Jeremy Clarkson stunned as Who Wants To Be a Millionaire contestant gets sport question 'audience knew' wrong

Host Jeremy Clarkson had a hilarious reaction after a contestant on 'Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?' got a sport question wrong.

The quiz show, which was originally hosted by Chris Tarrant before Clarkson took over in 2018, sees contestants attempt to answer a total of 15 multiple-choice questions to win £1 million.

The questions, which have four possible answers, usually start off easier and get progressively harder as the player gets closer to the £1 million mark.

They have four 'lifelines' which they can use only once each throughout the game.

Each contestant can also choose to end the game early and take home their earnings after reaching two 'safety nets' of £1,000 and an amount chosen by the contestant.

If a contestant reaches their 'safety net', it guarantees that they will take that money home even if they get a question wrong later in the show.

British pianist and composer Jools Holland was fortunate to have already secured his second 'safety net' on a celebrity edition of the show back in December.

Jools Holland appeared on Who Wants to be a Millionaire in 2024 (Image: Getty)

The 67-year-old was appearing on the show's festive edition alongside former rugby star Ugo Monye and actress Nina Wadia, and had already collected £16,000 for his chosen charity.

However, Holland would get no further after answering a £32,000 football question incorrectly.

Clarkson asked him: "The Football for Sale' investigation by The Telegraph newspaper led to the resignation of which England manager?"

The four options were Sven-Goran Eriksson, Fabio Capello, Roy Hodgson and Sam Allardyce - with the answer being Allardyce.

The ex-Bolton and Sunderland boss resigned from his role in 2016 after he was caught up in an undercover sting by the Daily Telegraph.

Reporters posing as businessmen filmed Allardyce allegedly offering advice on how to get around FA rules on third-party ownership. He was cleared of wrongdoing after a police investigation.

Holland did not know the answer, eventually opting for Eriksson after remembering that he 'had to leave' his job.

The pianist's thinking was at least along the right lines, as Eriksson did agree to part ways with the FA prior to the 2006 World Cup, partially due to the Swede being a victim of a sting by the 'Fake Sheikh', News of the World reporter Mazhar Mahmood, in which he made claims about the footballing futures of David Beckham and Michael Owen.

The wrong answer left Holland crestfallen (Image: ITV)

But that was a different investigation, meaning Holland was incorrect. However, he still walked away with £16,000 for his chosen charity, The Prince's Trust and Caring Hands.

Before Clarkson delivered his farewell message, Holland turned around to the studio audience and asked: "Did many people know that?"

After many people nodded their heads before replying "Yes" in unison, Clarkson replied: "They always do. Literally always claim after the event!"

You can watch the full episode on ITVX here - with Holland's football question occurring on the 15-minute mark.