Review - Chichester Festival Theatre: The day TV quiz show faced its toughest test

There is nothing quite so British as the pub quiz.

So when the TV game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire launched in 1998 it was an immediate, smash hit.

It took the humble quiz to new heights with a potential jackpot of £1m – and a one to one format of contestant and host.

The host was Chris Tarrant who instantly won audiences over. Contestants uniquely got to see the questions and potential answers before deciding whether to play – supported by a variety of lifelines.

The show gripped the nation with thousands of viewers phoning in to try to take part.

But as ‘Quiz’ highlights – the programme was not without its controversies … the most famous of which being an alleged cheating scandal in which an army major was prosecuted for trying to secure the £1m prize.

The court reached its verdict on the so-called ‘coughing major’ scandal but Quiz takes a fictionalised review of the evidence. In the spirit of the lifeline ‘Ask The Audience’ it is the theatre-goers who fulfil the role of jury.

In the first half, the case for the prosecution is outlined at the end of which we are all asked to use an electronic voting control to indicate if we are convinced of his guilt. The second slice of the show gives the other side with a repeat of the vote.

Rory Bremner gives a pitch perfect portrayal of Tarrant in a production which is every bit as slick and tense as the TV game show itself. Unmissable.