Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

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Image:UK-wwtbam.jpg Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers very large cash prizes for correctly answering successive multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by production company Celador. The maximum cash prize (in the original British version) is one million pounds.

The programme originated in the United Kingdom, where it is hosted by Chris Tarrant. It is based on a format devised by David Briggs, who, along with Steve Knight and Mike Whitehill, devised a number of the promotional games for Chris Tarrant's breakfast show on Capital FM radio. The original working title for the show was Cash Mountain.

When it first aired in the UK on September 4, 1998, it was a surprising twist on the gameshow genre. Only one contestant plays at a time (similar to some radio quizzes), and the emphasis is on suspense rather than speed. There is no time limit to answer questions, and contestants are given the question before they must decide whether to attempt an answer.

Ironically, given the large prizes that it offers, the show is named after a 1956 Cole Porter song which emphasized the desirability of love over material possessions: Who wants to be a millionaire? I don't. (...) And I don't 'cause all I want is you.

In March 2006, Celador announced that it was seeking to sell the worldwide rights to the show, together with the UK programme library, as the first phase of a sell-off of the company's format and production divisions.

Contents

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Stage

The show is filmed in front of a studio audience who are arranged in circular tiers around a pit in which the action takes place. At the beginning of each show, the host introduces a group of ten contestants, giving their names and where they are from. Each contestant brings along a friend, partner or relative (not to be confused with the phone-a-friend explained later), who sits in the audience and, if the contestant progresses, is periodically shown on camera looking pleased, excited, nervous etc.

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Rules

The contestants first have to undergo a preliminary round, called "Fastest Finger First", where they are all asked to put four items in a particular order. (In the very first series of the British version, and until the end of the 2003 season in the Australian version, "Fastest Finger First" required the contestants to answer one multiple choice question correctly as quickly as possible.) The contestant who does this correctly and in the fastest time goes on to sit in the chair (the "hotseat") and play for the maximum possible prize (often a million in the local currency, though this depends on its value).

Once in the hotseat, the contestant is asked increasingly difficult general knowledge questions by the host. Questions are multiple choice: four possible answers are given and the contestant must choose the correct one. On answering the first question correctly, the contestant wins £100 (in the UK – other countries vary the currency but have the same basic format).

Subsequent questions are played for increasingly large sums (roughly doubling at each turn). During the first 3 questions, choice D is often a joke answer. The complete sequence of prizes is as follows:

  • £100
  • £200
  • £300
  • £500
  • £1,000
  • £2,000
  • £4,000
  • £8,000
  • £16,000
  • £32,000
  • £64,000
  • £125,000
  • £250,000
  • £500,000
  • £1,000,000. (These prizes are not cumulative; for example, by answering the first three questions correctly the contestant wins £300, not £100 + £200 + £300 = £600.)

After viewing a question, the contestant can quit and "take the money" that they have already won, rather than attempting an answer. If the contestant answers a question incorrectly, then they lose all the money they have won, except that the £1,000 and £32,000 prizes are guaranteed: if a player gets a question wrong above these levels, then they drop down only to the previous guaranteed prize. This means that the player can always attempt the £2,000 and £64,000 without fear, since they are guaranteed the previous amount even if they got the answer wrong.

The game ends when the contestant answers a question incorrectly, decides not to answer the question, or has answered all fifteen questions correctly and thus won the top prize of £1,000,000.

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Lifelines

If at any point the contestant is unsure of the answer to a question, they can use one or more "lifelines":

  • Fifty-Fifty (50/50): The Contestant asks Host to ask the computer to randomly eliminate two (2) of the possible answer choices, leaving the Contestant a choice of two (2) answers (one (1) of which is the correct answer) from which to select. The Contestant then has the choice of selecting an answer, quitting the game or using another lifeline, if available.
    • A possible warning: contestants who verbally debate between two answers, then elect to use the 50/50, will very often wind up with those two answers left, assuming one was correct.
  • Ask the Audience: The Contestant asks the studio audience which answer they believe is correct. Members of the studio audience indicate their choices by pressing the key on their keypad corresponding to the correct answer. The audience vote is displayed immediately on the Contestant and Host's screen. The Contestant then has the choice of selecting an answer, quitting the game or using another lifeline, if available.
  • Phone-A-Friend: Contestants may call one (1) of up to five (5) pre-arranged friends. Phone-a-friends may not use cellular phones. Individuals participating as phone-a-friends may do so only once during Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The Contestant must provide the five (5) friends' names and phone numbers in advance (the friends are alerted when their contestant reaches the hotseat, and told to keep the phone free and to wait for three rings before answering). The friend who was called by the Contestant has thirty (30) seconds to select an answer. The Contestant then has the choice of selecting an answer, quitting the game or using another lifeline, if available. In the event that a Contestant has a disability which affects his or her ability to use this lifeline without assistance, the Contestant will have the option of having the Host read the question and answer choices to the friend, and obtain an answer from them.

