Episode 28 Mastermind

First in the spotlight tonight is David Horan, a retired teacher

from Oxfordshire on the '80s sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles.

Next, Dennis Tomlinson, a postman from London,

his specialist subject - the poet Sylvia Plath.

Tom Mead is a mortgage consultant from Sheffield.

He's answering questions on Roddy Doyle's Barrytown novels.

Christine Harrison is an agency worker from Southampton,

her subject - women in the Olympics.

And Graham Barker, a dentist from Widnes

on the singer and songwriter Ray Davies.

Hello and welcome to Mastermind with me, John Humphrys.

Five contenders tonight,

because it's a semifinal, which means they've all been here before

and that's some help, but of course, the questions are all different

and the pressure of the clock is still there.

They get a minute and a half with their specialist subject

and then two minutes of general knowledge.

One of them goes through to the grand final.

So, let's get on with it and ask our first contender to join us, please.

And your name is...?

Your occupation?

And your chosen subject?

Ever Decreasing Circles, here we go, in 90 seconds.

In the 1980s sitcom, Ever Decreasing Circles,

what's the name of the suave hairdressing salon owner

who moves in next door to pedantic Martin Bryce

and his long-suffering wife Ann?

Paul.

What traditional party game does Martin play

in his garden with the old ladies

he's invited from the retirement home

for afternoon tea?

Charades.

Which actor plays Ann and Martin's long-standing friend

and neighbour Howard Hughes?

Stanley Lebor.

What dish does Martin plan to cook for himself on the first evening

that his wife Ann is in hospital for surgery on her shoulder?

He ends up buying fish and chips

cos he's forgotten to soak the kidney beans.

A chilli con carne.

What is the abbreviated name

of the Open University campaign

against government cuts that Ann's involved in?

Martin disapproves and accuses her of becoming,

"A pawn of the Kremlin."

Pass.

What is the name of the supposedly fierce dog

that a landowner uses to scare Martin,

Howard and Hilda away

from what they believe is a public footpath?

Blossom.

Which two opposing historical groups

are represented in the mock battle at the charity fete?

The event culminates in single combat

between Paul and Martin.

Roundheads and Cavaliers.

After Paul announces that he needs to move away

for business reasons, possibly to the Channel Islands,

what show-tune does Martin happily sing

while doing the washing-up?

Pass.

What is the full name of the psychiatrist

who Martin meets at Paul's party?

Ann suggests Martin should visit him professionally.

Dave Wilson.

On Howard and Hilda's first night

on Neighbourhood Watch patrol, they arrest a burglar

who pretends to be a plain-clothes policeman

of what rank? BEEP

-Inspector.

-Yes, indeed.

Detective Inspector of The Metropolitan Police.

You had two passes, David.

Oh, What A Beautiful Morning was the show tune that he was singing.

And that campaign that Ann is involved in is the O-U-S-A,

-OUSA campaign.

-OK.

-There we go.

-David, you have scored eight points.

-Thank you, great.

And our next contender, please.

And your name is...?

Your occupation?

And your chosen subject?

Sylvia Plath in 90 seconds, starting now.

The American-born poet Sylvia Plath

was one of the most distinctive

and dramatic voices in post-war poetry.

What's the title of her autobiographical novel

published in 1963 that opens,

"It was a queer, sultry summer,

"the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs"?

The Bell Jar.

What college did Plath attend as an undergraduate

from September 1950?

She chose it over the women only Wellesley College.

-Smith College.

-Plath first met her future husband,

Ted Hughes, at a party to mark the 1956 launch

of which literary review?

St Botolph's Review.

Plath began a lasting friendship

with a young female psychiatrist

at the McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts,

following a course of psychotherapy

and electroconvulsive therapy in 1953.

What was her name?

Ruth Beuscher.

What title that came from her grandparents' telephone number

did Plath give to the childhood memoir

she wrote for the BBC in 1962?

1212-W.

No, Ocean 1212-W.

Which newspaper in the city where she was born

published a four-line poem written by Plath

at the age of eight?

