Masterminor: Aged ten, the youngest ever champion in the black chair

But even though he's only ten, David Verghese is made of sterner stuff.

Viewers of Junior Mastermind watched him put in a masterful performance and become the youngest champion in the contest's history.

To those who know the studious young sci-fi enthusiast, the triumph comes as no surprise.

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The boy with the answers: David Verhese has become the youngest champion in Junior Mastermind history

He was selected from hundreds of applicants across Britain to appear on the BBC1 show and sailed through the heats, where his specialist subject was the Jurassic Park trilogy.

For the final, David, who attends £5,000-a-year Merchant Taylors' Junior School, Crosby, Merseyside, chose the life and work of Star Wars director George Lucas as his specialism.

He beat three other boys in the final - securing 31 points in total, 15 on his specialist subject and 16 in the general knowledge round.

David, whose parents are both doctors, attributed his success to "reading, reading and more reading".

JRR Tolkien, HG Wells and Isaac Asimov are his favourite authors.

"I love the challenge of quizzes," he said.

"I don't get nervous. I put everything else out of my mind and try to focus on the questions.

"I have a passion for books. I've been reading for as long as I can remember. I read for at least two hours every night, often more."

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His mother, Rama, 47, said: "David has an insatiable quest for knowledge.

"He had wanted to appear on Junior Mastermind ever since he first watched it three years ago, but the rules were quite clear that no one younger than ten was allowed to apply."

He was introduced to Star Wars by his father, George, 43.

"I am a big fan of sci-fi and think Star Wars is the absolute gold standard for sci-fi fans around the world," said David at the family home in Wigan.

David, who has a six-year-old brother, is top in all his classes and hopes to go to university in Cambridge.

His dream is to emulate his hero and become a film director one day.

But, David admitted, even he is prone to getting the odd question wrong.

"I'm not perfect, far from it," he said.

"When they asked me what the term is for a horse's foot I just said paw. I just couldn't think."