It was the pressing news story of 2013. Jeremy Paxman grew a beard.
It was a hairy issue that even raised fierce questions of "pogonophobia" (a fear of beards FYI) at the BBC.
After an absolute storm of reaction on social media sites and in newspapers, Paxman, said that many at the BBC are anti-face fur, but that it was up to him whether he would revert back to his usual appearance or not.
He said: "I have grown a beard for the last few summers, and suddenly wondered whether I really needed to shave it off to present Newsnight.
"Unless you're lucky enough to be Uncle Albert on Only Fools And Horses, Demis Roussos or Abu Hamza, the BBC is generally as pogonophobic as the late-lamented Albanian dictator, Enver Hoxha.
"I may keep it or I may shave it off, but I think I'll make my own decision."
As the master of angry, combative interviews finally bows out of presenting Newsnight after 25 years at the helm on Wednesday night, we take a moment to appreciate the anchor man's facial fuzz...
Jeremy Paxman's Beard
Unsurprisingly, Paxman's beard went down well on Twitter, with the veteran broadcaster soon trending:
And, although Paxman's beard has now tragically gone, here it is on several leading politicians.
