Mastermind

Only three contenders remain to take up the challenge to become Mastermind of the United Kingdom. The Brain Game that requires the co-ordination of specialist and general knowledge, with the ability to answer quickly and concisely. Interrogator Magnus Magnusson

Tonight's programme comes from London. James Bruce (London), Beryl Leatham Thomas (Oswestry), Frederick Nicholls (Haverfordwest) Interrogator Magnus Magnusson

In this round the contenders have to prove their ability in a second specialist subject, as well as a further exacting round of general knowledge questions. Tonight's programme comes from Edinburgh. James MacGregor (Kelso), Joan Taylor (Newcastle upon Tyne), David Drake-Brockman (Lymington), Ivan Limmer (Burnley) Interrogator Magnus Magnusson

Eleven aspiring Masterminds have won through to the Semi-Finals. In this round the contenders have to prove their ability in a second specialist subject, as well as a further exacting round of general knowledge questions. Tonight's programme comes from Edinburgh. Rev Dr Michael Dewar (Northern Ireland), Nancy Wilkinson (Cambridge), Nicholas Lane (London), Robert Crampsey (Glasgow) Interrogator Magnus Magnusson

This new brain game invites contenders to take the stand and defend their claim to the title of Mastermind of the United Kingdom They have two minutes in which to establish their knowledge of a chosen subject, with a further period to consolidate their position by answering questions right across the board. Tonight's contenders are drawn from the London area, and the programme comes from the University of Birmingham. Interrogator Magnus Magnusson

This new brain game invites contenders to take the stand and defend their claim to the title of Mastermind of the UK They have two minutes in which to establish their knowledge of a chosen subject, with a further period to consolidate their position by answering questions right across the board. Tonight's contenders represent the Midlands, and the programme comes from the University of Birmingham. Interrogator Magnus Magnusson

Tonight's contenders represent the South-West of England, and the programme comes from Llandaff College of Technology. Interrogator Magnus Magnusson

This new brain game invites contenders to take the stand and defend their claim to the title of Mastermind of the United Kingdom Tonight's contenders represent Wales, and the programme comes from the Llandaff College of Technology, Cardiff. Interrogator Magnus Magnusson

Tonight's contenders represent the South East of England, and the programme comes from the University of Essex, Colchester. Interrogator Magnus Magnusson

Tonight's contenders are drawn from the London area, and the programme comes from the University of Essex, Colchester. Interrogator Magnus Magnusson

This new brain game invites contenders to take the stand and defend their claim to the title of Mastermind of the United Kingdom Tonight's contenders represent the North East of England, and the programme comes from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Interrogator Magnus Magnusson

Tonight's contenders come from the West of Scotland and the programme was recorded at Glasgow University. Interrogator Magnus Magnusson

This new brain game invites contenders to take the stand and defend their claim to the title of Mastermind of the United Kingdom Tonight's programme comes from the University of Glasgow Contenders Joyce Ligertwood, David Wate, Robert Crampsey, Julius Green Interrogator Magnus Magnusson

This new brain game invites contenders to take the stand and defend their claim to the title of Mastermind of the United Kingdom They have two minutes in which to establish their knowledge of a chosen subject with a further two minutes to consolidate their position by answering questions right across the board. Tonight's programme comes from The University of Liverpool Contenders Mary Grummitt, Dr Michael Dewar, Vera Gallagher, Patrick Maher Interrogator Magnus Magnusson

This new and exciting brain game invites contenders to take the stand and defend their claim to the title of Mastermind of the United Kingdom. They have two minutes in which to establish their knowledge of a chosen subject with a further two minutes to consolidate their position by answering questions right across the board. Tonight's programme comes from The University of Liverpool

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson The Final for the title of 'Mastermind of the United Kingdom'

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson The four best runners-up from the national heats are given a second chance in this match to obtain a place in the final. They are John Colman from North West, Michael York from North East, Patricia Owen from London and Daniel Appleby from South East.

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson Sixteen area masterminds have won through to the second round of the competition. Four matches will be played and the challengers in tonight's programme are Charles Key and Richard Snailham from London, Jeffrey Boss from South West and Margery Elliott from West Midlands.

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson The challengers in tonight's second round are Paul Ponder from South East, Dr Reginald Webster from North West, Eleanor MacNair and Dr Archie Campbell from Scottish teams.

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson Sixteen area Masterminds have won through to the second round of the competition. Four matches will be played and the challengers in tonight's programme are Archie Orton from East Midlands, Rosemary Bown from Northern Ireland, Rev Peter Strange from North East, and John Coleby from Wales.

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson from Reading University In tonight's heat, the last before the quarter finals, Daniel Appleby answers questions on West Africa, Mrs Marilyn Halberstam answers on 19th-20th century crime, Andrew Hardman on the history of Greece and City States to the death of Alexander and Paul Ponder on British birds.

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson from the University of Reading

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson from Keele University, Staffs. Tonight's contestants answer on British geography, Gilbert and Sullivan, the Third Reich and the 19th-century novel.

Magnus Magnusson introduces the ninth heat which comes from the University of Keele. Reginald Drew answers on the Royal Navy, Sally Copeland on classical mythology, Christopher Monro on English literature and Marjorie Elliott on symphony orchestras.

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson from Sussex University, Brighton

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson Tonight's round of the brain game comes from Sussex University, Brighton. Douglas Gibson, a British Airways station officer, answers questions on modern weapons; crossword puzzle compiler Charles Key answers on the city of Paris; editor and writer Phyllis Hartnell on the history of the theatre; and student Stephen Wildman on painting, 1880-1914.

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson In tonight's brain game, from the University of Glasgow: an information scientist answers questions on Frederick the Great; a student on the history of music, 1680-1850; a civil servant on Shakespeare's plays; a teacher on Romano-British archaeology.

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson Scottish geography and literature, opera and Britain's railways - four new contestants meet in tonight's round from Glasgow University.

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson Quick reactions, depth of knowledge, fast recall and concise answers. The University of Bristol is the setting for tonight's episode of the Brain Game where four contestants answer questions on: Harps, harp music and harpists; Liszt-his life and works; European mountaineering to 1914; Rudyard Kipling-his life and works.

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson Greek mythology, words, classical music, 19th-century English literature... four aspiring Master-minds answer questions on these and general knowledge questions in the third round of this contest from the University of Bristol.

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson When the questions begin, there is no time to ponder or elaborate. Contestants in this Brain Game know the answers immediately - or not at all. Tension mounts again at the University of Lancaster in this second round contest to find the Mastermind of 1973.

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson Quick reactions, depth of knowledge, fast recall and concise answers. All these are required in this tense and exciting Brain Game which comes tonight from the University of Lancaster.

The climax of Mastermind 1974 is at Manchester University where four finalists meet to decide the title. In the last two series the ladies have taken the honours. Will they succeed yet again?

The four best runners-up from the heats meet tonight in this special semi-final match. One of the four will go forward into the final. RUPERT CAPPER (Wales) MARTIN GOSTELOW (South West) NORMAN SUCKLING (North East) STEPHEN TURNBULL (North West)

he third Semi-final match comes from the University of Surrey at Guildford and the contestants are: IAN CLARK (East Midlands) ELIZABETH HORROCKS (Wales) DOUGAL PURVES (Scotland) JOHN STARK (South West)

The second Semi-final match comes from the University of Surrey at Guildford and the contestants are: MARTIN DAKIN (East) ANDREW HEMPHILL (Scotland) CAROLYN PEARCE (South East) BRIAN WRIGHT (London)

The first of the Semi-Final matches comes from the University of Surrey at Guildford SUSAN REYNOLDS (North West) FREDERICK BRYAN-BROWN (London) MARGERY NICHOLLS (West Midlands) PETER KILTY (North East)

The group of contestants representing the East of England meet tonight at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. They are: KEITH CROSSWELL , clerk MARTIN DAKIN, retired schoolmaster MRS MADELINE JAN , teacher IAN NOBLE, ph D, student

Tonight's programme comes from the University of East Anglia at Norwich and the contestants representing the South East are: KEITH HASKELL, diplomatic service MISS OONAGH LAHR , assistant lecturer MISS CAROLYN PEARCE , civil servant SIDNEY ROSS , university lecturer

The four contestants tonight are from the South West of England: MARTIN GOSTELOW , photographer MRS JENNY GRAVES , landscape architect REV JOHN STARK, Anglican priest MRS HILARY WILSON , teacher

Swansea University provides the venue for this week's Mastermind. Contestants are: RUPERT CAPPER , pension specialist MRS ELIZABETH HORROCKS , housewife, DAVID HUMPHRY , assistant export manager JOHN WHITTON , librarian

Tonight sees a return to Warwick University where once again a group of Midlanders will be challenging for this year's title of Mastermind. Contestants are: DEREK ALLEN , publisher MRS CHRISTINA BENNETT , housewife IAN CLARK , solicitor REV ROBIN PROTHEROE , lecturer

Tonight's programme comes from Warwick University, and the group representing the Midlands are: PETER MORRIS , schoolteacher MARGERY NICHOLLS , part-time schoolteacher REV PHILIP OLIVER , clergyman DAVID WILLIAMS , lecturer

The group of contestants representing Northern Ireland meet at Stirling University tonight for the sixth heat. They are: Andrew Hemphill, schoolteacher; Mary Lawrence, housewife; David McKee, physicist; Malcolm Ostermeyer, research worker

The University of Stirling in Scotland is the venue for another heat of Mastermind, a competition requiring both specialist and general knowledge, and, as time is of the essence, a razor-sharp mind. A further four contestants take up the challenge for the title of ' Mastermind of the United Kingdom.' They are: DR G. MICKENZIE , general practitioner A. MILNE , civil servant D. PURVES, schoolteacher I. SMYTH , teacher

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson from Westfield College, University of London Another chance for you at home to match your general, and perhaps specialist, knowledge against that of our four contenders, who this week are: F. D. BRYAN-BROWN , schoolmaster MRS O. EVANS , housewife H MORLEY-FLETCHER , auctioneer M. PAUL , film writer/director

A chance for you at home to compare your score with the experts in this third match of the series, from Westfield College, University of London.

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson from University of York Four more contestants use their specialist and general knowledge, together with their ability of quick recall and concise answering to win a place in the next round of Mastermind. They are: CORFE, lecturer N. P. FORDE, actor P. M. KILTY, schoolmaster N. C. SUCKLING, retired university lecturer

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson from University of York Are you sitting comfortably in your chair, or do you think you should be in the chair of the 'Mastermind'? Well over 2,500 viewers thought they should be and, of those, 48 have won through the initial interviews and auditions. Tonight four of them are out to prove their worth, both in the field of specialist and general knowledge questions. The rules of the contest are as last year, and designed to exploit the contestants' ability for concise answering, quick recall and depth of knowledge. They are: Dr M.L. Harris, doctor R.S. Johnson, university lecturer Miss S.H. Reynolds, student S.R. Turnbull, schoolteacher

Four worthy contestants line up for this the final hurdle to the championship title of Mastermind 1975. They are: JOHN HART, schoolmaster, Athens in 5th Century BC FRANCIS LAMBERT, lecturer, Cuban History, 19th century onwards GEORGE JOHNSTON, schoolmaster, French Literature 1600-1900 BEST RUNNER-UP

This Semi-final is devoted to the four best runners-up from the initial 12 heats, and it is the last chance for a woman to make it to the Final. But there are three of them lined up against a lone male. So the odds should be in their favour. The contestants and their special subjects are: MARGARET ASKEW , journalist. The Life and Career of Stonewall Jackson JACQUELINE PEARSON. university lecturer. The Life and Works of Christopher Marlowe GENA DAVIES, unemployed, Gemology ALAN BLACKBURN, law student, History of Northern Ireland from 1921

This third Semi-final comes from Southampton University. MARTIN CABOURN SMITH, chartered accountant, British Naval History of the First World War NEIL CROCKFORD, risk management consultant, Isle of Wight GEORGE JOHNSTON, schoolmaster, Life and Works of Liszt ARTHUR GERARD, retired civil servant, British Cathedrals

Tonight's Semi-finalists are from Bournemouth, Wallasey, Bangor (Wales), and Glasgow. They are: IVOR JEFFERY-MACHIN, Anglican Priest, Dutch 17th-century painting NOEL FAGAN, former sales manager, The two World Wars, 1914-18 and 1939-45 ANTONY CARR, university lecturer, Hundred Years' War FRANCIS LAMBERT, university lecturer, Brazil since Independence - 1822

Manchester University provides the venue for this semi-final, the first of four, one of which is reserved for the four best runners-up. Tonight's semi-finalists and their special subjects are: STEVEN SCHNEEBAUM, law student, United States Constitution JOHN HART, schoolmaster, Rome and Romans: 1st Century BC MARTIN MCCLELLAND, sheet-metal worker, British Military Campaigns: 1700-1815 DAVID BURNS, Local Government officer, Life and Reign of Richard III The winner of this match will go forward into the final.

From St Andrews University, Scotland, contestants from Northern Ireland, Southern Ireland, and Scotland battle for a place in the semi-final round. Tonight's contestants are: ALAN BLACKBURN, student ARNOLD O'HARA, teacher TIMOTHY PAXTON, schoolmaster GEORGE JOHNSTON, schoolmaster

This 11th heat comes from Scotland's ancient seat of learning, St Andrew 's University. Tonight's contestants are: KATHERINE WATT, retired teacher JAMES MURRAY, retired headmaster FRANCIS LAMBERT, lecturer IAN SMYTH , schoolteacher

In the space of 30 minutes over 150 specialist and general knowledge questions will be offered to tonight's four contenders. How many of them will you get right? Tonight's contenders are: ROBERT WORGER, teacher SUSAN WALKER, university language assistant ALEC STEPHEN, teacher NEIL CROCKFORD, risk management consultant

The venue for tonight's heat is the Open University at Milton Keynes. Tonight's contenders are: PHILIP SKOTTOWE, Barrister GEORGE EARNSHAW, Lecturer JENNY JOHNSON, Histopathologist DAVID BURNS, Local Government Officer

So far the preceding seven heats of Mastermind have been won by the men. Will the lone woman in tonight's group from Wales win through to the Semi-finals? Tonight's contenders are: RICHARD DALE, schoolmaster GENA DAVIES, unemployed VISCOUNT DAVID TENBY, Member of House of Lords ANTONY CARR, university lecturer

Bath University provides the forum tonight for four more hopeful ' Masterminds.' Tonight's contenders are: FRANCIS HOWE, schoolmaster IVOR JEFFERY-MACHIN, Anglican priest GLYN COURT, teacher JAMES COATES, retired bank official

From which town will tonight's winner emerge? This group of would-be 'Master-minds' come from Northwich, Southport, Liverpaol and Wallasey. Tonight's contenders are: CECIL CRILL, retired Naval Officer JEAN HANDLEY, teacher RONALD MCGOWAN, Inspector of Taxes NOEL FAGAN, unemployed

Introduced by Magnus Magnusson from Sheffield University Tonight's contenders are: MARTIN MCCLELLAND, sheetmetal worker GEORGE BULL, solicitor PAULINE FOWLING, teacher KENNETH BURTON, railway clerk

An American at Oxford University, a Miner, a Chartered Surveyor and a Systems Analyst make up the group who are in contention tonight for the Mastermind title. They are: RICHARD CARDEN, Systems Analyst JACK TOMLINSON, Miner VICTOR SIDE, Chartered Surveyor STEVEN SCHNEEBAUM, Student

Nottingham University provides the setting for tonight's ' Battle of the Polymaths.' The occupations represented are as diverse as the specialist subjects that have been chosen. Tonight's contenders are: CLIFFORD WARNER, Local Government Officer JENNIFER SMALLMAN, librarian REV JOHN GIBSON , priest JOHN HART , schoolmaster

This second heat brings together contestants who between them have a wide variety of talent. As they grapple with the answers to questions both specialist and general knowledge, they will require all their mental faculties to be ticking over in top gear in this quest for the title Mastermind 1975. Tonight's contenders are: DOROTHY F. BUSHELL , unemployed RICHARD J. EVERETT , schoolmaster MARGARET ASKEW , journalist ARTHUR GERARD, retired

Approximately four minutes of quick-fire specialist and general knowledge questioning confronts four doughty contenders for this year's Mastermind title. Memory, clarity, concentration, tactics, and nerve are all required in this formidable challenge to the intellect. Tonight's contenders are: DENNIS BIRD, Civil Servant JACQUELINE PEARSON , postgraduate student MICHAEL MUNN , lorry driver MARTIN CABOURN SMITH , Chartered Accountant

The Final NICHOLAS SPRUYTENBURG, teacher - Life and times of Edward II ROGER PRITCHARD, civil servant - Life of the Duke of Wellington AMANDA HILL, postal officer - Descendants of Queen Victoria Best runner-up

The University of Bristol is the scene for the last of the Semi-finals. A chance for the four best heat-losers to gain the fourth and final place in this year's Mastermind Final. They are GAY SINCLAIR-GIEBEN, schoolmistress - The fictional novels of C. P. Snow DAVID FLOWER, applied mathematician - Physics JANET SAVAGE, medical social worker - The Gunpowder Plot DAVID WILSON, lorry driver - Life and works of Ibsen

Tonight's contestants meet at the University of Bristol. They are: GEORGE SHELDRICK, local government officer - French medieval history 987-1328 LISA DUFFIN, librarian - Life cycle/habits of the honeybee ROGER PRITCHARD, civil servant - British warships from 1914 to the present day DAVID DELVIN, medical journalist - Field and track athletics (amateur) 1855-1960

with Magnus Magnusson at the University of Durham. Contestants: ALAN BRUFORD, archivist - Life and works of Handel MARY KEAN, housewife - Life and works of Tolstoy JOHN SYKES, lexicographer - Physics AMANDA HILL, postal officer - British Saints

Durham University is the venue for the beginning of this semi-final round with four of the 12-heat winners trying for a place in the Final. They are ALAN ILIFFE, psychologist - English theatre 1950-75 SUSAN GRANT, doctor's secretary -The wines of France NICHOLAS SPRUYTFNBURG, teacher - The life of Cardinal Wolsey HENRY PANTIN, geologist - Life and works of Berlioz

Tonight's contest comes from Exeter University and completes the first round heats. Contestants: STEWART THOMPSON, Naval Officer - The Rebellion of 1745 DIANA PUGH, housewife - Life and works of Percy Bysshe Shelley TIMOTHY WALLACE-MURPHY, salesman - Medical History 1700-1850 ROGER PRITCHARD, civil servant - Life of the Duke of Wellington

A wide area of interests are Covered in the specialist subjects by tonight's contestants, whose professions are as varied as the subjects. Tonight's heat comes from the University of Exeter. Contestants: DAVID FLOWER, applied mathematician - The USA AMANDA HILL, postal officer - The descendants of Queen Victoria ROBERT SMITH, London taxi-driver - Viking Atlantic voyages JOHN LANGFORD, careers officer - Oliver Cromwell

Tonight's heat takes place at the University of London and the contestants are VERNON LEEM-BRlGGEN, commissionaire - The war in Burma (1943-45) ANNE' GOLDSTEIN, freelance writer - English Civil War (1642-1648) DAVID DELVIN, medical journalist - Operas ASHLEY BRAMALL, barrister - British Politics since 1918

London University provides the venue for this ninth heat. The contestants are: DENIS VANDERVELDE, freelance management consultant - World Postal History ANN-MARY HILLS, housewife - Life of Horatio Nelson JOHN PALMER-BARNES, baker - Life and works of Sir Barnes Wallis ALAN ILIFFE, psychologist - Novels of Anthony Trollope

One of tonight's contestants m the eighth heat will win a place in the semi-final round. - From Leicester University TEDDY VON KOENTGSTAEDTE, teacher - Life and works of Hans Christian Andersen SANDYA NARAYANSWAMI, student - Genetics DAVID WILSON, lorry driver -The life and works of James Joyce JOHN SYKES, lexicographer - Mathematics

Tonight's heat comes from the University of Leicester, where we welcome four contestants from Northern Ireland. Depth of knowledge, concentration, and nerves of steel will help one of them to find a place in the Semi-final round. Contestants are: Robert Dunbar, Teacher - Life and work of Samuel Becket Lisa Duffin, Librarian - 17th-century Mathematicians Oliver Ferguson, Teacher - Geography of South East Asia Rodney Smith, Teacher - 20th-century British Politics

The half-way stage has now been reached in this preliminary round. Contestants in the sixth heat are: JOHN MAYNARD, Security adviser, Life and times of Richard III JUNE MAGGS, Librarian, The County of Gwent THOMAS GODFREY, Lecturer, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales GEORGE SHELDRICK, Local Government Officer, Life and works of Rembrandt

Tonight's heat comes from Bangor University in Wales. Contestants are: SIMON ST QUINTIN, bus conductor/driver - History and geography of Ethiopia JANET SAVAGE, medical social worker - Life and works of John Keats LEO TWYMAN, translator, the Anglo-Saxon period to circa 655 HENRY PANTIN, geologist, Gliding and its history

Two teachers, a warehouseman and a housewife make up tonight's group of aspirant ' Master-minds'. Whoever is to succeed requires supreme concentration, thorough subject specialisation and a wide general knowledge. A formidable task, but an exciting challenge. Contenders: JOHN TAYLOR, warehouseman - Northumbrian Kings of the sixth and seventh centuries MARGARET GARRATT, housewife, Dietetics JOHN BYERS , schoolmaster, Life and work of Evelyn Waugh NICHOLAS SPRUYTENBURG , teacher, Life and times of Edward II

Tonight, contenders for the Mastermind title are from Brighton, Bury St Edmunds, London and Cambridge. The venue for this mind marathon is the University of Hull. Contenders: David Morris, government scientist - Books of the Apocrypha Susan Grant, doctor's secretary - Brighton and its inhabitants from 1750 Lance Howard, solicitor - Venice Henry Button, research student - Cambridge Colleges

Contenders from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen strive for a place in the Mastermind semi-finals. To succeed they require the knowledge of the specialist, a wide range of general knowledge and the ability to think and act quickly under the pressure of time. Edinburgh University again provides the venue for tonight's contest. Contenders: ROBIN WALDEN, export manager Life and works of Michelangelo GAY SINCLAIR-GIEBEN, schoolmistress Scottish Wars of Independence 1306-1320 ALAN BRUFORD, archivist The Hebrides to 1914 MARTIN NICHOLS, retired neurosurgeon, Naval history 1793-1815

This tense, dramatic and highly-rated quiz competition embarks on its fifth series to discover the ' Mastermind ' for 1976. The contenders for the title are faced with a formidable challenge to their intellect, requiring them to be complete masters of their chosen subject and have a wide general knowledge. Contenders: ROBERT ORR, student, Russo-German War, 1941-1945; ALWYN JAMES, freelance editor, Life and Works of Dylan Thomas; MARY KEAN , housewife, Switzerland MICHAEL DYCHE, RAF navigator, Captain Cook

This year's Final celebrates the programme's 100th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, comes from the Old Library of the Guild-hall in the City of London. The finalists are: GEOFFREY REYNOLDS, image intensifier tester - Life of Francis Drake SUE JENKINS, student teacher - Children's literature CHRISTOPHER EAMES, teacher - The Stuart Kings and Queens between 1603-1714 BEST RUNNER-UP

The last competition in the Semi-final round, which gives a chance to the four best losers from the earlier heats to compete for the last place in the Final. Tonight, at the University of Salford, the contenders are: TOM DAWKES, librarian - The history of linguistics, 19th and 20th centuries SIR DAVID HUNT, retired ambassador - The Allied Armies in Italy, World War II ANDREW WOOD, graduate - The Glorious Revolution JONATHAN DALRYMPLE-SMITH, air-taxi pilot - English poetry of World War I

