I have seen a few adverts and various people on my timeline's talking about 'Quiz'. It is a mini series based on the true events of the show 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' and the story of the three people that hacked the system and "stole" a million pounds by bending the rules. 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' is a pretty famous show around the world, but primarily the UK.I watched it a lot as a child because it was one of the only things on in the daytime and after school. I remember the high intensity being a draw for me as a child as I would marvel over how the contestants would know such hard questions and I would get really excited when I would get questions right. It premiered in 1998, and in the years that followed that I remember watching it I would always think to myself "Could the phone a friend just google the answer?" And, even in my young brain, I could fathom the possibility of cheating slipping through the cracks. And it did happen but not in the way that I imagined.
The episode starts with a black screen with the text "We all know that art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realise truth" written across it which fades in a courtroom. The main characters under trial are a couple called Diana and Charles. The viewer ponders the quote as we watch on as flies on the wall into something we are yet to discover. Is the case black and white? it doesn't seem that way. It is every British person's pipedream to win a gameshow. It presents itself as an achievement possible for all kinds of people. The judge addresses the room and says ""Who wants to be a millionaire? well, these three certainly did" and I think that goes for most of the public in the early 00's. The words have a hint of comedy, yet the gravity of the situation stays with you for the rest of the episode.
The next scenes show ITV aquriring a new director who wants to create more major TV events like the BBC do. I find this interesting to get a glimpse into the competitive nature between channels around this time all vouching to find "the next best thing." There is a charm to watching the teams plan out how the gameshow will work and you see how appealing the whole concept is. It makes you feel like you were there at the time. The USP (unique selling point) of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' is that it will have the largest gameshow prize in the history of television- one million pounds! To even these scenes, we also pop in on the perpetrators back before the show airs. Diana is at a pub quiz with her brother. And we see a kind of disconnect from her husband Charles because he isn't there and it is hinted that he prefers her being at home. A joke is made about her cheating from another player which is a huge foreshadow for the series as it continues on.
We meet Michael Sheen who has been cast as Chris Tarrant and frankly, it works perfectly. He fits the bumbly Englishness so well. (As well he should. He had good practice as Azirphale in 'Good Omens'.) This creates such a thick later of immersion for me and I really recommend watching this show if only to see how spot on Michael's imitation is. I like the little nuggets of information the show hands to the viewer such as how the gameshow 'Mastermind' was created by someone who was interrogated by the gestapo. It really drills in the psychology of television and how things like this are used, and can bring out the best and worst in people.
We as viewers sit beside Charles and Diana as they watch the first broadcast of the show and being affected by the amount of money that is available and the tension of the show. In contrast, we see the showrunners also waiting with baited breath as to whether the show will work or not. And it does. Oh, it does. And escalates more than they ever expect. We see the popularity of the show kick off and people across the country racing to sign up and 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" wins award after award. (Using actual archive footage which I loved!) Then it is sold to America and becomes a global phenomenon. Diana's brother calls in over fifty times. He gets a spot and we see him get beaten to get in the chair much to his disappointment. We witness him start to unravel which is handled in a humanising way that makes you feel for this character as he has racked up so many phone bills he needs to pay and keep his business afloat.
Diana's brother meets a man called Paddy Spooner has gotten to be on the show in the UK, Ireland and Australia. He tells him that they "don't check" which shows that people are finding loopholes. This is riveting stuff because I wasn't aware of this. The show selects around one hundred people to call back with random questions which hard to get right. They often would rotate the questions so there was a network of a people circulating the answers to each other. It's a big operation which is so fascinating to watch and learn about. And ultimately, it is very impressive, whether it is right or wrong of them. Obviously, this inspires Diana's brother and he starts to obsess and times himself typing answers. He manages to get on the show a total of four times and the fourth time he makes it onto the main show for the real game. This does not go unnoticed by the show's producers and even Chris Tarrant mocks him for it but nobody can work out how it has happened. He loses after 32,000 pounds and is sent home.
It is upsetting that he has tried so many times only to lose. Diana takes on the legacy and gets onto the show too. She also wins 32,000 pounds and offers half of it to her brother to Charles's dismay. I love how dependant and addicted these characters get. At the end of the episode Charles has been signed up by Diana and he gets a call-back confirming he will be on the show. He doesn't want to, but now feels like he has to follow through and Diana tells him that it is "simply his turn" and we know that this is the event that ends them up in court. The question on every character's lips is "is it cheating?" and furthermore it leaves you wanting more of how they did it. I am looking forward to seeing the next two episodes and where it goes from here. Matthew Macfadyen is fantastic as playing the easily swayed husband and father and your heart goes out for him for what it about to happen but he isn't entirely innocent either.
Watch 'Quiz' on ITV Player in the UK
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