| Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? | |
|---|---|
| Created by |
|
| Original work | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (British game show) |
| Owner |
|
| Years | 1998–present |
| Films and television | |
| Television series | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (see International versions) |
| Audio | |
| Original music | Scores composed by Keith and Matthew Strachan |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Theme park attraction(s) | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – Play It! |
| Genre | Game show |
| First aired | 4 September 1998; 25 years ago (1998-09-04) |
| Distributor | Sony Pictures Television[1] |
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television, contestants tackle a series of multiple-choice questions to win large cash prizes in a format that twists on many game show genre conventions – only one contestant plays at a time, similar to radio quizzes; contestants are given the question before deciding whether to answer, and have no time limit to answer questions; and the amount offered increases as they tackle questions that become increasingly difficult. The maximum cash prize offered in most versions of the format is an aspirational value in local currency, such as £1 million in the UK or ₹75 million (₹7.5 crore) in India.
The original British version debuted on 4 September 1998 on the ITV network, hosted by Chris Tarrant, who presented his final episode on 11 February 2014 after which the show was discontinued. A revived series of seven episodes to commemorate its 20th anniversary aired from 5 to 11 May 2018, hosted by Jeremy Clarkson. The revival received mostly positive reviews from critics and fans, as well as high viewing figures, leading ITV to renew the show for several more series. Since its debut, international variants of the game show have been aired in around 160 countries, making it the best-selling TV format in television history,[2] and is credited by some as paving the way for the boom in the popularity of reality television.[3][4]
The format of the show was created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight, who had earlier created a number of the promotional games for Tarrant's morning showonCapital FM radio, such as the bong game. Tentatively known as Cash Mountain,[3] the show took its finalised title from a song written by Cole Porter for the 1956 film High Society, starring Frank Sinatra and Celeste Holm. Since the original version launched, several individuals have claimed that they originated the format and that Celador had breached their copyright. While many pursued litigation, they were all unsuccessful, and each claim was later settled out-of-court on an agreement/settlement.[5][6][7]
In March 2006, original producer Celador announced that it was seeking to sell the worldwide rights to Millionaire, together with the rest of its British programme library, as the first phase of a sell-off of the company's format and production divisions. British television producer Paul Smith first had the idea to franchise the UK programme internationally. He developed a series of standards for international variants that ensured they mirrored the British original closely. For example, all hosts were required to appear on-screen wearing Armani suits, as Tarrant did in the UK; producers were forbidden from hiring local composers to create original music, instead using the same music cues used by the British version; and the lighting system and set design were to adhere faithfully to the way they were presented on the British version.[8] Some of Smith's rules have been slightly relaxed over the years as the franchise's development has progressed.
Dutch company 2waytraffic ultimately acquired Millionaire and all of Celador's other programmes. Two years later, Sony Pictures Entertainment purchased 2waytraffic for £137.5 million.[9] Sony Pictures Television currently owns and licences the show's format.
A group of contestants on each episode play a preliminary round called "Fastest Finger First". All are given a question by the host and four answers which must be placed within a particular order; in the first season of the original version (1998) and the first four seasons of the Australian version (1999–2002), contestants have to answer a multiple-choice question. If any contestants are visually impaired, the host reads the question and four choices all at once, then repeats the choices after the music for the round begins. The contestant who answers correctly in the fastest time goes on to play the main game. In the event that no one gets the question right, another question is given; if two or more contestants answer correctly and with the same time, they are given a tie-breaker to determine who will make a start into the game. This round is only used when a new contestant is being chosen to play the main round, and can be played more than once in an episode among those remaining within the group seeking to play the main game. In celebrity editions, the round is not used; celebrities automatically take part in the main game.
Once a contestant enters the main game, they are asked increasingly difficult general knowledge questions by the host. Each features four possible answers, to which the contestant must give the correct answer. Doing so wins them a certain amount of money, with tackling more difficult questions increasing their prize fund. During their game, the player has a set of lifelines that they may use only once to help them with a question, as well as two "safety nets" – if a contestant gets a question wrong, but had reached a designated cash value during their game, they will leave with that amount as their prize. While the first few questions are generally easy, subsequent ones might prompt the host to ask if the answer they gave is their "final answer" – if it is, then it is locked in and cannot be changed. If a contestant feels unsure about an answer and does not wish to play on, they can walk away with the money they have won, to which the host will ask them to confirm this as their final decision; in such cases, the host will usually ask them to state what answer they would have gone for, and reveal if it would have been correct or incorrect.
