BRITAIN: Thunderous synthesised music, questions about Swiss cheese, and bluer humour than is normally heard on air filled a courtroom yesterday as a British army major, his wife and a college lecturer went on trial accused of cheating on the TV quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
It is usually the host Chris Tarrant who asks contestants to explain how they came by their answers, but after Maj Charles Ingram won £1 million on the show in September 2001, it was the police who asked him how he did it.
A series of coughs at crucial moments helped the major, from Easterton, Wiltshire, in the west of England, to become the show's third £1 million winner, prosecution counsel Mr Nicholas Hilliard told a jury at Southwark Crown Court, in London.
Police inquiries suggested the coughing had come from fellow contestant Mr Tecwen Whittock (53), of Cardiff, south Wales, who was sitting 10 feet from the soldier, waiting to take his turn in the "fastest finger first" elimination round.
Mr Whittock was on trial alongside the 39-year-old officer and the his wife, Ms Diana Ingram (38), a nursery nurse. All three deny cheating Chris Tarrant into signing a £1 million cheque, which was stopped by programme makers Celador. The prosecution said that although Maj Ingram, serving with the British Royal Engineers, and Mr Whittock deny having met or speaking to each other, there is evidence of phone contact between Ms Ingram and Mr Whittock.
Judge Geoffrey Rivlin and barristers doffed their wigs as the jury was shown tapes of the major's performance, which took place over September 9th and 10th, 2001, and has never been broadcast because of the inquiry.
Maj Ingram is seen telling Tarrant: "To be honest, I will be happy to walk away with anything." Tarrant told the audience that the major's wife had previously appeared on the show and won £32,000, and that his brother-in-law had also appeared and won the same amount. Laughter was heard in court as Tarrant poked fun at the major's stiff manner.
The major answered the first three questions, but got into difficulty on question six, using the "ask the audience" lifeline when confronted with a question about the TV soap opera Coronation Street. He struggled on the next question about the location of the River Foyle and phoned a friend.
As the questions became harder, Maj Ingram often appeared unsure, often going for a different answer from the one he initially appeared to choose.
Mr Hilliard said there was "a bit of an attempt to make it look like a sweat, some furrowing of the brow [but] ... complete changes of mind coincide with the coughs; if you look at the whole picture, that's what's going on."
He struggled with a question on who Jacqueline Kennedy's second husband had been. Twice, when he said aloud the correct answer - Aristotle Onassis - a cough was heard, which the prosecution claims came from Mr Whittock. The trial continues. - ( Guardian Service)