‘Angry’ BBC viewers switch off over ‘ignorant’ Celebrity Mastermind contestants

Viewers raged over tonight’s celebrity edition of Mastermind (Image: BBC)

BBC viewers were left unimpressed during tonight’s episode of Celebrity Mastermind (December 31), with many branding the contestants “ignorant” and admitting they’d switched off halfway through. The festive special saw comedian Josh Jones, drag superstar Tia Kofi, actress Lauren Patel, and TV auctioneer Izzie Balmer take on the iconic black chair.

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Viewers at home expressed frustration over the lack of “real celebrities” and the general lack of knowledge on display. Taking to social media as the episode aired, frustrated fans complained that the celebrity line-up wasn’t living up to the standards of the long-running quiz show, which is usually praised for its tough questions and high-level knowledge.

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One viewer wrote: “Watching the parade of fluffs, limp wrists and degenerates on Celebrity Mastermind fills me with righteous anger at the sheer total dearth of any knowledge, general or otherwise, among the insects we worship as ‘celebrities’.”

Another added: “Celebrity #mastermind is a complete waste of licence money. Most come across as completely ignorant, even in their specialist subject, despite the incredibly dumbed-down questions, such as ‘What letter looks like a zero?’ Embarrassing.”

A third complained: “Question on Celebrity Mastermind, ‘Allum Bay is a tourist resort on which island off the South of England?’ Answer: ‘Cornwall’. Yep. That’s what she said.”

While a fourth weighed in sarcastically: “Celebrity Mastermind …You’d need to be a mastermind to work out how they are Celebrities.”

The winner of tonight’s Mastermind was Tia Kofi. (Image: BBC)

A fifth agreed: “Maybe it’s just my age, but ‘Celebrity Mastermind’ that has just started, I have no idea who any of them are! I hate celebrity versions of programmes. Why do they do it #mastermind.”

Specialist subjects from the celebrities appearing covered a range of topics, including La La Land, Lady Jane Grey and Guinea Pigs. However, it was Drag artist Kofi who won the show, answering questions on her specialist subject of Doctor Who.

She tweeted: “Ending 2025 with another win! As Celebrity Mastermind champion, I’m grateful to have donated the money to the incredible @NotAPhaseOrg, a wonderful trans-led charity who campaign and uplift the lives on trans people