Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

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Who Wants to be a Millionaire is also the title of an episode of Only Fools and Horses.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Genre Quiz show
Running time 60 minutes
Creator(s) Celador
Starring Chris Tarrant
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original channel ITV1
Original run September 4, 1998–Present

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (also called simply Millionaire for short) 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 the British production company Celador. The maximum cash prize (in the original British version) is one million pounds. Most international versions offer a top prize of one million units of the local currency, though the actual value of the prize varies widely, depending on the currency's exchange rate.

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 from the film High Society 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. Dutch company 2WayTraffic is now in the process of acquiring Millionaire and the rest of Celador's programme library.

Contents

[edit] 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 (6 in the Bulgarian, Finnish and Icelandic versions and eight in the Armenian, Macedonian, and Nigerian versions), 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.

[edit] Rules

The contestants first have to undergo a preliminary round, called "Fastest Finger First", where they are all given a question and four answers from the host, and are asked to put those four answers into 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). This segment was cut after Meredith Vieira took over the US version as it moved to daytime TV.

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 few 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, for answering the first three questions correctly the contestant wins £300, not £100 + £200 + £300 = £600.

After viewing a question, the contestant can "walk away" 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 get the answer wrong.

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

In the United States, since the fall of 2004, the $32,000 level has been reduced to $25,000, the $64,000 to $50,000 and the $125,000 to $100,000.

[edit] Lifelines

If at any point the contestant is unsure of the answer to a question, he or she can use one or more "lifelines". After using lifelines, contestants can either answer the question, use another lifeline, or walk away and keep the money (except for the Double Dip lifeline).

  • Fifty-Fifty (50/50): The contestant asks the host to have the computer randomly eliminate two of the incorrect answer choices, leaving the contestant with a choice between the correct answer and one incorrect one from which to select.
    • 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. The American primetime host, Regis Philbin, often explained that the wrong answer left behind is usually the second best answer. On the other hand, the syndicated host Meredith Vieira frequently tells the computer to "randomly take away two wrong answers" when the 50/50 is used (although some more superstitious players seem to believe that the computer heard them while they were thinking aloud[citation needed]). The official line is that, in early series of the UK version, the eliminated answers were pre-selected by the question setters, but all versions of the show now eliminate random wrong answers, in the interest of fairness.
  • Ask the Audience: The contestant asks the studio audience which answer they believe is correct. Members of the studio audience indicate their choices using an audience response system. The results of the audience's vote is immediately displayed on the contestant's and host's screens.
    • In the syndicated U.S. version, the question is also asked through AOL Instant Messenger to those who have signed up to answer questions for this lifeline. The contestant sees the audience and AOL responses as two different bar graphs displayed on his or her screen.
  • Phone-A-Friend: Contestants may call one of up to five pre-arranged friends. The contestant must provide the five friends' names and phone numbers in advance. The friends are alerted when their contestant reaches the hotseat, and are told to keep the phone free and to wait for three rings before answering. The contestant has thirty seconds to read the four choices to the friend who must select an answer before the time runs out. Phone-a-friends often express their certainty as a percentage ("I am 80% sure it's C.") 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. Phone-a-friends may not be called on cellular phones, and individuals participating as phone-a-friends may do so only twice during any given broadcast season of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

In February 2004, the U.S. launched a short-lived spinoff known as Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire. On this particular version, two new lifelines were introduced, but they were only available after a contestant cleared the $100,000 question (the tenth question in this version):

  • Three Wise Men: The contestant asks a sequestered panel chosen by the sponsor which answer they believe is correct. The panel, consisting of three people, one being a former million-dollar-winner of the show, has thirty seconds to select an answer but does not need to reach a consensus-- each member of the panel may provide a different answer. This lifeline is also used in Russian version of the show.
  • Double Dip: The contestant can give two answers for a question. However, once a contestant elects to use the Double Dip lifeline, the contestant cannot walk away from the question. The contestant must indicate and confirm that he or she intends to use this lifeline before giving a first answer. If the first answer is incorrect, the contestant gives another answer-- but if the second answer is also wrong, then the contestant will leave with only $100,000. 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. The 50/50 eliminates all but two of the choices, and the Double Dip gives two chances to select the correct answer, ensuring a correct answer. The combination of 50/50 and Double Dip has never been used on the show, though.

