Mastermind

1 9 7 2 - 1 9 9 7 (UK)
2 0 0 1 - Current (UK)

"I've started so I'll finish"

Mastermind began its mind-boggling run in 1972. It was only supposed to run for one year but it lasted a quarter of a century. It must be the only TV program that ever made an executive chair into a star. The man indirectly responsible for Mastermind was Hitler. Bill Wright, a BBC producer, had been a prisoner of war, grilled for a month by the Gestapo who were convinced he was a spy. Bill's idea for Mastermind was a painless form of this grilling, with the 'victim' spot-lit alone in a black chair in a darkened room.

Sombre-voiced Magnus Magnusson was the perfect host. The Icelandic-born presenter (he had been brought up in Scotland) was Oxford educated and had published more than 30 books. Magnusson put the questions to the contestant, and 'torture' was applied in the form of a 'time's up' buzzer. A question which had already begun when the buzzer sounded would be completed, and "I've started so I'll finish" became a huge catchphrase.

Each of four contestants picked a specialist subject for their first round, which was later followed by a round of (ruddy difficult) general knowledge questions. Among the specialist subjects rejected were 'the Banana', 'the human leg', 'perfect squares from 99 squared to 98801', 'beers of the world' and 'routes to anywhere in mainland Britain from Letchworth'!

In the first three years the winners were women. Sir David Hunt, a former ambassador in Brazil, won in 1977. But the most famous winners so far have arguably been London cabbie Fred Housego, 1980s winner, and train-driver Christopher Hughes three years later.

The series left the BBC in 1997. The famous black chair found its way into Magnusson's library. "It was given to me by the BBC, but it's a shrine, I don't sit on it", he said. The show made a comeback on The Discovery Channel in 2001, with Clive Anderson at the helm. The show proved extremely popular and returned to the BBC in July 2003 with Radio 4's John Humphrys as the host and inquisitor. In August 2004 a brand-new series for contestants aged between 10 and 11 called Junior Mastermind was transmitted. It followed the same format as the original version, with children answering questions on a specialist subject and then on general knowledge.

Original host Magnus Magnusson died in January 2007 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer three months earlier.