Mastermind fans are up in arms, slamming the BBC Two quiz show after a semi-final episode was bogged down by "ridiculously long" questions. Mere minutes into the episode, social media erupted with complaints, with fans claiming the excessive length of the question robbed the contestants of a fair shot at racking up points.One viewer vented: "These #mastermind questions are ridiculously long. I know it gets said over and over, and I guess it's to ensure consistency but it makes the whole quiz feel clunky."

Another exasperated fan suggested: "Extraordinarily long questions on #Mastermind. It would be better if the questions were shorter so that the contestants have a chance of answering more questions and getting more points. Otherwise, call the show the Clive Myrie Talking Show." A third added: “#mastermind Well done, well done. But that last question was waaaay too wordy. The contestant was ready to come in with an answer about halfway through.”

John, Ian, Jane and Robin all took turns to rack up some points and secure their place in the next round. However, teacher John left audiences thrilled with his stellar performance.

“John wins with a little to spare. He is a serious contender for the title! Congrats John, and well played all,” one fan penned, while another gushed: “That is how you nail a specialist subject! Superb from John.”

A contestant recently sparked outrage on the show with a controversial specialist subject that fans insisted “shouldn’t be allowed”.

Fans accuse the programme of setting the bar too low by allowing a subject that merely required “a few hours of binge-watching television.” The BBC show, which is known for its tough questions and intense format, traditionally allows contestants to choose an area of expertise before facing a rapid-fire round of questions, with points awarded for each correct answer

However, despite topics including Twelfth Century Monarch Henry II and The Miss Marple novels of Agatha Christie, one topic was blasted as “hardly mastermind material.”

The topic of TV sitcom Friday Night Dinner left fans irked, after player Gary stormed past his fellow contestants. “I got almost as many right as him - Friday night dinner is a great show but hardly mastermind material,” one fan blasted.

“Can we please up the bar for acceptable specialist subjects?” penned a second. A third added: “That’s not a specialist subject, that’s a passing interest,” and “A show that was on relatively recently and ran for 6 seasons Just binge watching a TV show doesn't feel like studying for #mastermind.”

Another irked viewers claimed that TV shows shouldn’t be allowed as subjects at all: “#Mastermind shouldn’t allow TV programs as specialist subjects! You watched a few episodes of a program? Great. That’s not the as studying world history, science, literature. Moan over haha.”