Episode 18 Mastermind

Our first contender tonight is Michael Benbow,

an administrator from Newcastle.

He's answering questions on the Discworld novels.

Next, Suraj Anand,

a business development manager from Derby.

His subject - Mahatma Gandhi.

Tony Fleat is a lawyer from York.

He's answering questions on the Boston Marathon.

And Pam Poole from Lincolnshire. Her subject is top-ten singles.

APPLAUSE

Hello, and welcome to Mastermind with me, John Humphrys.

The rules do not change,

but that doesn't mean anything can be taken for granted.

The contenders have no idea what to expect,

especially when it comes to the general knowledge round.

But they have volunteered to be here tonight

because of the glittering prize

being dangled before them at the end of the ordeal -

the ownership of a rather lovely glass bowl,

and, more importantly, the title Mastermind champion.

The rules are simple. Two minutes on their specialist subject,

and two and a half minutes on general knowledge.

So, let's ask our first contender to join us, please.

And your name is...?

Your occupation?

And your chosen subject?

Discworld novels in two minutes.

Discworld lies on the shoulders of four giant elephants

that stand on the back of a 10,000-mile-long sky turtle

as it swims through space. What's the turtle called?

-Great A'Tuin.

-In which novel is Moist von Lipwig

appointed master of the Royal Mint and Bank,

Morpork, by Lord Vetinari?

-Making Money.

-The largest city on Discworld, Ankh-Morpork,

has what nickname after an ugly, smelly fruit?

-The Big Wahoonie.

-The librarian

of Unseen University is an orang-utan.

He plays for the Unseen Academicals

football team in which position?

-Goalkeeper.

-In The Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rodents,

what is the title of the children's book

that some of the rats believe is a vision of the future?

-Pass.

-Which character,

whose speech is always represented in capital letters,

adopts the name Bill Door when he gets a job on a farm?

-Death.

-What phrase that is used repeatedly

in Small Gods is a translation of the words

"De Chelonian Mobile",

which were found on a scroll of paper?

The turtle moves.

Which village was named after a disobedient donkey,

and was the birthplace of Eskarina,

the world's first female wizard?

-Bad Ass.

-The novel Monstrous Regiment

is mainly set in the country of Borogravia,

where the population worships a god who is said to consider

both chocolate and the colour blue

to be abominations. What's he called?

-Nuggan.

-In The Fifth Elephant, which baked artefact

has apparently been stolen from a cave in the town of Bonk

just days after a replica was stolen in Ankh-Morpork?

The Scone of Stone.

What is the name of the teenage witch,

who's a very skilled cheese-maker,

that is the central character in the last Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown?

-Tiffany Aching.

-In Night Watch,

Sam Vimes finds a young woman called Jocasta Wiggs

treading water in his cesspit.

Which of the city's guilds had sent her to his house?

The Guild of Assassins.

Death once rode a skeleton horse,

but gave up on it because bits used to fall off.

He now rides a flesh-and-blood white horse with what name?

-Binky.

-On Discworld, the eighth son of an eighth son

of an eighth son is a wizard squared, and is known by what name?

-A sorcerer.

-What is the name of the homicidal travelling chest...

BEEP ..made of sapient pearwood

that first appears in The Colour Of Magic?

It has a large number of little legs

that enable it to follow its owner wherever he goes.

-The Luggage.

-The Luggage is right.

You had just one pass.

In The Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rodents,

the title of that children's book was Mr Bunnsy Has An Adventure,

which is no more or less ridiculous

than all the other questions and answers!

But there we go. You knew an awful lot about them.

Michael, you have 14 points.

APPLAUSE

And our next contender, please.

And your name is...?

Your occupation?

And your chosen subject?

Mahatma Gandhi in two minutes.

What term, derived from the Sanskrit for truth,

did Gandhi use for his policy of nonviolent resistance?

-Satya.

-No, satyagraha.

When Gandhi was 13 years old, in 1882,

he was married to a child of around his own age.

