Despair for Oliver after £250k gameshow gamble

Contestant let down by Who Wants to be a Millionaire? crowd

A young man from Canterbury let £93,000 slip through his fingers after trusting people in a gameshow audience to know their literature.

Financial analyst Oliver Blake, who is in his early 20s, breezed through to the £250,000 question on ITV’S Who Wants to be a Millionaire? on Sunday night, impressing host Jeremy Clarkson with his vast general knowledge.

But he was left analysing his own choices after taking a gamble and losing close to £100,000.

After being asked which famous novel opens with the words ‘3 May. Bistritz. Left Munich at 8:35 P.M’, Oliver decided to use his 50:50 lifeline, whittling the options down to just two - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Dracula.

Still unsure, he used his final lifeline and asked the audience members what they thought, with a staggering 81% opting for the John le Carré spy novel.

With the number so high, Oliver - a former pupil of Sir Roger Manwood’s grammar school in Sandwich - decided to take a punt and go with the audience.

But his face dropped when Clarkson told him the answer was in fact Dracula and he would be leaving the show with only £32,000.

Had he chosen to walk away without gambling, he would have collected a guaranteed £125,000.

Earlier in the show, Oliver had told Clarkson he was going to Australia next month and the money would allow him to travel in a little more style.

“I might upgrade from a hostel to a hotel,” he said.

n Visit kentishgazette.co.uk to try your luck at the 12 questions Oli faced.