Quiz (TV series)

Quiz is a British drama television serial by James Graham, based on Graham's play of the same name[2] commissioned by William Village[3] and the book Bad Show: the Quiz, the Cough, the Millionaire Major by Bob Woffinden and James Plaskett.[4] It is directed by Stephen Frears[5][6][7] and consists of three hour-long episodes.[8] The series focuses on Charles Ingram, a former army major in the Royal Engineers, and how he unexpectedly won the £1,000,000 jackpot on the quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2001, followed by a criminal trial in which he and his wife were convicted of cheating their way to success.[9]

Quiz
GenreDrama
Based onQuiz by James Graham
Bad Show: the Quiz, the Cough, the Millionaire Major by Bob Woffinden and James Plaskett
Written byJames Graham
Directed byStephen Frears
Starring
ComposerMurray Gold
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producers
  • Andy Harries
  • William Village
  • Dan Winch
  • Stephen Frears
  • James Graham
ProducerAlice Pearse
CinematographyHubert Tacanowski
EditorPia Di Ciaula
Running time60 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production companyLeft Bank Pictures[1]
Release
Original networkITV
Picture format16:9 1080i
Audio formatSurround sound 5.1
Original release13 April (2020-04-13) –
15 April 2020 (2020-04-15)

The series received positive reviews from critics. Quiz was released during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, resulting in it receiving a large audience (similar to the Netflix documentary Tiger King). While the show was still airing, Charles Ingram's Wikipedia article was one of the most viewed on the site. The first episode of Quiz was seen live by an average audience of 5.3 million.[10]

Summary

In 2001, at the height of the public obsession with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, a British army major named Charles Ingram and his wife, Diana, apparently swindled the British game show. The morning after Ingram bumbled his way to a million pounds, broadcaster ITV and production company Celador realized something had been amiss: a series of coughs by the Ingrams’ alleged accomplice, Tecwen Whittock, may have led Ingram to the answers. It was a massive scandal, resulting in a court case that found all three guilty.[11]

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.K viewers
(millions)
1"Episode 1"Stephen FrearsJames Graham13 April 2020 (2020-04-13)9.53
Major Charles Ingram doesn't like quizzes, but for his wife Diana and brother-in-law Adrian, knowing the answer is a way of life. As Diana and Adrian's repeated attempts to get into the hotseat on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? fall short, all eyes turn to an unsuspecting Charles to win the million-pound prize. Meanwhile, the repeated reappearance of middle-class, professional quizzers has not gone unnoticed by the ITV team and producer Paul Smith makes a vow to stop them by any means necessary.
2"Episode 2"Stephen FrearsJames Graham14 April 2020 (2020-04-14)9.34
Charles returns for a second night in the hot seat with a new strategy. After his previously hopeless performance, he proves massively successful, his dithering answers invariably turning out to be right. However, the production team find his sudden change of fortunes suspicious, and begin looking into an unusual pattern of coughing from the studio audience.
3"Episode 3"Stephen FrearsJames Graham15 April 2020 (2020-04-15)9.59
Hapless Charles, the man who has never heard of Craig David (one of his questions) is a national laughing stock amid accusations that he hit on right answers after affirmation coughs from his co-conspirators. Persecuted and hounded by the public and press, Charles, Diana and Tecwen head to court. But his barrister works hard to try to convince the jury that Charles and his wife are innocent. At first it seems the case for the prosecution is solid, but as the case for the defence gets underway, the jury learn there is far more to the story than they first thought.

Cast

Production

The scenes in the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? studio were filmed in a set constructed at Wimbledon Studios. Scenes were also filmed outside Southwark Crown Court and inside a former court building in Hammersmith.[8]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 94% "Certified Fresh" approval rating based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 7.57/10. The website's consensus reads, "With clever writing, a slick production, and a pitch perfect Michael Sheen, Quiz crafts a captivating snapshot of a wild scandal that will keep viewers on their toes."[12] For American audiences, Quiz was their introduction to the scandal, due to it being overshadowed by the September 11 attacks, which occurred a day after the episode featuring Ingram's million pound "win" was aired on television.

Ingram himself praised the series, calling it "balanced" and his lawyer stating the evidence against them was "ridiculous".[13]

References
  1. "Quiz | Left Bank Pictures". www.leftbankpictures.co.uk.
  2. "Helen McCrory and Michael Sheen lead cast of new ITV drama about Who Wants To Be A Millionaire's coughing scandal". Radio Times. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  3. "ITV commissions three part drama, Quiz, directed by Stephen Frears and produced by Left Bank Pictures". Press Centre. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  4. Quiz, episode 1, end credits.
  5. Rajan, Amol (23 April 2019). "Stephen Frears 'to adapt' Quiz for ITV". BBC News. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  6. "AMC Commissions Three-Part Drama Quiz Starring Matthew Macfadyen, Michael Sheen, Sian Clifford and More". AMC. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  7. Kanter, Jake (14 April 2020). "'Quiz': ITV & AMC's 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' Heist Drama Makes Strong Start In UK". Deadline. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  8. Moir, Sophia (14 April 2020). "Quiz on TV: From Charles Ingram to Chris Tarrant - who's who?". bt.com. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  9. ITV drama Quiz explores Millionaire cough scandal - BBC News
  10. "Quiz and The Nest: Dramas score highly in Easter TV battle". BBC News. 14 April 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  11. "What's the true story of Charles and Diana Ingram's 'Millionare' game show scam?". Los Angeles Times. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  12. "Quiz: Miniseries". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  13. "Charles Ingram: Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? cheat praises Quiz - as lawyer plans appeal". Sky News. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
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