| Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? |
New Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (UK) Logo |
| Format |
Quiz show |
| Created by |
Celador |
| Country of origin |
 United Kingdom |
| Production |
| Running time |
30-90 minutes |
| Broadcast |
| Original channel |
ITV |
| Original run |
4 September 1998 – Present |
| External links |
| Official website |
| Part of a series on |
| Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? |
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Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television quiz show which offers very large cash prizes for correctly answering 15 (in some versions, 12) consecutive multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by the Japanese production company Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize (in the original British version) is one million pounds. Most international versions offer a top prize of one million units of the local currency, though the actual value of the prize varies widely, depending on the currency's exchange rate. In the United States the top cash prizes have been changed to annuities.
The programme originated in the United Kingdom, where it is hosted by Chris Tarrant. It is based on a format devised by David Briggs, who, along with Steve Knight and Mike Whitehill, devised a number of the promotional games for Chris Tarrant's breakfast show on Capital FM radio. The original working title for the show was Cash Mountain. When it first aired in the UK on 4 September 1998, it was a surprising twist on the game show genre. Only one contestant plays at a time (similar to some radio quizzes) and the emphasis is on suspense rather than speed. There are no time limits (except for the Taiwanese and modern US versions, and in special cases, the Australian and Italian versions) to answer the questions and contestants are given the question before they must decide whether to attempt an answer.
The show is named after Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, a 1956 song by Cole Porter from the film High Society which emphasised the desirability of love over material possessions: "Who wants to be a millionaire? I don't. ... And I don't 'cause all I want is you."
In 2000, a board game based on the hit television series of the same name was released by Pressman Toy Corp. In March 2006, Celador announced that it was seeking to sell the worldwide rights to the show, together with the UK programme library, as the first phase of a sell-off of the company's format and production divisions. Dutch company 2waytraffic acquired Millionaire and the rest of Celador's programme library. Two years later, Sony Pictures Entertainment purchased 2waytraffic for £137.5m.[1] The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire franchise is the most internationally popular television franchise of all time, having aired in over 100 countries worldwide. [2] As of now no other franchise has ever reached this milestone.
Multi-Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire revolved around a contestant on the Indian version of the series.
Stage
The originale of the show is from Austria. It is filmed in front of a studio audience which is arranged in circular tiers around a pit in which the action takes place. At the beginning of each show, the host introduces a group of ten contestants (five in the Taiwanese version, six in the Portuguese, Finnish and Icelandic versions and eight in the Armenian, Kosovar, Macedonian, Latvian and Nigerian versions), giving their names and where they are from. Each contestant brings along a friend, partner or relative (not to be confused with the phone-a-friend explained later) who sits in the audience and, if the contestant progresses, is periodically shown on camera looking pleased, excited, nervous etc. The UK show is recorded at the Elstree Studios.
Chris Tarrant, host of the original series in the UK.
This format has not been used in the US version since 2002 and the Australian version since 2007, replaced by a qualifying test contestants take before being named to the programme.
Rules
The contestants first have to undergo a preliminary round, called "Fastest Finger First", where they are all given a question and four answers from the host. They are asked to put those four answers into a particular order. (In the very first series of the British version and until the end of the 2003 season in the Australian version, "Fastest Finger First" required the contestants to answer one multiple choice question correctly as quickly as possible.) The contestant who does this correctly and in the fastest time goes on to sit in the chair (the "hot seat") and play for the maximum possible prize (often a million in the local currency, though this depends on its value).
In the US version, this round was called "Fastest Finger", and was eliminated when the show moved to syndicated distribution in 2002; however, it may return as part of a primetime revival. US contestants are now required to pass a standard game show qualifying test at contestant auditions.
Once in the hot seat, the contestant is asked increasingly difficult general knowledge questions by the host. Questions are multiple choice: four possible answers are given (labelled A, B, C and D), and the contestant must choose the correct one. On answering the first question correctly, the contestant wins £500 (in the UK – other countries vary the currency but have the same basic format). There is no time limit to answer a question; a contestant may (and often does) take as long as he needs to ponder an answer. After the first few questions, the host will ask the contestant if that is his "final answer." Upon making the answer the final answer, it cannot be changed. The first few questions usually omit this rule, unless the contestant has guessed a wrong answer (at which point, the host is hoping the contestant will take the hint)[citation needed], because the questions are generally so easy that to require a final answer would significantly slow the game down.
