Magnus Magnusson, (born Magnús Sigursteinsson; 12 October 1929 – 7 January 2007) was an Icelandic-born British-based journalist, translator, writer and television presenter. Born in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

, he lived in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

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 Mastermind, Master Mind or The Mastermind may refer to: Fictional characters * Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde), a fictional supervillain in Marvel Comics, a title also held by his daughters: ** Martinique Jason, the first daughter and successor of th ...

'' for 25 years. 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.

Early life

Magnús Sigursteinsson was born in

on 12 October 1929, but grew up in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, where his father, Sigursteinn Magnússon, was the Icelandic

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

. In Scotland his family adopted a British naming convention, and from childhood Magnus used his father's

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...

as a surname. Magnusson lived with his family in John Street, Joppa, an eastern suburb of Edinburgh. He was educated at the

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, is now part of the Senior School. The Junior School is located on Arboretum Ro ...

, where he was in the school's marching brass band, and at

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...

Career

Journalism

After graduating from the

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

he became a reporter with the ''

Scottish Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' and ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...

''. Between 1962 and 1964 he edited the

Saltire Society The Saltire Society is a membership organisation which aims to promote the understanding of the culture and heritage of Scotland. Founded in 1936, the society was "set up to promote and celebrate the uniqueness of Scottish culture and Scotland’s ...

's magazine ''New Saltire''. He went freelance in 1967, then joined the BBC, presenting programmes on history and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...

including ''

Chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and ...

'' and ''

BC The Archaeology of the Bible Lands ''BC: The Archaeology of the Bible Lands'' was a BBC television series from the 1970s. It investigated the archaeology of the Bible lands. It was presented by Magnus Magnusson. The consultant on Biblical archaeology was James B. Pritchard ...

'', as well as appearing in news programmes.

''Mastermind''

Magnusson presented the long-running quiz show ''

'' from 1972 to 1997 on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

. His catchphrase, which one of his successors

John Humphrys Desmond John Humphrys (born 17 August 1943) is a Welsh broadcaster. From 1981 to 1987 he was the main presenter for the '' Nine O'Clock News'', the flagship BBC News television programme, and from 1987 until 2019 he presented on the BBC Radio 4 ...

continued to use, was "I've started so I'll finish". Magnusson made cameo appearances as himself, hosting ''Mastermind'' in ''

Morecambe and Wise Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew, 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman, 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, workin ...

'' as well as the children's series '' Dizzy Heights'' and as Magnus

Magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ...

in '' The Goodies'' episode "

Frankenfido "Frankenfido" is an episode of the British comedy television series '' The Goodies''. As with other episodes in the series, this episode was written by members of The Goodies. Plot When Graeme gives Tim and Bill a special 'designer-dog' that t ...

". 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 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first ever ''Mastermind'' final. This was a precursor to the main show returning to the BBC with Humphrys as the new host. 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)'' * ''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 Book''

Translator

Magnusson translated or co-translated a variety of books from modern Icelandic and

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...

into English. Among these are several works by

Halldór Laxness Halldór Kiljan Laxness (; born Halldór Guðjónsson; 23 April 1902 – 8 February 1998) was an Icelandic writer and winner of the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature. He wrote novels, poetry, newspaper articles, essays, plays, travelogues and ...

, the

Nobel prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

-winning novelist from Iceland, as well as a number of

Norse sagas is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super NES to t ...

, which he co-translated (with Hermann Pálsson) for

Penguin Classics Penguin Classics is an imprint of Penguin Books under which classic works of literature are published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean among other languages. Literary critics see books in this series as important members of the West ...

: '' Njal's Saga'' (1960), '' The Vinland Sagas'' (1965), ''King Harald's Saga'' (1966) and '' Laxdæla Saga'' (1969). In 1968 he appeared as a storyteller in five episodes of the BBC children's programme ''

Jackanory ''Jackanory'' is a BBC children's television series which was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996. It was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, and the first story was the fair ...

'', narrating English translations of 'Stories from Iceland'. Magnusson was also the author of a popular history of the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

, called ''The Vikings'' (revised edition, 2000).

Awards and charity positions

Magnusson was given the honorary award of Knight Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1989. He was elected President of the

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment thro ...

at its 94th annual general meeting in October 1995, succeeding

Max Nicholson Edward Max Nicholson (12 July 1904 – 26 April 2003) was a pioneering environmentalist, ornithologist and internationalist, and a founder of the World Wildlife Fund. Early life Max Nicholson, as he was known to all, was born in Kilternan, Ir ...

, and held the office until 2000. He was founder chairman of

Scottish Natural Heritage NatureScot ( gd, NàdarAlba), which was formerly known as Scottish Natural Heritage, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and s ...

from 1992 and founder chairman of the Scottish Churches Architectural Heritage Trust in 1978 (it became Scotland's Churches Trust in 2012). He was Lord Rector of Edinburgh University from 1975 to 1978 and in 2002 he became

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University ( gd, Oilthigh Chailleannach Ghlaschu, ), informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley, is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and G ...

. The Magnus Magnusson Fellowship, an intellectual group based at the Glasgow Caledonian University, was named in his honour.

Later life

In later years Magnusson also wrote for the ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

.'' On 12 October 2006, his 77th birthday, Magnusson was diagnosed with

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of pancr ...

. 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. 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. 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 Anniesland ( gd, Fearann Anna) is a district in the West End of the Scottish city Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde, and centres on the major road junction of the Great Western Road (A82) and Crow Road/Bearsden Road (A739), kno ...

in the city's West End. Their daughter

Sally Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting na ...

is a journalist, writer and TV presenter, and youngest son

Jon Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".BC The Archaeology of the Bible Lands ''BC: The Archaeology of the Bible Lands'' was a BBC television series from the 1970s. It investigated the archaeology of the Bible lands. It was presented by Magnus Magnusson. The consultant on Biblical archaeology was James B. Pritchard ...

'' (1977), *''The Vikings'' (1980), *''Lindisfarne, The Cradle Island'' (1984), *''Chambers Biographical Dictionary'' (1990), as General Editor, Hardback *''Scotland Since Prehistory: Natural Change and Human Impact'' (1993), *''I've Started So I'll Finish'' (1998), *''Scotland: The Story of a Nation'' (2000), *''Lindisfarne'' (2004), *''Fakers, Forgers and Phoneys: Famous Scams and Scamps'' (2005), *''Iceland Saga'' (2005), *''Keeping Your Words: An Anthology of Quotations'' (2005),

References

External links

Magnus Magnusson Fund, Glasgow Caledonian UniversityThe Magnus Magnusson Fellowship
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnusson, Magnus 1929 births 2007 deaths 20th-century Icelandic people Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford BBC television presenters Deaths from cancer in Scotland Deaths from pancreatic cancer People educated at Edinburgh Academy Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Icelandic expatriates in Scotland Icelandic television personalities Icelandic non-fiction writers Icelandic–English translators Television personalities from Edinburgh Rutherglen People associated with Glasgow Caledonian University Royal Society for the Protection of Birds people People from Reykjavík Rectors of the University of Edinburgh 20th-century British translators Icelandic emigrants to Scotland Scottish television presenters Scottish non-fiction writers Icelandic translators Scottish translators