Mastermind 2021-22 Grand Final

OK, so, the Quizzy Mondays season officially ended tonight, with the Mastermind final. The first of the Clive Myrie era. As I’ve said before, he’s been an excellent choice as the new host of the show, so hopefully his first final would be a good one. As usual for the final, the specialist rounds were preceded by a film where the contender talked a bit about their subject.

 

UC runner-up captain Ian Wang was the first finalist contender, answering on the film and TV work of Steve McQueen, and hoping to become the second successive Mastermind champ to be the youngest ever; he proceeded to give a fine round and score an impressive 13 points. He was followed into the chair by Alice Walker, answering on the Peak District National Park; her round was similarly strong, and she went one better to finish it with 14 points.

 

Eleanor Ayres was third into the chair, with Million Pound answer Eleanor of Aquitaine as her subject (as referenced with an appearance of Judith Keppel in her film!); her round was also good, but a bit off the pace with 11 points (and a pass). Anthony Fish followed, answering on Open All Hours, and his round was almost identical, a few errors, 11 points and one pass.

 

Next up was Patrick Buckingham, who was answering on Carole Lombard; he sadly fell further off the pace, starting well, but then tailing off a bit and ending on 10 points and one pass, but his excellent GK showings in previous shows meant he wasn’t totally out of it. Finally, Sarah Trevarthen was answering on Dame Barbara Hepworth, and she would match Ian’s score of 13 with no passes.

 

So, at the halfway stage, Patrick trailed on 10, Eleanor and Anthony just ahead on 11, Ian and Sarah both had 13 and Alice just led on 14. Close scores and, depending on how the GK rounds went, no-one was totally out of the running.

 

As Patrick demonstrated as he returned for his round, and, despite a few mistakes, he gave a fantastic performance of 17 with no passes to take his score to 27, which firmly set a strong benchmark for the others to match.

 

He was followed by Eleanor, who started well, but then fell into a run of wrong answers which threw her a bit and she never quite recovered from; nonetheless, she matched her GK score to finish on a decent 22. Anthony returned next, and he fared better, but a few errors meant he only (I say only) managed 15 to agonisingly fall one short on 26, still a great score.

 

Next up was Ian; he started well, before a run of wrong answers threw him off the pace and Patrick’s score was soon beyond him, but 12 for a final score of 25 was still fine work. He was followed by Sarah, who maintained a steady pace throughout her round, in spite of a few errors, and, on the very final question, she scored 14 and matched Patrick’s score of 27; however, her lack of passes meant she was now in the lead.

 

Which left Alice needing 28 points to win outright, and 27 with no passes to force a tie-breaker. She never looked like being troubled however, and took the lead with time to spare. She topped this by producing the best round of the show, 19, which took her final score to a fantastic 33!

 

So, Eleanor finished sixth 22, Ian fifth with 25, Anthony fourth with 26, Patrick and Sarah third and second on 27, and Alice was the comfortable winner with the highest score of the whole series. Many congratulations to her, a most deserving winner! And to all the other finalists as well on a superb showing; any one of their scores could be a winning score in a normal game.

 

So, Mastermind is over for another series. As I said before, Clive Myrie has been an inspired appointment, and his arrival hasn’t robbed the show of the newfound momentum it’s gathered since it went back to basics following the move to Belfast a couple of series ago. Thanks to him, and to all who took part on an enjoyable series, and to all involved in making the series!

 

I myself have been considering applying for Mastermind for some years now, but events in my personal life have always gotten in the way. However, having been playing along with GK rounds when I can this series, I think I will now give it a go, not in the next series, but maybe the series after…

 

Anyway, that concludes my main blogging for this season. Thanks again to all involved in the three shows, and to everyone for reading and continuing to support this blog over the past few months.

 

However, unlike the last few years, I won’t be putting the blog into hibernation yet. Instead, I have something special planned to mark this blog’s tenth anniversary next month. All will be revealed in due course…

University Challenge 2021-22: Series Highlights

OK, time to end my coverage of UC on this blog for another series with my usual end of series retrospective. After a rather slow first round, this series improved in the second round and quarter-finals and, for all its faults, remained enjoyable throughout, ending with a good final and worthy winners.