What was her name?

-Kasturba.

-Gandhi served as

a member of the executive committee of a society

while he was studying law in London. Which society?

The Vegetarian Society.

During Gandhi's journey from Durban to Pretoria,

he was forced to leave a train at Pietermaritzburg

after he refused to do what?

Get off the train of the first-class compartment.

In 1893, when he had failed to establish

a law practice in India, Gandhi accepted an offer

to go to South Africa to work on a civil case.

What was his fee for his year's work?

-£1,000.

-No, £105. The community established

by Gandhi and his followers near Johannesburg

was named after a Russian author

with whom Gandhi had corresponded. Which author?

-Tolstoy.

-Gandhi was sentenced to six years imprisonment

for sedition in 1922,

but he was released less than two years later

after he had surgery for what medical condition?

-Appendicitis.

-In 1930, Gandhi organised

a mass act of civil disobedience

that involved walking from Sabarmati to Dandei

to protest against what tax?

-The salt tax.

-On his journey from the UK

back to India in December 1931,

Gandhi stayed for several days

with which writer in Switzerland?

Romain Rolland.

After Gandhi met the viceroy Lord Irwin in 1931,

which British politician made a speech

referring to "a seditious, Middle Temple lawyer

"striding half-naked up the steps of the Viceregal Palace

"to parlay on equal terms with

"the representative of the king emperor"?

Winston Churchill.

Gandhi was arrested in August 1942

and imprisoned in which building?

-The governor's building.

-The Aga Khan's Palace.

What was Gandhi ordered to remove

when he visited the law courts in Durban for the first time?

He refused, and left the courtroom in protest.

-Turban.

-Gandhi was murdered on 30th of January 1948

while he was walking to a prayer meeting. Who killed him?

-Nathuram Godse.

-Raj Kumar Shukla...

BEEP ..persuaded Gandhi

to intervene in a dispute between farmers and landlords

in Champaran in Bihar in 1917.

Which crop was the cause of the dispute?

-Indigo.

-Indigo, yes, indeed.

-No passes. Suraj, you have 11 points.

-Thank you.

APPLAUSE

And our next contender, please.

And your name is...?

Your occupation?

And your chosen subject?

The Boston Marathon in two minutes. Here we go.

Which town, west of Boston,

did the marathon course start from the race's inception,

in 1897, until 1924, when it was moved to Hopkinton

to match the international marathon standard distance?

-Ashland.

-Students at a women's college

traditionally lined the route, cheering so loudly

that the stretch is known as the Scream Tunnel. Which college?

-Wesley.

-Who set a men's course record

of two hours, ten minutes, and 30 seconds

when he became the first Briton to win the race in 1970?

-Ron Hill.

-The runners pass the 26-mile mark

on Boylston St and cross the finishing line

in front of what public building,

established in 1848?

-Pass.

-In 1986, the male and female winners,

Robert de Castella and Ingrid Kristiansen,

were awarded prize money and a car.

What brand of car were they given?

-Mercedes-Benz.

-In the wake of the bombing

of the 2013 marathon, a two-word term and slogan of defiance

in the face of tragedy was used. What was it?

-Boston strong.

-What is the name of the German runner

who became the first athlete to win three successive

Boston Marathons in the official women's event

between 1994 and '96?

-Uta Pippig.

-Runners from which country have won

the Men's Open division 21 times between 1988 and 2017?

-Kenya.

-In which year did Bob Hall

become the first officially recognised

wheelchair participant in the Boston Marathon?

He finished in under three hours.

-1975.

-In 1966, who became the first woman

to complete the Boston Marathon,

although she didn't have an official start number,

because, at the time, it was a men-only race?

Bobbi Gibb.

What nickname, after an incident in 1936,

is given to the major hill, of about 700 yards,

that the runners encounter just after the 20-mile mark?

Heartbreak Hill.

