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Mastermind (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Mastermind is a British quiz show
, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness.
Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the contestant's choice, the other a general knowledge round. Wright drew inspiration from his experiences of being interrogated by the Gestapo
during World War II
.
The atmosphere is helped by Masterminds famously ominous theme music, "Approaching Menace" by the British composer Neil Richardson. The quiz programme originated and was recorded in Manchester at studios such as New Broadcasting House
and Granada Studios, before permanently moving to The Studios, MediaCity in 2011.
After contestants have answered the specialised questions, they are given general knowledge questions. For the 2010/11 series this round lasts 2 minutes, 30 seconds, rather than the usual two. As originally aired the contestants would return for the second round in the same order as for their specialised subject. The contestants are now recalled in reverse order of points scored.
The winner is the contestant with the most points. If two or more contestants have an equal number of points, then the contestant with the fewer passes is the winner. The possibility of passing leads to tactical play as passing uses less time allowing more questions to be answered; but may count against the contestant at the end in the event of a tie.
Should the top two contestants have the same score and same number of passes at the end of the contest then a tie-breaker is employed, in which the two contenders are each asked the same five questions (one contender must leave the auditorium while the other answers). It is not clear what would happen should this fail to produce a clear winner, though it is implied that the process would simply be repeated as many times as necessary. It is, however, very rare for the tie-break to be required. In the version of the show hosted by John Humphrys, it has appeared twice in the main series and once in the Junior Mastermind spin-off, the latter being in the final broadcast on 26 February 2006.
The winner goes through to the next round, where he must choose a different specialised subject. The winner of the final of the BBC version is declared "Mastermind" for that year and is the only contestant to receive a prize, in the form of a cut-glass engraved bowl.
In the United States, the game show 2 Minute Drill
on sports network ESPN
had its roots in Mastermind. Contestants faced questions fired at them by a panel of four sports and entertainment celebrities for two minutes; like Mastermind, there were two rounds of questions, however slightly different: The 1st round had each panelist's questions representing a different sports category pertaining to their area of expertise, and the 2nd round had no categories and the contestant couldn't control who asked the questions; they were fired at random. The contestant with the highest score after two rounds would win a cash prize, and would have a chance to double those winnings by correctly answering the "Question of Great Significance," as host Kenny Mayne
called it, from a specialty category chosen by the winner (usually a particular athlete or sports team from the past). In each series, winners advanced in a bracket-style playoff format, with cash prizes increasing from $5,000 in the first round to $50,000 (doubling to $100,000 by answering the final question) in the final round. Prizes such as trips to the Super Bowl
or ESPY Awards
were also given, known as "ESPN Experiences". The show had three series over a 15-month period, from September 2000 to December 2001. Like Mastermind, 2 Minute Drill featured a leather chair, dramatic lighting and sound effects. Willy Gibson of Columbus, Ohio
was the grand champion of the first two series; he was defeated in the second round of the third and final series. Unlike Mastermind presenters, Mayne had a very dry, quirky and sometimes sarcastic sense of humour, but did a very good job of keeping the game going; he would quickly jump in if one of the celebrity panelists was tardy in posing their question, so as not to penalise the contestant.
In late 2011 an Irish version of the show will air on TV3 Ireland
known as Mastermind Ireland
(who went on to become four times IQA
world champion, also holds the record for the highest ever score on Brain of Britain
and is now one of the Eggheads
) in 1995. His specialist subject was "The Life of Martin Luther King".
In August 2010 during an edition of Mastermind: Champion of Champions, the 2010 series champion, Jesse Honey
, scored 23 out of 23 on "Flags of the World" in the specialist subject round. He went on to win with a total score of 38.
On Junior Mastermind in February 2007, an 11-year-old schoolboy called Callum scored 19 points on his specialist subject, cricketer Andrew Flintoff
. However he did not win, being beaten by one point after achieving a final score of 32.
On 20 November 2009, in aid of BBC's Children in Need
appeal, actress-comedienne Lucy Porter
achieved the highest overall score for a Mastermind celebrity edition. She scored 35; her specialist subject was Steve Martin
. On the same episode comedian Mark Watson
, who preceded Porter, scored 33. Presenter John Humphries congratulated him on breaking the existing celebrity record. It was then broken by Porter with her turn. On 31 December 2010, comedian Rhys Thomas
scored 36; his specialist subject was Queen
. Hilary Kay
had also scored 36 points a few nights earlier, while one of her opponents, Richard Herring
, had scored 35 points, equalling the previous record set by Porter.
. Previously, the lowest attained score had been 7 points which was first set by Colin Kidd in 2005. His specialist subject was "The World Chess Championships". The score was equalled in November 2009 by gas fitter Michael Burton; he only scored 2 for his specialist subject on Angels.
In the celebrity editions, Arabella Weir
and Tara Palmer-Tompkinson both scored 6 points in the same episode in 2004. A week earlier, Murray Walker
had set the previous lowest score with 7 points.
The lowest score in the speciality subject round is 1 point. Simon Curtis achieved this distinction when he answered only one question correctly on "The Films of Jim Carrey
" during a semi-final edition of the regular competition in October 2006 (he got 8 points in the General Knowledge round). However, he was not the first contestant to score only 1 point on a specialist subject. Actress-comedienne Arabella Weir
achieved this distinction, with her chosen subject the Dallas TV series
, during her appearance on a celebrity edition in 2004.
Arfor Wyn Hughes, dubbed "Disastermind" by the British press, has frequently claimed inaccurately (most recently on a BBC tribute to Magnús Magnússon
) that his score of 12 was the lowest ever.
A special episode of Mastermind called Doctor Who Mastermind was broadcast on 19 March 2005, in which all four contestants had the specialist subject Doctor Who
. The prize was awarded to the winner by the then current Doctor
, actor Christopher Eccleston
.
Some specialist subjects are considered not suitable to be used. The following are examples of rejected specialist subjects:
First Round Averages
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The chair is an Eames Soft Pad Lounge Chair designed by Charles and Ray Eames
in 1969. Today these chairs are made under license by Vitra
.
sketch written by David Renwick
, featuring Ronnie Barker
as Magnús Magnússon and Ronnie Corbett
as a contestant named Charlie Smithers, whose specialist subject was "answering the question before last". This continually led to humorous and often rude answers. A similar sketch featured Monty Python
alumni Michael Palin
as Magnússon and Terry Gilliam
as a contestant whose speciality was "questions to which the answer is two."
The 2003-onwards version has been spoofed by the Dead Ringers
team, with Jon Culshaw
playing John Humphrys. In one send-up, which appeared on the television edition of "Dead Ringers", the contestant offered to answer questions on Mary Queen of Scots, but when an answer was given, John Humphries was shown saying "Yes, but you sexed that answer up". The sketch was a reference to the controversy caused by the aftermath of the Iraq War.One episode included Mastermind: The Opera.
Another spoof was featured in Armando Iannucci
's 2004: The Stupid Version
, where a contestant's specialist subject was "The television series Thunderbirds
and Lady Penelope's Cockney chauffeur".
Also in 2004, Johnny Vaughan
's BBC Three
show Live at Johnny's featured a version called Mastermind Rejects -- the premise being that the specialist subjects were too ludicrously obscure even for Mastermind. In the final show of the series, Magnús Magnússon took over as the quizmaster - it was the last time he would utter the catchphrase "I've started so I'll finish" on any form of Mastermind. The specialist subject was The History of the Home Video Recorder, 1972 to 1984.
On their 2005 Christmas Special, comedy duo French & Saunders
parodied the show with Jennifer Saunders
playing Abigail Wilson, a pensioner whose special subject is Ceramic Teapots. She passes on all but one question, which she answers incorrectly anyway.
In 2005, the show was spoofed on BBC Radio 4's The Now Show
where the specialist subject was "Britishness", relating to the proposed test immigrants may have to take, to prove they can fit in with British society.
In the 1970s a young viewer of Jim'll Fix It
had her wish granted to sit in the black chair and answer questions from Magnús Magnússon on the subject of the "Mr. Men
".
