Mastermind
Also known asSupermind
Mastermind Cup Final/Sport
Mastermind International
Mastermind Champions/Champion of Champions
Junior Mastermind
GenreGame show
Created byBill Wright
Presented byMagnus Magnusson (1972–1997)
Peter Snow (1998–2000)
Clive Anderson (2001–2002)
John Humphrys (2003–2021)
Clive Myrie (2021–)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series48 (Regular)
3 (Supermind)
4 (Cup Final/Sport)
5 (International)
2 (Champions/Champion of Champions)
5 (Junior)
No. of episodes980 (Regular)
3 (Supermind)
13 (Cup Final/Sport)
5 (International)
8 (Champions/Champion of Champions)
29 (Junior)
Production
Production locationsDock10 studios (2011–2019)
Blackstaff House, Belfast (2019–present)
Running time30 minutes (Regular)
60 minutes (Series finals)
Production companiesBBC (1972–2015)
BBC Studios (2015–2019)
Hat Trick Productions and Hindsight Productions (2019–present)
Original release
NetworkBBC1 (1972–1997)
BBC Radio 4 (1998–2000)
Discovery Channel (2001–2002)
BBC Two (2003–)
Release11 September 1972 (1972-09-11) 
present
Related
Celebrity Mastermind
Disney Q Family Mastermind

Mastermind is a British television quiz show for the BBC, currently presented by Clive Myrie. Its creator, Bill Wright, drew inspiration from his experiences of being interrogated by the Gestapo during World War II.[1] The show features an intimidating setting and challenging questions. Four (and in later contests five or six) contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the contestant's choice, the other a general knowledge round.

Mastermind's theme music is "Approaching Menace" by the British composer Neil Richardson. The show was recorded, with original presenter Magnus Magnusson, on location at UK universities. Later, it was recorded in Manchester at studios such as New Broadcasting House and Granada Studios, before moving to dock10 studios in 2011. The show relocated to Belfast for the 2019–2020 series.

Format

For the first round, each contestant in turn is given a set length of time, usually two minutes (one minute and a half in semi-finals), to answer questions on a specialised subject which they have chosen. The contestant scores one point for each correct answer and may pass as often as desired. If the contestant responds incorrectly, the questioner gives the correct answer before continuing to the next question; answers to passed questions are read out only after time has expired. In early series, the score and time were kept by Mary Craig[2] who sat next to Magnusson.

If time runs out while a question is being read, the questioner will finish it and give the contestant a few seconds to answer. This has led to the programme's catchphrase, "I've started so I'll finish." If a question has been read out in full when time expires, but the contestants have not yet given an answer, they are allowed a few seconds to do so. The contestant's score is displayed on screen; beginning with the 2016–17 series, the border around the score gradually turns blue (black in the 2019–20 series) during the final 10 seconds.

During the second round, each contestant in turn answers a series of general knowledge questions. The rules from the first round apply, except that the time limit is extended (usually two and a half minutes since 2010, or two minutes in semi-finals and until 2010). Originally, the contestants played in the same order as in the first round; currently, they play in ascending order by first-round score.

The winner is the contestant with the highest total score after two rounds. Ties are broken in favour of the contestant with the fewest total passes. If contestants have the same score and number of passes, a five-question tiebreaker is played. Each of the tied contestants answers the same set of questions individually, with the others exiting the studio so that they cannot hear the results. The contestant who gives the most correct answers is the winner.

The winners advance to the next round, for which they must choose a different specialised subject. In the early years of the programme, finalists were allowed to reuse their first-round subjects in the grand final. However, from 1992 onwards, the finalists are required to choose a third 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. During Magnus Magnusson's tenure as presenter, the trophy was specially manufactured by Caithness Glass. A special guest would always be invited to present the trophy to the winner, with the exception of the final edition in 1997, in which Magnusson presented it himself. Every trophy used by the main series has been made by Scottish artist Denis Mann.[3]

Versions

Mastermind (1972 to 1997), presented by Magnus Magnusson, aired on BBC1. 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 Phillips sitcom, Casanova '73, 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. Magnusson's catchphrase "I've started, so I'll finish" was also the title of his history of the show.[4] The original series was filmed in academic or ecclesiastical buildings. The last programme of the original series was filmed at St Magnus Cathedral in Orkney.[5]

The original series spawned many specials:

  • Supermind was an annual playoff between either the first four champions of Mastermind or champions of other TV quiz shows (including Mastermind) from 1976 or 1977. It ran for three years between 1976 and 1978.
  • Cup Final Mastermind was an annual playoff between experts and supporters from the FA Cup Finalist teams they are supporting. It ran from 1978 and 1980.
  • Mastermind International 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.
  • Mastermind Champions was a 1982 3-part competition where the first ten champions of the show compete to become the Mastermind Champion of Champions.

