‘Quiz’ on AMC: The True Story Behind the ‘Millionaire’ Coughing Major Scandal

Quiz premieres on AMC tonight, introducing American audiences to one of the wildest game show scams in history. In September 2001, a man named Charles Ingram won the British version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? However he was almost immediately stripped of his win when it was discovered that he cheated. He and his wife Diana had managed to hack the game to their advantage. It was a tremendous scandal in the UK and follows the couple to this day. However, Quiz on AMC dares to ask…did Charles Ingram really cheat on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? 

AMC’s Quiz is a three-part miniseries based on a play of the same name. Matthew Macfadyen stars as Charles Ingram, a nebbish oddball who reluctantly goes on a gameshow to appease his trivia-mad wife Diana (Sian Clifford). Michael Sheen co-stars as the host of England’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Chris Tarrant.

So what’s the real story behind Quiz? Did Charles Ingram really scam Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Or is it possible he won fair and square? Here’s the truth story behind AMC’s Quiz and the Who Wants to be a Millionaire coughing scandal.

IS QUIZ ON AMC BASED ON A TRUE STORY?

Hoo boy, is it based on a true story. Quiz shows us how Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? not only became a hit British television series in the late ’90s, but how one family managed to hack the game. As Quiz shows us, Diana Ingram, her brother Adrian, and a nation of trivia nerds became obsessed with the game show when it premiered in England*. Adrian and Diana soon became part of an underground community that traded tips on how to get onto the show and make it to the hot seat.

Even though both Adrian and Diana managed to get on the show, neither nabbed the top prize. They convinced Diana’s husband Charles Ingram to apply to be on the show. The quirky military officer seemed to bumble through his time in the hotseat, but ultimately won the million dollar prize. However, upon review, it seemed that when Charles was stymied he would read out each answer until he heard a loud cough coming from the audience. The cough would overlap with the right answer.

The affair sparked a national media frenzy, a prolonged trial, and made Charles Ingram something of a reality TV regular.

*It’s maybe perhaps noting that British game shows traditionally have tended not to put an emphasis on flashy cash prizes. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? wasn’t just a hit in the UK thanks to its addictive format, but because it represented a real chance at class mobility in a nation not exactly known for it.

HOW DID CHARLES INGRAM REALLY SCAM WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?

As the show Quiz illustrates, coughing aside, Charles Ingram and his wife managed to hack the game’s rules in other ways. Diana’s brother Adrian had been part of a group of folks who conspired together to help each other get on the show in the first place. Adrian and Diana also made a machine based on the one in the studio to help train themselves and Charles on how to beat the “fastest finger” quiz challenge. However, that’s nothing compared to what else they seem to have done.

Through the community of, uh, quiz hackers, Charles and Diana allegedly came in contact with another contestant on their episodes, Tecwen Whittock. It was Tecwen who was coughing to help signal the right answers for Charles, although Diana coughed from the audience at least once. All three were soon brought to trial on freud charges and found guilty.

Interestingly, there has been some question about whether or not Charles was actually innocent. Episode 3 of Quiz delves into this more.

QUIZ: WHERE ARE THE REAL CHARLES AND DIANA INGRAM NOW?

Well, by all accounts they are still together. In 2003, Charles Ingram was also charged with insurance fraud and in 2010 he reportedly lost three toes in a lawnmower accident. But it’s not all scandal and sorrow for the couple.

After the initial scandal, Charles Ingram wrote two novels and leveraged his infamy into a career as a British reality TV regular. He did an episode of Wife Swap with British tabloid favorite Jade Goody and appeared on The Games and The Weakest Link

The couple has tried to appeal their guilty ruling in the past and maintain their innocence. The BBC even suggests they might try to appeal again soon.

Quiz airs on Sunday nights on AMC but the whole series will be available to stream on AMC Premiere at 10 PM ET tonight.

Where to stream Quiz