The third Semi-final from the University of Salford and tonight's contenders are: MARIANNE SIMPSON, secretary - The operas of Gilbert and Sullivan WILLIAM CHALMERS, solicitor - British politics 1900-1918 CHRISTOPHER EAMES, teacher - Political history of China since 1911 MICHAEL GAINSFORD, civil engineer - Indian tribes of North America 1550-1C00

Four more heat-winning competitors take up the challenge to gain a place in this year's Mastermind Final. This is the second of the four Semi-final matches which comes tonight from the University of Surrey. The four contenders are : SUE JENKINS, student teacher - France in the 17th century TIMOTHY, BEAUMONT freelance journalist - The History of the Liberal Party since 1877 John MCKEAN, licensee - Venomous reptiles PETER RICHARDSON, production manager -Tolkien's fiction

First semi-final from the University of Surrey. Contenders: ARTHUR GREEN, civil servant - The Novels of Anthony Powell GEOFFREY REYNOLDS, image intensifier tester - The Byzantine Empire in the Age of Justinian I ANGELA ALVES, housewife - W. E. Gladstone CHARLES POTTS, probation officer - Life and Works of Giuseppe Verdi

Bradford University is the location for this final match of the first round heats. With this result, 12 heat winners will be known. These, together with the four best heat runners-up, move forward into the semi-final round. Contenders: SUE CLARK, teacher - King Richard III IAN LISTER, computer engineer - The Life of Captain William Bligh BOB HESKETH, taxi driver - Shakespeare's English Kings PETER RICHARDSON, production manager - Life and Work of George Stephenson

The first round heats are almost at an end and for this penultimate heat Mastermind comes from Bradford University. The contenders are SHEILA RAMSDEN, hospital domestic worker - Life and Works of Rupert Brooke MORRIS WILLIIAMS, research student - The History of the Zulus 1816-1879 CHRISTOPHER EAMES, teacher - The Stuart Kings and Queens of England 1603-1714 ROBERT LEY, customs and excise officer - Salvation Army History

Competitors from Leicester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Burslem take up the Mastermind challenge at Keele University to win a place in the semi-final round. The contenders are: Kate Irving, chartered accountant -The Life and Career of Otto von Bismarck Michael Gearx, pharmacist - History of Church of England since 1530 Charles Potts, probation officer - Life and Works of Ernest Hemingway Alan Rush, researcher - Myths and Legends of King Arthur 1100-1485

Tonight Mastermind moves to the Midlands with Keele University providing the venue for competitors from Nuneaton, Nottingham, Bromsgrove and Norwich. The contenders are: JOHN F. WEST, college lecturer - The Vikings MICHAEL GAINSFORD, civil engineer - Life and Works of Ralph Vaughan Williams DAVID HOUGH, retired analytical chemist - Life and Travels of David Livingstone RUTH BUTLER, librarian - The Life of the Emperor Tiberius

Taunton, Oxford, Bristol and Jersey are the home towns of tonight's Mastermind competitors. They meet together at Cardiff University for the eighth heat. The contenders are: RICHARD THOMPSON, retired banker - The Mahrattas and their Wars 1657-1848 JOHN MCKEAN, licensee - The Zulu War - 1879 PETER TABB, newspaper executive - The Life of General Robert E. Lee LORNA VERSO, housewife - Life of Mary Queen of Scots

Tonight Wales presents its group of aspirant masterminds, and for the occasion Cardiff University is the location. The contenders are: ANGELA ALVES, housewife - Life of Henry VI JOHN LLOYD, barrister - History of Singapore 1819-1969 STUART LAIRD, consultant anaesthetist - World War II in Europe THOMAS DAWKES, librarian - Life and Works of J. R. R. Tolkien

There are 12 heats in the first round of Mastermind and tonight's match from Scotland brings us to the half-way stage. Strathclyde University in Glasgow provides the setting for tonight's programme. The contenders are: ANTHONY KERR, author and translator - The Common Market WILLIAM CHALMERS, solicitor - The Life and Works of George Orwell JAMES ROBERTSON, lecturer - The City of Rome MARTHA IRVINE, court clerk - History of Costume 1600 to present day

There are two groups from Scotland competing for the Mastermind title. The first of these matches comes from Strathclyde University, in Glasgow. The contenders are: RAYMOND VICKERS, research student - Spanish Anarchist Movement 1908-1975 JONATHAN DALRYMPLE-SMITH, air taxi pilot - History of the Royal Navy 1794-1805 MARIANNE SIMPSON, school secretary - The ' Berry ' novels of Dornford Yates JOHN WIDDOWSON, headmaster - The Operas of Benjamin Britten

Magnus Magnusson presents the quiz programme from City University. The specialist subjects are the life and works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the life of Sir Francis Drake, lady members of the House of Commons and British campaigns in North Africa in the Second World War.

Magnus Magnusson presents the quiz programme from City University. The specialist subjects are London history from Roman Times, Dorothy L Sayers, drama in Athens and ancient Egypt.

Magnus Magnusson hosts from Reading University. Specialist subjects include PG Wodehouse, Vincent van Gogh, science fiction and John Buchan.

Magnus Magnusson hosts from Reading University. Specialist subjects include the Alps, symphony orchestra instruments, children's literature and the Old Testament.

The Mastermind title and trophy are now within the reach of four worthy contenders, who meet tonight in competition at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. ROBERT GLEESON, bookseller, Westminster Abbey NEIL WRIGHT, medical laboratory scientist, Julius Caesar DAVID MCKIBBIN, teacher, History of professional boxing BEST RUNNER-UP

The traditional Mastermind match for the best losers from the first round takes place tonight at Liverpool University, in this fourth and last of the semi-finals. The contenders come from Merseyside, Bolton, Manchester and York - a truly Northern occasion. The contenders are: Jolyon Coombs, stage manager - Commedia dell'Arte Rosemary James, teacher - Life and works of Frederick Rolfe Frank Lynch, teacher - European history, 1900-1945 Anthony Martin, librarian - Greek mythology

Liverpool University, venue of the first-ever Mastermind in 1972, plays host to four would-be finalists in this third semi-final match. The contenders are BILL BENT, lecturer, The geography of England AUBREY LAWRENCE, librarian, History of Rhodes up to AD 1522 DAVID MCKIBBIN, teacher, History of World War I JOHN STRATHEARN, teacher, Military operations of the 1745 Rebellion

There are four places available in the final of Mastermind for the contestants who win through the semi-final round. One place has already been taken and in tonight's visit to Leeds University the second place will be filled after a keenly fought contest between ROBERT GLEESON, bookseller, London city churches MICHAEL GLOVER, author, Sir Robert Wilson DAVID LEES, schoolmaster (retired), Classical mythology RAY WARD, graduate, Librarianship

The crucial stage is now reached with the first of the semi-final matches taking place at Leeds University. The contenders are COLIN HUNT, freelance translator, German literature, 1900-1950 CHRISTINE SHAW, teacher, Life and works of Rudyard Kipling NEIL WRIGHT, medical lab scientist, Astronomy and the Winner of Heat 12

This is the final competition of the first-round heats, and apart from tonight's winner, the four best losers over the 12 heats will become known, moving forward to take their place in the special runners-up semi-final. Contenders: OLGA KEVELOS, licensee, Genghis Khan PAUL BOLITHO, librarian History of British Methodism ANTHONY TOOHER, teacher, Life and works of Sir Edward Elgar MICHAEL WALKER, civil engineering technician, Alaska and the Yukon Territory

Astley Farm, near Leeds, provides Mastermind with its first-ever farmer competitor. A doctor, graduate and lecturer make up the rest of the group, who will be in contention for a place in the semi-finals. Tonight's venue is Hull University. The contenders are - Anne Falloon, graduate: Life of Lord Byron Christopher Booth, farmer: World War II Nicholas Gold, doctor: Life of Admiral Horatio Hornblower Bill Bent, lecturer: Battles in England 1066-1715

Contestants from Cheltenham, Chipping Campden, Glastonbury and Swansea take up the challenge of Mastermind at Bath University. The contestants are MARGARET SOUTHON, midwife, Alexander the Great SEUMUS STEWART, bookseller, Life and works of Robert Burns JULIAN FETTERLEIN , tax consultant, Life and works of Oscar Wilde COLIN HUNT, freelance translator, The works of John Cowper Powys

Tonight sees the inauguration of a new chair at Bath University, the 'Black Chair' of specialised and general knowledge awaiting contestants from Oxford, Mitcheldean, Swindon and France Lynch, near Stroud, to prove their worth in this ninth heat of Mastermind. Kathryn Jones, student - Richard III Donald Walters, rector - R.S. Surtees and fox-hunting Patrick Brough, solicitor- Life and reign of Nicholas II Michael Glover, author - Wellington in the Peninsula

Nerve, concentration, recall are just some of the attributes required of the contestants taking part in this second Scottish heat from St Andrews University. The contenders are CYNTHIA MUNRO, freelance translator, Life and works of Hieronymus Bosch DOUGLAS BLACK, medical student, Napoleon's '100 Days', 1815 DAVID LEES, schoolmaster (retired), The life of Hannibal IAIN COPLAND, teacher, History of Edinburgh

Contestants from Edinburgh, Inverness, Dumbarton and Falkirk gather at the oldest University in Scotland - St Andrews. There to face a barrage of questions designed to test their specialised and general knowledge, and their ability to concentrate under pressure. The contenders are ELIZABETH WHITE, housewife, The Novels of the Bronte Sisters NEIL SPENCER, Local Government officer, Celtic Culture before AD 1200 JOHN STRATHEARN, teacher, The Clyde Passenger Steamer , 1812-1962 NEIL MACGILLIVRAY, scientific assistant, Israel and the European Zionist Movement from 1858

Tonight's Northern group of contestants hail from South Wirral, York, Bolton and Sheffield: ROSEMARY JAMES, teacher, Mythology of Greeks and Romans RAY WARD, graduate, Manned space flight FREDERICK HOUGH, HM Inspector of Factories, The religion of Ancient Egypt JOLYON COOMBS, stage manager, Roman History 146 BC - 44 BC

In this visit to Newcastle University, Liverpool, Kirkby, Sheffield and Manchester provide the ' brain power' in this fifth heat of Mastermind. The contenders are ROSEMARY BIRKILL, part-time medical practitioner, History of psychiatry NEIL WRIGHT, medical laboratory assistant, The life of Gaius Julius Caesar FRANK LYNCH, teacher, Classical music 1660-1960 ANTHONY MARTIN, librarian, The reign of the Emperor Augustus

Tonight an American Attorney takes up the brief on behalf of Thomas Jefferson , one-time President of the USA, which is just one of the interesting specialised subjects in tonight's Mastermird heat. The contenders are: CHRISTINE SHAW, teacher, English history 1603-1660 MICHAEL DIXON, Post Office manager, Life and works of Sergei Prokofiev JOHN GEORGE, Herald, The Papal Conclaves 1799-1878 ANDREW REISH, attorney, Thomas Jefferson

Cranfield technical university provides an ideal setting for one of tonight's specialised subjects - History of Aviation. Cranfield has its own airfield and has long-standing associations with the RAF. The contenders are: FELICITY MORRISEY, musician, life and works of Ludwig van Beethoven KEITH BOGLE, librarian, Greek mythology ROBERT GLEESON, bookseller, Westminster Abbey KEITH BLAKE, Fire Brigade Administrator, history of aviation

In this second heat the challenge of Mastermind is faced by four contenders from Northern Ireland. The contenders are; ROY ALCORN, teacher, Hollywood films, 1929-1959 MICHAEL BLOCH, student barrister, life and work of Philip Guedalla JOHN KNIPE , retired civil servant, history of Abbey Theatre, Dublin DAVID MCKIBBIN , teacher, history of professional boxing

The 'black chair' stands ready in the centre of the Mastermind arena awaiting the presence of the 48 aspirants to the title 'Mastermind 1978', chosen from the many thousands of viewers who applied to take part in this year's series. The Open University at Milton Keynes is the venue for the first of these opening heats and the contenders are: Jean Robinson, nurse - life and works of W. S. Gilbert Aubrey Lawrence, assistant librarian - Britain between AD 350 and 600 Jonathan Allum, civil servant - 20th-century British philosophy Raymond Fell, Detective Sergeant, New Scotland Yard - notable British poisoners

'The Painted Hall' of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, provides the historic setting for this year's Mastermind Final. The finalists are: Joe West (helicopter pilot): Royal Navy History 1794-1805 John McLeod (local government officer): Career of Oliver Cromwell Philip Jenkins (research assistant): History of Wales AD 400-1100 Best Runner-up

This, the Best of the Runners-up semi-final, is being staged at the New University of Ulster in Coleraine, and by sheer coincidence includes an Englishman, an Irish-woman, a Scot and a Welshman. Tonight's winner will fill the last place in the Final line-up. The contenders are: Barry Jones (fitter) - British Prime Ministers John Shepherd (air traffic controller) - Life and Works of George Borrow Beatrice Syms (art teacher) - Life and Works of Jane Austen James Davis (teacher) - The Mountains of Scotland

On this occasion, Mastermind visits Northern Ireland for the first time. The New University of Ulster in Coleraine are the hosts to this third semi-final group of contenders seeking to win through to the Final. They are: Tony Broadbent (political writer): English Poetry Martin Bradley (mature student): Life and Work of Billie Holiday John Egan (transport supervisor): Life of Leon Trotsky Philip Jenkins (research assistant): Vikings in Scotland and Ireland 800-1150

This crucial match, which comes from the Bute Hall in Glasgow University, will establish which of tonight's four contenders will move forward to the final round. The contenders are: Richard Green (zoo keeper): History of the Isle of Man John McLeod (local government officer): Sir Arthur Sullivan and his Contemporary Composers John Old (teacher): The Texan Revolution 1835-1836 Peter Owen (chartered surveyor): Life and Works of Beatrix Potter

The 'Bute Hall' in Glasgow University is the setting for the start of the semi-final round, and in this section the contenders are required to offer a new specialist subject. The first four contenders are: Iain Campbell (student): The Works of Evelyn Waugh Sir Peter Hayman (ex-diplomatist): The Life of King George V Robert Wall (engineer): The Spanish Civil War Joe West (helicopter pilot): The Life of Horatio Nelson

Tonight's Northern Ireland match completes the 12 heats of the first round. The winner moves on to join the other 11 semi-finalists, which leaves four places to be filled by the best runners-up. The contenders are: Edward Kennedy (retired naval rating): West Malaysia Martin Bradley (mature student): The Films of Steve McQueen James Nesbitt (civil servant): European History 1914-1945 Jane Morton (local government officer): France since 1814

Tonight sees the start of an All Ireland' contribution to Mastermind with contenders from Rathdrum, Rathmines, Dun Laog haire, Stillorgan, Londonderry, Whitehead, Belfast and Carnckfergus... The first group are from the Irish Republic and for this, and the Northern Ireland group, the historic Trinity College in Dublin is providing the setting. The contenders are: Mary Grogan (librarian): Ballet in Britain 1900-1960 Con Cashman (farmer): Agriculture Beatrice Syms (art teacher): The 'Dragon' books of Anne McCaffrey John Egan (transport supervisor): The Life and Works of James Joyce

In this tenth heat four more people seek to obtain a place in the semi-final round. The contenders are: John Weller (bricklayer): British Birds Christopher Budd (Army officer): The Waterloo Campaign Robert Wall (engineer): North Atlantic Ocean Liners Adam Gielgud (NHS ancillary): History of Poland 1900-1945

The chief shoe manufacturing centre of England provides the location for tonight's heat, which takes place in Nene College, Northampton. The contenders are: William Rayner (oilfield technician): Emperor Charles V Caroline Hurlstone (housewife): Plays of Tom Stoppard John Old (teacher): The Moomin Saga of Tove Jansson John Shepherd (air traffic controller): Island of Sark

Tonight, the contestants hail from Oswestry, Northampton, Coventry and Redditch, and seek, in this eighth heat, to gain a place in the next semi-final round. They are: Robert Ingle (political agent): The Life of Benjamin Disraeli Deborah Hill-Trevor (farmer's wife): English Life and Times 1780-1815 John McLeod (local government officer): The Career of Oliver Cromwell Gerald Sparrow (teacher): Geology

This, the Welsh contribution to this year's Mastermind, takes place in mid-Wales at Aberystwyth University. The contenders are: Catherine Mason (teacher): Louis XIV of France Ralph Handscomb (driver): The 'James Bond' novels of Ian Fleming Barry Jones (fitter): The Modern Summer Olympics Philip Jenkins (research assistant): The Development of Christianity CAD 30-150

In this second visit to Dundee University, the four aspiring Scottish Masterminds are from Edinburgh, Forfar, Dumbarton and Crieff. The contenders are: Iain Campbell (student): Byzantine History AD 610-867 Elizabeth Compton (farmer): Elizabeth of Austria 1837-1898 James Davis (teacher): European History 1945-1979 Max Todd (teacher): World War I

The first of the two Scottish groups taking part turns out to be something of a mini International, with THOMAS BLAHA working in Aberdeen, but who is from Cleveland, USA; LAI-NGAU PAUSON living in Glasgow, but originating from Seattle, Washington; STEPHEN SENN living in Fife, but a Swiss national by birth; and JOE WEST, a pilot stationed on Shetland, hailing from Bournemouth. The venue. for this interesting match is Dundee University Thomas Blaha (teacher): US Government and Politics Lai-ngau Pauson (editor): History of Printing to 1860 Stephen Senn (lecturer): The History and Geography of Dartmoor Joe West (helicopter pilot): World War I

Many and varied are the specialised subjects tackled by Mastermind contestants. The contenders are: Ronald Graham-Carter (university administrator): Winston Churchill Peter Owen (chartered surveyor): Life and Works of Arthur Ransome Jean Wilson (part-time teacher): English Literature 1550-1900 Paul Wood (local government officer): The Reign of George III

The Royal Military Academy of. Sandhurst is host to tonight's programme. An appropriate venue. as many of the questions required for our military subjects emanate from the experts who are stationed here. Mastermind is also a most popular programme among the forces, particularly with the army stationed in Germany. The contenders are: Sarah Catling (veterinary haematologist), History of the English Derby Aylwin Fletcher (tutor and GCE examiner), Life and Works of Max Beerbohm Keith Pierce (police sergeant), History of Hastings and St Leonards Sir Peter Hayman (ex-diplomatist), Marshals of Napoleon I

A political writer, a technical translator, a local government officer and an hotelier take up the challenge tonight of this 1979 Mastermind competition. The subjects upon which they will concentrate are British History, the Life and Works of Solzhenitsyn, the Broadway Musical and the Life and Works of Chopin. This second heat in the series comes from York University. The contenders are: Tony Broadbent (political writer), British History, 1870-1945 Paul Granville Jackson (technical translator), Life and Works of Alexander Solzhenitsyn James Martin (local government officer), The Broadway Musical, 1945-1970 Roy Scott (hotelier), Life and Works of Chopin

What do you know of the French Foreign Legion, Mammals, the Diaghilev Ballet, and 20th-century Science Fiction? To find out join with a fireman, a zoo keeper, a barmaid and a lecturer who will be attempting to answer questions on these subjects plus a huge range of general knowledge questions. These four contenders are the first in the field in this new Mastermind series which tonight begins at York University. The contenders are: Paul Elliott (fireman), The French Foreign Legion to 1970 Richard Green (zoo keeper), The Mammals Diane Harris (barmaid), The Diaghilev Ballet Albert Preston (lecturer), 20th-century Science Fiction

The historic Porter Tun Room in the City of London is the setting for the culmination of the 1980 series. Of the 48 starters, the four finalists competing for the beautifully engraved Caithness glass trophy and the title of Mastermind 1980 are: Fred Housego (licensed taxi-driver): The Tower of London John Keogh (postgraduate student): The House of Godwin 1016-1066 Samuel Mortimer (civil servant): The life and works of Joseph Haydn Ingram Wilcox (civil servant): The Crusades 1095-1192

The MacRobert Arts Centre at the University of Stirling is the setting for this special Semi-final match between the four ' best losers' from the heats. Tonight's winner will fill the last place in the Final line up. Christopher Cooke (bank official): The life of Richard III Samuel Mortimer (civil servant): Napoleon's campaign in Russia Roger Sandell (teacher): The British Army, 1914-1918 Jacquelyn Tonge (teacher): Novels of Nevil Shute

The setting for this Semi-final match is the MacRobert Arts Centre, at the University of Stirling. It includes an Englishman specialising in a Scottish Queen and a Scot specialising in an English King! The contenders are: Duncan Forrest (computer programmer): William the Conqueror John Keogh (postgraduate student): Life and times of King Alfred Thomas McBrearty (teacher): Astronomy Don Young (teacher): Life of Mary Queen of Scots

Semi-final: this match comes from Christ's Hospital Arts Centre, Sussex. The four contenders competing for a place in the Final are Fred Housego (licensed taxi driver): Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster Christopher Pelly (teacher): Life and works of Vladimir Nabokov Edward Saunders (architect): Life of John Clare Elizabeth Shaw (teacher): Life of the Duke of Wellington

Mastermind visits a school for the first time - Christ's Hospital, Sussex, is host for the first of the semi-finals. John Campbell (travel agent) - Novels of Arthur C. Clarke David Greensmith (solicitor) - Life and works of Charlie Parker Alexis King (articled clerk) - The history of cricket Ingram Wilcox (civil servant) - Mammals

This second Scottish heat completes the first round and leads to the semi-finals. Donald James Goldie (student): Arthurian legend in England Helen Harper (housewife): The Peninsular War Thomas McBrearty (teacher): Life and works of George Orwell Susan Smith (civil servant): The life of Adolf Hitler

Question: Where in Britain is the Granite or Silver City? Answer: Aberdeen of course; and the city's university is the location for the first of the Scottish heats. Contenders are: Richard Coast-Smith (general medical practitioner): Royal Naval 74-gun ships Duncan Forrest (computer programmer): Henry II of England Derek Murray (minister): 18th-century Scottish ecclesiastical history Sheila Salmond (teacher): Greek mythology

Tonight's contenders come from Surrey, Dorset, Canterbury and Cambridge. They are: Sylvia Britton (bookshop manageress): Life and work of Vincent Van Gogh Richard Ellender (file clerk): House of Cerdic, 519-1124 Geoffrey Hitchcock (external relations adviser): Life and times of Marshal Tito Christopher Pelly (teacher): Life and works of Oscar Wilde

The venue for tonight's heat is Girton College, Cambridge. The contenders are: Amanda Cooper (teacher): The career of Bishop Colenso of Natal (1853-1883) Arthur Douch (retired major): The history of Rome, 753-390 BC Fred Housego (licensed taxi driver): Henry II of England Nigel Viney (publisher): The life of Sir Winston Churchill

Northern Ireland now takes up the challenge of Mastermind. Its four contenders are meeting tonight at the Civic Centre in Newcastle upon Tyne. They are: John Campbell (travel agent): 19th-century inventions Harry Irwin (representative): British cartoons and cartoonists 1930-1980 Margaret McNulty (undergraduate): Kings and Queens of Britain 1485-present day Tony Veitch (civil servant): Life and works of A. E. Housman

The ancient city of Newcastle upon Tyne is celebrating its 900th anniversary, and tonight the City Council are hosts to the following Mastermind contenders: Alan Caig (local government arts officer): Life and works of Rudyard Kipling Olwyn Linton (state enrolled nurse): Life and times of Queen Elizabeth I of England John Webley (dental surgeon): Life and works of Dorothy Parker Don Young (teacher): Life of Henry VIII of England

Four contenders from Wales meet tonight at the Royal Naval Engineering College in Plymouth. They are: Erica Austin (barrister/housewife):The descendants of Queen Victoria Bill Beaumont (civil servant): The English Inland Waterways David Greensmith (solicitor): Life and works of Isambard Kingdom Brunei Anthony Hurman (civil servant): Political history of the developed world since 1945

The Royal Naval Engineering College in Plymouth, which is celebrating 100 years of existence, is the venue for this fifth heat. The contenders are: Sheila Denyer (laundry worker): The Bible Josephine Lawrey (housewife): Italian Painting, Masaccio to Michelangelo Ken Smith (buyer): Kings and Queens of England, 1066-1485 Ingram Wilcox (civil servant): The Crusades, 1095-1192

Four more contenders for the Mastermind title meet tonight in competition at Nottingham University. Amongst them is a law student who is an ex-tv Top of the Former! The contenders are: Christopher Cooke (bank official): Life of General Gordon of Khartoum Alexis King (law student): Life and works of James Joyce Samuel Mortimer (civil servant): The History of Stonehenge Roger Sandell (teacher): Life and works of H. P. Lovecraft

Nottingham University is the location for this third Mastermind heat. The four contenders are: Michael Crisp (accountant): Fictional naval heroes Elizabeth Shaw (schoolteacher): Reign of Elizabeth I of England Jack Smith (radar systems engineer): History of radiophysics and radar up to 1945 Ian Stevens (office worker): The English theatre since 1950

Heat 2 from Manchester Polytechnic Adrian H. Cowell (botanist): Life and times of Prince Rupert of the Rhine John Keogh (local government officer): The house of Godwin, 1016-1066 Jacquelyn Tonge (teacher): The French novel, 1800-1870 Robert Turpin (mature student): Life and works of Jung

Tonight Magnus is 'starting' so please stay with him until he has 'finished', the exciting search for this year's champion. Manchester Polytechnic are the hosts for this first heat of the series, and waiting to take up the challenge are: Pauline Fisher (teacher): Lives of the Hesse and Battenberg families, 1837-1937 Edward Saunders (architect): Life and works of Sir Christopher Wren Heather Weaver (housekeeper): Life and works of Chekhov Cyril White (colour chemist): Life of Sir Richard Arkwright

from The Metropolitan Police Cadet School at Hendon. Ian Barton (university lecturer): Roman emperors of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD Leslie Grout (schoolmaster): St George's Chapel, Windsor Nicholas Woodward (tax inspector): Life and career of Admiral Sir Sidney Smith James Bitton (civil servant): Second Boer War.