BBC Radio 4's Mastermind (1998 and 2000) was hosted by Peter Snow.

Discovery Channel's Mastermind (2001) was hosted by Clive Anderson. The commercials shortened the amount of time available for answering questions and lasted just one series. This was also the first to go "interactive". By using the red button 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.

In 2003, the current BBC Two version premiered, hosted by John Humphrys. Whereas the original series had kept talk to a minimum (asking contestants only their name, occupation and specialist subject), the new run had at first included some conversational elements with contestants, at the start of the General Knowledge round (normally about the contestant's specialist subject). But these have been dropped since the 2011 series. Instead, there is now a brief monologue from the winner at the end of each episode about how pleased they are to have won. There is no discussion with the other contestants. It is also distinguished from the original BBC TV series because many more of the specialist subjects come from popular culture. This probably reflects cultural changes in the British middle classes in recent years. Unlike the original version, this version is studio-based. It is now made in MediaCity in Salford. However, due to asbestos being found at Granada's Manchester studios parts of the 2006 series were filmed at Yorkshire Television's Leeds studios).

  • In 2008 there was a 10-part competition this time entitled Sport Mastermind, hosted by Des Lynam.
  • Mastermind Champion of Champions was a 2010 5-part competition that featured previous Mastermind champions.
  • Junior Mastermind, 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 Beetle (heat) and James Bond villains (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 Dibley and A Series of Unfortunate Events, with a third series airing in 2006, won by Domnhall Ryan, and featuring subjects such as Harry Potter and Chelsea Football Club, and a fourth series in 2007 won by Robert Stutter and a fifth series later that year won by David Verghese. The Junior version was cancelled after the two 2007 series.

In February 2021, Humphrys announced that after eighteen years at the helm of the show, he would leave the show. On 22 March 2021, it was announced that Clive Myrie would take over as host. Myrie made his debut on 23 August 2021.[6]

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, but the first round had each panellist's questions representing a different sports category pertaining to their area of expertise, and the second round had no categories and the contestant could not 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 untimed "Question of Great Significance," as host Kenny Mayne called it, from a speciality 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 $10,000–$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.

Records

Highest scores

The highest overall Mastermind score is 41 points, set by Kevin Ashman in 1995, his specialist subject being "The Life of Martin Luther King Jr." Ashman went on to become six times IQA world champion. In addition he holds the record for the highest ever score on Brain of Britain and has been a member of the Eggheads since that series debut.

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, an all-time record. He finished as runner-up with a combined score of 36 points, losing out to Pat Gibson by having two more passes. Honey's score was equalled by Iwan Thomas, who scored a record 23 (in two-and-a-half minutes) in the general knowledge round in 2010.

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.

Lowest scores

The current record for the lowest score in the specialist subject round, set on 22 December 2023 is jointly held by Troy Deeney and Dana, both of whom scored no points when answering questions on the Sam Raimi trilogy of Spider-Man films and UK hit singles of 1969–76 respectively. They are also the only contestants to score 0 points in a round.

The current record for the overall lowest score is 2 points, set on 5 November 2022 in a Celebrity edition by Gogglebox's Amy Tapper who scored two points overall; one on her specialist subject of the films of Adam Sandler and another in the general knowledge round.

