A visit to a Fraserburgh video shop in the early noughties sparked a life-long fascination in James Davidson.
The 29-year-old, who now lives in Aberdeen, grew up a fan of scary movies and opted to take out spooky chiller The Others to watch with his dad.
It was his first glimpse of Nicole Kidman, and he soon became so enamoured with the Australian star that he’d seek out her entire filmography.
Early Aussie obscurities, superhero blockbusters and everything in between… He watched the lot.
But film isn’t his only passion.
James, a self-confessed quiz fanatic, regularly puts his general knowledge to the test by watching brain-teasers like Only Connect and University Challenge.
When his flatmate urged him to become a contestant himself, however, he decided to go for the most famous quiz show in British telly history: Mastermind.
His specialist subject? Need you even ask?
Nicole Kidman films were the perfect Mastermind subject
James took his place in the legendary leather chair this summer, which aired on BBC Two on Monday, January 30.
Overcoming his nerves about being first up, James scored an impressive 10 points during an intense grilling on his specialist subject.
Finishing the first round head and shoulders above the other contestants, whose specialist subjects included Roald Dahl novels and Take That, it all hinged on the general knowledge round.
But there was no need to be concerned as he scooped the number one place with 21 points – three points ahead of the next-best player.
He will now go through to the semi-finals.
The DC Thomson advertising worker told us all about the once-in-a-lifetime experience – and his passion for Nicole Kidman films.
“I’ve always been big into horror films – probably watching some before I was really old enough to,” James explains.
“I remember taking The Others out from the video shop to watch with my dad.
“And after that I just wanted to keep watching her films. The first one I actually got to see in the cinema was The Golden Compass.
“Now, I’ve seen every film she’s made.”
The movie enthusiast even travelled to London to see his idol appear on stage in Photograph 51 in 2016.
And James was thrilled when he got to meet Kidman at the stage door afterwards, managing to nab a selfie after getting his programme signed.
James put in The Hours to prepare
In the weeks ahead of the recording, James rewatched the dozen Nicole Kidman films he knew he would be quizzed on.
With a pen and pad in hand, it took him hours to get through each one as he paused to take notes.
Go on, you know you want to! Chalk it off the New Year’s resolution list! @MastermindQuiz Looking forward to meeting you all! pic.twitter.com/WvNYk5J5im
— Clive Myrie (@CliveMyrieBBC) January 21, 2023
But he was well-rehearsed by the time he got to the BBC’s Belfast studios – where Nicole Kidman herself recorded some scenes for last year’s The Northman.
James jokes: “It was like revising for an exam…
“And that’s what it feels like on the show – a filmed exam that everyone you know is going to watch!”
What questions was James asked?
Q. In The Others, what’s the first name of the little boy Nicole Kidman’s character Grace’s daughter claims is repeatedly drawing back the curtains in her bedroom?
A. Victor
Q. In 1989’s Dead Calm, the grieving couple played by Nicole Kidman and Sam Neill set sail on a yacht named what?
A. Saracen
Q. In To Die For, the ambitious Suzanne Stone says directly to the camera that “you’re not anybody in America unless you’re…” what?
A. On television
Q. What name does the witch Gillian Owens give to her lucky charm which she goes back to retrieve from a car in Practical Magic, just before being caught by the abusive Jimmy Angelov?
A. A tiger’s eye
Q. In The Hours, Kidman portrayed Virginia Woolf as she struggled to write which novel?
A. Mrs Dalloway
Q. In Eyes Wide Shut, Kidman’s character Alice Harford fantasises about an affair with a young Naval officer who she met at a hotel on which peninsula?
A. Cape Cod
Contenders in the #BlackChair tonight: James Davidson, Marcus Deal, Katie Eliot & Caz Evans, answering questions on: The Films of Nicole Kidman, Constellations of the Northern Hemisphere, The Children's Books of Roald Dahl & @takethat. Tune in at 7:30pm on BBC2. #Mastermind pic.twitter.com/FX3qr96dxh
— Mastermind (@MastermindQuiz) January 30, 2023
Q. In Moulin Rouge, Satine tells the potential sponsor that her next show will have which two-word title?
A. Spectacular Spectacular
Q. At the start of Cold Mountain, Ada Monroe describes her former home of Charleston as a “world of slaves and corsets” and what?
A. Cotton (this was one of James’s few passes)
Q. In Stepford Wives, Kidman’s TV executive character survives a murder attempt by a contestant from what fictional reality TV show?
A. I Can Do Better
Q. In Rabbit Hole, what book does grieving mother Becca Corbett borrow from the library after it’s been returned by the driver who killed her son?
A. Parallel Universes (James was close, answering Parallel Worlds)
Q. In Lion, after being adopted by Sue Brierley, what’s the first English word spoken by Saroo at the dining table in his new home in Tasmania?
A. Pepper
Q. In the 2021 film Meet The Ricardos, a bet is made that the TV network won’t allow Lucille Ball to say what specific word on her TV show I Love Lucy?
A. Pregnant
You can watch the show here.
Could you challenge Aberdeen Mastermind’s knowledge of Nicole Kidman films?
We also put James to the test with a few Nicole Kidman questions – which he got 100% right. But do you know your Days of Thunder from your Cold Mountain?
Take our quiz and find out!
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