St Aidan's College, Durham University is the setting for this special Semi-final when five' runners-up ' compete for a place in the final. James Bitton (retired civil servant): History of Brighton Anthony Dart (chartered engineer): Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan Doyle Mary Ann Ebert (civil servant): Women in the New Testament Albert Holmes (retired export manager): 18th-century European painting

The third semi-final from St Aidan's College, Durham University Ian Barton (university lecturer): Classical Greek and Roman architecture Richard Beatty (biologist): Life and works of Oscar Wilde John Mellor (HGV driver): Life of Henry V James Murray (teacher): Life and works of Renoir Director

Another finalist in Mastermind 1981 is chosen tonight as four more winners from the first round pit their wits against each other in the Debating Chamber of the Oxford Union Society. Godfrey Abbott (ordnance surveyor): Railways of Wales Leslie Grout (schoolmaster): Burial grounds of London Iris Henson (research student): Life and works of Gilbert and Sullivan John Watt (lecturer in computing): 'Flashman' novels of G. Mac Donald Fraser

Winners from the first round return to face each other in the debating chamber of the Oxford Union Society in this, the first of the semi-finals. Janet Barker (housewife): The films of Alfred Hitchcock James Craven (cook-general): Life of Eva Peron 1919-1952 John Hill (retired colonial administrator) Geography of Fiji Nicholas Woodward (tax inspector): Test cricket 1877-1930

The first-round heats of Mastermind 1981 are completed tonight at the University of St Andrews as contestants from Scotland and Northern Ireland challenge for the last place in the semi-finals. Derrick McClure (university lecturer): Pre-conquest history of Mexico Rosemary Meechan (teacher): Life of Robert the Bruce James Murray (teacher): Life and career of General de Gaulle David Stevenson (employee relations manager): Battle of the Somme

Scots and Irish contenders for the Mastermind 1981 title meet tonight at Scotland's oldest university, in the Younger Graduation Hall of the University of St Andrews. Arthur Arnold (schoolmaster): 17th-century British history Richard Beatty (biologist): Poetry of W. H. Auden John Crawford (solicitor): Peloponnesian war Bernard McGinley (graduate business student): Politics and letters in Augustan England

The Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth is host for this tenth heat of Mastermind 1981. On the Quarter Deck are contestants from the West of England. Godfrey Abbott(ordnance surveyor): History and architecture of Bath Peter Barlow (solicitor): Novels of Kingsley Amis Judith Carter (nursing sister): Works of Dorothy L. Sayers Brenda Read (computer systems designer): Novels of Graham Greene

Four contestants from the South of England are assembled on the Quarter Deck at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. Katherine Davies (department store buyer-manager): Life of Queen Mary, Consort of George V John Hill (retired colonial administrator) Thuggee in India Connaire Kensit (polytechnic lecturer): History of China from 1850 John Pretty (miller): Air War in Europe 1939-45

The search for Mastermind 1981 reaches the half-way point - as contestants from the South and East meet at Middlesex Polytechnic. Thomas Dyer (financial consultant): Works of William Shakespeare Iris Henson (research student): Life and Career of Sarah Siddons Gerard Murray (teacher): Reign of King Gustavus Adolphus John Withrington (bank employee): The French Revolution

Four contestants from the South East of England meet at Middlesex Polytechnic in this seventh heat of Mastermind 1981. James Bitton (retired civil servant): The Second Boer War Maureen Blakesley (schoolteacher): The Royal Shakespeare Company James Craven (cook-general): Life of Marie Antoinette Craig Scott (advertising executive): History of 19th-century Leeds

Four contestants from the North of England take up the challenge in the sixth heat of Mastermind 1981 at the University of Bradford. Hutton Barton (probation officer): Battle-cruisers and battleships 1906-1966 Mary Ann Ebert (civil servant): French wars of religion 1550-1588 Marion Mayers (housewife): James Graham , 1st Marquis of Montrose John Watt (lecturer in computing): History of Kenya from 1895

The fifth heat of Mastermind 1981 comes from the Great Hall at the University of Bradford and features contestants from the Midlands. John Mellor (HGV driver): The Battle of Waterloo Peter Shilston (freelance sports-writer): Gangster age in the USA 1919-1939 Kate Williams (teacher): Life and times of Bess of Hardwick John Rose (educationist): Life and works of Chaucer

The University College of North Wales at Bangor is host to the contenders in the fourth heat. Ian Barton (university lecturer): Roman emperors of the first and second centuries AD Anthony Dart (chartered engineer): Strangers and Brothers, novels of C. P. Snow Liam Fogarty (graduate): Life and works of Gustave Courbet Roger Morris (industrial glove manufacturer): Great Western Railway in the 19th century.

Four more contenders for the Mastermind 81 title meet in this third heat of the competition at the University College of North Wales in Bangor. Janet Barker (housewife): History of fashion 1920-70 Albert Holmes (retired export manager): Life and music of Robert Schumann Milan Pavasovic (postman): European history Tim Stirk (housemaster): Roman Britain AD 43-410

Heat 2 in the search for Mastermind 81 from the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell Captain Patrick Lawrence (retired soldier): The Indian Mutiny (1857) Tim Parry (trainee hospital administrator): British political history since 1905 Madeline Simpson (local government officer): The novels of Margaret Drabble Nicholas Woodward (district inspector of taxes): Life and career of Admiral Sir Sidney Smith (1764-1840)

Tonight Mastermind's tenth season opens and, between now and Christmas, 48 contestants will pit their wits against each other in the quest to win television's premier quiz battle. Magnus will be 'starting', and he hopes that you will stay with him until he has 'finished' the search for the successor to London taxi-driver Fred Housego as Mastermind 1981. The first heat comes from the RAF College at Cranwell and the contestants are: Peter Arbuthnot (commodity broker): Indus Valley Civilisation (2500-1700 bc) Phillida Grantham (youth worker): Wines of Europe Leslie Grout (schoolmaster): St George's Chapel, Windsor, since 1475 Peter Wilcockson (art gallery manager): Life and Work of Picasso to 1940

Forty-eight contenders started in January and tonight four are in at the 'finish' of the 1983 series. Middle Temple Hall in London is the setting for the final as two men and two women do battle for the title of Mastermind 1983. The winner will receive the engraved Caithness Glass trophy from the Chairman of the BBC, George Howard, and an invitation to represent the United Kingdom in Mastermind International later this year. Contestants: Christopher Hughes (London underground train driver): British steam locomotives 1900-68 Margaret Peat (school science technician): Life of Richard III Kathryn Tyson (civil servant): Shakespeare's tragic heroes Alex Yates (charity worker): Slavery and the slave trade

Sheffield Polytechnic is host as the four ' highest scoring losers' in the first round compete for the last place in next week's final of Mastermind 1983. Paul Campion (department store executive): Life of Kathleen Ferrier Peter Major (schoolteacher): The Roman Empire, AD 284-337 Ralph Roney (writer): Classic cars, 1930-1950 Alex Yeats (charity worker): The history of South Africa and South West Africa (Namibia) since 1948

Four winners from the first round programmes meet at Sheffield Polytechnic and compete for a place in the Final of Mastermind 1983. John Edmond (computer systems project manager): The history of Italy, 1815-1929 Gwen Kingsley (crystal works tour guide): The life, times and death of Tutankhamun Margaret Peat (school science technician): The life of Alexander the Great Robert Woodcock (driver's mate): British political history from 1945

Another finalist in Mastermind 1983 is chosen tonight as four more winners from the first round pit their wits against each other at Winchester College. Christopher Hughes (London Underground train driver) - The 'Flashman' novels of George MacDonald Fraser Frederick Pegg (schoolteacher) - The life and career of Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery, 1887-1976 Nicholas Rennison (bookshop assistant) - Scott's expeditions to the Antarctic Sian Thomas (solicitor) - The Thirty Years War, 1618-1648

First semi-final, with the lone female contender going for the novels of Jane Austen, the others opting for the Cairngorm Mountains, Lord Liverpool, and the English Civil War

Last of the 12 heats. Magnus Magusson introduces competitors whose subjects are: the life of Baden-Powell, the life of Richard III, the history of Albania, and the life and music of Vivaldi

Christchurch College, Canterbury, is the setting as four more contenders do battle for a semi-final plam in Mastermind 1983. CVertne de Vito (schoolteacher): Works of Christopher Isherwood John Edmond (computer systems project manager): Life of Margaret of Anjou Patricia Erridge (civil servant): Opera Robert Peters (minister of religion): Life and Times of Archbishop William Temple

Two men and two women confront each other at Loughborough University of Technology in this tenth heat of Mastermind 1983. Pauline Buffham (housewife): Life of George III Gwen Kingsley (crystal works tour guide): Life and times of Cosimo de Medici 1389-1464 Alan Mole (civil servant): German history 1870-1945 Ralph Richardson (headmaster): Monumental brasses 1300-1700

Tonight from one of Britain's newest universities, Loughborough University of Technology. Hilary Aslett (schoolteacher): History of New South Wales 1788-1850 Paul Brighton (research student): Life of W. E. Gladstone Tom Chitty (bank manager): Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington Isabelle Heward (schoolteacher): British and American cinema since 1927

Froebel Institute College bears the name of the German educator and philosopher Freiderich Froebel, the father of the kindergarten movement. Tonight another four contenders for the Mastermind 1983 title meet at the college in Roehampton. Paul Campion (department store executive): Life and recordings of Caruso Christopher Hughes: (London Underground train driver) British steam locomotives (1900-1968) Karen Stringer (university secretary): Life of T. E. Lawrence Alex Yeats (charity worker): Slavery and the slave trade

with Magnus Magnusson from the Froebel Institute College, Roehampton, south west London. Barbara Barrett (sales assistant): The ' Rougon-Macquart' novels of Emile Zola Kenneth Hedley (brewery clerk): Life and works of Sir Edward Elgar Nell Marshall (schoolteacher): Life of Tipu Sultan Robert Moggridgc (schoolteacher): The cathedrals of England

Loughborough University of Technology is tonight's host. Robert Douglas (retired sub-post-master): British History, 1714-1815 Madeline Evans (library assistant): Life of Edward IV Susan Scholefield (civil servant): Homer's Iliad and Odyssey Robert Woodcock (driver's mate): European History, 1870-1945

Three women contestants challenge one man in the fifth heat of Mastermind 1983 at Loughborough University of Technology. Peter Major (schoolteacher): Life and works of Richard Wagner Linda Paxton (housewife): Children of Queen Victoria Mary Schofield (housewife): British Social and Economic History 1760-1860 Sian Thomas (solicitor): Life and works of Colette Director

'Education is the mother of wisdom and virtue' is the translation of the classical Greek motto of the Edinburgh Academy, where tonight four more contestants pit their wits against each other in the quest to become Mastermind 1983. George Beggs (retired customs official): American Civil War Brian Cooklin (schoolteacher): Women in Thomas Hardy 's novels Alan Shearer (veterinary surgeon): Zulu War 1879 John Wheeler (schoolteacher): British birds

Four contestants from Scotland and Northern Ireland face Magnus in a place he knows well-the school in which he was educated - .the Edinburgh Academy. Patrick Doherty (schoolmaster): Films of John Wayne Euan Fairbairn (naval officer): Career of C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower Frederick Pegg (teacher): American Presidents from F. D. Roosevelt Kalph Roney (writer): Richard Hannay's novels of John Buchan

The Royal Agricultural College in the Cotswolds market town of Cirencester is the venue for the second heat of Mastermind 1983. Anne Adams (part-time teacher): Bayeux Tapestry Nicholas Rennison (bookshop assistant): 'The Music of Time' novels of Anthony Powell Edward Towne (schoolmaster): Reign of Edward III Simon Willbourn (pilot): The American manned space programme

Tonight Mastermind enters its second decade and during the coming weeks 48 new contestants will be competing to win television's most prestigious quiz title. They come from every part of Britain, their ages range from 22 to 65 and their occupations include a naval officer, a tube train driver, a doctor, a brewery clerk, a bank manager and a vet. The first four contenders pit their wits against each other at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. Geraldine Gregg-Smith, Education welfare officer - Novels of Evelyn Waugh Christopher Price, Civil servant - Novels of the Bronte Sisters Kathryn Tyson, Civil servant - Shakespeare's tragic heroes Diggory Seacome, Schoolmaster - Percussion playing from 1700

The climax of Mastermind's 12th season takes place on board HMS Hermes in Portsmouth. Of the 48 contenders who started in January, just four-three women and one man-are in at the finish. The winner of the title Mastermind 1984 will receive the Caithness Glass trophy from Alasdair Milne, Director-General of the BBC. Jill Goodwin (insurance clerk) Lives of Charles II X and James II Margaret Harris (deputy head teacher) Life and work of Cecil Rhodes Richard Joby (lecturer) Great Eastern Railway 1862-1922 Kate Vernon-Parry (anaesthetist) Life and works of Arthur Ransome

The last place in the final of this year's competition is at stake tonight at the Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham. The contenders are the four highest-scoring losers from the first-round heats. Colin Driver (telephone engineer) Life and work of Thomas Arnold Colin Graham (bus driver) Ships of the Royal Navy 1900-1960 Margaret Harris (dep-head teacher) Postal history and philately of Southern Africa 1853-1960 Ella Thompson (housewife) Life of Mary Tudor

Four winners of first-round heats do battle for a place in the final of Mastermind 1984 at the Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham. Neville Cohen (lecturer) Life of Isaac Newton Katharine Heaney (local government officer) Life of Queen Victoria Rachel Leonard (mother and housewife) Life and works of Jane Austen Kate Vernon-Parry (anaesthetist) Life and works of Beatrix Potter

The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the University of East Anglia is the setting, as four more winners of first-round heats challenge for a place in the final of Mastermind 1984. Jill Goodwin (insurance clerk) French revolution 1788-1794 John Hutchings (probation officer) History of Britain's canals Norman Izzett (assistant rector) Greek tragic poets Byron Jones (construction manager) MGM musicals 1939-1962

The semi-final stage of this year's competition opens tonight at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. Four winners of the first round heats compete for a place in the final of Mastermind 1984. Robert Foulkes (schoolteacher) Mars novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs Richard Joby (lecturer) Life and career of Isambard Kingdom Brunel Malcolm Parnell (publicity manager) Novels of Evelyn Waugh Primrose Wood (physiotherapist) Life of Sir Francis Drake Director

King William's College at Castletown on the Isle of Man is the host for the last heat in the first round of Mastermind 1984. Colin Driver (telephone engineer) History of the Church of England 1815-1900 Katharine Heaney (local government official) De Richleau's novels of Dennis Wheatley Valerie Ann Smith (part-time tutor) Life and works of George Eliot George Thornton (civil servant) Life and works of Mozart Director

Mastermind pays its first visit to the Isle of Man and helps to celebrate the 150th anniversary of King William's College at Castletown. Neville Cohen (lecturer) The Lake District David Hatton (chemical plant manager) Life of Nelson Colin Graham (bus driver) Roman history 133 BC-AD 14 Ella Thompson (housewife) Life and missionary voyages of St Paul

Four more contenders for the 1984 Mastermind title do battle at Worcester College of Higher Education. Godfrey Chesshire (community worker) The Medici and the City of Florence, 1200-1537 Edward Hamer (fingerprint expert) World War I Christopher Strudwick (college lecturer) Life and works of John Betjeman Kate Vernon-Parry (anaesthetist) The Swallows and Amazons books of Arthur Ransome

Worcester College of Higher Education is host for the ninth heat of Mastermind 1984. Christopher Carter (parish priest) British birds Nick Morrell (unemployed) Life and works of Noel Coward Malcolm Parnell (publicity manager) Voyages of Captain Cook Anne Senior (part-time teacher) Novels of Barbara Pym

The Great Hall at Avery Hill College in London is the setting as four contestants challenge for a place in the semi-finals of Mastermind 1984. Joseph Angel (physician) Austrian Habsburgs, 1740-1792 Michael Davison (publisher's editor) Coastline of Great Britain Richard Joby (lecturer) Great Eastern Railway, 1862-1922 Margot Stewart (company director) Life of Duke of Windsor

Avery Hill College at Eltham in south east London welcomes four more aspirants for the title of Mastermind 1984. Maureen Butler (technical sales rep) Lymond saga books of Dorothy Dunnett Anthony Hern (freelance journalist) Novels of G. K. Chesterton Rachel Leonard (housewife) Life and novels of Thomas Hardy Richard Thackrah (lecturer) History of the police 1829-1900

University College, Cardiff, is host as three women and one man pit their wits against each other in the quest to become Mastermind 1984. Diana Hadley (landscape gardener) Life and work of Sir Edwin Lutyens Margaret Harris (deputy head teacher) Life and work of Cecil Rhodes John Warner (retired) Anglo-Australian test matches 1920-1938 Primrose Wood (physiotherapist) Lord Peter Wimsey novels of Dorothy L. Sayers

Two men and two women confront each other at University College, Cardiff, in the fifth heat of Mastermind 1984. Angela Burke (computer operator) History of costume since 1400 Jane Gardner (chartered librarian) Epic novels of R. F. Delderfield Byron Jones (construction manager) Life and works of Duke Ellington Derek Pheby (medical practitioner) Life and works of John Keats

with Magnus Magnusson at the RAF Museum in Hendon Jill Goodwin (insurance clerk) Lives of Charles II and James II Terence Kane (golf club manager) Life and works of Lewis Carroll Fr Stephen Ortiger (Benedictine monk) Jeeves/Wooster stories of P. G. Wodehouse Nicholas Slocombe (executive officer) American railroads since 1945

The Aircraft Hall of the RAF Museum at Hendon is the setting as four more contestants do battle for the title 'Mastermind 1984'. Mary Dicken (school teacher) Reign of James I John Hutchings (probation officer) Novels of George Orwell Bill James (agricultural tractor driver) Aircraft of World War II Tim Tatton-Brown (archaeologist) Life and Works of Beethoven Director

The University of Dundee is host as four more contenders are quizzed in the quest to find Mastermind's 12th champion. Robert Foulkes (schoolteacher) Life and Work of Antoine Lavoisier Maisie Lunan (retired) Life and Works of J. M. Barrie John McGrath (principal teacher) Second Punic War 219-202 BC George Snowden (solicitor) The operas of Gilbert and Sullivan Director

Mastermind's 12th season opens at the University of Dundee when four contenders from Scotland and Northern Ireland meet in the first heat of the 1984 competition. Mary Burton (computing supervisor) The Scots Quair Trilogy of Lewis Grassic Gibbon Stephen Bowers (unemployed) French History 1715-1799 Norman Izzett (assistant rector) Ancient Athens Gordon McAlister (unemployed) The Bolsheviks 1914-1920

The climax of Mastermind 1985 takes place at Robinson College, Cambridge. In January 48 contenders set out to see who could win the coveted Caithness glass trophy. Tonight just the final four are left to do friendly battle to receive that trophy from the Chairman of the BBC Stuart Young. Clive Bettington (solicitor) The British Raj, 1899-1948 Ian MacKillop (pharmacy technician RAMC) History of the Labour Party since 1945 Roger Stein (schoolteacher) The works of John Le Carre Ian Meadows (hospital driver) The English Civil War, 1642-7

The last place in the final of this year's competition is at stake at the Taliesin Centre for the Arts, University College of Swansea. The contenders are the four best-scoring losers from the first-round programmes. Ronald Fraser (freelance journalist) The life and works of Charles Rennie Mackintosh Rex Walford (university lecturer) The history of British musicals, 1945-1980 Clive Evans (unemployed cost clerk) British politics, 1905-1979 Roger Stein (schoolteacher) The life and works of Edward Elgar

Tonight's setting is the Taliesin Centre for the Arts at the University College of Swansea, where four winners of first-round programmes compete for a place in the final of Mastermind 1985. John Burke (freelance author) Jan Hus and the Hussite Wars, 1415-37 Richard Hills (schoolmaster) English poetry of the First World War Ian Meadows (hospital driver) History of astronomy/ cosmology up to 1700 Christopher Gibson (schoolmaster) History of Athens, 560-323 BC

The Great Hall of the University of Lancaster is the setting as four more winners of the first-round programmes challenge for a place in the Final of Mastermind 1985. Elizabeth McCaffrey (solicitor) The institutions of the European Communities Ian MacKillop (pharmacy technician RAMC) The history of the British newspaper comic strip Francis Walker (schoolmaster) The life and poetry of John Milton Christopher Rowe (history teacher) The lives and voyages of John and Sebastian Cabo

