Sunday, 19 April 2026

Mastermind 2026 Grand Final Preview

 The Tale of the Tape

Lorna Frankel

1st round

12

0

12

0

24

0

Lorna Frankel

semi

13

0

10

0

23

0

Average

 

12.5

0

11

0

23.5

0

Diane Howe

1st round

12

0

14

1

26

1

Diane Howe

semi

9

3

11

2

20

5

Average

 

10.5

1.5

12.5

1.5

23

3

Ross Taylor

1st round

10

0

9

0

19

0

Ross Taylor

semi

12

0

15

0

27

0

Average

 

11.5

0

12

0

23

0

Danielle Connolly

1st round

11

0

13

0

24

0

Danielle Connolly

semi

11

1

6

2

17

3

Average

 

11

0.5

9.5

1

20.5

1.5

David Ford

1st round

11

0

16

0

27

0

David Ford

semi

9

0

10

1

19

1

Average

 

10

0

13

0.5

23

1

Miles Searle

1st round

9

0

13

0

22

0

Miles Searle

semi

11

0

15

0

26

0

Average

 

10

0

14

0

24

0

 

Yes, peeps, the above table shows how our 6 finalists in tomorrow night’s Grand Final have performed in their semi-finals and their first-roundheats. Now, if you’re looking for a prediction, well, I’m afraid that I’ve stopped doing that. Yes, I know in my heart of hearts that me predicting a winner cannot logically really scupper that contender’s chances. But I’m sick of getting it wrong all the time.

It’s probably just as well that I’m not trying to pick a winner, anyway, because this year is too difficult to call. Just in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve averaged out the points from each contender’s two shows, and 5 of our contenders have an average points total of between 23 and 24. 5 contenders separated by 1 point. Now, okay, that is only the average. But that in itself raised the point that generally there is a lot of inconsistency between the finalists’ performances in their first round, and in their semi, especially when it comes to general knowledge. In all likelihood the winner will need to have been the top, or very close to the top performer in general knowledge. So even in the case of the finalist with the lowest GK score from the semis, who is to say that they won’t have a GK round that is even better than their first round GK? Even in the case of the finalist with the highest GK score from the semis, who is to say that they won’t have a performance that is on a par with their first round GK?

So even though it is always a case of the final is there to be won by the person who manages to find their very best form on the night, it seems to apply even more for tomorrow than it normally does. Alright, I haven’t picked an actual winner for years, but the winner is usually one of the contenders I’ve thought was in with a chance. It hasn’t been won by an outsider. Well, if I’m honest, there really are no real outsiders this year. If any of these contenders has their best evening of the series, and the others don’t, then there’s our winner.

It’s not the time or place to reiterate the points I made last week about how I’d like to resolve the situation that can happen when two of the strongest contenders in the whole series get matched in the same heat. All I want to do now is to congratulate each of our 6 finalists for getting this far. I hope that the final proved to be a memorable and enjoyable experience for all of you, and I’m really looking forward to it.

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