Paul Sinha

Paul Sinha appeared in the last series, being extremely unlucky to go out in the first round in an highly competitive heat. He has also appeared on University Challenge - The Pofessionals, and recently proved himself as a serious quizzer with a respectable 68th place out of 973 of the world's top quizzers. He combines this with a career not only as a GP, but also as a succesful stand-up comedian! Check him out at http://www.paulsinha.com/





"What are your earliest memories of Mastermind?"

Like a lot of people , it was Housego. The bizarre media hype that a taxi driver could possibly know so much , seems vaguely reminiscent of the Susan Boyle phenomenon.



"What made you apply in the first place?"

Sat in a hotel in Manchester after being heavily defeated in University Challenge the Professionals , I noticed how narrow the social demographic was of all the other contestants , and thought that I would like to take quizzing more seriously , and ruffle up the gene pool a touch.



"How did you choose your specialist subjects?"

I deliberately picked biography of people who never wrote anything , because I thought that would be a finite subject. Magellans early death meant that he seemed ideal.



"What was the audition process like?"

Very pleasant. Although it is extremely disconcerting to have no idea what they are thinking or how you are doing.


"How far did you realistically think you would get?"

It was never about how far I'd get. That all depends on the other contestants. It was about not disintegrating on national TV.



"How did you go about revising?"

Bought some excellent books on amazon for Magellan , and tried to go through Trevor Montague's book for GK.



"What are your recollections of filming?"

It all went so quickly.



"Any encounters or experiences relating to your performance or afterwards you would like to share?"

When I got my ridiculously easy first question wrong , it shattered my confidence. That i recovered and posted a reasonable score is something I am very proud of. Without wishing to sound sycophantic , I must congratulate James Corcoran who won my heat with an extremely impressive combination of knowledge , speed and sangfroid.



"What were the reactions of your friends and family?"

Disappointed that I came fourth. Pleasantly surprised when it was broadcast that I hadnt humiliated myself.



"How did you feel seeing yourself on TV?"

I have been on telly quite a few times. My reaction has always been the same - can the cameras please stop adding so many pounds ???


"Why do you think people are attracted to quizzing? Is there something specifically that attracts certain people - and is it healthy?"

I really cant speak for anyone else. For me it is a desire to be competitive at something , to broaden my knowledge and interests , and i think it is very healthy.

"What did you think of this year's series?"

It was an excellent series , especially the final. My one surprise that it was only until the final that anyone registered a score of 30.



"What's your thoughts on the future of the show?"

I think the show has a difficult future. Compared to University Challenge , it seems unloved by the schedulers. I also think that as the specialist subjects become increasingly esoteric , more people are only engaging with the show in the second half. It is a fantastic institution , and I hope I am wrong.

"Are you going to give it another go?"

In theory I would love to. In practice , I am not sure that I have the willpower to go through the whole obsessive process of learning a specialist subject all over again. General knowledge is something I find more interesting than monomania. I may change my mind.