-Boston Observer.

-No, Sunday Herald.

Which poem that concludes with the line,

"The bees are flying They taste the spring"

had Plath put as the final poem

in her collection Ariel?

The order was changed by Ted Hughes before publication

in '65, two years after her suicide.

Over Wintering.

Wintering.

Dark House, Maenad and Witch Burning

are among the sections of which poem

of November 1959?

Poem For A Birthday.

What title did Plath give

to her honours thesis of 1955 -

A Study Of The Concept Of The Double

In Works By Dostoevsky?

The Magic Mirror.

Which poem by Plath begins with the line... BEEP

.."I have done it again One year in every ten I manage it."

Lady Lazarus.

Is correct.

-No passes, Dennis, you have seven points.

-Thank you.

And our next contender, please.

And your name is...?

Your occupation?

And your specialist subject?

Roddy Doyle's Barrytown novels in 90 seconds. Here we go.

In the first of the novels set in working-class Dublin,

who accepts the invitation of Derek Scully

and Outspan Foster

to be the manager of their band,

which he renames The Commitments?

-Jimmy Rabbitte Jr.

-In The Guts, Jimmy Jr's having an affair with a woman

that used to sing with The Commitments, what's her name?

Imelda Quirk.

In The Snapper, how old is Jimmy Sr's unmarried daughter Sharon

when she breaks the news to her parents that she's pregnant?

20.

What is the name of Sharon's best friend

who dumps her boyfriend Greg after he accuses her

of robbing the cream out of his chocolate eclair?

Jackie.

What is the name of the environmental health officer

who comes to inspect the chipper van

and tells Jimmy Sr and Bimbo that it poses

a grave and serious danger to public health?

Des O Callaghan.

In The Guts, Outspan's asked by Des Savage

to join his band, The Irregulars.

What does Outspan say every half-decent band should have?

A cow bell?

A dead guitarist.

Which country is playing against Ireland

in the 1990 World Cup in a match shown

in the Hiker's pub on the first night that Jimmy Sr and Bimbo

sell food to customers from their chipper van?

England.

What is the name of the Irish independent record label

whose owner comes to watch The Commitments perform?

They agree to release a single before Jimmy Jr finds out

the band has split up.

Eejit Records.

After Jimmy Sr and Bimbo clean their chipper van,

they decorate the outside with a picture of a burger,

the name Bimbo's Burgers and what slogan?

Today's Chips Today.

From what job is Bimbo made redundant

because his boss claims

he has to let go ten of the older men to compete with the big boys?

-Baker.

-Jimmy Jr gives each of the members of The Commitments

a stage name, what name does he give... BEEP

..to James Clifford, the piano player?

Soul Surgeon.

Soul Surgeon is correct.

No passes, Tom, you've got ten points.

And our next contender, please.

And your name is...?

Your occupation?

And your chosen subject?

Women in the Olympics in 90 seconds, here we go.

Women have competed in every Olympic Games

since 1900 and were allowed to compete in athletics in 1928.

Which of the five events was then dropped

from the Olympic programme

until 1960, on the grounds it was supposedly harmful for women?

800 metres.

What was the only individual swimming event

when the sport was open to women at the 1912 games?

100-metre freestyle.

Which sport was included in the games

for the only time in 1900

and featured male and female participants in the same competition?

Golf.

Croquet. What was the name of the American athlete from Missouri

who took gold in the 100 metres and the sprint relay in 1936?

Helen Stephens.

In 1932, Mildred Babe Didrikson won the javelin

and the sprint hurdles

and was in a jump-off for gold

in the high jump with Jean Shiley

when the judges decided her style of jumping was illegal

and demoted her to second place.

What style had she been using?

Western roll.

In what sailing class did Frances Rivett-Carnac

and her husband Charles win gold at the 1908 games?

-Sailing.

-What sailing class?

-Seven.

-Seven metres.

Which fencer won gold in the foil in 1928

and took silver in 1936

when she was included on the German team

even though she'd lost her citizenship

because of her Jewish father?

