Mastermind

Name: Mastermind
Genre: Talk
Released: 1972-09-11
Rating: 5.7
Cast: Clive Myrie

RETURNING49 Seasons1,055 Episodes★ 5.7

Mastermind is a talk series on BBC One that premiered in 1972, with 49 seasons and 1,055 episodes to date. The next episode, Season 53 Episode 13, airs on Oct 19, 2026.

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NetworkBBC One

First AiredSep 11, 1972

Last AiredOct 12, 2026

GenreTalk

Runtime30 min

Created ByBill Wright

LanguageEnglish

CountryUnited Kingdom

ProductionHat Trick Productions, Hindsight Productions

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.

NEXT EPISODE

S53 E13Episode 13Oct 19, 20264d

Cast

Clive Myrie

Self - Host

Seasons & Episodes45 seasons · 1055 episodes

0% complete

E1Episode 1

Sep 19, 202229m

In the first heat of the series, Clive Myrie puts four contenders to the test on specialist subjects including Peaky Blinders and Team GB at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

E2Episode 2

Sep 26, 202229m

Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take the famous black chair. Subjects include the history of the Orkney Islands and the films of Laurel and Hardy.

E3Episode 3

Oct 3, 202229m

Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. Specialist subjects include Emily Wilding Davison, The Thick of It and the New Romantics.

E4Episode 4

Oct 10, 202229m

Clive Myrie hosts the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair. Specialist subjects include the ‘Alice’ books of Lewis Carroll, Detectorists and Sir Elton John.

E5Episode 5

Oct 17, 202228m

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 are Marie Curie, the BBC sitcom Ghosts, Elizabeth Woodville and Banksy.

E6Episode 6

Oct 26, 202228m

Clive Myrie asks the questions in another heat, with the contenders answering questions on the life and works of John Cage, the wines of Portugal and Only Fools and Horses.

E7Episode 7

Nov 1, 202228m

Clive Myrie hosts another heat of the classic quiz where contenders take to the black chair. The specialist subjects include Neil Armstrong, Shakespeare's comedies and Rupert Bear.

E8Episode 8

Nov 8, 202228m

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 are the Peter Wimsey stories of Dorothy L Sayers, Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Wire and the Falklands conflict.

E9Episode 9

Nov 15, 202229m

Clive Myrie presents another heat of the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair under the glare of the spotlight and the ticking clock in an attempt to become the next Mastermind champion. The specialist subjects are Christopher Hitchens, Ayrton Senna, Killing Eve and Field Marshal Montgomery.

E10Episode 10

Nov 21, 202228m

Clive Myrie tests four more contenders on their specialist subjects and general knowledge in the tenth heat of the series. The specialist subjects are the life of Anne Lister, Dear Evan Hansen, Elizabeth I and the feature films of David Lynch.

E11Episode 11

Nov 28, 202229m

Clive Myrie hosts as another four contenders take to the black chair, answering questions on their chosen specialist subjects to earn a place in the semi-finals. The specialist subjects are Michael Palin's travel documentaries, Lady Gaga, Emily Dickinson and the BBC sitcom Mum.

E12Episode 12

Dec 5, 202230m

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 questions on the films of Judy Garland, The Cure, Hi-de-Hi! and the French Wars of Religion.

E13Episode 13

Dec 12, 202228m

The hunt for the nation's Mastermind continues as Clive Myrie tests four more contenders on their specialist subjects and general knowledge. This time, the subjects are the jazz pianist Bill Evans, Georges Remi and Tintin, William Morris, and Torchwood.

E14Episode 14

Dec 19, 202228m

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 their specialist subjects, which are Tudor rebellions, Christina Aguilera, the US space shuttle program and James Parkinson.

E15Episode 15

Jan 2, 202328m

Clive Myrie presents another heat of the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair under the glare of the spotlight and the ticking clock in an attempt to become the next Mastermind champion. The specialist subjects are the British Industrial Revolution, the films of Christopher Guest, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Succession.

E16Episode 16

Jan 9, 202328m

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 an episode where the specialist subjects are Stephen Hawking, the music of Radiohead, Theda Bara and the Richard Sharpe novels of Bernard Cornwell.

E17Episode 17

Jan 16, 202328m

The hunt 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 in this episode are Marcus Trescothick, Rupert Brooke, Thomas Cromwell and the films of Wes Anderson.

