Lancaster woman crowned Mastermind champion

A woman from Lancashire has been named as the winner of Mastermind 2026.

Diane Howe, a housewife and carer from Lancaster, was crowned after Monday's final on BBC Two.

She secured her victory with 28 points, beating her rival Lorna Frankel by one point after a tense grand final tie-break - only the second time it has happened in the programme's 54-year history.

"It's just an amazing feeling. I'm so happy... and relieved," Diane said of her win. Describing the glass bowl trophy, she added: "It's very heavy - I don't want to drop it!"

She scored 12 points on her specialist subject – the US astronaut Jim Lovell of Apollo 13 fame – and even received a video message from British astronaut Tim Peake, who wished her "good luck and ad astra (to the stars".

This series was Diane's second appearance on Mastermind, having exited in the first round in 2019, which she said "really spurred me on to have another go and see what I could do".

Diane has played in a pub quiz league for 35 years and said she had watched Mastermind since she was a child.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she said she had revised 100 possible questions on her specialist subject by "reading and re-reading source material" before making notes on important points.

Diane said she had chosen her specialist subject shortly after Lovell's death last summer.

Lovell was the astronaut responsible for guiding the Apollo 13 and its crew back to safety after an explosion aboard the spacecraft in April 1970.

"I've always loved science fiction and loved Apollo 13, the film," Diane said of her choice. "He is an amazing man to do what he did and stay calm - the way he commanded that situation was amazing."

She added: "It means everything to win it - to have the trophy in my hands, it is amazing."

A thrill-seeker who has previously skydived, she said: "You only live once, so do things while you can."

Diane's husband Dermot said he was "extremely proud" of her.

Mastermind host Clive Myrie said: "Many congratulations to Diane, just pipping Lorna at the very end.

"You could really feel the tension in the air as these two magnificent quizzers went toe-to-toe in what was a heartstopping tie-break.

"I was on the edge of my seat in the studio, never mind the viewers at home!

"It was a wonderful finale to a wonderful series."

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