Subsequent questions are played for increasingly large sums (roughly doubling at each turn). On the first few questions, some choices often have joke answers. The complete sequence of prizes for the UK version of the programme is as follows:
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Old (15 question format)
- £100
- £200
- £300
- £500
- £1,000
- £2,000
- £4,000
- £8,000
- £16,000
- £32,000
- £64,000
- £125,000
- £250,000
- £500,000
- £1 million
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New (12 question format)
- £500
- £1,000
- £2,000
- £5,000
- £10,000
- £20,000
- £50,000
- £75,000
- £150,000
- £250,000
- £500,000
- £1 million
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After viewing a question, the contestant can "take the money" (or rather "get the cheque" or "walk away" in some versions) that he has already won, rather than attempting an answer. If the contestant answers a question incorrectly, then he loses all the money he has won, except that the £1,000 and £50,000 prizes are guaranteed: if a player gets a question wrong above these levels, then he drops down only to the previous guaranteed prize. This means that the players can always attempt the £2,000 and £75,000 questions without fear, since they are guaranteed the previous amount even if they get the answer wrong. The question values are not cumulative.
The game ends when the contestant answers a question incorrectly, decides not to answer a question, or answers all twelve questions correctly, thus usually letting the host rip the cheque for £500,000 apart and winning the top prize of £1 million.
New formats
Several International Versions of the show have recently changed or modified their version of Millionaire.
12 Question Format
On 13 August 2007, it was announced that the UK version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was changing its format, cutting the number of questions it takes to reach the £1 million jackpot. The prize money started at £500 rather than £100 and there are only 12 questions to replace the former 15. After reaching £1,000, the prize fund increases to £2,000, £5,000, £10,000, £20,000 and £50,000, which is the second "safe haven", previously £32,000. The first set of contestants to face the new rules were comedians Jon Culshaw and John Thomson in a charity special, shown on ITV on 18 August 2007.[3] The Show returned on Saturday 13th June 2009 on ITV1 at 7.30pm with a new episode after a long absence.
The new format of the show with 12 questions was introduced in a number of other countries, including Poland, Bulgaria and France.
Clock Format
Millionaire question about Wikipedia founder
Jimmy Wales in the United States.
Beginning in 2008, the US version changed its format. The most notable change was the addition of a time limit of 15 seconds for questions 1-5, 30 seconds for questions 6-10, or 45 seconds for questions 11-15 for contestants to answer a question. The clock for each question begins counting down immediately after all four answer choices have been revealed. Contestants who exceed this time limit are forced to walk away with all prize money they have won up to that point (The only exception to this rule is if the "Double-Dip" lifeline is currently being used; if the clock expires before a second final answer is given, it is treated as an incorrect answer). Any time remaining on the clock after each question is "banked" and given back to the contestant for their $1 Million question.
Similar clock rules exist in the Taiwanese and Australian versions as well as the Extraordinary edition format (See Below).
In addition to the clock, contestants now see the category of their questions before they are asked, and the lifelines 50-50 and Switch the Question were replaced with Double Dip and Ask the Expert (see lifelines section).
“Extraordinary edition” Format
In 2008, the Norwegian version tried out a new format, essentially involving 6 contestants playing at once, with each taking turns to climb the money tree. The usual lifelines are removed, replaced with a single 'pass' that can, at any one time, transfer the onus of answering the question to the next contestant in line, who cannot then re-pass to the next contestant. Also added are time limits on every question, with 15 seconds allocated for the first five questions, 30 for the middle five, and 45 for the last five. Walking away is no longer allowed, rendering several questions' values pointless, as they cannot be won. If a player fails to give out an answer in the time limit, it is considered an automatic pass. If that question can't be passed on, that player is eliminated and the highest value on the money tree is removed.
The game ends either when all contestants are eliminated, or when the question for the highest value in the money tree is answered. If this last question is answered correctly, the answering player receives the amount of money. If it is answered incorrectly, or all contestants are eliminated before the final question is reached, the last player to be eliminated receives either nothing, or €3,000 if the 5th question milestone is reached.
This format was used in Italy from 15 December 2008 – 18 March 2009, and has been adopted by the Australian version starting in April 2009.
Lifelines
If at any point the contestant is unsure of the answer to a question, he or she can use one or more "lifelines". After using lifelines, contestants can either answer the question, use another lifeline, or walk away and keep the money (except for the Double Dip lifeline). Each lifeline can only be used once.