E18Episode 18

Jan 23, 202329m

Clive Myrie asks the questions as four more contenders take on the black chair under the spotlight and the ticking clock in an attempt to become the next Mastermind champion. The specialist subjects are Catherine the Great, Wallace and Gromit, Egon Schiele and hyenas.

E19Episode 19

Jan 30, 202329m

Clive Myrie presents another heat of a new series of the classic quiz where contenders take on the famous black chair under the glare of the spotlight and the ticking clock in an attempt to become the next Mastermind Champion. Tonight's Specialist Subjects are the films of Nicole Kidman, constellations of the northern hemisphere, the children's books of Roald Dahl and Take That.

E20Episode 20

Feb 6, 202328m

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, asking the questions on the contestants' specialist subjects: film adaptations of Shakespeare's tragedies, the Great Fire of London, the career of John Barnes and The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien.

E21Episode 21

Feb 13, 202329m

The hunt 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 specialist subjects are U2, toy dog breeds, the Mitford sisters and guest stars in Friends.

E22Episode 22

Feb 20, 202328m

Clive Myrie asks the questions as four more contenders take on the black chair under the spotlight and the ticking clock in an attempt to become the next Mastermind champion. The specialist subjects are the plays of Tennessee Williams, American First Ladies from 1945 to the present, NBA MVP award winners since 2000 and Mithridates the Great.

E23Episode 23

Feb 27, 202328m

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 the contestants' specialist subjects, which are the Empress Matilda, Stevie Nicks, the What Katy Did novels and Universal’s Frankenstein films of the 1930s and 40s.

E24Episode 24

Mar 6, 202331m

In the final heat, four contenders take on the famous black chair, answering questions on their chosen specialist subjects to earn a place in the semi-finals. Clive Myrie hosts, with contenders answering questions on Christiaan Huygens, Jonathan Creek, the life and works of Artemisia Gentileschi, and European mammals.

E25Episode 25

Mar 13, 202328m

Clive Myrie presents the first semi-final of the classic quiz where contenders return to the black chair under the glare of the spotlight and the ticking clock to win a place in the grand final. The specialist subjects are Oscar-winning performances of the 1990s, the life and death of stars, Peep Show and The Great Escape.

E26Episode 26

Mar 20, 202328m

Clive Myrie presents another semi-final of the classic quiz where contenders return to the black chair under the glare of the spotlight and the ticking clock to win a place in the grand final. The specialist subjects are the Norman Conquest, Borussia Dortmund, popes of the Renaissance and the film musicals of Alan Menken.

E27Episode 27

Mar 27, 202328m

Clive Myrie presents the third semi-final of the classic quiz where contenders return to the black chair under the glare of the spotlight and the ticking clock to win a place in the grand final. The specialist subjects are the PDC World Darts Championship, the history of transportation to Australia, Parks and Recreation, and Queen Anne.

E28Episode 28

Apr 3, 202328m

Clive Myrie presents the fourth semi-final of the classic quiz where contenders return to the black chair under the glare of the spotlight and the ticking clock to win a place in the grand final. The specialist subjects are Frank Zappa, the life and works of Siegfried Sassoon, pioneering British and Irish female aviators, and winners of the Eurovision Song Contest.

E29Episode 29

Apr 10, 202329m

Clive Myrie presents the fifth semi-final of the classic quiz where contenders return to the black chair under the glare of the spotlight and the ticking clock to win a place in the grand final. The specialist subjects are Fridtjof Nansen, the record label 4AD, Christina Rossetti and the Jason Bourne films.

E30Episode 30

Apr 17, 202328m

Clive Myrie presents the last semi-final of the classic quiz where contenders return to the black chair under the glare of the spotlight and the ticking clock to win a place in the grand final. The specialist subjects are Sir Edwin Lutyens, Coldplay, the Karen Pirie novels of Val McDermid and the films of Terry Gilliam.

E31Final

Apr 24, 202359m

Clive Myrie presents the grand final of the classic quiz where six contenders return to the black chair in a bid to become the next Mastermind champion. The specialist subjects are British and Irish Lions tours in the 21st century, Princess Margaret, the Rocky films, Bletchley Park during the Second World War, Augustus Caesar and the BBC sitcom Extras.

About Mastermind

Mastermind is a talk series on BBC One. The show first aired on Sep 11, 1972 and currently has 49 seasons and 1,055 episodes. Mastermind is currently airing; the next episode airs on Oct 19, 2026. It has a rating of 5.7/10 based on 12 votes. The cast includes Clive Myrie. Created by Bill Wright.