Helene Mayer.

Liz Hartnell of Denmark won the silver medal

in dressage in 1952,

the first year that women competed in equestrian events.

Which disease had left Hartnell partially paralysed

eight years earlier?

-Polio.

-Women from the United States

won all three medals in which event from 1920,

when it was introduced, until 1948?

-Diving.

-No, the three-metre springboard diving.

What was the surname of the Soviet sisters

Tamara and Irina... BEEP

..who both won Olympics athletics titles?

-Press.

-Press is correct.

No passes. Christine, you have eight points.

And our final contender, please.

And your name is...?

Your occupation?

And your chosen subject?

Ray Davies in 90 seconds. Here we go.

Davies was the lead singer and songwriter

for the British rock group The Kinks.

Which single, released in August '64,

gave the group their first UK number one?

You Really Got Me.

In which district of London were both Ray and Dave Davies born?

Its name was incorporated into the title

of a '71 Kinks album that failed to make the UK charts?

Muswell Hill.

The song I Need You includes an early example

of The Kinks using feedback on a recording.

For which single, released in May '65,

was it the B-side?

Set Me Free.

Which 1970 single had its release delayed

so a section could be re-voiced by Ray

to avoid the company brand name Coca-Cola

appearing in the lyrics?

Otherwise, the BBC couldn't play the song.

Lola.

Davies claims that he had first intended

the song Waterloo Sunset

to be about the music industry of which city?

Liverpool.

The Kinks' first single, Long Tall Sally,

failed to reach the UK Top 40 charts

on its release in 1964.

What was the single's B-side?

-I Took My Baby Home.

-In the song Sunny Afternoon,

the girlfriend has run off with the car,

but who has taken the yacht and everything else,

leaving the singer with just his stately home?

Big, fat mama.

The taxman.

Which musical, with lyrics and music by Davies,

had its premiere under the direction of Des McAnuff

at the La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego, in August 1988?

Around The World In 80 Days.

Yes. 80 Days - A New Musical.

On which Channel 4 television show in 1995,

presented by Mark Radcliffe,

did Davies perform the songs Waterloo Sunset and Parklife

in a duet with Damon Albarn?

-The Tube.

-The White Room.

In which city... BEEP

..was Davies shot in the leg in January 2004

while he was chasing muggers who had robbed him

and his companion at gunpoint?

-New Orleans.

-New Orleans is correct.

-No passes. Graham, you too have eight point.

-Thank you.

Well, a very close round there. Let's have a look at the scores.

In fifth place, seven points, Dennis Tomlinson.

Joint second place, eight points apiece,

David Horan, Christine Harrison and Graham Barker.

And in first place, with ten points, Tom Mead.

So, it is the general knowledge round now.

If there's a tie at the end of it,

the number of passes is taken into account

and the person with the fewer passes is the winner.

If they are tied on passes as well, there will have to be a tie-break.

Let's get on with it and ask Dennis to join us again, please.

And you start out with seven points

with your knowledge of Sylvia Plath, Dennis.

You have two minutes of general knowledge

to catch up and overtake the field. Here we go.

What emblems representing

unity of industrial workers and peasants

featured on the flag of the Soviet Union?

Hammer and sickle.

What alternative name for the pangolin

comes from the insects that it sometimes feeds on,

although its diet also consists of

the closely-related termites?

Scaly anteater.

In which 1984 film, directed by Ron Howard,

does Daryl Hannah play a mermaid called Madison

who saves a boy from drowning?

-Splash.

-What's the highest denomination banknote

produced today in the United States?

-1,000.

-100. Which classic adventure novel

by Baroness Emma Orczy features the line,

"We seek him here, we seek him there,

"those Frenchies seek him everywhere"?

-The Scarlet Pimpernel.

-Which Australian singer

had two consecutive solo number ones

with Too Many Broken Hearts and Sealed With A Kiss

in the late '80s?

-Kylie Minogue.

-Jason Donovan.

On television, what's the name

of the streetwise underworld contact

of Starsky and Hutch played by Antonio Fargas?