In 1974, Morecambe and Wise
performed a sketch based on Mastermind, which featured Magnússon and the black chair. The format was different, however, with Wise, then Morecambe, being asked 10 questions each.
In 1975 The Goodies
featured Mastermind in the episode Frankenfido
when a dog (Bill Oddie
in a suit) appeared on the show and managed to correctly answer questions asked of it as they all had answers that could be represented by growls, such as 'bark' and 'ruff'.
In the late 1970s, Noel Edmonds
radio Sunday lunchtime show used to feature a send-up called "Musty Mind" where a phone-in contestant would be asked ludicrous questions on a parody of a serious subject, such as the "Toad Racing" or, on another occasion, "The Cultural and Social History of Rockall" - Rockall
being a bald lump of uninhabited rock in the eastern Atlantic.
Benny Hill
parodied Mastermind on The Benny Hill Show on at least two separate occasions. In one of the parodies the show was called "Masterbrane". In each, Benny played the role of Magnússon while Jackie Wright
played the hapless contestant.
Spitting Image
used the Mastermind format in a sketch where a Magnús Magnússon puppet asked questions of a Jeffrey Archer puppet whose specialist subject was himself. The twist was that Archer's puppet, being incapable of answering questions about himself without exaggeration or evasion, ends the round with zero points.
The BBC's satirical current affairs quiz show Have I Got News for You
has parodied the show several times, by turning the lights down - except for spotlights above select chairs - and playing the theme tune, before subjecting at least one of the panel to some rigorous questioning. The first occasion happened on the 1995 video special, where every member of the panel was asked questions on specialist subjects relating to the news. The second occasion was in 1998, when Magnus Magnusson appeared as a guest. His specialist subject was his most embarrassing moments on TV quizzes, including the moment on Quizball when he confused playwright Arthur Miller
with the name of the surgeon who had once operated on his mother's kidneys. After Magnusson's questioning, the spotlight then turned onto the other guest, John Simpson, who was informed that his "specialist subject" was Christmas cracker
jokes.
More randomly, HIGNFY turned the Mastermind spotlight on one of its favourite guests, Boris Johnson
, when he appeared in 2001. He was told his specialist subject was then-Conservative Party
leader Iain Duncan Smith
"whether you like it or not". The programme's final Mastermind moment to date came when John Humphrys guest-hosted an edition in 2003, shortly after taking over as Mastermind presenter. After the opening round, HIGNFY regular Ian Hislop
mentioned that in accordance with a long-running theme of Humphrys' other well-known role as anchor of BBC Radio 4
's Today Programme
, he was about to spring a surprise on him. Hislop then asked Humphrys several questions about quotes said by him or about him, including the revelation that Iain Duncan Smith had once remarked about his "nicely balanced package".
In his early routines Bill Bailey
would often parody the Mastermind music, finding it very sinister. He would then play the music on keyboard with an over-the-top hellish sounding climax.
The programme Balls of Steel
parodied Mastermind with its sketch The Alex Zane Cleverness Game, in which experts were quizzed on their specialist subjects (included were "The Life of Anne Frank
", "Eurovision Song Contest Winners
", and "Hercule Poirot
"). Unknowingly to the experts, the show was a complete hoax, and blatantly incorrect answers were included in order to frustrate them whenever they supplied the correct answer.
The comedy show Snuff Box
had the two main characters Rich Fulcher
and Matt Berry
both appear on Mastermind. Berry chose his specialist subject as Alton Towers
and only scored 3 points before a blackout, in which he apparently shoots the host after being told to sit down. Fulcher chooses 'Anglo-Saxon architecture
', though displays no knowledge of the subject and makes up answers such as 'Toto from The Wizard Of Oz
' and 'Elvis', and scoring no points.
In 2011, The Chris Moyles Show
on BBC Radio 1
parodied the show with a feature called 'Disastermind'. Using the back-up chair from the Mastermind studio, each team member chose a specialist subject, only to have them swapped before being questioned in the chair on their randomly selected subject and general knowledge. The specialist subjects were The World of Glee
; UK Dialling Codes; U2
; Husky Dogs and Back to the Future Part 1.
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness.
Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the contestant's choice, the other a general knowledge round. Wright drew inspiration from his experiences of being interrogated by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The atmosphere is helped by Masterminds famously ominous theme music, "Approaching Menace" by the British composer Neil Richardson. The quiz programme originated and was recorded in Manchester at studios such as New Broadcasting House
New Broadcasting House
New Broadcasting House is the home of the BBC on Oxford Road in Manchester city centre. The studios house BBC Manchester, BBC North, BBC North West, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Religion and Ethics department...
and Granada Studios, before permanently moving to The Studios, MediaCity in 2011.
Format
Each contestant usually has two minutes per round. First, each contestant in turn answers questions on a specialised subject (see examples below). The contestant may pass if he doesn't know the answer, rather than guessing. If a question is answered incorrectly, the questioner will give the answer, using valuable time. However if 'pass' is given, then the answer is read at the end of the round. After the two minutes is up a buzzer is sounded, which is made up of four beeps; if a question is being read (or has just been read), then the contestant is given a short period of time to answer, leading to the show's famous catchphrase, "I've started so I'll finish." After this, answers to any passes are given.After contestants have answered the specialised questions, they are given general knowledge questions. For the 2010/11 series this round lasts 2 minutes, 30 seconds, rather than the usual two. As originally aired the contestants would return for the second round in the same order as for their specialised subject. The contestants are now recalled in reverse order of points scored.
The winner is the contestant with the most points. If two or more contestants have an equal number of points, then the contestant with the fewer passes is the winner. The possibility of passing leads to tactical play as passing uses less time allowing more questions to be answered; but may count against the contestant at the end in the event of a tie.
Should the top two contestants have the same score and same number of passes at the end of the contest then a tie-breaker is employed, in which the two contenders are each asked the same five questions (one contender must leave the auditorium while the other answers). It is not clear what would happen should this fail to produce a clear winner, though it is implied that the process would simply be repeated as many times as necessary. It is, however, very rare for the tie-break to be required. In the version of the show hosted by John Humphrys, it has appeared twice in the main series and once in the Junior Mastermind spin-off, the latter being in the final broadcast on 26 February 2006.
The winner goes through to the next round, where he must choose a different specialised subject. The winner of the final of the BBC version is declared "Mastermind" for that year and is the only contestant to receive a prize, in the form of a cut-glass engraved bowl.
Versions of Mastermind
Mastermind has appeared in numerous versions:- The BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
version hosted between 1972 and 1997 by Magnús Magnússon. It was originally broadcast late on a Sunday night and was not expected to receive a huge audience. In 1973 it was moved to a prime-time slot as an emergency replacement for a Leslie PhillipsLeslie PhillipsLeslie Samuel Phillips, CBE is an English actor with a highly recognisable upper class accent. Originally known for his work as a comedy actor, Phillips subsequently made the transition to character roles.-Early life:...
sitcom, Casanova '73Casanova '73Casanova '73 was a short-lived British sitcom broadcast on BBC1 in 1973. It was written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson and starred Leslie Phillips as Henry Newhouse...
, which had been moved to a later time following complaints about its risqué content. The quiz subsequently became one of the most-watched shows on British television. Magnússon was famous for his catchphrase "I've started so I'll finish," which was also the title of his history of the show (by far the most authoritative work on the show — ISBN 0-7515-2585-5). The original series was also noted for the variety of venues where filming took place — often including academic and ecclesiastical buildings. The last programme of the original series was filmed at St. Magnus Cathedral in Orkney. The original series also spawned an International Edition between 1979 and 1983. - A version on Radio 4 hosted by Peter Snow, running between 1998 and 2000.
