On the first day of his trial for conspiracy to cheat the programme 'Who Wants To Be a Millionaire' out of its 1m jackpot prize, a jury at Southwark Crown Court watched an unedited video recording of him making his way to the top. It was never shown on TV.

Charles Ingram is accused with his wife Diana and college lecturer Tecwen Whittock of tricking game show host Chris Tarrant into signing the 1m cheque. All three deny the charge.

Here are details of the video presented to the court:-

Ingram was first shown winning the "fastest finger" round by putting in correct order the words from the Agatha Christie novel "Death", "On", "The", "Nile", in 3.97 seconds.

After reaching the hot seat to face host Chris Tarrant, Ingram told Tarrant: "To be honest, I will be happy to walk away with anything.

"If I can go away to work and hold my head up high, I will be happy.

"I will probably crash and burn, so we will see. The only thing I have done is read quite a lot of children's books."

He said his children had asked for a pony if he won.

"All of them are willing to share one and they have been saying they are happy to give up their next three birthdays and Christmases."

Tarrant referred to Ingram's wife in the studio audience and her previous 32,000 win on the show.

Ingram joked: "We have both got big families so there are plenty of people to come."

He easily passed through the first questions, guessing that the word "horse" followed the word "clothes" and that butterscotch was a type of toffee.

Coronation Street

But on question six, for 2,000, he had to use the "ask the audience" lifeline when faced with the question: "In Coronation Street, who is Audrey's daughter?"

The audience gave an 89% vote for Gail. He selected the answer and progressed to the next question.

Next he struggled on the question: "The River Foyle is found in which part of the UK?"

He phoned a friend, Gerald in south Wales, who gave him the correct answer of Northern Ireland.

The recording for the day then came to an end, with Ingram looking to the ceiling and saying: "God, no."

The next night he returned, he told Tarrant he would be more assertive: "I have a strategy. I was a bit defensive on the last show and I started to talk myself out of answers that I should know.

"This time I'm going on a counter-attack. I'm going to be a bit more positive. I'm going to show a bit more self-commitment."

He struggled on the first question that night, question eight for 8,000.

Asked who was the second husband of Jacqueline Kennedy, he pondered the four possibilities: Adnan Khashoggi, Ronald Reagan, Aristotle Onassis, or Rupert Murdoch.

Aristotle Onassis

On two occasions, when he said the name Aristotle Onassis out loud, a cough was heard on the tape played in court, coming from one of the contestants waiting for their turn at the "fastest finger" round.

Ingram selected Aristotle Onassis, which was the correct answer, taking him up to 8,000.

No coughing could be heard when Ingram faced question 9: "Emmental is a cheese from which country? - France, Italy, Netherlands or Switzerland."

Ingram said: "Counterattack! I would like to say Switzerland but I am not sure.

"When you're up here, your doubts multiply tenfold."

He said he remembered seeing it on packaging before.

Tarrant told him it was the right answer, adding: "I do not know what your strategy or counter-strategy is but you have just got 16,000. You're doing well."

On the 32,000 question of "Who made the album Born To Do It in 2000?", he selected his "50-50" lifeline, leaving him the options of Craig David or A1.

Gasps

He said he thought it was A1, drawing gasps from the audience.

Mr Hilliard, prosecuting, suggested it was this which made Ingram change his mind and choose Craig David - the correct answer.

Again there was no coughing.

Question 11 was: "Gentlemen versus players was an annual match between amateurs and professionals of which sport - lawn tennis, rugby union, polo or cricket."

Major Ingram: "I think it is cricket."

Two coughs.

"I think I have seen it printed on an old cigarette carton or on my grandfather's study wall. Maybe it was polo... It is less likely to be rugby union. I think I would take cricket."

Told he has won 64,000, he jumped up and shouts "yes" before returning to his seat, saying "no more risks".

For 125,000, Ingram was asked: "The Ambassadors in the National Gallery is a painting by which artist? - Van Eyck, Holbein, Michaelangelo, Rembrandt."

Major Ingram: "I think I'm going to go for Holbein."

