Peter Sinclair (New Zealand)

Peter Sinclair (1938-2001) was a New Zealand television personality and radio host.

Born in Sydney, Australia on November 15, 1938, he rose to fame in the 1960s and early 1970s firstly on New Zealand radio and then as host of Let's Go, Happen Inn and C'mon, New Zealand's primary rock music television shows of the time.

In the late 1970s he reinvented his place in New Zealand television as presenter and quizmaster on "University Challenge" and "Mastermind", two popular television quiz shows which ran until the late 1980s. Sinclair's measured on-screen personality was suited to these kinds of interactive game shows. As a quizmaster he made the phrase "I've started, so I'll finish..." (originally coined by Magnus Magnusson on the British version of "Mastermind"), a New Zealand cultural cliché. Sinclair also hosted the 1982 "Mastermind International" contest.

Sinclair was also a noted writer, penning a novel called The Frontman and writing regular columns for the New Zealand Herald newspaper. In later years he was a radio announcer for Classic Hits New Zealand and Easy Listening i98FM, hosting the popular "Lovesongs till Midnight" program. In his later years, he developed a passion for computers and was one of the first New Zealanders to become actively involved with the Internet. He wrote widely on internet issues, software developments and content.

Sinclair died in Auckland on August 8, 2001, from leukaemia aged 62.

A long-standing urban legend holds that the homosexual Sinclair once turned up at a hospital with a jar of Marmite stuck in his anus. This story has been featured in two versions of the song "Marmite Man", one by Johnny Fist in 2006 and another version by Yokel Ono in 2007.One year in the 1980s, Massey University's University Challenge team tried to use a jar of Marmite as their mascot, but were forced off the set. Similar incidents happened in other filming sessions when teams attempted to bring up references to Marmite.

External links

* [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=72&objectid=205988 NZ Herald obituary]
* [http://mintmedia.co.nz/research/index.php/
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