Prior to these, the record for the overall lowest score was five points, set on 29 January 2010 by software analyst Kajen Thuraaisingham, scoring four points for his specialist subject of the life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.[7] Previous to this, the lowest attained score had been seven 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 two for his specialist subject, Angels.[8]

Champions

Regular

Mastermind champions since 1972[9]
YearWinnerSpecialist subjects
HeatSemi-finalFinal
1972Nancy WilkinsonFrench literatureEuropean antiquesHistory of music, 1550–1900
1973Patricia OwenGrand OperaByzantine artGrand Opera
1974Elizabeth HorrocksShakespeare's playsWorks of J.R.R. TolkienWorks of Dorothy L. Sayers
1975John HartAthens 500–400 BCRome 100–1 BCAthens 500–400 BC
1976Roger PritchardArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington20th-century British warshipsArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
1977Sir David HuntWorld War II British campaigns in North AfricaWorld War II Allied campaign in ItalyRoman Revolution 60–14 BC
1978Rosemary JamesRoman and Greek mythologyWorks of Frederick RolfeRoman and Greek mythology
1979Philip JenkinsChristianity AD 30–150Vikings in Scotland and Ireland 800–1150 ADHistory of Wales 400–1100
1980Fred HousegoKing Henry IIWestminster AbbeyTower of London
1981Leslie GroutSt. George's Chapel, Windsor CastleBurial Grounds of LondonSt. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
1983Chris HughesBritish Steam Locomotives, 1900–63Flashman novelsBritish Steam Locomotives, 1900–63
1984Margaret HarrisCecil RhodesThe Postal History of South AfricaCecil Rhodes
1985Ian MeadowsEnglish Civil WarHistory of astronomy to 1700English Civil War
1986Jennifer KeaveneyElizabeth GaskellE. NesbitElizabeth Gaskell
1987Jeremy BradbrookeFranco-Prussian WarWar of 1812Crimean War
1988David BeamishNancy AstorBritish Royal Family, 1714–1910Nancy Astor
1989Mary Elizabeth RawKing Charles IPrince AlbertCharles I
1990David EdwardsMichael FaradayBenjamin ThompsonJames Clerk Maxwell
1991Stephen AllenKing Henry VIIDartmoor and its environsFrancis Drake
1992Steve WilliamsSurrealist art 1918–39Peter I of RussiaPre-Socratic philosophy
1993Gavin FullerDoctor WhoThe medieval castle in the British IslesThe Crusades
1994George DavidsonEnglish coinage, 1066–1662History of chemistry, 1500–1870John Dalton
1995Kevin AshmanMartin Luther King Jr.History of the Western filmZulu War
1996Richard SturchCharles WilliamsFrederick III, German EmperorOperas of Gilbert and Sullivan
1997Anne AshurstFrances Carr, Countess of SomersetRegency novels of Georgette HeyerBarbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland
1998Robert GibsonSolar SystemKing Charles IIRobert the Bruce
1999Christopher CarterBirds of EuropeTudor dynastyBritish customs and traditions
2000Stephen FollowsThe Life and Operas of Benjamin BrittenThe Poetry and Plays of T.S. EliotThe Life and Operas of Leoš Janáček
2001Michael PenriceProfessional boxing to 1980(no semi-final)English history 1603–1714
2003Andy PageAcademy AwardsGilbert and SullivanGolfing majors since 1970
2004Shaun WallaceUEFA Champions League finals since 1970England at the UEFA European ChampionshipFA Cup Finals since 1970
2005Patrick GibsonThe films of Quentin TarantinoThe Culture novels by Iain M. BanksFather Ted
2006Geoff ThomasÉdith PiafWilliam JoyceMargaret Mitchell and Gone with the Wind
2008David ClarkHenry FordGeorge, The Prince RegentHistory of London Bridge
2009Nancy DickmannAmelia Peabody novels of Elizabeth PetersLife and films of Fritz LangLewis and Clark Expedition
2010Jesse HoneyLondon Borough of WandsworthThe life and work of Antoni GaudíLiverpool Cathedral (Anglican)
2011Ian BayleyRomanov DynastyLife and Work of Jean SibeliusPaintings in the National Gallery
2012Gary GrantSeven Wonders of the Ancient WorldMonaco Grand PrixCetaceans
2013Aidan McQuadeMichael CollinsThe novels of Dennis LehaneAbraham Lincoln
2014Clive DunningBlackadderLife and work of John LennonLife and poetry of Philip Larkin
2015Marianne FairthorneEmpress LiviaÇatalhöyükCaterina Sforza
2016Alan HeathI, ClaudiusBritish Summer Olympic ChampionsThunderbirds
2017Isabelle HewardThe Life and Films of Rita HayworthThe Daughters of George IIIThe Life and Films of Billy Wilder
2018Brian ChesneyThe Life of Harold WilsonThe Giordano Bruno novels of SJ ParrisThe Revolt of the Netherlands 1568–1609
2019Judith LewisThe Life of C. S. LewisThe Lord Peter Wimsey novels of Dorothy L. SayersThe Fortunes of War series by Olivia Manning
2020Dave McBryanOtis ReddingOlympic FencingThe View Askewniverse films of Kevin Smith
2021Jonathan GibsonAgatha Christie's PoirotWilliam Pitt the YoungerFlanders and Swann
2022Alice WalkerRodgers and HammersteinJulia Margaret CameronPeak District National Park
2023Stuart FieldJonathan CreekThe Jason Bourne FilmsExtras

