2015/16

1. Episode 1

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.

2015-08-07 • 30 min

2. Episode 2

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.

2015-08-14 • 30 min

3. Episode 3

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.

2015-08-21 • 30 min

4. Episode 4

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.

2015-08-28 • 30 min

5. Episode 5

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.

2015-09-04 • 30 min

6. Episode 6

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.

2015-09-11 • 30 min

7. Episode 7

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.

2015-09-18 • 30 min

8. Episode 8

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.

2015-09-25 • 30 min

9. Episode 9

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.

2015-10-02 • 30 min

10. Episode 10

Subjects include the films of Kevin Smith, the novels of Neil Gaiman, Sir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris and Chess Records.

2015-10-09 • 30 min

11. Episode 11

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.

2015-10-16 • 30 min

12. Episode 12

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.

2015-10-23 • 30 min

13. Episode 13

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.

2015-11-06 • 30 min

14. Episode 14

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.

2015-11-13 • 30 min

15. Episode 15

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.

2015-11-20 • 30 min

16. Episode 16

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.

2015-11-27 • 30 min

17. Episode 17

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.

2015-12-04 • 30 min

18. Episode 18

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.

2015-12-11 • 30 min

19. Episode 19

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.

2015-12-18 • 30 min

20. Episode 20

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.

2016-01-08 • 30 min

21. Episode 21

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.

2016-01-15 • 30 min

22. Episode 22

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.

2016-01-22 • 30 min

23. Episode 23

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.

2016-01-29 • 30 min

24. Episode 24

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.

2016-02-05 • 30 min

25. Episode 25

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.

2016-02-12 • 30 min

26. Episode 26

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.

2016-02-19 • 30 min

27. Episode 27

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.

2016-02-26 • 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 Ever Decreasing Circles, the life and works of Sylvia Plath, Roddy Doyle's Barrytown trilogy, women in the Olympics and Ray Davies.

2016-03-11 • 30 min

29. Episode 29

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.

2016-03-18 • 30 min

30. Episode 30

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

2016-03-25 • 30 min

31. Grand Final

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.

2016-04-01 • 60 min