The semi-final stage of this year's competition is reached tonight in the Great Hall of the University of Lancaster. Four winners of the first-round programmes compete for a place in the final of Mastermind 1985. Sharon Colesell (invoice clerk) The Decameron of Boccaccio Clive Bettington (solicitor) The Second Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902 Catherine Walling (assistant museum curator) British birds Derek Oliver (theatre technical manager) The Second World War

with Magnus Magnusson from the Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh The last of the first-round programmes sees four contenders from the Midlands and the east of England compete for the last place in the semi-finals. Ian Meadows (hospital driver) The English Civil War, 1641-7 Rex Walford (university lecturer) The life and travels of Amy Johnson Lynne Steele-Smith (unemployed) The life and works of William Lilly , 1602-81 Roger Stein (schoolteacher) The spy novels of John le Carre

with Magnus Magnusson from the Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh Four contenders from the Midlands and East Anglia compete for a place in the semi-finals. Richard Bullock (under sheriff) The poetry of John Donne Sandra Moore (teacher) BBC radio comedy series from 1950 John Burke (freelance author) Life and works of Carl Nielsen Clive Evans (unemployed) European history 1815-1900

with Magnus Magnusson from the Great Hall of the University of Reading Jo Gable (freelance writer) The Staffordshire Potteries 1928-39 Joseph Kerrigan (clerical assistant) Irish history 1848-1921 Ann Hartland-Swann (wife of a diplomat) Classic French cooking Richard Hills (schoolmaster) Life and music of Gustav Hoist

with Magnus Magnusson from The Great Hall of the University of Reading. Four contenders from London and the south-east compete for a semi-final place. Alan Samson (book editor) The life of Harold Macmillan Jeanette Setterich (receptionist) The 'Amama' Pharaohs c 1417-c 1320 BC David Blackman (civil servant) Life and times of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria Christopher Gibson (schoolmaster) Opera since 1780

with Magnus Magnusson from The Great Hall of St Bartholomew's Hospital, London Richard Durden (actor) Life of Robert Falcon Scott Clive Bettington (solicitor) The British Raj 1899-1948 Susan Vickers (lecturer) The Diaghilev Ballet 1909-29 Simon Creswell (charity official) The Ottoman Empire 1453-1566

with Magnus Magnusson from The Great Hall of St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. Four contenders from London and the south east seek the title of Mastermind 1985 Derek West (parish priest) Life and works of Thomas Telford Malcolm Fry (electrician) Life and works of Gustav MahJpr Catherine Walling (assistant museum curator) Art and archaeology of Minoan Crete, 2000-1450 BC Iain McCoubrey (medical officer, RAF) History of Hong Kong from 1839

with Magnus Magnusson from The National Railway Museum, York. Four more contenders from the north of England compete for a place in the semi-finals. Brian Newton Elliot (opera singer) Architecture of York Minster Susan Millard (part-time farmer) 'Hebridean' books of Lillian Beckwith Francis Walker (schoolmaster) Dissolution of the Monasteries, 1523-40 Colin Pickles (inspector of taxes) Life and works of H. Rider Haggard

The National Railway Museum, York, is host to four contenders from the north of England. Here amid the splendour of steam and railway history one more place in the semi-final will be filled. David Dutton (solicitor's clerk) History of South Africa from 1902 Jack Humphreys (retired company secretary) The fictional works of Joseph Conrad Deborah Gaunt (company director) The Vikings, 793-954 Christopher Rowe (history teacher) Life and works of Leos Janacek

Four more contenders from Scotland compete for a place in the semi-finals when Mastermind comes tonight once again from the Burrell Collection in Glasgow. John Simpson (lexicographer) Count Basie and the Count Basie Orchestra Jennifer Glover (chemistry student) Irish myths and legends Herbert Stubbs (teacher) Life of Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig Derek Oliver (theatre technical manager) The Western films of John Ford

Ronald Fraser (freelance journalist) The life of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman Michael McWilliam (shop manager) Wines and wine-growing regions of France Elizabeth McCaffrey (solicitor) The Anne books of L. M. Montgomery Neil Butterworth (college head of department) American orchestral music from 1900

with Magnus Magnusson at Bristol Polytechnic Diana Moore (retired civil servant) The prose works of Rudyard Kipling Ian Christie (psychiatrist) The Old Pretender and his sons Sheila Altree (school laboratory technician) The ghost stories of M. R. James Ian McKillop (pharmacy technician, RAMC) History of the Labour Party since 1945

This 13th season opens tonight at Bristol Polytechnic when the first four of 48 hopeful contenders from Wales and south west England meet to compete for a place in the semi-finals. Winifred Bosworth (secretarial assistant) The life of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine Sharon Colesell (invoice clerk) The life and works of Oscar Wilde Brian Rowlands (school teacher) Greek mythology Jan Evans (freelance translator) The life and works of Dylan Thomas

After nearly six months of intense competition during which a new Mastermind scoring record has been set, the five finalists out of the 64 original contenders now seek the coveted title of Mastermind 1986. In the imposing surroundings of the McEwan Hall at the University of Edinburgh, one of them will receive the specially engraved Caithness glass trophy from the Controller of BBC1, Michael Grade. The five contenders are: Michael Formby (chartered surveyor) The history of the Epsom Derby from 1780 Owen Gunnell (schoolteacher) The life and works of Geoffrey Chaucer Henry Farquhar-Smith (teacher) The history of Edinburgh from 1745 Jennifer Keaveney (careers information officer) The life and works of Elizabeth Gaskell Philip McDonald (schoolmaster) The life and poetry of John Donne

Magnus Magnusson introduces a closer look at the five contenders who have made it to the Final. Out of 4,000 applicants, 64 were selected and started to pit their wits and knowledge against the clock and the ordeal of the big black chair. Now these five will compete on Sunday night for the coveted title: Michael Formby , a chartered surveyor from Aintree; Philip McDonald, a schoolmaster from Liverpool; Henry Farquhar-Smith, a teacher from Stamford; Jennifer Keaveney, a careers information officer from Canterbury; and the winner of last Sunday's semi-final for the best scoring runners-up

The last semi-final is reserved for the four highest-scoring losers in the whole of the first-round programmes. There have been some tremendously high scores and the competition has been intense. The four who made it now compete for the last place in the final. The location is the University of 1 Bradford. Jane Ennis (unemployed graduate) The plays of Schiller Owen Gunnell (schoolteacher)The life a nd reign of King Stephen Malcolm Highfield (police officer) English composers, 1900-1950 Wendy Greene (schoolteacher) The Savoy operas of Gilbert and Sullivan

The last four outright winners in the first round of this year's competition are in contention for the fourth place in the final. The Great Hall of the University of Bradford is the setting. Sean Howley (RAF technician) Aircraft of the RAF since 1939 Jennifer Keaveney (careers information officer) Life and work of E. Nesbit 1858-1924 Julian Lipton (solicitor) Victorian politics 1830-1870 David Milnes (solicitor) The operas of Mozart

The University of Bradford is host tonight, as four more first-round winners compete in the third semi-final of Mastermind. William Hamill-Keays (chartered engineer) The Crimean War Hendy Farquhar-Smith (teacher) Life and works of Sir David Wilkie 1785-1841 Timothy Stewart (translator) Life and works of Beethoven Donald Crerar (actor) European history 1914-1945

The second place in this year's final is at stake, as a further four first-round winners compete in this semi-final, which takes place in the Nereid Room at the British Museum in London. Gerard Godfrey (accountant) The life and reign of Henry VIII Michael Macdonald-Cooper (freelance writer) The poems of Rudyard Kipling John Bowers (chartered town planner) The history of the Isle of Man Michael Formby (chartered surveyor) History and architecture of Lincoln Cathedral from 1072

Tonight Mastermind reaches the semi-final stage when the first four of this year's first-round winners compete for a place in the final. In the splendid setting of the Nereid Room at the British Museum in London each contender must now take a specialised subject different from the one taken in the first round. Andrew Turek (solicitor) History of The Netherlands 1565-1715 Ivor Cooksey The physical geography of the USA and Canada Philip McDonald (schoolmaster) Life and work of James Brindley 1716-72 Albert Bertin (engineer and draughtsman) Life of Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Risorgimento

Tonight sees the last of the first-round programmes, with four more contenders competing for the last place in this year's semi-finals. The location is the Great Hall of the University of Nottingham. David Milnes (solicitor) The history of Nottinghamshire 1066-1939 Vie Bonfiglio (US Air Force) The Spanish Empire in America 1492-1815 Wendy Greene (schoolteacher) The life of Prince Rupert of the Rhine 1619-1682 Roderick Moore (cartographer) Narrow gauge railways of Great Britain from 1863

The Great Hall of the University of Nottingham is the setting as four contenders compete for one of the remaining places in the semi-finals of Mastermind 1986. Gordon Barnes (gas plant operator) The history and development of firearms 1500-1900 Mary Turner (schoolteacher) Life and career of Laurence Olivier Sean Howley (RAF technician) The First World War 1914-1918 Fred Singleton (retired university lecturer) The history of the Yugoslavs 1900-1945

Four more contenders do friendly battle for the title of Mastermind 1986 at the London Hospital Medical College in Whitechapel. James McLeod (chartered secretary) History of Albania from 1945 Judith Brooks (educational administrator) History of the RAF 1939-45 Peter Cains (research scientist) Life and works of Monteverdi 1567-1643 Timothy Stewart (translator) Life and works of Dante Alighieri

The London Hospital Medical College in Whitechapel is host to four contenders from London and the south east. Robin Gordon-Walker (government information officer) Labour Government 1964-70 Phillip Clayton (civil servant) Norse mythology Jennifer Keaveney (careers information officer) Life and works of Elizabeth Gaskell Douglas Pickett (examinations officer) Life and works of Richard Strauss

The University of Birmingham is the host for tonight's four contenders seeking the title of Mastermind 1986. They compete in the surroundings of the Great Hall of the University. Malcolm Highfield (police officer) The life and works of Ralph Vaughan-Williams Vicki Black (part-time teacher) The Hercule Poirot stories of Agatha Christie Ralph Hawtrey (schoolmaster) The life and works of Plato William Hamill-Keays (chartered engineer) The British Army in the Peninsula, 1808-1813

Four contenders do battle for a place in the semi-finals in the Great Hall of the University of Birmingham. David Winpenny (National Parks Campaign co-ordinator) English architecture 1600-1900 William Tighe (historian) The reign of Elizabeth I of England Hendy Farquhar-Smith (teacher) The history of Edinburgh 1745-1815 Bill Muir (Inspector of Taxes) The works of Dornford

Tonight's four contenders in the quest for the title of Mastermind 1986 all come from London and the south-east. They compete in the surroundings of the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. Julian Lipton (solicitor) Life and plays of Christopher Marlowe Bill Fleming (clerical officer) The works of Rabelais Jane Ennis (unemployed) The operas of Wagner Marcus Taylor (schoolteacher) Life and times of Edward the Confessor 1016-1066

The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu provides an imposing setting for four contenders from London and the south of England as they compete for a place in the semi-finals of Mastermind 1986. Donald Crerar (actor) The plays of Harold Pinter Michael Anderson (member of Diplomatic Service) British coins from AD 786 Jean Hossain (schoolteacher) Life and career of Benjamin Disraeli Joseph Hand (legal executive) History of Gibraltar from 8th century

Four contenders from London and the south east seek a place in the semi-finals of Mastermind 1986 in the Grand Priory Church of the Order of St John in Clerkenwell, London. Barry Ramsay (bank official) Life and works of Benjamin Britten Mary Knox-Johnston (retired dress designer) Life of Perkin Warbeck 1474-99 Albert Bertin (engineer and draughtsman) Life and times of Benito Mussolini Owen Gunnell (schoolteacher) Life and works of Geoffrey Chaucer

with Magnus Magnusson from The Grand Priory Church of the Order of St John, Clerkenwell, London David le Page (schoolteacher) Life and reign of Louis XI of France, 1423-1483 Nigel Oakley (research scientist) The American War of Independence 1775-1781 Janet Williams (civil servant) Life and work of Peter Warlock Andrew Turek (solicitor) Life and writings of Lord Macaulay

Tonight's four contenders all come from the south and west of England and compete in the Great Hall of the University of Exeter. Stanley Holbrooke-Jones (vicar) Life and times of Sir Walter Raleigh Peter Chapman (retired naval officer) The works of Albert Camus Deirdre Borer (teacher) The 'Ramage' novels of Dudley Pope Gerard Godfrey (accountant) Life and plays of J. M. Synge

The University of Exeter is host to four contenders from the south and west of England and Wales. In the Great Hall they compete in the challenges for Mastermind 1986. Barrie Brown (officer, Royal Navy) The life and times of Samuel Pepys Patricia Wharton (postgraduate researcher) Life and works of Hilaire Belloc 1870-1953 Richard Aldous (accountant) British history, 1815-1914 John Bowers (chartered town planner) Geography of Wales

From the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester Tony Ireson (assistant prison governor) Life and works of A. E. Housman Margaret-Louise O'Keeffe (housewife) Life and works of Michelangelo Buonarroti Philip Fleming (solicitor) History of the USA, 1776-1948 Philip McDonald (schoolmaster) History of Liverpool, 1600-1900

The Concert Hall of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester is the setting, as four contenders from the north of England compete in the quest to become Mastermind 1986. Barbara Savage (box office manager) History of modern art from 1848 Leslie Pye (head of braille book production) Life and works of Johannes Brahms Michael Formby (chartered surveyor) History of the Epsom Derby from 1780 Briony Tayler (housewife) The Royal Ballet 1931-1981

The University of St Andrews is host as four more contenders from Scotland and Northern Ireland do friendly battle in the quest to find Mastermind's 1986 champion. Michael MacDonald-Cooper (freelance writer) The Jacobite rising of 1745 Struan Case Robertson (retired soldier) Allenby and the Palestine Campaigns 1914-1918 Iain Bradley (schoolteacher) Life and times of Erskine Childers 1870-1922 Michael Chilton (minister of the Gospel) Russian orchestral music 1840-1943

Mastermind is back with an extended series. This time, 64 hopeful contenders set out to see who can become Mastermind 1986. This 14th season opens tonight at the University of St Andrews when the first four of the contenders from Scotland meet to decide who wins the first place in the semi-finals. David Campbell-Suttie (retired executive) Jazz, 1910-1927 Thomas Kirkpatrick (head chef) The life and work of Auguste Escoffier 1846-1935 Brian Miller (schoolteacher) The history of World Cup football, 1930-1982 Ivor Cooksey (retired company director) Exploration of the Arctic, c 1550-1909

After nearly six months of intense competition, the five finalists out of the original 64 contenders now seek the coveted title of Mastermind 1987. The quarterdeck of the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, is the impressive setting for this final, and the winner will receive the specially engraved Caithness glass trophy from Admiral Sir Julian Oswald, Commander-in-Chief, Fleet. The five contenders are: Margaret Spiller (civil servant) - The life and times of Emperor Nero, AD37-68 John Crippin (schoolteacher) - BBC Radio comedy, 1940-1970 Jeremy Bradbrooke (general practitioner) - The Crimean War, 1853-56 Jill McFatridge (area reporter) - The life and times of Ferdinand of Aragon, 1452-1516 Mike Billson (milkman) - The American Indian wars, 1850-1890

Magnus Magnusson introduces a closer look at the five contenders who have made it to the final of Mastermind 1987. Tonight's five will compete on Sunday for the coveted title: Jill McFatridge, an area reporter from Angus, Scotland; Jeremy Bradbrooke, a general practitioner from Trowbridge, Wiltshire; Michael Billson, a milkman from Oxford; Margaret Spiller, a civil servant from Walton-on-Thames, Surrey; and the winner of last Sunday's semi-final.

The last semi-final is reserved for the four highest-scoring losers in the whole of the first-round programmes. The competition has been intense and the four who made it now compete for the last place in the final. The location is the University of Leicester. John Crippin (teacher) The life and works of Raymond Chandler David Kirkman (teacher) The history of the City of York Christine Hancock (teacher) The English novel, 1870-1970 Keith Scott (chartered accountant) The life and works of Anton Chekhov

The last four outright winners in the first round of this year's competition are in contention for the fourth place in the final. The University of Leicester is the setting. Margaret Spiller (civil servant) Minoan Crete Kevin Ashman (civil servant) World cinema, 1960-1980 Jean Burke (secretary) The plays of William Shakespeare Paul Hancock (police inspector) The works of C.S. Forrester

The University of Leicester is host for the third of this year's semi-finals. Four first-round winners from Darlington, London and Oxford compete. Paul Henderson (Oxfam district organiser) The life and works of Shostakovich Suzannah Harris (pharmacist) The films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Mike Billson (milkman) The life and times of Manfred von Richthofen, 1892-1918 Heinz Spitz (schoolmaster) British theatre, 1945-1975

The great transept of Lincoln Cathedral is the imposing setting for the second semi-final of this year's Mastermind. Four more first-round winners compete for the second place in the final. Georges Renard (postal executive) The French Second Empire, 1852-1870 Jeremy Bradbrooke (general practitioner) The Anglo-American War of 1812-1815 John Chester (data communications manager) The works of Larry Niven Joy Thwaytes (lecturer and writer) The history of the Mary Rose

Tonight Mastermind reaches the semi-final stage. Four of the early first-round winners compete in the imposing setting of the great transept of Lincoln Cathedral. Alistair Hanson (diamond valuator) The life and novels of Thomas Hardy John Sutherland (retired civil servant) The life and times of John Paul Jones , 1747-1792 Jill McFatridge (area reporter) The 'Flashman' novels of George MacDonald Frazer Ian Potts (railway signalman) The life and times of Alexander the Great

Tonight sees the end of the first round of Mastermind 1987. The last place in the semi-finals is at stake as four contenders from the north and east of England compete at the Queen's Hall Arts Centre, Hexham, Northumberland. Jim Hollingsworth (teacher) The life and works of H. G. Wells Jean Burke (secretary) Tsar Nicholas [number removed]-1918 Keith Scott (chartered accountant) Classical music 1600-1950 Stewart Cross (Department store general manager) Italian Renaissance painting

The Queen's Hall Arts Centre at Hexham in Northumberland is the location where four contenders from the north and east of England compete for a place in the semi-finals. John Taylor (headmaster) The life and career of Beniamino Gigli Sandra Pitman (teacher) The life and times of Peter the Great of Russia Richard McLaughlin (writer) The history of professional world-heavyweight boxing Paul Henderson (Oxfam district organiser) Russian music 1860-1960

Four contenders from London compete in the theatre of the Arts Centre at Christ's Hospital, Horsham. Heinz Spitz (schoolmaster) The first Austrian republic, 1918-1938 Anne Fowler (housewife) The life and works of F. Scott Fitzgerald Alistair Kerr (HM Diplomatic Service) The history of Kenya, 1890-1964 David Roberts (solicitor) History of the US Eighth Army Air Force in Europe, 1942-1945

Christ's Hospital, Horsham, is the setting for four contenders from London and the south-east seeking a place in the semi-finals of Mastermind. Gery Bramall (translator) Opera 1780-1930 Jeff Wells (bookmaker) The life and paintings of J. M. W. Turner Suzannah Harris (pharmacist) The life and novels of Nancy Mitford William Bellingham (schoolmaster) Nigeria 1900-1966

The Assembly Rooms, Derby, is the location for tonight's Programme in which, for the first time on Mastermind, a husband and wife appear in direct competition. Malcolm Seymour (British Rail clerk) English theatre 1570-1620 Christine Hancock (teacher) Life and works of Rembrandt Paul Hancock (Police inspector) The life and times of William Pitt the Elder 1708-1778 Michael Lynch (lecturer) Chinese history from 1911

Tonight's four contenders come from the Midlands and compete at the Assembly Rooms, Derby. Pauline Francescon (part-time visiting lecturer) The life and poetry of Andrew Marvell Brian Davenport (retired warrant officer) The life and works of Pushkin 1799-1837 Andrew Harley (library analyst) The life of the Emperor Tiberius 42BC-AD37 Mike Billson (milkman) The American-Indian wars 1860-1890

The University of Kent at Canterbury is the host to this week's four contenders from London and the south of England. Dorothy Middleton (writer and lecturer) Exploration of Africa, 1788-1888 Kevin Ashman (civil servant) Political history of the United States, 1923-1980 Marjorie Huntley (housewife) The novels of Paul Scott Graham Cooke (civil servant) The life and career of Major-General Orde Wingate

Tonight Mastermind celebrates its 250th edition. During the last 15 years nearly 1,000 contenders have sat in the famous black chair 5 to be asked around 36,000 questions. Four more contenders now seek a place in this year's semi-finals in the Gulbenkian Theatre at the University of Kent, Canterbury. Donald MacCarron (publicity executive) The history of powered flight since the Wright brothers Michael O'Sullivan (local government officer) The lives and works of the Strauss family, 1825-1940 Peter Chitty (telephonist) History of the British Secret Service, 1909-1940 Margaret Spiller (civil servant) The life and times of Emperor Nero, AD37-68

Four contenders from London and the south east seek a place in the semi-finals. They are the guests of the Royal Army Educational Corps at Eltham Palace. Denise Latimer-Sayer (retired secretary) The life and poetry of Lord Byron Georges Renard (postal executive) Republican Spain and the Civil War, 1931-39 Alison Kelly (freelance lecturer and writer) The life and work of Thomas Chippendale Colin Edgar (local government valuer) The Falkland Islands, 1750-1982

The Great Hall of Eltham Palace is the historic setting for this week's Mastermind. The Royal Army Educational Corps host four contenders from the south east of England who seek the title of Mastermind 1987. Stanley Todd (retired teacher) Chamber music, 1750-1950 Ann Kelly (housewife) The life and works of Sean O'Casey Marcia King (patchwork designer) History of the White Star shipping line Alistair Hanson (diamond valuator) Life and works of Franz Kafka

Tonight's four contenders all come from the south and west of England and compete in the drama theatre of the College of St Mark and St John, Plymouth. Mira Little (retired) The life and films of Greta Garbo Steve Priestley (House of Commons clerk) Sino-Soviet relations, 1949-1976 Joy Thwaytes (lecturer and writer) John Stow and his survey of London Geoffrey Dearnley (retired headmaster) The life and plays of J.B. Priestley

The College of St Mark and St John, Plymouth, is host to four contenders from the west of England. In the drama theatre they compete in the challenge for Mastermind 1987. Peter Bird (writer) Papua New Guinea, 1965-1975, the decade to independence Joan Bridgman (college lecturer) The life and works of Samuel Beckett Michael Newman (chartered surveyor) English antiques, 1660-1830 Jeremy Bradbrooke (general practitioner) The Franco-Prussian War, 1870-71

From Stockport Grammar School Tonight's four contenders are: Elsie Sadek (retired teacher) The history of Egypt, 1700-1952 Ian Potts (railway signalman) The science fiction works of John Wyndham Frank Crowhurst (Peripatetic teacher) The life and works of Hector Berlioz Rosemary Waugh (commercial and technical assistant) The novels of Evelyn Waugh

Stockport Grammar School, this year celebrating the quincentenary of its foundation, is host to four contenders from the north of England competing for the title Mastermind 1987. Anthony Attree (Catholic priest) The life and works of Antonin Dvorak Yvonne Weir (retired teacher) The Earls of Orkney, 874-1200 David Kirkham (teacher) The history of the German Democratic Republic John Chester (data communications manager) The railways of Greater London

The University of Aberdeen is host as four more contenders from Scotland do friendly battle in the quest to find Mastermind's 1987 champion. John Sutherland (retired civil servant) Admiral Thomas Cochrane , 10th Earl of Dundonald, 1775-1860 Eric Forrester (private investigator) The life and works of Robert Burns Sheila Fleming (schoolteacher) The wild flowers of Scotland George Combe (revenue assistant HM Customs and Excise) Battleships and battle cruisers, 1860-1980

Mastermind is back for its 15th series. The first four of 64 hopeful contenders set out tonight to see who can become Mastermind 1987. The season opens at the University of Aberdeen when contenders from Scotland and Northern Ireland meet to decide who wins the first place in the semi-finals. Jill McFatridge (area reporter to the Children's Panel) The life and times of Ferdinand of Aragon 1452-1516 Gary Fortune (law graduate) Hungarian history 1848-1919 Hilary Frazer (charities advice officer) The history of Belfast 1600-1900 John Crippin (schoolteacher) BBC radio comedy 1947-1967

After months of intense competition, the five finalists out of the original 64 contenders now compete for the coveted title of Mastermind 1988. The MacRobert Arts Centre at the University of Stirling is the setting, and one contender will receive the specially engraved Caithness glass trophy from Paul Fox , Managing Director of BBC Television. The finalists are: Barry McCartney (middle school teacher) The Mutiny on the Bounty and the History of Pitcairn to 1970; Roy Bailey (film producer) The English Civil War, 1642-49; Margaret Fleming (inspector of taxes) The Life and Novels of Virginia Woolf; David Beamish (House of Lords clerk) The Life and Times of Nancy Astor 1879-1964; Philip Gray (planning manager) The History of the Arabs AD200-750

Magnus Magnusson introduces a closer look at the five contenders who have made it to the final of Mastermind 1988. He also talks to past Mastermind champions and members of the Mastermind club, an exclusive club for all those who have undergone the ordeal of the black chair. The final five who will compete on Sunday night for the coveted title are: Roy Bailey Film producer from Great Shefford in Berkshire; Philip Gray Planning manager from Prescott on Merseyside; Margaret Fleming, Inspector of taxes from Brighton; David Beamish, House of Lords clerk from London; And the winner of last week's Semi-final.

