Episode 21 Mastermind

Our first contender tonight is Steve Rhodes.

He's a financial controller from Halifax

and his specialist subject, The Royle Family - the sitcom, that is.

Next, Magda Biran, a postgraduate student from London.

She's answering questions on the 19th-century Prime Minister Lord Melbourne.

Tim Footman is a freelance editor from London.

His specialist subject, The Beach Boys.

And Matt Leighton is a student from Shropshire

answering questions on post-war British general elections.

APPLAUSE

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

Four contenders, as usual, are poised to seize their moment

in the spotlight, where they will be tested on what they can remember

about their specialist subject and what they might or might not know

about the wider world in the general knowledge round.

Two minutes on one, two and a half on the other.

Simple if you know the answers.

Let's see if they do and ask our first contender to join us, please.

And your name is?

Your occupation?

And your chosen subject?

The Royle Family in two minutes. Here we go.

What is the name of the local pub in The Royle Family that's

mentioned in most episodes of the series?

-The Feathers.

-Who dances to Mambo No 5 with Jim while the pair strip

the dining room wallpaper in preparation for baby David's christening celebration?

-Twiggy.

-What reason does Barbara give for not marrying Charlie Rogers

when she reminisces about being at the cinema with him

at the time of President Kennedy's death?

-Bushy eyebrows.

-Which character says, "No, I don't drink at all, me.

"Just champagne at weddings, whisky and New Year, sherry at Christmas and a bottle of stout"?

-Nana.

-Who plays David Senior in the 2008 Christmas special of The New Sofa?

-Tom Courtenay.

-Barbara insists that she and Jim

should spend their 50th wedding anniversary abroad.

Which seaside town do they end up in, along with Denise and Dave?

-Prestatyn.

-The family return home early from their holiday in Prestatyn

because there is no television reception there

and they are with out what crucial item?

-Chip pan.

-What is the name of Antony's girlfriend whom he intends to

surprise with a romantic marriage proposal on New Year's Eve?

His plans are spoiled because Joe can't keep the secret.

-Saskia.

-Who shares the main writing credits on series one

with Craig Cash and Caroline Aherne?

-Henry Norman.

-No, Henry Normal.

In the 2012 Christmas special, Jim wins £100 on a scratchcard

that Barbara finds down the back of the sofa.

What replacement item does he secretly buy for Barbara with the winnings?

-Wedding ring.

-Jim is amused when Antony announces that he has become

the manager of a band that is a cross between Oasis and the Manics.

What is the band called?

-Exit.

-At baby David's christening party, the Royles' neighbour Mary

gets confused and says she is a schoolteacher. What's her actual job?

-Dinner lady.

-What is the title of the one-off special first aired

in October 2006, which details the events that lead up to Nana's death?

-The Queen Of Sheba.

-In the Queen Of Sheba, Jim is furious

when Nana steals the batteries from the television remote control

because it means he has to sit and watch which television programme?

-Location, Location, Location.

-In the 2010 Christmas special Joe's Crackers,

Antony buys his parents a vacuum cleaner

and a satellite television box for Christmas.

Denise gives them a mini bar of Toblerone and what else?

Erm...

Pass.

I can tell you in that case,

cos we're out of time anyway, a fridge magnet.

-Yeah!

-Off her own fridge! LAUGHTER

-Steve, that one pass, you have 13 points.

-Thank you.

APPLAUSE

And our next contender, please.

And your name is?

Your occupation?

And your chosen subject?

In two minutes, starting now.

William Lamb served as Prime Minister in 1834

and again from 1835 to '41.

For which constituency was he elected Member of Parliament in January 1806?

-Leominster.

-What Government post was Melbourne appointed to in George Canning's

Tory-Whig Coalition Government of 1827?

He was Secretary of State for Ireland.

Melbourne and his younger brother Frederick lodged

and studied with which academic in Glasgow in 1799 and 1800?

-Dr Millar.