- A version on Discovery Channel hosted by Clive Anderson in 2001. This version shortened the amount of time available for the answering of questions and lasted just one series. This was also the first to go 'interactive'. By using the red buttonRed Button (Digital Television)Red Button is a button on the remote control for certain digital television set top boxes in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and By Directv in the USA. It is for interactive television services such as BBC Red Button and Astro...
viewers could play the general knowledge section throughout the series. These questions had been written specifically to afford both standard and multiple-choice format in presentation. There was a one-off competition between the four highest scoring viewers. - A new BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
version hosted by John Humphrys, beginning in 2003. Whereas the original series kept talk to a minimum, asking contestants only their name, occupation and specialist subject, at first the new run included some conversational elements with contestants between rounds, although these have been dropped in the 2011 series. It is also distinguished from the original BBC TV series by the fact that many more contestants' specialist subjects come from popular culturePopular culturePopular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
, which probably reflects cultural changes in the British middle classes in recent years. Unlike the original version, this version is studio-based. It is made in ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
(although, due to asbestos being found at Granada studios, parts of the 2006 series were filmed at Yorkshire TelevisionYorkshire TelevisionYorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
s studiosThe Leeds StudiosThe Leeds Studios also known as the Yorkshire Television Studios or YTV Studios is a television production complex on Kirkstall Road in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
in LeedsLeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
) . - Junior MastermindJunior MastermindJunior Mastermind is a spin-off of the British quiz show Mastermind, featuring children generally aged 10 and 11 as contestants.The basic format of Junior Mastermind is the same as that of regular adult Mastermind, though there are a few differences:* Contestants' introductions give only their...
, also hosted by John Humphrys, is a children's version of the quiz programme and has the same format, the difference being that the contestants are only ten and eleven years old. The programme aired across six nights on BBC One, ending on 4 September 2004. The winner was Daniel Parker, whose specialist subjects were the Volkswagen BeetleVolkswagen BeetleThe Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
(heat) and James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
villainVillainA villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
s (final). There was another series in 2005 (subjects included Black Holes and the Star Wars trilogy), which was won by Robin Geddes, whose specialist subjects were The Vicar of DibleyThe Vicar of DibleyThe Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It aired from 1994 to 2007...
and A Series of Unfortunate EventsA Series of Unfortunate EventsA Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of children's novels by Lemony Snicket which follows the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire after their parents' death in an arsonous house fire...
, with a third series airing in 2006, won by Domnhall Ryan, and a fourth and fifth series in 2007 (won by Robert Stutter and David Verghese respectively). - Mastermind Cymru, a Welsh-language version of the programme started on 8 October 2006 on S4CS4CS4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
. It is hosted by Betsan PowysBetsan PowysBetsan Powys , is a Welsh journalist, currently the political editor for BBC Wales.A native Welsh speaker, Powys joined BBC Wales as a News Trainee in 1989, before joining the newsroom in Cardiff as a bilingual, bi-media reporter...
. - An Australian version of Mastermind was broadcast by the ABCAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
from 1978 to 1984, hosted by Huw Evans. - International MastermindInternational MastermindInternational Mastermind was an international spin-off of the BBC Mastermind quiz show.-History:The 1979 competition was a one-off series hosted by Magnús Magnússon involving the winners of Mastermind from around the world, including UK Mastermind champions David Hunt and Rosemary James, or winners...
was an annual playoff between winners of various international versions of the show (or the nearest equivalents in some countries) and ran for five years between 1979 and 1983. - Sport MastermindSport MastermindSport Mastermind is a British television quiz show first broadcast by BBC television in July and August 2008. The show is a spin-off of the long running quiz show Mastermind and is themed on sport...
, a 2008 sports-themed version hosted by Des LynamDes LynamDesmond Michael "Des" Lynam, OBE is an Irish television and radio presenter based in the UK.He has hosted television coverage of high profile events for many years...
. - Celebrity MastermindCelebrity MastermindCelebrity Mastermind is a British television quiz show broadcast by BBC television. The show is a spin-off of the long running quiz show Mastermind, with the exception that all the contestants are celebrities. As with the main show, John Humphrys is the host and question-master...
, following a similar format to the main show, but with the winner of each show being given a trophy.
In the United States, the game show 2 Minute Drill
2 Minute Drill
2 Minute Drill is an ESPN game show based on the general knowledge UK game show Mastermind. The program aired from September 11, 2000 to December 28, 2001...
on sports network ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
had its roots in Mastermind. Contestants faced questions fired at them by a panel of four sports and entertainment celebrities for two minutes; like Mastermind, there were two rounds of questions, however slightly different: The 1st round had each panelist's questions representing a different sports category pertaining to their area of expertise, and the 2nd round had no categories and the contestant couldn't control who asked the questions; they were fired at random. The contestant with the highest score after two rounds would win a cash prize, and would have a chance to double those winnings by correctly answering the "Question of Great Significance," as host Kenny Mayne
Kenny Mayne
Kenneth "Kenny" Wheelock Mayne is a sports journalist and comedian for ESPN.-Sports career:A native of Kent, Washington, Mayne is a former honorable mention junior college All-American quarterback in 1978 at Wenatchee Valley Community College in Wenatchee, WA...
called it, from a specialty category chosen by the winner (usually a particular athlete or sports team from the past). In each series, winners advanced in a bracket-style playoff format, with cash prizes increasing from $5,000 in the first round to $50,000 (doubling to $100,000 by answering the final question) in the final round. Prizes such as trips to the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
or ESPY Awards
ESPY Awards
An ESPY Award is an accolade presented by the American cable television network ESPN to recognize individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performance during the calendar year preceding a given annual ceremony. The first ESPYs were awarded in 1993...
were also given, known as "ESPN Experiences". The show had three series over a 15-month period, from September 2000 to December 2001. Like Mastermind, 2 Minute Drill featured a leather chair, dramatic lighting and sound effects. Willy Gibson of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
was the grand champion of the first two series; he was defeated in the second round of the third and final series. Unlike Mastermind presenters, Mayne had a very dry, quirky and sometimes sarcastic sense of humour, but did a very good job of keeping the game going; he would quickly jump in if one of the celebrity panelists was tardy in posing their question, so as not to penalise the contestant.
In late 2011 an Irish version of the show will air on TV3 Ireland
TV3 Ireland
TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...
known as Mastermind Ireland
Mastermind (TV3)
Mastermind is an Irish television quiz show to air on TV3 as part of its autumn/winter 2011 schedule. The show is licenced to TV3 through BBC Worldwide. Mastermind hosts local versions in the United Kingdom, and previously in Australia, America, India and an International version.The show is based...
Highest scores
The highest overall Mastermind score is 41 points, set by Kevin AshmanKevin Ashman
Kevin Ashman from Winchester, Hampshire in England is one of the world's most successful quiz players and since 2002 a professional quizzer, an Egghead since 2003...
(who went on to become four times IQA
World Quizzing Championship
The World Quizzing Championship is an individual quiz contest organised by the International Quizzing Association...
world champion, also holds the record for the highest ever score on Brain of Britain
Brain of Britain
Brain of Britain is a BBC radio general knowledge quiz, broadcast on BBC Radio 4.-History:It began as a slot in What Do You Know? in 1953 before becoming a programme in its own right in 1967. It was chaired by Franklin Engelmann until his death in 1972.-Format:The format of the quiz is simple...
and is now one of the Eggheads
Eggheads
Eggheads is a BBC quiz show created by 12 Yard Productions, first broadcast in 2003, and presented by Dermot Murnaghan. For the 2008 series, Jeremy Vine was brought in to present on nights when Murnaghan was hosting the spinoff series Are You an Egghead? This happened again from October 2009 while...
) in 1995. His specialist subject was "The Life of Martin Luther King".
In August 2010 during an edition of Mastermind: Champion of Champions, the 2010 series champion, Jesse Honey
Jesse Honey
Jesse Honey is an English quiz player best known for winning the Mastermind series 2010 and becoming a member of the English National team later in the year.-Life:...
, scored 23 out of 23 on "Flags of the World" in the specialist subject round. He went on to win with a total score of 38.
On Junior Mastermind in February 2007, an 11-year-old schoolboy called Callum scored 19 points on his specialist subject, cricketer Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff MBE is a former English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club, England and the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. A tall fast bowler, batsman and slip fielder, Flintoff according to the ICC rankings was consistently rated amongst the top...
. However he did not win, being beaten by one point after achieving a final score of 32.