Tonight's semi-final is for the four best-scoring losers in the series. They compete at Middlesex Polytechnic for the last place in the final. Eileen Eaves (retired schoolteacher) The Life and Career of David Garrick; Barry McCartney (middle school teacher) The Life and Times of Edward, Prince of Wales until the Abdication; Wendy Forrester (journalist) Shakespeare's Comedies; David Kenrick (business consultant) Operetta and Musical Comedy since 1858

This is the last semi-final for the outright first-round winners. It comes from the New Hall of Middlesex Polytechnic at Trent Park. Mark Turner (barrister) The Life and Times of Edward II (1284-1327); Geoffrey Hutton (retired bank manager) The Russo-Japanese War (1904-5); Pamela Mobsby (sheep farmer) Long Distance Rides and Riding; David Beamish (House of Lords clerk) The British Royal Family (1714-1910)

Middlesex Polytechnic at Trent Park in North London is the setting for this third semi-final. Kevin Perkins (contracts liaison officer) The Novels of Agatha Christie; Tom King (freelance writer) The History of Gardens and Gardeners in Britain (1500-1939); Margaret Fleming (tax inspector) The Smiley Novels of John le Carre; Keith Harrison (schoolteacher) The History of the Roman Empire AD 180-337

St Andrew's College of Education, Bearsden, Glasgow is the location for the second semi-final of this year's series. Mike Rice (freelance journalist) The Life and Novels of Barbara Pym; Alan Foss (actor) The Life and Works of Frank Richards; Philip Gray (planning manager) The History of Roman Britain AD43-367; Adam Bunting (schoolteacher) The Life and Works of Matthew Arnold

Tonight Mastermind reaches the semi-finals. The venue is St Andrew's College of Education, Bearsden, Glasgow. Henry Boettinger (consultant and author) The life and work of Thomas Edison; Kenneth Gray (retired schoolmaster) The life and works of Rachmaninov; Steve Hall (civil servant) The life and works of Mark Twain; Roy Bailey (film producer) The Poldark novels of Winston Graham

Mastermind reaches the end of the first stage in this year's series, with four contenders competing for the last place in the semi-finals. The location is the Great Hall of the University of Leeds. Brian John (civil servant) The life and works of W.B. Yeats; Judith Dutton (dealer in maritime books) The life and times of Socrates 469-399BC; Mark Turner (barrister) The life and works of William Walton; Michael Palfrey (schoolteacher) Fantastic literature from Washington Irving to Tolkien

with Magnus Magnusson at the Great Hall of the University of Leeds Geoffrey Hutton (retired bank manager) The American Civil War; Christine Moorcroft (advisory teacher) The life and work of Vincent Van Gogh; Martin Wyatt (statistician) The life and stories of Edgar Allan Poe; Graham Preston (accountant and book-keeper) The history of South Africa, 1910-61

The Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop in Hampshire is the setting for tonight's competition between four contenders from the south of England. David Simms (professional tennis coach) The history of lawn tennis; Margaret Fleming (inspector of taxes) The novels of Virginia Woolf; Colin Moffat (computer systems analyst) The history of Finland, 1809-1917; Stuart Greenman (researcher and lecturer) The life and times of Beau Brummell , 1778-1840

Tonight's programme comes from the Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop in Hampshire. Set among the impressive exhibits of this new museum, four contenders from the south of England compete for a place in the semi-finals. Wendy Forrester (journalist) The life and works of C.S; Lewis Kevin Perkins (contracts liaison officer) The life and reign of Ivan the Terrible; Alison Baker (concert pianist) The life and works of Franz Liszt; Derek Wallace (senior research scientist) The life and reign of James VI of Scotland

Four contenders from the Midlands and east of England are competing in the Great Hall of Bedford School. Jasmin Schelts (registered child minder) History of English costume 1789-1945; Bryan Pope (retired schoolteacher) Portuguese explorations and discoveries 1415-1815; Paul Hammet Lebrun (general practitioner) History of mathematics; Tom King (freelance writer) The lives and films of Laurel and Hardy

Bedford School is host to four contenders seeking the title of Mastermind 1988. Keith Harrison (schoolteacher) The life, times and novels of Benjamin Disraeli Eileen Eaves (retired schoolteacher) The life and career of Sarah Siddons Hadrian Jeffs (former civil servant) The history of the airship from 1846 Michael Grosvenor Myer (writer and critic) British traditional folksong

Colchester Castle is again the setting for four contenders from London and the South East, who compete in the impressive museum in the keep of the castle. David Beamish (House of Lords clerk) The life of Nancy Astor Sarah Batchelor (assistant librarian) The life and music of Kurt Weill Barry McCartney (middle-school teacher) The British home front in the Second World War Michael Taylor (lecturer) The life and times of Queen Alexandra 1844-1925

Four contenders compete in the historic surroundings of the keep of Colchester Castle. Tom Billson (county cricket scorer) The life and career of Woody Herman Pamela Mobsby (sheep farmer) The life and works of Victoria Sackville-West Piers Hartland-Swann (banker) The novels of Charles Dickens Judi Burnell (Research trust administrator) The history of Poland 1600-1939

Four contenders from London and the South East seek a place in the semi-finals of Mastermind 1988. They are the guests of Hatfield Polytechnic in Hertfordshire. John Rook (lecturer) European history 1815-1914 Susanna Martelli (wine bar manager) The novels and short stories of J. D. Salinger Howard Pizzey (finance officer) pop music 1955-79 Alan Foss (actor) The life and works of P. G. Wodehouse

The Great Hall of Hatfield Polytechnic is the setting for this week's Mastermind which involves four contenders from London and the south east. Roy Bailey (film producer) The life and times of John Hampden 1594-1643 Mary Hunt (retired nursing auxiliary) Silent films of the 1920s Helen Poole (housewife and freelance writer) The history of Hertfordshire 1360-1660 Christopher Gifford (bank officer) The life and times of Woodrow Wilson 1856-1924

with Magnus Magnusson from St George's School for Girls, Edinburgh Ewen Macpherson (retired lecturer) The history of the Highland Railway 1854-1923 Vicki Graham (administrator) French impressionist painters 1865-85 Tony Kelly (silversmith) The history of gold and silversmithing Adam Bunting (teacher) The wines of France

St George 's School for Girls, Edinburgh, this year celebrating its centenary, is host to four contenders competing for the title Mastermind 1988 Sandy Macpherson (chartered surveyor) The life and works of Eric Linklater Edward Cadden (civil servant) British civil aircraft since 1919 Kenneth Gray (retired schoolmaster) Pianists and piano music 1800-1930 Bill Taggart (clothing manufacturer) The history of British canals 1759-1948

with Magnus Magnusson at the University of Liverpool Alan Roberts (trainee licensee) Orchestral music 1830-1950 Alastair Finch (general practitioner) The films of Cary Grant Anne Hegerty (freelance journalist) The life and works of Lorenz Hart Steve Hall (civil servant) The life and works of Saki

The University of Liverpool is host to four contenders from the north west of England who compete for a place in the semi-finals. Philip Wilson (computer system administrator) The life and career of Kathleen Ferrier Hilary Carlisle (general practitioner) The life and regency novels of Georgette Heyer David Kenrick (business consultant) The life and times of Neville Chamberlain Philip Gray (planning manager) The history of the Arabs, AD 200-750

The University of Exeter is host as four more contenders do battle to find Mastermind's 1988 champion John Ingram (unemployed sales administrator) The life and works of Tolstoy Stan Knight (retired aircraft engineer) The coinage of Roman Britain David Lapham (prison officer) The Imperial Japanese Navy 1865-1945 Henry Boettinger (consultant and author) The life and work of Alexander Graham Bell

Mastermind is back with the first of this year's 64 contenders, who tonight set out to see who can become 'Mastermind 1988'. The season opens at the University of Exeter when the first four of the contenders from the west and south of England meet in the Great Hall to decide who wins the first place in the semi-finals. Julian Loring (school bursar) - The life and career of Admiral of the Fleet, the Earl of St Vincent Mildred Pugsley (retired nurse teacher) - The British Thoroughbred Mike Rice (freelance journalist) - The history of the Duchy of Burgundy 1363-1477 Chris Hudson (clergyman) - The life and times of Dunstan 909-988

The Final with Magnus Magnusson from the University of Warwick Who will be Mastermind Champion 1989? That question is answered tonight in what promises to be a fiercely fought final. Mastermind has travelled the length and breadth of the country, testing the nerve and knowledge of 64 contenders. Only the final five remain: Tom Bean (farmer) Life and Works of Edward Lear; Myra Knight (housewife) City of Glasgow from earliest times; Mary Elizabeth Raw (veterinary surgeon) Life and Reign of Charles I; GUI Doubleday (civil servant) Life and Works of John Bunyan; Dick Jones (policy research officer) History of the Conservative Party (1832-1940)

For 17 years Boswell Taylor has supervised, co-ordinated and edited all the specialist questions for Mastermind yet he denies that he's the fount of all knowledge that some might believe. There are five people who'd like to know what he's set them for the final. They are only one step away from taking home the Caithness bowl, the coveted Mastermind Trophy. How are they preparing for their final? And how does Boswell find the questions?

with Magnus Magnusson The last semi-final from the Speech Room, Harrow School. There is only one place left in the final, and it will be taken by one of the 'best of the runners-up'. Mary Gibson (medical librarian) The Life and Children's Classics of A. A. Milne; Wayne Stainthorpe (steelworks crane driver) Trees of Britain; Gill Doubleday (civil servant) The Life and Dramatic Works of Lorca; Michael Weir (civil servant) The Life and Music of Bob Dylan

with Magnus Magnusson from the Speech Room. Harrow School. The fourth semi-final and four more contenders hoping to secure a place in the final. Roger Woods (farmer) The Cornish Mining Industry; Dick Jones (policy research officer) The Life and Works of Claude Debussy; Peter North(management consultant) The Second Punic War 218-201 BC; Robert Sutherland (systems analyst) The Life and Works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau

with Magnus Magnusson from the Speech Room, Harrow School. The third semi-final with fourmore hopeful contenders. Malcolm Robertson (composer) Life and works of Ralph Vaughan Williams; Anthony Simpson (company director) History of the House of Rothschild; Ron Wood (clergyman) Greek Mythology; Tom Bean (farmer) Life and Novels of Anthony Trollope

with Magnus Magnusson from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. The second semi-final, and four more contenders are hoping to secure a place in the final. William Donnelly (smallholder) Life and Short Stories of H. G. Wells; Myra Knight (housewife) Duke and Duchess of Windsor; Bob Haigh (computer systems programmer) City of Norwich from earliest times; Dawn Tozer (teacher) Songs of Schubert

with Magnus Magnusson from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. The first of the semi-finals with four formidable contenders hoping to receive a place in the final. Mary Elizabeth Raw (veterinary surgeon) Life of Albert, Prince Consort; Geoffrey Martyn (chartered surveyor) Life and Films of Walt Disney; Ian Verber (hospital doctor) Geography of the National Parks of England and Wales; Richard Oates (senior lecturer) History of Spain, 1556-1812

with Magnus Magnusson from the Museum of Army Transport, Beverley. The four contenders for the last semi-final place are: Peter North (management consultant) British Butterflies; Peter Turton (retired civil servant) Astronomy of the Solar System; Averil MacLachlan (civil servant) The Life and Films of Woody Allen; Michael Powell (schoolteacher) The Third French Republic from 1870-1914

with Magnus Magnusson from the Museum of Army Transport, Beverley. Halfway through the 17th series, Mastermind reaches its 300th edition. Ian Sutton (accountant) Wines of Europe; Jane Mansergh (museum curator) The English Detective Story from 1794; Anthony Simpson (company director) Development of Nuclear Power; Ralph Fenton (househusband) Life and Career ofW.G. Grace

with Magnus Magnusson from the Royal College of Music David Carroll (electrician) Wars of the Roses; Charles Tod (retired bookseller) European Torpedo Boats and Destroyers to 1945; Robert Sutherland (systems analyst) Life and Works of F. M. Dostoevsky; Sally Branston (temporary secretary) History of Mexico, 1519-1910

with Magnus Magnusson from the Royal College of Music. Four more contestants compete for a place in the semi-final. Anne Miller (assistant library manager) Life and Works of Lewis Carroll, 1832-98; David McDonnell (police officer) History of Roman Britain AD 200-500; Richard Jones (policy research officer) History of the Conservative Party 1832-1914; Raymond Kahn (schoolmaster) The Savoy Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan

with Magnus Magnusson from the Cheltenham Ladies' College Tom Bean (farmer) History of the Commonwealth and Protectorate 1649-60; Julie Tedds (knitwear designer) The Life and Work of Gene Kelly; Eric Gamble (retired schoolmaster) The French Revolution; Philip Salt (quality controller) The Life and Music of Jean Sibelius

with Magnus Magnusson from the Cheltenham Ladies' College Richard Harris (insurance official) History of Communism in Eastern Europe from 1935; Gill Reid (housewife) The Life and Times of Dorothy Wordsworth; Roger Woods (farmer) The Life and Work of Isambard Kingdom Brunel; Arthur Scruton (retired civil servant) The History of Cheltenham from Roman Times

with Magnus Magnusson from Queen Mary College, University of London. Four more contestants take up the challenge. Christopher Mann (author and publisher) The Life and Campaigns of Field Marshal Montgomery of Alamein; Barbara O'Meara (housewife) The Novels of Iris Murdoch; Malcolm Robertson (composer) The Music of Aaron Copland; Gill Doubleday (civil servant) The Works of John Bunyan.

with Magnus Magnusson from Queen Mary College, University of London. The spotlight is on four more contestants aspiring to be the 1989 champion. Peter Shirtcliffe (ship's cook) World Heavyweight Championship Fights from 1960; Richard Oates (schoolteacher) Boys' Public Schools of England; Julie Speedie (antiquarian book dealer) The Life and Works of Oscar Wilde; Padraig Kirby (chief accountant) The History of Ireland, 1600-1920.

with Magnus Magnusson from Redbridge Community School, Southampton. Four southerners compete for a semi-final place as the search continues for the Mastermind champion. The hopefuls in the spotlight are: Philip Gartside (chartered accountant) The Sherlock Holmes Stories; Dawn Tozer (teacher) The Life and Works of Gwen John , 1876-1939; Mary Gibson (medical librarian) The Life of Mary Henrietta Kingsley, 1862-1900; Robert Wells (administration manager) The Life and and Works of Laurence Sterne.

with Magnus Magnusson from Redbridge Community School, Southampton. This week's contenders: Ian Verber (hospital doctor) The Life and Works of George Orwell; Hilary Potts (violin teacher) The Life and Works of Benjamin Britten; Duncan Holloway (company director) Alexander the Great; Edwin Barnes (theological college principal) The Life and Poetry of William Bames.

with Magnus Magnusson from University of Glasgow. John Fleming (social worker) Scottish Wars of Independence, 1292-1330; William Donnelly (smallholder) Life and Travels of Marco Polo; Sheila McMillan (housewife) Life and Reign of Henry VI; John Hudson (engineering storeman) City of Istanbul

with Magnus Magnusson from the University of Glasgow. This week four Scottish contestants compete for a semi-final place. Michael Weir (civil servant) History of Golf at St Andrews from 1754; Graham Clayton (corrosion engineer) Naval Actions of the First World War; Myra Knight (housewife) City of Glasgow from 1700; John Crichton (primary head teacher) The Life and Work of A. S. Neill.

with Magnus Magnusson from the University of Salford. Four people with a common aim - to be the 1989 Mastermind Champion. This week's heat is once again from the north of England. Bob Haigh (computer systems programmer) Mammals of the British Isles. Wayne Cassar (student) Irish Mythology. Rosemary Richards (factory machinist) Life and Reign of Henry VIII. Philip Wharmby (clerical officer) Foundation Novels of Isaac Asimov.

with Magnus Magnusson from the University of Salford. The search for the 1989 Mastermind champion moves to the north of England where four more hopefuls are in the spotlight. Myra Marsh (retired teacher) History of Manchester from 1750; Geoffrey Martyn (chartered surveyor) The Life and Films of Errol Flynn; Dave Perkins (tourism officer) Geography and History of Nepal from 1766; Linda Morris (librarian) History of the P and O Shipping Line.

with Magnus Magnusson from the University College of Swansea. This week four contenders from the South and West are in the hot seat. John Noel Banfield (retired MOD scientist) The Symphony Orchestra from 1700; Ron Wood (clergyman) Ancient Egypt, 3400-30 BC; Briony Mann (senior drawing office assistant) Classical Ballet in Europe, 1909-75; Michael Giddings (systems consultant) The Life and Work of Lord Rutherford

Who will be Mastermind Champion 1989? That is the question. Hoping to have all the answers are the 64 contenders in this year's series The University College of Swansea is where the first four competitors will be demonstrating their knowledge and nerve. Jerold James Gordon (classical composer) Opera Since 1918; Timothy Brain (police inspector). British Political History 1714-1815; Wayne Stainthorpe (steelworks crane driver) Family Anatidae: Swans, Geese, Ducks of Britain and Europe; Mary-Elizabeth Raw (veterinary surgeon) The Life and Reign of Charles I

The climax of the 1990 series from the City Chambers, Glasgow, when the winner will receive the coveted Mastermind trophy from Jonathan Powell , Controller BBC1. The finalists are: Brian Bibby (civil servant) on the life and operas of Verdi; Helen Grayson (technical writer) on the life and works of Mary Wollstonecraft ; David Edwards (teacher) on the life and works of James Clerk Maxwell ; Paul Webbewood (civil servant) on the history of the British Labour Party since 1900; Chantal Thompson (trainee solicitor) on the life and works of Marcus Tullius Cicero. Presented by Magnus Magnusson.

The last semi-final is for the four highest-scoring losers. Tonight's contenders: Stephen Burgess (leading steward. Royal Navy) on the history of the Royal Navy, 1756-1815; Mary Rattle (housewife) on the life and works of Beethoven;Frank Rogers (teacher) on 15thand 16th-century voyages of discovery; David Edwards (teacher) on the life and work of Benjamin Thompson , Count Rumford. With Magnus Magnusson from the University of Essex, Colchester.

In tonight's fourth semi-final are David Steele (local government accountant) on the life and career of President Truman; Paul Webbewood (civil servant) on the life and career of Oliver Cromwell , 1599-1658; Dave Ross (welfare rights worker) on European political history, 1870-1945; Bernard Howell (civil servant) on the novels of William Golding. With Magnus Magnusson at the University of Essex, Colchester.

The contenders in tonight's third semi-final are: Bruce Watson (antique furniture restorer) Life and works of James Brindley; Helen Grayson (technical writer) Novels of Kurt Vonnegut; Michael Clark (plant and tool assistant) Life and reign of Louis XIV (1638-1715); Allan Draycott (part-time lecturer) History of test cricket since 1877. With Magnus Magnusson from the Whitworth Hall at the University of Manchester.

The contenders in tonight's second semi-final are: Brian Bibby (civil servant) History of the Belgian Royal Family; Isobel Osmont (wife and mother) Life and times of Simon Bolivar; Patrick Welch (retired lecturer) Life and times of H H Asquith; Philip Atkinson (media director) The Dance to the Music of Time novels of Anthony Powell. With Magnus Magnusson from the Whitworth Hall at the University of Manchester.

The contenders in tonight's semi-final are: Chantal Thompson (trainee solicitor) Life and career of Montrose 1612-50; Hamish Cameron (computer manager) Life and times of Edward IV; Ian Mallinson (retired schoolmaster) Life and reign of Akbar 1542-1605; Hilary Forrest (teacher) Archaeology of Wessex 2500 BC-AD 43. With Magnus Magnusson from Whitworth Hall at the University of Manchester.

The contenders tonight are: James Moore (freelance writer) British-American musical theatre, 1915-35; Andrew Pantin (civil servant) Life and works of Christopher Isherwood; Brian Daugherty (post-graduate student) History of 20th-century astronomy; David Steele (local government accountant) Life and career of David Lloyd George. The last place in the semi-finals is at stake. With Magnus Magnusson from the Firth Hall at the University of Sheffield.

The contenders tonight are: Dave Ross (welfare rights worker) History of British football from 1863; Josephine Levine (cosmetic consultant) The novels of Evelyn Waugh; Kenneth Goodridge (retired bank official) Life and work of George Stephenson; Mike Humphrey (publicity co-ordinator) Life and times of Thomas Paine. Magnus Magnusson interrogates them on their specialised subjects and general knowledge at the Firth Hall at the University of Sheffield.

Tonight's contenders are: John Flashman (civil servant) Life and works of John Constable; Gavin Hyde (lock keeper) Life and works of Henry Williamson; Paul Webbewood (civil servant) History of the British Labour Party from 1900; John Lloyd (conference interpreter) Russian History, 1861-1917. With Magnus Magnusson , from the Institution of Electrical Engineers, Savoy Hill , London.

The contenders tonight are: Bernard Howell (civil servant) Life and music of Frederick Delius; James Palmer (retired university lecturer) History of British aviation, 1909-60; Elizabeth Mailer (university librarian) The women's suffrage movement in Britain, 1867-1918; Frank Rogers (teacher) 19th-century Irish history. The Institution of Electrical Engineers on Savoy Hill in London is the setting for this week's programme, in the building in which the BBC established regular broadcasting in 1923. With Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's contenders are: James Alexander (student psychiatric nurse) 20th-century European drama; Margaret Thomas (housewife) The life and reign of Queen Victoria; Alan Drury (salesman) History of London and South Western Railway, 1838-1923; Bruce Watson (restorer of antique furniture) History of English furniture, 1660-1830. From Aston University in Birmingham, with Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's contenders are: Peter Hooper (immigration officer): British and American musical theatre since 1945; David Edwards (schoolteacher): Life and work of Michael Faraday ; Mary Rattle (housewife): Life and Shropshire novels of Mary Webb; Allan Draycott(part-time lecturer): British politics since 1900. With Magnus Magnusson, from the Great Hall of Aston University.

