Major Cough and company, or How to deceive the show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” (8 photos + 1 video)

British Army soldier, Major Charles William Ingram, became one of three people who managed to win the TV show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” But instead of the prosperous life of a millionaire, the officer found a bunch of problems. He became an object of ridicule, was dismissed from service, received a criminal record and, finally, the offensive nickname Major Cough stuck to him. Why did winning turn into such disasters for an intellectual in military uniform?





The well-known TV show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” in our country was first broadcast in the UK on ITV on September 9, 1998. To win a million pounds, a participant in the intellectual battle had to answer 15 questions correctly, each of which brought him closer to the main prize. In short, nothing new.

The show is structured in such a way that the participant can only rely on his own knowledge, as well as three tips - by phone from his friend, from the audience, or the 50:50 option. Spectators in the studio are positioned behind the players so as not to distract them and not be able to give conventional signs. There are also 9 cameras aimed at them and the participants, from which not a single little thing escapes. At first glance, it seems that it is impossible to play dishonestly in this case, but Charles Ingram proved the opposite in 2001, forever ending up in the history of the British television show as Major Cough.



The Ingrams are intellectuals and, alas, scammers

Charles Ingram appeared in the television show studio on September 9, 2001. The man told host Chris Tarrant that he had no special illusions and would be happy with any win, even the most modest one. Major Ingram's support group was represented by his wife Diana Ingram, who previously also participated in the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire program and even won £32,000. The woman considered herself an expert in the intellectual game and even wrote a book of advice for those who want to make money with their knowledge.

In the UK, the show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is filmed over two days. On the first day, Charles answered 7 questions correctly. The major answered five on his own, the audience helped him answer the sixth, and in the case of the seventh question, a 50:50 hint helped him out. The player had only one clue left out of three - “Call a friend”.

On the second day of shooting, Ingram behaved more confidently and it was noticeable that he was in a great mood. The man immediately told the presenter that he decided to go on a “counterattack” and fulfilled his promise. Charles immediately answered the question about Jacqueline Kennedy's second wife and without hesitation named the country where Emmental cheese was invented.

The major played according to a very unusual scenario - before answering, he repeated the answer options out loud several times, chose one, in his opinion, the correct one, but at the last moment he abruptly changed his decision. This amused the audience and the host, and at the end of the game Chris Tarrant even called Charles the most unusual player in the entire history of the project.





Ingram is triumphant - he is confident that he will answer correctly

The million-dollar question was: “What is the name of a number with one hundred zeros?” Among the answer options were: a) googol; b) megatron; c) gigabit; d) nanomolar. Ingram hesitated between the “megatron” and “nanomole” options; he was almost ready to choose the second option, but at the last moment he changed his mind.

“I had an epiphany! Now it seems to me that the correct answer is “googol,” although I don’t know what it is.”

This is what the finalist said to the presenter, to which he replied that Charles had won a million pounds. Ingram cried with happiness, and his wife laughed and hugged him. The winner was immediately given a check that could be cashed at the bank. But the major had difficulty getting the money, as the show organizer, Celador, accused him of fraud and froze the check. Moreover, a police report was filed against Ingram, who immediately began an investigation.



The presenter hands Charles the treasured check, which he never got a chance to use.

As it turned out, one of the Celador employees, who was editing the video, accidentally noticed a cough that was periodically heard in the studio. It so happened that one of those present in the hall had his attacks at the very moment when Charles Ingram was pronouncing the answer options out loud.

To find out who coughed, the police had to interrogate more than 200 witnesses and even involveresearch by specialists in the field of acoustics. As it turned out, Tekven Whittock, a 53-year-old participant in the show who was in the audience, suddenly fell ill.

Wittock was in dire need of money, as his job as a school teacher was poorly paid and his expenses were high. Tekwen's daughter attended a prestigious private school and the man constantly went into debt to pay for her studies. To earn money, he participated in various shows, but nowhere was he able to win a more or less significant amount. On September 10, 2001, he was also in the “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” studio and once again tried his luck.



Tecwen Whittock is a studio cougher.

Charles and Diana Ingram categorically denied knowing Whittock, but police found that they not only knew each other well, but had also spoken on the phone a whopping 27 times shortly before the show. The investigation revealed that the Ingrams helped Whittock prepare for the qualifying rounds of the competition, and their last conversation took place on September 9 before the show. The police suggested that it was during this telephone conversation that Tekven agreed to participate in the Ingram spouses’ scam, of course, for a reward.

The scheme was very simple - the accomplice coughed when Charles, speaking the options out loud, named the correct one. In total, during the show the cough was heard 192 times and coincided with the correct answers 19 times. There was a conspiracy of scammers and it all ended in a trial, which took place in 2003. The whole trio was in the dock: the Ingrams and Wittocks. The hearings took place over 4 weeks, with dozens of witnesses interviewed and the jury watching footage of the game from different cameras at different speeds until exhaustion.



Satisfied Charles in the studio and confused near the courthouse

The Ingrams and their accomplice categorically denied all charges. Charles and Diana refused to admit to a criminal conspiracy, and Tekven stubbornly claimed that he suffered from allergies and coughed involuntarily. To confirm the suspect’s words, lawyers even brought his attending physician to court, who confirmed that Whittock is an experienced allergy sufferer and begins to cough when in contact with dust. But this did not help and he was recognized as an accomplice of the scammers.

As a result, on April 8, 2003, the court sentenced Charles and Diana to one and a half years of suspended imprisonment, and also ordered them to pay 50 thousand pounds in compensation to the organizers of the game show. Whittock received a one-year suspended sentence and a £10,000 fine. But the misadventures of Charles Ingram did not end there. After 4 months, the Army Council reviewed his misconduct and stripped him of his officer rank, although retaining his full pension.