During the British original, between 1998 and 2007, the show's format focused on fifteen questions. The payout structure was as follows (questions at guaranteed levels are highlighted with a bolded text):[10]
| Question number | Question value |
|---|---|
| 1 | £100 |
| 2 | £200 |
| 3 | £300 |
| 4 | £500 |
| 5 | £1,000 |
| 6 | £2,000 |
| 7 | £4,000 |
| 8 | £8,000 |
| 9 | £16,000 |
| 10 | £32,000 |
| 11 | £64,000 |
| 12 | £125,000 |
| 13 | £250,000 |
| 14 | £500,000 |
| 15 | £1,000,000 |
Between 2007 and 2014, the number of questions was reduced to twelve; the overall change in format was later incorporated into a number of international markets over a period of four years, including the Arab world, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, France, Poland, Spain, and Turkey. The payout structure, as a whole, was subsequently changed as a result, with the second safety net relocated to £50,000 at question 7 (questions at guaranteed levels are highlighted with a bolded text):[11]
| Question number | Question value |
|---|---|
| 1 | £500 |
| 2 | £1,000 |
| 3 | £2,000 |
| 4 | £5,000 |
| 5 | £10,000 |
| 6 | £20,000 |
| 7 | £50,000 |
| 8 | £75,000 |
| 9 | £150,000 |
| 10 | £250,000 |
| 11 | £500,000 |
| 12 | £1,000,000 |
The game show's revival for British television in 2018 reverted to the original arrangement used before 2007, but with one notable difference, in that the second safety net was made adjustable – once a contestant reached £1,000, the host asked them, before giving the next question, if they wished to set the next cash prize amount as the second safety net, with this allowing them to set up as high as £500,000 in their game as a result.
The original US version premiered on ABC in August 1999 as part of a two-week daily special event hosted by Regis Philbin. After this and a second two-week event aired in November 1999, ABC commissioned a regular series that launched in January 2000 and ran until June 2002. The syndication of the game show was conceived and debuting in September 2002. The only difference between it and the British version was that episodes were halved in length – 30 minutes, as opposed to the 60-minute length of the original version. The change meant that the preliminary round of the show was eliminated, and contestants had to pass a more conventional game show qualification test. Exceptions to this arrangement, in which it was used under the name "Fastest Finger" included: primetime special editions of the programme; the 2004 series that was dubbed Super Millionaire, in which the final prize was increased to $10,000,000;[12] and for the 10th anniversary special of the US edition, which ran during August 2009 for eleven episodes. The decision to remove this round later occurred in other international versions, including the British original before its reinstatement in the renewed series.
In 2008, the US version changed its format so that contestants were required to answer questions within a set time limit. The limit varied depending on the difficulty of the question:[13]
| Question number | Time limit |
|---|---|
| 1–5 | 15 seconds |
| 6–10 | 30 seconds |
| 11–14 | 45 seconds |
| 15 | 45 seconds (+ any accumulated remaining time from the previous 14 questions) |
The clock started immediately after a question was given and the four possible answers appeared. The clock paused when a lifeline was used. If the clock ran out with no answer locked in, the contestant walked away with any prize money won up to that point, unless the "Double Dip" lifeline had been used, in which case a failure to give a second answer was treated the same as a wrong answer. This format change was later adopted into other international versions – the British original, for example, adopted this change for episodes on 3 August 2010.[14] The Indian version was introduced on 11 October 2010.
On 13 September 2010, the US version adopted another significant change to its format. In this change, the game featured two rounds. The first round consisted of ten questions, in which the cash prize associated to each value, along with the category and difficulty for each question, was randomised per game. As such, the difficulty of the question in this round was not tied to the value associated to it, and a contestant did not know what amount they won unless they provided a correct answer, or chose to walk away. As part of this format, the amount of money a contestant won in this round was banked, but if they walked away before completing the round, they left with half the amount that had been banked; if they gave an incorrect answer during this round, they left with just $1,000.[15] If they answered all ten questions correctly, they then moved on to the second round, which stuck to the standard format of the game show – the remaining questions were set to general knowledge and featured cash prizes of high, non-cumulative values. The contestant could, at this point, walk away with the total amount banked from the first round; otherwise, an incorrect answer meant they left with $25,000. The format was later modified for the fourteenth season of the US version, but retained the same arrangement for the last four questions.
In 2015, the so-called "shuffle format" was scrapped and the show returned to a version that closely resembled the original format.[16]
In 2007, the German version modified the show's format with the inclusion of a new feature called "Risk Mode". During the main game, contestants are given the choice of choosing this feature, in which if they choose to use it, they gain the use of a fourth lifeline that allows them to discuss question with a member of the audience, in exchange for having no second safety net – if they get any question between the sixth and final cash prize amount wrong, they would leave with the guaranteed amount given for correctly answering five questions. This format became adopted in Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Switzerland and Venezuela.
