On Quiz last week, Diana Ingram (Sian Clifford, Vanity Fair) got her husband Charles (Matthew Macfadyen, The Three Musketeers) on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, even though he was reluctant. Episode 2 picks up from there. And while the episode does spend a little time on his preparation and the Fastest Finger First round, it’s quickly done with all that. The hour mostly focuses on Charles playing for the million-pound prize.
The question-and-answer portion presents a challenge for Quiz. On one hand, we already know something is up from the revelations made about the Ingrams in the premiere. But, on the other hand, it has to maintain an air of mystery to keep the viewers engaged. This is difficult. Another contestant, Tecwen Whittock (Michael Jibson, The Alienist), supposedly helps Charles from the Fastest Finger First chair, coughing when the right answer is mentioned. Those in the studio would not have noticed the coughing during the taping, but neither would we if the show didn’t make it obvious. This unfortunately diminishes some of the tension and mystery. I’m not sure I would have made coughing subtler, though. But perhaps the crew expressing concern over Ingram’s success would’ve been enough.
How ITV investigates and moves forward is actually much more interesting. They first have to isolate the coughing from the rest of the audio. Then they have to present it to other people working on the show. The most enthralling element of this is whether they are going to air the program and whether they are going to cancel the check. Add on top of that the day they bring in the evidence is September 11, 2001. While this sounds hard to believe, it’s apparently true. Plus, besides changing where some of the characters were at the time, it would be in horrible taste to make up.
As the proverbial noose closes around Charles’ neck following the investigation, the authorities arrest him and Diana. Fast-forward to the trial, where the defense casts doubt on the accused’s guilt, stating the charges are a result of ITV’s paranoia and that the coughing evidence is inconsistent. While it makes for an intriguing argument, there’s little doubt in my mind that Ingram cheated.
Overall, an entertaining episode, though not without its flaws. Besides the aftermath of the show being engaging, Macfadyen and Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon) are very convincing as quiz show contestant and host.
Come back next week for a breakdown of the finale.
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