John Hart, who has died aged 75, was the first man to win Mastermind, in 1975; he was also notable, in legal circles, as being a party in the House of Lords case Pepper v Hart, now regarded as a landmark case in English law.
The BBC television quiz show, with Magnus Magnusson as question master, was first broadcast in 1972. But when the first three Mastermind champions turned out to be women it was rumoured that the programme makers were debating whether to change the title of the show to "Mistressmind". There was much idle speculation in the press about whether a man would, or could, ever win the title.
John Hart
This all proved somewhat academic when Hart, a classics master at Malvern College, romped home to take the trophy in 1975. The balance was subsequently redressed, and tipped in favour of men. (Gavin Fuller, a staff member at The Daily Telegraph, would become the youngest winner, at 24, in 1993.)
It was Hart's knowledge of ancient Greek and Roman history that took him to the title. An hour after his victory, however, he was back in the dreaded black chair as part of the first "Supermind Challenge", in which the first four champions took part in what Magnusson described as a "light hearted joust". The contest was won by the 1972 winner Nancy Wilkinson.
The son of a primary school headmaster, John Thornton Hart was born in Oxford on September 30 1936 and educated at Rugby and St John's College, Oxford, where he read Classics.
After graduation he taught at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, moving to Malvern College in 1963. He was appointed head of classics in 1967 and remained at the school until his retirement in 1996. In 1982 he published Herodotus and Greek History, which earned favourable reviews.
In 1992 Hart and nine other teachers at Malvern challenged the Inland Revenue over the amount of tax they were being required to pay under the 1976 Finance Act. From 1983 to 1986 they had taken advantage of a "concessionary fee" scheme, which allowed their children to be educated at rates one-fifth of those paid by other pupils.
The Inland Revenue argued that the total cost of their education (which they estimated at £10,000 per pupil per year) should be treated as a taxable benefit; but the teachers argued that the cost to the school was minimal as, since it was not full to capacity, the children were occupying places that would not otherwise have been filled.
A literal interpretation of the Act seemed to support the Inland Revenue's case, and both the High Court of Justice and Court of Appeal had found in favour of the taxman. But when the case was considered by a panel of five judges in the House of Lords, they took into account the debates on the legislation as it made its way through Parliament, which showed that ministers' intention had been that such benefits should be taxed on the marginal cost to the employer, as the teachers had argued. The Lords found in favour of Hart by a 4-1 majority.
Pepper v Hart, as the case has come to be known, is regarded as a landmark in that it overturned a principle of at least 300 years' standing that judges should not refer to "extra-statutory" sources when interpreting the law.
After his Mastermind win Hart became a sought-after after-dinner speaker in and around Malvern, and used these occasions to raise a considerable amount of money for charity. He was a Freemason for 40 years, and after his retirement dedicated much time to running the Masonic Library and Museum in Worcester.
A keen musician, he played the piano at his local church for many years and ran a school jazz band. He also enjoyed touring the village cricket circuit as a member of the Malvern College Masters XI.
He is survived by his wife, Sally, and by their two sons and two daughters.
John Hart, born September 30 1936, died November 15 2011
The Inland Revenue argued that the total cost of their education (which they estimated at £10,000 per pupil per year) should be treated as a taxable benefit; but the teachers argued that the cost to the school was minimal as, since it was not full to capacity, the children were occupying places that would not otherwise have been filled.
A literal interpretation of the Act seemed to support the Inland Revenue's case, and both the High Court of Justice and Court of Appeal had found in favour of the taxman. But when the case was considered by a panel of five judges in the House of Lords, they took into account the debates on the legislation as it made its way through Parliament, which showed that ministers' intention had been that such benefits should be taxed on the marginal cost to the employer, as the teachers had argued. The Lords found in favour of Hart by a 4-1 majority.
Pepper v Hart, as the case has come to be known, is regarded as a landmark in that it overturned a principle of at least 300 years' standing that judges should not refer to "extra-statutory" sources when interpreting the law.
After his Mastermind win Hart became a sought-after after-dinner speaker in and around Malvern, and used these occasions to raise a considerable amount of money for charity. He was a Freemason for 40 years, and after his retirement dedicated much time to running the Masonic Library and Museum in Worcester.
A keen musician, he played the piano at his local church for many years and ran a school jazz band. He also enjoyed touring the village cricket circuit as a member of the Malvern College Masters XI.
He is survived by his wife, Sally, and by their two sons and two daughters.
John Hart, born September 30 1936, died November 15 2011
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