MAM
BBC to introduce ‘Junior Mastermind’ in the UK
MUMBAI: The BBC has announced that it will adapt its game show Mastermind for children in the UK. Junior Mastermind starts at the end of the month on BBC One.
In India, Synergy produces Mastermind India. The show is hosted by Siddhartha Basu. In the UK, Mastermind went on air in 1972 when part-time lecturer Nancy Wilkinson became the first-ever champion.
Now on BBC One, children will face questions from quizmaster John Humphrys to see who will be the first Junior Mastermind champion.The show will work in the same way as the adult version. The children, who are 10 or 11 years old, will answer questions on their specialist subject, followed by two minutes of general knowledge questions.
The contestants surprised John with their choice of subjects and the standard of the questions. He added, “The range of subjects was extraordinary. I thought they would all want to choose Harry Potter but actually only one person did. The subjects range from Queen Victoria to frogs to James Bond villains to Van Gogh, every bit as challenging and varied as the adult choices.
“What it showed was the extraordinarily wide range of interests 11 year olds have and how much they read, far more that I would have thought. When I was asked to do the series I had expected all sorts of problems. When I first saw the questions I thought they were far too hard and it would be embarrassing because the children wouldn’t be able to answer them.
“I thought we should make the questions easier but the production told me I was talking nonsense and they were, as usual, right. Right from the very first set of questions I could see how wrong I was, the kids were brilliant.”
Over 250 schools from all corners of the UK had applied for information on Junior Mastermind and the children who made it through to the heats come from a variety of schools around the country and from a wide range of backgrounds.
Brands
Janhvi Kapoor teams up with Amaha to spotlight alcohol addiction
‘Off the Rocks’ aims to shift stigma to science in mental health discourse
MUMBAI: Janhvi Kapoor has partnered with Amaha to launch Off the Rocks, an awareness-led initiative that seeks to reframe alcohol addiction as a clinical mental health condition rather than a moral failing.
The initiative comes at a time when alcohol consumption is increasingly normalised in social settings, yet awareness around dependency and addiction remains limited. According to estimates, nearly one in five alcohol users in India may face addiction, but many continue without diagnosis or access to professional care, often held back by stigma or lack of understanding.
Kapoor said the idea for the campaign stemmed from a gap she has observed in public conversations. “The conversation around alcohol is either completely absent or deeply judgmental, and neither serves the people who actually need support,” she said. “Alcohol addiction is real, it’s clinical, and it affects people across every walk of life.”
Off the Rocks is designed as a long-term, multi-format effort rather than a one-off campaign. It will feature expert-led discussions, personal stories, and accessible content aimed at building awareness, reducing stigma, and guiding individuals towards professional help.
To ensure clinical depth, Kapoor has teamed up with Amaha, a full-spectrum mental health organisation with a large network of psychiatrists and psychologists. The organisation brings both infrastructure and expertise, particularly in treating moderate to severe mental health conditions, including alcohol use disorder.
“Addiction sits at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and lived experience, and remains one of the most stigmatised conditions we see,” said Amaha founder and CEO Amit Malik. He added that the initiative would help connect public awareness with credible, evidence-based care.
Amaha currently operates across multiple cities with in-person centres and digital services, offering therapy, psychiatry, and self-care tools in several languages. Its platform has reached millions globally, reflecting a growing demand for structured mental health support in India.
With Off the Rocks, Kapoor and Amaha are attempting to shift the narrative from blame to understanding, and from silence to support. If it succeeds, the initiative could help more people recognise when social drinking crosses the line and, more importantly, where to turn next.
