AMC’s set a Sunday, May 31, 2020 premiere date for the three-part drama, Quiz, based on the story of the couple who tried to cheat their way into being Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? winners. Matthew Macfadyen (Succession) and Sian Clifford (Fleabag) star as the married couple at the heart of the scandal.
Michael Sheen (Prodigal Son) stars as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host Chris Tarrant. Michael Jibson plays Tecwen Whittock, another key player in the scandal. Mark Bonnar (Shetland) is Celador Television Chairman Paul Smith and Helen McCrory (Peaky Blinders) plays Sonia Woodley QC. Aisling Bea (Finding Joy) is ITV Entertainment Commissioner Claudia Rosencrantz.
Stephen Frears (A Very English Scandal, The Queen) directed and James Graham adapted his critically acclaimed play for the miniseries. Frears and Graham also executive produce with Dan Winch, William Village, and Left Bank CEO Andy Harries.
Part two will air on Sunday, June 7th at 9pm ET/PT. The final part airs on Sunday, June 14th. AMC Premiere subscribers can binge-watch the show starting Sunday, May 31st at 10pm ET/PT.
The Quiz Plot, Courtesy of AMC:
Major Ingram, his wife Diana and an accomplice, Tecwen Whittock, who was sitting in the audience, were accused of cheating their way to a million pounds on what was, the most popular game show on earth in 2001. The couple stood trial for conspiring by coughing during the recording to signify the correct answers to the multiple choice questions posed to the Major by host, Chris Tarrant.Quiz gives an insight into what went on behind the scenes as Celador Television Chairman, Paul Smith and one of the show’s creators, David Briggs, originally pitched the idea of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? to ITV’s newly installed Director of Programmes, David Liddiment.
First airing September 1998, Millionaire fever voraciously gripped the nation with viewers avidly dialing the hotline to win a place on the show which ITV stripped nightly across its schedule to ramp up the excitement.
Based in a sleepy Wiltshire village, Charles and Diana Ingram were amongst those who became fixated with appearing on the popular quiz show, which in its heyday attracted audiences of 19 million viewers to ITV.
Their obsession and fascination with the format led to multiple attempts to appear on the show for both Charles and Diana and led to the infamous ‘Coughing Major’ appearance on 9 September 2001, which has sensationally gone down in television folklore.