A different variant has only one custom safety net before the start of the contestant's game.
The Taiwanese version did not have any safety nets or any option to quit; the contestant's winnings won up until they were incorrect on any question was cut by half.
In November 2008, the Italian version modified the format of the show under the title Edizione Straordinaria (lit. 'Extraordinary Edition'). In this variation of the game, six contestants take part, with each taking it in turns to answer questions and build up their prize fund.[17] Utilising the time limit format introduced in the US version, this variation on the format grants a contestant the right to pass the question on to another player, who cannot pass it on themselves, while eliminating both the option of walking away from a question, and the use of lifelines.[17] If a contestant cannot pass on or correctly answer a question, they are eliminated, and the highest cash value they made is removed.[17] The game ends when all contestants are eliminated or the question for the highest cash value is answered – if a contestant who answers the final question gives a correct answer, they win that prize; if the final question is answered incorrectly, or the last contestant is eliminated, they win a small prize, provided they reach the fifth question safety net.[17] This format was later introduced to various markets over the course of a four-year-period from 2009 to 2012, including Norway, Hungary, Spain, Vietnam,[18] Indonesia, Australia, and Chile.[19]
In 2009, the Australian version was modified to use the new Italian format, and the name was also changed from "Extraordinary Edition" to "Hot Seat". In 2017, as part of new modification to the format, the game incorporated the use of the Fastest Finger First round, with the winner able to select a lifeline, out of three that the show provided.
In 2013, the German version modified the show's format, which runs concurrent with the original format, where only one guaranteed level exists, at €1,000, and maximum prize is €2,000,000.
During a standard play of the game, a contestant is given a series of lifelines to aid them with questions. In the standard format, a contestant has access to three lifelines which each can be used only once per game. More than one lifeline can be used on a single question. The standard lifelines used in the original format of the game show include:
In the US, "Ask the Audience" and "Phone a Friend" had corporate sponsorship at different periods. The original AT&T sponsored "Phone a Friend" during the original ABC primetime show and the syndicated version's first season; the current AT&T sponsored the 2009 primetime episodes. From 2004 to 2006, AOL sponsored "Ask the Audience" and allowed users of Instant Messenger to participate in the lifeline by adding the screen name MillionaireIM to their contact list. When a contestant used the lifeline during the show, users received an instant message with the question and the four possible answers and voted for the correct answer. The computer tallied these results alongside the results from the studio audience.[20]
Contestants pre-select multiple friends for "Phone a Friend". As soon as the contestant begins to play, producers alert the friends and ask them to keep their phone lines free and wait for three rings before answering.[21] On 11 January 2010, the US version eliminated the use of "Phone a Friend" in response to an increasing trend of contestants' friends using web search engines and other internet resources to assist them during the calls. Producers came to feel that the lifeline was giving contestants who had friends with internet access an unfair advantage; they also believed it was contrary to the original intent of the lifeline: friends provided assistance based on what they knew.[22]
During recordings of the current British version, security personnel from the production office stay with contestants' friends at their homes to ensure integrity. During "The People Play" specials in 2012 and 2013, friends travelled to the studio and stayed backstage. When a contestant used the lifeline, the friend they called appeared on a monitor in the studio, and both the friend and contestant were able to see and communicate with each other.[23][24]
During the course of the game show's history, there were a number of unique lifeline additions in various versions of the programme. These include, but are not limited, to:
Out of all contestants who have played the game, relatively few have been able to win the top prize on any international version of the show. The first was John Carpenter, who won the top prize on the American version on 19 November 1999.[28] Carpenter famously did not use a lifeline until the final question, using his "Phone a Friend" to call his father, not for help, but to tell him he was about to become a millionaire.[29]
Other notable top-prize winners include Judith Keppel, the first winner of the original British version;[30] Kevin Olmstead from the US version, who won a progressive jackpot of $2.18 million;[31] Martin Flood from the Australian version, who was investigated by producers after suspicions that he had cheated, much like Charles Ingram, but was later cleared;[32] Sushil Kumar from the Indian version, who is often referred to in Western media as the "real-life Slumdog Millionaire";[33][34][35][36][37] Mana Ashida from the Japanese version, who is the youngest winner in the Millionaire franchise;[38] and David Chang, the first celebrity winner of the American version.[39][40]
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? debuted in Britain on 4 September 1998, with episodes broadcast on the ITV network. When it began airing, the show was hosted by Chris Tarrant, and became an instant hit – at its peak in 1999, one edition of the show was watched by over 19 million viewers.[41] While most of the contestants were predominantly members of the general public who had applied to take part, the show later featured special celebrity editions during its later years, often coinciding with holidays and special events.
