The contestant who was dismissed from Who Wants to be a Millionaire? over the controversial "lunula" question is being allowed to return to the programme.
Tyrone Productions, the firm behind the show, has offered to reinstate Mr Shane Doherty at the £125,000 stage of the quiz - the amount he would have won if his answer to the problematic question had been accepted on Sunday night.
Mr O'Doherty said last night he would take a few days to decide if he would play for a cash prize of £250,000. "This has been a hugely pressured few days. It's a great offer and I'm happy that the offer's been made but I haven't responded to it yet," he said. Mr O'Doherty said he and his wife, Patricia, were going to "take time out" to think about the offer. The company continues to insist the correct answer to "Where is the human body is the lunula located?" is "fingernail" rather than "heart", as Mr O'Doherty contended.
Tyrone Production's managing director, Ms Joan Egan, said investigations had proved there was no negligence on the part of her company. It carried out a "trawl" over the last few days to ensure its position was sound, she said.
However, she said contestants were important to them and invited Mr Doherty back at the £125,000 mark.
Yesterday, a Who Wants to be a Millionaire? skit planned for RTE Radio 1's Liveline show was pulled at the last minute because of "legal developments". Presenter Joe Duffy said on air he had a note passed preventing him from going ahead with a quiz involving Mr O'Doherty.
"We were going to ask him an alternative £250,000 question and if he got that right we were going to ask him a 500 and if he got that right we were going to ask him the million-pound question. I even have here . . . a real cheque from the Band of Ireland, one million pounds," Mr Duffy said. However, Liveline series producer Ms Anne Farrell said the cheque was not real.
Mr Tom McGuire, daytime radio editor, said RTE did not want to "muddy the waters" in the dispute between Tyrone Productions and the protesting contestant.