-Yes, Professor John Millar. Who wrote of Melbourne in the late 1830s that

"he alone inspires me with that feeling of great confidence and, I may say, security"?

-Queen Victoria.

-Yes, what was the title of Melbourne's prize-winning oration

when he was a student at Cambridge?

Progression of the...

No, I'll save you. The Progressive Improvement of Mankind.

Which politician assumed the post of Foreign Secretary in 1830

and was instrumental in Melbourne himself becoming the Home Secretary?

-Palmerston.

-Yes. In 1836, Melbourne caused controversy

when he appointed Dr RD Hampden to what post at Oxford?

-Regius Professor of Theology.

-Divinity, yeah.

What name was given to the dispute over the political allegiances

of Queen Victoria's court that prompted Robert Peel to refuse the

post of Prime Minister and allowed Melbourne to resume the office?

-The Bedchamber Crisis.

-Who had an indiscreet and scandalous affair

with Melbourne's wife Caroline? According to David Cecil, Melbourne remarked,

"Both like the fear and interest they create"?

-Lord Byron.

-What was the name of the Lambs' family home in Hertfordshire

where Melbourne spent most of the 18 months before his death in November 1848?

-Brocket Hall.

-Who took the position Secretary for War and Colonies in Melbourne's

first Cabinet and Chancellor of the Exchequer in his second?

-Lord Brougham.

-Thomas Spring Rice.

What was the name of the private secretary who Melbourne appointed

to act as a go-between in talks with the radical leader Francis Place?

-Tom Young.

-Who led the rebellion against the rule of the Ottoman Empire in

the 1830s that prompted a severe crisis with the Melbourne's Cabinet?

-Mehmet Ali.

-In 1828, Melbourne was rumoured to have an affair with a married woman

whose husband tried to both blackmail and take legal action against him. Who was she?

-Lady Branden.

-That is correct.

Your time is up. No passes, Magda.

-You have scored 12 points.

-Thank you very much.

APPLAUSE

And our next contender, please.

And your name is?

Your occupation?

And your chosen subject?

The Beach Boys. Here we go, two minutes.

What was the name of the father of the three Wilson brothers who

appointed himself the band's first manager? He was sacked in April 1964.

-Murry Wilson.

-What name did the band adopt after they had performed as

Carl and the Passions? They took it from

the trademark woollen surfers' shirts they liked to wear.

-The Pendletones.

-Which producer and A&R executive who died in 1988 signed

the Beach Boys to the Capitol record label in 1962?

-Russ Regan.

-No, Nicholas Venet.

What is the title of the first Beach Boys single to top the Billboard charts?

-It did so in July 1964.

-I Get Around.

What was the original working title of Brian Wilson's project

with the lyricist and arranger Van Dyke Parks that later became

the unreleased Smile album?

-Dumb Angel.

-Which non-member of the group co-wrote many early Beach Boys

songs with Brian Wilson, including In My Room and Lonely Sea?

-Roger Christian.

-Gary Usher.

In 1987, Fat Boys and The Beach Boys had a UK number two single

with their rap version of what song?

-Wipeout.

-Which musician from the group Flame was recruited as the

Beach Boys' drummer while Dennis Wilson was unable to play after

he had cut his hand badly in 1971?

-Ricky Fataar.

-At which folk music festival in Monterey did the Beach Boys

-perform in October 1970?

-Pass.

What is the title of the chart-topping compilation

of Beach Boys greatest hits, released by Capitol in 1974?

It was followed the next year by a collection called Spirit Of America.

Endless Summer.

According to Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys' seminal LP Pet Sounds was

partly inspired by a Beatles album that had been released in December 1965. Which album?

-Rubber Soul.

-Which Beach Boys song has the opening lines,

"I've been in this town so long that back in the city

"I've been taken for lost and gone, an unknown for a long, long time"?

-Heroes And Villains.

-Which British producer produced the Beach Boys' eponymous 1985 album?

He was well known for his work with Culture Club.

-Steve Levine.

