Millionaire Moments: The Story of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'

Chris Tarrant's own account of the most popular TV entertainment show in Britain since the first programme was broadcast in September 1998 to today's massive success. 'Which country is sandwiched between Ghana and Benin?'. Asked this question on £64,000, the very first contestant in ITV's hugely successful 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' opted to take the money. Some have since won a million on the show, whilst three have made absolutely nothing at all. The programme format has been sold to 120 countries - it is easily the most successful British light entertainment export of all time. Here, for the first time, presenter Chris Tarrant tells the story of the show's development from day one in September 1998 and describes his own thoughts about its enormous success. The book will include many of the multi-choice questions from the show, making it a truly interactive book for the quiz fan as well as a compulsive humour-interest story of big winners, big losers and some hysterical screamers.

mastermind, The Bbc Television Contest, Has Subjected More Than 1,400 Would-be Brains Of Britain To Its Rapid-fire Interrogation. But After 25 Years, The Program Was Broadcast On Television For The Last Time In September 1997. Its Winners—taxi Drivers, Diplomats And Teachers—became National Celebrities And The Program Spawned An Obsession With General Knowledge, From Trivial Pursuit To Pub Quizzes. Its Success Has Been Due To A Simple Formula, The Consistency Of Its Standards And In Large Measure To The Gravitas, Courtesy, And Humor Of Its Icelandic-born Question-master, Magnus Magnusson. His Book Of Behind-the-scenes Or In-the-chair Anecdotes Is A Valedictory Celebration Of A Much-loved Program.

Who in the Bible killed a quarter of the world's population? What hardly ever happens in Hertford, Hereford or Hampshire? And what did Pink Floyd sing about once, Liza Minnelli twice and Abba three times?The answers to these questions and more can be found in BRAIN MEN, the ultimate insider's guide to scooping the 13.50 jackpot in your local pub. Quiz supremo Marcus Berkmann guides you through the type of trivia you need to win - the periodic table, shipping forecasts and international car stickers - whilst casting a wry look over quizzing's origins, practices and unfortunate knitwear. In short, all human life is here, including the answer to question 6. As what is the painting "La Gioconda" better known? Upon which city is the original game of Monopoly based? From Magnus Magnusson, host of the BBC's "Mastermind" for 25 years, comes this quiz book, for both the serious contestant and for family fun. Echoing the television show's classic twin formula of specialist subjects and general knowledge, the book contains over 1000 carefully graded questions and answers. The specialist subjects include topics of particular interest to Magnus, such as Norse Mythology and perfume; and for the most hardened of quiz enthusiasts, there are a smattering of old favorites from "Mastermind" itself. "Apt Pupil" is taken from the collection, "Different Seasons" and has been made into a film, starring Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro. A teenager makes the acquaintance of a Nazi war criminal and becomes his "pupil", promising to remain silent if the man tells him of the concentration camp atrocities. Why do people watch quizzes on TV, and why do so many go to a pub quiz each week, to compete for a cash prize smaller than the amount they spend on beer? This book delves into the dark heart of British quiz culture - its origins, its practices, its background - and its unfortunate knitwear. In this new edition, the original topics have been brought up to date, added to and elaborated upon - Abbreviations, for example, now includes an essential array of chat room acronyms. New topics include the Top Tens of 2002, bingo calls and Mr Men books. * Challenging quiz questions for both the serious contestant and for home entertainment, set by BBC Mastermind's Magnus Magnusson. The complete story of BBC's mastermind - by the man who asked all the questions.