Hello, and welcome to Part Two of fame show veteran George Long’s Mastermind adventure. When we left off, George had only JUST missed out on winning his first episode of Mastermind – it had come down to a tie (with Gavin finishing on 29 and George also finishing on 29)…
It’s a tie!
… But during his rounds, George had made just one more “pass” than his opponent Gavin and, as such, Gavin was deemed the winner of the game. However, there WAS still a chance for George to earn a place in the semi-final…
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GL: I was very disappointed. but still hoped to qualify for the repechage semi-final as one of the highest-scoring losers. Unfortunately, though, three contestants from the same heat in Bath made it through, along with one other – leaving me as the fifth-highest loser. I had to stay on standby in case one of them fell ill… But sadly, they were all healthy!
I later realised that being picked for the first show of the Mastermind Comes of Age series meant the producers thought I could win. In fact, it was clear they saw it as a showdown between Gavin and me; a real winner-takes-all knockout. Gavin went on to win the final convincingly…
‘Mastermind’ host Magnus Magnusson posing with Gavin Fuller and his ‘Mastermind’ trophy.
… And later finished third in a ‘Champion of Champions’ contest. He held the record as Mastermind’s youngest-ever winner at 24, until a new champion beat him by just 90 days in 2024.
I took plenty of positives from my narrow defeat. I had beat Gavin by three clear points on General Knowledge, and was the only one to do so. Here are two key tips for doing well on Mastermind:
- Never say “I don’t know” or “pass” after the bell; either of these count as a “Pass” and could cost you the win.
- Don’t change your answer once one pops into your head. I switched from “Chippendale” to “Hepplewhite” and paid the price! In that split second, I thought, “The answer ‘Chippendale’ is too obvious,” so I went for the second-best-known 18th-century furniture maker. Wrong!
In Magnus Magnusson’s definitive book on the show, I got a whole page to myself. It covered my quiz background and noted how awful he felt not being able to prompt me, knowing it would be such a tight contest.
GL: Magnus’s dedication to me in his book ‘I’ve Started, So I’ll Finish: The Story Of Mastermind’. I get a whole page to myself because of what happened at the end of the specialist round.
The episode sparked major controversy and media buzz for weeks. Critics argued that Gavin’s specialist subject Doctor Who wasn’t cerebral enough, and that the show was being “dumbed down”. I even featured on Steve Wright’s popular Radio 1 Breakfast show the next morning, where listeners criticised the choice of Doctor Who as a specialist subject and insisted that “that nice George should have won”. Nice to fuel a national debate!
While being Champion of Champions on Sale of the Century was an incredible thrill, doing well on Mastermind was an even bigger buzz. A score of 29 is huge, and there’s no shame in it. And beating Gavin Fuller on General Knowledge – by three points – earns a gold star in itself.
George’s ‘Mastermind Club’ membership card! No word yet as to what benefits (or discounts?) it entitles the holder to…
I slipped back into my everyday life, with some pub quiz wins along the way, assuming my TV quiz adventures were over. That is, until National Geo-Genius came calling…
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And THAT experience (which you’ll be able to find right here next Tuesday afternoon) will bring us neatly to the end of George’s game show adventures. So I’ll catch you back here, seven days from now, for a fitting climax to this fantastic series of guest posts from George!
Until then, then!
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