About this season
Mastermind is a British quiz show, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness. Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the contestant's choice, the other a general knowledge round. Wright drew inspiration from his experiences of being interrogated by the Gestapo during World War II. The atmosphere is helped by Mastermind's famously ominous theme music, "Approaching Menace" by the British composer Neil Richardson. The quiz programme originated and was recorded in Manchester at studios such as New Broadcasting House and Granada Studios, before permanently moving to MediaCityUK in 2011.
Episodes (31)
1. Episode 1
Aired 7 August 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys and the famous black chair return for another series of television's toughest quiz. 96 contenders start the path towards the final but only one can be crowned Mastermind Champion. Subjects in this first heat are Marvel Comics, Shakespeare's comedies, John Martyn and Pu Yi, the Last Emperor of China.
2. Episode 2
Aired 14 August 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys puts questions to four more contenders. The specialist subjects in this heat are Harry Potter, modern jazz, the English Reformation and the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
3. Episode 3
Aired 21 August 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys puts questions to four more contenders. The specialist subjects in this heat are Christopher Marlowe, I Claudius, the racehorse Arkle and Joseph Stalin.
4. Episode 4
Aired 28 August 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys puts questions to four more contenders. The specialist subjects in this heat are the Academy Awards, King Crimson, Weimar Germany and Gerard Manley Hopkins.
5. Episode 5
Aired 4 September 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The specialist subjects in this heat are Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy, the Wars of the Roses, Edward Heath and Radio 4 sitcom Cabin Pressure.
6. Episode 6
Aired 11 September 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The specialist subjects in this heat are Sherlock Holmes, the Radio 4 sitcom Old Harry's Game, the Roman Army and Harold Wilson.
7. Episode 7
Aired 18 September 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The specialist subjects in this heat are The Wire, Scott Joplin, the writer Alan Moore and Beatrix Potter.
8. Episode 8
Aired 25 September 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The specialist subjects in this heat are Catherine of Aragon, the post-war Labour Government, the band Rush and the poet Robert Fergusson.
9. Episode 9
Aired 2 October 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys asks the questions as the hunt continues for the nation's Mastermind. Subjects tonight are silent cinema, the band Hawkwind, the Ballets Russes and King Henry V.
10. Episode 10
Aired 9 October 2015 • 30 min
Subjects include the films of Kevin Smith, the novels of Neil Gaiman, Sir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris and Chess Records.
11. Episode 11
Aired 16 October 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys asks the questions as the hunt continues for the nation's Mastermind. Subjects tonight are Kathleen Ferrier, Everton FC, the Rivers of London novels of Ben Aaronovitch and the Albigensian Crusade.
12. Episode 12
Aired 23 October 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys asks the questions as the hunt continues for the nation's Mastermind. Subjects tonight are the history of Las Vegas, the Anne books by LM Montgomery, Paul Simon and the Western films of John Ford.
13. Episode 13
Aired 6 November 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys asks the questions as the hunt continues for the nation's Mastermind. Subjects tonight are the Song of Ice and Fire novels by George RR Martin, Gloria Swanson, the music of Carly Simon and the FA Cup in the 1970s.
14. Episode 14
Aired 13 November 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The specialist subjects in this heat are the films of Martin Scorsese, Donald Campbell, the Pop Larkin Chronicles and Ian Paisley.
15. Episode 15
Aired 20 November 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The specialist subjects in this heat are Vincent van Gogh, Burnley FC, the Thirty Years' War and the Tom Kirk novels by James Twining.
16. Episode 16
Aired 27 November 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The specialist subjects in this heat are The IT Crowd, North American Plains Indians from 1850-1910, Homer's Iliad and the history of Hong Kong from 1841-1997.
17. Episode 17
Aired 4 December 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are World War II in Europe, Josephine Butler, Freemasonry and Pete Seeger.
18. Episode 18
Aired 11 December 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are Barbara Castle, Archbishop Makarios, the McAuslan trilogy of George MacDonald Fraser and Joe Meek.
19. Episode 19
Aired 18 December 2015 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are The West Wing, Jesse Owens, Manfred von Richthofen and Billy Bragg.
20. Episode 20
Aired 8 January 2016 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are Pearl Jam, Watergate, Middlesbrough FC and the life and poetry of AE Housman.
21. Episode 21
Aired 15 January 2016 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are Scottish pop music from 1980-1999, Aston Villa FC, the history of the GDR, and Clarice Cliff.
22. Episode 22
Aired 22 January 2016 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are Gavin and Stacey, Sir John Gielgud, Jackie Robinson and William Morris.
23. Episode 23
Aired 29 January 2016 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are the Apollo missions, the Great Train Robbery, Queen's Park Rangers FC and the Alex Delaware novels of Jonathan Kellerman.
24. Episode 24
Aired 5 February 2016 • 30 min
John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Jock Stein, Stax Records and the Suez Crisis.
25. Episode 25
Aired 12 February 2016 • 30 min
Host John Humphrys invites five contenders to answer questions in the black chair in the first semi-final. Subjects are the life and career of Brian Clough, the films of Paul Verhoeven, Electric Light Orchestra, the Easter Rising and David Sedaris.
26. Episode 26
Aired 19 February 2016 • 30 min
John Humphrys puts the questions to five more semi-finalists. The subjects are the X-Men comics, Wainwright's coast to coast walk, the Green Bay Packers, Jethro Tull and Eamon de Valera.
27. Episode 27
Aired 26 February 2016 • 30 min
John Humphrys asks the questions as the hunt continues for the nation's Mastermind. Subjects in this semi-final are Men Behaving Badly, Caroline Graham's Inspector Barnaby novels, the history of the Bundesliga, Gerald Durrell and Neville Chamberlain.
28. Episode 28
Aired 11 March 2016 • 30 min
John Humphrys hosts another semi-final of Britain's toughest quiz. Five more contenders are questioned on their specialist subject and general knowledge. The subjects are Ever Decreasing Circles, the life and works of Sylvia Plath, Roddy Doyle's Barrytown trilogy, women in the Olympics and Ray Davies.
29. Episode 29
Aired 18 March 2016 • 30 min
Host John Humphrys invites five more contenders to answer questions in the black chair in the penultimate semi-final. The subjects are British summer Olympic champions, William Marshal, Windsor Castle, Ian Fleming and Vasari's Lives of the Artists.
30. Episode 30
Aired 25 March 2016 • 30 min
John Humphrys hosts as five contestants compete in the last semi-final. Subjects are Reading FC, Benjamin Britten, Venice, the history of Ulster and Prohibition
31. Grand Final
Aired 1 April 2016 • 60 min
The search for the nation's Mastermind reaches its conclusion as John Humphrys invites the six finalists to make once last visit to the famous black chair as they attempt to win the glass bowl and the title of Mastermind. The specialist subjects for the grand final are Thunderbirds, English test cricket since 1970, Elizabeth Gaskell, the Seven Years War, the Ryder Cup and the Battle for Berlin.