‘Jewel in the crown’ TV quiz Mastermind on way to NI

Host John Humphrys will continue to present the long-running BBC programme which will now be produced by Hindsight and Hat Trick companies following a competitive tendering process.

It is understood the show will return to its original ‘interrogation’ style for the next series.

A BBC source told the Press Association: “We will be looking to recreate the sense of tension and interrogation style that the show is famous for. While the structure of the quiz will remain the same, audiences will notice a different look and feel.”

The two-year contract runs from July 2019 – producing 31 episodes of Mastermind and ten of Celebrity Mastermind each year.

The successful bid was supported by Northern Ireland Screen, whose chief executive Richard Williams said the company “is delighted to be partnering once again with Hat Trick (Derry Girls, The Secret) and Hindsight (What Makes You Tic) to help deliver the jewel in the BBC’s factual entertainment crown, Mastermind.

“We would like to thank all the executives involved in this decision for their foresight and faith.”

“The BBC has entrusted Northern Ireland to be the show’s new home and Northern Ireland will not let them down.”

Kate Phillips, BBC controller of entertainment commissioning, said she was “delighted that this decision means another BBC show will be made in Northern Ireland.”

Mastermind’s creator, Bill Wright, was a former RAF gunner who drew on his experience as a prisoner of war in Germany to come up with the show’s ‘interrogation’ style.

In 1997, Mastermind was dropped by the BBC but returned as a BBC Two series with John Humphrys as the question master in 2003.

Prior to moving to Northern Ireland, where it will be both filmed and edited, the programme was produced in Salford.

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