The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Teacher the first winner of TV contest in 14 years
● Luck runs in family for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? champ
The first contestant to win Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in 14 years celebrated with a caravan holiday around the UK and now plans to spend his £1 million bounty on a motorhome.
History and politics teacher Donald Fear, 57, who lives in Telford, correctly answered the final 15th question about the death of a famous pirate in 1718.
The father of four, who has been married to his wife, Debs, a nurse, for 33 years, is the sixth champion in the ITV programme’s 22year history.
The lucky streak runs in the family as his elder brother, Davyth, last year won £500,000 as a contestant on the same programme.
Following his win, which was broadcast last night, Mr Fear and his wife embarked on a caravan trip along the Northumberland coast.
They previously planned to visit Santander, Bilbao and Pamplona in Spain before heading for the
Pyrenees, but were thwarted by Covid-19.
Asked how he would be spending his next holiday, Mr Fear revealed he intended to buy a motorhome and visit “wonderful Britain”.
He said: “Much as I’d love to jump on the next plane to the States or something like that, it’s just not an option.
“So for the moment it’s wonderful Britain, probably Wales first of all
– so a motorhome in Wales is what I’m going to spend my million pounds on.”
The show’s host, Jeremy Clarkson, said Mr Fear was like “having the Encyclopaedia Britannica sitting opposite me” and added: “It’s Google, in a head”.
Describing himself as “a bit of a democratic socialist”, Mr Fear said he planned give at least 70% of his winnings to members of his family and spend the rest on a “comfortable retirement”.
He also rubbished the idea of buying an Aston Martin sports car or moving house, saying: “It’s in a lovely area and I’ve been there for 27 years.”
After winning the second Fastest Finger First round of the show, Mr Fear said he was “in the zone immediately”.
However, he admitted: “Then my next thing to negotiate was getting on the chair because I was a bit worried I was going to fall off... because I’ve got quite short legs.
“I was concentrating, I was sitting as absolutely still as I can, so this thing about (me being) cool and calm is actually me trying not to make a complete idiot of myself on national television.”
The final question he answered correctly was: “In 1718, which pirate died in battle off the coast of what is now North Carolina?” The answer was: Blackbeard.
“I’m a dates man,” he said.
“You don’t be a history teacher for 33 years without knowing a few dates, and the date 1718 and Blackbeard leapt out at me instantly.”
Mr Fear only used one of his lifelines, 50:50, to win the jackpot, leaving his two Phone A Friend options and Ask The Host unused.
“The date 1718 and Blackbeard leapt out at me instantly”