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 51)

Episode 1 (Episode 1)
Air date: 2024-08-12
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: In the first of 24 heats, Clive Myrie puts four contenders to the test on their specialist subjects, which include Dad's Army, Liverpool FC under Jurgen Klopp, and Shania Twain.

Episode 2 (Episode 2)
Air date: 2024-08-19
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take to the famous black chair. The specialist subjects are orchids of the British Isles, Schitt's Creek, Tom Lehrer and Operation Mincemeat.

Episode 3 (Episode 3)
Air date: 2024-08-26
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take to the famous black chair. The specialist subjects include the novels of Zadie Smith and the history of Shetland hand-knitting.

Episode 4 (Episode 4)
Air date: 2024-09-16
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. Specialist subjects include the films of Martin Scorsese and Mary Tudor.

Episode 5 (Episode 5)
Air date: 2024-09-23
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Four more contenders brave the famous black chair in another heat of the classic quiz. Specialist subjects include Horatio Nelson, Michael Kiwanuka and the films of Sofia Coppola.

Episode 6 (Episode 6)
Air date: 2024-09-30
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 The Ghost Stories of M R James, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Thunderbirds and renowned painter and portraitist Hans Holbein the Younger.

Episode 7 (Episode 7)
Air date: 2024-10-07
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts another heat of the classic quiz where contenders take the black chair. The specialist subjects include the Star Wars sequel trilogy, the band Elbow and Edward VI.

Episode 8 (Episode 8)
Air date: 2024-10-14
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions as four more contenders brave the black chair. Subjects include Alan Partridge, Madhuri Dixit and English wine in the 21st century.

Episode 9 (Episode 9)
Air date: 2024-10-21
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. Specialist subjects include the Roman emperor Claudius, the Watergate Scandal and futurism.

Episode 10 (Episode 10)
Air date: 2024-10-28
Runtime: 29 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 are the poetry of John Keats, the award-winning musician PJ Harvey, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV and the films of David Fincher.

Episode 11 (Episode 11)
Air date: 2024-11-04
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in another heat, where the contenders answer questions on subjects including Sergei Rachmaninoff, Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing, and Red Rum.

Episode 12 (Episode 12)
Air date: 2024-11-11
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take to the black chair. The specialist subjects include New Order, the James Bond books of Ian Fleming and Amy Johnson.

Episode 13 (Episode 13)
Air date: 2024-11-18
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Four more contenders take to the black chair under the spotlight and the ticking clock to answer questions on their specialist subjects and general knowledge. Clive Myrie asks the questions, which are on The Two Ronnies, Richard Feynman, the Toronto Blue Jays and badgers.

Episode 14 (Episode 14)
Air date: 2024-11-25
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts as four more contenders answer questions on specialist subjects, which this time are Winston Churchill's wartime premiership, Mariah Carey, seals and Wassily Kandinsky.

Episode 15 (Episode 15)
Air date: 2024-12-02
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. Specialist subjects include the solo career of Robbie Williams, and the fauna of Madagascar.

Episode 16 (Episode 16)
Air date: 2024-12-09
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take to the black chair. The specialist subjects include Sir Mark Cavendish, The Day Today and Sylvia Townsend Warner.

Episode 17 (Episode 17)
Air date: 2024-12-16
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie presents another heat of the classic quiz with four contenders answering questions on A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin, whales and Emily Brontë.

Episode 18 (Episode 18)
Air date: 2025-02-03
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. Subjects include the life of Harold Pinter and the Savoy operas of Gilbert and Sullivan.

Episode 19 (Episode 19)
Air date: 2025-02-10
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts another heat of the classic quiz as four more contenders take on the black chair. The specialist subjects include Emmeline Pankhurst and David Tennant's years on Doctor Who.

Episode 20 (Episode 20)
Air date: 2025-02-17
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts as four more contenders answer questions on their specialist subjects, including George Washington, Taylor Swift and the BBC radio series I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.

Episode 21 (Episode 21)
Air date: 2025-02-24
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. The specialist subjects include the Isles of Scilly, Wham! and Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Episode 22 (Episode 22)
Air date: 2025-03-03
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. The specialist subjects include the poetry of Seamus Heaney, Mad Men and the 1944 Battle of Arnhem.

Episode 23 (Episode 23)
Air date: 2025-03-10
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts as four more contenders answer questions on their specialist subjects, including Henry II, Wales rugby union Test matches from 2000 to the present, and Friday Night Dinner.

Episode 24 (Episode 24)
Air date: 2025-03-17
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie hosts, and contenders answer questions on Audrey Hepburn, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the DCI Ryan novels by LJ Ross, and John Barry.

Episode 25 (Episode 25)
Air date: 2025-03-24
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in the first semi-final. The specialist subjects include The Clash, the films of Marilyn Monroe and Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

Episode 26 (Episode 26)
Air date: 2025-03-31
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in another semi-final. The specialist subjects are Blackadder, Joseph Chamberlain, Gregory Peck and The Legend of Zelda video games.

Episode 27 (Episode 27)
Air date: 2025-04-07
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in another semi-final. Specialist subjects include The Films of Mel Brooks, Homer's Odyssey and LL Cool J.

Episode 28 (Episode 28)
Air date: 2025-04-14
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in another semi-final. The specialist subjects include wild cats of the world, the Battle of Gettysburg, and West Ham United from 1992 to the present.

Episode 29 (Episode 29)
Air date: 2025-04-21
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in another semi-final. Specialist subjects are Caravaggio, Premier League Darts, Inside No. 9 and Grace Hopper.

Episode 30 (Episode 30)
Air date: 2025-05-12
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in the last semi-final. The specialist subjects include the war memoirs of Spike Milligan and the career of Novak Djokovic.

The Final (Episode 31)
Air date: 2025-05-19
Runtime: 59 min
Overview: Clive Myrie asks the questions in the grand final. The specialist subjects include the stage plays of Sir Tom Stoppard, the music of Led Zeppelin, penguins, and the Empire State Building.

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