On 22 October 2013, Tarrant decided to leave the programme after hosting it for 15 years. His decision subsequently led ITV to make plans to cancel the programme at the end of his contract, with no further specials being made other than those that were already planned.[42][43] Tarrant's final episode was a special clip show entitled "Chris' Final Answer", which aired on 11 February 2014.
Four years later, ITV revived the programme for a special 7-episode series, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the British original.[44] This series of special episodes was hosted by Jeremy Clarkson and aired every evening between 5 and 11 May 2018. The revival received mostly positive reviews from critics and fans, and, as well as high viewing figures, led to ITV renewing the show for another series with Clarkson returning as host.[45]
Since the British original debuted in 1998, several different versions of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? have been created across the world, including Australia, the United States, South Africa and India. In total over 100 different international variations have been made.[46]
On 18 April 1999, Nine Network launched an Australian version of the game show for its viewers.[47] This version ran until its final episode, aired on 3 April 2006.[48] After the first version ended, a second version was created, running for six episodes across October and November 2007,[49] before a third version, entitled Millionaire Hot Seat, made its debut on 20 April 2009.[50][51] The original version was hosted by Eddie McGuire, until he was forced to sacrifice his on-air commitments upon being made the CEO of the network;[52] after his resignation from this role,[53] he resumed his duties as host of subsequent versions of the programme.
On 16 August 1999, ABC launched an American version of the game show for its primetime viewers. Hosted by Regis Philbin,[54] it proved to be a ratings success, becoming the highest-rated television show during the 1999–2000 season, with its average audience figures reaching approximately 29 million viewers.[citation needed] After a drop in ratings, this version was cancelled, with its final episode aired on 27 June 2002.[55] On 16 September 2002, Meredith Vieira launched a daily syndicated version of the programme,[56] which she hosted for 11 seasons, until May 2013.[57] After her departure, the show was hosted by Cedric the Entertainer in 2013,[58] and Terry Crews in 2014,[59] before Chris Harrison took full hosting responsibilities in Autumn 2015.[60] On 17 May 2019, the American version was cancelled after a total of 17 seasons and 20 years encompassing both primetime and first-run syndication; the final episode of the series was broadcast on 31 May.[61] However, ABC reversed the cancellation of the programme on 8 January 2020, announcing plans for a twenty-first season, consisting of nine episodes, to be presented by Jimmy Kimmel starting 8 April.[62]
On 1 October 1999, NTV launched a Russian version the game show, entitled О, счастливчик! ("Oh, how lucky!"). This version ran until its final episode on 28 January 2001,[63] whereupon a few weeks later it was relaunched under the Russian translation of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, on Channel One. The relaunched version was hosted by Maxim Galkin until 2008 and Dmitry Dibrov until 2022.[64]
On 3 July 2000, an Indian version of the game show was launched. The show was hosted by Amitabh Bachchan in his first appearance on Indian television,[65] and received additional seasons in 2005–2006,[66] 2007, and then every year since 2010.[67] Subsequent Indian versions were also made. The original Indian version became immortalised in 2008, within the plot of Danny Boyle's award-winning drama film Slumdog Millionaire,[68] adapted from the 2005 Indian novel Q &AbyVikas Swarup.[69][70]
| Language (version) | Title | Date of release |
|---|---|---|
| Bengali | Ke Hobe Banglar Kotipoti | 4 June 2011 |
| Bhojpuri | Ke Bani Crorepati | 30 May 2011[71] |
| Hindi | Kaun Banega Crorepati | 3 July 2000 |
| Kannada | Kannadada Kotyadhipati | 12 March 2012 |
| Kashmiri | Kus Bani Koshur Karorpaet | 29 April 2019 |
| Malayalam | Ningalkkum Aakaam Kodeeshwaran | 9 April 2012 |
| Marathi | Kon Hoeel Marathi Crorepati | 6 May 2013 |
| Kon Honar Crorepati | 27 May 2019[72] | |
| Tamil | Neengalum Vellalaam Oru Kodi | 27 February 2012[73] |
| Kodeeswari | 23 December 2019 | |
| Telugu | Meelo Evaru Koteeswarudu | 9 June 2014[74] |
| Evaru Meelo Koteeswarulu | 22 August 2021 |
On 18 September 2010, a Sinhalese version called Obada lakshapathi mamada lakshapathi (ඔබද ලක්ෂපති මමද ලක්ෂපති) was launched by Sirasa TV of the Capital Maharaja Television Network. It is presented by Chandana Suriyabandara, a senior commentator in Sri Lanka. It offers 2 million Sri Lankan rupees as the ultimate prize. On its 10th anniversary, it was rebranded as Sirasa Lakshapathi, and the prize was changed to 3 million rupees.