In May 2004 the U.S. launched a single season version known as Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire?. On this particular version, the following two (2) lifelines were introduced, but were awarded only once the contestant reached the Five Hundred Thousand Dollar ($500,000) level or above (Questions 11-15):

  • Three Wise Men: The Contestant asks a sequestered panel chosen by the Game Sponsor which answer they believe is correct. The panel has thirty (30) seconds to select an answer but does not need to reach a consensus (i.e. each member of the panel may give a different answer). The Contestant then has the choice of selecting an answer, quitting the game or using another lifeline, if available.
  • Double Dip: Double Dip gives the Contestant the opportunity to give two (2) answers to a question. Once a Contestant elects to use the Double Dip lifeline, the Contestant must give a Final Answer to the question and may not walk away. The Contestant must indicate and confirm that he/she intends to use this lifeline before giving his/her first answer. If the Contestant's first answer is incorrect, the Contestant can give another answer, which will be his/her Final Answer to the question. If the first answer given is correct, the lifeline is still considered to have been used.
    • Using a Double Dip after a 50/50 essentially gives the contestant a free shot at the question (i.e. he or she is guaranteed the right answer).

In 2005, the U.S. version introduced another new Lifeline:

  • Switch the Question - This lifeline becomes available only after the Contestant has correctly answered the $25,000 question. If the Contestant has not indicated final answer on the revealed question, this lifeline entitles the Contestant to switch out the original question revealed at either the $50,000, $100,000, $250,000, $500,000 or $1,000,000 value level (in accordance with the Prize Table set forth in Rule 6) for another randomly selected question of the same value. Once the Contestant elects to use this lifeline, the Contestant is locked into the replacement question and cannot return to the original revealed question. Any lifelines used by the Contestant while attempting to answer the original revealed question prior to the question switch will not be reinstated. The Contestant then has the choice of selecting an answer, quitting the Game or using another lifeline, if available.


Contestants in the Game will have the opportunity to change their answers until either a) the Contestant says, unprompted, that the answer given is his/her final answer, or b) the host asks if the answer is the final answer and the Contestant indicates an affirmative response to the host's question (determined in the judge's sole discretion). Once the Contestant has indicated that his/her answer is final either by his/her own statement or by an affirmative response to the host's question, the answer is final and cannot be changed.

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Results

A win of £32,000 or higher is considered a good result; a win of less than £8,000 is relatively poor. Very occasionally a contestant fails to win any money at all. A list of million pound winners appears later in this article.

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Misc.

The series also established a catchphrase with "Is that your final answer?" This question derived from a rule requirement that the player must clearly indicate his or her choice before it would be made official (since the nature of the game allowed the player to think aloud about the options before committing to an answer.) Many parodies of the game show capitalized on this phrase. (In the game, players could preempt the question by themselves stating "final answer" or some variant, and this is common during the early questions of each round; sometimes it is not even enforced during the early questions). Another hallmark of the show is the use of dramatic pauses before the host acknowledged whether or not the answer was correct. The pauses tended to become more tense the higher the amount of money on the line. Occasionally, if it is time to go for an advert break, Chris Tarrant will take the final answer but not announce if it is right or not until after the break.

There is also a Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

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National variants

Image:Who Wants to Be a Millionaire versions.PNG

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United Kingdom

Template:Main The show is hosted by Chris Tarrant.

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United States

Template:Main The show has been broadcast primetime with Regis Philbin, and is presently hosted by Meredith Vieira.

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Other countries

Although it originated in the United Kingdom, the format of show has subsequently been exported to many countries around the world. As of early 2003 the producers' website lists the following territories as having licensed the show: Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, the Caribbean, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Middle East, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

Here are some details of the differences in some of those countries:

