'Millionaire' quiz company to make film of fraud case

First there was the trial, then the documentary. Now there are plans for the ultimate narrative of the cough-laden quiz show fraud by an army major, his wife and a college lecturer – Who Wants to be a Millionaire: the Movie.

Celador, the production company behind the quiz, which has become a global phenomenon, wants to turn the story of how Major Charles Ingram cheated his way to the £1m prize into a cinematic blockbuster.

Paul Smith, managing director and one of the show's originators, who gave evidence at the trial of Major Ingram; his wife, Diana, and the lecturer, Tecwen Whittock, is leading the project.

Last night, an ITV documentary gave the public its first view of the footage in which the officer, 39, was guided to the jackpot prize by 19 tactical coughs from Mr Whittock.

Celador, which said it was responding to huge public interest in the court case by helping to make the documentary, declined to comment yesterday on plans for a film.

But a spokesman for ITV'sTonight show said: "They are certainly toying with the idea of a film. Paul Smith told us for the documentary that he plans to make the story into a movie blockbuster."

The 90-minute episode of Tonight, "Millionaire: a Major Fraud", was presented by Martin Bashir in his first appearance since he interviewed Michael Jackson. It was billed as an "inside account" of the scam, featuring interviews with Celador staff, police and other contestants.

Using footage of the show cut in with testimony from interviewees, the episode showed how slowly Major Ingram deliberated over the possible answers to each question.

For example, for the £1m question, about the name given to the figure one followed by 100 zeros (a googol), Mr Whittock, 53, coughed from the audience to indicate that Major Ingram had read out the correct option. At one stage, Mrs Ingram, 39, is also heard to cough and, apparently, to say "no".

The three were given suspended sentences and fined after being convicted of procuring the £1m prize by deception. They say they are considering an appeal.

The confirmation of plans for a film will renew speculation that Celador and ITV are seeking to maximise the commercial return from the publicity surrounding the trial.

As well as screening the documentary on its terrestrial channel, ITV also showed an uncut version of the programme immediately afterwards on ITV2, its digital outlet.

Earlier this month, Kim Howells, a Culture minister, attacked the screening of the show's footage, saying it could blur the line between crime and entertainment.

Chris Tarrant, the quiz show's presenter, said the documentary would "show even more clearly just how guilty the participants were". The quiz show has been a huge success for Celador, attracting 19 million viewers in Britain at its peak. ITV executives were hoping the documentary would lead the ratings for the bank holiday, while Celador was anxious to restore confidence in the show.

HOLLYWOOD'S VERSION

The story features a respectable middle-aged man who scooped a fortune on the nation's favourite quiz show, only to be exposed as a cheat.

His downfall was later made into a Hollywood film. The parallels between the 1994 film Quiz Show and the Who Wants to be a Millionaire scandal are striking.

The film tells of the events in 1958 when Charles Van Doren, played by Ralph Fiennes, above, was champion on the NBC quiz show Twenty One. An English teacher at Columbia University, Van Doren appeared on the covers of Time and Life magazines. Every week, 50 million people tuned in to watch him win.

But it was all a fraud. The difference with the Millionaire scandal was that the producers of Twenty One, eager to maintain ratings, were behind a scam uncovered when former champion Herbie Stempel, played by John Turturro in the film, called foul.