So, we start as usual with my picks for the best matches of every round:

• First Round + Play-Offs: Easily the U.C.L.-St John's play-off; their match with Imperial and Edinburgh and Birmingham's big wins were also highlights.
• Second Round: Easy, Edinburgh vs Bristol.
• Quarter-Finals: Plenty of good games here; Edinburgh winning on the final question of the game just about takes it.
• The Final Three: The final, then the second semi, then the first.

Some great matches, but not very many high scoring matches. Unlike some recent series, though, there were quite a lot of 'close' matches, though quite a lot tended to be rather low scoring. There were only seven games where the teams broke 300 between them, though all but two did see both teams get into three figures TBF.

Edinburgh's 270 in the first round was easily the highest score of the series; the second highest was 245 achieved by Birmingham in the first round and Reading in the second, while Trinity and Imperial's 235 in their second round and first QF matches respectively was the third highest. Poor Sussex had the lowest score of the series with just 10, while Queen Mary and St Hilda's also joined the Sub-50 Club in the second round with 45 each. Imperial's first round match against St John's provided the biggest aggregate score of the series, 365.

Only nine Oxbridge teams, four Oxford five Cambridge, competed in this series, the fewest in a long time, and, for the first time since the 2005-06 series, the Oxford teams were wiped out before the QFs. Three Cambridge teams reached the QFs, but, for the first time since the 2012-13 series, there was no Oxbridge team in the final, suggesting that, after five successive Oxbridge finals in a row a few years back, their stranglehold on the series seems to have loosened again for now. London had five teams, as did Scotland, and, for the third series running, Wales and Northern Ireland were unrepresented.

Now, at this point in years gone by, I'd be listing 'highlight's at this point as in 'entertaining' moments. However, this feature, a bit like my blog about buzzer stats, has become a bit redundant in this age where the show is discussed endlessly on Twitter, meaning these moments become remembered a lot better. If you want a reminder of some of the 'entertaining' highlights of this series, fellow blogger Ariadne has done an excellent thread on Twitter which I'll provide a retweet of in my feed.

So, instead, I'll talk a bit more about the series itself.

Yes, it wasn't the best series I've covered on here. Yes, a lot of the matches, the first round in particular, were rather low scoring. Is that forgivable? Yes, especially given the circumstances this series was made under. As Paxo said in his intro to the final, filming was the first time many teams, including runners-up Reading, had actually met in person. Hopefully, for the next series, which I guess has already been filmed, more of the teams will have been able to meet and practice together in person beforehand.

But it must be said, in spite of that, we still saw some most impressive performances from both teams and individuals throughout the series, which is a testament to those in question. As Paxo said, everyone who took part in and was involved in the production of this series should be given extra special credit for getting involed in the circumstances.

Which brings us on to the man himself. Paxo has done very well to continue in his role in spite of his now well-documented illness and, as Dave C. said on LAM a few months back, deserves a lot of credit and respect for doing so and wanting to do so. That said, it has sadly highlighted the fact that he won't be able to continue on the show forever, and some thought must now be given to who will succeed him when the time finally comes for him to stand aside.

Mastermind made an excellent choice in appointing Clive Myrie and he's settled so well and naturally into the role it's hard to remember a time when someone else was doing it. We can only hope that, when Paxo does step down as UC chair, TPTB can make a similarly inspired choice to replace him.

So, that's it for another series. All that's left to do is, once again, thank Paxo, Roger Tilling, all the crew and all the teams who took part in this series, especially considering the circumstances under which it was made; it was still an enjoyable series of UC, and thanks very much to all for taking part in and helping give it to us!

My blogging for the season concludes on Monday with a quick review of the Mastermind final; see you then then...

University Challenge 2021-22: Best Buzzer Per Team

OK, so another series of UC is in the bag, and now its time to look back on it. Starting, as usual, with the buzzer stats; this will probably be the final series I do this for given that UC stats are a lot more widely collected and shared than they were when I firstly started this blog, but we'll see how I feel this time next year. So, here for possibly the final time, are the best players on the buzzer for every quarter-finalist team:

Michael Hutchinson (Reading) - 45 over seven matches

Jonathan Chan (St John's) - 34 over six matches

Max Zeng (Imperial) - 32 over six matches

Nicholas Thatte (Emmanuel) - 20 over seven matches

Ben Russell Jones and Lewis Thomas (Edinburgh) - 19 each over five matches

Michael Joel Bartelle (Birmingham) - 17 over four matches

Luke Kim (Trinity) - 16 over four matches

Atyab Rashid (King's) - 16 over five matches

 

And honourable mentions go to:

Margaret Ounsley (Reading) - 18 over seven matches

James Wrathall (Emmanuel) - 17 over seven matches

Michael Mays (Imperial) -  16 over six matches

John Robinson (Birmingham) - 15 over four matches

 

As usual, I have the full list for all the QF participants if anyone wants to see it; get in touch with me on Twitter if so.

