Hello, and good morning. Yes, sorry, late again. I’ll always try to post about MM on the same day, but for the second week running I was just too tired. Not an excuse, not much of an explanation for that matter, but it’s true.
Kicking us off was Peter Wilson, who was answering on Roger
Federer. Running my eye quickly down the list of subjects, although there was
one okay subject for me, for the most part I reckoned I’d be doing well to pick
up more than a point on the other three. Double figures? Probably out of the
question for me. Despite being interested in sport, and enjoying tennis, for
some reason I just don’t seem to have connected with the great Swiss player’s
career and managed a measly single point. Peter on the other hand put on a
performance worthy of the great man and scored a round dozen, in a manoeuvre
which might be called the laying of the gauntlet.
Almost as good as Peter’s was the round provided for us by
Madeline Roper on the subject of Gavin and Stacey. Yes, gentle reader, this was
the closest thing I had to a banker subject on this show. I’ve watched and
enjoyed every episode. Nonetheless, I said the same about last week’s Royle
Family round and I certainly didn’t pull up any trees on that round. Likewise
last night, three points was all I could manage. Madeline on the other hand did
considerably better. Her knowledge of the show seemed secure throughout the
round, and she put on 11 points. She was definitely in with a shout.
Bernie Morgan was answering oon Bronislawa Nijinska. She
was the sister of the more famous Nijinsky – the dancer and not the racehorse,
I’m sure – and a world famous choreographer in her own right. Oh, what can I
say? Bernie scored 2 points. General knowledge brought me 1 point for guessing
that Diaghilev must be the impresario one question referred to. Look, I don’t
know any more than you what happened in this round. There’s any number of
factors which might have conspired against Bernie. All I can say with certainty
is that my heart went out to her.
Following on then was the fellow teacher, Thomas Nelson.
Thomas was answering on Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns. I have never been a
fan of westerns. My dad loved them and that was enough o put me off for life.
Still, if I had to watch one I’d rather watch one starring Clint Eastwood than
any other. So yes, I got my single point from this round to take me to an
aggregate of 6. Thomas did pretty well, getting into double figures with 10.
Well, paraphrasing Kipling, Mastermind is often a test of
whether you can treat those two imposters, success and failure just the same.
So I was very heartened when Bernie returned to the chair with a smile on her
face. And she went on to produce a good general knowledge round, which showed
that she had earned her place on the show. It wasn’t quite a great round, as
kind Clive Myrie suggested, but following on from the specialist, it was a very
good performance.
Not as good, though, as Thomas Nelson’s round. Maintaining
an excellent pace, Thomas ripped through his own set of questions, adding 16
correct answers to take his score to a fine 26. Now, I’m an old hand at this
game and I know that nothing is certain until the winner is announced, but I’ll
be honest, I was already assessing Thomas’ chances of taking my crown as the
last schoolteacher to win a series. With GK like that, many things are
possible.
But the show wasn’t over yet. Madeline returned to the
chair, and the first minute or so of her round was a classy performance. I had
her up with the clock. Sadly, though, a couple of wrong answers robbed her of
momentum, and she never quite found her way in the round again. She tried, no
doubt about that, but her aim was wide of the mark for a lot of the remaining
questions, and in the end she had to settle with 8 for 19.
Only Peter Wilson now stood between Thomas and a place in
the semis. And when the round started, he was answering with the same kind of
econo9my and accuracy that Thomas had. This could be close – I said to no one
in particular. Then Peter passed on one and suddenly the odds tipped slightly
in Thomas’ favour. It wouldn’t be enough for Peter to score 14 for 26. He had
to score 15 at least or lose on countback. Well, to cut a long story short, he
did it. 12 and 15 is a fine all round performance. Peter, congratulations. You
deserved your win, and I wish you well in your semi-final. Madeline, that was a
great specialist performance and 19 is a good score, well done. Bernie, well,
as the great Magnus Magnusson used to say, it’s only a game. Sometimes it’s not
your night. Thomas, you deserved better. You are good enough to be in the
semis, and I’m sure you would have been if we still had the repechage slots.
Not much consolation, I know.
|
Peter Wilson |
Roger Federer |
12 |
0 |
15 |
1 |
27 |
1 |
|
Madeline Roper |
Gavin and Stacey |
11 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
19 |
0 |
|
Bernie Morgan |
Bronislawa Nijinska |
2 |
0 |
11 |
0 |
13 |
0 |
|
Thomas Nelson |
Sergio Leone’s
Spaghetti Westerns |
10 |
0 |
16 |
0 |
26 |
0 |
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