TV series
Mastermind is a British quiz show, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness. Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the contestant's choice, the other a general knowledge round. Wright drew inspiration from his experiences of being interrogated by the Gestapo during World War II. The atmosphere is helped by Mastermind's famously ominous theme music, "Approaching Menace" by the British composer Neil Richardson. The quiz programme originated and was recorded in Manchester at studios such as New Broadcasting House and Granada Studios, before permanently moving to MediaCityUK in 2011.
Availability
Checked Jul 22, 2026
Mastermind premiered September 11, 1972. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.
Mastermind is a British quiz show, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness. Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the contestant's choice, the other a general knowledge round. Wright drew inspiration from his experiences of being interrogated by the Gestapo during World War II. The atmosphere is helped by Mastermind's famously ominous theme music, "Approaching Menace" by the British composer Neil Richardson. The quiz programme originated and was recorded in Manchester at studios such as New Broadcasting House and Granada Studios, before permanently moving to MediaCityUK in 2011.
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 1
John Humphrys and the famous black chair return for another series of television's toughest quiz. Ninety-six contenders start the journey towards the final but only one can be crowned Mastermind Champion. Subjects tonight are Paul Simon, the feature films of Hayao Miyazaki, the Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna and the life and poetry of John Donne.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 2
John Humphrys presents another episode of the classic quiz. Subjects tonight are the four Gospels, Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy, flags of the world and the colour films of Danny Kaye.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 3
John Humphrys presents another episode of the classic quiz. Subjects are Clint Eastwood, the Tommy & Tuppence mysteries by Agatha Christie, Duran Duran and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 4
John Humphrys presents another episode of the classic quiz. Subjects include M*A*S*H, John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, English League Football Stadia and U2.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 5
John Humphrys presents another episode of the classic quiz. Subjects are the Fifa World Cup, Alexander the Great, the films of Rupert Everett and the Battle of Agincourt.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 6
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Subjects tonight are Australian Test cricket, James Ellroy's LA quartet, Kirsty MacColl and King Henry VI.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 7
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Specialist subjects in this episode are the sitcom Green Wing, the poet Rumi, Julius Caesar and Lancashire County Cricket Club.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 8
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Specialist subjects in this episode are Gilbert and Sullivan, the Tour de France, Thomas Becket and Coronation Street.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 9
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Subjects tonight are Academy Award-winning performances by British actors and actresses, the life and paintings of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, RMS Lusitania and Everton FC.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 10
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Subjects tonight are Crowded House, Super-Middleweight Boxing, Parks & Recreation and Claude Monet.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 11
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Subjects are the films of James Cameron, the artist Georgia O'Keefe, Guns N' Roses and King Henry IV.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 12
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Subjects are Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, Tony Hancock, Eva Peron and Muhammad Ali.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 13
John Humphrys presents another episode of the classic quiz. The subjects are Porridge, Peggy Guggenheim, Deep Purple and Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 14
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Tonight's subjects are Elvis Presley, the Glorious Revolution, the Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 15
John Humphrys presents another heat of he classic quiz. Subjects tonight are The Simpsons, venomous snakes, Sherlock Holmes and Alfred the Great.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 16
John Humphrys presents another episode of the classic quiz. Tonight's subjects are The Vicar of Dibley, the novels of George Orwell, Roman coinage and Harold Wilson.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 17
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Tonight's subjects are the Champions' League, Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet, the life and times of Hatshepsut and House of Cards.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 18
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Subjects are Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, Mahatma Gandhi, the Boston Marathon and top-ten singles.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 19
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Subjects are the Harry Potter novels, the Waterloo Campaign, the Battle of the Bulge and Rosalind Franklin.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 20
John Humphrys presents another episode of the classic quiz. The subjects are Doctor Who, Concorde, The Clash and Sir Francis Walsingham.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 21
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Tonight's subjects are the Royle Family, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, the Beach Boys and postwar British general elections.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 22
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Tonight's subjects are Leonardo da Vinci, the Dreyfus Affair, JS Bach and The Inbetweeners.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 23
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Tonight's subjects are Blur, the short stories of David Foster Wallace, Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next novels and the American Civil War.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 24
John Humphrys presents another heat of the classic quiz. Tonight's subjects are Red Dwarf, the British Overseas Terrority of St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, the history of Kentucky, and Emperor Tiberius.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 25
John Humphrys presents the first semi-final of the classic quiz. The subjects are Olympic track and field, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, Egyptian mythology, the graphic novels of Daniel Clowes and President Andrew Jackson.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 26
John Humphrys presents another semi-final of the classic quiz. The subjects are Frasier, Warrington RLFC, Absolutely Fabulous, Jane Austen and Erik Satie.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 27
John Humphrys presents another semi-final of the classic quiz. The subjects are the films of Paul Thomas Anderson, the novels of Virginia Woolf, the wines of Burgundy, Motley Crue and Kazuo Ishiguro.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 28
John Humphrys presents another semi-final of the classic quiz. The subjects are Pink Floyd, Marshal Georgy Zhukov, Stan Cullis, the works of HP Lovecraft and the films of Tom Hanks.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 29
John Humphrys presents another semi-final of the classic quiz. The subjects are Manchester music, the Battle of Clontarf, ER, Augustus Pitt-Rivers, and the Giordano Bruno novels of SJ Parris.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 30
John Humphrys presents another semi-final of the classic quiz. The subjects are Peep Show, Albert Speer, the X-Men films, King Henry III and the Jack Parlabane novels of Christopher Brookmyre.
Where to watch MastermindEpisode 31
John Humphrys presents the grand final of the classic quiz. The subjects are Golf Majors, the Revolt of the Netherlands, the Hannibal Lecter novels of Thomas Harris, US Constitutional Amendments, Indian Premier League cricket and Hadrian's Wall
Where to watch MastermindEpisode information updated Jul 24, 2026
Available now in United States
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Magnus Magnusson
John HumphrysSelf - Host
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BBC OneUnited Kingdom
BBC TwoUnited Kingdom
Hat Trick ProductionsUnited Kingdom