  • Argentina 2001: Here, the show was called "¿Quién quiere ser Millonario?" ("Who wants to be a Millionaire") and was hosted by Julián Weich, a locally famous game show host. It was aired on Canal 13 between May and December 2001 and the highest prize was 1.000.000 pesos, which at that time equalled US$1 million.
  • Armenia: Here, the show is called "Միլիոնատեր" ("Milionatehr") ("Millionaires"), and aired by Shant TV. It's hosted by Armenian actor Ashot Adamyan. The top prize is 5.000.000 dram (about US$10.000). All payouts on this version are made via credit card.
  • Australia 1999–2006: Formerly hosted by Eddie McGuire (April 18, 1999 - April 3, 2006), Australia's Millionaire airs once weekly on Nine Network. It is virtually identical in format to the British original. McGuire hosted a daily edition of the show in 2004, but the expanded format was cancelled after just 2 weeks. Rob "Coach" Fulton became the show's first millionaire on Monday, October 17, 2005. Just four weeks later, on Monday November 14, 2005, Martin Flood became the second million dollar winner. Several big wins by "professional" game show contestants who spent thousands of dollars ringing the competition line to get on the show led to a rule change in 2003 – only one phone call per person per week is now permitted. Another rule change occurred in 2006, in that with the Phone-A-Friend lifeline, it is against the rules to use reference material such as dictionaries, or internet search engines, in order to find the answer. The show is now on hold until they can find a new host (McGuire was made CEO of the Nine Network early in 2006).
  • Austria 2000–: Here, the show is called "Die Millionenshow" ("The millions show"). The Austrian state television ORF, uses the Cologne (Germany) set, which may cause problems for contestants who would like to "ask the audience" if the question happens to be about Austrian trivia. It's hosted by Armin Assinger and the highest prize is €1.000.000 (Earlier, it was 10.000.000 Austrian schillings, and the show was called "Die Zehn Millionen Show" ("The ten millions show")).
  • Azerbaijan: Here, the show is hosted by Şabanov Azar Abdulsalam, and is called "Dovalti olmaq isterdinmi milyonçu?". It is aired by the private television channel Lider TV. The highest prize is 100 million manat.
  • Belgium 1999–: There are two version of the show in Belgium. One is the French version called "Qui sera millionnaire" ("Who will be a millionaire"), hosted by Alain Simons, and aired on RTL-TVI. The second is the Flemish version called "Wie wordt euromiljonair" ("Who will be a euro-millionaire"), hosted by Walter Grootaers, and aired on VTM network. The highest prize is €1.000.000. Previously the show was called "Wie wordt multimiljonair" ("Who will be a multi-millionaire"). The prizes, previously in Belgian francs, were 10,000,000 for the French-language version and 20,000,000 for the Flemish-language version.
  • Bulgaria: In Bulgaria, the show is officially called "Кой иска да стане богат?" ("Koy iska da stane bogat?", "Who wants to become rich?"). It is hosted by Niki Kanchev and aired on Nova Television. It was earlier filmed in Romania. The show is almost always referred to as "Стани богат" ("Stani bogat", "Become rich"). The prizes are in levs (BGN), and are set at: 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 5000, 10000, 25000, 50000, 100000.
  • Canada 2000: Canada's CTV network aired the United States (primetime) version for most of its run, but in September 2000 it aired two specials entitled "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire: Canadian Edition". Hosted by Pamela Wallin, the shows were taped on the ABC set in New York. A Canadian audience was flown to the city for the shows, so the contestants could "ask the audience" for help on the Canadian-themed questions. Following the airing of the two specials, CTV did announce that additional episodes of the Canadian Edition would be produced, but they never came to fruition. The syndicated American version can be seen in Canada on the A-Channel system, as well as through American channel feeds.
  • Chile: Here, the show is called "¿Quién quiere ser millonario?" ("Who wants to be a millionaire?"). It was originally hosted by Mario Kreutzberger (also known as Don Francisco) on Canal 13. For season two, Sergio Lagos took over as host. The new highest prizes is 65 million Chilean pesos (Earlier, it was 100 million pesos). Only one person reached the 100 million pesos grand prize during the series.
  • Colombia: Here the show is called "¿Quién quiere ser millonario?". Broadcast on the private station Canal Caracol, the show is hosted by the channel's president, Paulo Laserna Phillips. The highest prize is 210.000.000 Colombian pesos. Many of the large prize winners have been known to change their identities, as in this highly volatile country, there is a real risk of them being kidnapped or murdered after leaving the set with money.
