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.

:-)

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.

you mean like Chris Tarrent?

and lets face it whittock was quite intelligent.
Guru

Sunday Times

April 20, 2003

Quiz cheats had innocent accomplice
Richard Brooks, Arts Editor

THE army major who cheated his way to a 1m quiz show prize had an unwitting second accomplice in addition to the college lecturer whose coughs alerted him to the right answers.
An ITV documentary to be shown tomorrow night will broadcast for the first time the whole episode of the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? programme in which Major Charles Ingram appears.

The programme will show how Tom Lucy, a retired Hertfordshire publican sitting next to Tecwen Whittock, the lecturer, innocently gave away the answer to a question worth 250,000.

Whittock relayed Lucys answer to Ingram in the hot seat with the agreed signal of a cough. Ingram was given a suspended jail sentence earlier this month for cheating his way to the 1m top prize. Whittock received a similar sentence, as did Ingrams wife, Diana.

Whittock was sitting next to Lucy after they had taken part in the fastest finger first round of the quiz, in which the contestant to go forward to compete for the 1m prize is chosen. Celador, the production company that makes the programme for ITV, had microphones covering not only Chris Tarrant, the presenter, and Ingram, but also the remaining nine members of the fastest finger first panel.

By the time Ingram reached the 250,000 question, he had used up all his lifelines. Tarrant asked him: What type of garment was an Anthony Eden? Neither Ingram nor Whittock knew.

The documentary will show Whittock nonchalantly asking Lucy what he thinks the answer is. Its a hat, comes the reply, before Lucy adds: Jesus, I wish I was up there. Lucy admits in an interview for the programme that, albeit in innocence, he again confirmed to Whittock that the answer was correct before the lecturer was confident enough to cough.

Whittock is also shown taking the chair after Ingram, an officer in the Royal Engineers, had walked off with his 1m. The lecturer, who last week resigned from his post at Pontypridd College, won only 1,000. He failed with the 4,000 question and is seen leaving the set with what looks like relief.

In the documentary, presented by Martin Bashir, Ingram is shown getting to 1,000 without help. He asks the audience for the answer to the 2,000 question and phones a friend for the 4,000 one. Filming then finishes for the night.

The next evening Whittock began coughing to signal the correct answers. For example, on the 8,000 question about who was the second husband of Jacqueline Kennedy, Whittock coughed when Tarrant called the name Aristotle Onassis.

Ingrams wife coughed on the next question about which singer recorded the hit album Born to Do It. The answer was Craig David.

The coughs then get more frequent and audible. Larry Whitehurst, another fastest finger first panellist, says what he thought happened with the 500,000 question: which city was planned by Baron Haussmann? (Answer: Paris.) It was almost immediate, the bloke whos coughing, says Whitehurst. Hes sending him signals. At the climax of the show, Tarrant asks Ingram to tell him for 1m the term for the number one followed by 100 zeros. Im entirely focused on Tecwen Whittock, says Whitehurst. Im waiting for him to cough at precisely the moment the major mentions the word googol. The first time he mentions it there is a cough, cough.

Tarrant admits that he had no idea of the cheating. I thought, Ingrams got about as much chance of getting to 32,000 as going to the moon in a rocket, he says in the film.

There was just no way this guy could go much further. I could see his wife sitting up there frowning at him and I was thinking, Oh, God, hed promised his little girls ponies.

The programme also includes a recording of the telephone call made by Paul Smith, Celadors managing director, to Ingram to tell him of the documentary makers suspicions.

Ingram replies: Right. Yeah, well I mean, you know, I completely refute that obviously. Um. Good Lord. Im absolutely gobsmacked. All right. Well, thanks for letting me know.

I presume the major will get his index linked pension when he retires from the army!!

regards
linhurst

Something I just read and found amusing:

"After sentencing, Mr Tarrant issued a statement saying the
plot to cheat the show was a 'very cynical plan, motivated
by sheer greed'..." (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2910119.stm)

- all other "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" contestants
motivated by altruism, philanthropy, the sheer joy of
general knowledge


hehe :)

J.

See it on ITV at 21:00 tonight!

gulty

Homer

errr.....yes ...... you been asleep the last few weeks?

no offence....cant wait to see the episode. cant see that all this publicity will do millionaire any harm

should have taken the 125,000.
Would have probably got away with it, that's what his wife thought!
Guru

Not guilty.
Guilty.....Cough.

Watched the programme last night and what a scream!

Guilty as hell and he deserves the loss of reputation and
Slung out of the Army.

Total idiot and no regard for his family!

His children will suffer!

Jeff

:)
I used it at a wedding recently. Had to do a speach and asked if I was the only one who heard the best man coughing when the vicar asked the question of the bridegroom "Do you take this woman............"
Will be forever part of the culture of this country.
Anyone want a little bet on the wife breaking ranks and selling her story?

Martini,

That's exactly what I thought!

I think there will be a seperation soon, she looked a right dragon on the box, I can't imagine her staying long with someone down on their cash, never mind reputation.

She has nothing to lose now, so she can go for it.

Guilty as sin

They might stay together for the sake of their 3 daughters
For a while at least

djal