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After languishing in development for over two years, the project originally
entitled Cash Mountain was launched as Who Wants to be a Millionaire? in
September 1998. The programme was the subject of speculation in the press even
before it aired due to the enormity of its potential prize. Broadcasting
regulations had restricted prizes until 1990, but prior to Millionaire the
largest amount on offer was £100,000, on the BBC's National Lottery Big Ticket
Show. As a post-Lottery quiz, Millionaire capitalised on the nation's thirst for
big winnings. The format made the task of winning a million pounds appear
relatively simple, but with genial host Chris Tarrant questioning their
confidence and large sums of money at stake, many contestants were happy to
settle for much less.
Contestants answer multiple-choice questions, each time doubling their
winnings until they reach the million pound jackpot. This aspect of the format
led to comparisons with US game show The $64,000 Question. With close-ups
emphasising the contestant's personal dilemma at each stage and
theatrical music and lighting, Millionaire turned the quiz show into high drama.
Tarrant, though always sympathetic to the contestants, boosts the tension with
his catchphrase, "Is that your final answer?", and excruciatingly long pauses
before revealing the answer.
With a rolling format in which a contestant's game may be played over two
programmes, Millionaire had found a surefire way to keep audiences coming back.
In an innovative scheduling move, episodes were shown on consecutive nights, and
the programme was a huge ratings hit. Millionaire also developed audience
interactivity as a key source of revenue thanks to a premium rate phone line for would-be participants. As millions tuned in series after series, their
patience was finally rewarded in November 2000 when Judith Keppel correctly
answered all 15 questions and became the show's first millionaire.
In 2001 the show was embroiled in scandal when contestant Major Charles
Ingram was accused of cheating by having accomplices in the studio audience
cough to guide him to the correct answers. Ingram, his wife and a friend were
subsequently convicted on conspiracy and deception charges
Variations included editions with couples and celebrity versions in which the
winnings were donated to charity. Though the format and scheduling have been
modified over the years, Millionaire remains a stalwart of ITV programming and
the most successful television format of all time, having sold to over a
hundred countries.
Lisa Kerrigan
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