Retired IT consultant, 67, is crowned Mastermind champion

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A veteran quizzer won the most recent series of Mastermind today after achieving a perfect score in her specialist subject.

Alice Walker, 67, a retired IT consultant from Derbyshire, scored a total of 33 points – six points ahead of her nearest rival and the highest score of the whole series.

She answered 14 out of 14 questions correctly on her specialist subject of the Peak District National Park and scored a further 19 out of 22 on the general knowledge round despite ‘not preparing’.

Mrs Walker, whose victory marks the 50th anniversary of the show, appeared on The Chase, Eggheads and Fifteen To One before plucking up the courage to compete in Mastermind.

Champion: Alice Walker, 67, pictured, a retired IT consultant from Derbyshire, scored a total of 33 points – six points ahead of her nearest rival and the highest score of the whole series

How well would YOU do with Alice’s questions? Scroll down to see

SPECIALIST SUBJECT: PEAK DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK

Mrs Walker scored 14/14 on these questions. Can you get anywhere close?

A traditional almond and jam pudding is named after which town known as the unofficial capital of the Peak District?
In the mid-18th century which landscape architect was commissioned to redesign the gardens at Chatsworth House?
In the late 1920s, in which former lead mining village near Eyam did the writer Lawrence du Garde Peach form what later became a highly regarded amateur dramatic troop?
What name is given to the jagged gritstone outcrops north of Leek in the Staffordshire Peak District which form an escarpment with nearby Ramshaw Rocks and Hen Cloud?
In 1941, an errant German bomb caused significant damage to St Michael and All Angels Church in which village near Buxton?
What Neolithic stone circle located on moorland near Monyash, is sometimes referred to as the ‘Stonehenge of the North’?
In his work Fors Clavigera, the writer John Ruskin harshly criticised the construction of the Headstone Railway Viaduct in which Peak District valley?
What was the full name of the British designer and manufacturer who established a cutlery factory and design museum in the village of Hathersage?
Which peak, the second highest point in Derbyshire, has been described as one of Britain’s only true deserts because of its expanse of virtually featureless moorland?
What was the name of the fort constructed by the Romans near the modern day village of Brough in the Hope Valley?
Which village between Leek and Buxton claims to be the highest in Britain at more than 1500 feet above sea level?
The ruined castle that stands above the town of Castleton is named after which Norman Knight and Keeper of the Royal Forest?
What was the name of the temporary village of corrugated iron shacks nicknamed Tin Town that was built to house the workers and their families hen the Howden and Derwent dams were constructed in the early 1900s?
The designer and architect Sir Joseph Paxton and John F. Kennedy’s sister Kathleen are among those buried at the St Peter’s churchyard in which village on the Chatsworth estate?

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

The ones written in bold are the only three Mrs Walker answered incorrectly… the other 19 were all right! So, how well will you fare? Scroll down to read the questions then check your answers at the bottom of the article.

The numbers used to complete a standard sudoku grid range from one to what number?
Amman is the capital city of which Middle Eastern country?
Schnecke, which translates literally as naked snail, is the German word for what creature?
The loganberry is thought to have been created by crossing blackberries with what other fruit?
Which tennis player won a record 20th grand slam men’s single title by beating Matteo Berrettini in the final of the 2021 championships?
Ping, Pang and Pong are characters in which opera by Puccini premiered in 1926?
Who became the ruler of Russia in 1762, after her husband Peter III, was forced to abdicate?
What was the first name of Fred Astaire’s elder sister, who was his professional dancing partner in several Broadway stage shows from 1917 to 1931?
In terms of population, which is the largest city on the South Island of New Zealand?
A competition called The Hundred involving teams such as Oval Invincibles, Welsh Fire and Northern Superchargers was launched in 2021 in which sport?
The 2017 book My Life, Our Times is a memoir by which former UK Prime Minister?
Who became the lead singer of the British pop and soul band Simply Red when it was formed in Manchester in the 1980s?
Which small city near Cambridge is known for its cathedral, sometimes called the Ship of the Fens, which has a central structure known as the Octagon?
What word follows rough, smooth, bearded and border in the names of four dog breeds?
A cup-shaped structure called a Bowman’s capsule is a feature of which pair of organs in the human body?
Tencent, Baidu and Alibaba are major technology companies headquartered in which Asian country?
In the Avengers films released between 2011 and 2019, which British actor plays the character Loki, the God of Mischief?
What Japanese word meaning ‘harbour wave’ is used in English for a swiftly travelling, destructive wave often caused by an underwater earthquake?
The abbreviation ESP for the supposed ability to be aware of things without using the basic senses stands for extra sensory what?
Which clockmaker born in Yorkshire in 1693, is credited with the invention of the marine chronometer, a device that allows accurate timekeeping while at sea?
In the late 1930s, which Spanish artist created a sofa modelled on the lips of the actress Mae West in collaboration with his patron Edward James?
The legendary North American creature often called Big Foot, is also known by what other name, a Salishan word meaning ‘wild man of the woods’?

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‘The Chase was an absolute disaster from start to finish, it was just really bad but it didn’t put me off from competing in Mastermind,’ she said.

‘Eggheads wasn’t too bad, we still didn’t win, I was left on my own after all my team-mates got knocked out. I thought about doing Mastermind for a long time.

‘I think originally I thought you had to know a lot about your specialist subject before you applied and I used to think I don’t know enough about anything, but then I realised people just picked a subject that they’re interested in and learn up about it, so that’s what I did.’

The quizzer said getting to the final ‘completely exceeded’ her expectations and exclaimed ‘oh my god’ when she realised she had won.

Quiz veteran: Mrs Walker appeared on The Chase, Eggheads (pictured) and Fifteen To One before plucking up the courage to compete in Mastermind

‘It’s amazing. I wanted to apply before I got any older because as you get older your mind doesn’t work so quickly, but I feel that I am still quite sharp with my mind,’ she said.

‘Somebody I know reached the semi-final last year and I just thought let’s just go for it, bite the bullet and apply, I never for one moment expected to win.’

On the show, her partner Haydn said: ‘Alice is very focused with her quizzing, she spends hours reading all the books on her specialist subject, making notes and testing herself. I have tried testing her from her notes but she just knows it all so it’s a bit pointless really.’

Similarly, her daughter Laura said her mother had ‘waited a long time’ to appear on the show and it was ‘her time’ to win.

Keeping her cool: Mrs Walker answered 14 out of 14 questions correctly on her specialist subject of the Peak District National Park and scored a further 19 on the general knowledge round despite ‘not preparing’

Ms Walker’s other specialist subjects throughout the competition were Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals in the heat and Julia Margaret Cameron in the semi-final, in which she received a perfect score.

The final marked BBC news journalist Clive Myrie’s first series as host of the long-running quiz show.

He replaced veteran journalist John Humphrys who stepped down last year after 18 years in the role.