Celebrity Mastermind winner did show for his dad

Gavin Ramjaun's specialist topic was the Mission Impossible franchise

Celebrity Mastermind winner Gavin Ramjaun said the main reason he wanted to appear was to raise awareness about his dad’s illness.

The BBC Sport broadcaster from Kidderminster, Worcestershire nominated Sarcoma UK as his charity ahead of the show, which aired on 8 March.

The 42-year-old said he dealt with the organisation, which funds research and offers information and support to those affected by sarcoma, a lot following his dad’s diagnosis.

“It is definitely quite a poignant one for me, any publicity the charity can gain from me winning is only a plus,” he said.

Mr Ramjaun is best known for interviewing some of the world’s top sports stars for the BBC.

Speaking to BBC Hereford & Worcester he described the quiz show as “hardcore” and admitted he was just keen not to make a fool of himself.

But he said he did a little better than that when he came away with silverware after choosing Mission Impossible as his specialist subject.

“There is nothing like that moment when they dim the lights and the spotlight is on you - you almost get lost in your own thoughts,” Mr Ramjaun said.

'Spotlight is on you'

Sarcoma is a type of cancer that can appear anywhere in the body, with up to 15 people diagnosed with it every day in the UK.

There are two main types of sarcoma:

• Soft tissue sarcoma

• Bone sarcoma (also known as primary bone cancer)

Mr Ramjaun, who went to school in Worcester, explained that despite being an experienced broadcaster and used to being on live TV, there was nothing like the Mastermind experience.

He said he was confident going into the show because of his love and knowledge of his subject, as well as having ensured he did his research ahead of the grilling by host Clive Myrie.

“I have been into the films since school days but to study them and watch them in bulk, there is a lot of detail to remember," he said.

“But it was great fun and I looked back at the questions after, and there was no way I would have known the answers without studying first.”