In 2004, the syndicated 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 for another question of the same value. Once the contestant elects to use this lifeline, he or she cannot return to the original question. In addition, any lifelines used by the contestant while attempting to answer the original revealed question prior to the question switch will not be reinstated. This lifeline has also been used in occasional specials of the UK show, but referred to as Flip. It's now used in the American, Arabic, French, Greek, Israeli, Indonesian, Indian and Norwegian versions of the show.

[edit] Origin

The game has similarities with the 1950's show The 64,000 Dollar Question. In that show the money won would also double with each question, and if the wrong answer was given all the money was lost. Contestants would get a free car as a consolation prize if they had reached at least $8,000.

In the 1990s, future Who Wants to be a Millionaire? executive producer Michael Davies attempted to revive Question as The $640,000 Question for ABC, before abandoning that effort in favor of the British hit.

[edit] Disputed claims of creation

Since the show launched, several individuals have claimed that they originated the format and that Celador have appropriated their intellectual property.

Sponsored by the Daily Mail, Mike Bull, a Southampton-based journalist, took Celador to the High Court in March 2002 claiming authorship of the "Lifelines". Celador settled out of court with a cast iron confidentiality clause.

In 2003 Sydney resident John J Leonard also claimed to have originated a format substantially similar to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (although it had no "LifeLines"). He has to date been unable to raise the minimum quarter of a million pounds a non-UK resident needs to finance legal action against Celador in the High Court. In an effort to finance his case he published a detailed account of how he created the show which can be read at www.xavierax.com/ebook.pdf [1] [2]

In 2004, Alan Melville and John Baccini sued Celador over a similar claim. On that occasion Celador reached a confidential out-of-court settlement with both men.[3]

  1. ^ Millionaire
  2. ^ The Sydney Sun-Herald, March 30 2003
  3. ^ Birmingham Sunday Mercury, August 28 2005

[edit] Miscellaneous

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, although after realizing that some contestants could manage to answer the first few questions incorrectly, the "final answer" rule is employed throughout the entire show). 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 until after the break.

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

At least one episode in the world has featured two contestants going home with nothing in the same episode after entering the hot seat. This most recently happened on the sydnicated American version in October 2003.

[edit] National variants

[edit] United Kingdom

Main article: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (UK game show)

The show is hosted by Chris Tarrant.

[edit] 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: Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, the Caribbean, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Middle East, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, 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:

