1964, New Saltire Ltd., Edinburgh
^BBC Press Office (6 December 2002). "Mastermind Celebrity Special".
^BBC. "The history of Mastermind". Retrieved 2 January 2016.
^"Magnus Magnusson". The Independent. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
^"Magnus Magnusson". The Independent. 9 January 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
^Roger Crofts and David Breeze. "Magnus Magnusson" (PDF). Royal Society of Edinburgh. Retrieved 19 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
^"Magnus Magnusson". New Statesman. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
^"Magnusson faces cancer treatment". BBC News. 12 October 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
^"TV's Magnus Magnusson dies at 77". BBC News. 8 January 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
^"Obituary: Magnus Magnusson". BBC News. 7 January 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
^Davison, Phil (19 April 2012). "Obituary: Mamie Magnusson; made her name in journalism when women were rarely seen in news rooms". The Scotsman. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
^Rachel Carlyle (2 February 2014). "BBC presenter Sally Magnusson on her mum's battle with dementia". BBC Press Office. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
^"Mamie Magnusson". 17 April 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
^. BBC Press Office. March 2006. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
magnus, magnusson, other, people, with, same, name, disambiguation, born, magnús, sigursteinsson, october, 1929, january, 2007, icelandic, born, british, based, journalist, translator, writer, television, presenter, born, reykjavík, lived, scotland, almost, li. For other people with the same name see Magnus Magnusson disambiguation Magnus Magnusson KBE born Magnus Sigursteinsson 12 October 1929 7 January 2007 was an Icelandic born British based journalist translator writer and television presenter Born in Reykjavik he lived in Scotland for almost all his life although he never took British citizenship He came to prominence as a BBC television journalist and was the presenter of the BBC television quiz programme Mastermind for 25 years 1 His catchphrase I ve started so I ll finish was said whenever the time ran out while he was reading a question on the show Magnus MagnussonKBEBornMagnus Sigursteinsson 1929 10 12 12 October 1929Reykjavik Kingdom of IcelandDied7 January 2007 2007 01 07 aged 77 Balmore East Dunbartonshire ScotlandNationalityIcelandicAlma materJesus College OxfordOccupationsTelevision presenterjournalisttranslatorwriterKnown forMastermind presenter translation workSpouseMamie Baird m 1954 wbr Children5 including Sally and JonRelativesJamie Magnus Stone grandson Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 Journalism 2 2 Mastermind 2 3 Books 2 4 Translator 3 Awards and charity positions 4 Later life 5 Family 6 Bibliography 7 References 8 External linksEarly life EditMagnus Sigursteinsson was born in Reykjavik on 12 October 1929 but grew up in Edinburgh where his father Sigursteinn Magnusson was the Icelandic consul In Scotland his family adopted a British naming convention and from childhood Magnus used his father s patronymic as a surname Magnusson lived with his family in John Street Joppa an eastern suburb of Edinburgh He was educated at the Edinburgh Academy where he was in the school s marching brass band and at Jesus College Oxford 2 Career EditJournalism Edit After graduating from the university he became a reporter with the Scottish Daily Express and The Scotsman Between 1962 and 1964 he edited the Saltire Society s magazine New Saltire 3 He went freelance in 1967 then joined the BBC presenting programmes on history and archaeology including Chronicle and BC The Archaeology of the Bible Lands as well as appearing in news programmes Mastermind Edit Magnusson presented the long running quiz show Mastermind from 1972 to 1997 on BBC1 His catchphrase which one of his successors John Humphrys continued to use was I ve started so I ll finish Magnusson made cameo appearances as himself hosting Mastermind in Morecambe and Wise as well as the children s series Dizzy Heights and as Magnus Magnesium in The Goodies episode Frankenfido Magnusson ended his 25 year run hosting Mastermind in September 1997 and the original black chair was given to him at the end of the production passing to his daughter Sally Magnusson after his death Magnusson later returned to present a one off celebrity special originally broadcast on 30 December 2002 on BBC Two to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first ever Mastermind final 4 This was a precursor to the main show returning to the BBC with Humphrys as the new host 5 Shortly before his death Magnusson returned to the regular Mastermind series to present the trophy to the 2006 champion Geoff Thomas Sally Magnusson presented the trophy to the next series winner David Clark while also paying tribute to her father and his legacy to the show Books Edit Scotland The Story of a Nation Introducing Archaeology Viking Expansion Westwards The Clacken and the Slate The Edinburgh Academy 1824 1974 Viking Hammer of the North BC The Archaeology of the Bible Lands Landlord or Tenant A View of Irish History Iceland Vikings Magnus on the Move Treasures of Scotland Lindisfarne The Cradle Island Reader s Digest Book of Facts ed Iceland Saga Chambers Biographical Dictionary