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Jennifer Byrne to host Mastermind

"Australia's toughest quiz show" is coming to 6pm on SBS after a 34 year absence.

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SBS has announced journalist Jennifer Byrne as host of Mastermind, coming to 6pm weeknights from mid April.

The long-running format previously ran on ABC from 1978-1984 with host Huw Evans after debuting in the UK where it has been running for nearly 50 years.

Contestants are quizzed in general knowledge and specialist rounds. The person with the highest combined score is declared the winner. The famed Mastermind chair features in two tense minutes to answer as many questions as possible on their chosen specialist subject. Each Friday the weekly finals will see one person advance to the semi-finals and eventually compete against other winners at the end of the season for the title of Australia’s Mastermind.

SBS Director of TV and Online Content Marshall Heald said: “We’re delighted to bring Australian audiences an entertaining and intelligent point of difference in the 6pm free to air slot with the truly iconic Mastermind – and who better to oversee proceedings than the inimitable Jennifer Byrne, who brings brains, gravitas and warmth to the role – a killer trifecta.”

Jennifer Byrne said: “As an avid devotee of games and quizzes, being a quizmaster for Mastermind – the gold standard of its breed – is a huge thrill. I’m looking forward equally to drilling the contestants with tough questions – and sharing a friendly chat about their weird and wonderful specialist topics.”

Mastermind is a BBC UK format and is produced for SBS by BBC Studios.

Weeknights from 6pm Monday 15 April on SBS.

13 Responses

  3. this is a dream come true for me, a quiz show hosted by the seemingly ageless lovely Jennifer Byrne, just waiting for Sandra Sully to host Sale of the Century to make it complete…

  4. Great choice of host and a simple, addictive concept that works. This will drag us away from the SBS or 7 Food Networks before switching over to ABC News at 7pm. We’ll be giving this a shot for sure.

  7. Or bring back a game show or quiz show with Tony Barber or John Burgess hosting these would rate well, I realize these hosts are well into their 60s or 70s but look at hosts overseas, they are well into the same age group and still hosting shows i’ll use Pat Sajak as an example. I dont know why Australia cant follow suit.

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