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 Mastermind's 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 MediaCityUK in 2011.
Mastermind (Season 47)
Episode 1 (Episode 1)
Air date: 2020-10-05
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys presents the first heat of the series. The specialist subjects are The Levellers, Julie Andrews, Black Books and Isabella of Castile.
Episode 2 (Episode 2)
Air date: 2020-10-12
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys presents the second heat of the classic quiz. The specialist subjects are Manchester United, the novels of Toni Morrison, Berthe Morisot and William Tyndale.
Episode 3 (Episode 3)
Air date: 2020-10-19
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Tonight's specialist subjects are Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin, Blackadder, the Boxer Rebellion and Blake's 7.
Episode 4 (Episode 4)
Air date: 2020-10-26
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys presents the fourth heat of the classic quiz. Tonight's specialist subjects are the Montgomery Bus Boycott, The Crown, the history of anaesthesia and Stormzy.
Episode 5 (Episode 5)
Air date: 2020-11-02
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: The hunt for the nation's Mastermind continues as John Humphrys tests four more contenders. Tonight's specialist subjects are Vanessa Bell, Rachmaninoff, Sherlock and David Bowie.
Episode 6 (Episode 6)
Air date: 2020-11-16
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys hosts the classic quiz where contenders take the famous black chair. The specialist subjects are the Weimar Republic, Alex Higgins, the bridges of London and UK cheeses.
Episode 7 (Episode 7)
Air date: 2020-11-30
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Four more contenders brave the famous black chair. Specialist subjects are Joe Calzaghe, The Beach Boys, Joseph Stalin and the Gospel of John.
Episode 8 (Episode 8)
Air date: 2020-12-07
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys hosts the classic quiz. Tonight's subjects are freshwater fish of the British Isles, Nick Cave, the history of Scouting in the UK and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Episode 9 (Episode 9)
Air date: 2020-12-14
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys hosts the classic quiz where contenders take the famous black chair. Specialist subjects are John Singer Sargent, The Sopranos, Jane Austen novels and Nick Drake.
Episode 10 (Episode 10)
Air date: 2020-12-21
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys hosts the classic quiz where contenders take the famous black chair. Specialist subjects are Lyndon B Johnson, A Song of Ice and Fire, seabirds and children's TV.
Episode 11 (Episode 11)
Air date: 2020-12-28
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys hosts another heat of the classic quiz. Tonight's specialist subjects are Kenneth Williams, UK hit singles 2000-2004, Ada Lovelace and the Rugby World Cup.
Episode 12 (Episode 12)
Air date: 2021-01-04
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys hosts another heat of the classic quiz where contenders take to the black chair. Tonight's subjects include Life on Mars, the Titanic, Barbara Castle and the Periodic Table.
Episode 13 (Episode 13)
Air date: 2021-01-11
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys asks the questions in another heat where the contenders answer questions on Marlene Dumas, Edward Thomas, Guy Burgess and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.
Episode 14 (Episode 14)
Air date: 2021-01-18
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Four more contenders take to the black chair to answer questions on their specialist subjects, including the London 2012 Olympic Games, Hancock's Half Hour and John Wyndham novels.
Episode 15 (Episode 15)
Air date: 2021-01-25
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Four more contenders brave the black chair in another heat of the classic quiz and answer questions on Tchaikovsky, the Evil Dead trilogy, Rafael Nadal and This Country.
Episode 16 (Episode 16)
Air date: 2021-02-01
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: In another heat of the classic quiz, four more contenders brave the black chair and answer questions on the mammals of the British Isles, Friends, Damien Hirst and Wimbledon.
Episode 17 (Episode 17)
Air date: 2021-02-08
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Four more contenders take to the black chair in tonight's programme, where the specialist subjects include the Mongol invasions, the plays of Aristophanes and Broadway musicals.
Episode 18 (Episode 18)
Air date: 2021-02-15
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Four more contenders take to the black chair in tonight's heat where the specialist subjects are Homer's Odyssey, The Good Life, the history of Portsmouth and Taika Waititi.
Episode 19 (Episode 19)
Air date: 2021-02-22
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz, with four contenders answering questions on Sidney Poitier, Greek mythology, Soundgarden and the Women's Institute.
Episode 20 (Episode 20)
Air date: 2021-03-01
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys hosts as contenders answer questions on their specialist subjects, which are Ernest Rutherford, Hitchcock films, the motorways of England and the Poldark novels.
Episode 21 (Episode 21)
Air date: 2021-03-08
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys presents the classic quiz where contenders take the black chair. Specialist subjects are the Russian Revolution, King Crimson, The Hunger Games and George Orwell.
Episode 22 (Episode 22)
Air date: 2021-03-15
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys is back at his desk, asking four more contenders questions on their specialist subjects. In this programme, they are Kimi Raikkonen, Gloucestershire, Poirot and lidos in Britain.
Episode 23 (Episode 23)
Air date: 2021-03-22
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys hosts and contenders answer questions on their specialist subjects, which are Stephen Sondheim musicals, dog breeds, Alan Partridge and the Charles Paris novels.
Episode 24 (Episode 24)
Air date: 2021-03-29
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys asks the questions in another heat of the classic quiz. The specialist subjects are Otto von Bismarck, hand knitting, Robert Louis Stevenson and the films of the Coen Brothers.
Episode 25 (Episode 25)
Air date: 2021-04-05
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys asks the questions in the first semi-final. The specialist subjects are the Booker Prize, the city of York, the Busby Babes and the Russo-Japanese War.
Episode 26 (Episode 26)
Air date: 2021-04-05
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys asks the questions in another semi-final. The specialist subjects are films based on the works of Stephen King, Joan Rivers, US state capitals and Neil Gaiman novels.
Episode 27 (Episode 27)
Air date: 2021-04-12
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys asks the questions in another semi-final. Specialist subjects are the films of Powell and Pressburger, the Bauhaus movement, Emil Zátopek and the Liberal Democrats.
Episode 28 (Episode 28)
Air date: 2021-04-12
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys asks the questions in another semi-final. The Specialist subjects are R.E.M., Father Ted, David Niven and John Wesley.
Episode 29 (Episode 29)
Air date: 2021-04-19
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys asks the questions in another semi-final. The specialist subjects are Christopher Eccleston, Metallica, Beatrix Potter and the Greco-Persian Wars.
Episode 30 (Episode 30)
Air date: 2021-04-19
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys asks the questions in another semi-final. The specialist subjects are William Pitt the Younger, The Bridge, the Grand National and the plays of Joe Orton.
Final (Episode 31)
Air date: 2021-04-26
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: John Humphrys asks the questions in the grand final of the classic quiz. Tonight’s subjects include Shackleton's Antarctic expedition of 1914-17, Cole Porter and Jimmy Carter.
Seasons
Episodes 15
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 23
Episodes 23
Episodes 23
Episodes 23
Episodes 22
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 17
Episodes 14
Episodes 17
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 31
Episodes 21
Episodes 24