How many of the 15 starters for the first Boston Marathon

in 1897 actually completed the race?

-11.

-Ten. Who won the first of his seven

Boston Marathon titles in 1911,

and the last, 19 years later, in 1913?

-Clarence DeMar.

-The last American female winner

of the Boston Marathon, up to and including the 2017,

was Lisa Larsen Weidenbach in 1985.

BEEP Who was the last American male to win it?

-Meb Keflezighi.

-Yes!

You're right, but I can't pronounce it either.

Anyway, one pass.

The finishing line is in front of the Boston Public Library.

-You've scored, Tony, 12 points.

-Thank you.

APPLAUSE

And our final contender, please.

And your name is...?

Your occupation?

And your chosen subject?

In two minutes, starting now.

Which song gave Roy C a top-ten hit in 1966

when it reached number six, and again, in '73,

when it reached number eight?

Shotgun Wedding.

Under what name did the Belgian vocalist Jeannine Deckers

have a UK top-ten hit in 1963 with the song Dominique?

The Singing Nun.

On which record label did The Kinks have

13 top-ten singles in the UK from 1964 to '70?

-Pie.

-What is the title of Elton John's

first top-ten single that reached number seven

in February 1971?

-Your Song.

-Don't You Think It's Time

reached number six in 1963 for Mike Berry

and which backing group?

-The Cruisers.

-The Outlaws.

The composer Burt Bacharach, with the orchestra and chorus,

had a top-five single as a performer

under his own name in 1965. What was it called?

Trains And Boats And Planes.

Which American singer's last UK top-ten hit single

was Keep Searchin' (We'll Follow The Sun),

which peaked at number three in February 1965?

-Del Shannon.

-The American-born singer PJ Proby

had top-ten hit singles with Somewhere

and which other song from the stage musical West Side Story?

-Maria.

-In 1973, Mud and Suzi Quatro

both had top-ten hits in the UK on a record label

that had been set up by their manager,

the record producer Mickie Most, in 1969.

What was it called?

-Rak.

-The British singer Matt Monro

had his last top-ten hit in 1965

with a cover version of which Beatles song?

It reached number eight.

-Somewhere.

-Yesterday.

The former Tornados bass player Heinz

had a 1963 solo number-five hit with Just Like Eddie.

It was a tribute to which rock and roll legend?

Eddie Cochran.

What was the only UK top-ten single

for the American group The Lemon Pipers in 1968?

-Guantanamera.

-Green Tambourine.

Which Scottish singer's first top-ten single

without her backing band, The Luvvers,

was Leave A Little Love, that reached number eight in 1965?

-Lulu.

-Which pop star of the late '50s and early '60s

had his last... BEEP

..top-ten hit single with The First Time

that reached number five in October '63?

-Pass.

-Well, I can tell you now because you're out of time.

-It was Adam Faith.

-Oh!

-Yeah.

-Of course.

-You knew it, didn't you?

-I did. I did.

-Yeah. That's the way it goes in that chair.

-Anyway, Pamela, you have ten points.

-Thank you.

APPLAUSE

So, that was the end of the first round.

A very close one. Let's have a look at all the scores.

Fourth place, with ten points, Pam.

Third place, 11 points, Suraj.

Second place, 12 points, Tony.

First place, 14 points, Michael.

APPLAUSE

So, it is the general knowledge round now,

and if there's a tie at the end of it,

then the number of passes is taken into account

and the person with the fewer passes is the winner.

And if they're tied on passes, as well,

then there has to be a tie-break.

So, let's ask Pam to join us again, please.

And you start out, Pam, with your ten points.

Two and a half minutes of general knowledge, of course,

so loads of time to catch up and overtake the field. Here we go.

The one-humped Arabian, or dromedary,

and the two-humped Bactrian are species of which animal?

-Camel.

-Which highwayman's life is romanticised

in William Harrison Ainsworth's 1834 novel Rookwood?

-Dick Turpin.