On 20 November 2009, in aid of BBC's Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
appeal, actress-comedienne Lucy Porter
Lucy Porter
Lucy Donna Porter is an English actress, writer and comedienne.She has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Brighton Festival and many clubs around Britain. She has also a regular voice on BBC Radio 4 in various panel shows, including Quote.....
achieved the highest overall score for a Mastermind celebrity edition. She scored 35; her specialist subject was Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
. On the same episode comedian Mark Watson
Mark Watson (comedian)
Mark Andrew Watson is an English stand-up comedian and novelist.-Early life:Watson was born in Bristol to Welsh parents and attended Henleaze Junior school and then Bristol Grammar School, where he won the prize of 'Gabbler of the year', before going to Queens' College, Cambridge, where he studied...
, who preceded Porter, scored 33. Presenter John Humphries congratulated him on breaking the existing celebrity record. It was then broken by Porter with her turn. On 31 December 2010, comedian Rhys Thomas
Rhys Thomas (comedian)
Rhys Thomas is an English comedian and actor.-Career:His breakthrough came while working as a runner on Shooting Stars, when he showed Charlie Higson and Bob Mortimer some sketches he had performed in college...
scored 36; his specialist subject was Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
. Hilary Kay
Hilary Kay
Hilary Kay is a British antiques expert, author and lecturer, probably best known for her many appearances on BBC TVs Antiques Roadshow programme on which she is one of the team of experts....
had also scored 36 points a few nights earlier, while one of her opponents, Richard Herring
Richard Herring
Richard Keith Herring is a British comedian and writer, whose early work includes his involvement in the double-act, Lee and Herring...
, had scored 35 points, equalling the previous record set by Porter.
Lowest scores
The current record for the overall lowest score is 5 points, set on 29 January 2010 by software analyst Kajen Thuraaisingham, scoring 4 points for his specialist subject of the life of Mustafa Kemal AtatürkMustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
. Previously, the lowest attained score had been 7 points which was first set by Colin Kidd in 2005. His specialist subject was "The World Chess Championships". The score was equalled in November 2009 by gas fitter Michael Burton; he only scored 2 for his specialist subject on Angels.
In the celebrity editions, Arabella Weir
Arabella Weir
Arabella Weir is a British comedian, actress and writer.The daughter of former British ambassador Sir Michael Weir, she is best known for her roles in The Fast Show and for writing several books including the international best seller Does My Bum Look Big In This? Arabella Weir (born 6 December...
and Tara Palmer-Tompkinson both scored 6 points in the same episode in 2004. A week earlier, Murray Walker
Murray Walker
Graeme Murray Walker, OBE is a former Formula One motorsport commentator...
had set the previous lowest score with 7 points.
The lowest score in the speciality subject round is 1 point. Simon Curtis achieved this distinction when he answered only one question correctly on "The Films of Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
" during a semi-final edition of the regular competition in October 2006 (he got 8 points in the General Knowledge round). However, he was not the first contestant to score only 1 point on a specialist subject. Actress-comedienne Arabella Weir
Arabella Weir
Arabella Weir is a British comedian, actress and writer.The daughter of former British ambassador Sir Michael Weir, she is best known for her roles in The Fast Show and for writing several books including the international best seller Does My Bum Look Big In This? Arabella Weir (born 6 December...
achieved this distinction, with her chosen subject the Dallas TV series
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
, during her appearance on a celebrity edition in 2004.
Arfor Wyn Hughes, dubbed "Disastermind" by the British press, has frequently claimed inaccurately (most recently on a BBC tribute to Magnús Magnússon
Magnus Magnusson
Magnus Magnusson KBE was a television presenter, journalist, translator and writer. He was born in Iceland but lived in Scotland for almost all of his life, although he never took British citizenship...
) that his score of 12 was the lowest ever.
Specialised subjects
The following is a sample of specialist subjects:- History and genealogy of European royalty.
- The life and works of Gilbert & Sullivan.
- The MoominMoominThe Moomins are the central characters in a series of books and a comic strip by Swedish-Finn illustrator and writer Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Schildts in Finland. They are a family of trolls who are white and roundish, with large snouts that make them resemble hippopotamuses...
saga by Tove JanssonTove JanssonTove Marika Jansson was a Swedish-Finnish novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. She is best known as the author of the Moomin books.- Biography :...
. - The history of Lancashire County Cricket ClubLancashire County Cricket ClubLancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
. - The life-cycle and habits of the Honey-bee.
- The Buddhist sage NichirenNichirenNichiren was a Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period in Japan. Nichiren taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra, entitled Myōhō-Renge-Kyō in Japanese, as the exclusive means to attain enlightenment and the chanting of Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō as the essential practice of the teaching...
. - The Female Agents of the Special Operations ExecutiveSpecial Operations ExecutiveThe Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
.
A special episode of Mastermind called Doctor Who Mastermind was broadcast on 19 March 2005, in which all four contestants had the specialist subject Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. The prize was awarded to the winner by the then current Doctor
Ninth Doctor
The Ninth Doctor is the ninth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by Christopher Eccleston....
, actor Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston
Christopher Eccleston is an English stage, film and television actor. His films include Let Him Have It, Shallow Grave, Elizabeth, 28 Days Later, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Others, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra...
.
Some specialist subjects are considered not suitable to be used. The following are examples of rejected specialist subjects:
- Routes to anywhere in mainland Britain by road from LetchworthLetchworthLetchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The town's name is taken from one of the three villages it surrounded - all of which featured in the Domesday Book. The land used was first purchased by Quakers who had intended to farm the...
. - CremationCremationCremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
practice and law in Britain. - The bananaBananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
industry. - Orthopaedic bone cement in total hip replacementHip replacementHip replacement is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant. Hip replacement surgery can be performed as a total replacement or a hemi replacement. Such joint replacement orthopaedic surgery generally is conducted to relieve arthritis pain or fix severe...
. - Perfect squaresSquare numberIn mathematics, a square number, sometimes also called a perfect square, is an integer that is the square of an integer; in other words, it is the product of some integer with itself...
from 992= 9801.
