Michael Sheen was at the uncanny heart of ITV’s meta-drama about the scandal that symbolised a grubby showbiz era
From the gamut of Fyre festival documentaries to the J-Lo triumph of Hustlers, audacious scams have become a touchstone of pop culture in recent years. Unlike our transatlantic friends, British grifters are more likely to be seen on the 10 o’clock news than a glossy TV drama. But some names are the exception to the rule. Major Charles Ingram is one, which made ITV’s Quiz a rare and intriguing kind of ripped-from-the-headlines proposition.
Quiz let the nation relive the scandal in all its daft, lo-fi Britishness. The story, was one we all knew: an indecisive, seemingly guilty army major is accused of cheating to win the top prize on the TV series Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – via Renaissance art, Craig David and someone else’s hacking cough. Simple, right? Sort of – except that Quiz wasn’t here to pour yet more scorn on the “coughing major” or his wife Diana, who had become tabloid laughing stocks, convicted criminals and Z-list celebrities.