MASTERMIND viewers furiously switched off the quiz as they declared questions were ‘dumbed down’.
The long-running BBC programme has long been renowned for its difficulty and prestige.
Clive Myrie welcomed back four contestants for their semi-final round – but some viewers were not happy with the specialist subjects.
Teacher Phil Nowek chose classic sitcom Blackadder and ultimately scored 11 points.
Among his questions was the following: “In the Blackadder 2 episode ‘Money‘, Edmund reveals that his father squandered the family fortune and made a living doing humorous impressions of which wife of Henry VIII?”
Phil incorrectly opted for Anne Boleyn, while the answer turned out to be Anne of Cleves.
One person wrote on X: “I haven’t seen Blackadder in about five years, but I got four, so that set of questions was clearly far too easy…”
Another remarked: “Blackadder?! What’s that, 14 hours of TV to bone up on? Pathetic. I managed to answer all bar two of those and I’ve not seen any of it for years. So dumbed down now.”
Project manager Lewis Jones tackled the Legend of Zelda video games as his specialist subject.
He was asked: “In Oracle of Ages, Link restores harmony to Symmetry Village by repairing a sacred treasure known by what palindromic two-word name?”
Lewis took a punt but was incorrect – learning the right answer was, in fact, the Tuni Nut.
He scored a total of four points altogether in the specialist subject round.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”BBC Mastermind viewers slam show after ‘ridiculous’ subject choice” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6369876379112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]A viewer wrote on X: “The Legend of Zelda. Make sure you know your stuff before you start. Poor effort.”
Another said: “Lewis is never going to be able to even look at the box for The Legend Of Zelda after that …”
The episode also featured Rashmi Bhardwaj, a retired chartered accountant, who had selected Oscar-winning Hollywood legend Gregory Peck.
Having scored six points, she faced this tricky question: “Peck made his Broadway at the age of 25 in the leading role of what play by Emelyn Williams, though the production closed after 24 performances?”
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D110983%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /]Rashmi guessed The Chief Thing but the right answer ended up being The Morning Star.
A fan wrote online: “Those Qs on Gregory Peck were desperately dull ! #Mastermind.”
Another person penned: “Blackadder, Joseph Chamberlain, Gregory Peck and The Legend of Something video game. Mixed bag.
“Gone are the days of the Life of Viscount Alexander of Tunis, the history of the Eisteddfod Council, Dockland Settlements and cockroaches. We must move with the times.”
Meanwhile, actuary Claire Reynolds had Joseph Chamberlain as her specialist subject.
Despite being runner-up in her heat, Claire took the place of Mike Noise, who was unable to be present for the semi-final.
Among her questions was: “Chamberlain was instrumental in encouraging which peer to donate more than 25 acres of his land in Edgbaston for the construction of the campus of Birmingham University?”
Looking uncertain, Claire opted for Lord Selborne but soon learned it was Lord Calthorpe.
By the end of both rounds, Phil had 22 points, Lewis had 19 and Rashmi achieved 11.
But Claire was the clear winner, scoring 25 and earning a place in the final.
Mastermind continues on BBC One and iPlayer.