  • Croatia 2002–: Here, the show is called "Tko želi biti milijunaš?" ("Who wants to be a millionaire"). It's hosted by Tarik Filipović, and aired by the state television station HRT 1.The highest prize is 1.000.000 kunas (about €133.500). In this version, there are no commercial breaks during the show, except for one commercial break (as mandated by public television law).
  • Cyprus: Here, the show is called "Ποιος θέλει να γίνει εκατομμυριούχος" ("Poios thelei na ginei ekatommyriouchos") ("Who wants to be a millionaire"). The highest prize was €150.000 (Earlier, 50 million Greek drachmas (€147.000)). For five years the show was aired by RIK2, the second channel of Radio Institution of Cyprus. The show is produced in Greece. There has been one winner of the top prize.
  • Czech Republic: Here the show is called "Chcete Být Milionářem?" ("Do you want to be a millionaire?") and aired on the private television Nova. Prizes are in Czech korunas (CZK): 1.000 Kc., 2.000 Kc., 3.000 Kc., 5.000 Kc., 10.000 Kc., 20.000 Kc., 40.000 Kc., 80.000 Kc., 160.000 Kc., 320.000 Kc., 640.000 Kc., 1.250,000 Kc., 2.500.000 Kc., 5.000.000 Kc., 10.000.000 Kc.. It's hosted by Ondrej Hejma.
  • Denmark 1999–: The show is called "Hvem vil være millionær?" ("Who wants to be a millionaire"), and is aired on TV2. The host is TV star Peter Kær. The top prize, which has been won twice, is 1.000.000 Danish kroner (approximately €130.000).
  • Estonia 2002–: The show is called "Kes tahab saada miljonäriks?" ("Who wants to become a millionaire?"). The highest prize is 1.000.000 Estonian kroons, which is about €64.000. The host of the show is Hannes Võrno. The show is aired by Viasat TV3.
  • Ecuador: The show was called "¿Quién quiere ser millonario?" ("Who wants to be a millionaire?"). It was hosted by Alfonso Espinosa de los Montelos, and aired on Ecuavisa. The highest prize is US$25.000.
  • Finland 1999–: The show is called "Haluatko miljonääriksi?" ("Do you want to become a millionaire?"). The show started in 1999 on Nelonen, with Lasse Lehtinen as the host. (Earlier, the highest prize was 1.000.000 Finnish markkas, equal to about €168,000). The show in 2005 aired on MTV3, and the highest prize has been raised to €1.000.000. The new host is Ville Klinga, a former sports reporter.
  • France 2002–: Here the show is called "Qui veut gagner des millions?" ("Who wants to win millions?"). It is hosted by Jean-Pierre Foucault, and aired by TF1. Before the transition to the Euro, the highest prize was 5.000.000 French Francs. Today it is €1.000.000, which equates to about 6.500.000 French Francs.
  • Georgia: In Georgia, the show is called "ვის უნდა 20000?" ("Vis Unda 20000?" or "Who wants 20000"). It is aired on Rustavi 2. The prizes are in Georgian Lari. As the title suggests, the grand prize is 20,000 Lari, equal to US$11,000. As a nation, Georgia suffers frequent power cuts—sometimes as frequently as every five minutes—so it can take a day to record a whole episode. Another obstacle is the studio, which is very basic—the lift carries only five people at a time, so getting the host, contestants, crew and audience into position is a laborious task. Dimitri Skhirtlade is the show's host.
  • Germany 1999–: The show, called "Wer wird Millionär?" ("Who will become a millionaire?"), is aired by RTL and hosted by Günther Jauch. The 500th show was screened on September 10 2005, and the highest prize is €1.000.000. The show is produced in Cologne. There have been only four millionaires in the German version. Before the transistion to the euro, it was 1,000,000 Deutsche Marks (about €510,000).
  • Greece: In Greece, the show was called "Ποιος θέλει να γίνει εκατομμυριούχος;" ("Poios thelei na ginei ekatommyriouchos") ("Who wants to be a millionaire?"), and was hosted by Spiros Papadopoulos. The highest prize was €150.000 (Earlier, 50 million Greek drachmas (€147.000)). For the first three years the show aired on the commercial TV station Mega Channel, and later it could be seen on New Hellenic Television, NET), one of the Greek Public Television (ERT) channels. There have been three winners of the highest prize. The show is now airing again on Alpha Television. The grand prize is now € 250,000. It is hosted now by Thodoris Atheridis. The rules of the new series have changed and there is now an option after the first milestone (€1000) to switch to another question but in doing so, one lifeline of the player's choice is sacrificed.
  • Hong Kong 2001, 2002 and 2004: Here, the show was called "百萬富翁" ("The Millionaire"). It was hosted by Kenneth Chan, and was aired on ATV. The highest prize is HK$1,000,000. The first series debuted on April 29, 2001, and was popular enough for a second series to begin airing on July 22, 2002. The first millionaire was the team with famous composer Wong Jim and actress Fung Po Po. The Hong Kong-produced version is also shown in China, and it therefore had to pass Chinese government censors. The program generated high enough ratings that at one point, the channel was showing fresh episodes every day of the week. Asia Television, the broadcasting network, was swamped with commercials during the hour the program aired.