- Fifty-Fifty (50:50): The contestant asks the host to have the computer randomly eliminate two of the incorrect answer choices, leaving the contestant with a choice between the correct answer and one incorrect one.
- Originally, in both the UK and U.S. versions, the answers eliminated were not random but were pre-selected as the ones the contestant was least likely to pick. This was not mentioned on the air (for example, U.S. host Regis Philbin would just explain "The computer will now take away two of the wrong answers leaving only one wrong answer and the correct one.") but was revealed in interviews.[citation needed] In syndication, the selection was random (and U.S. host Meredith Vieira always says so). This lifeline has been eliminated in the seventh season of the U.S. syndicated program.
- Ask the Audience: The contestant asks the studio audience which answer they believe is correct. Members of the studio audience indicate their choices using an audience response system. The results are immediately displayed on the contestant's and host's screens. This is a popular lifeline, known for its near-perfect accuracy. Philbin once said that the audience's answer is statistically 95% of the time correct.[citation needed]
- For some time on the syndicated U.S. version, the question was also asked through AOL Instant Messenger to those who had signed up to answer questions for this lifeline. The contestant saw the studio-audience and AOL responses displayed separately. The AOL tie-in was discontinued beginning with the 2006-2007 season. Also, the Norwegian Version uses the Ask the Nation, similar to that lifeline.
- Phone-A-Friend: Contestants may call one of up to five[citation needed] prearranged friends. The contestant must provide the five friends' names and phone numbers in advance. In countries where the show is broadcast live, the friends are alerted when their contestant reaches the hot seat, and are told to keep the phone free and to wait for three rings before answering.[citation needed] The contestant has thirty seconds to read the four choices to the friend, who must select an answer before the time runs out. Phone-a-friends often express their certainty as a percentage (I am 80% sure it's C). In the event that a contestant has a disability which affects his or her ability to use this lifeline without assistance, the contestant will have the option of having the host read the question and answer choices to the friend, and obtain an answer from them. Phone-a-friends may not be called on cellular phones, and individuals participating as phone-a-friends may do so only twice during any given edition of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.[citation needed]
In February 2004, the U.S. launched a short-lived spin-off known as Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire. On this particular version, two new lifelines were introduced, but they were only available after a contestant cleared the $100,000 question (the tenth question in this version):
- Three Wise Men: The contestant asks a sequestered panel chosen by the sponsor which answer they believe is correct. The panel, consisting of three people, one being a former million-dollar-winner of the show, has thirty seconds to select an answer but does not need to reach a consensus—each member of the panel may provide a different answer. This lifeline is also used in the Russian version of the show, though it can be used on any of the 15 questions.
- Double Dip (X2): The contestant can give two answers for a question. However, once a contestant elects to use the Double Dip lifeline, the contestant cannot walk away from the question. The contestant must indicate and confirm that he or she intends to use this lifeline before giving a first answer. If the first answer is incorrect, the contestant gives another answer—but if the second answer is also wrong or if time runs out, then the contestant will go back down to the milestone they reached. (For example if they failed on the $25,000 question, they would go back down to $1,000). If the first answer given is correct, the lifeline is still considered to have been used. one can use both lifelines to get a free shot at the question. In versions where both 50-50 and Double Dip are available, if a contestant uses this lifeline having already used fifty-fifty, they can get past this question freely.
In 2004, the syndicated U.S. version introduced another new lifeline:
- Switch the Question: This lifeline becomes available only after the contestant has correctly answered the 10th question, or 5th for some versions. If the contestant has not chosen a final answer on the revealed question, this lifeline entitles the contestant to switch out the original question for another question of the same value. Once the contestant elects to use this lifeline, he or she cannot return to the original question, and thus the correct answer is revealed for the record. In addition, any lifelines used by the contestant while attempting to answer the original revealed question prior to the question switch will not be reinstated. This lifeline has also been used in occasional specials of the UK show, but referred to as Flip. It is now used in the Spanish, Australian, Arabic, Greek, Israeli, Indonesian, Indian, Italian, New Zealand, Serbian and Turkish versions of the show. The 2008 Portuguese version of the show also features this lifeline, but the difficulty level of the second question can be higher or lower than the first one. In the 2008-2009 season, this lifeline will be eliminated and will be replaced with a new lifeline called Ask the Expert. Rumour has it that this lifeline will be returning as an official lifeline in the U.K. version, along with 50:50, Phone A Friend, and Ask the Audience.