From the Great Hall, Winchester. Four contenders from the south of England and the Channel Islands compete for a place in the semi-finals. Maurice McGrave (reference librarian) The science fiction of Brian Aldiss; Isobel Osmont (wife/mother) The German occupation of the Channel Islands, 1940-5; rian Sims (retired lecturer) The life and works of Ravel; Paul Bradley (cartographic draughtsman) Geography of Australia. With Magnus Magnusson.

Four contenders from the south of England and the Channel Islands are competing for a place in the semi-finals, in the dramatic setting of the Great Hall at Winchester. Maurice McGrave (reference librarian) The science fiction of Brian Aldiss; Isobel Osmont (wife/mother) The German occupation of the Channel Islands. 1940-5; Brian Sims (retired lecturer) The life and works of Ravel; Paul Bradley (cartographic draughtsman) Geography of Australia. With Magnus Magnusson.

The Metropolitan Police Cadet school at Hendon is again the venue where four contenders take their chance in the quest for the title 'Mastermind 1990'. Kate Taylor (freelance writer) The life and Swallows and Amazons books of Arthur Ransome; David Coombs (chartered accountant) The geography of Continental USA; Robert Fromow (guide lecturer) The life and works of Thomas Gainsborough; Brian Bibby (civil servant)The life and operas of Verdi. With Magnus Magnusson.

Four contenders from London and the south of England compete in the Peel Centre at the Metropolitan Police Cadet School at Hendon for a place in the semi-finals. Julia McAllister (conference producer) The Campion novels of Margery Allingham; Patrick Welch (retired lecturer) The life and times of Sir Robert Peel; Janet Brooman (bookseller) The life and career of Laurence Olivier; James Macrae (project management consultant) The travels of Eric Newby. With Magnus Magnusson.

From the University of St Andrews with Magnus Magnusson. The four contenders are: Philip Atkinson (media director) The life and career of Lyndon Baines Johnson; John Mottram (retired chartered surveyor) Forestry in Great Britain; Alison Bell (public relations officer) The life and writings of Karen Blixen ; Fergus Tickell (forest manager) The life and works of Brian O'Nolan.

With Magnus Magnusson. St Andrews University, Scotland's oldest, is the setting for tonight's heat of Mastermind, when four contenders, all living in Scotland, compete for a place in the semi-finals. Hamish Cameron (computer manager), whose specialist subject is the Stewart kingdom of Scotland, 1371-1603; Lydia Skinner (principal teacher) - the lives and writings of Somerville and Ross; David Smith (consultant surgeon) - the life and missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul; David Henderson (part-time college lecturer) - the Para Handy tales and Glasgow stories of Neil Munro.

With Magnus Magnusson. Four contenders from Wales and the west of England compete at the Victoria Rooms, University of Bristol. Margaret Withers (retired architect) The life and work of Sir Edwin Lutyens; Perry Thomas (executive officer) Horror films, 1930-49; Stephen Burgess (leading steward in the Royal Navy) British military campaigns on land, 1688-1763; Chantal Thompson (trainee solicitor) The life and works of James Elroy Flecker.

With Magnus Magnusson from the University of Bristol, where four more hopefuls are in the spotlight at the Victoria Rooms. Ian Mallinson (retired schoolmaster) Life and work of Antoine Lavoisier , 1743-94; Graham Sleep (smallholder and part-time farmer) Battles fought on English soil, 1066-1685; Pam Stringer (retired headmistress) Poems of T.S.Eliot; Peter McGowan (building society clerk) History of brass bands.

With Magnus Magnusson from the University of Lancaster. Four contenders from the North of England compete for a place in the semi-finals. Dave Williams (teacher) 'Epic' historical novels of James A. Michener; Peter Castree (computer systems engineer) History of Russia, 980-1613; Robert Barnard (crime writer) Mature operas of Donizetti; Helen Grayson (technical writer) Life and work of Mary Wollstonecraft, 1759-97.

With Magnus Magnusson from the University of Lancaster's Great Hall. Mastermind is back for its 18th series with the first of this year's 64 contenders for the title Mastermind 1990. Who will win the, first place in the semi-finals? Anthony Wilkinson (police officer) Roman conquest of Gaul, 58-50 BC; Arfor Wyn Hughes (art teacher) Impressionist and postimpressionist painting, 1830-1914; Hilary Forrest (teacher) Life in the English country house, 1550-1830; Jack Clark (retired chief copytaker) Diary of Samuel Pepys , 1660-1669.

Magnus Magnusson faces the four finalists competing for the coveted title of Mastermind 1991 at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Finalists: Andrew Francis (lecturer) Erwin Rommel ; Kate Ford (librarian) Frank Lloyd Wright ; Trevor Brown (retired bank official) the films of John Ford; Stephen Allen (actor) Sir Francis Drake. The winner will receive the trophy from Will Wyatt , the BBC's Managing Director of Network Television.

The last place in the final is at stake when Magnus Magnusson interrogates the four highest scoring runners-up at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. Contestants: Indrani Hettiaratchi (music teacher) - Vera Brittain; Linden Adams (teacher) - Sir Arthur Sullivan; Dave Burnham (local government officer) - Adolf Hitler; and either Ashis Banerjee (medical practitioner), Alan Colby (local government officer) or Andrew Francis (lecturer).

The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, is the setting where Magnus Magnusson asks the questions of four more semi-finalists: Howard Dolan (assistant director, CBI) British and American military and naval aircraft, 1939-51; Kenneth Barr (supply teacher) Ed Murrow ; Patricia Pay (assistant land registrar) Nabokov; Trevor Brown (retired bank official) Hollywood musicals, 1933-58.

The second place in the final is at stake when four more semi-finalists face Magnus Magnusson in the McEwan Hall at the University of Edinburgh. Contestants: Jim Maginnis (Royal Air Force officer) history of Belfast, 1690-1960; Roderick Diggins (temporary accounts clerk) life and work of Sir Christopher Wren ; Kate Ford (librarian) life and Hornblower novels of C S Forester; Donald Yule (pensions administrator) Jacobite rising of 1745.

Magnus Magnusson questions the first four semi-finalists in the McEwan Hall at the University of Edinburgh. Contestants: Stephen Allen (actor) Dartmoor; Stephanie Brooke (administrative assistant) Shakespeare's history plays; Ian Sadler (computer analyst) Johann Sebastian Bach ; Richard Francis (lecturer) Paris

From the Great Hall of the City Hall, Belfast, Magnus Magnusson questions: John Ross (chartered librarian) Field Marshal Lord Allenby; Cicely Anderson (retired teacher) Venetian art, 1450-1600; Kenneth Barr (supply teacher) The Third Reich, 1933-45; John Gourlay (lecturer) the history of Scotland, 1058-1329.

From Belfast's City Hall, Magnus Magnusson quizzes Andrew Vaughan (teacher) - life and poetry of Seamus Heaney ; Rosaleen Lavery (customs and excise officer) - 18th-century British pottery and porcelain; Alan Friezer (retired schoolmaster) - history of chemistry until 1915; Howard Dolan (assistant director, CBI) - life and times of Franklin D Roosevelt.

From the Great Hall of the University of Nottingham with Magnus Magnusson. Contestants: Alan Parish (teacher) geography of New Zealand; Barbara Gordon-Jones (voluntary arts worker) life and works of James Thurber ; Trevor Brown (retired bank official) the films of John Ford; Michael McHugh (community development worker) English poetry of the 20th century.

Magnus Magnusson with four more contenders, in the Great Hall of the University of Nottingham. Contestants: Richard Francis (university lecturer) life and career of Mahatma Gandhi; Ashis Banerjee (medical practitioner) Cuba, 1492-1989; Chris Gonet (computer consultant) the lives and films of the Marx Brothers; Ernest Price (retired teacher) life and work of Charles Darwin.

Magnus Magnusson with four more contenders in the Meeting House Chapel at the University of Sussex, Brighton. Contestants: Donald Yule (pensions administration specialist) life and works of Thomas Telford ; Tina Rath (company secretary) the vampire in popular English fiction, 1819-1989; David Bolton (solicitor's manager) Gloucester Cathedral; Peter Bacos (administrator) life and works of George Bernard Shaw. Director Andrea Conway Producer Peter Massey

Magnus Magnusson with four more contenders in the Meeting House Chapel at the University of Sussex, Brighton. Contestants: Colin Harnett (civil servant) life and ghost stories of M R James; Martin Andrew (conservation officer) Norman architecture in England, 1050-1180; Patricia Cowley (consultant editor) Hollywood films, 1930-50; Jim Maginnis (RAF officer) RAF Bomber Command, 1939-45.

Magnus Magnusson tests four more contestants in the Debating Chamber of the Oxford Union Society. Contestants: Michael Schwarz (editor) Formula 1 motor racing world championship since 1950; Kate Ford (librarian) life and work of Frank Lloyd Wright; James Tudor (industrial librarian) life and operas of Richard Wagner; Steven Brindle (architectural historian) English Victorian architecture.

Magnus Magnusson tests four more contenders in the Debating Chamber of the Oxford Union Society. Contestants: David Watts (Royal Navy officer) Elizabethan theatre; Indrani Hettiaratchi (teacher) life and works of Frederic Chopin; Roderick Diggins (clerk) English royal palaces, 9th century to 1912; Alan Colby (local government officer) life and works of Francois Truffaut.

Magnus Magnusson questions four contenders from the north of England in the Academy Room at Stonyhurst College. Contestants: Dave Burnham (local government officer) heroic age of Antarctic exploration 1897-1922; Linden Adams (teacher) life and works of Barbara Pym; Stephen Allen (actor) life and reign of Henry VII; Andrew Francis (lecturer) life and career of Erwin Rommell.

Magnus Magnusson interrogates four more contenders for the title of Mastermind 1991. The black chair is to be found this week in the Academy Room at Stonyhurst College, Preston. Contestants: David Renshaw (civil servant) life and novels of Thomas Hardy; Stephanie Brooke (administrative assistant) life and works of Puccini; Paul Gradwell (credit controller) life and films of W C Fields; Jane Trevor (pre-school day care adviser) life and reign of Richard III.

Four contenders face Magnus Magnusson to answer questions on their specialised subjects and general knowledge. From the Great Hall of the University of Exeter. Contestants: Andy Taggart (teacher) history of the Balkans 1774-1923; Patricia Pay (assistant land registrar) life and works of Tolstoy; Ralph Kite (freelance researcher) land weapons 1900-75; Jeremy Parrott (lecturer) 20th-century fiction publication in Britain.

Magnus Magnusson returns to interrogate the first four contenders for the title of Mastermind 1991. The black chair is to be found this week in the Great Hall of the University of Exeter. Contestants: James Fane-Gladwin (executive search consultant) Benedictine Order to 1532; Robin Rhoderick-Jones (retired soldier) The Archers; Christine Roderick (mature student) life and works of George Eliot ; Ian Sadler (computer analyst) British battleships, 1860-1956.

The four finalists, with their specialist subjects, are: Peter Todd (carpenter), the life and reign of King Alfred; Steve Williams (computer programmer), pre-Socratic philosophy; Glen Binnie (environmental health officer), the American civil war; Richard Ford (company director), the life and films of Kurosawa. Magnus Magnusson puts the questions in the Great Hall of the University of Birmingham, and author P D James will present the trophy to the winner of Mastermind 1992.

In the last semi-final, the specialist subjects are: the British submarine; the history of the Derby; English heraldry; and the history of the First World War. With Magnus Magnusson.

In the third semi-final, the specialist subjects are: the life and career of Clement Attlee ; the animated cartoons of Warner Bros; the life and Barchester Chronicles of Anthony Trollope ; the life and reign of Mehmed the Conqueror. With Magnus Magnusson.

In the second semi-final, the specialist subjects are: the life and novels of Gore Vidal ; the history of European fashion since 1750; the life and career of James Craig , Viscount Craigavon ; the life and reign of Henry II. With Magnus Magnusson.

In the first semi-final, the specialist subjects are: the life and reign of Peter the Great, the islands of Bermuda, the life and Miss Marple stories of Agatha Christie , and the life and novels of Henry James. With Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's specialist subjects, in the last of the heats, are the life and career of Admiral Lord Fisher ; the life and works of George Orwell ; the life and career of William the Silent, Prince of Orange; the life and works of Liszt. With Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's specialist subjects: the life and works of Erik Satie ; the life and career of Air Chief Marshal, Lord Dowding; the life and "William" books of Richmal Crompton ; the life and reign of Genghis Khan. With Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's specialist subjects: the fife and career of Leon Trotsky ; the life and reign of King Richard II; the life and Chalet School novels of Elinor Brent- Dyer; the German Army 1933-45. With Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's specialist subjects are the silent cinema in Europe; the life and reign of King Stephen; the life and works of Raymond Chandler ; and the life and career of Sir John Hawkwood. Magnus Magnusson puts the questions at the University of Leeds.

Tonight's specialist subjects are the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Second World War; the architecture of Cambridge; Stuart kings and queens, 1603-1714; the life and career of Martin Luther. Magnus Magnusson put the questions in the King's School, Worcester.

Tonight's specialist subjects are the life and works of Dr Samuel Johnson ; the history of Leicester; the history of cycling; and surrealist art between the wars. Magnus Magnusson puts the questions in the King's School, Worcester.

Tonight's specialist subjects are the life and films of Fellini, the River Thames from source to Tower Bridge, the life and work of Sir Patrick Geddes, and the life and reign of George II. Magnus Magnusson puts the questions in the church of the Historic Dockyard, Chatham.

Tonight's specialist subjects are: the life and reign of Ludwig II of Bavaria; the life and plays of Ibsen; the life and career of Eleanor of Aquitaine; and the history of the Liberal party since 1945. Magnus Magnusson asks the questions in the church of Chatham's historic dockyard.

Specialist subjects tonight are the life and reign of Mary Queen of Scots, the life and plays of Lillian Hellman , the life of St Cuthbert and the life and career of Aneurin Bevan. Magnus Magnusson questions the contenders in the Conference Auditorium Centre at the University of Leeds.

Magnus Magnusson questions four more contenders at the University of Leeds. Their specialist subjects are the history of the Percy family 1377-1865, the life and works of G F Handel, the life and work of Charles Rennie Macintosh , and the vice presidents of the US.

Magnus Magnusson questions four more contenders in the Great Hall of the University of Reading. Their specialist subjects are the life and works of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, British freshwater fish, the history of the flute and its music, and Soviet Russian literature 1917-77.

As Mastermind celebrates its 20th anniversary, Magnus Magnusson questions this year's first contenders in the Great Hall, University of Reading: Alice Hobbs (teacher), children's literature since 1850; Christopher Wright (retired despatch clerk), Second World War in Asia and the Pacific; Jacqueline Pearce (information technology specialist), Greek mythology and heroic legend; Michael Forder (freelance editor and proofreader), life and works of Louis Armstrong.

The four finalists are: Gavin Fuller - specialist subject, the Crusades(1095-1154); David Tombs - the modern Olympic Games; Glenys Davies - the life and reign of Napoleon III ; Barrie Douce - the French Indo-China War (1945-54). Magnus Magnusson puts the questions in the Commonwealth Institute in Kensington, London.

The fourth of the semi-finals comes from Bath, where the specialist subjects are: the Beatles; C S Lewis; the solar system; and Frederick Delius. With Magnus Magnusson.

The third of the semi-finals comes from Bath, where the specialist subjects are: German armoured fighting vehicles, 1939-45; Californian gold rush; Brunei; and model railways in Great Britain, 1920-90. With Magnus Magnusson.

Second semi-final from the University of Huddersfield, where the subjects are: Damon Runyan ; the fall of the Western Roman Empire, AD 375-476; the Manhattan Project; and Joseph Chamberlain. With Magnus Magnusson.

The first semi-final from Huddersfield, where the subjects are: P D James, the Napoleonic Wars, the Cornish china clay industry from 1745; and the medieval castle in the British Isles, 1050-1500. With Magnus Magnusson.

From the Barons' Hall, Arundel Castle, where the subjects are: Shelley; Test cricket - England v Australia 1920-38; the siege of Paris 1870-71; the Romanov dynasty 1613-1918.

From the Barons' Hall at Arundel Castle, where the subjects are Edward VII, Hector Berlioz, City of London churches and Wilfred Owen.

From the University of Strathclyde, where the subjects are Golda Meir; Sir Edward Elgar ; the Waterloo Campaign 1815, and the Kings of Israel and Judah. With Magnus Magnusson.

From the University of Strathclyde where tonight's subjects are: the Grand National; Slavonic languages since 1700; Dante; and the City of Chester from Roman times. With Magnus Magnusson

From Rugby School. Tonight's subjects are: fantasy and science fiction, 1960-90; railways in Yorkshire; the life and works of AJ Munnings ; the life and career of Stanley Baldwin.

From Rugby School. Tonight's specialist subjects are: Malcolm X; the canals of England and Wales; Joseph Conrad ; and the Great Northern Railway.

From Arundel Castle in West Sussex. Magnus Magnusson questions four more contenders with specialist subjects: the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy, 1867-1918; Lord Macaulay; Dervla Murphy ; railway signalling in Britain, 1830-1947.

From Arundel Castle, West Sussex. Specialist subjects: Charles II; British athletics since 1945; Gerard Manley Hopkins; Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Magnus Magnusson returns to the University of Strathclyde to quiz four more contenders

Magnus Magnusson travels to the University of Strathclyde to put more general knowledge questions to another four contenders whose specialist subjects are: the Border Reivers, 1500-1625; the Russo-German War, 1941-5; Lady Murasaki and the Tale of Genji; and Sir Thomas More

Magnus Magnusson in Bangor puts more questions to another four contenders whose specialist subjects are: the life of Otto von Bismarck; the history of the Rose 1500-1850; British feminists 1759-1886; the history of the Swiss Confederation 1291-1874.

Returning for the 21st series, Magnus Magnusson puts more general knowledge questions to this year's first four contenders whose specialist subjects are: the life of Tiberius; the life of Admiral Lord Jellicoe; Clarice Cliff and English art deco ceramics, 1928-36; and Doctor Who.

The 22nd Mastermind final comes from Coventry Cathedral, where civil servant John Wilson, George Davidson, a senior lecturer in chemistry, librarian Graham Roe, and English tutor Stephen Wood do battle for the 1994 title - and the coveted Caithness Glass trophy, to be presented by Bamber Gascoigne. Their specialist subjects are: beers and breweries in Britain; the life and works of John Dalton; American classical music 1910-70, and the Irish rebellion. Former winners have ranged from a retired ambassador to a train driver, and, most famously, the taxi drivers' champion Fred Housego. "It attracts a really wide range of interests and professions, says producer Penelope Cowell Doe, who has worked on the series for five years. "Don't think having a formal education is at all important. Often those with the widest general knowledge are self-taught."

From Oakham Castle in Leicestershire. Tonight's five semi-finalists' subjects are: the English garden 1700-1914; the world chess championship since 1886; Wimbledon tennis championships; Samuel Beckett ; Sir Donald Bradman. With Magnus Magnusson.

From Oakham Castle in Leicestershire. The subjects in the third semi-final are Anglo-Saxon poetry; 19th century classical music; the history of computers; and American blues harmonica players (1935-65). With Magnus Magnusson.

From Haddo House in Aberdeen. The subjects in the second semi-final are the life and Raj Quartet of Paul Scott ; the life and career of Heinz Guderian ; history of chemistry 1500-1870; and the life and works of James Joyce. With Magnus Magnusson.

From Haddo House, Aberdeenshire. The subjects in the first semi-final are the history of the football World Cup, 1930-90; the life and music of Paul Simon; the history of the Labour Party; and the life and career of Napoleon Bonaparte. With Magnus Magnusson.

From the Dome Theatre in Brighton. Specialist subjects are: the life and cases of Sir Bernard Spilsbury ; the life and works of Japanese prophet Nichiren; the life of Lord Peter Wimsey and novels of Dorothy L Sayers ; and Wellington's military campaign in the Peninsular War 1808-14.

From the Dome Theatre in Brighton. Specialist subjects are: British and American pop music 1955-85, the life and works of Kurt Vonnegut , British tunnels and bridges, and spiders.

From Rochdale Town Hall. The specialist subjects are the history of Yorkshire County Cricket Club 1863-1969, the life and works of Igor Stravinsky , the life and reign of Mary Tudor , British military aircraft since 1914. With Magnus Magnusson.

From Rochdale Town Hall. Tonight's specialist subjects are British birds; the life and works of Nevil Shute ; the life and works of Arnold Schoenberg; and the human geography of India from 1947. With Magnus Magnusson.

From the Countess of Huntingdon's Hall, Worcester. The specialist subjects are the life and James Bond novels of Ian Fleming ; RAF and Luftwaffe aircraft of the Second World War; classical ballet since 1840; and the coinage of England 1066-1662. With Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's specialist subjects are the history of the Orient Express and Wagons-Lits Company; the life and reign of Edward IV; the life and career of Fred Karno (1866-1941), and Japan at war (1937-45). Magnus Magnusson puts the questions in the Countess of Huntingdon's Hall, Worcester.

The contest returns to Brighton's Dome Theatre with specialist subjects on the life and films of Clint Eastwood ; British higher education 1945-80; the life and works of Tchaikovsky; and the life and works of Laura Ingalls Wilder. With Magnus Magnusson.

From the Dome Theatre, Brighton. Tonight's specialist subjects are the history of the Paris Metro to 1985, the life and works of Orson Welles , the life and music of Rossini, and the history of photography (1830-1980). With Magnus Magnusson.

From Rochdale Town Hall, where tonight's specialist subjects are the history and historic geography of Ayrshire; the life and career of Catherine de Valois (1401-37); the life and background of Shakespeare; the life and career of John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough. With Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight at the town hall in Rochdale, four more contestants bid for a place in the semi-finals with special subjects on the life and major plays of Anton Chekhov , the history of British native pony breeds c. 1950, the history of rugby league in Britain, and the Inca civilisation.

At the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, Somerset, where tonight's special subjects are Richard Nixon, Sir Isaac Newton , K S Ranjitsinhji, and the Second Boer War.

The forbidding black chair returns, contestants face the gruelling interrogation of questionmaster Magnus Magnusson, and the search is on to find the Mastermind of 1994. Tonight's first round heat comes from the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, where the specialised subjects of the first four competitors are the life and music of Bob Dylan, the life and career of Alexander the Great, the Monmouth Rebellion, and the life and films of Charlton Heston.

This year's competition climaxes in Edinburgh at the General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland, where the specialised subjects are: Abraham Lincoln; Ancient Egypt: the New Kingdom; Winter Olympic Games since 1924; and the Zulu War. With Magnus Magnusson.

The four highest-scoring losers from the heats compete for the last place in the final. The specialist subjects at Queen's University, Belfast are: Italian composer Giacomo Puccini , World Series Baseball 1903-50, 19th-century novelist Anthony Trollope , and Richard Cromwell , son of and successor to Oliver.

From Queen's University, Belfast, the third semi-final with specialist subjects RMS Titanic, Hedley Verity , Byzantine Empire AD 324-1453 and the Rolling Stones. With Magnus Magnusson

From Stratford-upon-Avon, the second semi-final where the specialist subjects are: Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus 1466-1536, the life and work of folk music legend Woody Guthrie, the history of the Western film to 1990, and venomous snakes. Magnus Magnusson asks the questions.

The first of the semi-finals, from the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. Specialist subjects: African mammals, the Italian monarchy 1861-1946, the life and works of Rupert Brooke , and the life and career of Thomas Jefferson. Magnus Magnusson asks the questions.

