Hello and welcome to the latest guest post from game show veteran George Long, where this week, he discusses his time on Mastermind. Ah yes… Mastermind! It’s been going for decades, and in that time, thousands of people have braved the spotlight to be grilled in that Big Black Chair – I know I have! But what was George’s experience like? Let’s find out, shall we? Take it away, George!
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When Mastermind first appeared in 1972 on BBC2, it was very much a minority show. It later moved to BBC1 and became a classic of its genre, parodied on The Two Ronnies and many other programmes. In the UK, it was seen as the ultimate test of knowledge and gave us catchphrases such as “I’ve started, so I’ll finish” and “Pass”. Its indomitable host, Magnus Magnusson, presented the show until his retirement in 1997.
Over the years, I applied a number of times to be a contestant, but was never called for an audition. In 1992, however, I was finally offered one, at The Dolphin Hotel in Southampton, a venue known for hosting several Jane Austen–era balls. I felt I had done well at the audition – and I had. I was invited to appear on the program’s 21st anniversary series, Mastermind Comes of Age.
For the series, I had to choose three specialist subjects: one for the heat, one for the semi-final and one for the final. Mine were: Clarice Cliff and English Art Deco ceramics (1928–1936), The Life of Anne Boleyn and the novels of Isabel Allende. The producers apparently liked the spread. I spent about four months researching all three topics, which I already knew a fair amount about. I wrote key points out by hand, then condensed them into two A4 pages, just as I had done for my German degree years before. I needed to be 100% ready on the first subject and largely prepared on the second, as I would have gone into the first semi-final if I won. I could also potentially get into the semi-final if I was the highest-scoring loser of the four contestants who didn’t make the grade, and I kept that possibility alive in the back of my mind.
I had already done my initial research on my third subject – Isabel Allende – but hadn’t yet started serious memorisation. I decided to leave that cramming until nearer the time, if necessary. I particularly didn’t want my head full of Isabel when it needed to be full of Clarice, and then Anne!
The show was to be recorded in Bangor, North Wales. The BBC paid me an appearance fee and covered my accommodation. As Southampton to Bangor is a long journey, I decided to drive. The final stretch through North Wales was very picturesque… if not especially fast. I arrived in Bangor just in time to grab a sandwich and head to Bangor University, where the recording would take place. I had brought a suit carrier with my outfit. Heaven knows why I’d chosen a green jacket for the recording… but I had.
The green jacket in question.
The contestants were:
- Gavin Fuller, a part-time archivist on HMS Warrior in Portsmouth (the first of the 19th‑century ironclad warships). He had chosen Doctor Who as his specialist subject.
- Peter Feint, a wine shop manager from Bristol,
- David Penfold, a financial economist from Berwick St John in Dorset who chose Admiral Lord Jellicoe as his specialist subject, and
- Me. (An International Medical Assistance Coordinator from Southampton).
We all barely made it to the recording in time, and I was a little flustered when I had to change into my outfit for the dress rehearsal. The huge Victorian hall in Bangor University was intimidating, as were the spotlights when it was my turn in the black chair. I did not do well at all in the rehearsal – I was extremely nervous, and finished fourth. It was more or less a dead heat between the other three. Not a great way to start.
We then had a break, and I managed to calm down a bit. (A great tip: if you’re wound up, you will underperform.) The audience took their seats, and we were ready to go. We sat in our places as Magnus introduced Bangor and the university, before introducing us, in order. And off we went.
George in the ‘Mastermind’ Big Black Chair, with host Magnus Magnusson.
Gavin, answering questions on his specialist subject Doctor Who, scored 16. I actually thought his questions were reasonably easy, as I got four of them right myself. Peter went next and scored 8 – ouch. Then it was my turn.
I found my questions reasonably straightforward, although I’d had to broaden my subject to “Art Deco Ceramics 1928 – 1936” rather than just Clarice Cliff. There were a couple of questions I think I should have challenged, but I didn’t. I finished on a very creditable 14, though I struggled with the last question, which was not on Clarice. David followed, was plainly nervous, and scored 5.
George on 14 points…
For the General Knowledge round, we returned to the black chair in order from lowest score to highest. David went first and scored 12, which took him to a final score of 17. Peter also scored 12, finishing on 20. I then managed 16, taking me to 29. That meant that Gavin needed to score 14 in the General Knowledge round to win the game. He scored 13, and he and I finished tied, on 29 points each.
It’s a tie!
In the case of a tie, the rules state that the winner is the contestant with the fewest passes. I came to regret the fact that I said “I don’t know” after the bell. That was counted as a pass, which meant that I has 5 passes to Gavin’s 4. It had never been explained to me that “I don’t know” counted as a pass, and I realised I should have challenged the two ambiguous questions in my specialist round.
As an aside, David Penfold – the contestant who chose Admiral Lord Jellicoe as his specialist subject – spooked me, though not intentionally. At the time, I lived in a street in Southampton called Rockstone Lane. The next street over was Cranbury Place, where Jellicoe once lived. As if that coincidence weren’t enough, my grandfather, George F. Long, had served under Jellicoe as a young seaman. Once I knew all this, I felt a bit “Jellicoed out” with all these Jellicoe connections – it all felt a bit Matrix‑like, and played on my mind at first. But by the time battle commenced in the Mastermind studio, I had managed to put it out of my head.
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So what did George learn from all of this? And how can those lessons help YOU? Find out next week, right here, at Howtowingameshows.com.
Until then, then!
And the second element of today’s post is my now-annual mention of 
GL: Immediately after the first series of Going for Gold finished, word came through that Sale of the Century‘s contestant coordinator was leaving to visit her family in Zimbabwe for three months, and it was agreed that I’d be the best person to take over from her. I’d been manning the Sale game computer just before this, and it was plain that I picked things up quickly. As the replacement contestant coordinator, I was now not only in charge of the “Sacrificial Lambs”; I was responsible for choosing them, booking them, meeting and greeting them on the day, and generally being their counsellor and Mother Duck! The first batch had already been organised, so they were all unknown to me. Quite a few, though, were VERY excited to meet “George Smiley”, as they were long-time Sale viewers…
Hello!