  • Hungary 2000–: Here, the show is called "Legyen Ön is milliomos!" ("Be a millionaire!") and is presented by István Vágó. It is aired on RTL Klub, a Hungarian commercial TV station. The prizes are in Hungarian forints (Ft), and the highest prize is 40.000.000 Ft. (€160.000) (Earlier, it was 25.000.000 Ft. (€100.000))
  • Iceland 2000–: In Iceland, the show was called "Viltu vinna milljón?" ("Do you want to win a million?") and was originally hosted by Þorsteinn J. Later it was hosted by Jónas R. Jónsson. The prizes were in Icelandic króna (ISK), with a top prize of 5.000.000 ISK. The show was aired on TV channel Stöð 2. With Iceland having a population of only 296,000, the producers reduced the number of contestants playing "Fastest Finger First" from ten to six.
  • India 2000–2002 and 2005–2006: In India, the show is called "Kaun Banega Crorepati" ("Who will become a multi-millionaire?") (1 crore = 10 million in Indian numerals, 1 crore rupees is about US$227,000). The show is produced by Star TV and hosted by Indian movie superstar Amitabh Bachchan. It is considered one of the most successful shows on Indian TV and is watched around the world by Indian diaspora, as well as by people from Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, Mauritius, Fiji, East Africa, the UK, the US, etc. After the first episode had been broadcast, Star TV received 20 million phone calls from fans across the world. Star TV brought back the quiz as KBC 2 with a doubled top prize as a limited 85 episode series. In the state of Kerala, another version is called "Koteeswaram" or "Kodeeswaran" which in Malayalam means ("Multi-millionaire"). It's aired on Surya TV and hosted by Malayalam actor Mukesh.
  • Indonesia: The show is called "Who wants to be a millionaire?", and is aired once a week on RCTI. The show is hosted by Tantowi Yahya. The highest possible prize is one billion rupiah. (Note that in Indonesian milyar means "billion" – million being juta.) There has been two winners of the 500 million rupiah prize.
  • Ireland: Originally, the top prize was one million Irish pounds (€1.27 million). However, with the change of currency at the start of 2002 it was reduced to €1 million . The show was presented by Gay Byrne on RTÉ, and ran until mid-2002, when the sponsoring mobile phone company withdrew. Without a sponsor, the show was deemed unviable – and the expensive set put into storage. The biggest winner was Roger Dowds, who won £250,000 in 2001 (before Ireland adopted the Euro as its currency).
  • Israel: In Israel, the show is called "?מי רוצה להיות מיליונר" ("Mi rotseh lehyot mylyoner?") ("Who wants to be a millionaire?"), but it is often referred to as "Millionaire". It is aired on Channel 2 Israel. The prizes are 1.000.000 new shekels. Five contestants have won the highest prize; on the first such occasion the host danced around the middle of the studio stripping, as a mark of respect.
  • Italy: Here, the show was called "Chi vuol essere milionario?" ("who will become a millionaire?"). It is hosted by Gerry Scotti, and aired by Canale 5. The highest prize was €1.000.000 (Earlier, it was 1 billion Italian liras, and this show was called "Chi vuol essere miliardario?"("Who will become a billionaire").
  • Japan 2000–: Here, the show is called "クイズ $ ミリオネア" ("Kuizu $ Mirionea", "Quiz $ Millionaire") . It is hosted by Mino Monta (Norio Minorikawa) and aired by Fuji TV. The rules are the same as the original. Prize levels are in yen as follows: ¥10.000, ¥20.000, ¥30.000, ¥50.000, ¥100.000, ¥150.000, ¥250.000, ¥500.000, ¥750.000, ¥1.000.000, ¥1.500.000, ¥2.500.000, ¥5.000.000, ¥7.500.000, ¥10.000.000. Presenter Mino Monta uses the English phrases from the original show, such as "Fainaru ansah" ("Final Answer?"), in the quiz.
  • Kazakhstan 2002–: The show is called "Кто возмет миллион?" ("Who will take the million?"). In this country there are two versions of the game in different languages. Two contestants have won the top prize of 5 million tenge. It is said that most of the questions have been taken from Russian version of the show.
  • Latvia 2002–: The show is filmed in the Lithuanian set. and the highest prize here is very low, is only 20.000 Latvian lats. The show is called "Gribi būt miljonārs?" ("Do you want to be a millionaire?") because 20.000 lats is 2 million santims (the Latvian equivalent of cents). The prizes are: 10 Ls, 20 Ls, 30 Ls, 40 Ls, 50 Ls, 60 Ls, 80 Ls, 125 Ls, 250 Ls, 500 Ls, 1.250 Ls, 2.500 Ls, 5.000 Ls, 10.000 Ls, 20.000 Ls. The show is hosted by Mārtiņš Ķibilds, a Latvian journalist, and is aired by TV3.
  • Lithuania 2002–2005: Here, the show was called "Kas laimės milijoną?" ("Who will win the million?"), and was hosted by Vytautas Kernagis, a famous Lithuanian singer and host of other shows. Formerly it was hosted by journalist Henrikas Vaitiekūnas. The highest prizes are 1.000.000 litas and were numerically the same as in the original game. The show was aired by TV3. At 2005 show was canceled due to its unpopularity.
