64 Fun Facts About Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

Which British network first aired Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in September 1998?

ITV: it launched the show as a nightly event, airing it on successive evenings.

What working title did Who Wants to Be a Millionaire carry during its design phase?

Cash Mountain: once the show was a hit, a Sydney man claimed it copied a quiz format he had devised years earlier.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire takes its title from a Cole Porter song written for which 1956 musical film?

High Society: Oscar voters mistakenly nominated the writers of a 1955 Bowery Boys comedy with the same title, who asked to be removed.

Who presented the original British Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from 1998 to 2014?

Chris Tarrant: his decision to quit in October 2013 led the network to axe the show.

Before Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, its creators devised games for the host's breakfast show on which radio station?

Capital FM: the TV show grew out of Double or Quits, a radio game in which a £1 stake doubled with every correct answer.

Which father-and-son duo composed the tension-building music that plays throughout Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Keith and Matthew Strachan: after a pilot that flopped, they reworked the music at short notice.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire's main theme was inspired by which movement of Gustav Holst's The Planets?

Mars: the composers raised the music a semitone with each new question, ramping up the tension as the money climbed.

In November 1999, who became the first top-prize winner in any version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

John Carpenter: he used his Phone-a-Friend on the final question only to call his father and say he was about to win.

What was the first Millionaire top-prize winner's job, which prompted playful boos?

He was an IRS agent, and he kept working for the IRS even after winning his million dollars.

Which president was the answer when the first American Millionaire $1 million question asked who had appeared on Laugh-In?

Richard Nixon: while running for president, he appeared on the comedy show to deliver its catchphrase, 'Sock it to me'.

Who became the British Who Wants to Be a Millionaire's first £1 million winner, in November 2000?

Judith Keppel: after her final answer, the host cut to an ad break before revealing she had won.

The British Millionaire's first £1 million winner later became a resident quizzer on which BBC Two show?

Eggheads: she spent 19 years on its panel of champions, then returned for the show's 2,000th episode in 2023.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire's first British £1 million question concerned Henry II and which queen?

Eleanor of Aquitaine: before marrying Henry she had been queen of France for 15 years, until her marriage to Louis VII was annulled.

Which British Army major was denied £1 million in the 2001 Millionaire coughing scandal?

Charles Ingram: the Army Board later made him resign his commission, though he was allowed to keep his pension.

Which name for a one followed by 100 zeros answered the disputed £1 million question in Millionaire's 2001 coughing scandal?

A googol: the major first dismissed it, saying he did not know what a googol was, then locked it in anyway.

Which city did Baron Haussmann famously plan, the answer to the £500,000 question in Millionaire's 2001 coughing scandal?

Paris: the major first said Berlin, reasoning that Haussmann sounded more German, before switching to the right city.

After their 2003 convictions in Millionaire's coughing scandal, what punishment did the three defendants receive?

Suspended prison sentences: weeks later the major's unaired run was shown for the first time in a documentary, with the coughs audible.

What was the occupation of Tecwen Whittock, convicted of coughing to signal answers on Millionaire in 2001?

College lecturer: his defence argued that hay fever, not a signalling scheme, was behind his coughs.

In the 2020 drama Quiz, which actor played the original British Millionaire host?

Michael Sheen: the real host later called the drama's suggestion that the major might be innocent 'blatant nonsense'.

Who played the accused major in the 2020 Millionaire drama Quiz?

Matthew Macfadyen: the drama first presents the major as guilty, then explores whether he might have been innocent.

Who directed all three episodes of the 2020 Millionaire drama Quiz?

Stephen Frears: writer James Graham pitched the story as Ocean's Eleven with middle-class people armed with encyclopedias.

In the 2001 Millionaire coughing scandal, which singer did the major pick despite saying he had never heard of him?

Craig David: with a lifeline leaving just Craig David and A1, the major said he would go for A1, then switched.

Who hosted the original primetime American Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which launched in August 1999?

Regis Philbin: of the hosts the producers considered, he wanted the job most, and he eagerly lobbied for it.

Which menswear look did the original American Millionaire host popularise?

The monochromatic suit, shirt and tie: the look was such a hit that Van Heusen launched a licensed line of matching shirts and ties.

Which US network launched the American Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 1999?

ABC: the network aired it up to several nights a week, audiences burned out, and the primetime run was cancelled in 2002.

Who hosted the daily syndicated American Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from 2002 to 2013?

Meredith Vieira: before taking over as host, she had played the primetime show herself as a celebrity contestant.

Which late-night host fronted the 2020 primetime revival of the American Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Jimmy Kimmel: the first episodes were shot without a studio audience in March 2020, just before California's stay-at-home order.

Who hosted the syndicated American Millionaire for 2014-15, after Cedric the Entertainer left?

Terry Crews: after one season he was unable to continue, because of his demanding film and primetime TV work.

Why did Kevin Olmstead win $2.18 million, not the usual $1 million, on the US Millionaire?

Growing jackpot: during a long drought without a top-prize winner, a bonus kept growing, making his win TV's biggest at the time.

Which sitcom's former stars Kate Flannery and Oscar Nuñez won the US Millionaire top prize together in 2025?

The Office: they split the $1 million prize between their chosen charities, Planned Parenthood and a Philadelphia food bank.

In 2001 the US Millionaire wrongly ruled against Ed Toutant, who said scientists had made which crop glow?

Tomato: the show wanted potato, but a plant scientist had created a glowing tomato, so Toutant was invited back for another try.

The 2004 US spin-off Super Millionaire raised the American show's top prize to what?

$10 million: its February premiere was the night's most-watched show, so the network brought the specials back for the May sweeps.

Which lifeline, created for the 2004 US spin-off Super Millionaire, barred contestants from walking away once used?

