Mastermind

Magnus Magnusson welcomes Charlie Smithers for a specialist round with an unusual rule: each answer belongs to the question before last. The quizmaster keeps a straight face as Smithers falls deliberately behind, turning a succession of ordinary general-knowledge questions into barbed jokes and accidental double meanings.

David Renwick adapted the premise from a shorter routine for the radio series The Burkiss Way and later expanded the sketch for the duo’s Palladium stage show.