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Mastermind keeps mum
8:24am Monday 8th September 2008
A mastermind from Didcot has sat on the legendary black chair - but cannot reveal how he got on.
James Corcoran, of Meadow Way, will battle it out against three other contestants for a place in the semi-final of the BBC2 show on Friday, September 19.
The show - featuring the famous black chair - is designed to test contenders in detail on their chosen specialist subject and general knowledge.
Viewers will see the 28-year-old, who is married to Kate, 27, and has a two-year-old daughter Ava, quizzed by host John Humphrys on his chosen topic, The Mod Movement in Britain.
But the self-employed mortgage consultant, who filmed the show in Manchester in March, can't reveal how he has done before the programme is aired.
He said: "It was a New Year's resolution really. I have always shouted at the television for different quiz shows.
"One of my friends was going on The Weakest Link so I thought I'd give it a go, but the application form was so long, I couldn't really be bothered, but the Mastermind one was really simple."
The former St Birinus school pupil and graduate of De Montfort University, added: "I'm a bit of a geek with the things that I know about.
"But it's not been my grand design to go on Mastermind or anything and I don't normally go to all the pub quizzes every week like some people.
"I've always had the books lying around and I've always been interested in the subject.
"It wasn't like I had to go poring over something I wasn't interested in. It was a pleasure to spend all my time reading about it.
"I wasn't that nervous, I just got on with it. I only really realised after that thousands of people will be watching it. I'm naturally quite a calm person. Some people really go to pot when they're in the chair.
"My main thing about being in the chair was not slouching and getting my posture right. All I could see when I was in it was John Humphrys' shining silver hair in front of me."
He said: "It was a privilege to talk about something I love on prime time television. I think I might do it again in a year or so."
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James Corcoran
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