Countries/Regions Year Local Name Transliteration Translation Host Aired on Also shown in Final Prize
In Local Currency Approx. eq Winner
Algeria 2004-2006 اخر كلمة Akher Qalima "Last Word" Salah Ourgout Canal Algérie 2,000,000 Algerian dinars US$ 27,000
Argentina May–December, 2001 ¿Quién quiere ser Millonario? Who wants to be a Millionaire Julián Weich, a locally famous game show host Canal 13 1,000,000 Argentine pesos Then US$ 1 million, now about US$ 320,000
Armenia Since 2003 Միլիոնատեր Milionatehr Millionaires Armenian actor Ashot Adamyan Shant TV 5,000,000 Armenian dram US$ 11,000
All payouts on this version are made via credit card. The prize values are: 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, 8,000, 16,000, 32,000, 64,000, 125,000, 250,000, 500,000, 1,000,000, 2,000,000, 3,000,000, 5,000,000
Australia 1999–2006 Eddie McGuire Nine Network (urban Australia), WIN/NBN (regional Australia), Prime Television (New Zealand) New Zealand 1,000,000 Australian dollars US$ 740,000 2
Formerly hosted by Eddie McGuire (April 18, 1999 - April 3, 2006), Australia's Millionaire aired once weekly on Nine Network. It was 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), however, thanks to TV ads, rumor has it that Paul "Fatty" Vautin of "The Footy Show (NRL)" may be the new host. Vautin has denied this. New Zealand residents are allowed to enter.
Austria - Pre-euro 2000–2001 Die Zehn Millionen Show The ten millions show Barbara Stöckl, Rainhard Freidrich (earlier)
Armin Assinger		 State television ORF 10,000,000 Austrian Schilling € 726,728
Austria 2002– Die Millionenshow The millions show € 1,000,000
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.
Azerbaijan Milyonçu Millionaire Azar "Axşam" Şabanov Private television channel Lider TV 100,000,000 (pre-2006 currency reform) Azerbaijani manat US$ 22,000
Countries/Regions Year Local Name Transliteration Translation Host Aired on Also shown in Final Prize
In Local Currency Approx. eq Winner
Belgium - French version - Pre-euro 1999–2001 ? ? Alain Simons RTL-TVI 10,000,000 Belgian francs € 247,894
Belgium - French version 2002– Qui sera millionnaire Who will be a millionaire € 1,000,000
Belgium - Flemish version - Pre-euro 1999–2001 Wie wordt multimiljonair Who will be a multi-millionaire Walter Grootaers (well-known Flemish game show host; also hosted Deal or No Deal) VTM network 20,000,000 Belgian francs € 495,787
Belgium - Flemish version 2002– Wie wordt euromiljonair Who will be a euro-millionaire € 1,000,000
Brazil 1999–2002 Show do Milhão Show of the Million Silvio Santos SBT 1,000,000 Brazilian reais US$ 470,000 3
Bulgaria Кой иска да стане богат? Koy iska da stane bogat? Who wants to become rich? Niki Kanchev Nova Television 100,000 Bulgarian leva € 51,129
Prize Progression (w/o the final): 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 2,500, 3,000, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000, 50,000. It was earlier filmed in Romania. The show is almost always referred to as "Стани богат" ("Stani bogat", "Become rich").
Canada September, 2000 Who Wants to Be A Millionaire: Canadian Edition Pamela Wallin CTV 1,000,000 Canadian dollars US$ 890,000
CTV network aired the United States (primetime) version for most of its run. But the Canadian Edition was 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 in Toronto, but they never came to fruition as the US ratings took a huge downfall. The syndicated American version can be seen in Canada on local Citytv or A-Channel stations, depending on region, in the evening, as well as through American channel feeds. It is also shown on ASN during the daytime.
Chile - Season 1 ¿Quién quiere ser millonario? Who wants to be a millionaire? Mario Kreutzberger (also known as Don Francisco) Canal 13 100,000,000 Chilean pesos US$ 180,000 1 (100 million pesos)
Chile - Season 2 Sergio Lagos 65,000,000 Chilean pesos US$ 120,000
Chile 2006 ¿Quién merece ser millonario? Who deserves to be a millonaire? Don Francisco 120,000,000 Chilean pesos US$ 222,000
Mainland China See Hong Kong and Taiwan
Colombia ¿Quién quiere ser millonario? Who wants to be a millionaire? The channel's president, Paulo Laserna Phillips Private station Canal Caracol 210,000,000 Colombian pesos US$ 81,000
Croatia 2002– Tko želi biti milijunaš? Who wants to be a millionaire Tarik Filipović state television station HRT 1 1,000,000 Croatian kuna € 140,000 1
