MASTERMIND PUT TO TENDER BY BBC FOR SECOND TIME IN A DECADE

14 minutes ago

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The BBC have announced it is putting Mastermind out to tender for the second time in a decade. It was previously put out to tender in 2018, which was won by by Hat Trick Productions and Hindsight Productions.

The BBC said: “We’re putting the production of our long-running quiz Mastermind out for competition. The full invitation to tender including eligibility criteria will be published [on our website], with enough time for suppliers to do appropriate research and preparation."

Earlier this year, alongside Blankety Blank and Live At The Apollo, the BBC announced it was axing Celebrity Mastermind, though the main series with Clive Myrie will continue.

At the time, the BBC said: "We are incredibly proud of all three of these much-loved shows and would like to thank everyone involved, both in front of and behind the camera, for bringing them to screen and making them such a success over many years...

"Unfortunately, we have to make some really tough choices in light of our funding challenges, and these savings have been identified from the Entertainment genre...

"We will still continue to commission ambitious Entertainment shows and invest in distinctive UK content from a wide range of independent production companies of all sizes, as well as prioritising digital innovation that can serve fans of these shows and beyond - for example, we will shortly be announcing digital plans focused on stand-up and emerging comedy talent, ensuring we continue to support the stand-up community in a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive media landscape...

"These difficult decisions form part of the BBC’s previously announced first phase of its proposals to make £500m of savings over the next three years. BBC Content has a target of delivering a minimum of £100 million of recurring annual savings which will result in a reduction of around 100-150 hours of originated TV programmes across genres by the end of 2027/28."

Previous episodes of Mastermind are available now on BBC iPlayer.