-The term radioactivity was coined

by a scientist famed for her investigation

of that phenomena. Who was she?

-Marie Curie.

-Nicholas Lyndhurst made the transition

from child star to adult roles

when he played Ben and Ria Parkinson's

teenage son Adam in which television series?

-Butterflies.

-Whose diary was saved for posterity

partly by the actions of Miep Gies?

-Anne Frank.

-What name did the future Prime Minister Henry Campbell

add to his surname as a condition of his inheritance

of his maternal uncle's estate in 1871?

Bannerman.

In boxing, in what weight division do Anthony Joshua,

Tyson Fury and David Haye normally compete?

-Light heavyweight.

-Heavyweight.

What name is given to the period of Roman history

between the death of Nero and the accession of Vespasian

because of the number of leaders who reigned during that time?

-The three...

-No, the four. Year of the Four Emperors.

Which Spanish-born artist followed his Blue Period

with a Rose Period?

-Picasso.

-What Broadway musical is based on a series of stories

by the Jewish writer Sholem Aleichem,

called Tevye's Daughters? It was later made into a film.

Fiddler On The Roof.

What name is given to the pastoral staff, or crook,

carried by Christian bishops

that symbolises their role as shepherd of their diocese?

-Crosier.

-What variety of cooking apple

is named after the butcher in whose garden in Nottinghamshire

it was grown in the mid-19th century?

-Granny Smith.

-Bramley.

What martial arts fantasy film was nominated in 2001

for Academy Awards in ten categories,

and won in four of them?

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

What name for the class of molluscs,

that includes snails and slugs,

comes from the Greek for stomach and foot?

-Gastropod.

-The southern end of which

well-known inland body of water

lies less than 20 miles from the centre of Glasgow?

-The Firth of Clyde.

-Loch Lomond.

What East European language has a vocabulary

primarily based on Latin with Slavic and other loan words?

-Romanian.

-Which actress was engaged to Emilio Estevez

before she left him to marry Bruce Willis in 1987?

-Demi Moore.

-Which Australian state capital

stands on the estuary of the Swan River?

-Brisbane.

-Perth.

What product did the publisher Harold Raymond launch in 1932

after he observed that the numerous gifts at a party

that he attended included only three literary works?

-Playboy.

-Book token.

Which composer's daughter Cosima... BEEP

..married Richard Wagner in 1870

after her marriage to the conductor,

Hans von Bulow, was annulled?

-Beethoven.

-Franz Liszt.

-Pam, you have a total of 23 points.

-Oh! Thank you.

APPLAUSE

And now Suraj again, please.

And you start this round, Suraj, with 11 points in the bag,

so let's see how you do with your general knowledge.

Here we go. What is the colour of the maple leaf

and the two outer bands of the Canadian flag?

-Red.

-In 2005, who became both the first woman

and the first former East German citizen

to be elected chancellor of Germany?

-Angela Merkel.

-What name is given to the Arab-Israeli War

of October 1973 because it started on a Jewish holy day?

-Yom Kippur.

-How were the pop duo Siobhan Fahey

and Marcella Detroit better known?

-Bonnie and Clyde.

-Shakespeares Sister.

Dr John Carter, Dr Kerry Weaver,

and head nurse Carol Hathaway were all characters

in a long-running television hospital drama series. What series?

-Casualty.

-ER.

To which 18th-century French writer are the words

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death

"your right to say it" attributed?

Voltaire.

Dry, moist and gas are the main types of a condition

that results in the death of a section of body tissue,

with the area affected often becoming foul-smelling.

What's that condition called?

-Frostbite.

-Gangrene.

Calabrese and purple sprouting

are both types of what vegetable?

-Brussels sprout.

-Broccoli.

What occupation did Samuel Johnson say that

"no man but a blockhead would indulge in, except for money"?

-Journalism.

-No, writing. Papeari,

a village on the west coast of Tahiti,

has been home to a museum

dedicated to a 19th-century French painter

who lived there for two years. Which painter?

