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Mastermind is one of the most highly regarded British quiz shows, well-known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting, and air of seriousness. Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never altered — four 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.
Mastermind's ominous theme music is particularly famous — its name is Approaching Menace and it was composed by Neil Richardson.
Format
Each contestant has two minutes per round, first each contestant in turn answers questions on their specialised subject. The contestant may pass if they don'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 not given. After the two minutes is up a buzzer is sounded; if a question is being read, (or just read), then the contestant is given a short period of time to answer. After this, answers to any passes are given.
After each contestant has answered their specialised questions, they are given general knowledge questions. The contestants are 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 one with the fewer or fewest passes is the winner. The possibility of passing leads to tactical play: passing uses less time, allowing more questions to be answered, however passing may count against the contestant at the end.
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. The tie-break was very rarely used during the original run of the show and has not yet appeared in the John Humphrys-fronted version.
The winner goes through to the next round, where they must choose a different specalised subject.
Versions of Mastermind
Mastermind has appeared in five versions:
The seminal BBC version hosted between 1972 and 1997 by Magnus Magnusson. At points this was one of the most-watched shows on British television. Magnusson 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 0751525855). The original series was also noted for the variety of venues where filming took place — often including academic and ecclesiastical buildings. 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.
A new BBC Two 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, the new show includes some conversational elements with contestants between rounds. It is also distinguished from the original BBC TV series by the fact that many more contestants' specialist subjects come from popular culture, 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 Manchester.
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).
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. The contestant with the highest score after two rounds would win the night's prize, and the winner would have a chance to double those winnings by correctly answering the "Question of Great Significance," as host Kenny Mayne called it. In each series, winners advanced in a bracket-style playoff format, with 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. The show had three series over a 15-month period, 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 has a very dry, quirky and sometimes sarcastic sense of humor, 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.
Records
The highest Mastermind score is 41 points, set by Kevin Ashman in 1995.
The lowest score record of 8 points, set by Jill Perry in an edition broadcast on September 13, 2004. Scores of 9 points have been recorded by Armando Margiotta, Sally Copeland and a community worker from Warwickshire who wishes to remain anonymous.
Perhaps the most famous Mastermind winner was garrulous London taxi driver Fred Housego, who won in 1980.
Some "Specialised Subjects"
The Life and Works of Gilbert & Sullivan
The Moomin saga by Tove Jansson
The History of Lancashire County Cricket Club
The Life-cycle and Habits of the Honey-bee
The Buddhist sage Nichiren
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.
Champions
1972: Nancy Wilkinson
1973: Patricia Owen
1974: Liz Horrocks
1975: John Hart
1976: Roger Prichard
1977: Sir David Hunt
1978: Rosemary James
1979: Philip Jenkins
1980: Fred Housego
1981: Leslie Grout
1982: No contest
1983: Chris Hughes
1984: Margaret Harris
1985: Ian Meadows
1986: Jen Keaveney
1987: Jeremy Bradbrooke
1988: David Beamish
1989: Mary Elizabeth Raw
1990: David Edwards
1991: Stephen Allen
1992: Steve Williams
1993: Gavin Fuller
1994: George Davidson
1995: Kevin Ashman
1996: Richard Sturch
1997: Anne Ashurst
1998: Robert Gibson (Radio 4)
1999: Christopher Carter (Radio 4)
2000: Stephen Follows (Radio 4)
2001: Michael Penrice (Discovery Channel)
2002: No contest
2003: Andy Page
2004: Shaun Wallace
2005: Patrick Gibson
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