Rick
03-05-2003, 07:21 PM
LONDON (Reuters) - The curious case of the major, the million and a very persistent cough gripped Britain on Thursday, as the trial continued of a man accused of cheating his way to the jackpot on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
Army Major Charles Ingram, a veteran of the Bosnian conflict, is accused of cheating to win the top prize in the hit television show through the coded coughs of an accomplice in the studio.
Ingram won one million pounds ($1.6 million) in the show -- but the prize was withheld after program makers became suspicious about a series of coughs they believed might have helped him answer the winning questions.
The trial, which began on Wednesday, has gripped Britain where the quiz show was launched in 1998 to huge ratings success. It has since been syndicated around the world.
The show, and its catchphrases including "I think I'll phone a friend," swiftly gained cult status with up to 19 million British viewers glued to their television sets for each show.
Newspapers on Thursday printed a list of the questions that Ingram answered correctly -- detailing his responses and the timing of the coughs heard on tape -- and asking readers to judge for themselves whether cheating was involved.
Ingram, 39, of the Royal Engineers, is charged along with his wife Diana, 38, and college lecturer Tecwen Whittock, 53, with conspiracy and procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception. All three deny the charges.
Prosecutor Nicholas Hilliard told the jury at Southwark Crown Court that 19 coughs heard on the tape of the show came from the direction of Whittock at times when Ingram was musing out loud over which of the four possible answers to choose.
The jury was told how on the question that won Ingram the million pounds -- the correct name for the number 1 followed by 100 zeros -- coughs were heard when Ingram mentioned the correct answer, a googol.
"I think it is a nanomole, but it could be a gigabite...I don't think I have heard of a googol," Ingram said, just before coughing was heard on the tape. He then chose a googol.
Whittock, a fellow contestant waiting for his chance to play, is accused of being the coughing accomplice. Diana Ingram was herself a former winner on the show, scooping 32,000 pounds.
At the end of the show, presenter Chris Tarrant was heard on the tape congratulating Ingram on his victory.
"You are the most amazing contestant we have ever had," Tarrant said.
The trial is expected to last three weeks.
Ingram has lodged a counterclaim against the program makers, Celador Productions, in a bid to get them to hand over his winning
Army Major Charles Ingram, a veteran of the Bosnian conflict, is accused of cheating to win the top prize in the hit television show through the coded coughs of an accomplice in the studio.
Ingram won one million pounds ($1.6 million) in the show -- but the prize was withheld after program makers became suspicious about a series of coughs they believed might have helped him answer the winning questions.
The trial, which began on Wednesday, has gripped Britain where the quiz show was launched in 1998 to huge ratings success. It has since been syndicated around the world.
The show, and its catchphrases including "I think I'll phone a friend," swiftly gained cult status with up to 19 million British viewers glued to their television sets for each show.
Newspapers on Thursday printed a list of the questions that Ingram answered correctly -- detailing his responses and the timing of the coughs heard on tape -- and asking readers to judge for themselves whether cheating was involved.
Ingram, 39, of the Royal Engineers, is charged along with his wife Diana, 38, and college lecturer Tecwen Whittock, 53, with conspiracy and procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception. All three deny the charges.
Prosecutor Nicholas Hilliard told the jury at Southwark Crown Court that 19 coughs heard on the tape of the show came from the direction of Whittock at times when Ingram was musing out loud over which of the four possible answers to choose.
The jury was told how on the question that won Ingram the million pounds -- the correct name for the number 1 followed by 100 zeros -- coughs were heard when Ingram mentioned the correct answer, a googol.
"I think it is a nanomole, but it could be a gigabite...I don't think I have heard of a googol," Ingram said, just before coughing was heard on the tape. He then chose a googol.
Whittock, a fellow contestant waiting for his chance to play, is accused of being the coughing accomplice. Diana Ingram was herself a former winner on the show, scooping 32,000 pounds.
At the end of the show, presenter Chris Tarrant was heard on the tape congratulating Ingram on his victory.
"You are the most amazing contestant we have ever had," Tarrant said.
The trial is expected to last three weeks.
Ingram has lodged a counterclaim against the program makers, Celador Productions, in a bid to get them to hand over his winning