Just caught tonight's episode of Celebrity Mastermind with Danny Wallace, Nicholas Parsons, that bald veggie restauranteur and that Scottish one off Loose Women who looks like she's sucking a wasp (and acts like it). An interesting collection of specialist subjects: the history of Tranmere Rovers; the life and works of Edward Lear; the lives of the Pankhurst women; and, erm, Ghostbusters. See if you can match the subject to the celebrity. It'll be really easy.
Anyway, I got to pondering a couple of things. You see, there's a thin line you have to tread with your specialist subject. Obviously, you have to be good at it for one thing. But there's a kind of social snobbery with it. "What's that? Your specialist subject is 'Chantelle off Celebrity Big Brother'? Okay... Mine's the Aeneid and its relationship with medieval Latin poetry. Is that you fetching your coat?"
I'm not sure I'd have had the balls to go on with Ghostbusters as my specialist subject.
But I'm not sure what my specialist subject would have been. 'TV's a little too broad. 'US TV' would confine me to a dungeon of Dallas, Dynasty and Dawson's Creek, knowing my luck. 'Doctor Who' really wouldn't get me anywhere at all, since the questions would be set by someone who's memorised every second line from the annuals and wants to know what kind of toy Davros used to entertain baby Daleks with. Plus it would be a bit nerdy. But picking a non-nerdy TV subject (eg Play for the Day, the works of Carla Lane, The Sopranos) carries with it all the joy of learning the Highway Code and eating your greens, and I don't really have the time to brush up on four seasons of The Wire (fifth starting on Sunday).
So I'm still thinking.
How about you? What would your socially acceptable, TV-related specialist subject be?
January 5, 2008 | Reply
I've actually thought about this, because I know three people who've been on Mastermind (one friend was beaten by one point in the semi-final, and a former lecturer actually won the whole bloody thing in 1994), and I've been on a quiz show myself. So I reckon my first-round specialist subject would be the Warner Brothers Cartoon Studios, and my second round might be something like the novels of Iain Banks.
January 5, 2008 | Reply
Easy.. it would be.. Childrens TV of the 1980s!
;)
January 5, 2008 | Reply
I might try 'The Prisoner', but I think I'd be more comfortable with either 'Columbo', 'The Dick van Dyke Show' or 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'.
Of course I better not be getting just tossed into the competition; I'd want to study up first!
January 5, 2008 | Reply
TV related... I could be tempted by questions on Spaced (v. cheesy and within the Mastermind context possibly too low-brow*), the Beiderbecke trilogy (a little more quirky kudos, plus, you know, jazz), or - if I could be so picky - Seasons 1 and 2 of The West Wing. Not sure I could manage all the seasons but those two I could probably manage...
I have of course dismissed selecting the television works of either Douglas Henshall or David Tennant you'll have noticed.... do I get recognition points for not going for the obvious?
* they would of course be WRONG on that score.
January 5, 2008 | Reply
TV only? Then I shall choose Futurama! (Or is that socially unacceptable?)
Rullsenberg: if Myleene Klass can choose Sex and the City (and IIRC one season only) then I don't see the problem with Spaced.
Stu: I'm sure someone already did The Culture novels. Maybe you'd have to do the non-M. books. (Surprised espedair didn't go for that.)
[Note: just did the research and UKGameshows.com says that the 2005 champion chose The Culture novels as his semi-final subject.]
January 6, 2008 | Reply
I agree with Lisa that Spaced would probably be the show I could best answer questions about...
January 7, 2008 | Reply
My subject would have to be crisps of the 1970s.
January 7, 2008 | Reply
Jon: Just crips you've eaten or specific brands? And are they limited to the 70s or can they still be available? I'm curious about the status of Space Raiders in the scheme of things. But you'd get sniffed at unless you could talk about the business side of things.
Rullsenberg/Anna: Spaced is sort of acceptable in certain circles; the Beiderbecke series would pass with no problems because it involves jazz and is written by an acceptable playwright. West Wing: possibly, but probably not, although you could get away with "The Works of Aaron Sorkin" since that includes films and plays and is therefore better than TV.
Stu_N's all appear to pass muster. Well done!
Espedair: Children's TV might get a few sniffs, unless it was adapted to "The BBC's Children's Department and its shows in the 1980s".
Futurama would not pass, I'm afraid. You might as well do "The Gun noises of Blake's 7" for all the social stigma you'd receive (except in the same circles that like Spaced).
Toby: All good choices, but all socially dodgy.
Marie: Very lowbrow. I imagine Scottish lady smirking at you in a superior way as I type.
Mark: You might be able to get away with Peter Jackson, although not if you do too well.
As I said, it's a narrow tightrope. Have decided I could probably get away with "ITC shows of the 1960s" or possibly "Sir Lew Grade and the ITC shows of the 1960s".
January 7, 2008 | Reply
If I could get away with BBC BDO world darts championship coverage 1983 - 2007 I would, alternatively - the television works of Chris Morris, which would sadly mean omitting Richard Geefe but would include The Time, the Place hijacking.
January 7, 2008 | Reply
Damn. Wish I'd thought of that one. The Chris Morris one, that is.
January 7, 2008 | Reply
You could answer all the questions in the style of Ted Maul. Or Fur-Q.
January 7, 2008 | Reply
That would be odd. Back when I worked for the Cambridge Evening News, the news editor was Ted Maul. Looked like him, sounded like him. We all called him Ted Maul when he wasn't looking.