Introduction

Quiz is a British drama television serial by James Graham, based on Graham’s play of the same name commissioned by William Village and the book Bad Show: the Quiz, the Cough, the Millionaire Major by Bob Woffinden and James Plaskett.

Outline

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 realised 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.

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.

Cast

• Matthew Macfadyen as Charles Ingram
• Michael Sheen as Chris Tarrant
• Sian Clifford as Diana Ingram
• Mark Bonnar as Paul Smith
• Helen McCrory as Sonia Woodley QC
• Michael Jibson as Tecwen Whittock
• Aisling Bea as Claudia Rosencrantz
• Trystan Gravelle as Adrian Pollock
• Elliot Levey as David Briggs
• Risteárd Cooper as David Liddiment
• Jasmyn Banks as Nicola Howson
• Andrew Leung as Kevin Duff
• Martin Trenaman as DS Ferguson
• Nicholas Woodeson as Nicholas Hilliard QC
• Paul Bazely as Lionel from Legal

Trivia

• Responding to the show, Charles Ingram praised the miniseries as ‘terrifyingly accurate’ and ‘excruciatingly enjoyable’.
  • Chris Tarrant, on the other hand, criticised the courtroom scene and how Ingram was portrayed as a victim.
  • In response, Ingram branded Tarrant on Twitter ‘deluded’ and a ‘liar’. Tarrant branded Ingram, ‘a rotter, a cad and a bandit’.
• Charles Ingram was also convicted of an unrelated insurance fraud in 2003.
  • On 28 October 2003, Ingram was found guilty at Bournemouth Crown Court of obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception, and of a second charge of deception, having attempted to claim on an insurance policy after an alleged burglary at his home.
• Not only did ITV broadcast Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1998) on which a fraud was perpetrated, it also aired the documentary Major Fraud (2003), spearheaded by Martin Bashir, and the miniseries dramatizing the fraud committed against the network.
• In 2010, Charles Ingram lost three toes on his left foot during a freak chainsaw accident.
• In Australia, the premiere of the series, which consisted of the first two episodes, followed an episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Hot Seat (2009) in which Antony McManus became the second Hot Seat contestant, and fourth in the Australian history of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire franchise, to win the million dollar prize.

Quiz Series

• Episode 01.
• Episode 02.
• Episode 03.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Stephen Frears … (3 episodes, 2020)
• Producer(s):
  • Stephen Frears … executive producer (3 episodes, 2020)
  • James Graham … executive producer (3 episodes, 2020)
  • Andy Harries … executive producer (3 episodes, 2020)
  • Chris Lahr … production executive (3 episodes, 2020)
  • Paula McBreen … line producer (3 episodes, 2020)
  • Alice Pearse … producer (3 episodes, 2020)
  • Mark Tinker … archive producer (3 episodes, 2020)
  • William Village … executive producer (3 episodes, 2020)
  • Dan Winch … executive producer (3 episodes, 2020)
• Writer(s):
  • James Graham … (inspired by play ‘Quiz’ by) (3 episodes, 2020)
  • James Graham … (written by) (3 episodes, 2020)
  • James Plaskett … (based on book ‘Bad Show: The Quiz, The Cough, The Millionaire Major’ by) (3 episodes, 2020)
  • Bob Woffinden … (based on book ‘Bad Show: The Quiz, The Cough, The Millionaire Major’ by) (3 episodes, 2020)
• Music:
  • Murray Gold … (3 episodes, 2020)
• Cinematography:
  • Hubert Taczanowski … (3 episodes, 2020)
• Editor(s):
  • Pia Di Ciaula … (3 episodes, 2020)
• Production:
  • Left Bank Pictures
  • ITV – Independent Television (for)
  • AMC Networks (in co-production with)
• Distributor:
  • ITV – Independent Television (United Kingdom, 2020)(TV)
  • AMC Networks (United States, 2020)(TV)
  • Nova Cinema (Greece, 2020)(TV)
  • Sony Pictures Television (World-wide, 2020)
• Release Date: 13 April 2020 to 15 April 2020.
• Running Time: 60 minutes.
• Rating: 12.
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.

Video Link(s)