ITV impresses us with the true story of an army major’s plot to win a million…
A major, his wife, a cough and a million pounds. You’ve probably heard the story before, and if not, ITV’s new mini-series adaptation is a worthy way to experience it. Quiz is essentially a made-for-TV movie split across successive nights to make it easier to digest for Britain’s drama-loving audience. While the three episodes each cover a distinct part of the true scandal (the plan, the quiz and the trial), at just under an hour long each, you could easily watch them all in one go to see how Charles and Diana Ingram allegedly swindled their way into winning Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
The series’ showrunners are well aware that this is likely a familiar tale to much of its audience, especially with reruns of Martin Bashir’s 2003 documentary being shown on ITV to keep the facts fresh in viewers’ minds. Quiz preserves these key details, but tactfully presents them in a way that respects the Ingrams’ maintained plea of innocence to make for an exciting and thought-provoking watch.
To tell this story in a new way that keeps things interesting, Quiz digs into the emotional heart of the case by looking at Charles and Diana Ingram as people; a regular British family who thought they could strike it lucky, whether that be through cheating or just lots of very lucky guesses. Additionally, with a script adapted for television by writer James Graham from his stage play of the same name, the show is full of dry wit, sarcasm and laughably awkward moments. Graham demonstrated his prowess with this last year in Channel 4’s Brexit film, succeeding again in creating a drama that blends a true scandal with cracking humour to great effect.
Of course, the dedication to bringing this story to life would fall flat without some good performances to hold it up, and the series certainly has these. Michael Sheen’s transformation into host Chris Tarrant is uncanny to the point where it occasionally even feels like touched-up stock footage; an illusion created by an imitated voice so accurate it helps us fill in any gaps that might break the suspension of disbelief. Matthew Macfadyen gives a less flashy yet more nuanced performance as Major Ingram himself, skating the line between the two versions of the character we are given to decide upon.
Sian Clifford’s portrayal of Diana Ingram is also crucial to how we perceive the story, and she pulls this off with one of the series’ most grounded and convincing performances. On the other hand, it appears there isn’t all that much to Mark Bonnar’s role as Who Wants to be a Millionaire boss Paul Smith, who is very clearly framed as the “villain” in what otherwise works well as an ambiguous set of events. Outside of the main cast, we also see some talent in the courtroom with lawyer Helen McCrory, who has previously appeared on the big screen in films from the Harry Potter franchise to Martin Scorsese’s Hugo.
Yet, despite the numerous elements of Quiz that suggest it would be of movie quality – including seasoned film director Stephen Frears at the helm – the production doesn’t exactly feel of a cinematic standard. There are examples of creative cinematography, including the use of a split diopter to focus on Major Ingram and an alleged co-conspirator seated behind him. Yet, for the most part, Frears is content with adhering to the visual conventions of a typical prime-time drama, denying Quiz of a unique voice that more stylised British miniseries are increasingly developing.
That being said, this series is still a lot of fun and a very solid recommendation. Seated amidst an apparent glut of multi-season thrillers about murder mysteries and dodgy detectives, Quiz is the kind of vibrant offering that ITV can use to reel those viewers disillusioned with British dramas back to their network. It’s not quite Slumdog Millionaire, but it’s safe to say Frears and Graham have hit the jackpot here with something millions of viewers can enjoy. Final answer.
By Jamie Morris
Feature image credit: ITV