Champions
| Year | Winner | Specialist subjects | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | Semi-final | Final | ||
| 1972 | Nancy Wilkinson Nancy Wilkinson Nancy Wilkinson was the winner of the first BBC TV Mastermind quiz series in 1972.Nancy Wilkinson was born Nancy Barbara Constance Bird in London in 1919. She studied modern languages and music at Cambridge from 1937 to 1941, and during World War II worked for the intelligence service at Bletchley... |
French literature French literature French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens... |
European antiques | History of music History of music Music is found in every known culture, past and present, varying wildly between times and places. Around 50,000 years ago, early modern humans began to disperse from Africa, reaching all the habitable continents... , 1550–1900 |
| 1973 | Patricia Owen | Grand Opera Grand Opera Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras, and lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on or around dramatic historic events... |
Byzantine art Byzantine art Byzantine art is the term commonly used to describe the artistic products of the Byzantine Empire from about the 5th century until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453.... |
Grand Opera |
| 1974 | Elizabeth Horrocks Elizabeth Horrocks Elizabeth Horrocks is an author and winner of the BBC Mastermind. Her fantasy trilogy comprises The Edge of Doom, The Dark Space and The New Found Land.... |
Shakespeare's plays Shakespeare's plays William Shakespeare's plays have the reputation of being among the greatest in the English language and in Western literature. Traditionally, the 37 plays are divided into the genres of tragedy, history, and comedy; they have been translated into every major living language, in addition to being... |
Works of J.R.R. Tolkien | Works of Dorothy L. Sayers |
| 1975 | John Hart John Hart (classics) John Thornton Hart was a classics master at Malvern College and winner of the 1975 series of Mastermind. Within English law Hart is also notable as being a party in the House of Lords case Pepper v Hart which was a landmark decision in English law concerning the use of legislative history in... |
Athens Classical Athens The city of Athens during the classical period of Ancient Greece was a notable polis of Attica, Greece, leading the Delian League in the Peloponnesian War against Sparta and the Peloponnesian League. Athenian democracy was established in 508 BC under Cleisthenes following the tyranny of Hippias... 500–400 BC |
Rome Ancient Rome Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world.... 100–1 BC |
Athens 500–400 BC |
| 1976 | Roger Prichard | Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century... |
20th century British warships | Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington |
| 1977 | Sir David Hunt David Hunt (diplomat) Sir David Hunt KCMG, OBE was a British diplomat, best remembered as winner of the BBC's Mastermind television quiz in 1977.... |
World War II British campaigns in North Africa North African campaign During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had... |
World War II Allied campaign in Italy Italian Campaign (World War II) The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the... |
Roman Revolution 60–14 BC |
| 1978 | Rosemary James | Roman Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans... and Greek mythology Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece... |
Works of Frederick Wolfe | Roman and Greek mythology |
| 1979 | Philip Jenkins Philip Jenkins Philip Jenkins is as of 2010 the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Humanities at Pennsylvania State University . He was Professor and a Distinguished Professor of History and Religious studies at the same institution; and also assistant, associate and then full professor of Criminal Justice and... |
Christianity AD 30–150 | Vikings in Scotland and Ireland 800–1150 AD | History of Wales 400–1100 |
| 1980 | Fred Housego Fred Housego Fred Housego is a former London taxi driver who became a television and radio personality and presenter after winning the BBC quiz Mastermind in 1980. His specialist subject in the final was 'The Tower of London'... |
King Henry II Henry II of England Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the... |
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,... |
Tower of London Tower of London Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space... |
| 1981 | Leslie Grout | St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle St George's Chapel is the place of worship at Windsor Castle in England, United Kingdom. It is both a royal peculiar and the chapel of the Order of the Garter... |
Burial Grounds of London | St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle |
| 1983 | Chris Hughes | British Steam Locomotives, 1900–63 | Flashman Harry Paget Flashman Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC KCB KCIE is a fictional character created by George MacDonald Fraser , but based on the character "Flashman" in Tom Brown's Schooldays , a semi-autobiographical work by Thomas Hughes .... novels |
British Steam Locomotives, 1900–63 |
| 1984 | Margaret Harris | Cecil Rhodes | Postal history of Southern Africa | Cecil Rhodes |
| 1985 | Ian Meadows | English Civil War English Civil War The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists... |
History of astronomy to 1700 | English Civil War |
| 1986 | Jennifer Keaveney | Elizabeth Gaskell Elizabeth Gaskell Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson , often referred to simply as Mrs Gaskell, was a British novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era... |
E. Nesbit E. Nesbit Edith Nesbit was an English author and poet whose children's works were published under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television... |
Elizabeth Gaskell |
| 1987 | Dr Jeremy Bradbrooke | Franco-Prussian War Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and... |
War of 1812 War of 1812 The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant... |
Crimean War Crimean War The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining... |
| 1988 | David Beamish David Beamish David Richard Beamish is a British public servant who has been the Clerk of the Parliaments, the chief clerk in the House of Lords, since 16 April 2011.-Career:... |
Nancy Astor Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor Nancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess Astor, CH, was the first woman to sit as a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons.Constance Markievicz was the first woman elected to the House of Commons in December 1918 after running for the Sinn Féin party in 1918 General Election, but in line... |
British Royal Family, 1714–1910 | Nancy Astor |
| 1989 | Mary Elizabeth Raw | King Charles I Charles I of England Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles... |
Prince Albert | Charles I |
| 1990 | David Edwards David Edwards (Who Wants to be a Millionaire winner) David Edwards is a former physics teacher at Cheadle High School and Denstone College in Staffordshire who became the first man to win the million pounds on the British Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on 21 April 2001, and only the second person to answer all 15 questions correctly, and hence win... |
Michael Faraday Michael Faraday Michael Faraday, FRS was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry.... |
Benjamin Thompson Benjamin Thompson Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford , FRS was an American-born British physicist and inventor whose challenges to established physical theory were part of the 19th century revolution in thermodynamics. He also served as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Loyalist forces in America during the American... |
James Clerk Maxwell James Clerk Maxwell James Clerk Maxwell of Glenlair was a Scottish physicist and mathematician. His most prominent achievement was formulating classical electromagnetic theory. This united all previously unrelated observations, experiments and equations of electricity, magnetism and optics into a consistent theory... |
| 1991 | Stephen Allen | King Henry VII Henry VII of England Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor.... |
Dartmoor Dartmoor Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The... and its environs |
Francis Drake Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the... |
| 1992 | Steve Williams | Surrealist art 1918–39 | Peter I of Russia Peter I of Russia Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V... |
Post-Socratic philosophy |
| 1993 | Gavin Fuller | Doctor Who Doctor Who Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior... |
The medieval castle Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble... in the British Isles |
The Crusades |
| 1994 | Dr George Davidson | English coinage, 1066–1662 | History of chemistry, 1500–1870 | John Dalton John Dalton John Dalton FRS was an English chemist, meteorologist and physicist. He is best known for his pioneering work in the development of modern atomic theory, and his research into colour blindness .-Early life:John Dalton was born into a Quaker family at Eaglesfield, near Cockermouth, Cumberland,... |
| 1995 | Kevin Ashman Kevin Ashman Kevin Ashman from Winchester, Hampshire in England is one of the world's most successful quiz players and since 2002 a professional quizzer, an Egghead since 2003... |
Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the... |
History of the Western Western (genre) The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of... film |
Zulu War |
| 1996 | Dr Richard Sturch | Charles Williams | Frederick III, German Emperor Frederick III, German Emperor Frederick III was German Emperor and King of Prussia for 99 days in 1888, the Year of the Three Emperors. Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl known informally as Fritz, was the only son of Emperor William I and was raised in his family's tradition of military service... |
Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan |
| 1997 | Anne Ashurst Sara Craven Sara Craven, is the pseudonym used by Anne Ashurst, née Bushell is a popular British author of over 80 romance novels. Her novels have been published by Mills & Boon ever since 1975... |
Frances Carr, Countess of Somerset Frances Carr, Countess of Somerset Frances Carr, Countess of Somerset was an English noblewoman who was the central figure in a famous scandal and murder during the reign of King James I... |
