Indian-origin boy wins UK Child Genius show

London : A 12-year-old Indian-origin boy from north London has won the Child Genius show broadcast by UK's Channel 4, the media reported on Sunday.

Rahul, who lives in Barnet, beat his nine-year-old opponent, Ronan, 10-4 in the programme's finale on Saturday night, the BBC reported. Rahul, who has an IQ high enough to be a member of Mensa, the world's largest and oldest high IQ society, fought off competition from 19 children aged eight to 12 in the week-long show.

He clinched the title by answering a question on 19th Century artists William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais. In the final, Rahul's chosen subject was Edward Jenner's medical innovation and methodology in 18th Century England. He and Ronan both scored 15 in their specialist fields.

Rahul said he was "extremely delighted to win" and congratulated Ronan and the other contestants, the BBC reported. He had impressed audiences and quizmaster Richard Osman in the first round on Monday by answering every question he was asked correctly. Rahul's father, Minesh is an IT manager and mother Komal, a pharmacist. They entered him into the competition and called his success a "phenomenal achievement".

He was entered into the show by Minesh, an IT manager, who called the win a "phenomenal achievement". His father had earlier said: "We're a family who are used to winning and doing well in exams and competitions and things."Rahul captured the imagination of audiences during the competition after he gained full marks in a spelling test and correctly memorised the order of a pack of cards.