Media Release Wednesday, 27 Jan 2021
The wait is over! Mastermind returns
Quizmaster Jennifer Byrne presents the long-awaited Season 2 finals before welcoming new host, Marc Fennell, for Season 3
Season 2 Finals Week promo here
The wait is finally over for Mastermind fans! Australia’s toughest quiz show returns on Monday 15 February at 6pm with Season 2 finals, and a new season with new host, to premiere the following week. Viewers have been eagerly awaiting last year’s finals results after filming for the quiz show was delayed due to COVID-19. After a nail-biting season, the Mastermind Australia 2020 winner will finally be crowned after almost a year’s wait. Jennifer Byrne returns one last time as quizmaster for finals week before handing over the reins to Walkley-winning journalist, Marc Fennell, who will helm the third season from Monday 22 February. Marc, best known for The Feed (SBS) and Download This Show (ABC), is no stranger to Mastermind having jumped into the iconic quizmaster seat for a short but successful stint in 2019. Marc Fennell said: “I think Mastermind is a genuine insight into Australia’s psyche. Every one of us has that one obsession, that one thing we know and love above all things. The best part of being the quizmaster is seeing the wild diversity of obsessions and topics that the contenders bring with them. But make no mistake, it is the toughest quiz show on Australian television. I’ve been both a fill-in host and celebrity contender on Mastermind Australia, I know first-hand how intimidating it can be. While I may be the one holding the questions, I truly marvel at the gumption of the contenders. It’s going to be intense.” SBS Commissioning Editor, Josh Martin, said: “It’s been a long wait, but we’re thrilled to finally be presenting the 2020 Mastermind winner. Jennifer has expertly quizzed contenders since we re-launched Mastermind to Australian audiences in 2019. She leant the show her considerable intellect, warmth and authority and we thank her for the instrumental role she has played in the show’s success. We’re excited that the quizmaster baton will be passed on to SBS’s own Marc Fennell, no stranger himself to the Mastermind hosting role, who will bring his own unique style and energy to this one-of-a-kind quiz show.”
After a season of speciality subjects such as Lady Gaga, the Nimitz UFO Sighting, Sydney architecture, the Stolen Generation, Donald Glover, Aussie slang, the history of European beers, the comedies of Shakespeare and nuts (just to name a few), it is down to 16 contenders competing in the Season 2 finals. Specialist subjects for finals week will include the Kokoda Track Campaign, The Wombat, Monty Python’s Life of Brian, The Kingkiller Chronicle, Casablanca, Ozzy Osborne, Joan of Arc and the Spike Milligan War Memoirs. Who can handle the pressure to be crowned Australia’s 2020 Mastermind? Find out when Mastermind Season 2 semi-finals return weeknights from Monday 15 February at 6pm on SBS culminating in an hour-long grand finale Friday 19 February at 7.30pm. Season 3 begins Monday 22 February at 6pm. Both the seasons will be available to stream on SBS On Demand. Running for nearly 50 years on the BBC in the UK, Mastermind is an addictive global phenomenon, originally inspired by creator Bill Wright’s experiences of being interrogated by the Gestapo during World War II and captured on screen using a spotlight, black chair and rapid-fire questioning. Mastermind is produced for SBS by BBC Studios. Screeners and images available in the coming weeks on SBS Screening Room.
ABOUT MARC FENNELL
Marc Fennell is a Walkley-winning journalist, author, and interviewer.
Best known for hosting The Feed (SBS) and Download This Show (ABC), Marc has gone from being triple j’s ‘That Movie Guy’ to reporting around the globe on everything from the Hong Kong protests to survivors of ISIS torture. He’s chased down a $10 million nut heist across California and unpicked a sex crisis in Japan.
Marc’s in-depth interviews with the likes of Al Gore, Tom Cruise, Julian Assange, Jennifer Lawrence have been viewed over 30 million times. Fennell has written two books and created multiple hit podcast documentaries: It Burns (Audible) and Nut Jobs (Audible), and the recent chart-topping Stuff the British Stole (ABC).
Marc has won international acclaim covering food, film, technology, and history. He’s a recipient of America’s coveted James Beard Award, twice nominated for Europe’s prestigious Rose d’Or. He’s a gold world medallist at the New York Festivals, a Webby Award honouree, and was nominated one of the 40 Under 40 Most influential Asian-Australians (2019).