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 50)
Episode 1 (Episode 1)
Air date: 2023-08-28
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Clive Myrie presents the first heat of the classic quiz where contenders face the famous black chair with the ultimate goal of becoming the next Mastermind Champion. The specialist subjects are The Poirot Novels of Agatha Christie, The Calvin and Hobbes Cartoons, Drake and Red Clydeside.
Episode 2 (Episode 2)
Air date: 2023-09-04
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions as four more contenders take the black chair under the spotlight and the ticking clock in an attempt to become the next Mastermind champion. Specialist subjects are Karl Marx, The Royle Family, Flags of British counties and Django Reinhardt.
Episode 3 (Episode 3)
Air date: 2023-09-11
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. Specialist subjects include Roger Federer, Gavin & Stacey and Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns.
Episode 4 (Episode 4)
Air date: 2023-09-18
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. Specialist subjects include Chelsea FC in the Premier League, Franz Kafka and Harry Styles.
Episode 5 (Episode 5)
Air date: 2023-09-25
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: The search for the nation's Mastermind continues as Clive Myrie tests four more contenders on their specialist subjects and general knowledge. The specialist subjects are F Scott Fitzgerald, otters, Thomas Paine and the BBC radio comedy The Navy Lark.
Episode 6 (Episode 6)
Air date: 2023-10-02
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in another heat where the contenders answer questions on Ted Lasso, the life and works of Joan Didion and the early life of Gandhi.
Episode 7 (Episode 7)
Air date: 2023-10-09
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts another heat of the classic quiz where contenders take the black chair. The specialist subjects include the battleship Bismarck and Federico García Lorca.
Episode 8 (Episode 8)
Air date: 2023-10-16
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: The search for the nation's Mastermind continues as Clive Myrie tests four more contenders on their specialist subjects and general knowledge. This time, the specialist subjects are Billy Joel, JMW Turner, the BBC sitcom Miranda and Antoine Lavoisier.
Episode 9 (Episode 9)
Air date: 2023-10-23
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. The specialist subjects include Arrested Development and James McNeill Whistler.
Episode 10 (Episode 10)
Air date: 2023-10-30
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie tests four more contenders on their specialist subjects and general knowledge in another heat of the classic quiz. The specialist subjects this time are the reptiles and amphibians of the British Isles, the Salem Witch Trials, Indian Premier League cricket and Edward VIII.
Episode 11 (Episode 11)
Air date: 2023-11-06
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: The series continues with another four contenders taking to the black chair, answering questions on their chosen specialist subjects to earn a place in the semi-finals. Clive Myrie hosts, and the specialist subjects are Sir Isaac Newton, Red Dwarf, Mary Queen of Scots and Billy Bragg.
Episode 12 (Episode 12)
Air date: 2023-11-13
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in another heat where the contenders answer questions on Peter the Great of Russia, Exmoor National Park and the films of Quentin Tarantino.
Episode 13 (Episode 13)
Air date: 2023-11-20
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: The hunt for the nation's Mastermind continues as Clive Myrie tests four more contenders on their specialist subjects and general knowledge. The specialist subjects this time are the films of Martin McDonagh, Dorothy Parker, US presidential elections from 1948 to 2000, and the music of Tom Waits.
Episode 14 (Episode 14)
Air date: 2023-11-27
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts as four more contenders answer questions on specialist subjects including the New York subway system, the 'Ocean's' films, and the Easter Rising.
Episode 15 (Episode 15)
Air date: 2023-12-04
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. Specialist subjects include the poetry of Dame Carol Ann Duffy and The League of Gentlemen.
Episode 16 (Episode 16)
Air date: 2023-12-11
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Another four contenders take to the black chair, answering questions on their chosen specialist subjects to earn a place in the semi-finals. Clive Myrie hosts, and the specialist subjects are Bridget Riley, the Winter Olympics 2002-2022, the sitcoms of Peter Kay and the history of St Albans.
Episode 17 (Episode 17)
Air date: 2023-12-18
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Clive Myrie presents another heat of the classic quiz, with four contenders answering questions on Meat Loaf, Grinling Gibbons, and England comen's cricket since 2000.
Episode 18 (Episode 18)
Air date: 2024-01-01
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. The specialist subjects include British garden birds, the Big Bang theory and the films of Orson Welles.
Episode 19 (Episode 19)
Air date: 2024-01-08
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. The specialist subjects include Sir Trevor McDonald, Leeds United Football Club and Myrna Loy.
Episode 20 (Episode 20)
Air date: 2024-01-15
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Four more contenders face the black chair under the spotlight and the ticking clock in an attempt to become the next Mastermind champion. Clive Myrie hosts and asks the questions on specialist subjects Kim Philby, Chess: The Musical, the castles of North Wales and the life of Thomas Hardy.
Episode 21 (Episode 21)
Air date: 2024-01-22
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: The search for the nation's Mastermind continues as Clive Myrie tests four more contenders on their specialist subjects and general knowledge under the glare of the spotlight and the ticking clock. The subjects are the Chocolat novels of Joanne Harris, George Best, Alcibiades and The Rolling Stones.
Episode 22 (Episode 22)
Air date: 2024-01-29
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. Subjects include medieval cathedrals of England and Dolly Parton.
Episode 23 (Episode 23)
Air date: 2024-02-05
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts as four more contenders answer questions on specialist subjects, including the career of Arsène Wenger, the comedies of Oscar Wilde and the Godfather films.
Episode 24 (Episode 24)
Air date: 2024-02-12
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts, with contenders answering questions on the human digestive system, AA Milne and Winnie the Pooh, The Chemical Brothers, and the Jack Ryan novels by Tom Clancy.
Episode 25 (Episode 25)
Air date: 2024-02-19
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in the first semi-final. The specialist subjects include Charlie Chaplin, Happy Valley and Billie Jean King.
Episode 26 (Episode 26)
Air date: 2024-02-26
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in another semi-final. Subjects include the Cheltenham Gold Cup from 1960 to the present, the films of Sir Ridley Scott and Genesis from 1967-1977.
Episode 27 (Episode 27)
Air date: 2024-03-04
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in another semi-final. Specialist subjects include James I of Scotland, Breaking Bad and the life of Mary Shelley.
Episode 28 (Episode 28)
Air date: 2024-03-11
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in another semi-final. Specialist subjects include Peter Cushing, the history of percussion instruments and Sir Bobby Robson.
Episode 29 (Episode 29)
Air date: 2024-03-18
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in another semi-final. Specialist subjects include British prime ministers of the 18th century and Oscar-winning animated feature films.
Episode 30 (Episode 30)
Air date: 2024-03-25
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in the last of the semi-finals. The specialist subjects include bears, the novels of Dame Muriel Spark and the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.
Final (Episode 31)
Air date: 2024-04-01
Runtime: 58 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in the grand final. Specialist subjects include the Wimbledon singles championships 2000-present, the artist Francis Bacon and the Greek poet Sappho.
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