Category: TV
Ent
Date: 23.05.2005
Printable version
Eleven-year-old Robin from Surrey has
claimed the title of Junior Mastermind 2005 in a closely fought contest.
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Robin and Tom from Kent both notched up 30 points in the final -
shown on 91Èȱ¬ ONE yesterday (Sunday) - but Robin clinched the title because he had fewer passes.
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Tom took the lead during the first round, as he answered
questions on his specialist subject, The Life and Works of Cezanne.
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Tom had no passes on his specialist subject and answered
every question correctly, scoring an incredible 17 points.
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Robin was just behind him on 16 points, after answering
questions on A series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.
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But it was in the general knowledge round that Robin
clinched his victory with 30 points and four passes, whilst Tom passed
on five.
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The winner of Junior Mastermind 2004, Daniel from Cardiff,
presented Robin with the trophy. "I thought I'd won because I was counting
Tom's passes," said Robin.
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"But it wasn't until John Humphrys
confirmed it that I could allow myself to think 'Yes!'"
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Quizmaster John Humphrys was amazed by Robin's knowledge:
"An astonishing young man," said John. "He knew an extraordinary amount,
showed remarkable self-possession and treated the whole thing like a
stroll in the park. Amazing."
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Robin chatted to John about his specialist subject,
which recounts the adventures of three orphaned children.
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"Aunt Josephine is my favourite character. Her greatest
love in life is grammar - a bit like you!" laughed Robin.
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Robin likes playing piano and guitar, swimming, playing
golf, writing and acting. His ambition is to be a lawyer or a comedy
playwright.
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The first series of Junior Mastermind was broadcast
in September last year, and for Daniel there was an added bonus to winning
the title.
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During the final, John Humphrys asked Daniel who his
favourite Bond actor was and Daniel replied immediately, saying,"Roger
Moore."
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Unknown to Daniel, Roger Moore was watching at home
and contacted Daniel to congratulate him!
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For details on how to apply for Junior Mastermind, visit:
bbc.co.uk/mastermind.
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Notes to Editors:
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The contenders
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Name: Sam
From: The Lake District
Specialist subject: The House of Stuart
Score: 21 points
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Sam has been interested in the kings and queens of England
since he visited the Tower of London several years ago. "The monarchy
is really good, the further back the better," says Sam. "It's carried
on through the years and has survived wars, revolutions, fights. and
yet, we've still got it and I think that's very impressive."
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Name: Joseph
From: Salisbury
Specialist subject: The Books of Roald Dahl
Score: 27 points
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"I think the reason why people like Roald Dahl so much
is because there's so many different types of story, all written in
the same style," says Joseph.
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Name: Emma
From: Epping
Specialist subject: The Darren Shan Saga
Score: 28 points
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Emma visits the London Dungeon to meet Darren Shan,
the author of her favourite books. "In all the old vampire stories,
vampires say, 'We'll drink all your blood', but Darren Shan portrays
them as noble beings," says Emma. "Darren Shan's vampires don't kill
people when they take their blood."
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Name: Andrew
From: Glasgow
Specialist subject: The Simpsons
Score: 21 points
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Andrew has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism. "I
wanted to show that people like me can live a normal life and also that
we're not what people think," explains Andrew. "It's not a life sentence.
The Simpsons is something different," says Andrew.
"It's an animated show, but it's not a kids' show: it's more for adults,
even though kids can find it funny."
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Name: Robin
From: Surrey
Specialist subject: A Series of Unfortunate Events by
Lemony Snicket
Score: 30 points (4 passes)
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"What I like about Lemony Snicket is that throughout
the programme, the author tells you to put down the book and stop reading
it, which sort of has the reverse affect on you," says Robin. "The books
are about the three Baudelaire children who are orphaned when a huge
fire destroys their mansion and kills their parents. After that they
always go around in a little car, owned by a banker in charge of their
affairs. They go to legal guardian after legal guardian and a series
of unfortunate events always happen to them."
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Name: Tom
From: Kent
Specialist subject: The Life and Works of Cezanne
Score: 30 points (5 passes)
Tom now lives in Kent, but between the ages of two and
nine, he lived in France, near the home of Cezanne in Aix-en-Provence.
Tom still speaks, reads and dreams in French. "Cezanne is excellent
at capturing the light and the moment of the paintings. That's why they're
unique and really special," says Tom.
