ITV drama Quiz – what happened next?
Charles Ingram, the so-called ‘coughing major,’ was accused of cheating his way to a million pounds.
ITV drama Quiz explores the infamous Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? cheating scandal.
Charles and Diana Ingram were accused of cheating their way to the million pound prize, using an elaborate coughing trick to get the correct answers.
While they were convicted, doubts remain over their guilt and the couple is said to be considering an appeal.
The third and final part of Quiz will be shown on ITV on Wednesday at 9pm.
Here’s what happened to the main characters after the scandal:
Charles and Diana Ingram (Matthew Macfadyen and Sian Clifford)
As shown in Quiz, the Ingrams’ joy at winning Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was short-lived and suspicions were raised almost immediately.
They were both found guilty of conspiring to cheat the show following a high-profile trial in 2003 and handed suspended jail terms. However, Charles found himself back in court in late 2003 on further fraud offences.
It was alleged the former Army major wrongly claimed for a burglary on his home without telling insurers about previous claims.
Ingram denied insurance fraud and said he had simply forgotten about the historic claims. He was found guilty at Bournemouth Crown Court on two counts of deception.
Despite their legal woes and public humiliation, the Ingrams continued to appear on TV. Charles starred on Channel 4’s The Games in 2004, alongside other celebrity guests such as model Linda Lusardi and Boyzone singer Shane Lynch.
In 2006, they appeared as a couple on a celebrity version of The Weakest Link, alongside the likes of racing pundit John McCririck and his long-suffering wife Jenny.
Memorably, the Ingrams also appeared on Celebrity Wife Swap, with Big Brother’s Jade Goody and her then-partner Jeff Brazier.
Despite their flirtations with celebrity, the Ingrams reportedly declared bankruptcy for a fourth time last year.
The couple now live in Bath and sell custom jewellery. They are planning to appeal against their conviction for cheating on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
Chris Tarrant (Michael Sheen)
Tarrant was already a vastly experienced presenter when he landed the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? gig, which cemented his place as one of the most familiar faces on TV.
Following the cheating scandal, he continued fronting the show until it came to an end in 2014 after more than 15 years.
Away from Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Tarrant, 73, has tried his hand at presenting other TV quiz shows, with varying degrees of success.
None has approached the heights of Millionaire. In 2012 Tarrant hosted Channel 5 documentary series Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways, which saw him exploring some of the world’s most dangerous rail lines.
The series was followed by Intercity 125: The Train That Changed Britain in 2018 and 2019’s World’s Busiest Train Stations.
Tarrant has not been without his own legal problems. He was cautioned by police following a 2007 incident at an Indian restaurant in Nottingham, later telling the BBC he jokingly “lobbed” cutlery at another table.
And in 2018 he was banned from the roads for 12 months for drink-driving and fined £6,000.
Paul Smith (Mark Bonnar)
Smith founded the Celador production company in 1981. It proved hugely lucrative thanks to the runaway success of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
But Celador’s success is not confined to the small screen. It also produced Danny Boyle’s 2008 hit film Slumdog Millionaire, which was based on a contestant in the Indian version of the quiz show.
The movie was a commercial and critical hit, winning eight Oscars, including best picture.
Viewers of Quiz will remember the scene showing US executives agreeing a deal to broadcast the show in America. That deal ended in acrimony.
In 2010 Disney was ordered to pay Celador 269 million dollars (£213 million) in damages following a six-year battle over unpaid royalties.
A jury in California decided Disney had cheated Celador out of its entitlement to a 50% share in the profits from the US version of the show.
Sonia Woodley QC (Helen McCrory)
Described as “headmistress-like” in one contemporary report of the Ingrams’s trial, Ms Woodley represented the couple in their doomed quest to be cleared.
And she had another high-profile failed case in 2014. Ms Woodley defended the disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris when he was jailed for indecent assault.
Tecwen Whittock (Michael Jibson)
Following the 2003 trial, Whittock, a college lecturer from Cardiff, was convicted of assisting the Ingrams and given a 12-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay a fine and costs.
A quiz show fanatic, before Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Whittock had tried his hand at Sale Of The Century, Fifteen To One and The People Versus.
Following the cheating scandal, he reportedly tried to make a living from after-dinner speaking.
Adrian Pollock (Trystan Gravelle)
Pollack was the quiz-obsessed brother of Diana Ingram. He managed to get into the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? hot seat in December 2000 and won £32,000.
In Quiz, Pollack is seen building his own fastest finger first machine.
