£1million near miss
But retired GP bags £500k on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
ONLY five contestants on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? have won the ultimate prize since the show began in 1998.
And last night a retired GP narrowly missed out on becoming the sixth after deciding against answering the £1million question.
Andrew Townsley, 53, from Glasgow, chose not to play the final question about motor sport – but still took home £500,000 after an impressive performance on the ITV quiz show.
He only had his ‘phone a friend’ lifeline left when he was faced with the question: ‘In the history of motor sport, which of these iconic races was held first?’
With his friend unsure about the correct answer – a choice between the Le Mans 24 Hour, the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500 or the Isle of Man TT – Mr Townsley decided it was too much of a risk to take. Asked by host Jeremy Clarkson which answer he would have gone for if he was ‘feeling lucky’, Mr Townsley responded with the right one – the Isle of Man TT – which was first held in 1907.
Mr Townsley, who has progressive multiple sclerosis, a lifelong condition that affects the brain and nerves, appeared on the show in a wheelchair. He said he would give some of his prize money to charity and spend some on a trip to see Niagara Falls in Canada with his wife Paddy, who is also a retired doctor.
Mr Townsley said: ‘I am over the moon with my actual winnings of £500,000. £500,000 or a million are both far in excess of anything I thought I might win on a quiz show. My only disappointment looking back on that final question situation, was that I would have been able to highlight more charities with the larger win.’
The father of two became only the second person to reach the £1million question since Jeremy Clarkson took over as host from Chris Tarrant in 2018.
The last was in March 2019, when English teacher John Robinson from Birmingham also bagged £500,000 but bowed out on seeing the final question. Mr Townsley played a calm and confident game, not using a lifeline until the £125,000 question. Congratulating him on his performance, Clarkson said: ‘I don’t get to say this very often, but Andrew Townsley you’re going away from here with half a million pounds. Well done Andrew, well done.’ He added: ‘Go away and celebrate being a truly fabulous contender and a man who has half a million quid more than he did a few minutes ago.’
The top prize was last won 14 years ago by Ingram Wilcox. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? continues all this week at 9pm on ITV.