Mastermind 2024 Grand Final Review (spoilers)

Let me start by reiterating that I will be discussing the results of last night’s grand final, so please don’t read further until you’ve watched it. You’ll enjoy it, I promise.

Okay, so if you read my preview and have watched the final you’ll know that my predictions were even worse than usual, and that’s saying something! In terms of prognostications I set the bar for myself remarkably low and consistently fail to live up to it.

Let’s get on to the show itself then. First up was Oli Hanson. Oli was answering on the Wimbledon Singles Championships from the year 2000 to the present day. The star turn in his filmed insert was a personal message from the great Sir Andy Murray. I cannot imagine the amount of work involved in learning about all the matches and personalities involved in 23 years of Wimbledon Singles – I only managed the one point. I mentioned in my preview that I was a little worried about Oli’s Specialist scores. He did well again but again left some room for other contenders to put daylight between themselves and him, scoring 8 and 3 passes.

Ruth Hart was the joint highest scoring of the finalists in her first round heat. Yet she was also the lowest scoring of the finalists in her semi-final. Ruth was answering on Francis Bacon (the painter), who was unable to ring her with encouragement having passed away in 1992. Ruth served up a textbook demonstration of how deal with a specialist round in the grand final. She was asked fifteen questions and she answered all of them correctly. It’s an absolutely dream scenario, and presented the nightmarish prospect to her fellow contenders that they needed to produce their absolute best to make sure they were still in the contest by the time that the GK came round.

Helen Lippell cheerfully revealed that she was on her third go at Mastermind. Now, here’s a point. Back in the good old days before Covid, at least one of the finalists would win the filmed insert lottery and get a trip abroad. Helen, surely, would have been sent off to Greece bearing in mind that she was answering on the Ancient Greek poet Sappho. Not this time. Those days seem to have gone now with far more emphasis on the contenders’ families. I’d have wished them good luck if they’re tried to do that with my lot in 2007. Coming back to the point, Helen’s round on Sappho served to illustrate just how great Ruth’s round had been. I thought Helen had a very good round, but Ruth’s round had rendered the merely good redundant. Helen’s score of 10 meant that she was still five behind.

So to the frist of Clark’s predicted podium finishers, Sarah Thornton. Sarah was answering on The Mercury Music Prize and her message of encouragement came from Lauren Laverne. Sarah had scored consistently well on specialist in both heat and semi, where she had achieved 12 in both. She would need all of that, and more to put herself into contention. Fair play to Sarah, she gave it a good old lash, but by the end of the round she fell just a tiny bit short of her best, ending on 10.

So to Thomas Nelson, the teacher whom I predicted would win to become my successor as the last schoolteacher to win a series of Mastermind. In Thomas’ filmed insert he spoke of his disappointment in losing his heat despite scoring 26, and his subsequent joy in being invited to take part in the semi finals as a replacement. He also spoke of his joy in teaching – ah, I remember those days, long ago in the past for myself, sadly. The Marquis de Lafayette was apparently unable to make a call despite being Thomas’ specialist. Maybe the battery on his phone was dead. Thomas’ best score on specialist was 12 in the heats. I reckoned that if he could just improve slightly on that then he’d be in with a chance. Well, he came close, scoring another 12. 3 points is a bit of a mountain to climb though.

Finally George Twigg, my dark horse. George had performed admirably on specialist in both heat and semi. George was answering on Clara Schumann and during his filmed insert he revealed that like Oli he was a University Challenge old boy. George fell just a couple of points short of his specialist best, scoring 10. Now, don’t get me wrong, in the current era of Mastermind a score of 10 is a good performance in a grand final. But being five points off the lead really isn’t where you’d like to be.

So, at the halfway stage it looked as if we were left with a two horse race. Yes, I know all 6 contenders could still theoretically do it, but you have to go back to 2017 for the last time any contender overturned a 3 point lead at half time to win. That was LAM reader Isabelle Heward. In the last five finals the leader at half time has gone on to win. Would that be the case last night?

Oli returned to the chair looking and sounding like a man in shock. He passed a bit more than I would have expected based on his previous 2 GK rounds, but he did seem to rally as the round went on. He finished having scored a battling 13. Oli, if by any chance you read this, you’re a young chap. You could easily have another final appearance in the future, and your GK is only going to keep improving. Give it a couple of years, and then give it another lash, that’s my advice.

Helen Lippell went next to provide a great demonstration of how experience in the Mastermind chair can really help you in the long run. Helen gave us a great GK round. She scored an excellent 15 to raise the target to 25. I thought that this was maybe just a couple of points down on a potentially winning total, but it was certainly enough to give everyone left some food for thought.

Sarah Thornton came close. Like Helen she started on 10. Fifteen would not actually have been enough to put her into the lead, bearing in mind she had passes from specialist while Helen had none. She provided an excellent round of her own, though, finishing with 24. She can be justifiably proud of her contribution to this year’s Mastermind.

George Twigg, like all of this year’s contenders, is a dedicated quizzer and he set off in his round meaning business. George knew that the best way to rack up a cricket score is to snap out your answer just as the last syllable of the question is dying on Clive’s lips, and he started off at a tremendous clip. During the round a couple of questions pulled him up short and he passed once as well. The 12 and one pass he ended with is a good score. But he’d needed something outstanding.

Which brings us to the outsider in our two-horse race. Thomas had to score 3 points more than Ruth to force a tie break. As I said earlier, that’s a mountain to climb. In my own final all those years ago I was lying in third at the turn around, two points behind the leader. I thought that this was too much of a gap and even when I’d scored my best GK round I did think I would be just a point short of a tie break. Thomas had scored 16 on GK in the heat, and 14 in the semi. Great scores, and so if he could match this level of performance then he had a chance. He tried, he certainly tried, and he came close to his best with another 14. When he returned to his chair a rueful expression passed briefly across his face. I think he knew that this was just a couple of points down on what he needed.

Let’s put Ruth’s task into perspective. She’d scored 14 on GK in the heats and 10 in the semi. 10 would not be enough this time out. Crucially though there is that little bit more time in the final. For the first half of the round the coin was in the air as she missed a couple. Ruth kept her head, though, and in the second half of the round any doubts evaporated. She scored a good 13, which was enough to hand her the title and the win, with 28 points. I liked the way that Clive didn’t bother telling her the score, just “you ARE the Mastermind champion!”

Many, many congratulations, Ruth. You played brilliantly and deserved to win. Enjoy!

Thomas, I once again apologise for tipping you and hope you’ll come back this way soon. Someone needs to be the next schoolteacher to win Mastermind. It could well be you.

Oli, Helen, Sarah and George, congratulations on acquitting yourselves admirably throughout this series. Thank you for the entertainment you and all the contenders have provided. I say this a lot, but it’s worth repeating, that without people willing to put themselves on the line and to give up their time to prepare specialist subjects, we don’t have a series. Congratulations as well to Clive and the production team for another highly enjoyable and successful series. Roll on the next!

The Details

Oli Hanson	The Wimbledon Singles Championships 2000 - Present	8	3	13	4	21	7
Ruth Hart	Francis Bacon	15	0	13	0	28	0
Helen Lippell	Sappho	10	0	15	0	25	0
Sarah Thornton	The Mercury Music Prize	10	2	14	1	24	3
Thomas Nelson	The Marquis de Lafayette	12	0	14	0	26	0
George Twigg	Clara Schumann	10	0	12	1	22	1