Jeremy Clarkson Pauses Quiz Show After Being Reminded Of Cheater

Jeremy Clarkson stopped his most recent Who Wants To Be A Millionaire quiz show on ITV when he heard coughing from the audience. The Grand Tour presenter, who was quizzing contestant Lynne Greenwood for £16,000, was about to ask the important question when an audience member made the noise from the background.

The ex-Top Gear presenter quickly stopped the show, knowing that coughing has been used to cheat the quiz show in the past. But of course, this cough occurred before the question was even asked, so obviously wasn’t an attempt at cheating.

“Marvelous, this is the question for £16,000, I can hear people coughing,” Clarkson said before looking around the studio for the person making the noise.

He continued: “You’re supposed to cough after the question’s been asked in such a way that Lynne can use it… Not cough constantly before I’ve asked the question.”

The audience, listening intently to what Clarkson was saying, began to laugh.

“You better? I don’t care,” Clarkson joked.

A contestant in the show cheated via coughing in 2001 when British Army Major Charles Ingram became intent on winning £1 million no matter what. His wife Diana and a quizzer friend Tecwen Whittock were sat in the audience and would cough as Charles read out the right answer.  He was arrested soon after and alongside his wife were sentenced to 18 months in prison, plus a fine of £15,000 on top of £10,000 towards prosecution costs.

In total, cheating cost the couple £115,000.