Landmark Reunion for Mastermind Box Models |
June 2003
Invicta Plastics Press
Release
A businessman and a University
of Leicester student who were brought together 30 years ago as the mysterious
figures for the box on the revolutionary new game Mastermind, have been reunited
for the first time since that historic day. Distinguished-looking
Bill Woodward was then the owner of a chain of hairdressing salons and young
Hong Kong born Cecilia Fung was studying for a computer science degree at the
University of Leicester. Little
did they know that the photo session at Leicester studio would produce a result
which was destined to cut across all international barriers and become one of
the world’s most famous and enduring images. Bill
Woodward was catapulted into global recognition as he went on many promotional
tours for the game – in fact even his passport was under the name Mr
Mastermind! He
discloses some of his secrets behind the photo-shoot including the fact that he
was called upon to sit in only after a male model, originally booked, failed to
turn up. Bill,
who despite now being in his late seventies, looks remarkably unchanged from
1972, says that in addition to the photograph that was selected some were also
taken with a cat sitting on his lap. The
idea was scrapped, but not before the moggy had wet itself on his trousers. Cecilia
said that while strolling in Leicester with friends she was approached by people
from an agency who wanted her for the shoot. “I
was the usual impoverished student and jumped at the chance,” she says. |
In
the studio it was discovered that the chosen dress was much too big for her.
“They had to get a lady to lie on the floor behind me, out of shot but
with her hand on my back, clutching the spare material so that the dress fitted
properly”, she adds.
Although
Cecilia’s friends knew of the part in the Mastermind promotion, she has
remained in the background until now. “Wherever
I travelled throughout the world I have seen the Mastermind boxes in various
forms with my face on them. However it
wasn’t until a recent television series looking back to the 1970s and
featuring Mastermind that I was made aware that Invicta would like to contact
me”, she reveals.
Once
contact had been established between Invicta and the two featured people it was
decided to replicate the original photo-shoot.
Both
Bill and Cecilia said they were delighted to meet up again after so many years
and recalled with great enthusiasm the day that the multi-award winning
Mastermind image was born.
Mastermind,
the brain child of Israeli telecommunications engineer Mordechai Meirovitz, was
rejected by a number of companies before Ted Jones-Fenleigh, founder of Invicta
Plastics, saw its huge potential and developed and manufactured it.
Both
Ted Jones-Fenleigh and Mordechai Meirovitz have since died.
However, Invicta Plastics contiues to be owned as a design and
manufacturing company in Leicester by Ted’s three daughters, Lady Leigh
Cranley who is Chairman, Shelley Jone-Fenleigh, Marketing Director and Aven
Jones-Fenleigh who is also on the main company Board.
Since
then Mastermind, named Game of the Year in 1974, has sold in tens of millions in
many versions, and continues to be immensely popular in homes world-wide.
Thus
the faces of Bill and Cecilia – her married name is Masters – have become
part of many households. Mastermind,
hailed as the world’s game of logic has been produced in no less than 33
languages.
Bill
Woodward, now retired from business, is still recognised wherever he goes as Mr
Mastermind. Cecilia Masters has since
been working for Chase Manhattan Bank installing Management Information Systems
globally for the bank’s network.
She
has started her own MIS banking software company, CSI for over ten years now,
CSI has been redeveloping their state of art MIS systems using the latest
technology, the new software being called Qi8.
It
is currently being launched for the first time directly by CSI in London and
Europe. She says: “The new release has
been bought by the principal bank in Ukraine recently, and we had very positive
feed back from a great number of banks. The
systems are currently used by a major Dutch Bank in more than thirty countries. I hope Qi8 will be as successful as Mastermind and be installed in
70 countries.”
For
further information contact Shelley Jones-Fenleigh on 0116 272 0555.
This document has been approved by the head of department or section.