Mastermind viewers were livid after a BBC contestant was stitched up by the lengthy questions during its semi-final.
Tuesday’s episode saw contestants Ian Grieve, Jane Northen, Robin Dunford and John Robinson take their place in the chair.
The subjects were wide-ranging, from Th Clash and The Films of Marilyn Monroe, to Pieter Bruegel the Elder and the Ironclad Battleship HMS Warrior.
But fans complained that some of the questions on the semi-final were ‘ridiculously’ and ‘extraordinarily’ long, leaving the contestants less time on the clock to wrack up answers.
The first round saw Ian asked about his specialist subject The Clash – and it kicked off a string of long questions.
Quizmaster Clive Myrie asked Ian: ‘The initial line-up of The Clash with Joe Strummer and Mick Jones on guitars and vocals and Paul Simonon on bass worked with several drummers before teaming up with Nick Headon, who is best known by what nickname taken from the title of a comic book?’
Mastermind viewers were livid after a BBC contestant was stitched up by the lengthy questions during its semi-final
Tuesday’s episode saw contestants Ian Grieve, Jane Northen, Robin Dunford and John Robinson take their place in the chair
Ian could be seen going to mouth the answer multiple times throughout the long question.
Viewers felt the questions were lethargic as they took to X, formerly Twitter, to complain: ‘Why do the questions have to be so long?’;
‘These #mastermind questions are ridiculously long. I know it gets said over and over, and I guess it’s to ensure consistency but it makes the whole quiz feel clunky,’;
‘Well done, well done. But that last question was waaaay too wordy. The contestant was ready to come in with an answer about halfway through,’;
‘Extraordinarily long questions on #Mastermind. It would be better if the questions were shorter so that the contestants have a chance of answering more questions and getting more points. Otherwise, call the show the Clive Myrie Talking Show.’
Mastermind contestants have been impressing viewers with incredible knowledge around their specialist subjects since 1972.
However in recent years, some fans have kicked off over the ‘dumbed down’ topics on the BBC quiz show – and have called for the rules and regulations over what gets picked to be overhauled.
Earlier this month there was uproar over one contestant answering questions about sitcom Friday Night Dinner.
The first round saw Ian asked about his specialist subject The Clash by Clive Myrie – and it kicked off a string of long questions
But fans complained that some of the questions on the semi-final were ‘ridiculously’ and ‘extraordinarily’ long
Just last year other fans slated the show as ‘a shadow of its former self’ after the contestants revealed their specialist subjects – which consisted of Narnia, The Matrix films, Madagascar and Robbie Williams’s solo career.
However, over the years, many challengers have picked television shows, so Channel 4 hit Friday Night Dinner is far from an exception.
One fan took to a Digital Spy forum to share their frustration over the dumbing down of the questions used.
They wrote on the site: ‘There are still a lot of challenging questions but some are just too easy.
‘I think it really takes the shine off what used to be a really prestigious title and I just don’t enjoy the show so much. Quizzes have different levels and are all fun in their own way but it seems a mistake to change the pitch.’
Many agreed and were quick to echo the sentiment.
Earlier this month there was uproar over one contestant answering questions about sitcom Friday Night Dinner
Friday Night Dinner aired on Channel 4 between 2011 and 2020
They replied: ‘I find that the first question of the specialist subject round is always easy, maybe to help the contestant settle in.
‘I agree that the general knowledge questions have progressively become easier, sometimes markedly so. I will continue watching however!’;
‘It is not that the questions are getting easier it is just that as you get older you become cleverer and know a lot more,’;
‘When mastermind was on in the 80’s I could hardly answer one question. They seemed very hard. Unless I know more things now, they do seem easier.’
