Quiz was commissioned by William Village. It was first produced by Chichester Festival Theatre in 2017 by arrangement with William Village and subsequently produced in the West End of London at the Noël Coward Theatre by William Village and Playful Productions and Chichester Festival Theatre.
Quiz is a fictional imagination based on real events which took place in 2001 following an episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? It is not in any way connected with the makers of the programme or any of the individuals portrayed. The television programme Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Is produced by ‘2waytraffic’ .
“The most British crime in the history of the world.” (James Graham)
Based on the book “Bad Show: The Quiz, the Cough, the Millionaire Major” by Bob Woffinden and James Plaskett.
World premiere: November 2017 – Chichester Festival Theatre, Minerva Theatre
West End transfer: April, 2018 – transferred to London, Noël Coward Theatre
Accolades and reception:
2019 – nominated for two Olivier Awards (including Best New Comedy)
Television adaptation: 2020 – Graham adapted the story for television: a three-part serial titled Quiz was broadcast on ITV and AMC, bringing the story to millions more viewers.
Welcome to our production of Quiz (by James Graham), a compelling and provocative dramatization of one of the most remarkable quiz-show scandals in recent British memory.
The Story Behind the Play
In September 2001, former army major Charles Ingram appeared on the UK version of the hit television game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. During his time on the show, he won the £1,000,000 jackpot. However, suspicions subsequently arose that Mr Ingram – with the assistance of his wife, Diana Ingram, and a co-contestant, Tecwen Whittock – had used audible coughs from the studio audience to signal correct answers, cheating his way to win the million-pound jackpot.
In April 2003, following a high-profile court trial, the Ingrams and Whittock were found guilty of ‘procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception’ (cheating) and given suspended sentences and fines.
This play remains timely and resonant. It invites us to interrogate our assumptions: about truth, about entertainment, about justice, about how media shapes our perception. As Graham notes, the story may at first seem simply about a quiz show scandal, but in fact taps into wider anxieties in a world where “nothing feels quite trustworthy or stable anymore.”
This production offers a chance to engage audiences in a dynamic, immersive way to make them question, to involve them, and to shine a light not only on one remarkable courtroom drama but on our collective participation in it: as viewers, as quiz-players, as citizens.
We invite you now to take your seat, sharpen your wits, and ask yourself: Guilty or Not Guilty?
