When Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Contestant Charles Ingram Caught Cheating On The Show (Photo Credit: IMDb)
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Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? is an international television game show franchise of British origin. The show, which first aired in 1998, gained massive popularity worldwide. But did you know one of the contestants was accused of cheating on the live show? Read on for more details.
Reportedly, contestant Major Charles Ingram appeared on the game show hosted by Charles Tarrant in 2001. He even managed to win the £1m jackpot by answering 15 questions correctly. However, what followed later rattled the world when the truth was exposed.
As reported by iNews, when Major Charles Ingram’s time at the chair nothing seemed amiss but producers become suspicious as a result of audience member Tecwen Whittock, who coughed whenever Ingram answered a question correctly. He was even joined in the studio by his wife Diana sitting in the audience along with their accomplice and fellow contestant Whittock.
Charles Ingram and his wife Diana were arrested in 2003 and had to face a trial at Southwark Crown Court. All three maintained innocence. However, after four weeks the trio was found guilty of conspiring to cheat the show. They were even sentenced to a jail term which was then suspended. The Ingrams were ordered to pay £15,000 as a fine while Whittock had to pay a fine of £10,000.
Later in 2013, Charles and his wife Diana appeared on This Morning in April 2013, where they protested their innocence. He said, “I should clarify something and I will only say it once, then I will go on and speak on the victim side. We did not cheat on this show. We had no plans to cheat on this show. I’m not going to get this money perfectly honestly, fairly and squarely.”
Charles Ingram also said, “And while I was sitting there in the centre of the studio, I didn’t notice a cough at all. I was completely oblivious. As for the victims. I have heard many people say, “It is a victimless crime. In fact, there are three victims. We should never have been found guilty on the evidence presented in court. We have been found guilty on a very good story.”
