James Graham on the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire cough scandal

By Steven McIntoshEntertainment reporter

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Image copyrightJOHANN PERSSON

Image captionQuiz has transferred to the West End after a run in Chichester last year

James Graham's latest play, Quiz, tells the story of what the playwright describes as the "most British crime of all time" - the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire coughing scandal of 2001.

Charles Ingram, a former British Army major, was accused of cheating his way to the jackpot on the ITV show by conspiring with his wife, Diana, and another contestant, who would apparently cough when the correct answer was mentioned.

Ingram maintained his innocence throughout his court trial. Now, West End audiences are (literally) being asked to decide for themselves whether or not he was guilty - by voting via a keypad at the end of both the first and second half.

"I think quizzes and game shows are fascinating, they're a very British obsession and I love that," Graham tells BBC News.

"But I think the story about whether or not a few middle class people tried to steal a million pounds with questions and coughing, feels like the most British crime of all time. And almost ludicrous in its simplicity.

"It just felt really delicious to me, and I thought if we could just try and turn that into an Ocean's Eleven-style thriller, but with with a major and a Welshman coughing, that felt really exciting as a proposition."

Ingram was found guilty but did not go to jail - the judge instead gave him to a 20-month suspended prison sentence.

Image copyrightJOHANN PERSSON

Image captionAudiences are asked to vote on Ingram's guilt or innocence

Quiz, which transferred to London's Noel Coward Theatre this week after a run in Chichester last year, has received broadly positive reviews from critics.

When it was playing in Chichester, The Telegraph advised readers to "phone a friend and go," while The Stage described it as "a fascinating, multi-textured and very entertaining play".

After the show's London press night on Tuesday, Fiona Mountford awarded it four out of five stars in her review for The Evening Standard.

"I was a lone naysayer for Quiz's Chichester premiere, finding the play frantic and unfocused," she said.

"It's not perfect now