Supermind

Cup Final/Sport

International

YearWinnerCountrySpecialist subject
1979John MulcahyIrelandIrish History (1916–22)
1980Rachel "Ray" StewartAustraliaLife and times of Julius Caesar
1981David HarveyNew ZealandThe Lord of the Rings trilogy
1982Leslie GroutGreat BritainWindsor Castle
1983Christopher HughesGreat BritainBritish Steam Locomotives

Champions/Champion of Champions

Mastermind Champion of Champions was televised Monday to Friday at 7:30 pm on BBC Two in the first full week of August 2010. It featured the winners of previous series of Mastermind.

YearWinnerSpecialist subjects
HeatFinal
1982Sir David HuntHistory of CyprusAlexander the Great
2010Pat GibsonPixar animated filmsGreat mathematicians

Junior

YearWinnerSpecialist subjects
HeatFinal
2004Daniel ParkerTudor dynastyJames Bond villains
2005Robin GeddesThe Vicar of DibleyA Series of Unfortunate Events
2006Domhnall RyanSupermarine SpitfireAnimals of the African plains
2007Robert StutterMadame TussaudTintin
2007David VergheseJurassic Park filmsGeorge Lucas

Chair

Contestants sit in a black leather chair, 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 prisoner of war in World War II.[5] The original black chair was given to Magnus Magnusson as a souvenir when he retired from the show,[10] and is now owned by his daughter Sally Magnusson who inherited it following her father's death in 2007. On one occasion the original black chair was stolen by a group of students during the BBC crew's evening meal break, and held to ransom to raise money for charity. This prank delayed the recording of two programmes. The BBC subsequently commissioned a duplicate chair which was kept locked in the scenery truck at every recording to thwart similar ransom demands. The duplicate chair was never used on air, except in the title sequence, which was recorded in London while the main chair was on the road. Its current whereabouts are unknown.

The current chair is an Eames Soft Pad Lounge Chair[10] designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1969.

Video game

A video game adaptation was released for the ZX Spectrum in 1984 by Mirrorsoft.[11] A companion game titled Mastermind Quizmaster was released at the same time and was meant to be used in conjunction with the first game. It allowed the user to write their own questions.[12] Home Computing Weekly reviewed both games and gave them two out of five stars and said: "I have no doubt that someone, somewhere, will find these two programs of use."[13] ZX Computing also reviewed both games and the computer's ability to recognise key words in the answers was praised but the loading times in a four-player game were criticized as too long.[12]

Parodies

The programme has been the target for many television spoofs, including a Two Ronnies sketch written by David Renwick (a less polished version had previously appeared in the Radio 4 series "The Burkiss Way") in 1980, featuring Ronnie Barker as Magnus Magnusson and Ronnie Corbett as a contestant named Charlie Smithers, whose specialist subject was "answering the question before last". A different sketch featured Monty Python alumni Michael Palin as Magnusson and Terry Gilliam as a contestant whose speciality was "questions to which the answer is two."

In 1974, Morecambe and Wise performed a sketch based on Mastermind, which featured Magnusson and the black chair. The format was different, however, with Wise, then Morecambe, being asked ten 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' Sunday lunchtime radio show featured 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.

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 Humphrys 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.[14]

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, Magnus Magnusson 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.

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.

Benny Hill parodied Mastermind on The Benny Hill Show on at least two occasions. In one of the parodies the show was called "Masterbrane". In each, Benny played the role of Magnusson while Jackie Wright played the hapless contestant.

Spitting Image used the Mastermind format in a sketch where a Magnus Magnusson 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 was on the 1995 video special, when only regular captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton were asked questions; Hislop on "The Life and Lies of Jeffrey Archer", and Merton on "Absurd Newspaper Stories Between 1990 and 1995". The second occasion was in 1998, when Magnus Magnusson appeared as a guest. All four panellists were asked questions on this occasion.