Huggy Bear.

The chemical element hafnium is named after the Latin term

for the European capital city where it was discovered in 1923. Which city?

Copenhagen.

The title of Arnold Wesker's 1962 play

about the class divide in Britain is Chips With...?

Everything.

Who was the conductor born in St Helens who founded both

the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestras?

-Henry Wood.

-Beecham.

Which Italian football club originally played in pink,

but adopted black and white in 1903

after John Savage, an Englishman playing for the club,

arranged for a consignment of Notts County's shirts to be sent to them?

Juventus.

What name for a hatchet used both as a tool and for fighting

comes from the Algonquin language of North America?

Tomahawk.

In the pantomime Aladdin,

what is the name of Widow Twankey's other son?

Pass.

Which of the Books of the Pentateuch states that

it is unclean for a man to marry his brother's wife?

Henry VIII used this to have his marriage

to Catherine of Aragon annulled?

Leviticus.

In Middle Eastern cookery, which seeds are crushed

to make the thick oily paste tahini

which is used in dishes such as hummus?

Sesame.

In which English county is the town of Chester-le-Street,

home to the county cricket ground?

-Nottinghamshire.

-Durham.

What is the name of the V-shaped stripe

on the sleeve of a uniform... BEEP

..indicating rank or length of service?

-Chevron.

-Is correct.

You had one pass.

Widow Twankey's other son was Wishy Washy.

There you go. You have, now, a total, Dennis, of 19 points.

Thank you.

And now David again, please.

And...you start out with...eight points,

and 19 is the score to beat.

Here we go. Two minutes in which to do it.

The name of which animal is used to describe

insincere or affected tears?

Crocodile.

In 1979, British and Irish golfers were first joined by European players

to compete against the USA in which competition?

-The Ryder Cup.

-Which high-profile politician

became a Member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip

at the 2015 General Election?

Pass.

What do the initials DC stand for

in the context of an electrical circuit?

Direct current.

For what stationery items is the C series of sizes mainly used?

-Paper.

-Envelopes.

Which breakfast food, a mixture of cereals, fruit and nuts,

is derived from a dish first made by

the Swiss nutritionist Dr Bircher-Benner

for patients at his Zurich health clinic?

Muesli.

In the UK shipping forecast, which sea area

includes the northern coast of Ireland

and the southwestern coast of Scotland?

-Rockall.

-Malin.

Which 1954 UK number two hit for Dean Martin

features in the '87 film Moonstruck?

-Under The Bridges Of Paris.

-That's Amore.

In the opening lines of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem,

who is invited to "Come into the garden"?

Maud.

The sinful Biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah

are thought to have been located near which body of water?

-The Tigris.

-The Dead Sea.

Which long-running Radio Four news programme is broadcast

every weekday lunchtime and presents "45 minutes of news, analysis and comment"?

Its presenters have included William Hardcastle and Sir Robin Day.

The World At One.

The Birth of Venus, which depicts Venus standing on a shell

as she reaches the shore and is housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence,

was painted by which Italian artist?

Botticelli.

A showman died on Halloween 1926

from a ruptured appendix and peritonitis that resulted from

a punch in the stomach for which he was unprepared. What was his name?

Harry Houdini.

What French word is used for a large gemstone,

especially a diamond, which is set alone?

Solitaire.

Which British actress won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar

at the 2003 Awards

for her role as the murderess Velma Kelly in Chicago?

Pass.

Descendants of which animals... BEEP

..originally brought to Britain from America

to be farmed for their fur, have escaped and bred,

causing devastation among local wildlife?

-Mink.

-Indeed. American mink.

Two passes, David.

Catherine Zeta-Jones was the actress who played Velma Kelly.

Yep. And that high-profile Member of Parliament,

Boris Johnson.

Yeah. It's the words high-profile that would have done it.

-David, you have a total of 18 points.

-Thank you.

And now Christine again, please.

And...you start out with eight points as well,

and 19 is the score to beat

if you're to get through to the grand final.