In 2008, the syndicated U.S. version eliminated the 50:50 and Switch the Question lifelines and announced plans to bring back the Double Dip (replacing the 50:50) and introduce another new lifeline.
- Ask the Expert: This lifeline replaced "Switch the Question" as the fourth lifeline, and is sponsored by Skype. It is only available to the contestant after they successfully answer the $1,000 question. The contestant is able to consult with an "expert" selected by the sponsor as to what they believe the answer to the question is. It functions similar to the Three Wise Men, but only provides one person for an unspecified amount of time.
Origin
The game has similarities with the 1950s show The $64,000 Question. In that show the money won would also double with each question, and if the wrong answer was given all the money was lost. Contestants would win a new car as a consolation prize if they had reached the $8,000 question.
In the 1990s, future Who Wants to be a Millionaire executive producer Michael Davies attempted to revive Question as The $640,000 Question for ABC, before abandoning that effort in favour of the British hit.
Disputed claims of creation
Since the show launched, several individuals have claimed that they originated the format and that Celador has appropriated their copyright.
Sponsored by the Daily Mail, Mike Bull, a Southampton-based journalist, took Celador to the High Court in March 2002 claiming authorship of the Lifelines. Celador settled out of court with a confidentiality clause.
In 2003 Sydney resident John J Leonard also claimed to have originated a format substantially similar to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (although it had no Lifelines). He has to date been unable to raise the minimum quarter of a million pounds a non-UK resident needs to finance legal action against Celador in the High Court. In an effort to finance his case he published a detailed account of how he created the show.[4][5]
In 2004, Alan Melville and John Baccini, real name John Bachini, sued Celador over a similar claim. On that occasion Celador reached separate out-of-court settlements with both men. [6]
"Is that your Final Answer?"
The series also used the catchphrase with "Is that your final answer?", or more commonly the ultimatum "Final Answer?" This question derived from a rule requirement that the player must clearly indicate his or her choice before it would be made official (since the nature of the game allowed the player to think aloud about the options before committing to an answer). As a side effect, once a final answer has been given, it is etched in stone and cannot be changed, even if the contestant wants to change it. Many parodies of the game show capitalised on this phrase. (In the game, players could pre-empt the question by themselves stating "final answer" or some variant, and this is common during the early questions of each round; sometimes it is not even enforced during the early questions, although after realizing that some contestants could manage to answer even the first few questions incorrectly, the "final answer" rule is employed throughout the entire show). Another hallmark of the show is the use of dramatic pauses before the host acknowledged whether or not the answer was correct. The pauses tended to become more tense the higher the amount of money on the line. Occasionally, if it is time to go for a commercial break, the host will take the final answer but not announce if it is correct until after the break.
The host of the Australian show, Eddie McGuire, popularised the catchphrase "Lock it in?" rather than "Is that your final answer?". This has been adopted on the New Zealand show.
A similar million-dollar quiz show called Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? played off the popularity of this concept by having the contestant press a button to symbolically "lock in" their answer, which has the same effect as stating "final answer".
Another similar million-dollar quiz show called Don't Forget the Lyrics! also played off the popularity of this concept by having the contestant verbally "lock in the lyrics", which also has the same effect as stating "final answer".
Coughing and cheating scandal
In April, 2003, British Army Major Charles Ingram, his wife Diana and college lecturer Tecwen Whittock were convicted of winning £1 Million on the UK version of the show by fraudulent means when Ingram was a contestant on the show in September 2001. The allegation was that when host Chris Tarrant asked a question, Whittock, one of that edition's nine other Fastest Finger contestants, would cough in order to guide Ingram to the correct answer. Ingram won the £1 million top prize, but members of the production crew raised suspicions over Whittock's coughing and the police were called in to investigate. The program was not broadcast until after the trial. The defence claimed that Whittock simply suffered from allergies, but all three were found guilty and given suspended sentences. They maintained their innocence.[7]
Slumdog Millionaire
The 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, about a contestant who goes on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of the show, and is suspected of cheating, is an adaptation of the novel Q and A by Indian novelist Vikas Swarup, although the novel did not focus on any particular show. A possible speculation as to why Millionaire was chosen for the adaptation may have been an inspiration from the Charles Ingram incident in the UK. Swarup stated: "If a British army major can be accused of cheating, then an ignorant tiffin boy from the world's biggest slum can definitely be accused of cheating."[8]
International variants
Top prize winners
Top prize losses (final question wrong)
See also
References
External links
Original United Kingdom version
Miscellaneous
Internet Movie Database pages
