Gavin Ramjohn's specialist subject was the Mission: Impossible franchise
- author, Kalpana Buddhu
- Role, BBC Hereford Worcester
Celebrity Mastermind winner Gavin Ramjohn said the main reason he wanted to appear was to raise awareness of his father's illness.
The BBC sports presenter from Kidderminster, Worcestershire nominated Sarcoma UK as his charity ahead of the show, which aired on March 8.
The 42-year-old said he engaged with the organisation, which funds research and provides information and support to those affected by sarcoma, long after his father was diagnosed.
“It's definitely very emotional for me, and any publicity the charity can gain from my win is just an added bonus,” he said.
Mr Ramjohn is best known for interviewing some of the world's most prominent sporting stars for the BBC.
But he said he did a little better than that when he took home the titles after choosing “Mission: Impossible” as his specialist subject.
“There's nothing like that moment when they dim the lights and the spotlight shines on you — you almost get lost in your own thoughts,” Ramjohn said.
“Spotlight on you”
Sarcoma is a type of cancer that can appear anywhere in the body, and up to 15 people are diagnosed with it every day in the UK.
There are two main types of sarcoma:
- Soft tissue sarcoma
- Osteosarcoma (also known as primary bone cancer)
Mr Ramjohn, who went to school in Worcester, explained that although he was an experienced broadcaster and used to being on live television, there was nothing quite like the Mastermind experience.
He said he was confident about taking part in the show because of his love and knowledge of his subject, as well as making sure he did his research before being grilled by host Clive Merry.
“I have been involved in films since my school days, but to study and watch them in large quantities, there are a lot of details to remember,” he said.
“But it was so much fun, and I looked at the questions afterwards, and there was no way I would have known the answers without studying first.”