Here we go.

Which puppet that dates back to

the 17th century Italian commedia dell'arte,

has a hook nose, a jutting chin and wields a stick?

Mr Punch.

Which rich chocolate cake is traditionally flavoured with kirsch

and decorated with whipped cream, cherries and chocolate?

Black Forest gateau.

The oldest institute of higher education in America

is a university named after the Puritan minister

who left the college his books and half his estate

when he died in 1638. What's it called?

Harvard.

In January 1926, who was the first person to demonstrate

a working television system

to members of the Royal Institution?

John Logie Baird.

Which financial institution was founded by

Act of Parliament in 1694

and remained in private hands until 1946

when it was placed under government ownership?

-Bank of England.

-According to the popular proverb,

what is the sincerest form of flattery?

-Wit.

-Imitation.

-Oh.

In Belgium in 1958,

the Italian Maria Teresa de Filippis

became the first woman to compete at a sport

that's dominated by men. Which sport?

-Motor racing.

-Yes, Formula 1.

Which artist, famous for his bronze lions,

painted a portrait of Prince Albert's favourite greyhound, Eos,

that was given to Albert as a Christmas present

by Queen Victoria in 1841?

Landseer.

Which Dickens' novel takes its title from

the name of the home of John Jarndyce,

one of the principal characters?

Bleak House.

Which genus of plants has a name that comes from

the Latin for three leaves?

Trefoil.

What name of Spanish origin is given to a rope

with a running noose at the end that's used by cowboys

to catch cattle and wild horses?

A lasso.

In which island group does the winter festival of Up Helly Aa take place,

where a replica Viking longship is dragged through town

in a torchlight procession and then burned?

-Shetlands.

-Who has been the main presenter of

the Channel 4 programme Location, Location, Location

alongside Kirstie Allsopp since the year 2000?

-Pass.

-What is the name of the American Naval Lieutenant

who has arranged to marry the title character

in Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly?

Lieutenant Pinkerton.

Which jazz pianist composed One O'Clock Jump

which became the signature tune of his big band?

-Oscar Peterson.

-Count Basie.

Crich in Derbyshire is home to

which British national transport museum?

Tram.

Which American city was known as New Amsterdam... BEEP

..when the Dutch founded it in the 17th century?

-New York.

-Is correct.

You had one pass.

The main presenter of that...of Location, Location

along with Kirstie Allsopp

has been, for a long time, Phil Spencer.

But, Christine, you have 22 points.

And now Graham again, please.

And...you also have eight points,

but the score to beat now has leapt up,

as you've just heard, to 22.

So let's see if you can do that. Here we go.

Which boxer was famous for promoting himself

with the slogan, "I am the greatest"?

Muhammad Ali.

On which television game show did the presenter

solemnly intone, "Bernie, the bolt"?

The Golden Shot.

What name is used for the smallest number of officers

or members of a body required to attend a meeting

for its proceedings to be regarded as legally valid?

Quorum.

Malus domestica is one of the world's most cultivated fruit trees.

What is its common name?

Apple.

Which Nobel prize-winning British dramatist, who died in 2008,

wrote the screenplay for the 2007 film version

of Anthony Shaffer's play Sleuth

starring Jude Law and Michael Caine?

Pinter.

Which supergiant star is the brightest,

as seen from Earth,

in the constellation Scorpius?

Its name means rival of Ares.

-Proxima Centauri.

-Antares.

In the UK, what is normally the main ingredient

in the spicy dipping sauce served with satay?

Peanuts.

At which sport did The Times columnist Matthew Syed compete for Great Britain

in the Barcelona and Sydney Olympic Games?

-Wrestling.

-Table Tennis.

Who plays the therapy-seeking Mafia boss Paul Vitti

in the film comedies Analyse This

and its sequel Analyse That?

-Robert De Niro.

-According to the Book Of Genesis,

who was saved from the destruction of Sodom

by an angel who told him,

"Arise, take thy wife and daughters,

"lest thou be consumed in the punishment of the city"?

Lot.

