Mary Barber
BBC News, West Midlands
BBC
An English teacher who was crowned the 2025 BBC Mastermind champion in a nail-biting final says he hopes his win will inspire his pupils.
John Robinson, who works at Bishop Challoner Catholic College in Birmingham, won the final on Monday with a total of 30 points, pipping fellow contestant Claire Reynolds on the last question.
The Mastermind trophy comes six years after he walked away with £500,000 on ITV’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
Mr Robinson said: “I constantly tell the students that I teach, if you put effort into your revision, you’ll get a reward at the end of it. Hopefully, the kids can look at me and be inspired by the hard work that I’ve put in as well.”
Mr Robinson from Sutton Coldfield had impressed host Clive Myrie, as well as viewers, when he scored 12 points in his specialist subject – The Empire State Building. He even wore a shirt featuring the iconic 102-storey New York skyscraper.
“I cannot quite believe that I have won the final of Mastermind,” he said. “I’m not often lost for words, but I think this is one of those occasions where I don’t know what to say… I’m just delighted.”
ITV
The first-time Mastermind contestant also admitted winning the programme’s prestigious glass bowl was something that “money can’t buy”.
His pupils and colleagues followed his Mastermind journey intently, cheering him on to the very end.
School principal Dr James Coughlan said: “We’re incredibly proud of John and all the hard work he’s put into Mastermind this year, and we’ve got that space waiting for the glass bowl in the trophy cabinet.”
Myrie also congratulated him: “What a cracking final it was. A nerve jangler right to the very end.
“Congratulations to all our contenders for making it a memorable series, and to John who did himself proud.”
Jimmy Mulville, managing director of Hat Trick Productions which produces the show, said: “The Mastermind grand final is a national institution hosted by a national treasure. Watching Clive Myrie put our brave contenders through their paces in that iconic black chair is still one of the great sights on British television.”
