Rahul Doshi, who became an instant media sensation after his appearance on the kids’ quiz show Child Genius, has won the popular Channel 4 television competition.
The 12-year-old Indian-origin boy won the show Child Genius by beating his nine-year-old opponent – Ronan – 10-4 in the programme's finale last night. He had become an overnight sensation earlier this week after he answered all questions correctly in a preliminary round.
The schoolboy from north London clinched the title by answering a question on 19th Century artists William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais.
"It didn't sink in straight away, but it was really nice," Rahul said after winning the title. In the final, Rahul impressed with knowledge of his chosen subject – Edward Jenner's medical innovation and methodology in 18th Century England.
"I was bursting with pride," said his father Minesh, an IT manager who had entered his son into the competition.
Rahul had been one of the favourites throughout, after scoring very highly in previous rounds, and even bagging a full house in the very first round of the series.
He had captured the imagination of audiences during the competition after he correctly memorised the order of a pack of cards.
Rahul, whose ambition is to become a financial adviser, had revealed his strategy for the final as, "The key is to block out everything else and remain calm. So just focus on your goal. Mine was to answer as many questions as I could correctly and that helped me stay calm and do quite well in the early stages."
A member of the Mensa club and believed to have a higher IQ than Albert Einstein, Rahul was cheered on by father Minesh and pharmacist mother Komal during the show.
His father attracted some social media fury for laughing at a wrong answer given by his son's closest rival, Ronan, in a tense finale.
"#ChildGenius an adult laughing at children getting a question wrong shocking behaviour. Shame on you Rahul's father" read one of the comments on Twitter.
But Minesh Doshi had been very vocal about his competitive side throughout the competition.
He had previously said: "We are here to win. There's no two ways about that."
Twenty contestants aged eight to 12 were whittled down to one winner over the course of a week as part of the Child Genius 2017 series.