Back tomorrow or Sunday with my usual more comprehensive end of series review.

University Challenge 2021-22: Grand Final: Imperial vs Reading

Good evening friends, and welcome to yet another University Challenge final! After a series that Paxo acknowledged in his intro (and outro) to have been made in trying circumstances, we have arrived at a hotly anticipated final, between two excellent teams, either of whom would've been deserving winners.

Imperial got here undefeated, beating St John's, Exeter, King's, their opponents tonight and Emmanuel to do so. Hoping to become the third team to win a fourth series of the show were: 

Max Zeng, from Singapore, studying Biochemistry

Fatima Sheriff, from Hitchin in Hertforshire, studying Science Communication

Captain: Michael Mays, from Montrose, studying Computational Fluid Dynamics

Gilbert Jackson, from Bury St Edmunds, studying Chemistry

 

Reading defeated Strathclyde, Dundee, Birmingham, St John's as well and Edinburgh to reach this stage, and played well in that defeat to their opponents tonight. Going for a first ever title were: 

Sylvian Jesudoss, from Thanjuvar, India, studying Marketing

Margaret Ounsley, from Reading, studying Poor Law History

Captain: Michael Hutchinson, from Andover, graduated with a PGCE

Kira Bishop, from Slough, studying Maths and Psychology

 

So, off we set for the final time this series, and it was first blood to Imperial as Mr Zeng identified Thucydides; two bonuses on poetry were taken. Reading quickly followed them off the mark though as Mr Hutchinson, as he has done so often before this series, played a captain's innings for them; the Biscuitmen went one better with their bonuses on musical modes, a full set gave them the lead. I knew the next starter's answer to be 'point' once 'Euclid' and 'that which has no part' was mentioned; Mr Mays knew it too, but just one bonus went with it. Not to worry; the first picture round, on wetlands designated to be of international importance, was a bread and butter 25 points for Mr Zeng, which took Imperial's lead to 65-25.

And the lead was just increasing as Mr Jackson and Ms Sheriff took the next two starters between them; just one bonus was taken from the first set however, and the second, on terms used in drag performance, didn't give them any further points (Ms Sheriff: "We're just too nice for this!"). Back came Reading as Mr Hutchinson once again did the honours, and they, in contrast, took a second full set of bonuses, suggesting they certainly weren't out of this game. The music starter was then dropped; the bonuses, on arias from Nixon in China, went to Imperial, who took a single bonus, which increased their lead to 105-45.

Mr Hutchinson then took a third starter of the night for Reading however; just one bonus followed, but Ms Ounsley then gave the Royals a second successive starter for the first time of the night. No bonuses followed, but Mr Hutchinson then took a third in a row, and two bonuses on Prussia meant they had closed the gap to just 15 points. And when Ms Ounsley took the next starter, and one bonus on Islamic scholars was taken, the teams were on level pegging! The second picture starter was then missed by both teams, but Mr Hutchinson took the next to give his team the lead! The bonuses, on works by Yinka Shonibare and their inspirations, gave them just the one correct answer, but they now had a crucial lead of 120-105.

It was now a straight sprint for the finish. The next asked which mountain range Pen y Fan was the highest point of, a question that was met with the infamous response of 'Snowdonia' on UC many years ago! Mr Zeng made no mistake however, and his side took two bonuses on space probes that took them, just back into the lead. Neither side knew sundew plants for the next starter. Mr Hutchinson did the right thing and took an educated flyer on the next starter, but was wrong and lost five; Imperial didn't get it either, but it mattered not, as that was the gong! Imperial won the final, and the series, 125-115!

So, to the socially distant trophy presentation. Professor Sir Andre Geim stepped forward and said a few words praising both teams, before Mr Mays stepped forwards and collected the trophy.

