Over 25 years after studying English Literature as one of her A levels at Pocklington School, Beth found herself back in revision mode, this time preparing for a turn in the famous black chair.

Having chosen the novels of Jeanette Winterson as her specialist subject, Beth spent months immersing herself in the author’s work in preparation for two minutes of in-depth questioning on the show.

After a series of online screen tests with production staff, general knowledge questions, and phone calls to quiz her on everything from reindeer to Oscar winners, Beth was delighted to learn that she had been selected as a contender on the current series.

With over 3,000 applicants, earning a place on Mastermind was an achievement in itself, although the challenge ahead was more than a little daunting.  

Beth commented, “I knew I would be up against other contendors who would know their subjects inside out, so I spent months and months with my head in my books, learning everything I could about Winterson and her work. I had studied a couple of the novels at university, but that was a long time ago so I had plenty of work to do.”

Beth travelled to Belfast in June to record her heat, enjoying a memorable glimpse behind the scenes of television production.

“I had my own dressing room and got to go into hair and make up before we filmed. I was so focused that I just wanted to keep revising, but it was lovely to chat with the other contestants in my heat and realise that we were all as nervous as each other!” she said.

All the hard work paid off with Beth scoring an impressive 10 out of 12 in her specialist subject round before going on to perform strongly in the general knowledge section, with just a handful of passes. She finished with a total of 19 points, placing second behind the eventual winner who scored 24.

 Beth said, “I was really proud of how I handled the pressure of sitting in the chair with the studio lights on me, and I’m not too disappointed to have finished second. Now I can go back to reading for pleasure, rather than for revision!”

Head of Pocklington School, Becky Lovelock said: "We’re delighted to see Old Pocklingtonian Beth Goodliff taking on the Mastermind chair. It’s wonderful that, more than 25 years after studying English Literature at Pocklington School, her love of literature is still going strong. We’re very proud to see Beth representing the Pocklington community."

Beth’s episode which aired on Monday 21 September 2026 is currently available to view on BBC iPlayer.