Paul Gauguin.

What event in track cycling takes its name

from a celebrated sporting venue in New York

that hosted a six-day cycle race?

Madison Square Garden.

Who won a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Scarlett O'Hara

in the film Gone With The Wind?

-Katharine Hepburn.

-Vivien Leigh. In the Bible,

who distinguished himself as a warrior against the Philistines?

After Saul's death, he became King of Judah.

Subsequently, also, King of Israel.

-David.

-Which country lies between Morocco,

Tunisia and Libya and extends deep

into the Saharan Desert to the south?

Algeria.

In which south-coast city in England

did the British Airways i360 tower open in August 2016?

It's billed as the world's tallest moving observation tower.

-Brighton.

-In 1905, for which Russian ballerina

did Michel Fokine create the brief Dying Swan solo

to the music of Saint-Saens?

Anna Pavlova.

Peanuts was created by which American cartoonist

who died in 2000?

-Trudeau.

-Schulz.

Which Hebridean island gave its name to a breed of terrier

with a long, flowing coat that reaches virtually to the ground?

-Highland terrier.

-Skye.

What kind of establishment is the Wolds in Humberside? BEEP

In 1992, it became the first to be run

by the private sector in the UK.

-A museum.

-A prison.

-A prison.

-Yeah.

-Suraj, you have scored 21 points.

-Thank you.

APPLAUSE

And now Tony again, please.

And you start out, Tony, with 12 points.

23 is still the score to beat,

so let's see if you can do it.

Here we go. What name is given to the holiday

that Americans celebrate on 4th of July?

Independence Day.

In the early chapters of a controversial novel,

first published in 1928,

the central character has an affair

with an Irish playwright called Michaelis. Which novel?

-Pass.

-What is the southernmost

of the main West Indian islands?

Trinidad and Tobago.

What common alternative name of the antirrhinum

comes from its flowers that supposedly resemble

the face and mouth of a mythical creature?

-Daffodil.

-Snapdragon.

Who returned to the leadership of the Green Party

of England and Wales when she was elected joint leader

with Jonathan Bartley in September 2016?

-Pass.

-Which Shakespearean hero kills Tybalt in a duel

in revenge for his friend Mercutio's death?

Romeo.

In basketball, what term is used for a single hit

that enables a batter to make a complete circuit of the bases?

-Strike.

-A home run.

In 1980, which vocalist teamed up with

the Electric light Orchestra on the number-one single Xanadu?

-Pass.

-Which 1960s spin-off series

features the adventures of the title character April Dancer,

played by Stefanie Powers,

and Mark Slate in their fight to preserve world peace?

-Sapphire & Steel.

-The Girl From UNCLE.

What is the dominant religion in India

in terms of the number of adherents?

-Hindu.

-The Anglo-Dutch sculptor Grinling Gibbons

was particularly famous for working in stone

and what other medium?

-Metal.

-Wood.

Which Quentin Tarantino film opens with a young couple

called Pumpkin and Honey Bunny

chatting in a coffee shop before they decide to rob it?

Pulp Fiction.

Who became Queen of Scotland in December 1542

when she was only six days old?

-Mary.

-SMART-1 was launched in September 2003,

and it was the European Space Agency's

first probe to which celestial body?

-Jupiter.

-The moon.

What French phrase is used for a restaurant meal

offered at a fixed price with a limited choice of dishes?

It's also known as prix fixe.

-Pass.

-Barton Aerodrome, opened in 1930,

was Britain's first licensed municipal airport,

and was the first to serve which northern city?

-Manchester.

-What word can mean a hat worn by a bishop

and a joint used in picture framing?

-Mitre.

-On which stringed instrument

was the Austrian-born composer Fritz Kreisler

a virtuoso performer?

-Violin.

-What was the real first name

of the guerrilla leader Che Guevara?

-Julio.

-Ernesto.

