Charles Ingram has revealed he wants to have a re-match on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? for double the money, following the release of ITV’s drama Quiz.
The ‘Coughing Major’, 73, detailed his wish to try his hand at the game once again while responding to Westlife’s Brian McFadden on Twitter on Friday.
Sharing his thoughts on the retelling of the shocking scandal, the singer, 40, wrote: ‘Give him another chance on the show without a randomly picked audience.
‘See how he does. Now that would be quality television !!!! Charles v millionaire. The re-match. ‘
Sharing his support for such an idea, Charles responded:’ Throw in an independent adjudicator for questions and it’s game on. Someone suggested doubling the money too … ‘
Charles and his wife Diana were found guilty of conspiracy to steal £ 1 million from the TV quiz show hosted by Chris Tarrant by using coughs as signals in .
Supportive: Sharing his support for Brian’s idea, Charles responded: ‘Throw in an independent adjudicator for questions and it’s game on. Someone suggested doubling the money too … ‘
Charles went on to reply to several other people on Twitter, asking them to’ keep an open mind ‘about his conviction.
In response to one Twitter user professing they believed the Ingrams were innocent as they ‘turned down a fortune’, Charles responded: ‘… and a trip to Oprah in US. But sadly the producer I spoke to on the phone said it required me to say that I cheated. ‘
While he stepped in multiple times during an argument between two users, and said:’ consider the chain of evidence and rule of law, both very important in justice and democracy, and what should happen to those that subvert them. All I ask is that you keep an open mind for a while longer. ‘
‘ People rightly believe the ‘quality’ if you like, of the evidence matters. Historically in British justice it is always the low quality / low threshold convictions that are later overturned. If the evidence changes I hope you will reconsider. ‘
Stepping in: In response to one user who believed he was innocent as they’ turned down a fortune ‘ , Charles responded: ‘… and a trip to Oprah in US. But sadly the producer I spoke to on the phone said it required me to say that I cheated ‘
Responses: While he stepped in multiple times during an argument between two users, and asked them to ‘keep an open mind’ about his case
Following the release of ITV drama Quiz , which retells the story of the allegedly conspiring to steal the money some viewers felt that the pair might in fact be innocent.
However, on Thursday Chris claimed there is’ no doubt in his mind ‘that Charles is guilty of the coughing scandal.
The TV host branded Charles a ‘rotter, a cad and a bandit’ following suggestions that he believed the couple to be innocent due to his portrayal on screen, which has also led to online speculation .
Speaking on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X, he said: ‘She was very well made wasn’t it? It was actually very well done but it is a drama, it’s not factual.
‘So most of those conversations were made up because that’s what playwrights do. I mean the bottom line is he’s a rotter and a cad and a bandit and he was guilty. No question in my mind at all that he was guilty! ‘
Chris stood up in court at the time and claimed that he did not hear any coughing throughout the episode while Charles was in the hot seat.
The couple were found guilty of deception alongside supposed accompliceice Tecwen Whittock, and given suspended prison sentences, but the drama’s final scene sees them break the fourth wall with Chris asking viewers to offer their own verdict.
Chris, whose part was played by character actor Michael Sheen, said that he disagreed with viewers being left wondering whether the couple committed a crime.
He told the host, during the interview: ‘And there were so many things in there that they did not include.
‘ My beef With it is that they did a very strange but very convincing defense QC – that woman, Helen McRory – a very good defense wind-up, but they did not do any prosecution wind-up.
At the time: Following the release of ITV drama Quiz, which retells the story of the allegedly conspiring to steal the money, Chris, , has had his say on the matter (pictured at the course case at Southwark Crown Court in 2001)
‘Now, in any court of law the prosecution does the last bit and when the Major and his wife and Tecwen [Whittock, the third man involved in the plot] were on the actual court case, the prosecution guy did the most brilliant sum up, bringing all the strands in – the coughing and the bleepers and all the stuff – and went to the jury and they went ‘guilty, guilty, guilty’.
‘They didn’t do that last night at all, they just stopped on her, and you’re going’ oh yeah, I think he might be… oh poor bloke, poor little man – al l that – maybe he’s innocent ‘.
‘ I think it was – that bit was a bit of production company skulduggery basically. I mean, they wanted you to think ‘blimey I don’t think he was guilty’. ‘
Chris disputed the fact that ITV and the production team went after the couple and claimed that it was all dealt with by the police.
Taking the stand: Chris stood up in court at the time and claimed that he did not hear any coughing throughout the episode while Charles was in the hot seat
He said : ‘We wouldn’t – the police prosecuted him, we did not. At the time I think we were getting audiences of something like 30 or 30 million.
‘We sold it to 500 countries around the world – America, Australia, India etc – so why would we go out on a limb to try and prosecute one of these guys?
‘Of course we thought he was guilty, no question! And nothing has changed my mind to be honest. It was very well done though! ‘
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Tense: Charles and Diana were found guilty of deception in the third and final episode of Quiz, after their attempts to cheat on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire were exposed
Explaining the reason behind his opinion that they were guilty of the crime, Chris said: ‘ I’ve always said, I saw nothing. But the studio that night was like a madhouse.
‘People were screaming and gasping just because he was so, you know he’s a serving British Army Major who’s on, I don’t know £ 40 ka year …
‘Rented accommodation or whatever, and he’s going’ Oh yes £ 500, , let’s risk it, let’s play ‘and all this and you think’ why would you do that? ‘
Did he do it? The third final episode of Quiz aired on Wednesday night, and left viewers stunned with hints that ‘coughing Major’ Charles Ingram could be innocent
‘And he was so hard to follow! He was going ‘Er, Berlin, Berlin, Berlin, I think it’s Berlin. Ah, no it’s not, it’s Paris’ and I’m going ‘Hang on, so this is your final answer, Paris?’ so I am so focused on this guy thinking you know ‘what is your final answer and how far are you going and are you really risking that amount of money?’
‘The studio was like a madhouse. People were screaming, people were coughing everywhere because people always cough in studios, so I didn’t hear Tecwen!
‘Afterwards I had to sit through the floor squad the next day and go through the tapes and it’s like’ oh my god, what is going on! ‘
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