There is only one commercial break (as mandated by public television law).
Cyprus See Greece
Czech Republic Chcete Být Milionářem? Do you want to be a millionaire? Ondrej Hejma Private television Nova 10,000,000 Czech korun € 350,000
Prize Progression (w/o the final): 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 40,000, 80,000, 160,000, 320,000, 640,000, 1,250,000, 2,500,000, 5,000,000 10,000,000.
Countries/Regions Year Local Name Transliteration Translation Host Aired on Also shown in Final Prize
In Local Currency Approx. eq Winner
Denmark 1999– Hvem vil være millionær? Who wants to be a millionaire? Peter Kjær (Kjær rhymes with "millionær") TV2 1,000,000 Danish kroner € 130,000 2
Estonia 2002– Kes tahab saada miljonäriks? Who wants to become a millionaire? Hannes Võrno Viasat TV3 1,000,000 Estonian krooni € 63,912
Ecuador ¿Quién quiere ser millonario? Who wants to be a millionaire? Alfonso Espinosa de los Montelos Ecuavisa US$ 25,000
Finland - Pre-euro 1999–2001 Haluatko miljonääriksi? Do you want to become a millionaire? Lasse Lehtinen Nelonen 1,000,000 Finnish marks € 168,188
Finland 2002–? ? ? ?
Finland 2005– Ville Klinga, a former sports reporter MTV3 € 1,000,000
France - Pre-euro Qui veut gagner des millions? Who wants to win millions? Jean-Pierre Foucault TF1 3,000,000 then 4,000,000 French francs € 457,347 then € 609,796 3 (all 4,000,000 F winners)
France 2002–? € 1,000,000 1
Georgia ვის უნდა 20000? Vis Unda 20000? Who wants 20000 Dimitri Skhirtlade Rustavi 2 20,000 Georgian lari US$ 11,000
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.
Germany - Pre-euro 1999–2001 Wer wird Millionär? Who will become a millionaire? Günther Jauch RTL 1,000,000 German Mark € 511,292 5
Germany 2002– € 1,000,000
The 600th show was screened on October 6, 2006. The show is produced in Cologne.
Greece - Pre-euro Ποιος θέλει να γίνει εκατομμυριούχος Poios thelei na ginei ekatommyriouchos Who wants to be a millionaire? Spiros Papadopoulos commercial TV station Mega Channel for the first three years
New Hellenic Television, NET), one of the Greek Public Television (ERT) channels. Now again on Alpha Television.		 Cyprus, by RIK2, the second channel of Radio Institution of Cyprus 50,000,000 Greek drachmas € 146,735 3
Greece 2002–? € 150,000
Greece Now Thodoris Atheridis € 250,000
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.
Countries/Regions Year Local Name Transliteration Translation Host Aired on Also shown in Final Prize
In Local Currency Approx. eq Winner
Hong Kong 2001, 2002 and 2004 百萬富翁 The Millionaire Kenneth Chan ATV Mainland China 1,000,000 Hong Kong dollars US$ 129,000 2
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– Legyen Ön is milliomos! Be a millionaire! István Vágó RTL Klub, a Hungarian commercial TV station 25,000,000 (earlier)
40,000,000 Hungarian forint		 € 89,000
€ 140,000		 1
Iceland 2000– Viltu vinna milljón? Do you want to win a million? Þorsteinn J (earlier)
Jónas R. Jónsson		 Stöð 2 5,000,000 Icelandic krónur € 52,000
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 कौन बनेगा करोड़पति ? Kaun Banega Crorepati Who will become the owner of 10 million? Indian movie superstar Amitabh Bachchan Star TV 10,000,000 Indian rupees US$ 220,000
1 crore = 10 million in Indian numerals. 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.
India 2005–2006 कौन बनेगा करोड़पति ? Kaun Banega Crorepati the Second Who will become the owner of 10 million? (the Second) Indian movie superstar Amitabh Bachchan Star TV 20,000,000 Indian rupees US$ 440,000
A limited 85 episode series due to host Amitabh Bachchan falling sick. However, a future season has been anounced with superstar Shahrukh Khan as the host
Tamil Nadu, India கோடீஷ்வரன் kodeeshwaran Millionaire Tamil actor Sarath Kumar Sun TV 10,000,000 Indian rupees US$ 220,000
  State of Kerala Koteeswaram or Kodeeswaran Multi-millionaire Malayalam actor Mukesh Surya TV
Indonesia 1999-2006 Who wants to be a millionaire?" Tantowi Yahya Four times a week on RCTI 1,000,000,000 Indonesian rupiah US$ 110,000
In Indonesian milyar means "billion" – million being juta. There have been two contestants who left with 500 million rupiahs (but have not tried for the billion-rupiah prize).
Indonesia - New Version 2006- Super Milyarder 3 Milyar 3 Billion Super Billionaire Dian Sastrowardoyo Three times a week on antv 3,000,000,000 Indonesian Rupiah US$ 311,500