In May 2011 a Tamil version called Ungalil Yaar Maha Latchathipathi (உங்களில் யார் மகா இலட்சாதிபதி) was launched by Shakthi TV. The show is hosted by Abarna Suthan and Balendran Kandeeban. The top prize is 2 million rupees.
In 2000, a Filipino version of the game show was launched by the government-sequestered Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation. Hosted by Christopher de Leon and produced by Viva Television,[75][76] it ran for two years before being axed. On 23 May 2009, the show was relaunched on TV5 with Vic Sotto as the new host.[77][78] The relaunched version was aired until 7 October 2012, when it was replaced by the Philippine version of The Million Pound Drop Live, but it returned the following year on 15 September 2013, following the success of Talentadong Pinoy that year. It finally concluded on 22 November 2015.
Chi vuol essere milionario? was first launched by EndemolonCanale 5 in 2000. In 2002, its name was changed from Chi vuol essere miliardario? after the Italian Lira was replaced with the Euro. In 2018, it relaunched with four special episodes for its 20th anniversary, followed by another eight special episodes in 2019,[79] and the new season is produced by Fremantle Italia's unit Wavy. The host was Gerry Scotti for every edition from 2000 to 2011 and from 2018 onward.
Ko Banchha Crorepati (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire; also simply known as KBC Nepal, को बन्छ करोडपति) first premiered on 2 February 2019 on AP1 Television, scheduled to run for 52 episodes. It is hosted by Rajesh Hamal and produced by SRBN Media Pvt. Ltd. Contestants can win cash prizes up to 1 crore (10 million) Nepalese rupees.
¿Quién quiere ser millonario? (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?) is the Costa Rican version, hosted by Ignacio Santos Pasamontes. There are three lifelines – "Video Call", "People Speak" and "Double Dip". The show was broadcast from 3 February 2009 to 3 September 2013 and from 27 April 2021 onwards. It is shown on the private TV station Teletica. If a contestant gets the fifth question correct, they leave with at least 600,000 Costa Rican colón. If a contestant gets the tenth question correct, they leave with at least ₡3,500,000. Two contestants have won the top prize.
Other notable versions created in other countries, include the following:
The musical score most commonly associated with the franchise was composed by father-and-son duo Keith and Matthew Strachan. The Strachans' score provides drama and tension, and unlike older game show musical scores, Millionaire's musical score was created to feature music playing almost throughout the entire show. The Strachans' main Millionaire theme song takes inspiration from the "Mars" movement of Gustav Holst's The Planets, and their cues from the 6th/3rd to 10th/7th question, and then from the 11th/8th question onwards, take the pitch up a semitone for each subsequent question, in order to increase tension as the contestant progressed through the game.[88]OnGame Show Network (GSN)'s Gameshow Hall of Fame special, the narrator described the Strachan tracks as "mimicking the sound of a beating heart", and stated that as the contestant works their way up the money ladder, the music is "perfectly in tune with their ever-increasing pulse".[3]
The Strachans' Millionaire soundtrack was honoured by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers with numerous awards, the earliest of them awarded in 2000.[88] A British album of the musical stings was released in 2000, while a remix of the theme tune became a UK chart hit the same year.[89] The original music cues were given minor rearrangements for the US version's clock format in 2008; for example, the question cues were synced to the "ticking" sounds of the game clock. Even later, the Strachan score was removed from the US version altogether for the introduction of the "shuffle format" in 2010, in favour of a new musical score with cues written by Jeff Lippencott and Mark T. Williams, co-founders of the Los Angeles-based company Ah2 Music.[90]
The basic set design used in the Millionaire franchise was conceived by British production designer Andy Walmsley, and is the most reproduced scenic design in television history.[8] Unlike older game shows whose sets are or were designed to make the contestant(s) feel at ease, Millionaire's set was designed to make the contestant feel uncomfortable, so that the programme feels more like a thriller movie than a typical quiz show.[3] The floor is made of Plexiglas[8] beneath which lies a huge dish covered in mirror paper.[3] The main game typically has the contestant and host sit in "Hot Seats",[3] which are slightly modified, 3 foot (0.91 m)-high Pietranera Arco All chairs situated in the centre of the stage; an LG computer monitor directly facing each seat displays questions and other pertinent information.
