This is one Charles and Diana scandal that you may not have heard of.
The three-part series “Quiz,” premiered Sunday (10 nights at AMC), recounting a real-life fraud incident that nearly destroyed the English version of “Who Wants To Be Millionaire” in 2001 – when Major Charles Ingram (Matthew Macfadyen, “Succession”) and his wife, Diana (Sian Clifford, “Fleabag”), were accused of masterminding a series of coughs in the studio to help Charles win the grand prize of 1 million pounds at the event.
Their partner and “accomplice,” Tecwen Whittock (cougher, played by Michael Jibson), were tried after the show’s producers noticed afterwards that Whittock, sitting right behind Ingram on the “fastest finger” chair, coughed as if gesturing whenever Ingram seemed confused. with an answer.
It was also strange to them that Diana and her brother, Adrian (Trystan Gravelle, “The Terror”), both appeared on ITV’s “hot seat” side by side with host Chris Tarrant (Michael Sheen) before Ingram’s appearance.
The series, directed by Stephen Frears (“A Very English Scandal”), will air new episodes every Sunday until June 14th.
“It was one of the shows you watched night after night and it was a big cultural touchstone when it first started,” Macfadyen told The Post about Britain “Millionaire,” which premiered in 1998 (one year before the main time version of ABC ) guided by Regis Philbin). “That reached 19 million viewers per night at its peak and that was a big problem.
“It was really successful because there was no time limit [for the contestants to answer questions] … there is no clock or countdown. That is far more theatrical and that is the key to drama – pause. “
Ingram is the second person to win the grand prize; his journey to the top is full of the dramatic pauses mentioned above, scratching his ears, twirling his wedding ring and his habit of changing his mind before almost every “final answer,” much to Tarrant’s (and viewer’s) entertainment.
There is a lot of innate ambiguity in “Quiz” regarding Ingram and corporate mistakes or innocence – which spur a book (“Bad Show: The Quiz, the Cough, the Millionaire Major”) and the 2017 theater drama (also called “Quiz”) from which the series adapted.
“It’s really strange playing this man,” said Macfadyen who, together with Clifford, met briefly with Ingram on their last day recording the “Millionaire” scene. “This is not a strict imitation of him but retells the story. Not that I am imitating his every move … it is just my impression of him. It is strange to play a role in playing someone who has gone through this – and has a cloud of doubt hanging over it. Their lives change irrevocably. “
Sian Clifford as Diana.Matt Frost / AMC / ITV
Macfadyen said that he and Clifford asked whether Ingram was guilty or not.
“Every day Sian and I will see each other with make-up, we go,” Right, what do you think? They are guilty. “The next day we said,” No, I think they are sewn and innocent. “We turned upside down, and in the end [of the shoot] we are agnostic. Even now I don’t know what to think and I don’t mind. In the end, I was more interested in them and what they experienced. We do not know what really happened.
“You play these small incremental moments as honestly as possible by the script,” he said. “What is interesting is what it is [viewing] The audience projects to you … how we adjust things according to our narratives and confirmations, our prejudices … how we remember things in a certain way. Their lawyer [played by “Peaky Blinders” star Helen McCrory] talk about memory and how it is not reliable. “
ITV snapped up the Ingram-winning episode “Millionaire” and was never broadcast on television; some were used during the trial and as part of the ITV documentary about the scandal.
“People think they see it, but they don’t,” Macfadyen said. “What they saw was an edited version of ITV that was made for the police [during the trial]. I watched that … to feel for him and how he moved. [The series] good nuance; I really believe that [‘Millionaire’] the producer is very passionate about the show and you feel for [producer] Paul Smith [Mark Bonnar] – he was broken hearted that people had an affair and he took it personally when he thought he was cheated. “
And, Macfadyen said, he felt what the average “Millionaire” contestant experienced in the hot seat.
“I feel like I’ve done it,” he said. “No acting is needed, certainly not on the first day of the Millionaire set.” They built the right replica with lighting, sound effects, and there was an audience there.