From the National Westminster Hall in the City of London, where the specialist subjects are; French novelist Marcel Proust ; Gordon of Khartoum; Theories of Comedy and Laughter; and James Boswell , biographer of Dr Johnson. Magnus Magnusson asks the questions.

Tonight, from a Victorian banking hall in the City of London, where the specialist subjects are John Lennon , King George V, Shakespeare's plays and Magna Graecia (the Greeks in southern Italy). With Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's programme comes from the 18th century Gibside Chapel, near Newcastle upon Tyne, where four contestants from the north of England answer questions on general knowledge and specialist subjects, which this week are German V weapons of the Second World War, Alfred Hitchcock, local industrialist William George Armstrong, and world land speed records. Presented by Magnus Magnusson.

From Gibside Chapel, Newcastle upon Tyne. Tonight's subjects are the Falklands war, Robert the Bruce, US presidential elections and the chemist William Henry Perkin. With Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's subjects from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk are Jack the Ripper, champagne, the Apollo Space programme, and barrister Sir Edward Marshall Hall. With Magnus Magnusson.

From the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. Tonight's subjects are the Wild West 1861-1900, Victorian Prime Ministers William Ewart Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli, and poet John Milton. With Magnus Magnusson.

From Warwick Castle. The specialist subjects are John of Gaunt, the Battle for Arnhem, Martin Luther King, and the history and repertoire of the clarinet. With Magnus Magnusson.

From Warwick Castle, where the specialist subjects are Richard the Lionheart, philanthropist Thomas Coram , steam locomotives of the LNER, and traditions and cultures of Great Britain. With Magnus Magnusson.

Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire hosts the continuing search to find the Mastermind champion for 1995. Tonight's specialist subjects are astronomy, German romantic composer Ludwig van Beethoven, The Wars of the Sicilian Vespers and Queen Elizabeth I of England. Magnus Magnusson is the questionmaster.

Tonight's subjects at Salisbury Cathedral areformerwortd heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis , Lord Chancellors from 1885-1940, British wildlife, and rocket pioneer Robert Goddard. Magnus Magnusson asks the questions.

The quest to find the 1995 champion continues in Aberystwyth at the National Library of Wales. Tonight's subjects are ballerina Margot Fonteyn , Roman emperor Hadrian, the architecture and art of Spain and composer Ivor Gurney. Magnus Magnusson asks the questions.

The quest to find the Mastermind champion begins in Aberystwyth at the National Library of Wales. Tonight's subjects include American president Benjamin Franklin and poet Philip Larkin. Magnus Magnusson asks the questions.

From the Theatre Royal, Bristol Old Vic. In the spotlight are Church of England parish priest Richard Sturch from Islip, Oxfordshire; Gwen Kingsley, a genealogist from Kingswinford, West Midlands; Richard Heller, an author and journalist from London; and Elsie Sadek, a retired teacher from Blackpool. Their specialised subjects are the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, the life and work of Florence Nightingale, the life and career of Sir Garfield Sobers, and the life and music of Mendelssohn. Magnus Magnusson asks the questions, and actress Jane Lapotaire will present the winner's trophy.

The last semi-final of this year's series, from the Opera House theatre, Jersey. In the spotlight are Joe West, Malcolm Walker-Kinnear, Elsie Sadek and Miriam Collard. Their specialised subjects are the life of Captain William Bligh, the explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton, the life and reign of Charles II, and EW Hornung and his Raffles stories. Magnus Magnusson asks the questions.

The third semi-final of this year's Mastermind series comes from the Opera House theatre, Jersey. In the spotlight are Isabelle Heward, Stephen Pearson, Gwen Kingsley and Margaret Thomas. Their specialised subjects are dancer and Hollywood star Gene Kelly, the life and music of composer William Walton, sculptor Donatello, and Albert the Prince Consort. Magnus Magnusson asks the questions.

The second semi-final of the Mastermind series comes from Blackpool Tower Circus. In the spotlight are Church of England parish priest Richard Sturch, from Kidlington in Oxfordshire; mature student Russell Turner, from Hethersett in Norwich; senior library assistant Robert Devlin, from Belfast; and political risk consultant Boris Starling, from London. Their specialised subjects are Emperor Frederick III, anarchism 1840-1939, 19th-century Irish history and Dick Francis and his novels. Magnus Magnusson asks the questions.

The first semi-final of the Mastermind series comes from Blackpool Tower Circus. In the spotlight are Richard Heller from London, Ross Stafford from Harrow, Alan Whitaker from Penzance and Matthew Potter from Limerick. Their specialised subjects are British political history 1918-40, the ghost stories of MR James, the Wars of the Roses, and Irish political history 1870-91. Magnus Magnusson asks the questions.

This week's Mastermind comes from the Heritage Centre and Silk Museum, Macclesfield, where four more contestants answer questions put to them by Magnus Magnusson. In the spotlight tonight are Ian Bradley, Julie Tedds, Stuart Lyon and Gwen Kingsley. Their specialist subjects are British traditional jazz, Ellis Peters's Cadfael novels, British Army campaign medals, and the life and works of Lewis Carroll.

This week's Mastermind comes from the Heritage Centre and Silk Museum, Macclesfield, where four more contestants answer questions put to them by Magnus Magnusson. In the spotlight tonight are Les Pye, Constance Moore, Jonathan Norton and Margaret Thomas. Their specialist subjects are Manchester United to 1968, Orkney archaeology, Evelyn Waugh's novels, and famous British poisoners.

This week's Mastermind comes from Perth City Hall, Tayside, where four more contestants answer questions put to them by quizmaster Magnus Magnusson. In the spotlight tonight are Robert Devlin, Dr Malcolm Walker-Kinnear, Roger Smith and Lesley Konopielko. Their specialist subjects include world heavyweight championship boxing, the seafaring novels of Patrick O'Brian, mountaineering in Scotland, and the life and career of John F Kennedy.

This week's Mastermind comes from Perth City Hall, Tayside, where four more contestants answer questions put to them by quizmaster Magnus Magnusson. In the spotlighttonight are Ruth Burkhill , Patricia Hastings Hardy. Matthew Potter and Gavin Brown. Their specialist subjects are beekeeping, the I ife and poetry of Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, the career of Napoleon Bonaparte , and the life and works of George Orwell.

This week's Mastermind comes from the Drapers' Hall in theCityof London, where four more contestants answer questions put to them by quizmaster Magnus Magnusson.

This week's Mastermind comes from the Drapers' Hall in the City of London, where four more contestants answer questions put to them by quizmaster Magnus Magnusson. In the spotlight tonight are Boris Starling, Viv Acious, Graham Cooke and Amanda Hill. Their specialist subjects are the life of Herge and his Tintin books, the life and dramatic works of Aphra Behn, Lawrence of Arabia, and the life and works of John Henry Newman.

This week's Mastermind comes from the Heritage Centre and Silk Museum in Macclesfield, where four more contestants answer questions put to them by quizmaster Magnus Magnusson. In the spotlight tonight are Stephen Pearson , John Gamons Williams, Dorothy Walker , and Miriam Collard. Their specialist subjects are the life and music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Anglo-Saxon and Viking place names, the life and novels of Aldous Huxley , and the life of Owain Glyndŵr.

Tonight's quiz comes from the Heritage Centre and Silk Museum in Macclesfield, where four more contestants answer questions put to them by quizmaster Magnus Magnusson. In the spotlight tonight are Isabelle Heward, Roger Grimshaw, Christine Moorcroft, and Elsie Sadek. Their specialist subjects are the life and filmsof Cary Grant , ArthurConan Doyle and his Sherlock Holmes stories, perfume, and the Ottoman Empire.

Four more contenders take turns in the famous black chair, answering questions put to them by regular quizmaster Magnus Magnusson. In the spotlight tonight are Eleanor Macnair, a retired civil servant from Bath; Russell Turner, a mature student from Norwich; Doreen Van-Cauter, an academic tutor from St Albans; and Joseph West, a helicopter consultant from Suffolk. The contestants' specialist subjects are the Gospels, the Chartist Movement, Canadian writer Elizabeth Smart, and Germany's wartime prisoners' camp Colditz. Tonight's quiz comes from Norwich Cathedral.

This week's four contestants are all parish priests who take turns in the black chair, answering questions put to them by quizmaster Magnus Magnusson. Tonight's special subjects are theologian Charles Williams , musician Benny Goodman , Lady Julian of Norwich and British trees.

Four more contestants are in the black chair, answeringquestions put to them by quizmaster Magnus Magnusson. Tonight's special subjects are the English Civil War, Walt Disney, Richard Wagner, and the National TrustRegency house Polesden Lacey in Surrey.

Magnus Magnusson returns with the 24th series of the television quiz, which tonight comes from the Drapers' Hall in the City of London.

Last week's Mastermind final marked the end of the quiz which became a national institution during its 25-year run. This documentary follows the last four contenders to sit in the black chair as they prepare for the "final final", and explores the programme's appeal. Featuring interviews with Patrick Moore, Bamber Gascoigne, former winners, and question master Magnus Magnusson.

After 25 years, the quiz series concludes with four contestants competing for the title of Mastermind 1997. The setting for this last final is St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, Orkney, where the questions are posed by Magnus Magnusson.

The last semi-final comes from the Old Laundry Theatre, Bowness-on-Windermere. The competitors are questioned about the life and 1860s novels of Wilkie Collins, the city of Prague, the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett, and the Tudor conquest of Ireland. With Magnus Magnusson.

The second semi-final comes from the Old Laundry Theatre in Bowness-on-Windermere. The chosen subjects are the Regency novels of Georgette Heyer , wines of France, the life and music of Anton Bruckner , and the Duncton Chronicles. With Magnus Magnusson.

The first of three semi-finals comes from the Britannia Naval College, Dartmouth. The contestants are quizzed on British naval history, 1939-45, the marathon footrace since 1896, the Professor Fen novels of E. Crispin and the life and career of Rommel. With Magnus Magnusson.

The Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon is the setting for the last of the heats. The chosen subjects are the Borgias; the life and children's books of Arthur Ransome; Frances Howard, Countess of Somerset; and the stories of HP Lovecraft. With Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's edition comes from the Great Hall at Blenheim Palace. The contenders are Akinade Ajayi, Katrina Campbell, Colin Cadby, and Tony Dart. Their chosen subjects are the life and career of David Gower, the Pern stories of Anne McCaffrey, the life and reign of Queen Victoria, and the life and career of Sir Thomas Sopwith. Introduced by Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's edition comes from the Great Hall at Blenheim Palace. The chosen subjects are the life of the prophet Muhammad, the six wives of Henry VIII, the life and works of Jerome K Jerome, and the Thirty Years War. Introduced by Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's edition comes from the Stephen Joseph theatre in Scarborough. The chosen subjects are the life and films of Errol Flynn, the life and poems of Wilfred Owen, English church music 1505-1625, and James I. With Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's edition comes from the Stephen Joseph theatre in Scarborough. The contenders are Stafford housewife Fiona Redmond; Timothy Robey, a retired teacher from South port; Richard Goodale, a management consultant from Aberdour in Fife, and teacher Jocelyn Lavin from Lancashire. Their chosen subjects are the life and painting of Rossetti, the Dreyfus affair, golf links of Britain and Ireland, and symphonic choral music. With Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's edition comes from the Cambridge Union Society. The contenders are foster carer Ann Kelly, forensic psychiatrist Akintunde Akinkunmi, artist Leo Stevenson, and Open University student Susan Leng. Their chosen subjects are the life and music of Buddy Holly, the Nuremberg Trials, Dutch Art 1620-72 and Olave, Lady Baden-Powell. Introduced by Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's edition comes from the debating chamber of the Cambridge Union Society. The contenders are factory worker Peter Bolt, graduate student Katherine Taylor, mature student Tony Bell, and checkout operator Christine Warman. Their chosen subjects are the reign of Franz Joseph 1848-1916, the life and music of Elton John, the life and works of Arthur C Clarke, and theropod dinosaurs. With Magnus Magnusson.

Tonight's edition comes from the Great Hall at Blenheim Palace. The contenders are Maureen Hichens, Michael Smith, Gareth Ribbon and Michael Settle, and their chosen subjects are the original series of Star Trek, the Irish Civil War 1922-23, the life and music of Prokofiev, and organic gardening. Introduced by Magnus Magnusson.

The first of 13 programmes, introduced by Magnus Magnusson, in the final series tonight comes from Blenheim Palace. Contenders are Stephen Quick, Judith Falcon, Clare Ockwell and Ivan Limmer, and their chosen subjects are Formula One Racing from 1970, the life and works of Roald Dahl, anorexia nervosa, and the Russian Revolutions of 1917.

Salford's Lowry Centre hosts the grand final as four finalists brave the famous black chair and John Humphrys's rapid-fire questions on the life and works of Marc Chagall, international golfing 1970-2003, life and music of Jim Morrison and life and career of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Occupants of the famous black chair tackle abstruse questions on pop music of the 1980s; Monty Python; the War of the Roses; and children's books from 1860 to the present day. John Humphrys hosts the last quarter-final.

Lawrence of Arabia; the works of horror supremo Clive Barker; comedian Tony Hancock; and operetta writers Gilbert and Sullivan are the specialist subjects in tonight's third quarter-final. Hosted by John Humphrys.

The films of director Vincente Minnelli, the life and works of Dickens, boys' comics and papers 1940-1960 and the city of Buenos Aires are specialist subjects in the second of the quarter-finals. John Humphrys has the questions.

The films of Alfred Hitchcock; the six wives of Henry the VIII; the history of video games; and the life of Benjamin Franklin are the specialist subjects in the first of the quarter-finals as four contestants face questions from John Humphrys.

Red Dwarf, the life and works of Shostakovich, the life and works of Kingsley Amis, and the life and times of Florence Nightingale are tonight's specialist subjects as four more contestants face questions from John Humphrys.

The Harry Potter films, English league football grounds since 1945, the songs of Randy Newman and romantic literature 1789-1830 are the specialist subjects as four contestants face probing questions from John Humphrys.

The religious works of Rembrandt van Rijn, BBC radio comedy 1940-1960, the fiction of Graham Greene 1938-1983 and Manic Street Preachers are the specialist subjects as four more contestants brave the famous black chair and probing questions from John Humphrys.

The House of Godwin AD 1000-1066, the life and films of Grace Kelly, the life and work of chanteuse Dalida and World Cup cricket 1972-2003 are the specialist subjects as four more contestants brave the famous black chair and a barrage of questions from John Humphrys.

The Simpsons, Emperor Nero, the Who and Laurie Lee are this evening's specialist subjects. John Humphrys quizzes four more contestants on the famous black chair.

Four more contestants occupy the famous black chair as John Humphrys asks questions on English castles, British television comedy from 1970 to 1990, the flora and fauna of Great Britain and the folk band Fairport Convention.

Four more contestants brave John Humphrys 's black chair. Tonight's specialist subjects are British History post-1945, 20th-century Fashion, English and Scottish Racecourses and their Races, and the Academy Awards.

Four more contestants aiming to prove mastery of their specialist subjects brave John Humphrys's black chair.

Four more contestants aiming to prove mastery of their specialist subjects brave John Humphrys 's black chair.

Four more contestants brave the spotlight to answer questions on specialist subjects and general knowledge. John Humphrys is the man asking the questions.

John Humphrys tests four contestants on their chosen specialised subjects - Life and Times of Maximilien Robespierre; TV Series Blackadder; History of Victorian Britain 1837-1901; and Life and Films of Audrey Hepburn.

The pre-eminent quiz show that first gripped the nation in the 1970s returns for a new series, the first since 1997. Each week four contenders are interrogated on a chosen subject and general knowledge in the famous black chair by new host John Humphrys, who takes over from Magnus Magnusson.

From 96 original contenders, six remain and tonight just one will walk away with the title of Mastermind 2004. Specialist subjects are American presidents of the 20th century, FA Cup finals since 1970, Homer's Iliad, British pop music of the 1960s, the life and reign of Elizabeth I and English Test cricket since 1877. John Humphrys asks the questions.

In the last of six semi-finals, contestants put their knowledge of Scottish infantry regiments, the history of Liverpool, the life and works of composer Orlande de Lassus and the England football team to the test. John Humphrys asks the questions.

The history of Manchester City Football Club, the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, the history of Babylonia 2000-539 BC and the US presidential elections 1940-2000 are the specialist subjects in the fifth of six semi-finals. John Humphrys hosts.

The life and reign of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, the novels of Margery Allingham, the life and work of Erwin Schrodinger and British popular music from 1972-1984 are the eclectic range of specialist subjects in the fourth of six semi-finals. John Humphrys has the questions.

Historical buildings of England, the 1879 Zulu War, British murders and murderers 1850-1950 and The Adventures of Tintin by Herge are the specialist subjects in the third of six semi-finals. John Humphrys has the questions.

The life and reign of King Charles II, the Conservative government of John Major 1992-1997, the life and work of Albert Einstein and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series and books are the specialist subjects in the second of six semi-finals. John Humphrys has the questions.

Fawlty Towers, British prime ministers of the 20th century, the life and works of poet Robert Fergusson and English civil wars 1642-1651 are the specialist subjects in the first of six semi-finals. John Humphrys has the questions.

The history of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the band XTC, the life and work of George Hudson and the history of Moscow are the topics. Hosted by John Humphrys.

Capital punishment in the UK since 1945, the history of the rugby union world cup, the life and films of John Belushi and the history of the Birmingham Royal Ballet are the topics on which John Humphrys grills the four contestants.

A broad range of subjects are represented, as contestants face questions on the life and works of Offenbach, British films of the 1960s, the life and times of Arbella Stuart and wild cats of the world. Hosted by John Humphrys.

A broad range of eras are represented, as the contestants face questions on Victorian Britain, British pop music of the 1950s, the journeys of St Paul from the New Testament's Acts and the films of Sergio Leone. With John Humphrys.

The life and works of Wilfred Owen, unicorns, Alexander the Great, and the life and works of Ludwig Wittgenstein are tonight's specialist subjects. John Humphrys invites four contestants to step up to the forbidding black chair.

Cole Porter, the Duke of Wellington, the first two series of sci-fi drama Babylon 5, and photographer Ansel Adams are the specialist subjects. John Humphrys is the interrogator.

Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot murder-mysteries, film dramatisations of Bram Stoker's gothic novel Dracula, the Battle of Britain, and the life and music of Buddy Holly are the specialist subjects. John Humphrys asks the questions.

British top 30 hit singles 1960-1989, the life and works of Cesar Franck, the films of Satyajit Ray and the life and reign of Queen Victoria are tonight's diverse subjects. John Humphrys is the man with all the answers.

Another four contestants brave the lonely walk to the forbidding black chair. Tonight's specialist subjects are the life and reign of Richard III, the history of Burnley Football Club, Homer's Odyssey and the films of Billy Wilder. John Humphrys is the man with the answers.

The brave quartet in the black chair tonight will be facing questions on the life and works of Titian, Steve Coogan's failed broadcaster Alan Partridge, the history of football's World Cup 1930-2002 and Boswell and Johnson's tours of the Hebrides. John Humphrys is the man with the answers.

The life and works of Vaughan Williams; the life and career of Sir George Cayley; the legends of King Arthur; and the M*A*S*H TV series are tonight's diverse subjects. John Humphrys is the man with all the answers.

The history of the Second World War, the films of Gregory Peck, the history of Plymouth Argyle football club and instruments of the symphony orchestra are tonight's diverse subjects. John Humphrys asks the questions.

The history of 11th-century England, the television comedy drama Auf Wiedersehen Pet, the life and works of novelist Elizabeth Gaskell, and the life and music of Rod Stewart are tonight's subjects. John Humphrys asks the questions.

The department of Guadeloupe and its dependencies; the Moody Blues; the life and work of 19th-century fossil collector Mary Anning; and aircraft carriers from 1912 are tonight's subjects. John Humphrys asks the questions.

The second week of back-to-back first-round heats concludes as four more contestants face rapid-fire questions from John Humphrys. Their chosen specialised subjects are the novels of Frederick Forsyth, the life and films of Marilyn Monroe, the life and works of Edward Elgar, and the 1981 Ashes Test series.

The history of Essex county cricket club, British tank development from 1915, the life and music of Paul McCartney and British mammals form the eclectic group of subjects chosen by tonight's four contestants in another first-round heat of the classic quiz. Presented by John Humphrys.

Four more intrepid contestants reach the infamous black chair, with John Humphrys asking quick-fire questions on the history of the European Union, Susan Coolidge's What Katy Did novels, the TV series Star Trek: the Next Generation and the history of Manchester United Football Club.

The life and works of Russian expressionist artist Vasili Kandinsky, Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time series of novels, the history of world outdoor athletics championships, and David, the second king of Israel comprise the varied range of specialist subjects chosen by the contestants in tonight's first-round heat. With question master John Humphrys.

The history of European Cupfinals since 1970, the life and times of Emma Hamilton, the music of Elvis Costello and the fiction novels of Michael Crichton are the specialist subjects in tonight's first-round clash. John Humphrys invites the contestants to step up to the black chair.

The week of back-to-back rounds concludes as four more contestants face rapid-fire questions from John Humphrys on the subjects of the fantasy novels of Andre Norton, the Tour de France, the works of satirical songwriter Tom Lehrer and the history of the Jewish East End of London.

The life and films of Maureen O'Hara, punk and new-wave music 1976-1979, the history of Halifax rugby league football club and classic sitcom Only Fools and Horses form the diverse range of specialist subjects facing the quartet of contestants on tonight's first-round heat of the classic quiz. Presented by John Humphrys.

The quiz's new nightly run continues. The life and music of George Gershwin, western Europe in the Dark Ages AD 400-800, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy and US manned space flights 1961-1975 are the specialist subjects of tonight's four first-round contestants braving the black chair. John Humphrys asks the questions.

The black chair beckons another four contestants as John Humphrys fires questions on the life and times of president Warren G Harding, the Test career of Geoffrey Boycott, the series Doctor Who and the novels of Tom Sharpe.

The life and career of Joyce Grenfell, the RMS Titanic, the life and works of Gustav Mahler and world heavyweight boxing championships 1895-1978 are the specialist subjects as the celebrated quiz returns for a new run. John Humphrys invites the contestants to take the lonely walk to the black chair.

It's the climax to this year's contest that, over the past few months, saw 96 contenders whittled down to just six. John Humphrys has the questions.

The life and work of physicist Niels Bohr, the "Culture" novels of lain M Banks, the life and career of Warwick the Kingmaker and the life and films of Barbara Stanwyck are the specialist subjects in the second semi-final.

The role of Garibaldi in the Italian Unification, The Archers since 1970, the science-fiction novels of Arthur C Clarke, and rivers of Britain and Ireland are specialist subjects in the first of the semi-finals.

The life and work of Diego Velazquez , Pink Floyd , the life and work of George Crabbe and wines of the Loire Valley are the topics in this second-round heat.

Britain's first abstract art movement, Vorticism; pleasure piers of the English seaside: the life and work of novelist Elizabeth Smart: and sitcom One Foot in the Grave, are the topics in this second-round heat.

The partnership of Rogers and Hammerstein, the history and culture of the Maya, rock group Queen, and the literary work of Lewis Carroll are the topics in this second-round heat. With John Humphrys.

City churches of Sir Christopher Wren , the Sword of Honour trilogy, life and work of George Eastman and the life and films of James Stewart are the subjects as the second round heats begin. With John Humphrys

The life and career of Bishop John William Colenso, the Anne novels of LM Montgomery, European birds and the work of Galton and Simpson are tonight's specialist subjects. Presented by John Humphrys.

