Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’s notorious cheating scandal is back in the spotlight after ITV drama Quiz landed on Netflix — and according to Chris Tarrant, there was one moment that gave a big hint about Charles Ingram’s guilt long before the trial.
Quiz stars Matthew Macfadyen as Ingram, the former army major who appeared on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in 2001 and seemingly pulled off the impossible: answering all 15 questions correctly to win £1 million.
Those episodes were never broadcast in full. ITV grew suspicious, an investigation followed, and Ingram — along with his wife Diana — was convicted. Nearly 25 years on, the couple still maintain their innocence.
But Tarrant doesn’t. And with hindsight, he believes one reaction in the studio should have raised alarm bells.
Chris Tarrant says one reaction gave Charles Ingram’s game away
Speaking ahead of Quiz’s original release, Tarrant said he hoped the drama wouldn’t suggest Ingram was innocent.
“I’ve sat through hours with the police and the fraud squad,” he said on This Morning. “Once you lock into it, it’s obvious. He was guilty.”
At the time of filming, Tarrant insists he never noticed the now-infamous coughing — the method prosecutors said was used to signal correct answers.
“There were people cheering, clapping, coughing — I had no idea,” he explained.
But months later, reflecting on the £500,000 question, something clicked.
When contestants are offered the chance to play on for £1 million, Tarrant explains, fear usually takes over; faces tighten, panic sets in. The risk of losing almost half a million pounds is written all over them.
“Everyone reacts the same way,” he said… except Ingram. “The major went, ‘Yes, let’s play.’ No hesitation, because “he knew he was going to get it right”.
For Tarrant, that reaction only makes sense if Ingram already believed he was guaranteed to win.
‘Nothing has changed my mind’
Tarrant has since doubled down on his belief that Ingram cheated.
In a later interview with Radio X, he said his biggest issue with Quiz was how it left room for doubt.
“He was a serving British army major, £30,000 a year, in rented accommodation — he’s going, ‘Oh yes, £500,000… let’s risk it,’ and you think, ‘Why would you do that?'”
After sitting with investigators and reviewing the evidence, Tarrant says his view never wavered.
“Nothing has changed my mind,” he said.
Charles and Diana Ingram announced plans to appeal their convictions back in 2020 with the help of lawyer Rhona Friedman, but there have been no updates since.
Quiz is streaming now on ITVX and Netflix.
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