2014/15

1. Episode 1

John Humphrys and the famous black chair return for another series of TV's toughest quiz. 96 contenders start the journey towards the final but only one will be crowned Mastermind Champion. Subjects in the first heat are Yes Minister, the Battle of Lepanto, JM Barrie and St Paul's Cathedral.

2014-08-08 • 30 min

2. Episode 2

Host John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. Subjects in this heat are The Thick of It, Eric Clapton, British poetry and TE Lawrence.

2014-08-22 • 30 min

3. Episode 3

John Humphrys questions four more contenders. The subjects are Bobby Moore, the short stories of Edgar Allan Poe, the TV series Our Friends in the North and Richard the Lionheart.

2014-08-29 • 30 min

4. Episode 4

John Humphrys asks the questions as the hunt continues for the nation's Mastermind. The subjects are champagne, the Manhattan Project, the photographer Tina Modotti and the TV series The Prisoner.

2014-09-05 • 30 min

5. Episode 5

John Humphrys hosts Britain's toughest quiz as four more contenders are questioned on their specialist subject and general knowledge. The specialist subjects in this programme are the TV series House of Cards, John Milton, the Siege of Constantinople of 1453 and FA Cup finals at the old Wembley.

2014-09-12 • 30 min

6. Episode 6

John Humphrys hosts Britain's toughest quiz as four more contenders are questioned on their specialist subject and general knowledge. The specialist subjects in this programme are the summer Olympic Games, Duke Ellington, Hammer films and General James Wolfe.

2014-09-19 • 30 min

7. Episode 7

John Humphrys hosts Britain's toughest quiz as four more contenders are questioned on their specialist subject and general knowledge. The specialist subjects in this programme are Les Dawson, West Indies cricket, the life and films of Howard Hawks, and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

2014-09-26 • 30 min

8. Episode 8

John Humphrys hosts Britain's toughest quiz as four more contenders are questioned on their specialist subject and general knowledge. The specialist subjects in this programme are the Rolling Stones, the Bayeux Tapestry, TV series Mad Men and King Ludwig the Second of Bavaria.

2014-10-03 • 30 min

9. Episode 9

John Humphrys asks the questions as the hunt continues for the nation's Mastermind. The subjects are the films of Sergio Leone, Robert Peel, Leonard Cohen, and Anton Bruckner.

2014-10-10 • 30 min

10. Episode 10

The subjects are the Thames path, Monica Dickens, the life and music of Steve Reich and the life and poetry of Thomas Chatterton.

2014-10-17 • 30 min

11. Episode 11

John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions. The subjects are the films of John Hughes, King David I of Scotland, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Iggy Pop.

2014-10-31 • 30 min

12. Episode 12

John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are the crown jewels, Tamla Motown, the Battle of Gettysburg and Dusty Springfield.

2014-11-07 • 30 min

13. Episode 13

John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are the sitcom Peep Show, the Battle of the Atlantic, the band Suede and the life and works of Charlotte Bronte.

2014-11-14 • 30 min

14. Episode 14

The subjects are Pink Floyd, Star Trek: Deep Space 9, the novels of James Herbert and the life and career of Theodore Roosevelt.

2014-11-21 • 30 min

15. Episode 15

John Humphrys asks the questions as four contenders take the walk to the black chair. The subjects are Marc Bolan, the Empress of Ireland, the Sasanian Empire and 'Allo 'Allo.

2014-11-28 • 30 min

16. Episode 16

John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are Doctor Who, lost rivers of London, Brian Epstein and the Anglo-Zulu Wars of 1879.

2014-12-05 • 30 min

17. Episode 17

John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are Cary Grant, the CSS Alabama, the Masters of Rome novels of Colleen McCullough and Marc Almond.

2014-12-12 • 30 min

18. Episode 18

John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are one hit wonders, UK general elections 1979 - 2010, West Bromwich Albion and Empress Livia.

2014-12-19 • 30 min

19. Episode 19

John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects U2, first ladies of the USA, the films of Stanley Kubrick and Athens in the age of Pericles.

2015-01-02 • 30 min

20. Episode 20

John Humphrys asks the questions as four contenders take the walk to the black chair. The subjects are the novels of Dick Francis, British railway disasters, Gram Parsons and Welsh international rugby from 1960 to 1980.

2015-01-09 • 30 min

21. Episode 21

John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are Breaking Bad, the Spanish Civil War, the Clash and the Peter Wimsey novels of Dorothy L Sayers.

2015-01-16 • 30 min

22. Episode 22

John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are UK chart music of the 1960s, the poetry of John Betjeman, US Masters golf 1970-present and the life and films of Luis Bunuel.

2015-01-23 • 30 min

23. Episode 23

John Humphrys invites four more contenders to answer questions in the black chair. The subjects are Game of Thrones, Neil Young, Bournville Village and the life and career of Sir Edward Marshall Hall.

2015-01-30 • 30 min

24. Episode 24

John Humphrys asks the questions as the hunt continues for the nation's Mastermind. The subjects are Joy Division, the Battle of the Somme, the Novels of EM Forster and the Big Bang Theory.

2015-02-06 • 30 min

25. Episode 25

John Humphrys invites five contenders to answer questions in the black chair in the first semi-final of the series. The subjects are Kraftwerk, the Turkish archaeological dig at Catalhoyuk, Sir Martin Frobisher, the novels of Douglas Coupland and the Pentateuch.

2015-02-13 • 30 min

26. Episode 26

John Humphrys puts the questions to five more semi-finalists. The subjects are Inspector Morse, the life of CB Fry, the life of Reinhard Heydrich, the life and career of Jack Johnson and the Gospel according to Mark.

2015-02-20 • 30 min

27. Episode 27

John Humphrys asks the questions as the hunt for the nation's Mastermind reaches the semi-final stage. The subjects are the Miss Marple novels of Agatha Christie, the Scottish national football team, John Clare, King Henry VII, and the life and work of Aubrey Beardsley.

2015-02-27 • 30 min

28. Episode 28

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 Alex Higgins, Erasmus Darwin, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Margot Fonteyn and the Dirk Pitt novels of Clive Cussler.

2015-03-06 • 30 min

29. Episode 29

John Humphrys asks the questions as five contenders take the walk to the black chair in another semi-final. The subjects are the League of Gentlemen, the Harry Devlin novels of Martin Edwards, the Romanov dynasty, Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson and the life of Ernest Hemingway.

2015-03-13 • 30 min

30. Episode 30

Host John Humphrys invites five more contenders to answer questions in the black chair in the last semi-final of the series. The subjects are the Bodyline Ashes tour, the life and work of Elizabeth David, Will Hay, British admirals of the Napoleonic Wars and the life and works of Mary Shelley.

2015-03-20 • 30 min

31. Grand Final

The search for the nation's Mastermind reaches its climax as John Humphrys tests the six grand finalists on their specialist subjects and their general knowledge. Subjects covered are the Falklands conflict, Caterina Sforza, Paul Scott's Raj Quartet, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, the Ashes 1964-1981 and the life of Rudolph Nureyev. The winner will claim the famous glass bowl and the title of Mastermind.

2015-03-27 • 60 min