When Fernanda Partridge sat down in the famous black chair on Mastermind this week, she was following in the footsteps of a small group of contestants brave enough to choose Iron Maiden as their specialist subject. “Having been an Iron Maiden fan since I was 12 years old,” Fernanda told MetalTalk, “I wanted to put my knowledge to the test and what better stage to do that than going on Mastermind.
“I actually got the chance to meet Bruce Dickinson earlier this year at the Armed Forces Day Event in Aldershot and told him about my appearance on the show. Who knows, maybe he’ll also be watching.”
Partridge scored nine points in a round that tested considerably more than just a knowledge of Maiden albums and songs. But how does nine compare with the other Iron Maiden Mastermind performances?
We went digging, and it turns out that Iron Maiden have quite a history with the famous black chair.
We found five documented occasions when Iron Maiden were chosen as a specialist subject. Rachel Hobbs scored 16 points in 2007, Tom Scotney scored 12 in 2011, while singer-songwriter Frank Turner managed seven on Celebrity Mastermind in 2014, and BBC football commentator Guy Mowbray scored ten in another celebrity edition in 2017.
The regular Mastermind contestants faced two minutes of specialist questions, while Frank Turner and Guy Mowbray had only 90 seconds on Celebrity Mastermind. That makes Rachel Hobbs’ 16 an extraordinary raw score, but it also makes Guy Mowbray’s ten look impressive. Mowbray faced 12 questions in 90 seconds, and got ten correct with no passes.
Frank Turner stormed the general knowledge round, scored 13 more points and won Celebrity Mastermind with 20. So the man at the bottom of the Iron Maiden specialist scoreboard is also the only one on our list who walked away as a Celebrity Mastermind winner.
The highest Iron Maiden specialist score we have found belongs to Rachel Hobbs. An Iron Maiden Fan Club member, Hobbs appeared on Mastermind on 8 October 2007, with Maiden wishing her luck before the broadcast in a post on their website.
When Tom Scotney took on Maiden four years later, as part of his preparation, he listened through the Maiden albums and reportedly worked his way through around half a dozen books about the band, which he said were, “without exception, terrible.”
Fernanda’s nine left her well placed going into the general knowledge round. She eventually finished second with 19 points, just one behind winner Donald, who progressed to the semi-final with 20.
Fernanda’s Iron Maiden year is not over yet. “Now I get to look forward to seeing the boys on stage in October when they return to my home country of Brazil,” she said. “It will be my 12th time seeing them live. I can’t wait.
One obvious question remains. How many would you get right?
Fernanda finished her message to MetalTalk with a challenge. “Thank you to everyone who’s watched the show,” she said, “and I hope you enjoyed it. How many answers did you get right?”
So, naturally, we’re going to find out. We have gone back through the Mastermind archives and pulled together questions faced by the people who chose Iron Maiden as their specialist subject.
Now it’s your turn to face the black chair.
Here are 18 Iron Maiden questions that have been on Mastermind before. You can click on a question to reveal the answer. No Google, no checking the record collection and no asking Eddie.
1. Which British Prime Minister was depicted on the sleeves of Sanctuary and Women In Uniform?
Margaret Thatcher
2. Which song was written about Rod Smallwood and appeared as a B-side to Wasted Years?
Sheriff Of Huddersfield
3. On which children’s television programme did Iron Maiden famously appear in 1980?
Tiswas
4. Which drummer left Iron Maiden in 1982 and was replaced by Nicko McBrain?
Clive Burr
5. Which song did Maiden perform live on Top Of The Pops in 1980 after refusing to mime?
Running Free
6. What name was given to the Boeing 757 used by Iron Maiden on their 2008 world tour?
Ed Force One
7. Which Iron Maiden beer takes its name from one of the band’s best-known songs?
Trooper
8. Which instrumental on Killers is named after the founder of the Mongol Empire?
Genghis Khan
9. What was the title of Iron Maiden’s 2015 double studio album?
The Book Of Souls
10. In which Italian city did Bruce Dickinson make his live debut with Iron Maiden in 1981?
Bologna
11. In which South American country was a planned Maiden concert cancelled in 1992 amid accusations of Satanism?
Chile
12. On what date in 1975 did Steve Harris form Iron Maiden?
Christmas Day
13. Who was Iron Maiden’s original lead singer?
Paul Mario Day
14. Which masked drummer briefly played with Iron Maiden in 1977?
Thunderstick
15. What was the name of Iron Maiden’s 2008–09 world tour?
Somewhere Back In Time World Tour
16. Which management company did Iron Maiden join after leaving Sanctuary?
Phantom Music Management
17. What form did the giant Eddie take during performances on The Final Frontier tour?
An alien mutant
18. At which Canadian venue did Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith play their first concert after rejoining Maiden in 1999?
Harbour Station, Saint John, New Brunswick
How Did You Do?
0–6 You need to spend some more time with Eddie.
7–8 You are in Frank Turner territory.
9 You’ve matched Fernanda Partridge.
10–11 You have reached Guy Mowbray territory.
12–15 You are in Tom Scotney territory.
16 You’ve matched the highest Iron Maiden Mastermind score we’ve found – Rachel Hobbs.
17–18 You’ve beaten them all. The black chair awaits.
