(Dr) Philip Jenkins

The 1979 Mastermind champion was a research student at Cambridge, and had one of the most brilliant academic records of any champion. He astutely chose subjects that he thought would appeal to the producer at his audition - he was right, and he won his heat with 'The Development of Christianity AD 30-150', and his semi-final with 'The Vikings in Scotland and Ireland AD 800-1150'.

For the final, he chose 'The History of Wales 400-1100', a very little-documented subject, which Philip claimed was precisely the reason he chose it! It paid off - he scored 16 on this subject and a further 16 on general knowledge to become the youngest champion so far at the age of 27. His subsequent employment history is unique among Masterminders - he signed on the dole before becoming Professor of Criminal Justice at Pennsylvania State University!

In 1982, Philip made the long journey back to England to take part in the 'Champion of Champions' tournament. He won his heat with 18 on 'The History of England AD 500-800' plus 11 on general knowledge. In the final, he took an early lead with 17 on 'European History AD 500-800' but added a mere 6 on general knowledge to finish in a three-way tie behind Sir David Hunt. Philip denied that Mastermind had furthered his career, as the programme is unknown in America, but admitted that it did quite a bit for his self-image.