The lighting system is programmed to darken the set as the contestant progresses further into the game. There are also spotlights situated at the bottom of the set area that zoom down on the contestant when they answer a major question; to increase the visibility of the light beams emitted by such spotlights, oil is vaporised, creating a haze effect. Media scholar Dr. Robert Thompson, a professor at Syracuse University, stated that the show's lighting system made the contestant feel as though they were outside a prison while an escape was in progress.[3]
When the US Millionaire introduced its "shuffle format", the Hot Seats and corresponding monitors were replaced with a single podium and as a result, the contestant and host stand throughout the game and are also able to walk around the stage. According to Vieira, the Hot Seat was removed because it was decided that the seat, which was originally intended to make the contestant feel nervous, actually ended up having contestants feel so comfortable in it that it did not service the production team any longer.[91] Also, two video screens were installed – one that displays the current question in play, and another that displays the contestant's cumulative total and progress during the game. In September 2012, the redesigned set was improved with a modernised look and feel, in order to take into account the show's transition to high-definition broadcasting, which had just come about the previous year. The two video screens were replaced with two larger ones, having twice as many projectors as the previous screens; the previous contestant podium was replaced with a new one; and light-emitting diode (LED) technology was integrated into the lighting system to give the lights more vivid colours and the set and gameplay experience a more intimate feel.[92]
Millionaire has made catchphrases out of several lines used on the show. The most well-known of these catchphrases is the host's question "Is that your final answer?", asked whenever a contestant's answer needs to be verified.[93] The question is asked because the nature of the game allows contestants to ponder the options aloud before committing to an answer. Regularly on tier-three questions (and sometimes on tier-two), a dramatic pause occurs between the contestant's statement of their final answer and the host's acknowledgement of whether or not it is correct.
Many parodies of Millionaire have capitalised on the "final answer" catchphrase. In the United States, the phrase was popularised by Philbin during his tenure as the host of that country's version,[55] to the extent that TV Land listed it in its special 100 Greatest TV Quotes and Catchphrases, which aired in 2006.[94]
On the Australian versions, McGuire replaces the phrase with "Lock it in?"; likewise, the hosts of the Indian version have used varying "lock" catchphrases. There are also a number of other non-English versions of Millionaire where the host does not ask "[Is that your] final answer?" or a literal translation thereof.[95] Besides the "final answer" question, other catchphrases used on the show include the contestants' requests to use lifelines, such as "I'd like to phone a friend"; and a line that Tarrant spoke whenever a contestant was struggling with a particular question, "Some questions are only easy if you know the answer."[93] Another popular catchphrase heard throughout the show is spoke by Tarrant to encourage the player when he hands over the cheque, "But we don't want to give you that!"
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? has been credited with single-handedly reviving interest in, and breaking new ground for, the television game show.[3] It revolutionised the look and feel of game shows with its unique lighting system, dramatic music cues, and futuristic set. The show also became one of the best selling TV format in television history,[96][2] and is credited by some as paving the way for the boom in the popularity of reality television.[3][4]
In 2000, the British Film Institute honoured the UK version of Millionaire by ranking it number 23 on its "BFI TV 100" list, which compiled what British television industry professionals believed were the greatest programmes to have ever originated from that country.[97] The UK Millionaire also won the 1999 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Programme, and seven National Television Awards for Most Popular Quiz Programme from 1999 to 2005.
The original primetime version of the US Millionaire won two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show in 2000 and 2001. Philbin was honoured with a Daytime Emmy in the category of Outstanding Game Show Host in 2001, while Vieira received one in 2005 and another in 2009, making her the second woman to win an Emmy Award for hosting a game show, and the first to win multiple times.[98] TV Guide ranked the US Millionaire No. 7 on its 2001 list of the 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time,[99] and later ranked it No. 6 on its 2013 "60 Greatest Game Shows" list.[100] GSN ranked Millionaire No. 5 on its August 2006 list of the 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time,[101] and later honoured the show in January 2007 on its first, and so far only, Gameshow Hall of Fame special.[3]
In September 2001, British Army Major Charles Ingram apparently won the top prize in the UK Millionaire, but his flip-flopping on each of the final two questions raised suspicion of cheating. When the footage was reviewed, staff made a connection between Fastest Finger contestant Tecwen Whittock's coughing and Ingram's answers. The prize was withheld, and police were called in to investigate the matter further.