  • Malaysia: The show is hosted by Jalalludin Hassan, chosen because he is famous for playing the roles of millionaires in Malaysian TV dramas. The show is screened on the television network NTV7. The top prize is one million Malaysian ringgit, which is about US$260.000.
  • Middle East and North Africa: The show is called "من سيربح المليون" ("Man sa yarbah al-malyoon", "Who will win the million?"). The show is hosted by George Kurdahi. It was originally filmed and produced in London, a local Arab audience being flown in each time. The show is aired on MBC1, the first channel in Middle East, and is retransmited in Egypt by Channel 1, and in Lebanon by Future Television and the pay-per-view channel ART. The highest prize was originally 1.000.000 Saudi Arabian rials. The prize now in 2005 been increased to 2.000.000 Saudi rials, and the title changed to "من سيربح 2 مليون" ("Man sa yarbah 2 malyoon", "Who will win 2 million?"). Now the show is filmed in Beirut (Earlier, it was filmed in London, Paris and Cairo) and retransmited in Lebanon by LBC network.
  • Netherlands: Here the game was called "Weekend Miljonairs" ("Weekend millionaires"), known unofficially by the nickname "Lotto Weekend Miljonairs" ("Lotto of the weekend millionaires"). The show is hosted by Robert ten Brink and aired first on SBS 6, but moved to RTL 4 in 2006. The highest prize is €1.000.000. Before the transistion to the euro, it was 1,000,000 Dutch guilders, equal to about €450,000.
  • New Zealand 1999–: The show is the same as that broadcast in Australia, but New Zealand residents are allowed to enter, even though Prime television (broadcaster) is now owned by Sky Network Television.
  • Nigeria 2004–: Here the show is called "Who wants to be a millionaire?". It is hosted by Frank Edoho and airs once weekly on NTV. The highest prize is 5.000.000 naira (about US$39,000).
  • Norway 2000–: The show is called "Vil du bli millionær" ("Do you want to become a millionaire?"). It is aired on TV2, and the host is Frithjof Wilborn. Arve Juritzen was the previous host. The top prize is 2.000.000 Norwegian kroner.
  • Peru 2001–2002: Here, the show was called "¿Quién quiere ser Millonario?" and it was hosted by Guido Lombardi, a well-known news anchor. It aired for only one season on Canal 5. A second season was promised but due to internal problems at the network this never happened. The top prize was 1,000,000 nuevos soles, which at the time was worth about US$300,000. After the show's cancellation, many of the constestants accused the show of being a fraud because none of them received their prizes.
  • Philippines 2002: Hosted by Christopher De Leon on IBC 13, the highest prize was originally 1.000.000 Philippine pesos (about US$19,000), later raised to two million (about US$39,000). The first million peso winner was university professor Amy Lopez-Forbes in July 2001. A celebrity edition was aired in December 2001. Popular actress-singer Sharon Cuneta won the million peso jackpot for her favourite charities. The show lost its popularity soon after its original studio was razed by a fire, and is now off the air.
  • Poland: Here, the show was called "Milionerzy" ("Millionaires"). It was aired on the TVN network from 1999 to 2003, hosted by Hubert Urbanski. The highest prize was 1.000.000 zloty.
  • Portugal: Here, the show was called "Quem quer ser milionário?" ("Who wants to be a millionaire?"), and was aired on the RTP1. It is currently hosted by Jorge Gabriel. Carlos Cruz, Maria Elisa and Diogo Infante were all previous hosts. The highest prizes was €250.000 (before the transition to the Euro, it was 50 million Portuguese Escudos (about €250,000). There have been four top prize winners so far.
  • Romania: The show is called "Vrei sa fii miliardar?" ("Do you want to be a billionaire?"), produced by Prima TV and hosted by Virgil Ianţu. The highest prize is 1.000.000.000 lei.
  • Russia 1999: In Russia, the show is called Кто хочет стать миллионером?" ("Who wants to become a Millionaire?"). It is hosted by Maksim Galkin and aired on private ORT. Earlier it was called "О, счастливчик!" ("Oh, lucky man!"), hosted by Dmitry Dibrov and aired on the NTV channel. The biggest prize here was recently increased to 3.000.000 Russian rubles (about US$107,000; earlier, 1.000.000 rubles, about US$35,000) and added "Walkaway" SMS game, when player refuses to answer the question.
  • Serbia and Montenegro: Here the show is called Želite li da postanete milioner?" ("Do you want to become a millionaire?"). It is aired by BKTV SAT and hosted by Ivan Zeljković. The highest prize is 3.000.000 Dinars (about US$50.000). The full sequence of prizes is: 300 din, 600 din, 900 din, 1.500 din, 3.000 din, 6.000 din, 12.000 din, 24.000 din, 48...000 din, 96.000 din, 192.000 din, 375.000 din, 750.000 din, 1.500.000 din, 3.000.000 din.