Prize Progression: 100,000, 500,000, 1,000,000, 1,500,000, 3,000,000, 5,000,000, 10,000,000, 20,000,000, 50,000,000, 100,000,000, 200,000,000, 500,000,000, 1,000,000,000, 2,000,000,000, 3,000,000,000. The "Switch the Question" lifeline is present in this version and is awarded after the first lock-in.
Ireland - Pre-euro 2000–2002 Gay Byrne RTÉ 1,000,000 Irish pounds € 1,269,738
Ireland 2002–mid-2002 € 1,000,000
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.
Israel ?מי רוצה להיות מיליונר Mi rotseh lehyot mylyoner? Who wants to be a millionaire? Sportscaster Yoram Arbel Channel 2 Israel (earlier), Channel 10 Israel 1,000,000 Israeli new sheqalim US$ 220,000 5
But it is often referred to as "Millionaire". On the first occasion when a contestant won the highest prize, the host danced around the middle of the studio.
Italy - Pre-euro 2000-2001 Chi vuol essere miliardario? Who wants to be a billionaire? Gerry Scotti Canale 5 1,000,000,000 Italian lire € 516,457 1
Italy 2002– Chi vuol essere milionario? Who wants to be a millionaire? € 1,000,000 1
Countries/Regions Year Local Name Transliteration Translation Host Aired on Also shown in Final Prize
In Local Currency Approx. eq Winner
Japan 2000– クイズ $ ミリオネア Kuizu $ Mirionea Quiz $ Millionaire Mino Monta (Norio Minorikawa) Fuji TV 10,000,000 Japanese yen US$ 86,000 20
Prize Progression (w/o the final): 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. The rules are the same as the original. Presenter Mino Monta uses the English phrases from the original show, such as "Fainaru ansah" ("Final Answer?") in the quiz. The Phone-a-Friend lifeline is also done differently-- four supporters of the contestant are off-stage, and when the contestant picks that lifeline, they are the ones who hear the question and four possible answers (therefore, there is no "Phone-a-Friend" list that most other versions' contestants use). They are also there to split up the cash prizes of ¥2,500,000, ¥5,000,000, ¥7,500,000, and the grand prize of ¥10,000,000 among the contestant if the contestant leaves with any of these prizes (as it is illegal in Japan for a game show to give away a cash prize of more than ¥2,000,000 to one contestant alone).
Kazakhstan 2002– Кто возмет миллион? Who will take the million? Serik Akishev Khabar television 5,000,000 Kazakhstani tenge US$ 42,000 2
Here there are two versions of the game in different languages.
Kenya October 13, 2000-? Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Fayaz Qureishi Kenya Television Network 5,000,000 Kenyan shillings US$ 70,000
Latvia 2002– Gribi būt miljonārs? Do you want to be a millionaire? Mārtiņš Ķibilds, a Latvian journalist TV3 At first, 10,000, now 20,000 Latvian latu €14,228, now € 28,457 1
Prize Progression (w/o the final): 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 125, 250, 500, 1,250, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000. The show is filmed in the Lithuanian set. 20,000 lats is 2 million santims (equivalent of cents)
Lithuania 2002–2005 Kas laimės milijoną? Who will win the million? Journalist Henrikas Vaitiekūnas (earlier)
Vytautas Kernagis, a famous Lithuanian singer and host of other shows		 TV3 1,000,000 Lithuanian litų € 289,620
In 2005 the show was canceled due to its unpopularity.
Macedonia 2004-2006 Koj сaкa да биде милионер? Koj saka da bide milioner? Who wants to be a millionaire? Sasho Macanovski-Trendo A1 television 3,000,000 Macedonian denari € 49,000
The show is taped in the Bulgarian studio, as the Bulgarian producers have the license both for the Bulgarian and Macedonian version.
Malaysia 2000–2002 Jalalludin Hassan NTV7 1,000,000 Malaysian ringgit US$ 270,000
Middle East and North Africa من سيربح المليون Man sa yarbah al-malyoon Who will win the million? George Kurdahi MBC1, the first channel in Middle East. Retransmited in Egypt by Channel 1. In Lebanon by Future Television. And pay-per-view channel ART 1,000,000 Saudi riyals US$ 266,616 2
2005–? من سيربح 2 مليون Man sa yarbah 2 malyoon Who will win 2 million? 2,000,000 Saudi riyals US$ 533,234
It was originally filmed and produced in London, a local Arab audience being flown in each time. Now the show is filmed in Beirut (Earlier, it was filmed in London, Paris and Cairo) and retransmited in Lebanon by LBC network.
Countries/Regions Year Local Name Transliteration Translation Host Aired on Also shown in Final Prize
In Local Currency Approx. eq Winner
