Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is coming back for a brand-new season soon, and it is set to be one of the most dramatic in the show’s long history. Not only will there be a huge winner, but one unlucky contestant will suffer a sizeable loss.
Since the beloved quiz show came back on ITV in 2018 with Jeremy Clarkson as the host, there has been only one winner of the £1 million prize: Donald Fear in 2020. In truth, he coasted it, as he had lifelines to spare at the end.
Now, with the series set to return later this month with its 36th season, ITV has teased that two contestants will make it to the final question, and “at least one” will go home with the full amount.
ITV
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Could we really have two winners this season? If so, it’ll be the first time that two people have become millionaires in the same year since 2001 (well, Charles Ingram also won the show that year, but was famously stripped of his prize).
If not, it looks like we might see someone walk away from the £1 million question and not risk losing £500,000. If that’s the case, would they have gotten the answer right if they played?
It’s not the only drama that ITV has teased from the upcoming season, as it has confirmed that one player will lose £186,000, which has been described by the broadcaster as “one of the biggest losses in the show’s history”.
That means the player set their custom milestone at the £64,000 mark, only to answer the £250,000 question incorrectly and lose a massive portion of the money that they had amassed up to that point.
It’s not the biggest loss in the show’s history, however, as Nicholas Bennett lost a whopping £375,000 last year. He reached the final question, earning himself £500,000, but only set his custom milestone at £125,000, meaning his winnings were cut by 75% in one moment.
ITV
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Clarkson, who succeeded Chris Tarrant in the iconic hosting role, said of the new season: “I think this might be my favourite [season] so far. There are some properly nail-biting moments.
“Seeing two contestants get to the £1 million question was extraordinary. When they’re sitting there on that final question, the tension in the studio is incredible – you can really feel it. I can’t wait for people to watch it.”
The new season of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? begins on ITV1 later this month. The show also streams on ITVX.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I’m a Fish.