  • Singapore: Two different versions are produced in Singapore: an English language version and a Chinese language version. The Chinese version is called "百万大赢家" ("Bai wan da ying jia")("Million-dollar winner"), and is hosted by Chi-Tai Chao. It is produced and aired by MediaCorp and the highest prize is one million Singapore dollars (about US$617,000). The English-language version is hosted by radio DJ Max Von Cluyberg, better known as "The Flying Dutchman".
  • Slovakia: Here the show is called "Milionár" ("Millionaire"). It is aired on a private TV station, TV Markíza. Prizes are in Slovakian korunas (SK): 1.000 Sk, 2.000 Sk, 3.000 Sk, 5.000 Sk, 10.000 Sk, 20.000 Sk, 40.000 Sk, 80.000 Sk., 160.000 Sk, 320.000 Sk, 640.000 Sk, 1.250.000 Sk, 2.500.000 Sk, 5.000.000 Sk, 10.000.000 Sk.
  • Slovenia: Here the show is called "Lepo je biti milijonar" ("It's good to be a Millionaire"). It was aired on POP TV and hosted by Boštjan Romih. The highest prize was 10.000.000 Tolars, has now increased to 15,000,000 SIT, and all prizes after 1,000,000 SIT have changed correspondingly. The full sequence is: 10,000 SIT, 20.000 SIT, 30.000 SIT, 40.000 SIT, 50.000 SIT, 100.000 SIT, 175.000 SIT, 250.000 SIT, 500,000 SIT, 1.000.000 SIT, 1.500.000 SIT, 2.500.000 SIT, 5.000.000 SIT, 7.500.000 SIT, 15.000.000 SIT. The show was formerly hosted by Jonas Žnidaršič.
  • South Africa: Here, the show was aired on the M-Net channel,and hosted by Jeremy Maggs. The 'M' of the word 'Millionaire' in the logo was the 'M' logo of M-Net. This version was also the first outside the US to have a jackpot winner. The highest prize was 1.000.000 South African rands.
  • Spain 1999–2001 and 2005–: Here the show was called "¿Quién quiere ser millonario?, 50 por 15" ("Who wants to be a millionaire?, 50 for 15") because contestants could win 50 million pesetas for answering 15 questions. The show was hosted by Carlos Sobera and broadcast by Telecinco. The programme is now broadcast by Antena 3, with a highest prize of €1.000.000.
  • Sweden 1999–2003 and 2005–: Here the show was originally called "Vem vill bli miljonär?" ("Who wants to be a millionaire?"). It was hosted by Bengt Magnusson and broadcast by TV4. The highest prize was 10,000,000 Swedish kronor, which is equal to around US$1,300,000. TV4 stopped broadcasting the show because they could not afford the prizes. Now [2005] the show is called "Postkodmiljonären"("The postal code-millionare"), the prizes is lowered to 1,000,000 SEK, equal to around US$130,000, is now hosted by Rickard Sjöberg, and is combined with the Swedish Postcode Lottery in a twice-weekly format.
  • Switzerland 2001: The show was called "Wer wird Millionär" ("Who will become a millionaire?") and was broadcast by the private Swiss station TV3. The host was René Rindlisbacher. When TV3 stopped broadcasting in 2001, the show disappeared from the local screens. Swiss candidates have since been spotted on the German show.
  • Taiwan: Here the show is called "超級大富翁". It is aired and watched in both Taiwan and China.
  • Turkey 2000-2004, 2005: Here the show was first called "Kim 500 (beşyüz) milyar ister?" ("Who wants 500 billions?"). It was first aired by Show TV, but later switched to Kanal D. After a short period of being taken off the air, it's come again on Show TV, with a name change of "Kim 500 (beşyüz) bin ister?" ("Who wants 500 thousands?") after the currency renovation of Turkey. The show is hosted by Kenan Işik. The prizes in Turkish liras are: 50 YTL, 100 YTL, 150 YTL, 250 YTL, 500 YTL, 1.000 YTL, 2.000 YTL, 4.000 YTL, 8.000 YTL, 16.000 YTL, 32.000 YTL, 64.000 YTL, 125.000 YTL, 250.000 YTL, 500.000 YTL.
  • Ukraine: In Ukraine, the show is called "Хто хоче стати мiльонером? - Перший мільйон" ("Chato hochie stati milionerom - Permiy Mil'yon" or "Who wants to be a Millionaire? – The first million"). It is hosted by Danilo Janevsky and aired on the commercial channel 1+1. Here, as in Russia, the 'Ask the Audience' lifeline is not often used because the audience frequently gives wrong answers intentionally to trick the contestants. Here, the top prize is 1.000.000 hryvnia.
  • Uruguay: In Uruguay, the show is called "¿Quién Quiere ser Millonario?" ("who wants to be a millionaire?"), and is hosted by Andres Tulipano. The top prize is 1.000.000 Uruguayan pesos, but contestants are paid in US dollars (a million Uruguyan pesos is equal US$40.000).
  • Venezuela: In Venezuela the game is called "¿Quién quiere ser millonario?" ("Who wants to be a millionaire?"), and its producers claim it to be the most popular programme in Venezuela. It is broadcast by RCTV and hosted by its president, Eladio Lares. The highest prize in Venezuelan bolivars is 200.000.000 Bs. (about US$100.000 in 2006).
  • Vietnam: In Vietnam, the show is called "Ai là triêu phú?"("Who is the millionaire?"). It is aired by the state television station VTV 3 and hosted by Lai Vǎn Sâm. The prizes are in dong, the local currency.
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Million winners