What term, now generally applied to cheap jewellery

used to decorate clothes,

was originally used for gemstones cut from...

BEEP ..rock crystals found in a German river?

-Paste.

-Yeah, you would think so. Rhinestones.

-You had four passes. Table d'hote is that...

-Ah, right.

..fixed-price menu that we were both trying to think of.

Olivia Newton-John was the singer who teamed up with

the Electric light Orchestra and gave us Xanadu.

Caroline Lucas was the leader...

Is still, as we speak, anyway, the leader of the Green Party.

-And the book - Lady Chatterley's Lover.

-Ah.

-Yeah.

You have, Tony, 21 points.

APPLAUSE

And, finally, Michael again, please.

And you have 14 to start with, Michael,

and 23 still the score to beat

if you were to get through to the semifinals. Here we go.

Who wrote the horror novels The Shining, Carrie,

and Needful Things?

Stephen King.

What's the nationality of the former Grand Slam tennis champions

Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin?

Belgian.

The 11th-century Anglo-Saxon noblewoman,

the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia,

is best known by what name?

Pass.

Who plays John Link,

a former convict who reunites with his estranged daughter

to protect her from a drug cartel that wants to kill her,

in the 2016 film Blood Father?

Pass.

In which South American country are the Angel Falls?

-Peru.

-Venezuela.

In physics, what term is used for a space completely free of matter?

Vacuum.

What is the title of the single that gave Clean Bandit

featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie

the UK Christmas number one in 2016?

Pass.

Which impressionist artist painted Masked Ball At The Opera,

which features a depiction of the composer Chabrier?

Pass.

Which 1863 novel by Charles Kingsley

highlights the plight of boy chimney sweeps

in the relationship between young Tom

and his cruel master Mr Grimes?

Pass.

In the television soap opera Emmerdale,

Amos Brearly and Henry Wilks

were both landlords of which village pub?

-The Ram's Head?

-The Woolpack.

The Mouse King is one of the characters

in which ballet by Tchaikovsky?

The Nutcracker.

Tony Benn jokingly said when he announced that he was

standing down as MP for Chesterfield in 2001

that he was "giving up Parliament to spend more time on..."?

Politics.

What piece of military equipment did Perseus use as a mirror

when he killed the gorgon Medusa,

because looking at her directly would have turned him to stone?

A shield.

What was the surname

of the American brothers who developed dry breakfast foods?

They were largely responsible

for the growth of the breakfast cereal industry in the 20th century.

Kellogg.

Caedmon, who is said to have been the first poet writing in English,

lived at an abbey founded by St Hilda.

Its ruins are above which North Yorkshire resort?

-Skegness.

-Whitby.

Which generally black beef cattle

take their name from the two former counties

in north-east Scotland where they were originally bred?

Aberdeen Angus.

What word for a person who is easily manipulated

and expendable is also the name of a chess piece of low value?

Pawn.

Who became the first female commissioner

of the Metropolitan Police in its 188-year history,

when she replaced Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe in February 2017?

Pass.

What is the present name of the organisation for girls

that was originally called the Rosebuds?

-Girl Guides?

-BEEP

Brownie Guides.

You have six passes -

Cressida Dick became the first woman commissioner

of the Metropolitan Police.

The Water Babies was that book.

Manet was the impressionist artist who painted Masked Ball At The Opera.

Rockabye was the title of the single in 2016.

Mel Gibson plays John Link.

And the 11th century Anglo-Saxon noblewoman was

Lady Godiva.

Six passes, Michael -

you have scored 23 points.

APPLAUSE

Well, it doesn't get closer than that. Let's have a look at the scores.

Joint third place, 21 points apiece,

Suraj and Tony.

Second place, 23 points

and seven passes, Michael.

First place, 23 points

and one pass - Pam.

Which means that Pam is tonight's winner,

and she goes through to the semifinals. 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:

And do join us again next time

for more masterminds. Thanks for watching. Goodbye.