Who Wants To Be A Millionaire contestant missed out on £1m prize because of sport question
A contestant on TV quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire was just one sport-related question away from winning £1,000,000.
Peter Lee, a retired Naval officer from west Wales, appeared on series six of the popular show and became the first person in history to see the £1 million question following an impressive 23-minute run.
After correctly answering what the Japanese word 'kamikaze' literally means, Lee was asked which county cricket side is based at Chester-le-Street.
Many viewers from Durham and the surrounding areas must have been shouting at their TV screens as the four options emerged – Warwickshire, Durham, Northants and Leicestershire.
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"I would side with Leicestershire but I'm not sure," Lee told presenter Chris Tarrant. "With the other ones, I have been 90 per cent sure. I don't know."
Much to the relief of those who knew the answer, Lee decided to walk away with £500,000, which was the biggest amount won on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire when the episode aired in 2000.
The correct answer was Durham.
In fact, after the show was over, Chester-le-Street District Council leader Malcolm Pratt invited Lee to a one-day international match between England and the West Indies at the cricket ground.
"The reaction in the studio was fantastic and the warmth from the audience towards him as he went on was fantastic," said Chris Tarrant at the time.
"We haven't changed anything and we haven't dumbed down the questions. Some of the ones this week have been really hard. People are better at playing the game now. They understand some of the ways to progress and marshal their forces."
Tarrant added: "I thought that final question would have been very easy to quite a few viewers."
Peter Lee's path to £500,000 on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
• £16,000: Bhutan is a small country situated in which range of mountains? a. Alps; b. Pyrenees; c. Andes; d. Himalayas (answer: d)
• £32,000: Which of these is made from beef? a. prosciutto; b. pastrami; c. pumpernickel; d. panettone (answer: b)
• £64,000: Which of these actresses has not appeared in Coronation Street? a. Patricia Routledge; b. Maureen Lipman; c. Prunella Scales; d. Joanna Lumley (answer: b)
• £125,000: Which John Osborne play features the character Archie Rice? a. The Entertainer; b. West of Suez; c. Look Back in Anger; d. Time Present (answer: a)
• £250,000: Which French impressionist painter had a son who became a successful film director? a. Pissarro; b. Degas; c. Sisley; d. Renoir (answer: d)
• £500,000: What does the Japanese word "kamikaze" literally mean? a. sacred venture; b. divine wind; c. self-destruction; d. final attack (answer: b)
Jack Kenmare