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. In the last episode of "Is It Bill Bailey?" he followed on from this performance with a sketch where he was a contestant on Mastermind, and it was implied that his specialist subject was the microwave cooking instructions on supermarket ready meals. As the camera panned out it became evident that the chair itself was on a platter, slowly turning in a giant microwave oven.

The Channel 4 Prank 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"). Unbeknown to the experts, the show was a hoax, and incorrect answers were included to frustrate them whenever they supplied the correct answer.

The BBC Three 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.

In 2013, Mastermind featured on the ITV show Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, as part of an Ant Vs Dec segment where Ant and Dec had to answer questions based around a school challenge they took part in. Ant won.

Transmissions

Regular

SeriesStart dateEnd dateEpisodesPresenter
111 September 1972[Genome 1]26 December 1972[Genome 2]15Magnus Magnusson
23 September 1973[Genome 3]27 December 1973[Genome 4]17
35 September 1974[Genome 5]23 December 1974[Genome 6]17
44 September 1975[Genome 7]22 December 1975[Genome 8]17
57 September 1976[Genome 9]24 December 1976[Genome 10]17
630 August 1977[Genome 11]20 December 1977[Genome 12]17
77 September 1978[Genome 13]26 December 1978[Genome 14]17
85 September 1979[Genome 15]23 December 1979[Genome 16]17
931 August 1980[Genome 17]21 December 1980[Genome 18]17
106 September 1981[Genome 19]27 December 1981[Genome 20]17
119 January 1983[Genome 21]8 May 1983[Genome 22]17
1229 January 1984[Genome 23]27 May 1984[Genome 24]17
136 January 1985[Genome 25]5 May 1985[Genome 26]17
1412 January 1986[Genome 27]29 June 1986[Genome 28]22
154 January 1987[Genome 29]7 June 1987[Genome 30]22
167 January 1988[Genome 31]5 June 1988[Genome 32]22
1715 January 1989[Genome 33]11 June 1989[Genome 34]22
187 January 1990[Genome 35]17 June 1990[Genome 36]22
1920 January 1991[Genome 37]2 June 1991[Genome 38]17
2016 February 1992[Genome 39]7 June 1992[Genome 40]17
2110 January 1993[Genome 41]16 May 1993[Genome 42]17
2220 March 1994[Genome 43]21 August 1994[Genome 44]17
239 April 1995[Genome 45]6 August 1995[Genome 46]17
2429 May 1996[Genome 47]14 October 1996[Genome 48]17
259 June 1997[Genome 49]1 September 1997[Genome 50]13
266 April 1998[Genome 51]29 June 1998[Genome 52]13Peter Snow
2729 March 1999[Genome 53]21 June 1999[Genome 54]13
288 May 2000[Genome 55]31 July 2000[Genome 56]13
2912 November 200116 January 2002[15]13Clive Anderson
307 July 20033 November 200317John Humphrys
3121 June 20045 December 200431
328 March 20058 November 200531
3330 March 20062 November 200631
349 July 200724 March 200831
355 September 200819 June 200931
3628 August 200928 May 201031
3720 August 201015 April 201131
384 November 201111 May 201231
3910 August 20125 April 201331
409 August 201325 April 201431
418 August 201427 March 201531
427 August 20151 April 201631
4313 July 20163 March 201731
4428 July 201730 March 201831
455 October 201814 June 201931
469 August 20194 May 202031
475 October 202026 April 202131
4823 August 202111 April 202231Clive Myrie
4919 September 202224 April 202331
5028 August 2023TBA30

Supermind

DatePresenter
1 January 1976[Genome 57]Magnus Magnusson
28 December 1976[Genome 58]
3 January 1978[Genome 59]

Cup Final/Sport

SeriesStart dateEnd dateEpisodesPresenter
6 May 1978[Genome 60]Magnus Magnusson
12 May 1979[Genome 61]
10 May 1980[Genome 62]
18 July 200820 August 200810Des Lynam

International

DatePresenter
28 February 1979[Genome 63]Magnus Magnusson
7 April 1980[Genome 64]
11 June 1981[Genome 65]
3 June 1981 (Australia)[16]
3 June 1982[Genome 66]
29 August 1983[Genome 67]

