ladbible homepage
ladbible homepage
  • Home
  • News
    • UK
    • US
    • World
    • Ireland
    • Australia
    • Science
    • Crime
    • Weather
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Film
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • Netflix
    • Disney
  • Sport
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Money
  • Originals
    • FFS PRODUCTIONS
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Citizen Reef
  • Videos
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content Here
  • GAMINGbible
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • UNILAD Tech
Viewers spot moment they knew Who Wants To Be A Millionaire contestant was cheating
Home>Entertainment>TV
Published 16:18 11 Dec 2024 GMT

Viewers spot moment they knew Who Wants To Be A Millionaire contestant was cheating

He became famous for winning, then infamous for how he'd won

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

There is likely no more infamous Who Wants To Be A Millionaire contestant than Charles Ingram, the man who won a million quid and then ended up being mired in scandal as he faced allegations of cheating.

Things hadn't looked good for Ingram in the early stages of the ITV quiz show as he'd stumbled his way through the first few questions and didn't seem like much of a candidate to get close to the million pound prize.

However, Ingram's attempt was brought to a halt by the klaxon, which announced that it was time to end the show, and they'd have to pick things up when filming the next episode.

Advert

Upon his return Ingram played like a man transformed as he made it through question after question, though he took his time reading out all the answers over and over again while coughing noises were heard from the audience.

After he won, his jackpot payout was suspended and an investigation from the producers of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire identified coughing from Ingram's wife Diana, herself a previous contestant on the show, and prospective contestant, Tecwen Whittock.

Charles Ingram gave multiple answers that he said he didn't know about. (ITV)
Charles Ingram gave multiple answers that he said he didn't know about. (ITV)

While the coughing is the famous thing that led to Ingram being caught, with him later being found guilty in court, many viewers who have revisited that moment in Who Wants To Be A Millionaire history reckon it's Ingram's behaviour that really gives the game away.

Coughing might be the signal sent to Ingram to tell him which answer to pick but viewers said 'Ingram's behaviour is so much different than your regular contestant'.

In question after question, he made it clear he didn't know what the answer was but didn't seem nearly nervous enough for a guy who stood to lose so much money if he got things wrong.

On the final question, when he stood to win a million pounds or lose almost everything, Ingram said he didn't know what the correct answer 'googol' was, but claimed he was going off the logic that not knowing it might mean it was the right answer.

Viewers reckoned that 'a non-cheating contestant would never risk his/her money if they have absolutely no clue what the answer is'.

He never got his jackpot payout after producers became suspicious. (ITV)
He never got his jackpot payout after producers became suspicious. (ITV)

This confidence in a correct answer Ingram had previously said was wrong had previously manifested in a question about the album Born To Do It, which he'd had to use his 50/50 lifeline on.

Left with the answers of A1 or Craig David, Ingram said he thought the right answer was A1 but then switched his decision, claiming he was operating on the logic that '80 percent of the time I'm wrong'.

From that point on, he was making big gambles on questions where he didn't know the answer, leaving those watching sure that something was up.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire executive producer Rod Taylor said: "It became obvious that he wasn't under the pressure that he should have been, somehow.

"He should have been very, very careful, and very certain. And he certainly wasn't."

Featured Image Credit: ITV

Topics: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, ITV, TV

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

X

@MrJoeHarker

Recommended reads

X Factor star who had Snog Marry Avoid 'make under' now lives very different life years after extreme look went viralBBCTour de France cyclist pulls out after losing part of thumb in crashInstagram/@chrisharper94Postman caught kicking blind dog ‘like a football’ before it died of injuries days laterFacebookTwo babies raised by strangers after hospital 'swapped them at birth' reveal how they finally discovered truthKKTV

Advert

Choose your content:

14 mins ago
4 hours ago
13 hours ago
17 hours ago
  • BBC
    14 mins ago

    X Factor star who had Snog Marry Avoid 'make under' now lives very different life years after extreme look went viral

    Chloe Khan has been on quite the journey since appearing on the BBC Three show back in 2009

    Entertainment
  • BBC
    4 hours ago

    Woman given ‘make-under’ on Snog Marry Avoid? now looks completely different

    Sophie Bow had actually 'forgotten' that she appeared on the brutal BBC series 14 years ago

    Entertainment
  • Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty Images
    13 hours ago

    Sam Neill’s cause of death confirmed after 'sudden' passing at 78

    The New Zealand actor was surrounded by loved ones when he died

    Entertainment
  • Universal Pictures
    17 hours ago

    Expert on The Odyssey defends Christopher Nolan's controversial decision over 'impossible' script

    Emily Wilson, a classics Professor and expert on The Odyssey, has chimed in on the debate around the film using 'modern language'

    Entertainment
  • Who Wants to Be a Millionaire contestant wins £500k with 'educated guess'
  • Jeremy Clarkson forced to apologise to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire contestant
  • Who Wants to be a Millionaire contestant becomes show’s second ever biggest loser after losing £186,000
  • Father speaks out after daughter faced one of the worst Who Wants to be a Millionaire losses in show's history