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 city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

, he lived in Scotland for almost all his life, although he never took British citizenship. He came to prominence as a

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

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 the ...

'' for 25 years.

Early life

Magnús Sigursteinsson was born in

on 12 October 1929, but grew up in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, 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 thro ...

. 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 (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic. Patronymics are used, b ...

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

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Stockbridge, is now part of the Senior Scho ...

, 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 and television

After graduating from

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

he became a reporter with the '' Scottish Daily Express'' and ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), 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 ...

''. 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 organises lectures and publishes pamphlets, and presents a series of awards in the fiel ...

's magazine ''New Saltire''. He went freelance in 1967, then joined the

. In 1968 he appeared as a storyteller in five episodes of the BBC children's programme ''

Jackanory ''Jackanory'' was a BBC children's television series which was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996. It was designed to stimulate an interest in Reading (activity), reading. The programme was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, and the ...

'', narrating English translations of 'Stories from Iceland'. He presented programmes on history and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

including ''

Chronicle A chronicle (, 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 local events ...

'' and '' BC The Archaeology of the Bible Lands'', and appeared in news programmes. In later years Magnusson wrote for the ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

.''

''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 channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

. His catchphrase "I've started, so I'll finish", which his successors continued to use, was said whenever the time for questioning a contestant ran out while he was reading a question on the show. 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, working ...

'' as well as the children's series ''

Dizzy Heights ''Dizzy Heights'' is the fourth studio album by British alternative rock band The Lightning Seeds, released in 1996, and reached No. 11 in the UK Albums Chart. It was re-issued in Sony Mid Price range in August 1999. Writing and recording ''Diz ...

'' and as Magnus

Magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), 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 ...

in ''

The Goodies The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor (17 July 1940 – 12 April 2020), Graeme Garden (b. 18 February 1943) and Bill Oddie (b. 7 July 1941). The trio created, wrote for and performed in their The Goodies (TV series), ...

'' episode " Frankenfido". He also used his ''Mastermind'' catchphrase in a television advertisement for cheese. 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 service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

, 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 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'' * ''Fakers, Forgers and Phoneys: Famous Scams and Scamps''

Translator

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

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

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 sh ...

, the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

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

Norse sagas Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...

, which he co-translated (with

Hermann Pálsson Hermann Pálsson (26 May 1921 – 11 August 2002) was an Icelandic language scholar and translator, "one of the most distinguished scholars of Icelandic studies of his generation". Often working in collaboration with others such as Magnus Magnus ...

) for

Penguin Classics Penguin Classics is an imprint (trade name), imprint of Penguin Books under which classic works of literature are published in English language, English, Spanish language, Spanish, Portuguese language, Portuguese, and Korean language, Korean amon ...

: '' Njal's Saga'' (1960), '' The Vinland Sagas'' (1965), ''King Harald's Saga'' (1966) and ''

Laxdæla Saga ''Laxdæla saga'' (), Old Norse ''Laxdœla saga'' (Old Norse pronunciation ) or ''The Saga of the People of Laxárdalur'', is one of the sagas of Icelanders. Written in the 13th century CE, it tells of people in the Breiðafjörður area in weste ...

'' (1969).

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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

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_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...

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 NatureScot () is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for Scotland’s natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity. It advises the Scottish Government on nature conservati ...

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 () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University, 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 Glasgow Polytechnic (originally Glasg ...

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

Death

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

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

. 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, Sigursteinn "Siggy", died in a traffic accident in 1973, when he was struck by a vehicle close to the Glasgow Academy playing fields at

Anniesland Anniesland () 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), known as Anniesland ...

in the city's West End. Their daughter Sally is a journalist, writer and television presenter, and youngest son Jon is a television producer, writer and director.

Bibliography

*''Viking Expansion Westwards'' (1973), *''The Clacken and the Slate'' (1974), *''Viking, Hammer of the North'' (1976), *'' BC The Archaeology of the Bible Lands'' (1977), *''The Vikings'' (1980, revised 2000), *''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), *''Iceland Saga'' (2005), *''Keeping Your Words: An Anthology of Quotations'' (2005), *''Fakers, Forgers and Phoneys: Famous Scams and Scamps'' (2006),

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 pancreatic cancer in Scotland People educated at Edinburgh Academy Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Icelandic expatriates in the United Kingdom Icelandic television personalities Icelandic non-fiction writers Icelandic–English translators Television personalities from Edinburgh Rutherglen People associated with Glasgow Caledonian University Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Presidents of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds People from Reykjavík Rectors of the University of Edinburgh 20th-century British translators Icelandic emigrants to Scotland Scottish television presenters Scottish non-fiction writers Scottish magazine editors Icelandic translators Scottish translators British magazine editors