In March 2003, the Ingrams and Whittock were taken to court on the charge of using fraudulent means to win the top prize on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. During the trial, the defence claimed that Whittock had simply suffered from allergies during recording of the second episode, but the prosecution noted that his coughing stopped upon Ingram leaving the set and Whittock subsequently taking his turn on the main game. The trial concluded with all three being found guilty and receiving suspended sentences.[102] After the trial, ITV aired a documentary about the scandal, along with Ingram's entire game, with coughing sounds amplified. As a joke, Benylin paid to have the first commercial shown during the programme's commercial break.[103]
In April 2020, ITV aired a three part drama titled Quiz based upon the scandal.[104]
Three board game adaptations of the UK Millionaire were released by Upstarts in 1998, and a junior edition recommended for younger players was introduced in 2001. The US version also saw two board games of its own, released by Pressman Toy Corporation in 2000.[105][106] Other Millionaire board games have included a game based on the Australian version's Hot Seat format, which was released by UGames;[107] a game based on the Italian version released by Hasbro;[108] and a game based on the French version which was released by TF1's games division.[109]
An electronic tabletop version of the game was released by Tiger Electronics in 2000.[110] Six different DVD games based on the UK Millionaire, featuring Tarrant's likeness and voice, were released by Zoo Digital Publishing[111] and Universal Studios Home Entertainment between 2002 and 2008. In 2008, Imagination Games released a DVD game based on the US version, based on the 2004–2008 format and coming complete with Vieira's likeness and voice,[112] as well as a quiz book[113] and a 2009 desktop calendar.[114]
The UK Millionaire saw five video game adaptations for personal computers and Sony's PlayStation and Sega's Dreamcast consoles, as well as Nintendo's Game Boy Advance, produced by Hothouse Creations and Eidos Interactive. Between 1999 and 2001, Jellyvision produced five games based on the US network version for PCs and the PlayStation, all of them featuring Philbin's likeness and voice. The first of these adaptations – Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – was published by Disney Interactive, while the later four were published by Buena Vista Interactive which had just been spun off from DI when it reestablished itself in attempts to diversify its portfolio. Of the five games, three featured general trivia questions,[115][116][117] one was sports-themed,[118] and another was a "Kids Edition" featuring easier questions.[119] Eurocom ported the game to the Game Boy Color for the second edition. Two additional US Millionaire games were released by Ludia in conjunction with Ubisoft in 2010 and 2011; the first of these was a game for Nintendo's Wii console and DS handheld system, as well as a PlayStation 3 port of the Wii version, based on the 2008–2010 clock format,[120] with the Wii version offered on the show as a consolation prize to audience contestants during the 2010–2011 season. The second, for Microsoft's Xbox 360, was based on the "shuffle format"[121] and was offered as a consolation prize during the next season (2011–2012).
Ludia also made a Facebook game based on Millionaire available to players in North America from 2011 to 2016. This game featured an altered version of the "shuffle format", condensing the number of questions to twelve – eight in round one and four in round two. Contestants competed against eight other Millionaire fans in round one, with the top three playing round two alone. There was no "final answer" rule; the contestant's responses were automatically locked in. Answering a question correctly earned a contestant the value of that question, multiplied by the number of people who responded incorrectly. Contestants were allowed to use two of their Facebook friends as "Jump the Question" lifelines in round one, and to use the "Ask the Audience" lifeline in round two to invite up to 50 such friends of theirs to answer a question for a portion of the prize money of the current question.[122]
On 29 October 2020, Microids published a video game under the same name and released it on Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.[123]
In September 2001, Celador signed a deal with DIC Entertainment to produce a cartoon based on the show titled The Adventures of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – The Animated Series.[124][125] The series was to follow fictional winners of the show, who would have used their prize money to take trips to various exotic locations, while the fictional host would keep in touch with them through the Millionaire Command Center.
The series was planned to be shown off at MIPCOM that year, however nothing else was confirmed for the series, and was silently scrapped without a formal announcement.
A theme park attraction based on the show, known as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – Play It!, appeared at Disney's Hollywood Studios (when it was known as Disney-MGM Studios) at the Walt Disney World ResortinOrlando, Florida and at Disney California Adventure ParkinAnaheim, California. Both the Florida and California Play It! attractions opened in 2001; the California version closed in 2004,[126] and the Florida version closed in 2006 and was replaced by Toy Story Midway Mania!
