Hexham teacher claims second place in BBC Mastermind grand final

Thomas Nelson, a teacher at Whitfield CE Primary School, is taking a well-earned rest after placing second in BBC1's Mastermind final, which aired on April 1.

Despite showing his extensive knowledge in his specialised topic of the French revolutionary, the Marquis de Lafayette, Mr Nelson was pipped to the post by two points in the final general knowledge round. 

Speaking about his experience on the show, he said: "Watching the final back was a bit surreal, as it whizzed by in a bit of a blur at the time.

"As you go through the rounds, you lose a bit of the sense of how well you are doing - each round feels very much like the last, so it just becomes the norm - but seeing it back really brings it all home. 

"Since the final aired,  I've been inundated with an incredible number of messages of congratulations from family, friends and former colleagues, which have really emphasised how proud I should feel about what I achieved.

"Filming the grand final was a great experience. It was the third time I'd made the trip over to Belfast and this time I took my dad with me.

"It was great to have him there, as he not only helped with some last-minute revision but also told me when it was time to get out of the hotel room, to get some fresh air and clear my head.

"The previous rounds I'd been on my own so the trip for the final was more relaxed than they had been. 

"I scored really consistently throughout the series (26 in every round), so I wasn't too surprised to get around that number in the final.

So close: final scores of Mastermind (Image: NQ)

"What was most pleasing was being able to name the president of Nigeria in the general knowledge round - that came directly from my dad and my revision sessions in the hotel room the day before! 

"Ultimately, I suspected before the final even started, and certainly knew once Ruth smashed her specialist subject round, that I was going to have to up my game a level if I were to have a chance of taking home the bowl.

"I wasn't able to do that but I'm not going to pore over my questions looking for ones I should have got or beat myself up about missed revision- sometimes your best isn't quite good enough and I was beaten by a very worthy winner.

"Entering Mastermind was a bit of a whim that rather snowballed to taking over my life so, I think a rest is probably in order. It's quite nice to be able to sit down to read a book for fun rather than for revision purposes!"