Regency novels Regency romance Regency romances are a subgenre of romance novels set during the period of the British Regency or early 19th century. Rather than simply being versions of contemporary romance stories transported to a historical setting, Regency romances are a distinct genre with their own plot and stylistic... of Georgette Heyer Georgette Heyer Georgette Heyer was a British historical romance and detective fiction novelist. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brother into the novel The Black Moth. In 1925 Heyer married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer... |
Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland |
| 1998 | Robert Gibson | Solar System Solar System The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun... |
King Charles II Charles II of England Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War... |
Robert the Bruce Robert I of Scotland Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and... |
| 1999 | Christopher Carter | Birds of Europe | Tudor dynasty Tudor dynasty The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry Tudor, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised... |
British customs and traditions |
| 2000 | Stephen Follows | Benjamin Britten Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to... |
T.S. Eliot | Leoš Janáček Leoš Janácek Leoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by... |
| 2001 | Michael Penrice | Professional boxing to 1980 | (no semi-final) | English history 1603–1714 |
| 2003 | Andy Page | Academy Awards Academy Awards An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers... |
Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S... |
Golfing majors Men's major golf championships The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf... since 1970 |
| 2004 | Shaun Wallace | UEFA Champions League UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It... finals since 1970 |
England England national football team The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first... at the UEFA European Football Championship UEFA European Football Championship The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current... |
FA Cup finals FA Cup Final The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most... since 1970 |
| 2005 | Patrick Gibson Pat Gibson Pat Gibson is an Irish multiple quiz show winner and a panellist on Eggheads.He was born and educated in Ireland but has lived in the United Kingdom for many years, and has represented England in the European Quizzing Championships since 2005.- Early life and education :Pat was born in Galway in... |
The films of Quentin Tarantino Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence... |
The Culture The Culture The Culture is a fictional interstellar anarchist, socialist, and utopian society created by the Scottish writer Iain M. Banks which features in a number of science fiction novels and works of short fiction by him, collectively called the Culture series.... novels by Iain M. Banks Iain Banks Iain Banks is a Scottish writer. He writes mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks, and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, including the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies... |
Father Ted Father Ted Father Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May... |
| 2006 | Geoff Thomas | Édith Piaf Édith Piaf Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads... |
William Joyce William Joyce William Joyce , nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an Irish-American fascist politician and Nazi propaganda broadcaster to the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He was hanged for treason by the British as a result of his wartime activities, even though he had renounced his British nationality... |
Margaret Mitchell Margaret Mitchell Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell was an American author and journalist. Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937 for her epic American Civil War era novel, Gone with the Wind, which was the only novel by Mitchell published during her lifetime.-Family:Margaret Mitchell was born in Atlanta,... and Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind The slaves depicted in Gone with the Wind are primarily loyal house servants, such as Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter, and these slaves stay on with their masters even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 sets them free... |
| 2008 | David Clark | Henry Ford Henry Ford Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry... |
George, The Prince Regent George IV of the United Kingdom George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later... |
History of London Bridge London Bridge London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London... |
| 2009 | Nancy Dickmann | Amelia Peabody novels Amelia Peabody series The Amelia Peabody series is a series of mystery novels written by Elizabeth Peters featuring Egyptologist Amelia Peabody Emerson, for whom the series is named. The novels are intended as a blend of parody , mystery, and comedy... of Elizabeth Peters Barbara Mertz Barbara Mertz is an American author who writes under the pseudonyms Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels.... |
Life and films of Fritz Lang Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute... |
Lewis and Clark Expedition Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William... |
| 2010 | Jesse Honey Jesse Honey Jesse Honey is an English quiz player best known for winning the Mastermind series 2010 and becoming a member of the English National team later in the year.-Life:... |
Wandsworth Wandsworth Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:... |
The life and work of Antoni Gaudí Antoni Gaudí Antoni Gaudí i Cornet was a Spanish Catalan architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and are largely concentrated in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, notably his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família.Much of Gaudí's work was... |
Liverpool Cathedral Liverpool Cathedral Liverpool Cathedral is the Church of England cathedral of the Diocese of Liverpool, built on St James's Mount in Liverpool and is the seat of the Bishop of Liverpool. Its official name is the Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool but it is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin... (Anglican) |
| 2011 | Ian Bayley Ian Bayley Ian Bayley is a UK quiz player who, despite his youth when compared with other leading players , won several medals in quizzing, both in singles and as a member of a team. He is largely known as a strong team player winning the European Championships three times straight from 2007 to 2009 with... |
Life and Work of Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."... |
Romanov Dynasty | Paintings in the National Gallery National gallery The National Gallery is an art gallery on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom.National Gallery may also refer to:*Armenia: National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan*Australia:**National Gallery of Australia, Canberra... |
2005
High Scores- 35 - Patrick GibsonPat GibsonPat Gibson is an Irish multiple quiz show winner and a panellist on Eggheads.He was born and educated in Ireland but has lived in the United Kingdom for many years, and has represented England in the European Quizzing Championships since 2005.- Early life and education :Pat was born in Galway in...
(Semi-Final, Heat 6) - 33 - Patrick Gibson (Round 1, Heat 1)
- 31 - Isabelle Heward (Round 1, Heat 3)
- 31 - Patrick Gibson (Final)
- 30 - Thomas Dyer (Round 1, Heat 10)
- 30 - Peter Wright (Semi-Final, Heat 2)
- 29 - Derek Moody (Round 1, Heat 14)
- 29 - Amanda Hill (Round 1, Heat 16)
- 29 - Hadrian Jeffs (Round 1, Heat 24)
- 29 - Mark Grant (Semi-Final, Heat 1)
First Round Averages
- Average SS Score - 11.50
- Average GK Score - 9.16
- Average Score - 20.66
- Average Winning Score - 25.83
Semi-Final Averages
- Average SS Score - 12.08
- Average GK Score - 10.83
- Average Score - 22.92
- Average Winning Score - 28.33
Final Averages
- Average SS Score - 13.33
- Average GK Score - 12.33
- Average Total Score - 25.67
2006
High Scores- 36 - Geoff Thomas (Final)
- 34 - Katharine Drury (Semi-Final, Heat 5)
- 33 - Geoff Thomas (Semi-Final, Heat 1)
- 29 - David Parker (Round 1, Heat 22)
- 28 - Esther Kallen (Round 1, Heat 23)
- 28 - Nick Duffy (Semi-Final, Heat 1)
First Round Averages
- Average SS Score - 11.05
- Average GK Score - 7.16
- Average Score - 18.21
- Average Winning Score - 23.33
Semi-Final Averages
- Average SS Score - 12.46
- Average GK Score - 9.18
- Average Score - 22.00
- Average Winning Score - 28.00
Final Averages
- Average SS Score - 13.33
- Average GK Score - 10.50
- Average Total Score - 23.83
2007/08
High Scores- 33 - Hamish Cameron (Round 1, Heat 21)
- 32 - Stewart Cross (Semi-Final, Heat 4)
- 31 - Alan Frith (Round 1, Heat 22)
- 31 - Derek Moody (Round 1, Heat 24)
- 30 - William Barrett (Round 1, Heat 8)
- 30 - Jacqui Menzies (Round 1, Heat 9)
- 30 - Ian MacFarlane (Round 1, Heat 19)
- 30 - David Clark (Final)
- 29 - Les Morell (Round 1, Heat 3)
- 29 - Tom Rutherford (Round 1, Heat 5)
- 29 - Chris Jones (Round 1, Heat 22)
- 29 - Howard Pizzey (Round 1, Heat 22)
First Round Averages
- Average SS Score - 12.20
- Average GK Score - 9.23
- Average Score - 21.43
- Average Winning Score - 26.38
Semi-Final Averages
- Average SS Score - 14.00
- Average GK Score - 9.96
- Average Score - 23.96
- Average Winning Score - 26.67
Final Averages
- Average SS Score - 14.17
- Average GK Score - 12.67
- Average Total Score - 26.83
2008/09
High Scores- 30 - Nancy Dickmann (Final)
- 29 - James Corcoran (Round 1, Heat 3)
- 29 - Richard Smyth (Round 1, Heat 24)
- 29 - John Beynon (Round 1, Heat 6)
- 29 - Richard Heller (Semi-Final, Heat 3)
- 28 - Mel Kinsey (Round 1, Heat 8)
- 28 - Richard Heller (Round 1, Heat 14)
- 28 - Nancy Dickmann (Semi-Final, Heat 2)
- 28 - John Beynon (Semi-Final, Heat 3)
- 28 - Ian BayleyIan BayleyIan Bayley is a UK quiz player who, despite his youth when compared with other leading players , won several medals in quizzing, both in singles and as a member of a team. He is largely known as a strong team player winning the European Championships three times straight from 2007 to 2009 with...
