Child genius -which bright spark decided to put it on on a Tuesday???

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Anyone watching?

Yes, Thomas is a nice boy. The little Indian girl (forgot her name) is lovely too. A few of the others just seem not massively bright but pushed by pretty objectionable parents.

Just watched it. I liked Neha and didn't find her arrogant.

They seem to have found a much more sane batch of parents this year, though Giovanni's dad needs to lighten up.

I thought Neha was delightful, but she should really have waited a couple of years before entering.

She had the most mature attitude on exiting the competition as well!

Yes, Neha, lovely girl. I met a few lime her at my daughters' schools -Habs and NLCS. They shine those very bright little girls - lovely personality and bright as a button. The parents are often reflected in the children too - I liked her mother and the very clever boy's mother. Whereas some of the other fathers are dreadful or just keen in a bumbling elephant kind of comical way and the resultant child is not as nice either in those cases.

Giovanni's father comes across an borderline abusive. His mother looks exhausted.

Neha was definitely not arrogant, she was lovely. Now the prize for arrogance goes to Julian. Every time he was on camera I thought has he not heard the saying "pride comes before a fall".

Giovanni's father is dreadful, and the prize for most likely to rebel against their father goes to Giovanni, who will rebel by 16 and have a much happier life for it

So as Thomas has featured prominently, do we think that another child will be brought to the fore next week...and win? Or is that too predictable?

I've just watched all 4 episodes on catch up as I didn't realise it was on. I think in general the parents and children are a lot more normal this series.

I think Julian is possibly not as arrogant as he comes across - he only learned English fairly recently and he has a bit of the Eastern European confidence etc. DS2 has a friend from Romania and one from Latvia - they are lovely kids but can come across in a similar way.

I actually don't mind Giovanni's dad that much although he is trying to live his own life through his son to make up for what he missed out on. And it is possibly just the editing but I do find the total ignoring of Giovanni's sister a bit off putting.

Thomas does come across as a true brainiac whereas some of the others (the brothers for example) come across as bright but pushed.

The programme does highlight for me the hunger for immigrant families in particular to work hard to make sure that their children get any opportunity available. It's a lesson that some of the rest of us should probably take on board a bit and is the best advert for some good immigration that I've seen.

Roll on the final.

Giovanni's Dad should go back to Uni himself, not try and live his life through his child.

Now I was watching this programme with DS2(9), who is considered very bright, in a bright class at his state school. He was rattling off all the number sequence, missing word and shape answers when, on many occasions, the contestants were getting them wrong.

Of course the children on the show were under pressure, so it would be more difficult for them. But really, they weren't that hard were they?

agreed - the maths was basically mental arithmetic that is covered in state primary schools so a piece of cake for Thomas! Also, the whole thing boils down to memory not genius. Maybe they should be given something to construct or make move - the tasks are very samey.

I thought a lot of the questions were just like the 11 plus questions I remember from school.

Giovanni's Dad should go back to Uni himself, not try and live his life through his child

He's not, he wants to give his child every opportunity and try to ensure he doesn't waste his talents. Surely every parent wants the best for their child...?

Apart from Neha and Hollie, it's a shame there has been little focus on the other girls. Is it an all boy final?

I don't think so dancer. earlier episodes will also focus on children who don't make it to the final as they can't really do that later. apart from the fact that parents will have signed up to different levels of involvement, some of those who get to the later stages are only featured towards the end.

I am shamefully pleased that Julian went out. I really didn't like how arrogant he appeared.

I thought Neha was sweet, I can't believe she's the same age as my DD! But it did make me sad when the interviewer asked her 'do you do anything at all that isn't academic' and she immediately said no.

I suspect Neha may change her mind about medicine when she is older as I think if you really are a genius you'd get bored and frustrated as a doctor as a lot of the work is dealing with common illnesses and doing similar operations or seeing similar conditions over and over again. Research or a pure science may be more intellectually satisfying. Even if she's a neurologist which many people regard as glamorous medicine she'd be seeing lots of anxious people with headaches who just have migraines.

Am I the only one who couldn't work out the number sequences?
In my defence I wasn't really paying attention.

I couldn't get the one where the answer was 564, I had to go back with the answer and even then it took me a while to see the pattern!

DS on the other hand peeked over my shoulder and got a couple of the visual pattern ones before me :o he's definitely no genius, but he sees patterns quite well... I now want to get him a non-verbal reasoning book as he said he liked the puzzles, but will I just look like a pushy parent?

I think Neha wanted to go into medical research rather than being a regular doctor, she said something about curing cancer and Ebola! Very worthy aspirations, I hope she goes far :)

I am sure it wasn't only you pipbin but that's the bit I found easiest - i guess it's just the way your head works :)

I found the visual ones blindingly obvious.
As you say, it's how your brain works.

A lot of the questions are really biased to English history too which isn't exactly that fair - I presume based on the English school curriculum?

Yep, DD is more about the words (not that she'd be anywhere near the standard of these children!) but DS is very visual, has good spacial awareness and stuff like that. In a stereotyped way they very much have 'girl brain' and 'boy brain' respectively. Whereas I am, apparently, somewhat androgynous in my skills :o

Having a non-mathsy child has actually been quite a challenge for me, in terms of finding my patience!

Yes Wanker I seem to recall there being a ridiculous amount of questions around the Battle of Hastings?!

yes and other English Royalty - I can have a bit of a stab at it but it isn't taught here, certainly not in primary and I doubt secondary either. Secondary so far (up to 3rd year) have covered 1st world war, industrial revolution and I'm not sure what else but probably something Scottish. :)