-For which 1988 film starring Tom Cruise

did the Beach Boys record the song Kokomo?

-Cocktail.

-What was the name of the company that Murry Wilson

formed in 1962 to publish and promote the music of the Beach Boys?

He sold it very cheaply to A&M records.

-Sea of Tunes.

-Sea of Tunes is correct.

You had one pass, that folk music festival was the Big Sur Festival.

You have scored, Tim, 12 points.

APPLAUSE

And our final contender, please.

And your name is?

Your occupation?

And your chosen subject?

In two minutes, starting now.

In the 2017 election campaign,

Theresa May claimed the electorate had a choice

between strong and stable leadership

under the Conservatives,

or a coalition of what led by Jeremy Corbyn?

-Chaos.

-While John Prescott was campaigning

in Rhyl before the 2001 election,

he was hit by an object thrown by Craig Evans,

and responded by punching him. What was the object?

-An egg.

-Who was the Conservatives'

campaign director in 2005?

-Pass.

-What term, derived from Shakespeare's Richard III,

is commonly applied to the period of unrest

before the '79 general election,

in which many public sector workers took industrial action?

Winter of Discontent.

Who was elected as the MP for Tottenham

for the first time at the 1987 general election?

-Pass.

-In his first radio broadcast

of the '45 election campaign, Winston Churchill claimed that

a socialist government would have to fall back

on some form of what?

-Gestapo.

-At the October '74 election,

Labour won a majority of how many seats

over all other parties, including the Speaker?

-Four.

-Three.

For which seat did Nigel Farage stand at the 2015 election?

He was defeated by the Conservative candidate.

-Thanet South.

-The 1979 election was held

after the Labour government lost a vote of confidence by one vote.

What was the name of the Labour MP for Batley

who was too ill to travel to Westminster for the vote?

Sir Alfred Broughton.

In which year did the Liberal Democrats win 62 seats,

the highest number for the party or its predecessors, since 1923?

2005.

In 2017, which seat did Rosie Duffield become

the first Labour politician to win

when she defeated Julian Brazier by just

187 votes?

-Canterbury.

-In February '74,

Edward Heath called an election in response to

an announcement three days earlier

that members of a union had voted

for industrial action. Which union?

The National Union of Miners.

Who was the leader of the Labour Party

at the '59 general election, at which the Conservatives

increased their majority to 100 seats?

-Hugh Gaitskell.

-In 2015, for which constituency

was Ian Murray re-elected as the MP?

It was the only Scottish seat that Labour won at that election.

-Edinburgh South.

-What nickname is often applied to...

BEEP ..the Thursday a week before

the '87 general election, when an opinion poll indicated

that the Conservatives' lead over Labour had declined sharply?

The Tories eventually won,

and Margaret Thatcher secured a third term.

-Red Thursday.

-HE CHUCKLES

It was Wobbly Thursday,

but it could have been Red Thursday, couldn't it?

You had two passes. Bernie Grant - the MP for Tottenham.

He was the man.

And Lynton Crosby was the campaign director in 2005.

He had a rather better election then than he did in the last one.

-Matt, you have a total of 11 points.

-Thank you.

APPLAUSE

Well, that was a very close round. Let's have a look at all the scores.

In fourth place, 11 points, Matt.

Joint second place, 12 points apiece, Magda and Tim.

First place, 13 points, Steve.

APPLAUSE

So, it's 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 are tied on passes, as well,

there has to be a tie-break.

So, let's get on with it and ask Matt to join us again, please.

You start out with 11 points

with your knowledge of all those many elections.

General knowledge now.

Two and a half minutes for this round.

So, let's see how you do. Here we go.

Which birds feature in the 2006

animated film comedy Happy Feet?

-Penguins.

-HCl is the chemical formula for which acid?

-Hydrochloric acid.

-What type of lager takes its name

from the town in the Czech Republic where it was originally brewed?

-Pilsner.

-Under what name did Accrington-born

Margaret Lake make psychic predictions

on the National Lottery show live between '94 and 2000?

