Mastermind holds Oxford auditions

Dozens of aspiring quiz contestants descended on the Randolph Hotel, in Beaumont Street, yesterday for auditions - hoping to score enough points to come face to face with John Humphrys while sitting in the famous black chair.

Contenders were given a 20-question general knowledge test before discussing possible specialist subjects with the panel, which included BBC researchers Michael Farnell and Fiona Hamilton.

By the end of the day more than 30 would-be brainboxes had pitted their wits against the same set of questions, although they will not know how well they did until they are contacted by Mastermind in the coming weeks.

David Hughes, from the production team, said the show was looking to select contestants as soon as possible.

"There's no pass or fail as such - it's not an exact science," he said.

He said contenders with interesting specialist subjects had a head start in the audition process.

Applicants were advised to turn up with a choice of two.

Mastermind is searching for 96 people from across the country to take part in the next series, which starts in September, with filming beginning at the end of next month.

Mr Farnell said there had been lots of interesting specialist subjects and knowledgeable contenders at the hotel.

"We've had people booked in for auditions and people walking in off the street," he said.

"The audition is quite brisk. It's 20 questions and they are a tough set. But we need to know people's general knowledge is good because we can't have people struggling on TV."

Ben Skipp, 25, is in his seventh year studying music at Christ Church.

His specialist subjects were the TV presenter and author Clarissa Dixon Wright and Walter Hussey, dean of Chichester Cathedral from 1955 to 1977.

After his audition, he said: "I don't think I did very well. My general knowledge is pretty abysmal. I probably got about half of them right."

Mark Wilson, 24, a mathematics student at Green College, said it was his dream to appear on Mastermind and sit in the famous black chair.

His chosen specialist subjects were the missionary journeys of St Paul and the Book of Common Prayer.

He said: "I've been watching Mastermind since I was 15 and it would be nice to get on the show."

John Sandalls, 71, from Wantage, said Klaus Fuchs, the German-born atomic spy convicted of supplying information to the USSR during the Cold War, and the Profumo Affair were his specialist subjects.

He added: "I've always enjoyed quiz programmes, although I've never competed at anything at a serious level."

THINK YOU'D BE ANY GOOD?

REPORTER Tom Shepherd took aten-question test for Mastermind, scoring two out of ten.

Tom, 26, from Botley, said: "Now I've had a taste of how contestants must feel on the real show."

His questions were: 1. What, in a wine bottle, is the ullage?

2. The installation at the Tate Modern created by Doris Salcedo that runs the length of the Turbine Hall takes what form?

3. St Cecilia, martyred in the 2nd or 3rd century, has since the Renaissance been the patron saint of which of the arts?

4. Which Oscar-winning actress as a child provided the voice of Pugsley in the 1973 television cartoon version of The Addams Family?

5. What form of mutilation of dogs for cosmetic purposes was banned in Britain by the 2007 Animal Welfare Act?

6. What term is commonly usd to describe gently cooking a liquid just below boiling point?

7. A Life on the Ocean Wave is the official quick march of which branch of the Royal Navy?

8. How are Olga, Masha and Irina known in the title of the play by Chekhov?

9. What collective name is given to the pattern in which bricks are laid English, Flemish or Herringbone style?

10. In July 2004, Admiral The Lord Boyce was appointed to which post made vacant on the death of the Queen Mother, in 2002?

Answers: 1. Space between the cork and wine; 2. Chasm; 3. Music; 4. Jodie Foster; 5. Tail docking; 6. Simmer or simmering; 7. Royal Marines; 8. The Three Sisters; 9. Bond; 10. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.