BBC Studios has scored a new commission for Mastermind, along with a spin-off version of Celebrity Mastermind.
Announced at SBS’s Upfronts, a second series of Mastermind will return for 85 episodes in early 2020. In addition, BBC Studios has been commissioned to produce five one-hour Celebrity Mastermind specials.
With quiz master Jennifer Byrne (pictured) back at the helm, Australia’s smartest contenders will face the iconic Mastermind chair, the spotlight and a new round of questions to test their knowledge.
BBC Studios ANZ director of production Kylie Washington secured the two Mastermind commissions from Josh Martin, commissioning editor, entertainment at SBS. The executive producer for both series will be Lucy De Luca.
Kylie Washington said: “We’re delighted that the first series of Mastermind successfully established an early evening ‘smart slot’ for SBS audiences and can’t wait to be back with more. Celebrity Mastermind gives us a chance to build on the success of the brand and invite some of Australia’s smartest household names to bravely step up to the black chair too.”
Josh Martin said: “SBS is thrilled to see the return of two new series of Mastermind with quizmaster Jennifer Byrne at the helm. This is a timeless format and the diversity of specialist topics is a joy to watch – not to mention that the play-at-home nature of the series has proven to be an important destination for audiences at 6pm on weeknights. We are particularly excited about Celebrity Mastermind. Which celebrities are willing to be put to the test in the famous black chair? And more importantly, what will be their specialist topics? We can’t wait to find out!”
Mastermind is a BBC Studios format, produced for SBS by BBC Studios ANZ and distributed by BBC Studios.
Since the BBC Studios Australian production arm was established under Washington in September 2018, it has produced Mastermind S1 for SBS, Stargazing: Moon and Beyond for the ABC and co-produced Dancing with the Stars for 10.