Quiz (2020)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Quiz is a modest three episodes mini series from ITV that tells the fascinating true story of Charles Ingram who was accused with his wife and an accomplish, of cheating his win of a million pounds in the popular TV game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire way back in 2001. The series is actually based on a play and novel that were written about this incident.

We are looking at the days before Google became wide spread and hence the reliance of manual searching for answers to arbitrary general knowledge questions were the order of the day. So how then, can someone actually cheat in a TV game show like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? The first two episodes shows us the events leading to the successful launch of the TV series in Britain by ITV, followed by the multiple attempts by the Ingram family to get themselves in the show, and eventually winning the grand prize. That leaves a riveting final episode that focus on the court case. Under the able direction of Stephen Frears (Victoria & Abdul, Florence Foster Jenkins, Philomena, The Queen, Dangerous Liaisons etc) the series is well paced, cleverly written with good competent performances all round. My personal favourite is the always wonderful Michael Sheen as the TV show host Chris Tarrant.

The TV Charles Ingram vs the real Charles Ingram

A bit of spoiler ahead for those who are particular about not wanting to know too much about the show ... While the facts show that Charles Ingram and wife were found guilty by the court, this adaptation offers a more sympathetic view of the case. It seem to throw in a lot of doubts over the alleged fraud and how the con was executed. If one were to find fault in this almost flawless piece of entertainment is that the producers had provided far more screen time and emphasis on the defense in the court case scenes. This felt a little one sided but I guess perhaps that may have been the whole idea. To cast doubts over whether a miscarriage of justice was in fact done. I suppose we will never know. Apparently the Ingram's have maintained their innocence till today and seeking appeal. One thing is for sure. Their story provides us with a riveting story that I can say is more incredible that fiction. So go ahead, sit back and enjoy binge watching this series.