-Mystic Meg.

-Charles Mason and which other Englishman

conducted a survey between 1763 and '67

to settle a boundary dispute

between the proprietors of Pennsylvania and Maryland?

-Pass.

-Which former mayor of Florence

took office as Italy's youngest prime minister

in February 2014, aged only 39, but resigned in December 2016

after he lost a referendum on constitutional reform?

-Pass.

-In February 2017,

who became the tenth Yorkshire County cricketer

to be named as England Test captain?

-Joe Root.

-What square lies diagonally opposite Go

on a standard Monopoly board?

-Old Kent Road.

-Free Parking. The name of an extinct ancestor

of the elephant has become byword

for anything of extremely large size or importance.

What is it?

-Mammoth.

-What breed of black and white collie

is particularly renowned for its success at sheepdog trials,

and it's famous for fixing sheep

with its persistent stare?

-Border collie.

-In April 1970,

which of the Apollo missions had to be aborted

after an explosion in the oxygen tank

of the service module?

-13.

-The open area of Chester known as the Roodee

is England's oldest example of what type of sporting arena?

-Rugby.

-Racecourse.

In 2003, Dylan Mills won the Mercury Music Prize

with his debut album Boy In Da Corner

when he was still a teenager.

By what name is he better known?

-Skepta.

-Dizzee Rascal.

The works of which American realist painter, born in 1882,

include Nighthawks, Drug Store and House By The Railroad?

-Hopper.

-Sophia Myles plays Lady Penelope

and Ben Kingsley plays the Hood

in the 2004 film version of what television series?

Thunderbirds.

Which author, who also writes as Douglas Reeman,

created the Royal Navy officer Richard Bolitho,

who was killed in action against the French in 1815?

-Pass.

-What name is given

to the legendary figure born a slave

to whom a collection of Greek fables is attributed?

-Aesop.

-The name of which disease

is derived from a military veterans organisation

in the United States? At their convention in 1976,

large numbers contracted the disease.

-Pass.

-Bach's six concerti grossi,

composed between 1711 and 1720,

are known by what name... BEEP

..after the German nobleman to whom they're dedicated?

-Bismarck.

-The Brandenburg Concertos.

You have four passes.

Legionnaire's disease is that one that spread after 1976.

Alexander Kent, the author who writes as Douglas Reeman.

Matteo Renzi was the mayor of Florence.

Jeremiah Dixon was the other Englishman with Charles Mason

who conducted that survey between 1763 and 1767.

-You've got a total now, Matt, of 22 points.

-Thank you.

APPLAUSE

And now Magda again, please.

And you start out, Magda, with a score of 12.

-So, at the moment, 22 is the score to beat.

-Thank you.

Here we go. Two and a half minutes. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend

are members of which rock band?

-The Who.

-What term that comes from the Latin for cutting

is used for the two pairs of teeth

found at the front of the upper and lower human jaw?

-Incisor.

-Which nationalist leader

said in a speech in 1922,

"Nonviolence is the first article of my faith.

"It is also the last article of my creed"?

-Gandhi.

-What is the name

of the professional American football team

based in Dallas?

-Cowboys.

-What term for the parallel lines of latitude

at about 23 degrees north and south of the equator

comes from the Greek meaning turn or change?

-Tropics.

-Whose work as a hospital dispenser

in a Red Cross hospital in Torquay

during the First World War gave her knowledge about poisons

that she put to use in her detective stories?

Agatha Christie.

The works of which 19th-century French painter,

renowned for his peasant subjects,

include The Angelus and the Norman Milkmaid At Greville?

-Monet.

-Millet.

The valleys of the rivers Elan and Claerwen,

near Rhayader in East Wales,

have been dammed to provide water

for which major English Midland city?

-Birmingham.

-Which Caribbean island

has the capital Basseterre, and is part of a federation

with the neighbouring island of Nevis?

-Antilles.

-Saint Kitts. What is the name of the war poet

killed in action a week before Armistice Day 1918?