Champions/Champion of Champions

SeriesStart dateEnd dateEpisodesPresenter
11 May 1982[Genome 68]3 May 1982[Genome 69]3Magnus Magnusson
22 August 20106 August 20105John Humphrys

Junior

SeriesStart dateEnd dateEpisodesPresenter
130 August 20044 September 20046John Humphrys
215 May 200522 May 20056
326 January 200626 February 20066
48 January 200712 February 20076
510 December 200721 December 20075

Specials

DateEntitlePresenter
22 September 2014Hip Hop Mastermind[17]John Humphrys
19 May 2018Motty Mastermind[18]John Motson

International versions

  Currently in production
  No longer in production
Region or country Local name Network Host Broadcast
Australia Australia Mastermind ABC Huw Evans 1978–1984
Mastermind
Celebrity Mastermind Australia
SBS Jennifer Byrne
Marc Fennell
2019–present
Bangladesh Bangladesh Mastermind Family Bangladesh[19][20] Duronto TV Nobonita Chowdhury 2019–2020
Estonia Estonia Mälumaraton TV3 Teet Margna 2023–present
Iceland Iceland Meistari Stöð 2 Helgi Pétursson 1986
India India Mastermind India BBC India
Miroshka
Siddhartha Basu 1998–2002
Disney Q Family Mastermind Disney Channel India Benjamin Gilani 2013
Republic of Ireland Ireland Mastermind TV3 Nora Owen 2011
Israel Israel מקבילית המוחות
Makbilit hamokhot
Channel 1 Yitzhak Shimoni
Michael Dak
1990–1996
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Зерде
Zerde
Khabar Bopesh Zhandayev 2018–2019
New Zealand New Zealand Mastermind TVNZ 1 Peter Sinclair
Peter Williams
1976–1991
2016
Russia Russia Властелин ума
Vlastelin uma
Bibigon Andrey Urgant 2007
Гений
Genij
Russia-K Alexei Begak 2017–2018
Turkey Turkey Mastermind Türkiye NTV Altan Erkekli 2013
United States United States 2 Minute Drill ESPN Kenny Mayne 2000–2001
Wales Wales Mastermind Cymru S4C Betsan Powys 2006–2007, 2020–2021
Mastermind Plant Cymru 2008–2009, 2020–2021
Celebrity Mastermind Cymru 2006–2009, 2020

Further reading

  • Raw, Mary-Elizabeth (1990) "--And no passes". Newmarket: R & W Publications ISBN 0951660403 (by the 1989 winner)

References

  1. Bowcott, Owen (8 October 2007). "Mastermind seeks more women". The Guardian. The show ... was the brainchild of the TV producer Bill Wright..., who drew on his wartime experiences of being interrogated by the Gestapo.
  2. McQueen, Craig (22 March 2008). "Mastermind Finale Comes To Glasgow". Scottish Daily Record.
  3. "Mastermind: The man behind 50 years of glass trophies". BBC News. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  4. Magnusson, Magnus (1998). I've started, so I'll finish : the story of Mastermind. London: Warner. ISBN 0-7515-2585-5. OCLC 43203453.
  5. 1 2 As described on the BBC website's Mastermind page
  6. "Clive Myrie: Becoming host of Mastermind is a big, big job". BBC News. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  7. Jones, Sam (2 February 2010). "Mastermind's lowest scorer: 'It wasn't my night'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
  8. Gabbatt, Adam (19 November 2009). "Black chair brings ignominy for Mastermind contestant". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  9. "Mastermind – UKGameshows". ukgameshows.com. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
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BBC Genome project references

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  2. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 26 December 1972". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  3. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 3 September 1973". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  4. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 27 December 1973". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  5. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 5 September 1974". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  6. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 23 December 1974". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  7. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 4 September 1975". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  8. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 22 December 1975". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  9. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 7 September 1976". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  10. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 24 December 1976". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  11. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 30 August 1977". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  12. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 20 December 1977". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  13. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 7 September 1978". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  14. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 26 December 1978". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  15. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 5 September 1979". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  16. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 23 December 1979". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  17. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 31 August 1980". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  18. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 21 December 1980". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
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  21. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 9 January 1983". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
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  35. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 7 January 1990". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
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  37. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 20 January 1991". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  38. "Mastermind – BBC One London – 2 June 1991". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
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