The format in the Play It! attraction was very similar to that of the television show that inspired it. When a show started, a "Fastest Finger" question was given, and the audience was asked to put the four answers in order; the person with the fastest time was the first contestant in the Hot Seat for that show. However, the main game had some differences: for example, contestants competed for points rather than dollars, the questions were set to time limits, and the "Phone a Friend" lifeline became "Phone a Complete Stranger" which connected the contestant to a Disney cast member outside the attraction's theatre who would find a guest to help. After the contestant's game was over, they were awarded anything from a collectible pin, to clothing, to a Millionaire CD game, to a three-night Disney Cruise.[127]
The Italian version worked in 2008 on a spin-off of the game show called 50–50 (Fifty Fifty).[128][129][when?] Such a spin-off aired in North Macedonia, Nepal, Albania, Kosovo, Spain, Sweden, Greece, Japan, Thailand, Turkey and Egypt.[130]
| 50–50 | |
|---|---|
| Original work | 50–50 (Italy) |
| Years | 2008 – mid-2010s |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Genre | Game show |
| First aired | 21 April 2008; 16 years ago (2008-04-21) |
| Distributor |
|
50–50 was a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of randomised multiple-choice questions of varying difficulty with two options. The format is a spin-off of the quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and was created by Intellygents, 2waytraffic, Endemol and RTI (Reti Televisive Italiane) company of Mediaset, moreover, was exported and aired in many countries around the world.[131]
Unlike the traditional Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, this game is played by a team of two players.[132][133]
In round 1, the playing pair will answer ten questions. Each question is worth a different random amount, and all the money they win goes into their jackpot. If at any point they get an answer wrong, the value of the jackpot is halved. The team plays together but will answer each question separately.
Only one player in the couple (determined at random) sees the question and its two answers. They will have ten seconds to lock in their answer. After the first player selects an answer, the host turns to the second player and shows them the question and the answer that the first player chose. (They are not shown the answer that their partner turned down.) Player 2 must now decide whether to agree with Player 1's answer, or to switch the team's answer to the other answer, whatever it may be. If the question is ultimately answered correctly, the value of the question will be added to the bank. Otherwise, the current value of the bank is halved.
In round 2, the host poses five questions to one player of the team in succession. After playing them, the other player would have only seen one of the two choices. Now the second player will look at all five answers and determine how many questions the first player answered correctly. If the player guesses too few or too many, the winnings are reduced to zero.
In the final round, the host asks five questions to one of the two competitors, this will have 10 seconds to answer each question and her partner will on his electronic screen stand the answer. He or she will decide whether to confirm or choose the option that has not been seen. At the end of the questions the contestant who does not see both answers will have to make a prediction of the number of correct answers given. The total prize money can be won only if the forecast is 5 and proves correct, otherwise the part of the prize money that is won will be proportionately less. If the number of correct answers is guessed, the pair win the prize, otherwise they receive the consolation prize.
| Country | Name | Host | Channel | Year shown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Albania Kosovo[134]
|
Fifty Fifty | Enkel Demi | RTSH Klan Kosova |
April 14, 2013 – ? | €25,000 |
 Egypt
|
Fifty Fifty | Ashraf Riad | ERT 1 | November 5, 2010 – 2011 | ج.م250,000 |
 Greece[135][136][137]
|
Fifty Fifty | Giorgos Liagkas | Mega Channel | 2008–2009 | €30,000 |
 Italy (original format)[138][139]
|
Fifty Fifty | Gerry Scotti | Canale 5 | April 21, 2008 – May 25, 2008 | €300,000 |
 Japan
|
クイズ 50-50 Quiz Fifty-Fifty |
Toshihiro Itō | BS Fuji | May 7, 2008 – ? | ¥3,000,000 |
 Nepal
|
Fifty Fifty | Madan Krishna Shrestha | NTV | 2008 | Rs.500,000 |
 North Macedonia[140]
|
Педесет-Педесет Pedeset-Pedeset |
Predrag Pavlovski Žarko Dimitrioski |
A1 | June 30, 2008 – 2009 | 300,000 ден |
 Spain[141][142][143]
|
Fifty Fifty | Silvia Jato | Cuatro | July 1, 2008 – September 6, 2008 | €50,000 |
 Sweden[144]
|
Postkodlotteriets 50-50 | Sofia Rågenklint | TV4 | September 22, 2008 – April 23, 2009 | 55,000 kr |
 Thailand
|
50-50 | Ṭhnạth Tạnnuchittikul | TV3 | November 2, 2009 – October 12, 2010 | 5,000 baht |
 Turkey[145][146]
|
Birimiz İkimiz İçin | İlker Aksum | TRT 1 | October 10, 2010 – ? | 100,000 TL |
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