Yahoo Movies Harry Potter 'banned' on Mastermind – and here's why
What would your specialist subject be if you ever went on BBC's Mastermind?
If your answer is "Harry Potter", then you're not the only one. Unfortunately for you, chances are your pick would be completely snubbed by the show.
Why? Because of its popularity.
"Last year, 262 people wanted to take that as one of their three specialist subjects," Mastermind producer Mark Helsby told Radio Times, revealing that Harry Potter is the most popular subject.
A specialist subject cannot be used in consecutive series, which hugely limits the number of contestants who can actually choose the JK Rowling franchise on the quiz show.
Other subjects frowned upon by Mastermind include a number of older classic sitcoms.
"Some of the shorter sitcom series have been exhausted for new questions," Helsby added. "32 people wanted to do Fawlty Towers last year, 19 wanted Blackadder, and 22 wanted Father Ted.
"Some of the very popular literary subjects such as the Chronicles of Narnia or Roald Dahl probably wouldn't be agreed to for the same reason.
"As a minimum, we would want there to be at least two good quality books on a biographical or historical subject. TV, film and literary subjects are a bit more subjective, but we would never allow just one book or one film."
Isabelle Heward won the 2017 series of Mastermind.
Incidentally, her specialist subjects were the life and films of Rita Hayworth, the daughters of George III, and the life and films of Billy Wilder.
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