'I was on Mastermind - this is how much you really get paid for appearing'

A former Mastermind contestant has opened up about what it is really like to appear on the long-running BBC quiz show, including whether you get paid. Writer, speaker, and former English teacher, Pete Wharmby, appeared on the show in 2012, which was then hosted by John Humphrys, with the specialist subject of HMS Titanic. He scored an impressive 14 points and no passes on the topic. In the general knowledge round, he scored 13 points with 3 passes, enough to win his episode but not to make the semi-final.

Reflecting on his experience in an exclusive chat 14 years later, he admitted there is no fee for appearing on the show, but the BBC do cover your expenses. "They covered the train fare, and they put me up in the hotel that's part of the complex, just for the one night. But that was it, there's no payment, there's nothing else, but they do cover your expenses, which I think is fair," he said.

Asked how long contestants have to actually spend recording the show, he recalled: "In terms of just being in the building, there was a bit of green room time.

"They put out some food for us, and we had a bit of a chat. That was 20 minutes or so. Makeup was about 10 minutes because it's not a very big job. I'd say we're probably in the building for 2 to 3 hours, if that," he said, speaking on behalf of OLBG.

Once contestants actually get to set, he revealed they just "power through" as live with little wriggle room for reshoots. "I would imagine they wouldn't have had to do much editing.

"It felt like we were all done within about 50 minutes or so. It was incredibly quick-fire. We just powered through. There was only one bit which we reshot. I swear I was there for less than one hour in the studio."

Surprisingly, unlike many other quiz shows, you don't have to keep your upcoming appearance to yourself. "It was probably three or four months, I would say, from filming to when the episode actually aired and I was allowed to tell people.

"The school I was working at at the time, they had a big thing about it and they were really excited about it. There was also an article in the local paper," he said.

While the show, which is currently presented by newsreader Clive Myrie, has attracted criticism in recent years over the lengthy questions, reducing how many people can answer, Pete said he didn't find that an issue.

"I was very attuned to the length and the complexity of the questions just from revising and watching episodes. I think that one of the hallmarks of Mastermind is that the questions are like that. You can't do that if the questions are short. It's part and parcel of the whole experience that you've got to hold something in your mind while they carry on asking the question and make sure you’ve got the answer. I think that’s fair game and it’s what sets it apart from other shows."