Cough. Tarrant: "Final answer?"

Ingram: "Yes."

Again he jumped to his feet being told he had won.

Ingram said by this stage he was able to consider buying his own house with the money he stood to win, but the next question promised 250,000.

Audience cheers

Tarrant asked: "What kind of garment is an Anthony Eden? - An overcoat, hat, shoe, tie."

Ingram: "I think it is a hat."

Cough.

Ingram: "Again I'm not sure. I think it is..."

Coughing.

Ingram: "I am sure it is a hat. Am I sure?"

Cough.

Ingram: "Yes, hat, it's a hat."

And, to cheers, Tarrant told him it was the right answer.

For the 500,000 question, he was asked: "Baron Haussmann is best known for his planning of which city?

Rome, Paris, Berlin, Athens."

Ingram: "I think it is Berlin. I think Haussmann is a more German name than Italian or Parisian or Athens.

"I am really not sure. I'm never sure. If I was at home, I would be saying Berlin if I was watching this on TV."

A cough was then heard, which the prosecution claim sounded like someone saying the word "no".

Ingram: "I do not think it's Paris."

Cough.

City planning

Ingram: "I do not think it's Athens, I am sure it is not Rome. I would have thought it's Berlin but there's a chance it is Paris but I am not sure.

"Think, think, think! I know I have read this, I think it is Berlin, it could be Paris.

"I think it is Paris."

Cough.

Ingram: "Yes, I am going to play."

Tarrant: "Hang on, where are we?"

Ingram: "I am just talking to myself. It is either Berlin or Paris. I think it is Paris."

Cough.

Ingram: "I am going to play Paris."

Tarrant: "You were convinced it was Berlin."

Ingram: "I know. I think it's Paris."

Tarrant: "He thought it was Berlin, Berlin, Berlin.

'Amazing man'

"You changed your answer to Paris.

"That brought you 500,000. What a man! What a man. Quite an amazing man."

The final question was: "A number one followed by 100 zeros is known by what name?"

A googol, a megatron, a gigabit or a nanomol.

Ingram: "I am not sure."

Tarrant: "Charles, you've not been sure since question number two."

Ingram: "The doubt is multiplied. I think it is nanomol but it could be a gigabit, but I am not sure. I do not think I can do this one. I do not think it is a megatron. I do not think I have heard of a googol."

Cough

Ingram: "Googol, googol, googol. By a process of elimination I have to think it's a googol but I do not know what a googol is.

"I do not think it's a gigabit, nanomol, and I do not think it's a megatron. I really do think it's a googol.

Tarrant: "But you think it's a nanomol, you have never heard of a googol."

Ingram: "It has to be a googol."

Final answer

Tarrant: "It's also the only chance you will have to lose 468,000.

"You are going for the one you have never heard of."

Ingram: "I do not mind taking the odd risk now and again.

"My strategy has been direct so far - take it by the bit and go for it. I've been very positive, I think.

"I do not think it's a gigabit, I do not think it's a nanomol or megatron. I am sure it's a googol."

Cough.

Ingram: "Surely, surely."

He then teased the audience, saying: "I'm going to play. No, I'm not. Yes, I am."

Tarrant: "You lose 468,000 if you are wrong."

Ingram: "No, it's a googol. God, is it a googol? Yes, it's a googol. Yes, yes, it's a googol."

Cough.

Ingram: "I am going to play googol."

Tarrant: "Final answer?"

Tarrant said: "He initially went for nanomol, he then went through the various options again.

"He then went for googol because he had never heard of it and he had heard of the other three.

You've just won 1m."

After the audience cheers had died down and Ingram's wife had joined him on the set, Tarrant said: "I have no idea how you got there, you went to hell and back out there.

"You are an amazing human being."

His wife asked: "How the hell did you do it?"

...............................................................................

Hmmm? From reading this commentary it really does seem as though he asked the audience to confirm to him the answers and it seems too, that one or more of them actually did so with the use of a distinct cough given at the right time to indicate whether the particular answer was correct.

Indeed, even uncertainties were ironed out by an indicative cough given at the appropriate moment.

