vice.com 25 Years Ago, an Episode of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ Landed 3 People in Jail Tony Alpsen 2–3 minutes
In September 2001, British Army Major Charles Ingram made two appearances on the original UK version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Ingram didn’t do well initially, and used up two of his three lifelines by the end of the first show. However, he was able to turn things around by the next episode and managed to make it all the way to the final round, winning the top prize of £1 million.
Producers were immediately suspicious of Ingram’s victory, though, and reported him to the police. After reviewing the tapes, it was discovered that a series of coughs could be heard at crucial moments throughout the second episode, as Ingram was about to answer certain questions. Ingram’s wife, Diana, was even caught on camera seemingly coughing out the correct answer from the audience in one instance. Take a look for yourself right here:
Ingram never got his hands on the prize money and was accused of cheating with the help of his wife and Tecwen Whittock, who was in one of the nearby Fastest Finger First seats and coughed several times during the show. All three were subsequently arrested and questioned over the allegations prior to being released on bail. Whittock claimed he didn’t know the Ingrams, but phone records revealed that Diana had called him the night before her husband’s win.
In 2003, the trio were found guilty of procuring the execution of a valuable security through deception. The Ingrams received 18-month suspended jail sentences and were fined £15,000. Whittock, on the other hand, was given a 12-month suspended sentence and a £10,000 fine. Ingram was also asked to resign from the Army. They all continue to maintain their innocence.
You can check out the raw footage from Ingram’s appearances below.