Occupation whizz has a successful spin in the famous black chair

Tuesday 02 January 2024

A young islander achieved second place on last night's episode of Mastermind, impressing viewers with his knowledge of the Occupation.

Oliver Wilderspin (20), a former Victoria College pupil who is currently in his third year of an International Relations degree at the London School of Economics, scored 17 points on the New Year's Day installment of the well-known quiz show.

Mr Wilderspin, who also works part-time for the UK Parliament, elected 'The German Occupation of the Channel Islands, 1940-1945' as his specialist subject, following the experiences of his family during the Occupation.

His great-grandfather was deported to Laufen (because he had been born in England), and his great-great grandparents later sheltered an escaped Russian slave.

“They were also neighbours and friends of Louisa Gould, who hid a Russian prisoner of war but was arrested and died in a German concentration camp," Mr Wilderspin explained.

He impressed with correct answers to questions about German officers and historic dates, and was equally successful in a general knowledge round which saw him creep ahead into second place.

However, he lost out on a place in the semi-finals to a fellow competitor who was a whizz on English garden birds.

Pictured: Oliver Wilderspin, currently a student in London, filmed the episode earlier this year.

Mr Wilderspin said: "Filming the episode was a really fun experience, and I highly recommend that people consider applying for a future series."

WATCH...

You can catch Mr Wilderspin on the New Year's Day episode on BBC iPlayer here.