I still get excited to write about the Grand Final of Mastermind. It’s not surprising. I always watch every (non-celebrity) show and there have been very few that I haven’t written about in the last 16 or 17 years. Those I didn’t write about had the misfortune to fall during one of my more severe bouts of depression.
It seems an obvious thing to say but then that hasn’t
stopped me in the past. The Grand Final is different. For one thing you may
well have had less time to prepare for it. I had 6 weeks, considerably less
than I’d had for first round and semi. For another thing, your friends and
family probably know all about it and are probably really excited that you’ve
made the final. So you have all of the pressure of the build up, which is far
more than for the heats and the semi. Then you also have to make your filmed
insert, and while that can be a wonderful day it can also serve to bring home
to you that this is a much bigger deal than the other rounds were. Granted,
they don’t tend to go anything like as far afield to make the films as they
used to, but it’s still something special.
With the show now being filmed in Belfast (I think) flights
and overnight stays in a hotel must be used a lot more in this day and age. For
my 2007 heat I drove to Manchester, filmed the show, then drove back all on the
same day. But the final was filmed in Glasgow, which necessitated a flight and
two nights rather than one in the hotel. All of which added to the feel of a
special occasion.
Then there’s the day of the final. I don’t know what time
of day filming of the final is done now. For mine we didn’t have to be anywhere
or do anything until about 3pm. So we had a lot of time to kill. Do you spend
time in last minute revision? Do you go off sightseeing for the morning, which
is what I did? Maybe you have family with you, so how do you manage that? How
do you keep your mind occupied so you’re not getting yourself too worked up
thinking about what lies ahead?
The actual filming of the final is, in retrospect, the easy
bit. They always tried to do it in as close to real time as possible, with only
a short break between Specialists and General Knowledge. The before was a
little awkward as four of us were staying in the same hotel and had waited in the
lobby together for about half an hour with none of us saying a word to each
other. Thankfully, when we got to the University where it was being filmed and
had a small reception with the university bigwigs the conversation started to
flow.
One difference about the final is that in the heats and
semis, once your show has been filmed you are, in the nicest possible way,
surplus to requirements and in the way. With the Grand Final, once it is all in
the can there’s a bit of an end of term feel about it. Well, there was for most
of us. As soon as the filming was over there was a John Humphrys shaped hole in
the door and he couldn’t get away quickly enough, but there we are.
The best thing, in retrospect, is probably the getting
together with your fellow contenders afterwards. As I said, four of us were in
the same hotel and together with families and friends we all sat in the bar for
a few hours, talking (an apologies for how this sounds) sharing the experience.
Because it was a shared experience, and I was a shame that Stewart and Sandra
weren’t staying in the hotel too, because I think that only the 6 of us who
actually played really got to understand the full experience.
I’ve been lucky enough to play in grand finals since –
Brain of Britain, Only Connect and Brain of Mensa. They are all very enjoyable
occasions. All completely different from each other, I grant you. But there was
just something about being part of a Mastermind Grand Final. I hope that all of
this year’s super 6 finalists will find the same to be true.
So let’s have a look at the form book.
The Tale of the Tape
|
Round |
Name |
Specialist |
Passes |
GK |
Passes |
Total |
Passes |
|
Heat |
Dom Tait |
11 |
0 |
16 |
0 |
27 |
0 |
|
Semi |
|
12 |
0 |
15 |
0 |
27 |
0 |
|
Average |
|
11.5 |
0 |
15.5 |
0 |
27 |
0 |
|
Round |
Name |
Specialist |
Passes |
GK |
Passes |
Total |
Passes |
|
Heat |
John
Robinson |
12 |
0 |
12 |
0 |
24 |
0 |
|
Semi |
|
13 |
0 |
13 |
0 |
26 |
0 |
|
Average |
|
12.5 |
0 |
12.5 |
0 |
25 |
0 |
|
Round |
Name |
Specialist |
Passes |
GK |
Passes |
Total |
Passes |
|
Heat |
Claire
Reynolds |
10 |
0 |
13 |
0 |
23 |
0 |
|
Semi |
|
10 |
0 |
15 |
0 |
25 |
0 |
|
Average |
|
10 |
0 |
14 |
0 |
24 |
0 |
|
Round |
Name |
Specialist |
Passes |
GK |
Passes |
Total |
Passes |
|
Heat |
Nancy
Braithwaite |
11 |
0 |
14 |
0 |
25 |
0 |
|
Semi |
|
12 |
0 |
11 |
0 |
23 |
0 |
|
Average |
|
11.5 |
0 |
12.5 |
0 |
24 |
0 |
|
Round |
Name |
Specialist |
Passes |
GK |
Passes |
Total |
Passes |
|
Heat |
John
Harden |
13 |
0 |
11 |
2 |
24 |
2 |
|
Semi |
|
12 |
0 |
12 |
0 |
24 |
0 |
|
Average |
|
12.5 |
0 |
11.5 |
0 |
24 |
1 |
|
Round |
Name |
Specialist |
Passes |
GK |
Passes |
Total |
Passes |
|
Heat |
Ivan
Milatovic |
12 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
22 |
0 |
|
Semi |
|
10 |
0 |
12 |
0 |
22 |
0 |
|
Average |
|
11 |
0 |
11 |
0 |
22 |
0 |
Of course, the form book only tells you so much. Last year’s
champion Ruth Hart did not have the best average of the finalists going into the
final. Neither did Stuart Field in 2023. Nor Alice Walker in 2022. Someone is
going to find a fantastic performance from within, and they will be our
champion.
One other thing links our last three champions. I didn’t
predict that any of them would win. Well, I won’t predict this year’s champion
correctly either, for the simple reason that I won’t predict who will be the
champion at all. I don’t actually believe in the Curse of the Clark sofa, but just
in case, I don’t want to scupper anyone’s chances retrospectively.
Congratulations to all 6 of you. You’ve entertained us
royally this season.