Double Dip: when the syndicated show adopted it in 2008, running out of time while using it counted as a wrong answer.

At Disney's playable Who Wants to Be a Millionaire theme park attractions, what replaced the Phone-a-Friend lifeline?

Phone a Complete Stranger: a cast member outside the theater would answer the call and find a passing park guest to help.

Days after his win, the US Millionaire's first top-prize winner was invited to open which late-night show?

Saturday Night Live: he delivered its famous 'Live from New York' opening, one stop on a media blitz that took in Good Morning America.

In 2016 the syndicated American Millionaire moved production to which unusual location?

Bally's Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas: after one season there, production moved again, to the new Caesars Entertainment Studios in the city.

Which celebrity chef became the first celebrity to win $1 million on the American Millionaire, in November 2020?

David Chang: he phoned ESPN's Mina Kimes on the final question and gave the prize to a relief fund for restaurant workers.

Whom did Ken Jennings and Matt Damon phone on the final question of their 2025 Millionaire $1 million win?

Brad Rutter: copying the first US winner, they called only to say they were about to win, a moment cut from the broadcast.

Who hosted the Australian Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from its 1999 debut on the Nine Network?

Eddie McGuire: he gave up hosting to run the Nine Network as chief executive in 2006, then quit that job in 2007 for more on-screen roles.

The original host of Australia's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was also president of which AFL club?

Collingwood: he led the club for 23 years, resigning in 2021 amid criticism of his response to a report on racism at the club.

What was the six-contestant Australian Millionaire spin-off that began on the Nine Network in April 2009?

Millionaire Hot Seat: after Seven's The Chase began beating it in the ratings, Nine stretched it to a full hour in 2017.

What is the Hindi-language version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire called?

Kaun Banega Crorepati: a struggling Star Plus gambled on it in 2000, and it pushed the channel to number one for the first time.

Which Bollywood star hosted the Indian Who Wants to Be a Millionaire when it launched in 2000?

Amitabh Bachchan: the show's huge success went on to revive his film career.

Who stepped in to host the third season of the Indian Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2007?

Shah Rukh Khan: after his season, the show left Star Plus for a rival channel in 2010.

Which Bollywood star played Prem Kumar, the quizmaster, in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire?

Anil Kapoor: his smug quizmaster has Jamal arrested, and the police torture him on suspicion of cheating.

The film Slumdog Millionaire was loosely based on which 2005 novel by Vikas Swarup?

Q & A: its hero, Ram Mohammad Thomas, has a name meant to span three religions, and the film renamed him Jamal Malik.

Which musketeer's name does Jamal guess on the final question in Slumdog Millionaire?

Aramis: stuck, he uses Phone-a-Friend to call his brother's phone, but Latika answers and does not know the answer.

Which production company made the original British Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Celador: its film arm went on to co-produce the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire.

Which company took over the rights to the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire format in 2008?

Sony Pictures Television: its parent bought Dutch firm 2waytraffic, which had bought the format library two years earlier.

Who hosted the British Who Wants to Be a Millionaire when it was revived for its 20th anniversary in 2018?

Jeremy Clarkson: the revival was billed as a one-week anniversary run, but its success brought the show back for more series.

Which lifeline did the British Who Wants to Be a Millionaire introduce with its 2018 revival?

Ask the Host: the lifeline later crossed the Atlantic, added to America's 2020 revival.

Donald Fear, who won £1 million on the British Millionaire in 2020, used only which lifeline?

50:50: he needed no help on the final question, knowing at once that the pirate who died off North Carolina in 1718 was Blackbeard.

At its 1999 peak, about how many viewers did the British Millionaire draw?

19 million: that peak later faded, and by 2003 the show was drawing about 8 million viewers.

Before it became the 2020 drama Quiz, James Graham's story of the Millionaire coughing scandal was what?

A stage play: its audiences acted as the jury, voting electronically on whether the major was guilty.

What did Millionaire's first British host say when showing cheques?

But we don't want to give you that: he coined the line to build tension and nudge players into risking more.

Who began hosting the German Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on RTL at its 1999 launch?

Günther Jauch: a 2007 deal for him to host ARD's Sunday political talk show collapsed, and he only took that job in 2011.

Producer Michael Davies first hired Millionaire's 2020 American host on which quiz show?

Win Ben Stein's Money: that future host had also played Millionaire himself as a celebrity contestant in its original run.

Which BBC crime drama did Millionaire co-creator Steven Knight later create?

After Peaky Blinders, Knight built Digbeth Loc., a film and TV studio in Birmingham, where the Peaky Blinders film was later shot.

Under Millionaire's original franchise rules, international hosts had to wear suits by which designer?

Armani suits, like the British host's, were one of the format's strict rules, which also barred buyers from changing the music, lighting cues or set.

What must Fastest Finger First contestants do, in most series of Millionaire?

Put four answers in the correct order: in the 2001 coughing scandal, the accomplice who coughed was one of that round's contestants.

Besides £1,000, what was the second safety net in the original 15-question British format?

£32,000 stayed the second net until 2007, when producers cut the ladder to 12 questions and moved that net up to £50,000.

Which answer did a 2006 British Millionaire £1 million question accept as the translated US motto?

One Out of Many translates E pluribus unum, but the couple picked In God We Trust, which has been the official US motto since 1956.

Which morning show did Millionaire's daytime US host co-host from 2006 to 2011?

Today hired her to succeed Katie Couric, who was leaving the show to anchor the CBS Evening News.

Which champion quizzer won £1 million on the British show in April 2004?

Pat Gibson phoned fellow quizzer Mark Kerr on the £1 million question, and Kerr backed the answer Gibson already suspected.