Igor Stravinsky , ice dance, Lord Randolph Churchill (the father of Winston) and Status Quo are tonight's specialist subjects. Presented by John Humphrys.

Tonight's specialist subjects are the life and work of composer Giacomo Puccini , the novels of Sebastian Faulks , European nobility in the 16th century, and the classic sitcom Dad's Army. With John Humphrys.

Another typically wide-ranging selection of specialist subjects includes the life and work of Sir Peter Scott , national flags, Test cricket since and TV sitcom The Good Life. With John Humphrys.

Specialist subjects are the life and reign of Louis XI of France, the stage plays of Tom Stoppard , cult 60s series The Prisoner, and the life and work of composer Frederick Delius. With John Humphrys.

Specialist subjects tonight are the life and times of Charles Edward Stuart (1720-1788), the work of Edward Hopper , 20th-century Parliamentary scandals, and the life of Nancy Mitford. With John Humphrys.

Specialist subjects for the quartet of contestants are the life and work of Marie Curie , Ireland during the Second World War, the novels of Raymond Zazie dans le Metro Queneau and the history plays of Shakespeare. John Humphrys fires the questions.

Specialist subjects are the life and novels of Raymond Chandler , pop group the Go-Betweens, the ex-leader of the Labour Party Hugh Gaitskell , and the films of Hollywood star Bruce Willis. With John Humphrys.

Specialist subjects for the quartet of contestants are the Labour government 1974-79, the life and work of comic songwriters Flanders and Swann, the ecclesiastical calendar and the Manchester music scene from 1976 until 1991. With John Humphrys.

It's bonnets to ballroom dancing as contestants are quizzed on the novels of Jane Austen, naked eye astronomy in Britain, the American Civil War 1861-1865 and the musical films of Fred Astaire. John Humphrys asks the questions.

Specialist subjects for the contestants are the life and career of American president Lyndon B Johnson , the Mughal Empire from 1526 to 1658, 1, Claudius, and the Just William books by Richmal Crompton. John Humphrys poses the questions.

Tonight's varied mix of specialist subjects are: the Harrier and other vertical take-off and landing aircraft; Chequers, the incumbent prime minister's grand country residence in Buckinghamshire; the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett ; and rock giants the Who. John Humphrys fires the questions.

Tonight's varied mix of specialist subjects are: the life and career of political economist and reformer Henry Fawcett , TV sitcom Dinnerladies, the life and work of TE Lawrence, and the literary associations of Yorkshire, Lancashire and the Lake District. John Humphrys fires the questions at the occupants of the forbidding black chair.

The series returns after a six-week break with a varied mix of specialist subjects: the Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871, the plays of Noël Coward, World Snooker championships from 1977 and the life and novels of J.R.R. Tolkien. Host John Humphrys invites the contestants to occupy the forbidding black chair.

The Clash, the libretti of WS Gilbert , the history of spirits and liqueurs and Ancient Egypt 1570-1070 BC are the specialist subjects. With John Humphrys.

Contestants answer questions on Henry VIII , Emily Bronte , opera singer Andrea Bocelli and locomotive pioneer Richard Trevithick. With John Humphrys.

Plays, poetry, piety and pictures all feature, as the contenders demonstrate their knowledge of the life and works of Dylan Thomas , the Old Testament, the films of Clint Eastwood and the life and works of Guillaume Apollinaire. With John Humphrys.

British political history 1905-2004, the life and career of Muhammad Ali , the musicals of Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Conan Doyle 's Sherlock Holmes are the specialist subjects. John Humphrys puts the questions to the black chair's occupants.

Tonight's specialist subjects include the Horatio Hornblower novels of CS Forester, English international rugby union since 1990, the life and works of artist Stanley Spencer and English silver 1478-1837. Presented by John Humphrys.

The specialist subjects are the Age of the Welsh Princes 800-1283, the life and career of prison reformer Elizabeth Fry, the Swallows and Amazons novels of Arthur Ransome and orchestral film scores 1933-1980. John Humphrys asks the questions.

Contestants field questions from John Humphrys on the French Revolution 1789-1794, the life and novels of George Eliot , the history of the World Chess championship and the Trumptonshire Trilogy of Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley.

From philosophy to film, pilots to pop stars, tonight's diverse range of subjects are the Pre-Socratics, the life and films of Judy Garland , the Royal Air Force 1939-1945 and the Beatles. With John Humphrys.

The life and works of Benjamin Britten and Sylvia Plath , aircraft of the First World War and the travels of Michael Palin are tonight's four specialist subjects. John Humphrys asks the questions.

The forbidding black chair beckons as the evergreen general-knowledge quiz returns. What weird and wonderful subjects will the four contestants choose? John Humphrys asks the questions.

The remaining six contenders, whittled down from 96, answer questions on the life of painter Thomas Girtin, Margaret Mitchell and Gone with the Wind, King Edward VII, the life and fictional works of Albert Camus, television series Porridge and Going Straight, and the Ottoman Empire 1878-1924. With John Humphrys.

The final batch of semi-finalists answer questions on the Regency novels of Georgette Heyer, the work of physician Edward Jenner, the career of former US president Andrew Jackson, and boxing heavyweight championship fights since 1950. With John Humphrys.

The Bernard Samson novels of Len Deighton, the life and music of Stevie Wonder, the life and reign of Elizabeth I, and the Reginald Perrin novels and TV shows of David Nobbs comprise another eclectic range of specialist subjects. With John Humphrys.

Specialist subjects include Hercule Poirot novels of Agatha Christie, Gustav Landauer, Led Zeppelin and the fiction of HP Lovecraft. With John Humphrys.

Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot novels, German anarchist Gustav Landauer, rock band Led Zeppelin and the writings of HP Lovecraft make up tonight's eclectic range of specialisms. With John Humphrys.

John Humphrys asks questions on M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin thrillers, the life and gospel of St Mark, the history of cryptography and code breaking and the life and music of Ian Dury.

Fascist propagandist William Joyce, the Sandman graphic novels of Neil Gaiman, the Nobel Prize and the novels of Jilly Cooper are tonight's specialist subjects. John Humphrys asks the questions.

Contestants opt for the band REM, the Roger Brook novels of Dennis Wheatley, the Summer Olympics from 1896 to the present day, and the life and career of Ernesto "Che" Guevara. With John Humphrys.

Tackling the history of the Hammer films 1945-1983, the Little House novels by Laura Ingalls, the British motorcycle industry from 1945 to 1985 and the Rolling Stones. With John Humphrys.

Croatian geography, George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman novels, the life and films of Powell and Pressburger and the life and career of Winston Churchill are tonight's specialist subjects.

The history of the modern marathon, Dawn French's show The Vicar of Dibley, the life and times of Anne Frank, and Middle Egyptian literature are the black chair bafflers. John Humphrys is the inquisitor.

The political and physical geography of Europe, the rock band Ash, 15th-century Florentine ruler Lorenzo de Medici, and the life and career of darts player John Lowe, are tonight's specialist subjects.

Prehistoric art up to 8,000 BC, the novels of Charles Dickens, the life and music of Edith Piaf, and the life and films of James Dean, are tonight's specialist head-scratchers. John Humphrys is the inquisitor.

Specialist subjects tonight comprise venomous snakes, the life of British naval officer and colonial governor Robert FitzRoy, Henry Reed's Hilda Tablet plays and World Cup football from 1930 to 2002.

Brain-boxes in the black chair are quizzed on the life and work of Hunter S Thompson, Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds, the life and career of Kenneth Williams and the history of the Academy Awards.

Tonight's eclectic range of specialist subjects comprises the philosophy of existentialism, the Little Women novels by Louisa May Alcott, the life and work of Gwen John and mod rockers the Jam. John Humphrys asks questions on these and general knowledge.

Specialist subjects tonight comprise the life and work of acclaimed Argentinian writer and critic Jorge Luis Borges, the history and culture of Arabic dance, Charlton Athletic Football Club and the history of firearms from the 12th to the 18th century.

Specialist subjects tonight comprise NBA (National Basketball Association) finals from 1985 to 2005, Napoleonic Wars 1796-1815, and the life and work of both author Nevil Shute and film-maker/actor Woody Allen. John Humphrys has the questions.

Specialist subjects tonight comprise 20th-century Liechtenstein, the life and work of singer/songwriter Bruce Springsteen, the Titanic, and the life of pioneering nurse Mary Seacole. With John Humphrys.

The American Revolution 1775-1783 and the lives and careers of Sir Richard Goodwin Keats, Bette Davis, and Douglas Adams are tackled. With John Humphrys.

Sir Ernest Shackleton's expedition aboard the Endurance, the life and works of W. Eugene Smith, the California sound 1965-1975 and the history of forensic science are tackled. With John Humphrys.

The specialist subjects tonight are the history of the crossword, civic heraldry of the Russian Empire, the life and work of the Venerable Bede, and the history of London Zoo. John Humphrys has the questions.

Another eclectic mix of specialist subjects features the films of Stanley Kubrick, Anglo-Scottish warfare, the life and music of David Bowie and cricket's Bodyline Ashes tour of 1932/3. John Humphrys hosts.

Another eclectic mix of specialist subjects includes the history of metal mining in Britain, Kettle's Yard and its artists, the life and films of Lindsay Anderson and the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis. With John Humphrys.

Specialist subjects are the life and films of Cary Grant, reformation in England 1500-1600, British track and field athletics, and the life and works of Friedrich Nietzsche. Hosted by John Humphrys.

Specialist subjects are the history and geography of enclaves and exclaves; the life and works of Caravaggio; British TV sitcoms 1970-1990; and the films of David Cronenberg. With John Humphrys.

Specialist subjects are mountaineering in the UK; US military aircraft of the Second World War; Ian Rankin's Rebus novels; and the life and career of Michael Schumacher. With John Humphrys.

Specialist subjects tonight are the Marlow family books by Antonia Forest, India v Pakistan Test cricket, British dreadnoughts, and Star Wars films episodes IV-VI. John Humphrys is quizmaster.

The black chair awaits another quartet of contestants. Specialist subjects are Verdi's operas, Inspector Morse, Anne Boleyn and the locomotives of Sir Nigel Gresley. John Humphrys is quizmaster.

The forbidding black chair awaits its next nervous occupants. The quartet of contenders tonight will be grilled for two minutes on the history of American jazz, 17th-century English radicals Gerrard Winstanley and the Diggers, the cult supernatural TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the life and times of medieval monarch Eleanor of Aquitaine. John Humphrys asks the questions and delivers the verdicts.

The forbidding black chair awaits its next nervous occupants as the demanding quiz returns for its 30th season. Tonight's quartet of contenders will be answering questions on a typically eclectic mix of specialist subjects - the history of US submarines, Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern books, the Blackadder TV comedy series and the life and works of Ivor Novello. John Humphrys asks the questions and delivers the verdicts.

The grand final of the quiz where specialist subjects are the history of Venice, actor Steve McQueen, the D-Day landings, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, London Bridge and the Godfather trilogy. With John Humphrys.

Specialist subjects in the last semi-final are the Barsetshire novels of Anthony Trollope ; Mary, Queen of Scots: American Civil War general William Sherman ; and the Poldark novels of Winston Graham.

Specialist subjects in this semi-final are the novels of Jasper Fforde , the horror films of Val Lewton , the Battle of the Somme and the life of the Prince Regent.

With another place in the final up for grabs, specialist subjects comprise the TV series Upstairs, Downstairs, the life and work of Italian painter Botticelli, folk/rock group Steeleye Span , and film director Sam Peckinpah. Hosted by John Humphrys.

Specialist subjects are the life and career of Bobby Charlton , the Roman Republic to 43 BC, the life and poetry of Wilfrid Owen and the spoof TV programme The Day Today. John Humphrys asks the questions.

With another place in the final up for grabs, tonight's specialist subjects are the novels of Joanne Harris , the Cricket World Cup, Mary Tudor and the life of Robert Clive - aka Clive of India.

As the competition reaches the semi-final stage, specialist subjects are British butterflies, the life and work of writer Franz Kafka , cult 1985 TV drama Edge of Darkness and Red Clydeside 1914-1939, an era of political radicalism in Glasgow. With John Humphrys.

In the final first-round heat, the specialist subjects are Punch magazine, the life of Kurt Cobain , the novels of Thomas Love Peacock , and TV series Survivors.

Contestants compete for a place in the Grand Final. Today's specialist subjects are: the novels of Joanne Harris , the Cricket World Cup, the life of Mary Tudor and the life and career of Robert Clive - also known as Clive of India. John Humphrys hosts.

As the contest reaches the semi-finals, specialist subjects are British butterflies, the life of Franz Kafka , 1985 TV drama Edge of Darkness and Red Clydeside 1914-1939, an era of political radicalism in Glasgow.

Specialist subjects are the Anglo-Boer War, US soul group the Temptations, the Cotton Nero manuscript and Scottish monarchs from 843 to 1371.

Tonight's subjects are the Adrian Mole novels by Sue Townsend, the works of French playwright Moliere, the history of sound recording from 1887 to 1925 and European female painters up until 1900.

Specialist subjects are the life and career of politician Charles James Fox, the history of the Gaelic Athletic Association, real ale breweries of Britain and the life and works of writer Marcel Proust.

Tonight's subjects are the life and music of Johnny Cash, the development of photography since 1900, the life and works of Rene Magritte and ships of the Royal Navy from 1945 to 2007.

Tonight's specialist subjects are the naval career of Nelson and Collingwood, the life and works of Primo Levi, the English pop band Erasure, and the life and career of Sir Richard Attenborough.

This week's specialist subjects are the life and work of Joe Orton, American independent cinema, trees of the British Isles and Chelsea Football Club.

This week's specialist subjects are the life and work of Joe Orton , American independent cinema, trees of the British Isles and Chelsea Football Club.

Specialist subjects include Irish history 1916-1923, heavy metal band Iron Maiden, life and works of John Piper and the world war series of novels by Harry Turtledove.

Tonight's specialist subjects are British Top 20 singles of the 1970s, The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency novels by Alexander McCall Smith , Hornby Railway and Joe Jackson and the Black Sox scandal of 1919.

Specialist subjects this week include the life and career of Frank Sinatra , Dorothy L Sayers 's Lord Peter Wimsey books and Polish history between AD 960 and 1696.

This week's subjects are the life and work of William Thomson , Round the Home, the history of Tamla Motown and the career of chess player Alexander Alekhine.

The specialist subjects this week are the University Boat Race, the novels of Evelyn Waugh , English coronations since 1066 and the life of Bob Marley.

Tonight's specialised subjects are Peter Gabriel and Genesis, author David Eddings , inventor Barnes Wallis and snakes. With John Humphrys.

Tonight's specialist subjects are The Royle Family the life and music of Dimitri Tiomkin ; RF Delderfield's Swann novels and the life of Richard Nixon.

Subjects include the battle of Gettysburg, Mario Lanza , Dante's Divine Comedy and Sir Edwin Lutyens

Tonight's specialised subjects include Henry Ford, German wines, Jennifer Aniston and Frida Kahlo.

Subjects include the first duke of Wellington, Stephen King novels, Johannes Kepler and The West Wing.

John Humphrys poses testing questions on Peter Cook , Claude Monet , Errol Flynn and Edward VI.

John Humphrys poses questions on mountaineer Chris Bonington , Thomas Harris 's Hannibal Lecter novels, Kett's Rebellion and the life and music of Tom Lehrer.

John Humphrys poses questions on French political history from 1815-1914, composer Gustav Holst, Harrison Ford films and Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis.

Four contestants answer questions on the famous black chair. Tonight's specialised subjects include Tottenham Hotspur FC, The Alan Clark Diaries, the electric guitar and the medieval abbeys and priories of England. With John Humphrys.

Six contenders battle it out to be crowned champion. Their specialist subjects comprise the Lewis and Clark expedition across America, Britain between the wars, Russian novels from 1831 to 1894, songwriting partnership Rodgers and Hart, the Ryder Cup and American presidents of the 19th century. Presented by John Humphrys.

Tonight's specialist subjects are poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, the life of Paddy Mayne, Northampton Town FC and the life and work of Alfred Russel Wallace.

Specialist subjects in the fifth semi-final are Doctor Who in the 1970s, former US president John F Kennedy, singer/songwriter Billy Bragg and the Montalbano novels of Andrea Camilleri. John Humphrys hosts.

Tonight's specialist subjects for the four semi-finalists comprise the life and works of Mozart, the ghost stories of MR James, planets of the solar system and Norwich City FC. Presented by John Humphrys.

Tonight's specialist subjects for the four semi-finalists comprise the Bonaparte dynasty, former prime minister Herbert Asquith, glam rock band Slade and the life and writings of Gilbert White. With John Humphrys

Four contenders compete for a place in the final. Tonight's specialist subjects comprise film director Fritz Lang, tennis legend Billie Jean King, Private Eye magazine and the life and work of Robert Maxwell.

In tonight's semi-final the specialised subjects are Scott's last expedition, cult TV series Blake's 7, the School stories of PG Wodehouse and the Popish Plot

Tonight's subjects are the Battle of Coronel and the Falklands War, British birds, sculptor Barbara Hepworth , and Anglo-Saxon kings from 871 to 1016.

Tonight's specialist subjects are the novels of George Orwell, musician Gram Parsons, Italian politics and composer Dmitri Shostakovich.

Tonight's specialist subjects are Jackie Stewart, the novels of Wendy Holden, Honore de Balzac and Kraftwerk. John Humphrys poses the questions.

In the first semi-final John Humphrys asks questions on Scott's last expedition, Blake's 7, the School stories of PG Wodehouse and the Popish Plot.

Specialist subjects are the Battle of Coronel and the Falklands War, British birds, sculptor Barbara Hepworth, and Anglo-Saxon kings 871-1016.

Tonight's four specialist subjects are John Wesley, Seinfeld, Kazimir Malevich and the Wars of the Roses. John Humphrys poses the questions.

John Humphrys presents the general knowledge quiz, in which the specialist subjects tonight are the history of Chester Zoo, the Father Brown stories, Edward Carson and Tony Hancock.

Tonight's specialist subjects are actor Sidney Poitier, British Trotskyism, number one hit singles, and the life and career of model and actress Edie Sedgwick. John Humphrys asks the questions.

Tonight's specialist subjects are the Peninsular War, pop singer Morrissey, the history of Chichester Cathedral in West Sussex, and the Great Fire of London. John Humphrys asks the questions.

Tonight's four specialist subjects are the Ashes series of 1902, AE Housman, British punk rock and the Trans-Siberian Railway. With John Humphrys.

Topics comprise WC Fields, Jonathan Creek, Tacitus and the life and career of Keith Moon.

Topics tonight include rare breeds of British farm animals, Ghenghis Khan and Gothic architecture.

Specialist topics comprise the cricketer Ian Botham, the Munros of Scotland, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming.

Tonight's specialist subjects include the Coventry blitz and the Merthyr Rising of 1831.

Tonight's specialist topics comprise the Victoria Cross, chess player Bobby Fischer, the Le Mans 24-hour race, and the life of Thomas Cochrane.

Tonight's specialist topics include the Harry Palmer novels and folk singer Tom Paxton.

Specialist subjects include Scottish mathematician James Clerk Maxwell and the Mitford sisters.

John Humphrys poses the questions as four contestants test their specialist knowledge of Stax Records, the Romney Marsh novels of Monica Edwards, German battleship the Bismarck and the Welsh castles of Edward I.

Specialist subjects this week include Rasputin, the Gospels of the New Testament, and West Indies Test cricket. John Humphrys asks the questions.

John Humphrys asks questions on subjects including Arthur Conan Doyle's Challenger novels.

Questions on the late Stuart age, Steely Dan, boxer Joe Frazier and Robert Parker's Spenser novels.

John Humphrys asks about Noor Inayat-Khan, Ferdinand Magellan, Edith Wharton and Mods

Specialisms tonight are Billy the Kid, the Short Stories of Saki, the Great Western Railway and the films of John Carpenter. With John Humphrys.

New series John Humphrys quizzes on Simon Raven, Newcastle United, Edward IV and Laurence Olivier.

John Humphrys asks the questions as six contenders battle it out to become the nation's Mastermind in the series grand final. The subjects are: Hollywood in the 1980s; the granddaughters of Queen Victoria; Liverpool Anglican cathedral, English cricket's county championship since 1960; the general strike of 1926; and 17th century Venetian opera.

John Humphrys hosts Britain's toughest quiz. Five contenders try to claim the one remaining grand final place. The subjects are the life and work of Antoni Gaudi, British history 1815-1914, the Pliocene and Galactic Milieu novels of Julian May, the films of Powell and Pressburger and the life and reign of Henry VI.

John Humphrys hosts Britain's toughest quiz. Five contenders battle it out for a place in the grand final. The subjects are William the Conquerer, the life and work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the history of glam rock, the Manhattan Project, and Robert the Bruce.

John Humphrys hosts Britain's toughest quiz. Five contenders battle it out for a place in the grand final. Subjects are the life and times of Sir Walter Raleigh, TV series Ever Decreasing Circles, the Sharpe novels of Bernard Cornwell, British hit singles of the 1960s and the life and reign of Henry VIII.

John Humphrys puts five contenders through their paces. At stake is a place in the grand final. The subjects are: the life and career of Ayrton Senna, the Jeeves and Wooster novels of PG Wodehouse, broadway stage musicals 1927-present, the life and work of Alan Moore, and the the life and reign of James VI and I.

John Humphrys hosts Britain's toughest quiz. Five contenders battle it out for a place in the grand final. Subjects are the history of the British Army 1660-1914, the life and music of Burt Bacharach, Dance to the Music of Time novels by Anthony Powell, Ealing Studios 1838-1959 and the London and North Eastern Railway.

The subjects are: The Lord Peter Wimsey Novels of Dorothy L Sayers; The Anglo-American War 1812-1815; Hindu Gods and Goddesses; The Life and Work of Cecil Sharp; and the TV Series The Wire.

Host John Humphrys asks the questions as four contenders take the walk to the black chair. The specialist subjects are the films of Billy Wilder, the Nuremberg Trials, Charles II and the fictional works of CS Lewis.

Host John Humphrys asks the questions as four contenders take the walk to the black chair. The specialist subjects are Victorian and Edwardian poisoners, the life and music of Lead Belly, the life and work of Bishop John Robinson and the Football World Cup 1930-1958.

John Humphrys hosts Britain's toughest quiz. Four more contenders are questioned on their specialist subject and general knowledge. Subjects are: the life and times of Robert Peel, Gertrude Jekyll, the Child Ballads and the life and work of Baudelaire.

Host John Humphrys invites four contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The specialist subjects are the life and career of Lester Piggott, the Weimar Republic, the life and trials of Edward Marshall Hall and the life and films of Preston Sturges.

Host John Humphrys invites four contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The specialist subjects are the life and career of Sir Alex Ferguson, 17th-century English history, Star Trek Voyager and the life and worlds of Edward Elgar.

Host John Humphrys invites four contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The specialist subjects are Charles Darwin, the life and works of Francis Poulenc, the history of mountaineering on Everest and the break-up of Yugoslavia.

Host John Humphrys invites four contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The specialist subjects are TV westerns of the 50s and 60s, the life and work of Tolkien, the government of Gough Whitlam 1972 -1975, and the life and career of Dixie Dean.

Host John Humphrys invites four contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The specialist subjects are the novels of Stan Barstow, the history of Portmeirion, motorcycles of the 1950s and the history of Lords Cricket Ground.