ed 5th edition The Nature of Scotland ed I ve Started So I ll Finish Rum Nature s Island Magnus Magnusson s Quiz BookTranslator Edit Magnusson translated or co translated a variety of books from modern Icelandic and Old Norse into English Among these are several works by Halldor Laxness the Nobel prize winning novelist from Iceland as well as a number of Norse sagas which he co translated with Hermann Palsson for Penguin Classics Njal s Saga 1960 The Vinland Sagas 1965 King Harald s Saga 1966 and Laxdaela Saga 1969 In 1968 he appeared as a storyteller in five episodes of the BBC children s programme Jackanory narrating English translations of Stories from Iceland Magnusson was also the author of a popular history of the Viking Age called The Vikings revised edition 2000 6 Awards and charity positions EditMagnusson was given the honorary award of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1989 He was elected President of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds at its 94th annual general meeting in October 1995 succeeding Max Nicholson and held the office until 2000 He was founder chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage from 1992 and founder chairman of the Scottish Churches Architectural Heritage Trust in 1978 it became Scotland s Churches Trust in 2012 7 He was Lord Rector of Edinburgh University from 1975 to 1978 and in 2002 he became Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University The Magnus Magnusson Fellowship an intellectual group based at the Glasgow Caledonian University was named in his honour 8 Later life Edit Magnus House near Aigas In later years Magnusson also wrote for the New Statesman 9 On 12 October 2006 his 77th birthday Magnusson was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer Magnusson mordantly noted that This has to be one of my worst birthdays ever His condition forced him to cancel a string of public appearances He died on 7 January 2007 10 11 12 The Aigas Field Centre has a building named the Magnus House in his honour Family EditMagnusson was married to Mamie Baird from 1954 until his death 13 They had five children Their eldest son Siggi died in a traffic accident in 1973 when he was struck by a vehicle close to the Glasgow Academy playing fields at Anniesland in the city s West End Their daughter Sally is a journalist writer and TV presenter and youngest son Jon is a TV producer writer and director 14 15 16 Bibliography EditViking Expansion Westwards 1973 ISBN 978 0 8098 3529 4 The Clacken and the Slate 1974 ISBN 0 00 411170 2 Viking Hammer of the North 1976 ISBN 978 0 399 11744 2 BC The Archaeology of the Bible Lands 1977 ISBN 978 0 671 24010 3 The Vikings 1980 ISBN 978 0 7524 2699 0 Lindisfarne The Cradle Island 1984 ISBN 0 85362 223 X Chambers Biographical Dictionary 1990 as General Editor ISBN 0 550 16040 X Hardback Scotland Since Prehistory Natural Change and Human Impact 1993 ISBN 978 1 898218 03 6 I ve Started So I ll Finish 1998 ISBN 978 0 7515 2585 4 Scotland The Story of a Nation 2000 ISBN 978 0 00 653191 3 Lindisfarne 2004 ISBN 978 0 7524 3227 4 Fakers Forgers and Phoneys Famous Scams and Scamps 2005 ISBN 978 1 84596 190 9 Iceland Saga 2005 ISBN 978 0 7524 3342 4 Keeping Your Words An Anthology of Quotations 2005 ISBN 978 0 340 86264 3References Edit ODNB Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2005 2008 ed Lawrence Goldman 2013 page 740 Magnus Magnusson Telegraph Media Group Limited 8 January 2007 Retrieved 19 October 2015 Magnusson Magnus ed New Saltire No 11 April 1964 New Saltire Ltd Edinburgh BBC Press Office 6 December 2002 Mastermind Celebrity Special BBC The history of Mastermind Retrieved 2 January 2016 Magnus Magnusson The Independent 22 September 2011 Retrieved 19 October 2015 Magnus Magnusson The Independent 9 January 2007 Retrieved 9 November 2022 Roger Crofts and David Breeze Magnus Magnusson PDF Royal Society of Edinburgh Retrieved 19 October 2015 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint uses authors parameter link Magnus Magnusson New Statesman Retrieved 18 November 2011 Magnusson faces cancer treatment BBC News 12 October 2006 Retrieved 18 November 2011 TV s Magnus Magnusson dies at 77 BBC News 8 January 2007 Retrieved 18 November 2011 Obituary Magnus Magnusson BBC News 7 January 2007 Retrieved 18 November 2011 Davison Phil 19 April 2012 Obituary Mamie Magnusson made her name in journalism when women were rarely seen in news rooms The Scotsman Retrieved 22 August 2021 Rachel Carlyle 2 February 2014 BBC presenter Sally Magnusson on her mum s battle with dementia BBC Press Office Retrieved 19 October 2015 Mamie Magnusson 17 April 2012 Retrieved 19 October 2015 Sally Magnusson Presenter BBC Press Office March 2006 Archived from the original on 4 May 2009 Retrieved 19 October 2015 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link External links EditMagnus Magnusson Fund Glasgow Caledonian University The Magnus Magnusson Fellowship Magnus Magnusson quotationsAcademic officesPreceded byGordon Brown Rector of the University of Edinburgh1976 1979 Succeeded byAnthony RossPreceded byDavid Nickson Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University2002 2007 Succeeded byGus MacdonaldMedia officesNew creation Host of Mastermind1972 1997 Succeeded byPeter Snow Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Magnus Magnusson amp oldid 1120887925, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
