Humphrys' crib sheet claim anger

John Humphrys says Victoria Derbyshire should have 'known better'

Celebrity Mastermind host John Humphrys has criticised Victoria Derbyshire for claiming she was offered a "crib sheet" when asked to take part in the show.

Humphrys, the show's quizmaster, said Radio 5 Live presenter Derbyshire's comments were "idiotic and flippant".

Derbyshire told her listeners the offer was made when she was asked to take part in a festive special.

She later explained she was only offered "research guidance" and not answers to her specialist subject.

Derbyshire said she was asked to appear to answer questions about the novels of Thomas Hardy.

She also said she decided not to take up the offer as she was not confident of getting the answers right, and later issued a statement to clarify her remarks.

She said: "What I meant on the programme was the Celebrity Mastermind team offered research guidance on my specialist subject area.

"This is what I meant by a 'crib' sheet and not answers to specific questions."

The BBC has denied that contestants are given "crib sheets" following Derbyshire's claim.

The BBC said it merely points some struggling contestants in the right direction for their research.

It has refused to comment on Humphrys's criticism of Derbyshire.

Reading lists

Humphrys said her comments were offensive to junior producers on Celebrity Mastermind and that he would resign if the answers were ever offered to contestants.

"Her comments were idiotic and flippant. She should be ashamed of herself," Humphrys said.

"She's an intelligent woman and she should know better. The programme takes its integrity very seriously indeed and for someone in her position to say such a thing was disgraceful."

He said some celebrities were reticent about taking part in the show for fear of looking foolish.

But those who did participate and needed help could be offered reading lists on their chosen subject but nothing specific to the questions being asked.

The questions are selected by professional question setters and undergo rigorous checking.

The BBC said: "Celebrity Mastermind does not provide contestants with 'crib' sheets and all contestants work hard in the run-up to the recording.

"Through our extensive experience in researching and compiling questions, production have become experts in identifying helpful and accurate resource tools.

"If a contestant is struggling to find adequate information, production can point them towards these in order to prevent them from using unsuitable material.

"We ensure the questions asked on Celebrity Mastermind are interesting for the viewers as well as challenging for the celebrity contestant."

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