(Semi-Final, Heat 5) - 28 - Stuart MacDonald (Semi-Final, Heat 6)
- 28 - Ian Bayley (Final)
First Round Averages
- Average SS Score - 12.56
- Average GK Score - 9.49
- Average Score - 22.05
- Average Winning Score - 26.13
Semi-Final Averages
- Average SS Score - 13.04
- Average GK Score - 9.96
- Average Score - 23.00
- Average Winning Score - 26.83
Final Averages
- Average SS Score - 13.50
- Average GK Score - 10.17
- Average Total Score - 23.67
2009/10
High Scores- 37 - Jesse Honey (Final)
- 32 - Kathryn Johnson (Final)
- 30 - Kathryn Johnson (Round 1, Heat 23)
- 30 - Jesse Honey (Semi-Final 1, Heat 6) (limited to 90 seconds on specialist subject)
- 30 - Mark Grant (Final)
- 29 - Chas Early (Round 1, Heat 8)
- 29 - John Cooper (Round 1, Heat 8)
- 29 - Mark Grant (Semi-Final, Heat 5) (limited to 90 seconds on specialist subject)
- 28 - Will Salt (Round 1, Heat 2)
- 28 - Andrew Warmington (Round 1, Heat 7)
- 28 - Mike Court (Round 1, Heat 9)
- 28 - Chris Sowton (Round 1, Heat 17)
- 28 - William De Ath (Semi Final, Heat 5) (limited to 90 seconds on specialist subject)
First Round Averages
- Average SS Score - 12.20
- Average GK Score - 8.78
- Average Score - 20.98
- Average Winning Score - 25.79
Semi-Final Averages (limited to 90 seconds on specialist subject)
- Average SS Score - 11.43
- Average GK Score - 10.80
- Average Score - 22.23
- Average Winning Score - 27.00
Final Averages
- Average SS Score - 15.00
- Average GK Score - 12.17
- Average Total Score - 27.17
2010/11
High Scores- 37 - Ian Bayley (Final)
- 37 - Iwan Thomas
- 35 - Brian Pendreigh
- 34 - Keith Nickless
- 34 - Nick Mills
- 33 - Peter Reilly (Final)
- 33 - Thomas Perry
- 32 - Paul Steeples
- 31 - Brian Daugherty
- 30 - Gillian Taylor
- 30 - Hamish Cameron
- 30 - Stephen Porter
The Chair
Perhaps the most famous icon of the show is the black leather chair in which the contestants sit, lit by a solitary spotlight in an otherwise dark studio. The inspiration for this was the interrogations faced by the show's creator, Bill Wright, as a POW in World War II. The original black chair was given to Magnús Magnússon as a souvenir when he retired from the show.The chair is an Eames Soft Pad Lounge Chair designed by Charles and Ray Eames
Charles and Ray Eames
Charles Ormond Eames, Jr and Bernice Alexandra "Ray" Eames were American designers, who worked in and made major contributions to modern architecture and furniture. They also worked in the fields of industrial and graphic design, fine art and film.-Charles Eames:Charles Eames, Jr was born in...
in 1969. Today these chairs are made under license by Vitra
Vitra (furniture)
Vitra is a Swiss manufacturer of designer furniture. Vitra is the European manufacturer and retailer of the works of many internationally renowned furniture designers...
.
Parodies
The programme has been the target for many television spoofs, most memorably the Two RonniesThe Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies is a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.-Origins:...
sketch written by David Renwick
David Renwick
David Peter Renwick is an English television writer, best known for creation of the sitcom One Foot in the Grave and the mystery series Jonathan Creek....
, featuring Ronnie Barker
Ronnie Barker
Ronald William George "Ronnie" Barker, OBE was a British actor, comedian, writer, critic, broadcaster and businessman...
as Magnús Magnússon and Ronnie Corbett
Ronnie Corbett
Ronald Balfour "Ronnie" Corbett, OBE is a Scottish actor and comedian of Scottish and English parentage who had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the British television comedy series The Two Ronnies...
as a contestant named Charlie Smithers, whose specialist subject was "answering the question before last". This continually led to humorous and often rude answers. A similar sketch featured Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
alumni Michael Palin
Michael Palin
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
as Magnússon and Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
as a contestant whose speciality was "questions to which the answer is two."
The 2003-onwards version has been spoofed by the Dead Ringers
Dead Ringers (comedy)
Dead Ringers is a UK radio and television comedy impressions broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and later BBC Two. The programme was devised by producer Bill Dare and developed with Jon Holmes, Andy Hurst and Simon Blackwell. It starred Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Phil Cornwell, Kevin Connelly and Mark Perry...
team, with Jon Culshaw
Jon Culshaw
Jonathan Peter Culshaw is an English impressionist and comedian. He was educated at St Bede's RC High School, Ormskirk and St John Rigby College, in Orrell, Wigan....
playing John Humphrys. In one send-up, which appeared on the television edition of "Dead Ringers", the contestant offered to answer questions on Mary Queen of Scots, but when an answer was given, John Humphries was shown saying "Yes, but you sexed that answer up". The sketch was a reference to the controversy caused by the aftermath of the Iraq War.One episode included Mastermind: The Opera.
Another spoof was featured in Armando Iannucci
Armando Iannucci
Armando Giovanni Iannucci is a Scottish comedian, satirist, writer, director, performer and radio producer. Born in Glasgow, he studied at Oxford University and left graduate work on a PhD about John Milton to pursue a career in comedy....
's 2004: The Stupid Version
2004: The Stupid Version
2004: The Stupid Version is a satirical documentary written by Armando Iannucci, broadcast in two parts on BBC Three on New Year's Eve 2004. The one-off programme is a parody of review programmes typically broadcast at New Year...
, where a contestant's specialist subject was "The television series Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds (TV series)
Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s science fiction television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation"...
and Lady Penelope's Cockney chauffeur".
Also in 2004, Johnny Vaughan
Johnny Vaughan
Jonathan Randall Vaughan is an English broadcaster and journalist. Vaughan has become well known as a television and radio personality and has also built a reputation as a film critic. He co-presented Capital Breakfast alongside Lisa Snowdon on 95.8 Capital FM between 2004 and 2011...
's BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
show Live at Johnny's featured a version called Mastermind Rejects -- the premise being that the specialist subjects were too ludicrously obscure even for Mastermind. In the final show of the series, Magnús Magnússon took over as the quizmaster - it was the last time he would utter the catchphrase "I've started so I'll finish" on any form of Mastermind. The specialist subject was The History of the Home Video Recorder, 1972 to 1984.
On their 2005 Christmas Special, comedy duo French & Saunders
French & Saunders
French and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television show written by and starring comic duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act....
parodied the show with Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into...
playing Abigail Wilson, a pensioner whose special subject is Ceramic Teapots. She passes on all but one question, which she answers incorrectly anyway.
In 2005, the show was spoofed on BBC Radio 4's The Now Show
The Now Show
The Now Show is a British radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, which satirises the week's news. The show is a mixture of stand-up, sketches and songs presented by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis...
where the specialist subject was "Britishness", relating to the proposed test immigrants may have to take, to prove they can fit in with British society.
In the 1970s a young viewer of Jim'll Fix It
Jim'll Fix It
Jim'll Fix It was a long-running British television show, broadcast by the BBC between 1975 and 1994. It was presented by Jimmy Savile. It was produced by Roger Ordish, who also worked on other BBC shows, including A Bit of Fry & Laurie...
had her wish granted to sit in the black chair and answer questions from Magnús Magnússon on the subject of the "Mr. Men
Mr. Men
Mr. Men is a series of 49 children's books by Roger Hargreaves commencing in 1971. Two of these books were not published in English. The series features characters with names such as Mr. Tickle and Mr. Happy who have personalities based on their names...
".
In 1974, Morecambe and Wise
Morecambe and Wise
Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, usually referred to as Morecambe and Wise, or Eric and Ernie, were a British comic double act, working in variety, radio, film and most successfully in television. Their partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984...
performed a sketch based on Mastermind, which featured Magnússon and the black chair. The format was different, however, with Wise, then Morecambe, being asked 10 questions each.
In 1975 The Goodies
The Goodies
The Goodies are a trio of British comedians who created, wrote, and starred in a surreal British television comedy series called The Goodies during the 1970s and early 1980s combining sketches and situation comedy.-Honours:All three Goodies now have OBEs...
featured Mastermind in the episode Frankenfido
Frankenfido
Frankenfido is an episode of the British comedy television series The Goodies— a BAFTA-nominated series for Best Light Entertainment Programme.As always, the episode was written by members of The Goodies.-Plot:...
when a dog (Bill Oddie
Bill Oddie
William "Bill" Edgar Oddie OBE is an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies....
in a suit) appeared on the show and managed to correctly answer questions asked of it as they all had answers that could be represented by growls, such as 'bark' and 'ruff'.
In the late 1970s, Noel Edmonds
Noel Edmonds
Noel Ernest Edmonds, is an English broadcaster and executive, who made his name as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presented many light entertainment television programmes, including Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Top of the Pops, The Late, Late Breakfast Show, Telly Addicts, Noel's Saturday...
radio Sunday lunchtime show used to feature a send-up called "Musty Mind" where a phone-in contestant would be asked ludicrous questions on a parody of a serious subject, such as the "Toad Racing" or, on another occasion, "The Cultural and Social History of Rockall" - Rockall
Rockall
Rockall is an extremely small, uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. It gives its name to one of the sea areas named in the shipping forecast provided by the British Meteorological Office....
being a bald lump of uninhabited rock in the eastern Atlantic.
Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
parodied Mastermind on The Benny Hill Show on at least two separate occasions. In one of the parodies the show was called "Masterbrane". In each, Benny played the role of Magnússon while Jackie Wright
Jackie Wright
John "Jackie" Wright was an Irish comedian, best known for being the bald-headed sidekick of Benny Hill on his television programme for one and a half decades...
played the hapless contestant.
Spitting Image
Spitting Image
Spitting Image is a British satirical puppet show that aired on the ITV network from 1984 to 1996. It was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Television. The series was nominated for 10 BAFTA Awards, winning one for editing in 1989....
used the Mastermind format in a sketch where a Magnús Magnússon puppet asked questions of a Jeffrey Archer puppet whose specialist subject was himself. The twist was that Archer's puppet, being incapable of answering questions about himself without exaggeration or evasion, ends the round with zero points.
The BBC's satirical current affairs quiz show Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
has parodied the show several times, by turning the lights down - except for spotlights above select chairs - and playing the theme tune, before subjecting at least one of the panel to some rigorous questioning. The first occasion happened on the 1995 video special, where every member of the panel was asked questions on specialist subjects relating to the news. The second occasion was in 1998, when Magnus Magnusson appeared as a guest. His specialist subject was his most embarrassing moments on TV quizzes, including the moment on Quizball when he confused playwright Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
with the name of the surgeon who had once operated on his mother's kidneys. After Magnusson's questioning, the spotlight then turned onto the other guest, John Simpson, who was informed that his "specialist subject" was Christmas cracker
Christmas cracker
Christmas crackers or bon-bons are an integral part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. They are also popular in Ireland. A cracker consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of...
jokes.
More randomly, HIGNFY turned the Mastermind spotlight on one of its favourite guests, Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
, when he appeared in 2001. He was told his specialist subject was then-Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
leader Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
"whether you like it or not". The programme's final Mastermind moment to date came when John Humphrys guest-hosted an edition in 2003, shortly after taking over as Mastermind presenter. After the opening round, HIGNFY regular Ian Hislop
Ian Hislop
Ian David Hislop is a British journalist, satirist, comedian, writer, broadcaster and editor of the satirical magazine Private Eye...
mentioned that in accordance with a long-running theme of Humphrys' other well-known role as anchor of BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's Today Programme
Today programme
Today is BBC Radio 4's long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, now broadcast from 6.00 am to 9.00 am Monday to Friday, and 7.00 am to 9.00 am on Saturdays. It is also the most popular programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks...
, he was about to spring a surprise on him. Hislop then asked Humphrys several questions about quotes said by him or about him, including the revelation that Iain Duncan Smith had once remarked about his "nicely balanced package".
In his early routines Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey is an English comedian, musician and actor. As well as his extensive stand-up work, Bailey is well known for his appearances on Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI.Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in...
would often parody the Mastermind music, finding it very sinister. He would then play the music on keyboard with an over-the-top hellish sounding climax.
The programme Balls of Steel
Balls of Steel (UK TV series)
Balls of Steel is a Channel 4 comedy series developed by Objective Productions and hosted by Mark Dolan, his special guests would perform stunts and hold their nerve during hidden camera set-ups in the presence of celebrities or the British public....
parodied Mastermind with its sketch The Alex Zane Cleverness Game, in which experts were quizzed on their specialist subjects (included were "The Life of Anne Frank
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
", "Eurovision Song Contest Winners
Eurovision Song Contest winners
Fifty-nine songs have won the Eurovision Song Contest, an annual competition organised by member countries of the European Broadcasting Union. The Contest, which has been broadcast every year since its debut in 1956, is one of the longest-running television programmes in the world...
", and "Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era.Poirot has been portrayed on...
"). Unknowingly to the experts, the show was a complete hoax, and blatantly incorrect answers were included in order to frustrate them whenever they supplied the correct answer.
The comedy show Snuff Box
Snuff Box
Snuff Box is a BBC Three British dark comedy starring and written by Matt Berry and Rich Fulcher with additional material by Nick Gargano. It first aired on Monday 27 February 2006....
had the two main characters Rich Fulcher
Rich Fulcher
Rich Fulcher is an American comedian and author based in the United Kingdom. He is best known for co-starring in the British comedy series The Mighty Boosh, alongside comedy duo Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding.-Early life:...
and Matt Berry
Matt Berry
Matthew Charles "Matt" Berry is an English actor, writer, comedian and musician. Berry is perhaps best known for his appearances in The IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and The Mighty Boosh; he also had his own series, Snuff Box...
both appear on Mastermind. Berry chose his specialist subject as Alton Towers
Alton Towers
Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
and only scored 3 points before a blackout, in which he apparently shoots the host after being told to sit down. Fulcher chooses 'Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
', though displays no knowledge of the subject and makes up answers such as 'Toto from The Wizard Of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
' and 'Elvis', and scoring no points.
In 2011, The Chris Moyles Show
The Chris Moyles Show
The Chris Moyles Show is the current BBC Radio 1 breakfast show in the UK, and has been since Chris Moyles became the station's breakfast show presenter on 5 January 2004. From 2004 to 2007, the show was broadcast 6:55–10:00 am each weekday, but since 15 October 2007 it has started from...
on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
parodied the show with a feature called 'Disastermind'. Using the back-up chair from the Mastermind studio, each team member chose a specialist subject, only to have them swapped before being questioned in the chair on their randomly selected subject and general knowledge. The specialist subjects were The World of Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
; UK Dialling Codes; U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
; Husky Dogs and Back to the Future Part 1.
BBC1
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 September 1972 | 11 December 1972 | 14 |
| 2 | 3 September 1973 | 27 December 1973 | 17 |
| 3 | 5 September 1974 | 23 December 1974 | ?? |
| 4 | 27 September 1975 | 22 December 1975 | ?? |
| 5 | 7 September 1976 | 21 December 1976 | ?? |
| 6 | 30 August 1977 | 13 December 1977 | ?? |
| 7 | 31 August 1978 | 26 December 1978 | ?? |
| 8 | 5 September 1979 | 23 December 1979 | ?? |
| 9 | 31 August 1980 | 21 December 1980 | 17 |
| 10 | 6 September 1981 | 27 December 1981 | ?? |
| 11 | 9 January 1983 | 24 April 1983 | ?? |
| 12 | 29 January 1984 | 27 May 1984 | ?? |
| 13 | 6 January 1985 | 5 May 1985 | 18 |
| 14 | 12 January 1986 | 29 June 1986 | 23 |
| 15 | 4 January 1987 | 7 June 1987 | 23 |
| 16 | 7 January 1988 | 5 June 1988 | 23 |
| 17 | 15 January 1989 | 11 June 1989 | 23 |
| 18 | 7 January 1990 | 17 June 1990 | 22 |
| 19 | 20 January 1991 | 2 June 1991 | 20 |
| 20 | 16 February 1992 | 7 June 1992 | 17 |
| 21 | 10 January 1993 | 16 May 1993 | ?? |
| 22 | 20 March 1994 | 21 August 1994 | 17 |
| 23 | 9 April 1995 | 6 August 1995 | ?? |
| 24 | 29 May 1996 | 14 October 1996 | ?? |
| 25 | 9 June 1997 | 1 September 1997 | ?? |
BBC Radio 4
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| 2 | ?? | ?? | ?? |
| 3 | ?? | ?? | ?? |
Discovery Channel
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 November 2001 | 16 January 2002 | ?? |
BBC Two
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 July 2003 | 3 November 2003 | 17 |
| 2 | 21 June 2004 | 5 December 2004 | 31 |
| 3 | 8 March 2005 | 8 November 2005 | 31 |
| 4 | 20 March 2006 | 13 November 2006 | 31 |
| 5 | 9 July 2007 | 24 March 2008 | 31 |
| 6 | 5 September 2008 | 19 June 2009 | 31 |
| 7 | 28 August 2009 | 28 May 2010 | 31 |
| 8 | 20 August 2010 | 15 April 2011 | 31 |
| 9 | 4 November 2011 | ?? | 31 |
External links
- Mastermind at Challenge.co.uk