Did anyone happen to see this?

My own personal viewpoint : GUILTY.

:-)

Good job the contestant was not Ainsoph in disguise.

Tarrant could have handed him all the the correct answers in 12 inich high letters and he still would have walked away with nothing

All this legal work is to determine whether or not the chap will get 1m. I wonder how much the legal costs are going to be and who will pay them ?

Nope, the chap isn't getting the 1m whichever way it goes. This is a criminal trial to see if he goes to jail. You are paying the legal costs.

Kayak Thank you for your reply but if he is judged not to be guilty [unlikely] then surely he will get the 1m otherwise why not ?

Well, he won't get it because ITV will refuse to pay him. He could sue ITV for the money of course, but a civil trial has a lower standard of proof (on the balance of probabilities) than a criminal trial (beyond reasonable doubt). So even though a criminal trial might not find that he was guilty beyond reasonable doubt, a civil trial would probably still find that he had cheated, on the balance of probabilities.

who cares?
thats the 3rd million pound question ive known the answer to, unfortunately i would have been out of the game long before i ever saw one. what has happened to quiz shows? can anyone remember hughie green and "the 64 million question"? at least i think thats what it was called. contestants were put in a sound proof booth and told their questions in advance. the more money ( or was it airmiles,my memory is stirring ) the more parts to the guestion and the harder the question. there was a time limit in total. every correct answer stopped the clock ( which i think started at 60 seconds ). the first answer was the only one accepted. this show was shown in the late 60s or early 70s. the prizes were relatively peanuts. they understood the risks and possibilities for cheating that long ago so i say if hes guilty good luck to him

Hughie Green (Ms Yates natural father which she only believed after DNA tests instead of Jess Yates her legal father) was the host of Double Your Money. The other one was the $64,000 question. Then there was Take your Pick which had the Yes/No interlude.

guilty

Was the cougher an Eric Morecambe lookalike coughing answers like he used to
aaarrrgghhuugghh ARSENAL!

Zoltar,

Pretty much, from what I've read.
Apparently one cough sounded like "no"!

Reading again in the paper today, the latest from the trial looks worse than ever. The lecturer was asked by the police if he was having an affair with the Major's wife, due to the number of phone calls they were exchanging in the weeks leading up to the quiz.

The more the case progresses, the more guilty they look, IMHO.

Guilty

Jury returned majority guilty verdict on the 2 men.

She's guilty as well. Hope they like porridge.

April 7, 2003

(15:10) A jury at a London court has found three people guilty of cheating their way to the top prize on the British television show, 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?'

The court heard that British army major Charles Ingram, a contestant on the show, and lecturer Tecwen Whittock conned their way to the 1 million prize using a series of coughs to indicate the correct answers.

Major Ingram's wife Diana was found guilty on a conspiracy charge.

The plot was uncovered when production staff on the show in September 2001 became suspicious of loud coughing and called in police.

The cheque to Major Ingram was then stopped, and the show was never broadcast.

if they show the episode in question I think the ratings would go through the roof.
Best pr they could have ever got.
Guru

There is to be a 90 min special by Trevor McDonald on the Tonight programme later this month.

K

suspended sentencies, 40k costs between them. likely cost to the tax payer over a million. dont you just love justice?

supperrod,

Totally agree, utterly pathetic, suspended sentence.

Utter humiliation for the justice system, lets see the doors wide open now for anyone to scam a million quid.
Even if he was jailed he`d be out in a year, not bad

They tried to cheat at a quiz and got caught.
Yes they were guilty of fraud and as such deserve to be punished but sending them to jail seems a little over the top considering the amount of harm they did.
Ok they went for a 1m but at a principle level no worse than cheating at the local pub quiz for the prize of a few pints.
I would have thought the probable loss of careers/reputation and a criminal record was sufficient punishment.
Does the fact that they cheated to win a million make the crime any more heinous?
Maybe yes in that the case went to court, where as cheating at the local pub quiz would probably just end up with a banning from the pub but sticking them all in jail does not to me seem appropriate.
I would rather the jails were used for those who were of more danger to society.