His posthumously published poems

had an introduction by his friend Siegfried Sassoon.

-Wilfred Owen.

-Caboc, a mild, smooth cream cheese,

rolled in oatmeal, originated in which country of the UK?

-Scotland.

-What is the two-word motto

of the Scout and Guide movement?

Be prepared.

The theme song from which James Bond film

gave Nancy Sinatra a UK Top 20 hit in 1967?

-Ooh, Goldfinger.

-You Only Live Twice.

Who played Anton Rodgers' wife Hester

in the television series Fresh Fields,

and its sequel, French Fields?

Julia McKenzie.

What's the common name of shrubs of the genus morus?

The species alba or white is cultivated

for raising silkworms,

and the black species for its juicy fruits.

-Mulberry.

-Which Hollywood actress,

one of the leading sex symbols of the 1950s and '60s,

was born Vera Jane Palmer

in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in 1933?

-Gina Lollobrigida.

-Jayne Mansfield.

What is the name of the legendary Irish warrior

whose exploits are told in the ballads and stories

of the Fenian Cycle?

-Jim mac Cumhaill.

-Fionn mac Cumhaill.

Which honorary post did the composer Nicholas Lanier

become the first holder of under Charles I in 1625?

He held the position again under Charles II.

-Master of the King's Musick.

-By what name,

taken from the fairy story popularised by Perrault...

BEEP ..was the notorious

serial killer Henri Landru known?

-Cinderella Killer.

-HE LAUGHS

-No, Bluebeard.

-Oh, of course.

-No passes, Magda.

-You've scored 25 points.

-Thank you.

APPLAUSE

And now Tim again, please.

And you start out, Tim, with 12 points, as well.

25 is now the score to beat. Here we go.

What dish of Middle Eastern origin is made from

ground chickpeas and sesame oil

flavoured with lemon and garlic?

-Houmous.

-What type of knitted woollen jacket

is named after the cavalry officer

who led the Charge of the Light Brigade?

-Cardigan.

-Which American composer's orchestral works

include the ballad Appalachian Spring

for the dancer and choreographer Martha Graham?

-Copland.

-Whose first major success

as a football manager was to lead Porto to victory

in the UEFA Cup in 2003,

when they beat Celtic in the final?

Jose Mourinho.

Which Commonwealth country's record industry

gives the ARIA Awards for achievements in popular music?

Australia.

The name of which cured meat is used to describe an actor

who overacts, or relies on stock mannerisms?

-Ham.

-In the 1939 film version of The Wizard Of Oz,

Margaret Hamilton plays both the unpleasant Miss Almira Gulch

and which other character?

The Wicked Witch of the West.

What date, long associated with workers,

did Pope Pius XII declare as

the feast day of St Joseph the Worker in 1955?

-May 1st.

-Walmer Castle, near Deal in Kent,

has been the official residence

of the holder of which office since 1708?

Warden of the Cinque Ports.

The blue pigment ultramarine was originally obtained

from which semiprecious stone?

Turquoise.

Lapis lazuli.

A new species of gibbon, whose discovery was reported in

January 2017, has been named after a character from Star Wars.

Which character?

-Spock.

-Luke Skywalker.

What abbreviated term has come into popular use

for a piece of software that performs a specific function,

especially one that can be downloaded onto a mobile phone?

-App.

-In which Dickens novel, first published in 1850,

does the title character meet the landlord Mr Micawber

while he's living in poverty in London?

David Copperfield.

In what town in Surrey was the television comedy series

The Good Life set?

-Surbiton.

-During the Second World War,

the echo sounding device known as ASDIC

was used to locate which class of naval vessel?

Submarines.

Which self-proclaimed "quiet man" of British politics

stood down as leader of the Conservative Party

in October 2003 after he failed to win the backing

of enough MPs in a vote of confidence?

-Iain Duncan Smith.

-Queen Victoria was buried

with mementos of Prince Albert and her children,

and a lock of hair and photograph

of her faithful Scottish retainer. What was his name?

