Series 1

01 North-West and Northern Ireland Heat Episode 11st February 2026 The first 12 contestants face a quickfire round where they must spot the missing letters from the months of the year and a memory game where pairs must memorise the positions of ice cream tubs, toppings and cones. 02 North-East and Scotland Heat Episode 22nd February 2026 Twelve new contestants face a 'wheely' challenging words game and a sweets memory test. But with only three places up for grabs in the final, it won't be a sweet ending for some... 03 South-West and Wales Heat Episode 38th February 2026 The next 12 contestants including “Sherlock” the pharmacist, a nanny who feels underestimated, and student Rosie face a fresh set of challenges based on the games Mensa use to measure IQ. The tasks include code breaking, lexical perplexity, and a particularly complex cipher involving a landline phone — something the youngest contestant, Rosie, struggles with for reasons beyond the difficulty of the puzzle itself. By the end of the episode, only three contestants will earn a coveted place in the Oxford finals. 04 South-East Heat Episode 415th February 2026 In the final heat, 12 contestants are put through a series of mind-bending challenges, hoping to claim one of the final three spots in the competition. With Alan Carr and Susie Dent hosting, they’ll face a physical anagram grid, a twist on Guess Who? featuring pictures of cats and dogs in regalia, and a challenging clock puzzle. Only three will advance to the finals. 05 The Semi-Final Episode 522nd February 2026 The final 12 players are faced with a high-pressure quickfire round, where they must solve a complex maths game to work their way out of a maze. After some surprising drop-outs, the remaining top eight players face each other in a mind-bending memory game based on the periodic table, for a place in the final four. 06 The Final Episode 61st March 2026 Alan Carr and Susie Dent host the grand final. The four remaining contestants must place famous geniuses correctly on a giant board, before two are chosen to face the final challenge - a nail-biting second round of fluid reasoning and memory games.