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Monday, April 16, 2018

The scandal of British TV show ‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’

Por Jade

In 2001, Charles Ingram, a former commander of the British Army, became the third person in that country to win the television contest "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" But between question and question and applause and applause, there was something very peculiar in that edition of the program and the key was not in Ingram, but in a few coughs that were heard. And more precisely: at the moment they emerged.

The latest theater play by the British James Graham, "Quiz", evokes that television episode, tells the story of what the playwright calls "the most British crime of all time": the scandal of coughs in “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Ingram was accused of cheating. According to the indictment, Ingram had the help of his wife, Diana, and another contestant, Tecwen Whittock, who allegedly coughed when the correct answer was mentioned. Ingram maintained that he was innocent throughout the trial. But he, his wife and his accomplice were both tried and found guilty of deception and, in 2003, they were sentenced to suspended prison sentences.

The public that attends the work has the option to express their opinion about the guilt or innocence of Ingram. Attendees can vote through an electronic device to which they have access in the theater and they do so when the two parts of the staging are over. The first part culminates after the presentation of the case for judicial processing and at the end of the second part, the hearing has already heard the defense of Ingram. One of the interesting aspects of the work says Daniel Evans, director of the play, is that attendees can compare, at the end of the show, their vote with the rest of the public that night and with the votes of the previous presentations. The results vary from presentation to presentation, but Evans and Graham point out that audiences generally vote "guilty" after hearing the accusatory part, but tend to take the side of Ingram after hearing his defense.

"The shows that are based on questions and games seem fascinating to me, they are a very British obsession and it's something I love," Graham told the BBC. "I think the story of whether middle-class people tried to steal a million pounds (more than $ 1,400,000) with questions and coughs, feels like the most British crime of all time, and because of its simplicity, it's almost absurd. For me it was really exciting and I thought that if we could just try and turn that into a thriller like" Ocean's Eleven " the proposal would be really fascinating."

After presenting last year in Chichester, in the south of England, the work is exhibited in London. The Noel Coward Theater has been conditioned in such a way that the audience seems to be on the television set where the famous program was filmed. The play has provoked positive reviews from critics. Graham said that after the arrival of the play in the British capital, about 40% of the play was rewritten.

"Not because we were not happy with what happened in Chichester, but because you learn a lot when you do a test for a show, we simplified the narrative, reordered part of the structure, we had to think of a Victorian proscenium theater, which is very different from the studio theater in Chicheter. Also because many of the people involved in 'Who wants to be a millionaire?" They came to see the play and they called me, they asked me to meet and that allowed me to learn new things, new facts, new anecdotes. That's why the piece also evolved. "