Neil Muir, a builder from Wallasey, Merseyside, was a contestant on series 2 of the UK version of the show on 5-6 January, 1999. He walked away with £64,000. However, he was later stripped of his winnings after it was revealed he was a crook and had unspent criminal records, thus rendering him ineligible to enter.[1]
Starting with the earliest, put these foods in order by when they traditionally appear during the year.
⬥ A: Pumpkin
⬥ B: Pancake
⬥ C: Hot Cross Bun
⬥ D: Christmas Cake
From the 10 contestants, 7 got it right, but Neil (with a time of 2.10 seconds) was the fastest to correctly answer B-C-A-D, making it into the Hot Seat.
Neil's Run to the Million
£100 (1 of 15) - Not Timed
Where was the sitcom 'Hi De Hi' set?
⬥ A: A prison
⬥ B: A stately home
⬥ C: A railway station
⬥ D: A holiday camp
£200 (2 of 15) - Not Timed
What crime is 'larceny'?
⬥ A: Starting fires
⬥ B: Kidnapping
⬥ C: Murder
⬥ D: Theft
£300 (3 of 15) - Not Timed
As what did Thomas Gainsborough find fame?
⬥ A: Composer
⬥ B: Novelist
⬥ C: Poet
⬥ D: Painter
£500 (4 of 15) - Not Timed
Which Portuguese settlement has given its name to a popular wine and a cake?
⬥ A: Goa
⬥ B: Macao
⬥ C: Azores
⬥ D: Madeira
£1,000 (5 of 15) - Not Timed
In the rhyme 'Sing a Song of Sixpence', how many blackbirds were baked in a pie?
⬥ A: Twenty two
⬥ B: Twenty four
⬥ C: Twenty six
⬥ D: Twenty eight
£2,000 (6 of 15) - Not Timed
In which sport is 'Greco-Roman' a style?
⬥ A: Fencing
⬥ B: Archery
⬥ C: Gymnastics
⬥ D: Wrestling
£4,000 (7 of 15) - Not Timed
What song gave 'Scaffold' their only UK No. 1 hit?
⬥ A: Michelle
⬥ B: Sweet Caroline
⬥ C: Mandy
⬥ D: Lily the Pink
£8,000 (8 of 15) - Not Timed
If the fraction is 1/8th, and the decimal is 0.125, what is the percentage?
⬥ A: 12.5%
⬥ B: 15%
⬥ C: 15.5%
⬥ D: 18%
The klaxon called time and Neil would return on £8,000 with all 3 lifelines still available.
£16,000 (9 of 15) - Not Timed
What does a 'wainwright' make? 'Ask The Audience' and '50:50' lifelines used
Which of these is another word for 'water divining'? 'Phone-A-Friend' lifeline used
⬥ A: Dowsing
⬥ B: Panning
⬥ C: Prospecting
⬥ D: Tapping
Neil had no idea, so he decided to call his friend Trevor, who thought it was Dowsing (and would be sorry if it was not). He decided to go with him and won £32,000.
£64,000 (11 of 15) - Not Timed
What is the principal use of 'Paraquat'?
⬥ A: Fuel
⬥ B: Adhesive
⬥ C: Dye
⬥ D: Weedkiller
£125,000 (12 of 15) - Not Timed
Which song is traditionally sung by a Venetian gondolier?
⬥ A: Madrigal
⬥ B: Berceuse
⬥ C: Aria
⬥ D: Barcarolle
Neil said he would go for either Berceuse or Barcarolle, but decided to walk away with £64,000 as he had no other lifelines. The correct answer was D: Barcarolle.
Trivia
Neil was the first contestant ever on Millionaire to be stripped of his prize money.
He would later be followed by three other UK contestants - Sheridan Booth, Andrew Lavelle, and Charles Ingram; the first two for also having unspent criminal records (thus rendering them ineligible to participate on the show), and the latter for taking part of a cheating scheme during his game.
Due to his disqualification, Neil's run was not repeated until Challenge TV re-ran the second series in February 2015.
