Who Cheats To Be A Millionaire?

Sian Clifford and Matthew Macfadyen star in an absorbing drama about TV’s ‘Coughing Major’ scandal

- Caren Clark

NEW DRAMA

Quiz

Easter Mon-Wed, ITV HD, 9pm

An unassuming British Army major from Wiltshire and his teaching-assistant wife may seem unlikely criminals, but in 2001, Charles and Diana Ingram became infamous when they were accused of cheating their way to the jackpot on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

The ‘Coughing Major’ scandal was one of TV’s biggest controversies, and now, almost 20 years on, ITV’s captivating three-part drama Quiz, starring Matthew Macfadyen and Sian Clifford as the Ingrams, gives an in-depth look at the extraordinary story – and also examines whether they were really guilty.

‘It’s still a mystery and not clear-cut when you start digging into it,’ says Clifford, 38, best known as po-faced Claire in Fleabag. ‘People immediately assume they were guilty, but a lot is ambiguous. It’s just such a juicy, rich and fascinating story.’

Penned by award-winning playwright James Graham and based on his West End stage show, the drama is directed by Stephen Frears and begins in 1997 as producer Paul Smith (Mark Bonnar) and his team pitch an idea for a new quiz show to ITV.

With ramped-up tension, compelling lifelines and the UK’s largest game-show prize to date, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? becomes a ratings phenomenon with Chris Tarrant (Michael Sheen, see below) as host. It swiftly tempts keen quizzers across the land, including Diana and her brother Adrian (Trystan Gravelle), who works out the best way to get on to the show.