It remains one of TV’s rarest achievements, but Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? has crowned its seventh £1m-winning contestant, ending a six-year drought.
Retired IT analyst Roman Dubowski was the lucky individual who answered all of his 15 questions correctly to win the jackpot.
Throughout his time in the hot seat, he had one near miss at the £1,000 mark, when he was asked the missing key ingredient in mayonnaise. But he whizzed through the remaining questions put to him by host Jeremy Clarkson, who branded him “an encyclopaedia in a shirt”.
He was left with two lifelines for the final question, including 50:50 and Ask Jeremy, in which contestants can ask Clarkson for his input.
After winning the cash prize, Mr Dubowski, who had unsuccessfully applied twice before to get on the show, said: “I thought I was good enough to win, say, a five-figure sum because I’ve seen the show so much.
“I’ve seen very good quiz names not do so well because just one question can catch you out.”
He was nerveless giving his answer to the tricky million-pound question, and he later told ITV: “As soon as the question came up, I thought, ‘I think I know this.’
“One of my strategies was to stay calm and not rush, to speak slowly and think things through rather than jump at an answer. The question referenced a painting by Manet, and I immediately remembered seeing it in the Courtauld Gallery ... I used my 50:50, but in truth I was already confident – it simply confirmed what I thought.”
Mr Dubowski is the second winner under Clarkson’s watch, the first being Donald Fear in 2020, who was the first to scoop the jackpot after 14 years. During the Chris Tarrant era, there were five winners, including Judith Keppel (2000), David Edwards (2001), Robert Brydges (2001), Pat Gibson (2004) and Ingram Wilcox (2006).
ITV has announced that a second contestant from the latest series is also set to win the full cash prize next month, bringing the overall tally to eight.
In September 2001, Major Charles Ingram was thrust into the spotlight after being accused of cheating his way to victory.
Ingram, a British Army officer, was noticeably poor in the early stages of his participation on the show, answering the easiest of questions with uncertainty. However, the following day, while recording the second half of his appearance, he proved inexplicably successful and, despite apparently knowing little, got every answer correct. He ultimately took home a million pounds, becoming the show’s second-ever winner of the big money prize.
His cheque was rescinded after producers watched the episode back and detected a recurring cough in the audience, seemingly responding to the correct answers.
Could you have correctly answered Mr Dubowski’s questions and become a millionaire? Here are his questions from the episode:
QUESTION 1 – £100: The planet Saturn famously has seven what?
A) Rings, B) Necklaces, C) Bracelets, D) Anklets
QUESTION 2 – £200: At which of these locations is ice hockey traditionally played?
A) Rink, B) Range, C) Court, D) Field
QUESTION 3 – £300: If you respond to an opponent’s attack with the same method, you are said to fight . . . ?
A) Fire with fire, B) Smoke with smoke, C) Embers with embers, D) Cinders with cinders
QUESTION 4 – £500: What is the name of the famous mansion in Memphis that was Elvis Presley’s home from 1957 to 1977?
A) Paisley Park, B) Graceland, C) The Troubadour, D) Dollywood
QUESTION 5 – £1,000: What is mixed with vinegar, mustard and oil to make basic mayonnaise?
A) Plain flour, B) Salted butter, C) Egg yolk, D) Double cream
QUESTION 6 – £2,000: In the Harry Potter books, which term is used to describe a non-magic person?
A) Muggle, B) Moomin, C) Munchkin, D) Minion
QUESTION 7 – £4,000: Which of these fashion retailers was founded in Japan?
A) Zara, B) Uniqlo, C) Urban Outfitters, D) FatFace
QUESTION 8 – £8,000: Which of these major historic events took place in the middle of the 14th century?
A) English Civil War, B) Norman Conquest, C) Black Death, D) Wars of the Roses
QUESTION 9 – £16,000: Which of these sea creatures is not classed cartilaginous?
A) Shark, B) Ray, C) Dolphin, D) Skate
QUESTION 10 – £32,000: Which word refers to a metal that can be stretched out into a thin wire without breaking?
A) Sonorous, B) Conductive, C) Ductile, D) Lustrous
QUESTION 11 – £64,000: Which of these plays is part of the 20th century theatrical movement known as The Theatre of the Absurd?
A) Death Of A Salesman, B) The Glass Menagerie, C) The Seagull, D) Waiting For Godot
QUESTION 12 – £125,000: The Rhone river begins its journey in which mountain range?
A) Alps, B) Pennines, C) Carpathians, D) Pyrenees
QUESTION 13 – £250,000: Which of these figures from Greek mythology is not known for slaying a monster?
A) Theseus, B) Perseus, C) Adonis, D) Bellerophon
QUESTION 14 – £500,000: Presented in 1901, the first Nobel Prize in physics was awarded for the discovery of what?
A) Wireless telegraphy, B) X-rays, C) Cosmic radiation, D) Quantum mechanics
QUESTION 15 – £1,000,000: Used since 1876, which trademarked logo is described in the James Joyce novel Ulysses and depicted in works by Manet and Picasso?
A) Bass Ale, B) The Famous Grouse, C) Coca-Cola, D) Stella Artois
ANSWERS
A – Rings. 2. A – Rink. 3. A – Fire with fire. 4. B – Graceland. 5. C – Egg yolk. 6. A – Muggle. 7. B – Uniqlo. 8. C – Black Death. 9. C – Dolphin. 10. C – Ductile. 11. D – Waiting For Godot. 12. A – Alps. 13. C – Adonis. 14. B – X-rays. 15. A – Bass Ale.
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