Mastermind viewers were left emotional after Monday night’s poignant broadcast.
The iconic BBC quiz show, guided by host Clive Myrie, saw a fresh group of contenders vying for the top spot.
In the episode, hopefuls Kaushik, Rachel, Laura, and John took on specialist subjects like the literary works of Arthur Conan Doyle, Aaron Sorkin’s acclaimed TV series The West Wing and the celebrated Grand National champion horse, Red Rum.
Kaushik landed in fourth position with a score of 12, while Rachel hit 16 points. Laura was close behind the leader with 22, but it was John who excelled, amassing 24 points, which catapulted him into the semi-finals.
A touching moment came when John, whose day job involves school administration and who boosted his scores with questions on Red Rum, divulged that his beloved wife had inspired him to try out for the show before she died, reports the Express.
Choking back emotions, he shared: “Never in my wildest dreams would I ever think I’d be standing here.”
Heartfelt congratulations from Clive were met as John continued: “I was very much instructed by my wife to apply. And if you knew Caroline, you wouldn’t have any doubt that I duly applied.”
Adding depth to his triumph, he said: “But it was sad, my darling wife Caroline unfortunately died as the show was about to be made. So this one is for you, Caro.”
Touched by the contestant’s story, one viewer tweeted their response, stating: “The man who won Mastermind tonight said his wife died just before the show was filmed and it was all for her I can’t deal with this (crying emoji.)”.
Another viewer was moved to tears, saying: “Did not have getting emotional at an episode of #mastermind on my 2024 bingo card. John you are a wee dote. I hope your lovely wife is watching down on you smiling!”
A third commenter expressed admiration, commenting: “Oh John. Caroline would have been so proud of you.”
While a fourth shared their surprise and emotion, tweeting: “Wasn’t expecting that bombshell John, my fave subject ever, Rummy of course, and then the close, I’m not welling up!!! #mastermind.”
As for John’s impressive quiz show performance regarding Red Rum, one fan enthused: “Wow brilliant play by John on his subject – RedRum.”
Another said in awe: “Dude on #Mastermind answering questions on Red Rum in about 10 minutes – and amazingly it’s not @helynsar.”
Mastermind is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.