2015/16

E1. Episode 1

Aug 7, 2015 · 30m

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.

E2. Episode 2

Aug 14, 2015 · 30m

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.

E3. Episode 3

Aug 21, 2015 · 30m

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.

E4. Episode 4

Aug 28, 2015 · 30m

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.

E5. Episode 5

Sep 4, 2015 · 30m

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.

E6. Episode 6

Sep 11, 2015 · 30m

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.

E7. Episode 7

Sep 18, 2015 · 30m

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.

E8. Episode 8

Sep 25, 2015 · 30m

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.

E9. Episode 9

Oct 2, 2015 · 30m

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.

E10. Episode 10

Oct 9, 2015 · 30m

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

E11. Episode 11

Oct 16, 2015 · 30m

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.

E12. Episode 12

Oct 23, 2015 · 30m

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.

E13. Episode 13

Nov 6, 2015 · 30m

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.

E14. Episode 14

Nov 13, 2015 · 30m

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.

E15. Episode 15

Nov 20, 2015 · 30m

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.

E16. Episode 16

Nov 27, 2015 · 30m

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.

E17. Episode 17

Dec 4, 2015 · 30m

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.

E18. Episode 18

Dec 11, 2015 · 30m

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.

E19. Episode 19

Dec 18, 2015 · 30m

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.

E20. Episode 20

Jan 8, 2016 · 30m

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.

E21. Episode 21

Jan 15, 2016 · 30m

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.

E22. Episode 22

Jan 22, 2016 · 30m

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.

E23. Episode 23

Jan 29, 2016 · 30m

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.

E24. Episode 24

Feb 5, 2016 · 30m

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.

E25. Episode 25

Feb 12, 2016 · 30m

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.

E26. Episode 26

Feb 19, 2016 · 30m

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.

E27. Episode 27

Feb 26, 2016 · 30m

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.

E28. Episode 28

Mar 11, 2016 · 30m

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.

E29. Episode 29

Mar 18, 2016 · 30m

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.

E30. Episode 30

Mar 25, 2016 · 30m

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