Brain of Britain

BBC Radio 4's 'Brain of Britain' is back for 2026. Presented by Russell Davies, the programme is looking for inquizitive minds from all walks of life to test themselves in the classic general knowledge quiz contest.

Please fill in this application form to apply for the series. Shows will be recorded between May and July 2026, with the semis & final on 25th & 26th of July.

To be eligible, you must be 18 years or over, and a permanent legal resident of the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. You must not have been a contestant on the previous four series of 'Brain of Britain' (those broadcast in 2021 to 2024). You cannot be an employee of the BBC or BBC Studios, nor be an immediate family member of them.

For more information on how we process your data please see our Privacy Notice. This page also contains details of the new Spotlight round.

Many thanks, and good luck!

- The Brain of Britain team

* By submitting this application, you understand that TellTale Industries will collect and process your personal data (including any "special category" data you provide, such as health or background information) to assess your suitability for the program. Your data will be stored securely and only shared with the production team and the BBC for casting purposes. For further details, please refer to our Privacy Notice.

< Back Next >

Please fill in all the mandatory fields (marked by *)

* Given Name

* Surname

Do you have a name that you prefer to go by (such as a nickname)

* Email address

* Retype your Email

* Phone number

* Date of Birth

* What gender do you identify as

What are your pronouns?

* City

* What is your present occupation? (Please provide details)

What jobs have you previously had?

* Have you applied for or appeared on any other quiz shows? (TV or radio)

Yes No

* If you have answered “yes”, please list all your television appearances (completed and pending) and provide details (e.g. the name of show, broadcast date, channel and any prizes won) below.

* Have you you applied for or been on Brain of Britain before?

Yes No

* Please give details

* What is your availability like between May and July 2026? Please let us know how flexible you can be with dates. Also please note that semi-finals and finals are scheduled for Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th of July 2026

< Back Next >

Please fill in all the mandatory fields (marked by *)

1. * Why have you applied for Brain of Britain, why do you think you’d make a good contestant?

2. * What are your hobbies and interests?

3. * How would your friends and family describe you?

4. * What are your strongest quizzing subjects?

5. * What academic or professional qualifications do you have (Please list Degrees, A-Levels etc)

The 2026 series will see a new feature where contestants can nominate a subject of their own choice to be quizzed on, for one round. Before answering the next question, please visit https://tinyurl.com/BoB26Spotlight for further details.

Please list 3 subjects that reflect your hobbies, interests or personality, briefly explaining the reason for each choice.

6. * Subject 1

7. * Why you chose this

8. * Subject 2

9. * Why you chose this

10. * Subject 3

11. * Why you chose this

12. * Upload Face Picture
(Up to 20Mb)

Browse

INCLUSIVITY & LEGAL

13. * Do either of you have any medical conditions, including any disabilities and/or allergies, which we should be made aware of?

Yes No

14. * If you have answered “yes”, please specify details below and any special requirements you may have for any audition or studio appearance

15. * Do you have any access requirements by virtue of a disability and/or restricted mobility which we should be made aware of?

Yes No

16. * If you have answered “yes”, please specify details below and any special requirements you may have for any audition or studio appearance

We wish to encourage diversity on our shows and will actively endeavour to accommodate any person with a disability. Please detail any condition you might have that may require our assistance. We require this information in order to ensure that we meet our duty of care to you as an auditionee or a contestant, including the provision of suitable access to audition and studio venues.

17. * Do you have any County Court Judgments against you?

Yes No

18. * If you have answered “yes”, please specify details below.

19. * [Other than driving offences which have not resulted in a ban] have you ever been convicted of a crime or are you the subject of on-going criminal proceedings or investigations?

Yes No

20. * If you have answered “yes”, please specify below full details of any conviction(s) or on-going criminal proceedings/investigations (i.e. the offences, the date of conviction, the court concerned and the sentence imposed and any other relevant information)

In order to verify the above information you agree that where requested by us you agree and accept that we may carry out a background and social media check.

You must notify us immediately if (i) you are convicted of a criminal offence; (ii) criminal charges are brought against you; and/or (iii) you are subject to a criminal investigation after you have submitted this Application Form but before first transmission of the episode of the Programme you appear in (if any).

Disclosure of criminal convictions, current or pending criminal proceedings and/or county court judgments at any stage of the application process will not automatically exclude you from participating but we shall be entitled to exercise our sole discretion in this regard and certain convictions (spent or otherwise), pending criminal proceedings and/or investigations may invalidate your application or otherwise result in the termination of your application and/or your continued participation in the Programme. In all cases our decision shall be final.

If we later discover that you have criminal convictions you have not informed us about previously, you agree that we may terminate your participation in the Programme and/or reclaim or withhold any prize or benefit, and you accept that reference may be made to these convictions publicly.

21. * Is there any other information we should be made aware of concerning your application (including anything in your past that may attract negative press or publicity)?

Yes No

22. * If you have answered “yes”, please specify details below.

You must not withhold information from us of any material fact that may in our reasonable opinion jeopardise or otherwise impact on the Programme or which might result in publicity adverse to our good name or that of the Broadcaster or the Programme itself.

You agree that should you have anything in your past that may attract negative press or publicity you will make us aware of it in order to protect your personal interests, our reputation and that of the Programme and the Broadcaster.

< Back Next >

Please click on the "Submit Application" button to submit your application form.

< Back Submit Application