Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? cheats Charles and Diana Ingram were vilified because they were 'privileged and middle class', says writer of new ITV drama Quiz
- James Graham's program retells the scam by Charles and Diana Ingram in 2001
- The screenwriter claimed their 'air of privilege' made them 'ripe for the media'
- Helen McCrory, playing lawyer who defended them, said they may be innocent
- Quiz will start on ITV on Monday, April 13, and airs on three consecutive nights
The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? cheats were vilified because they were 'privileged and middle class', the writer of new ITV drama Quiz has said.
James Graham's show retells the 2001 scandal which saw Charles and Diana Ingram bag £1million before being found guilty of deception.
Helen McCrory, who plays Sonia Woodley QC, the lawyer who defended the couple, has previously revealed she thinks they may be innocent.
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James Graham's show retells the 2001 scandal which saw Charles and Diana Ingram (pictured) bag £1million before being found guilty of deception
The screenwriter (pictured) added Quiz wants to question whether the humiliation they suffered was proportionate to the crime
Mr Graham told Radio Times: 'They appear to be relatively privileged, white and middle class, with quite well-spoken accents.
'He's in the military, so there's an air of privilege around them – also, maybe, gullibility, or innocence and naivety.
'And that makes them ripe for the media to enjoy putting them in the stocks and throwing vegetables at them.'
The screenwriter added Quiz wants to question whether the humiliation they suffered was proportionate to the crime.
The show follows the Ingrams cheating their way to the top prize with the help of contestant Tecwen Whittock, who would cough to indicate the correct answer
The show follows the Ingrams cheating their way to the top prize with the help of contestant Tecwen Whittock, who would cough to indicate the correct answer.
The plot was hatched after Ingram struggled to just £4,000 in the first show and had to use two of his lifelines to get there.
Mr Ingram won the top prize but many crew members were convinced he had cheated and producers threatened to stop filming.
The Ingrams faced trial at Southwark Crown Court and both maintained their innocence.
The Ingrams (pictured, their actors in the new drama) faced trial at Southwark Crown Court and both maintained their innocence
But they were convicted of deception following a four-week trial in 2004 and Mr Ingram was handed a 20-month suspended sentence.
His two accomplices were given 18-month suspended sentences for their parts in the scam.
Yet actress McCrory revealed she thinks the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? cheats could be innocent and said there were unanswered questions.
Actress McCrory revealed she thinks the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? cheats could be innocent and said there were unanswered questions
The 51-year-old told the Mirror: 'The fact that a lot of people at the time didn’t hear the cough... Chris Tarrant didn’t hear the cough, the person sitting opposite didn’t hear the cough, people either side didn’t hear the cough, yet for some reason he [Charles Ingram] heard the cough – really?'
She concedes it could have been a set up but admitted she also thinks its possible Mr Ingram was innocent.
McCrory said: 'Now for some reason maybe he did. Maybe it was a complete set-up, or maybe he didn’t. You’re just looking for a truth.
'You see these two innocents walk into the gladiators den, and at the same time we all know it’s just magic boxes – it’s lights and smoke and mirrors.'
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