Mastermind contestant sparks backlash with specialist subject that ‘shouldn’t be allowed’
Viewers were fuming.
Mastermind viewers have been left complaining that one contestant’s specialist subject ‘shouldn’t have been allowed’.
The Monday-night quiz show, hosted by Clive Myrie, saw topics including Henry II, Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple novels, and Wales rugby union test matches.
However, retired teacher Gary Austin’s topic of choice, TV sitcom Friday Night Dinner, failed to impress viewers.
The contestant racked up a whopping 12 points, showing off his expertise on the Goodman family.
Friday Night Dinner, which ran from 2011 to 2020 and received two Bafta nominations, starred Tamsin Greig, Paul Ritter, Simon Bird, Tom Rosenthal and Mark Heap, and grew a huge fan following.
However, Mastermind viewers aren’t convinced it’s enough to count as a specialist subject.
Retired teacher Gary opted for Friday Night Dinner as his subject (Picture: BBC)Taking to X, Paul fumed: ‘#Mastermind shouldn’t allow TV programs as specialist subjects! You watched a few episodes of a program? Great. That’s not the as studying world history, science, literature. Moan over haha.’
@Mackadoodle63 agreed, writing: ‘At the least, they should ask questions about the production. Very rarely are there any questions about the writers, actors, or even when was it first aired. It’s often quite marked the relative differences in the first and second round scores.’
Rik said: ‘A show that was on relatively recently and ran for 6 seasons Just binge watching a TV show doesn’t feel like studying for.’