An excellent final, between two excellent teams, both of whom played very well and would've deserved to win. Many congratulations to Imperial, who join Magdalen of Oxford and Manchester on four UC titles, and well done to Reading as well, who played a blinder as well and would've been worthy winners as well. Well played both teams, a good final!

The stats: Mr Hutchinson was the best buzzer of the night with five, and of the series as a whole with a final total of 45, while Mr Zeng was best for Imperial with three, giving him a final total of 32. On the bonuses, Imperial managed 11 out of 21, and, in fact, so too did Reading, but with two penalties. That's where the game was won. But, again, well played both teams, a good close final either would've deserved to win!

So, that's it for another series! Many thanks to all the teams involved, and, as Paxo said in his outro, to everyone behind the scenes who made the extra effort to get this show made in the trying circumstances; thanks very much indeed, and hopefully the next series can be/has been put together in better conditions. My usual end of series review and starter stats coming up later in the week.

Mastermind’s sixth and final semi-final was won by Patrick Buckingham, who won it with easily the best GK round of the night to double his specialist score of 13 to a final winning total of 26, with OC winner Richard Aubrey second on 20; Marianne McKillop led after the first round, but had a most unlucky GK round and thus finished joint third with 18 points, matched by fourth contender Gary McKenzie. I’ll be reviewing next week’s final in full, I hope.

University Challenge 2021-22: Grand Final Preview

Well, here we are again people, the night before another University Challenge preview. After a rather slow first round, this series improved considerably in the second round and quarter-finals, and we have two very deserving finalists indeed at the end of it; they are:

Imperial College London: Max Zeng, Fatima Sheriff, Michael Mays and Gilbert Jackson.

and

Reading: Sylvian Jesudoss, Margaret Ounsley, Michael Hutchinson and Kira Bishop.

So, for the first time in nine series, no Oxbridge teams in the final, meaning we're guaranteed a fourth successive non-Oxbridge win for (quickly checks Wikipedia) the first time since the 80s! For Reading, its their first ever final; for Imperial, its their fifth, of which they've won three. How did they reach it then?

Imperial got here undefeated, defeating St John's in a high scoring first round match, from which their opponents deservedly reached the repechage and eventually the QFs, before a similarly easy second round win over Exeter. Their first QF against King's was their easiest victory of the lot, before being given a close run at first by Reading in their second before ultimately running away in the second half. Their SF against Emmanuel was a similar story, close at first before an excellent second half saw them run away to reach the final.

Reading were comfortable winners over Strathclyde in the first round, and then very easily defeated Dundee in the second. Their first QF was a close game against Birmingham, which they won with a late rally, before that afore-mentioned defeat to Imperial; they recovered with a reasonably comfortable win over St John's, before their SF saw them win another close match against Edinburgh.

So, that's the bare basics; now for the even complicated stats.

Imperial have scored 1,045 points over five matches for an average of 209; Reading have exactly 1,000 over six for an average of 166.67. Imperial have also conceded fewer points as well, 460 for an average of 92, while Reading have conceded 705 for an average of 117.5.

Perhaps more tellingly, Imperial have also answered more starters correctly over fewer matches, 58 to Reading's 56. And more bonuses, 100 out of 171, to Reading's 96 out of 163. Plus, Imperial have all four players contributing to that starter number; Mr Zeng has half their tally so far, 29, but his colleagues have been contributing well as well. Reading in contrast, have been rather reliant on Mr Hutchinson's excellent buzzer performances, 40 starters so far, with Ms Ounsley contributing the other 16.

So, Imperial have all the stats in their favour; more correct answers over fewer games, more players contributing and they were comfortable winners when the two teams met earlier in the series. Does this make tomorrow a foregone conclusion?

Maybe, but not totally. Reading, after all, have proven themselves a worthy team capable of grinding out results; last Monday's win over Edinburgh is a testament to that. Imperial will certainly start as favourites, but Reading are certainly capable of an upset if things go their way.

Seriously, though, these are two excellent teams; either would be worthy winners. Hopefully, we get a good game to end the series on! So, very very best of (retrospective) luck to both teams for tomorrow night; here's to a good end to the series!

Back tomorrow night with my usual write-up.