Netherlands - Pre-euro 1997-200 Weekend Miljonairs (earlier)
Lotto Weekend Miljonairs		 Weekend millionaires (earlier) Robert ten Brink first on SBS 6, but moved to RTL 4 in 2006 1,000,000 Dutch gulden € 453,780 1
Netherlands 2002–present € 1,000,000
The name is now changed to the sponsored name "Lotto Weekend Miljonairs", because it also features the results of the Lotto, which is a type of bingo lottery.
New Zealand See Australia
Nigeria 2004– Who wants to be a millionaire? Frank Edoho Once weekly on NTV Originally 5,000,000 Nigerian naira, now doubled to 10,000,000 US$ 39,000, now US$ 78,000
Norway 2000– Vil du bli millionær Do you want to be a millionaire? Arve Juritzen (earlier)
Frithjof Wilborn		 TV2 2,000,000 Norwegian kroner € 250,000
Pakistan 2003-2004 Kya Aap Banaingay Crorepati? Moin Akhtar ARY Digital 10,000,000 Pakistani rupees US$ 165,000
Peru 2001–2002 ¿Quién quiere ser Millonario? Guido Lombardi, a well-known news anchor Only one season on Canal 5 1,000,000 Peruvian nuevos soles US$ 310,000
A second season was promised but due to internal problems at the network this never happened.
Philippines 2000–2002 Christopher De Leon IBC 13 1,000,000 Philippine pesos (earlier)
2,000,000 Philippine pesos		 US$ 19,000
US$ 38,000		 2
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 1999–2003 Milionerzy Millionaires Hubert Urbanski TVN 1,000,000 Polish złotych € 240,000
Portugal - Pre-euro Quem quer ser milionário? Who wants to be a millionaire? Carlos Cruz
Maria Elisa
Diogo Infante
Jorge Gabriel		 RTP1 50,000,000 Portuguese escudos € 249,399 4
Portugal € 250,000
Countries/Regions Year Local Name Transliteration Translation Host Aired on Also shown in Final Prize
In Local Currency Approx. eq Winner
Romania Vrei sa fii miliardar? Do you want to be a billionaire? Virgil Ianţu Prima TV 1,000,000,000 Romanian lei € 28,000
Romania Vrei sa fii miliarnar? Do you want to be a millionaire? 1,000,000 Romanian new lei € 280,000
Russia - Earlier 1999–? О, счастливчик Oh, lucky man Dmitry Dibrov NTV channel 1,000,000 Russian rubles
recently increased to 3,000,000		 € 29,000
€ 88,000		 3
Russia Кто хочет стать миллионером? Kto hochyet stat millionyerom? Who wants to become a millionaire? Maksim Galkin private ORT
Added "Walkaway" SMS game, when a player refuses to answer the question. New lifeline - "Three wise men" added in 2006, October, 21
Serbia 2002-2006 Желите ли да постанете милионер? Želite li da postanete milioner? Do you want to become a millionaire? Ivan Zeljković BKTV 3,000,000 Serbian dinara € 35,000
Prize Progression (w/o the final): 300, 600, 900, 1,500, 3,000, 6,000, 12,000, 24,000, 48,000, 96,000, 192,000, 375,000, 750,000, 1,500,000
Singapore - English language Radio DJ Mark Van Cuylenberg, better known as "The Flying Dutchman" MediaCorp 1,000,000 Singapore dollars US$ 630,000
Singapore - Chinese language 百万大赢家 Bai wan da ying jia" Million-dollar winner Taiwanese compere Chao Chi-Tai
Slovakia Milionár Millionaire Martin Nikodým Private TV station, TV Markíza 10,000,000 Slovak korún € 260,000
Prize Progression (w/o the final): 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 40,000, 80,000, 160,000, 320,000, 640,000, 1,250,000, 2,500,000, 5,000,000,
Countries/Regions Year Local Name Transliteration Translation Host Aired on Also shown in Final Prize
In Local Currency Approx. eq Winner
Slovenia Lepo je biti milijonar It's good to be a Millionaire Jonas Žnidaršič (earlier)
Boštjan Romih		 POP TV 10,000,000 Slovenian tolarjev (earlier)
15,000,000 SIT		 € 41,729
€ 62,594		 1
Prize Progression (w/o the final): 10,000, 20,000, 30,000, 40,000, 50,000, 100,000, 175,000, 250,000, 500,000, 1,000,000, 1,500,000, 2,500,000, 5,000,000, 7,500,000, 15,000,000
South Africa Jeremy Maggs M-Net channel(first)
SABC 3		 1,000,000 South African rand US$ 130,000 2
The 'M' of the word 'Millionaire' in the first logo was the 'M' logo of M-Net. This version was also the first outside the US to have a jackpot winner.
Spain - Pre-euro 1999–2001 ¿Quiere ser millonario?, 50x15 Do you want to be a millionaire?, 50 for 15 Carlos Sobera Telecinco 50,000,000 Spanish pesetas € 300,506
Prize Progression (w/o the final): ₧ 25,000, ₧ 50,000, ₧ 75,000, ₧ 150,000, ₧ 300,000, ₧ 350,000, ₧ 450,000, ₧ 600,000, ₧ 750,000, ₧ 1,500,000, ₧ 3,000,000, ₧ 6,000,000, ₧ 12,000,000, ₧ 24,000,000 Contestants could win 50 million Spanish pesetas for answering 15 questions

