The extraordinary and sensational story of how Charles and Diana Ingram attempted an 'audacious heist' on the quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is to be told in a three-part drama, Quiz announced AMC and ITV today.
Directed by globally renowned director, Stephen Frears (A Very English Scandal, Florence Foster Jenkins, Philomena, The Queen) Quiz stars Matthew Macfadyen as Major Charles Ingram, Michael Sheen as TV presenter, Chris Tarrant, Sian Clifford as Diana Ingram, Mark Bonnar as Celador Television Chairman, Paul Smith, Helen McCrory as Sonia Woodley QC, Michael Jibson as Tecwen Whittock and Aisling Bea as ITV Entertainment Commissioner, Claudia Rosencrantz.
Sheen starred in Frost/Nixon and Amadeus on Broadway. Jibson won an Olivier Award for playing King George in the West End production of Hamilton.
Major Ingram, his wife Diana and an accomplice, Tecwen Whittock, who was sitting in the audience, were accused of cheating their way to a million pounds on what was, the most popular game show on earth in 2001. The couple stood trial for conspiring by coughing during the recording to signify the correct answers to the multiple choice questions posed to the Major by host, Chris Tarrant.
The drama is written by playwright, James Graham, (
Brexit: An Uncivil War, Ink, This House, Labour of Love) and will be produced by leading international production company, Left Bank Pictures, whose chief executive officer and co-founder is former Head of ITV Comedy and Drama, Andy Harries (
The Crown, Wallander, Strike Back). ITV's Head of Drama, Polly Hill, has commissioned the series.
Quiz gives an insight into what went on behind the scenes as Celador Television Chairman, Paul Smith and one of the show's creators, David Briggs, originally pitched the idea of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? to ITV's newly installed Director of Programmes, David Liddiment.
First airing September 1998, Millionaire fever voraciously gripped the nation with viewers avidly dialling the hotline to win a place on the show which ITV stripped nightly across its schedule to ramp up the excitement.
Based in a sleepy Wiltshire village, Charles and Diana Ingram were amongst those who became fixated with appearing on the popular quiz show, which in its heyday attracted audiences of 19 million viewers to ITV. Their obsession and fascination with the format led to multiple attempts to appear on the show for both Charles and Diana and led to the infamous 'Coughing Major' appearance on 9 September 2001, which has sensationally gone down in television folklore.
A subsequent documentary Millionaire: A Major Fraud, fronted by Martin Bashir, followed in 2003 attracted 17 million viewers, setting a new record for a factual programme on ITV.
James Graham has successfully adapted
Quiz for ITV from the critically acclaimed, Oliver-nominated play of the same title commissioned by William Village, which premiered in Chichester in 2017 before transferring to the Noel Coward Theatre in London's West End in 2018 and played to packed houses. Olivier award winning James has also written numerous television dramas including
Coalition and
Brexit: The Uncivil War. His theatre includes the hit Westminster play This House, and Ink about Rupert Murdoch, nominated for a Tony on Broadway this year.
Quiz is a Left Bank Pictures co-production for
AMC and ITV and is distributed by Sony Pictures Television, which also owns and distributes Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? worldwide. Produced by Alice Pearse (
Origin, Gregor), and executive produced by Dan Winch (
A Very English Scandal, Broadchurch), William Village, James Graham, Stephen Frears and Left Bank CEO, Andy Harries.
Filming is currently underway in London.
