On 9 September 2001, quiz fanatic Charles Ingram – a former army major – finally made it to the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? studio.
What happened next became one of the most talked about British TV scandals of all time.
After his episode was filmed, Ingram was accused of cheating his way to the £1m jackpot with a supposed scheme involving a series of coughs from his wife Diana and an accomplice., who were in the audience.
The supposed scheme saw Ingram read out the four possible answers with Diana or Tecwen Whittock – a college lecturer from Cardiff who Diana had allegedly met on the game show circuit – coughing on the correct one to signal how he should respond to the question.
After suspicions arose during filming, producers went to the police with the matter and the case went to trial in March 2003, where Charles and Diana were found guilty of “procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception”.
The couple have always denied cheating their way to the Millionaire jackpot, but the story has always been one of national intrigue, and was even turned into hit ITV drama Quiz in 2020.
To mark 20 years since Ingram’s infamous appearance on the show, you can test how you would have fared against the 15 questions host Chris Tarrant presented him before handing over a cheque for £1m...
1. Worth £100: On which of these would you air laundry?
A) Clothes dog
B) Clothes horse
C) Clothes rabbit
D) Clothes pig
2. £200: What name is given to a person who is against increasing the powers of the European Union?
A) Eurosceptic
B) Eurostar
C) Eurotrash
D) Eurovision
3. £300: What is butterscotch?
A) Shortbread
B) Pavement game
C) Garden flower
D) Brittle toffee
4. £500: Which of these is the nickname for a famous Scottish army regiment?
A) Black Cat
B) Black Widow
C) Black Sea
D) Black Watch
5. £1,000: The Normans, who invaded and conquered England in 1066, spoke which language?
A) German
B) Norwegian
C) French
D) Danish
6. £2,000: In Coronation Street, who is Audrey’s daughter?
A) Janice
B) Gail
C) Linda
D) Sally
Ingram was unsure of this answer and used his Ask the Audience lifeline, with the majority of the audience choosing the correct answer.
7. £4,000: The River Foyle is found in which part of the United Kingdom?
A) England
B) Scotland
C) Northern Ireland
D) Wales
Ingram used his Phone A Friend, calling a man called Gerald, who gave him the correct answer. The klaxon also rung out after this question, with Ingram returning to the studio the following night to answer the next set of questions, which is when the coughing allegedly began...
8. £8,000: Who was the second husband of Jacqueline Kennedy?
A) Adnan Khashoggi
B) Ronald Reagan
C) Aristotle Onassis
D) Rupert Murdoch
9. £16,000: Emmenthal is a cheese from which country?
A) France
B) Italy
C) Netherlands
D) Switzerland
10. £32,000: Who had a hit UK album with Born To Do It, released in 2000?
A) Coldplay
B) Toploader
C) A1
D) Craig David
Ingram used the 50/50 lifeline here, with the choices being narrowed down to A1 and Craig David.
11. £64,000: Gentlemen v Players was an annual match between amateurs and professionals of which sport?
A) Lawn tennis
B) Rugby Union
C) Polo
D) Cricket
12. £125,000: The Ambassadors, in the National Gallery, is a painting by which artist?
A) Van Eyck
B) Holbein
C) Michelangelo
D) Rembrandt
13. £250,000: What type of garment is an Anthony Eden?
A) Overcoat
B) Hat
C) Shoe
D) Tie
14. £500,000: Baron Haussmann is best known for his planning of which city?
A) Rome
B) Paris
C) Berlin
D) Athens
15. £1,000,000: A number one followed by one hundred zeros is known by what name?
A) Googol
B) Megatron
C) Gigabit
D) Nanomole
ANSWERS
1=B, 2=A, 3=D, 4=D, 5=C, 6=B, 7=C, 8=C, 9=D, 10=D, 11=D, 12=B, 13=B, 14=B, 15=A