Pomfret is an old name for which Yorkshire town?

Pontefract.

Which British indie rock act,

who were late replacements for the Foo Fighters

to headline the Glastonbury Festival,

topped the UK Album Charts in June 2015

with How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful?

-Mumford And Sons.

-Florence And The Machine.

Which Post-Impressionist painter,

who died in Polynesia in 1903,

was the forerunner of the Fauvist School?

The painting The Yellow Christ

is a classic example of his style.

-Gauguin.

-Who had to re-write the first volume

of his history of the French Revolution

after he was told by his friend, John Stuart Mill,

that the original manuscript had accidentally been burnt?

Carlyle.

Which closed and secretive Asian country

has a political ideology of self-reliance,

known as Juche... BEEP

..which was set down by its leader in 1972

as the creative application

of Marxist-Leninist principles?

-North Korea.

-Is correct.

-No passes, Graham. 20 points.

-Thank you.

And, finally, Tom again, please.

And you have the advantage of starting with ten points,

but the score to beat is still 22.

So, here we go.

Two minutes to see whether you can get through to the grand final.

In 1962, who replaced Pete Best

as the full-time drummer of The Beatles?

-Ringo Starr.

-In Edward Lear's nonsense poem,

the Owl and the Pussycat went to sea

in a boat that was what colour?

Pea-green.

In which fictional town did The Flintstone family live

in the 1960s television cartoon series?

Bedrock.

Which 19th-century art movement was promoted by

the French dealer Paul Durand-Ruel,

who held a major exhibition in London in 1872

when the group's members were still largely unknown?

Impressionism.

Which island in the Indian Ocean provides the setting

for Bizet's 1863 opera The Pearl Fishers?

-Easter Island.

-Ceylon.

What is the usual name for the insects of the genus Drosophila

that are widely used in genetic research?

Because of their very short life spans,

many generations can easily be studied.

-Mayfly.

-Fruit flies.

Oxides of a metallic element on the surface of Mars

give rise to its alternative name,

the Red Planet. What element?

Iron.

In which Ancient Greek city-state

was there a class of serf labourers called Helots

who were famously badly treated by their employers?

Sparta.

Which Spanish city gives its name to a bitter-tasting orange

much prized for making marmalade

because of its high acidic content?

-Valencia.

-Seville.

What name is given to the hairstyle

consisting of narrow matted or braided rope-like strands of hair

originally worn by male members of

the Rastafarian sect in Jamaica?

Dreadlocks.

Which girl group teamed up with Girls Aloud

on the chart-topping single Walk This Way,

the official song for Comic Relief in 2007?

Sugababes.

Which place of worship stands at the top of Ludgate Hill in London?

St Paul's Cathedral.

Whose novel, A History Of The World In 10 1/2 Chapters,

starting with the voyage of Noah's Ark

and ending with a sneak preview of heaven,

was first published in 1989?

-Bill Bryson.

-Julian Barnes.

The 2015 film with the subtitle Fury Road

stars Tom Hardy in a role that's previously been played

by Mel Gibson. Which role?

Mad Max.

According to the popular idiom,

where is the iron hand or fist concealed?

-In your gloves.

-In a velvet glove.

The name of which American rap trio,

who had hits with Push It and Do You Want Me... BEEP

..derives from the stage names of two of its members,

Cheryl James and Sandra Denton?

-TLC.

-No, it's Salt-n-Pepa.

-Ah.

Well, doesn't really matter, Tom,

because you managed to get to 20 points.

Well, she held on to that lead. Let's have a look at all the scores.

In fifth place, 18 points, David Horan,

fourth place, 19 points, Dennis Tomlinson,

joint second place, 20 points apiece,

Tom Mead and Graham Barker,

first place, with 22 points, Christine Harrison.

Which means, of course, that Christine is tonight's winner

and she goes through to the grand final.

Congratulations to her,

and if you would like to be a contender in the next series,

do go to our website...

And you can follow us on Twitter...

Do join as again next time for more Masterminds.

Thanks for watching. Goodbye.