Shropshire Star

Brainbox barman from Bridgnorth does his pub locals proud in Mastermind final

A bar manager showed off his love of rugby when he appeared in the Grand Final of Mastermind.

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Ben during the semi-finals of Mastermind

Ben Spicer scored a creditable 22 as he came joint fourth out of six in the iconic quiz show on BBC2 last night.

Ben, aged 26, chose the British Lions as his specialist subject, scoring 10.

And his love of rugby was featured in the show as each contestant was profiled prior to their first round.

Ben explained how he and his family were active members of Bridgnorth Rugby Club.

Ben, who works at the Bassa Villa in Bridgnorth, is a former Bridgnorth Endowed pupil and ex-pizza delivery driver.

He had dressed up as a Peaky Blinder for his specialist subject during the heats and wore a guitar shirt for the semi-finals as he answered questions on his specialist subject of Coldplay. Last night he donned a more modest suit – but wore a British Lions tie.

While the final was recorded in November, Ben says he had remained tight-lipped until last night as to how he faired. Nick Bevon, who runs the Bassa Villa in Cartway said everybody at the pub was “incredibly proud” of their barman. He held a special night, allowing locals to come and watch the local brainbox take on the other Mastermind finalists.

Ben joked on the show that the locals were his fan club and had willed him on all the way.