The BBC quiz show, hosted by Clive Myrie, came to an end with a tense tie-breaker.
A Lancashire woman has shared her secret to success after winning Mastermind 2026.
Diane Howe, a housewife and carer from Lancaster, was crowned champion in the finale of Clive Myrie ’s BBC quizshow, which aired on Monday night.
She had managed to score 28 points and took the lead after a tense final tie-break, which had only happened once before in the show’s history.
Diane, who had previously appeared on Mastermind in 2019 but exited in the first round, scored 12 points on her specialist subject, US astronaut Jim Lovell.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, April 21, the champion spoke to hosts Jon Kay and Sally Nugent and presenter Clive Myrie about her win.
She said: “It means everything to win it, I never thought I’d win it. Watching Mastermind from an early age and seeing all the grand finalists and the winners, and to have this [trophy] in my hands, it’s amazing.”
Diane, who also works as a volunteer and plays in a quiz league weekly, said MasterMind was “a big part” of the hobby she’s had for several years.
Talking about her preparation and her secret to winning, Diane shared: “It’s really about focusing, if you get something wrong, you’ve just got to say, that’s wrong, just pass and carry on. You can’t get bogged down in something you’ve got wrong, it’s really tunnel vision.”
She went on: “Just read a couple of really good sources, and look on the internet for extra material, just really read, re-read, make notes, condense notes, and then try and question spot.”
Diane had chosen Lovell of Apollo 13 fame as her specialist subject, and told Jon and Sally about her inspiration: “I thought he was an amazing man, I’ve always loved science fiction, and I loved Apollo 13 the film, and I thought he was an amazing man to do what he did, to stay calm, when you’re 250,000 miles away and there’s an explosion on his craft, what can you do? And the way he dealt with it and commanded the situation was amazing.”
“The thing about Diane is, she’s just so cool. Butter would not melt in her mouth. She just ambled onto the set, sat in the chair, didn’t betray a single set of nerves, it was incredible, and that is the key about Mastermind.”
Following her win, Diane told the BBC: “It’s just an amazing feeling. I’m so happy…and relieved.” Of the glass bowl trophy, she added: “It’s very heavy…I don’t want to drop it.”
“You only live once, so do things while you can,” Diane, who has previously skydived, added, while her husband said he was “extremely proud”.
Clive also said: “Many congratulations to Diane just pipping Lorna at the very end.
“You could really feel the tension in the air as these two magnificent quizzers went toe-to-toe in what was a heartstopping tie-break.
“I was on the edge of my seat in the studio, never mind the viewers at home! It was a wonderful finale to a wonderful series.”
Mastermind is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. BBC Breakfast airs from 6am on BBC One and iPlayer.
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