David Lammy on Mastermind.

[Redheadedstepchild]

Should probably be in politics but hardly anybody ever posts on that board so:

Youtube (Run Time, 2mins. 39 seconds.)

Let's talk about it!

Let's be fair, here's a clip including his specialist subject round.

Muhammed Ali.

Let me be clear, I don't care for the uploader's commentary but these are the only clips I can find with the original material. (Primary source.) This one is about 9 minutes long.

What do you want to talk about?

Thanks. I realise that different people have different areas of knowledge and expertise but he didn't strike me as being too bright.

On the other hand, you could say that he went to pieces under pressure and blurted out daft answers. It was about ten years ago and he might have come on since then but regardless of my politics, which are more or less jaded and just wanting the best team for the job, regardless of party by now, he doesn't inspire confidence in me, somehow.

@Crinkle77 Have you watched the clips?

He is obviously academically bright . He has a law degree from SOAS and a Masters degree from Harvard

@Lampzade I might be wrong about him then. He's deputy Prime Minister now so we'll wait and see, I suppose.

Nah .. he's still as thick as two short planks.

Its very easy to sit at home, shout out the right answers and criticise the contestants for getting it wrong. But under the pressure of the studio, cameras, lights and audience its probably a different story. I'm no fan of David Lammy but I think your post is mean and nasty and has nothing to do with his academic ability.

Why do you want to talk about Lammy on mastermind 10 years ago?

Why not any other politician?

I quite like Johnson going off on a Peppa Pig tangent and more recently Farage throwing a hissy because congress didn’t fawn over him as much as the British media.

In fact, those discussions are probably more important because they are related to actually being an MP and PM. Mastermind is a quiz show on TV and has no relevance on the knowledge of one’s job.

Also one of my favourite flounces was Piers Morgan on GMB when he was called out of his behaviour. That one was well worth it because he’s actually gone quiet!

He came second overall, I believe.

17 years ago!

Loads of MPs have been on. Few have won. Edwina Currie did, Diane Abbott came second.

Versailles! JFC.

well I’m amused.

In fact, fair play to Edwina, she's won twice. Still spouted nonsense about eggs though, eh?

Tim Farron and Jacqui Smith also won. Renowned quizzer Gyles Brandreth came last.

David Lammy thinks men can grow a cervix if they take the right drugs. He is now helping to run our country...

What do you think of John Finnemore’s woeful hash of the Ghost Stories Of M R James attempt on Mastermind?
Is he a) not as clever as his comedy would suggest?
or
b) just taking part in a charity TV quiz where the result doesn’t really mean much and shouldn’t reflect on his day job?

I mean, my choice is b) and that goes for anyone on the Celebrity version of Mastermind. They aren’t doing it to impress or advance their career, it’s a bit of TV fluff.
Why is it important to you that anyone gets 14 points in their first round and specifically why pick out David Lammy?

I'm sure he has better things to do with his time than go on Mastermind again to prove his doubters wrong.

That’s lawyers for you 😉

I do think, however, that the cervix comment showed a very worrying lack of knowledge about 50% of the population.

I'm less worried about his intellect and more worried by the double standard that allows him to remain in cabinet despite his fishing license fiasco. Whilst I've not much time for Rayner, I do think he should also be on the backbenches

Lammy also went to SOAS and Harvard so suggesting he’s a bit thick is…….an interesting take.
I’m not a huge fan of his stance on Gender or his past attitude to women expressing gender critical opinions but to pick out a Black politician for his performance on Celebrity Mastermind is, again, quite an interesting approach.

I won my home country’s version of University Challenge, I have a DPhil, my work on my specialist subject is published by Oxford University Press, and I e taught it and supervised research on it for decades. I still got to a job interview a few years back and completely blanked. I said phenomenally stupid things and have the impression I was an underinformed airhead you wouldn’t hire to scrub a floor far less for a senior academic role. I have sympathy with anyone who underperforms under pressure out of the blue.

I don't disagree with any of that. But just to reiterate, he came 2nd.

I've only shown an interest in David Lammy because he's recently been promoted to Deputy PM. His career is therefore either at its peak or he has quite a good chance of becoming the Prime Minister in the not too distant future. He's in the news at the moment.

I too have sympathy for people who do not perform well under pressure but I would argue that being able to think quickly and withstand great mental stress is a very important part of being a senior politician.

You've got to have nerves of steel. Of course how you conduct yourself on a TV quiz show is not the same as how you would fare at a summit with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin or addressing the nation should there be another pandemic, war or economic collapse but all public appearances share some very basic rules, I would have thought.

I think, on balance, I'd prefer it if political figures didn't involve themselves in these more pop culture type events, it seems hardly ever to go well for them.

It was SEVENTEEN years ago!

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5405258-david-lammy-is-new-deputy-pm?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

Here's a link to another thread about Lammy becoming Deputy PM if anyone's interested.

I think I was using the Mastermind clips as a kind of starting point for discussion as to what people think of his recent promotion really.

What do I think? Yes, obviously, SOAS and Harvard educated but he doesn't come across as very confident or well, tough. To me, anyway.

I wasn't aware of the, "Cervix" comment or the fishing licence controversy.

He didn't come across as very 'tough' 17 years ago.

Have you anything to say on any other contestants who crashed and burned (which he didn't : as I keep telling you, he came 2nd).