-John Brown.

-Which American author,

poet and civil rights activist wrote the autobiographical work

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings?

-Maya Angelou.

-A railway disaster

that resulted in the death of 75 passengers

and railway employees was caused

by the collapse of a bridge in a gale in December 1879.

BEEP Which bridge?

-Tay Bridge.

-Is correct.

No passes, Tim. You have 29 points now.

APPLAUSE

And, finally, Steve again, please.

And you start out with 13,

but the score to beat has now rocketed up to 29.

See if you can do that and get through to the semifinal.

Here we go. In which borough of New York

are Central Park, Broadway, and the Empire State Building?

-Brooklyn.

-Manhattan.

Which British tennis player, now a sports presenter,

was beaten in the semifinal

of the Wimbledon women's singles in 1977?

-Sue Barker.

-Mahayana, meaning the Great Vehicle,

and Theravada, or the Way of the Elders,

are the main branches of which Eastern religion?

-Hinduism.

-Buddhism.

What is a strong-flavoured blue cheese

made from ewes' milk and ripened in limestone caves

that takes its name from the town

in Southern France where it's produced?

-Camembert.

-Roquefort.

What colour gives its name to the sea

that is bordered on the west and north by China,

and on the east by the Korean Peninsula?

-The Red Sea.

-No, the Yellow Sea.

The mazurka and the polonaise are folk dances

from which country that are often incorporated

into works of classical music?

-Poland.

-The name Vanessa was invented

for the poem Cadenus And Vanessa,

published in 1726. Who wrote it?

-Keats.

-Swift. The failure of which organs in the human body

is commonly treated by dialysis or a transplant?

-Kidneys.

-Which American defence secretary

once famously talked of "known knowns,

"known unknowns and unknown unknowns"?

-Caspar Weinberger.

-Rumsfeld.

Who played the vet Siegfried Farnon

in the television series All Creatures Great And Small?

-Peter Davison.

-Robert Hardy.

Cross river, western lowland, eastern lowland and mountain

are the four generally recognised races or subspecies

of which of the great apes?

-Gorilla.

-Which university gives its name

to a style of trousers with very wide legs,

typically worn by its students in the 1920s?

-Oxford.

-Which English-born actress

was nominated for an Oscar in 1940

for her role as Katherine in Goodbye, Mr Chips?

It was her first major film part.

-Pass.

-What method of execution

is named after the French physician

who proposed its use as a humane way

to administer the death penalty?

Guillotine.

Which writer and comedian wrote the novel Inconceivable,

inspired by his and his partner's experiences of IVF?

It was made into the film Maybe Baby,

starring Hugh Laurie and Joely Richardson?

-Pass.

-Who duetted with the Earth, Wind & Fire vocalist

Philip Bailey on the 1985 UK chart-topping single Easy Lover?

-Phil Collins.

-Which pre-1948 railway company

painted the coaches of its express trains

chocolate and cream,

and its locomotives Brunswick green?

-Pass.

-What term, coined in the 1960s, describes...

BEEP ..a very strongly accented

form of Australian English?

-Pass.

-Well, I can tell you, cos you're out of time,

it's Strine. Yeah.

And your other passes - the Great Western Railway

had its coaches painted in chocolate, cream and green.

Well, the locomotive painted in green.

Ben Elton was the writer and comedian who wrote Inconceivable.

And Greer Garson was the actress

nominated in 1940 in Goodbye, Mr Chips.

It was her first major film part.

Steve, you have a total of 20 points.

APPLAUSE

So, we have a very clear winner.

Let's have a look at all the scores.

In fourth place, 20 points, Steve.

Third place, 22 points, Matt.

Second place, 25 points, Magda.

First place, 29 points, Tim.

APPLAUSE

And that means, of course, that Tim is tonight's winner,

and he goes through to the semifinals.

Congratulations to him.

Commiserations to Magda, but with her score - 25 points -

it's just possible that we shall see her again in the semifinal.

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.