Winners of the major prize for each version of the show are:

United Kingdom (Including Charles Ingram, and in chronological order, together with original broadcast date)

United States (Primetime and Syndicated versions) in order of winning

In addition, Robert Essig won $1.000.000 on Super Millionaire on 23 February 2004, but didn't win the top prize of $10.000.000.

Middle East and North Africa

  • Khaled al-Mulla (خالد الملا), from United arab Emirates, 21 november2001
  • Mohammad Tanirah (محمد تنيرة), student of pharmacy from Gaza strip, march 2002
  • Marwa Anachar (مروة النشار) won 1.000.000 Saudi riyals, the second highest prize on the new version of the show "who will win 2 million".

Australia

Philippines

  • Amy Lopez-Forbes, July 2001
  • Sharon Cuneta, movie actress and singer, December 2001 (Celebrity Edition)

Portugal

  • Renata Morgado, May 2000
  • Ana Damásio, September 2000
  • José Fernandes, April 2001
  • Antônio Franco, December 2003

Hungary

Japan

Croatia

Bulgaria

  • Asen Angelov answered the major prize question and was awarded 100 000 levs, but soon returned them, when it became clear that a relative of his works in Nova TV (the TV that airs the show), which is against the rules.

Slovenia

South Africa

  • David Patterson
  • Anna Tran

Russia

Latvia

  • Elita Rumpe, 2003 (won 10 000 Lats, as then 10 000, not 20 000 Lats was value of 15th question)

India

  • Harshwardhan Navathe (winner of KBC started in 2000)
  • Brajesh Dubey (First winner of 1 crore rupees in KBC2; started in 2005 with a maximum prize money of 2 crore rupees)
  • Ravi Saini (winner of KBC Junior)

Sweden

New Zealand

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See also

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External links

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Original UK version

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National variants

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Miscellaneous

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Internet Movie Database pages

de:Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? es:¿Quién quiere ser millonario? eo:Kiu volas esti milionulo? fr:Qui veut gagner des millions ? id:Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? it:Chi vuol essere milionario? he:מי רוצה להיות מיליונר lt:Kas laimės milijoną? nl:Lotto Weekend Miljonairs ja:クイズ$ミリオネア pl:Milionerzy pt:Quem Quer Ser Milionário? fi:Haluatko miljonääriksi? sv:Vem vill bli miljonär? zh:百萬富翁

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