Spain

 2005–? ¿Quién quiere ser millonario? Who wants to be a millionaire? Carlos Sobera Antena 3 € 1,000,000
Prize Progression (w/o the final): 100, 200, 300, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, 6,500, 10,000, 15,000, 25,000, 50,000, 100,000, 300,000
Sweden 1999–2003 Vem vill bli miljonär? Who wants to be a millionaire? Bengt Magnusson TV4 10,000,000 Swedish kronor € 1,100,000 1
TV4 stopped broadcasting the show because they could not afford the prizes.
Sweden 2005– Postkodmiljonären The postal code-millionaire Rickard Sjöberg TV4 1,000,000 Swedish kronor € 110,000
Combined with the Swedish Postcode Lottery in a twice-weekly format
Switzerland 2001 Wer wird Millionär Who will become a millionaire? René Rindlisbacher private Swiss station TV3 1,000,000 Swiss francs € 639,600
When TV3 stopped broadcasting in 2001, the show disappeared from the local screens. Swiss candidates have since been spotted on the German show.
Countries/Regions Year Local Name Transliteration Translation Host Aired on Also shown in Final Prize
In Local Currency Approx. eq Winner
Taiwan 超級大富翁 Chao ji da fu weng Super rich person 謝震武 TTV Mainland China 1,000,000 New Taiwan dollars US$ 31,000
Prize Progression (w/o the final): 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, 7,000, 8,000, 16,000, 32,000, 64,000, 125,000, 250,000, 500,000. Unlike most other versions, there is a time limit of 30 seconds per question (also used in video game versions of Millionaire), and there are no milestone prize levels; an incorrect answer simply yields a final prize of half the value of the last question that was answered correctly (except for the 13th question, which, if answered incorrectly, yields a final prize of 64,000 instead of 62,500).
Thailand เกมเศรษฐ Millionaire Game 1,000,000 Thai baht US$ 26,000
Thailand - Another version เกมเศรษฐี: เดอะแชมเปี้ยน Millionaire Game: The Champion 2,000,000 Thai baht US$ 52,000
Turkey 2000-2004 Kim 500 (beşyüz) milyar ister? Who wants 500 billions? Kenan Işik Show TV
Then Kanal D		 500 billion Turkish lira € 230,000

Turkey

 2005 Kim 500 (beşyüz) bin ister? Who wants 500 thousands? Show TV 500,000 Turkish new lira
Prize Progression (w/o the final): 50, 100, 150, 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, 8,000, 16,000, 32,000, 64,000, 125,000, 250,000
Ukraine Хто хоче стати мiльонером? - Перший мільйон Khto khoche stati mil'onerom? - Pershiy mil'yon Who wants to be a Millionaire? – The first million Danilo Janevsky Commercial channel 1+1 1,000,000 Ukrainian hryven € 160,000
As in Russia, there is no "Ask the Audience" because the audience gives wrong answers in order to deceive contestants.
Uruguay ¿Quién quiere ser millonario? who wants to be a millionaire? Andrés Tulipano 1,000,000 Uruguayan pesos US$ 42,000
Contestants are paid in US dollars. The show was broadcast only one year.
Venezuela ¿Quién quiere ser millonario? Who wants to be a millionaire? RCTV president, Eladio Larez Radio Caracas Television (RCTV) 200,000,000 Venezuelan bolívars US$ 93,000
Its producers claim it to be the most popular programme in Venezuela
Vietnam 4 January 2005 Ai là triệu phú? Who is the millionaire? Lại Vǎn Sâm state television station VTV 3 100,000,000 Vietnamese đồng US$ 6,250

Of interesting note is that Ireland is the only show which, after the change to euro, received a cut to the max prize fund.

[edit] Million winners

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

Australia

Bulgaria

  • Asen Angelova answered the major prize question and was awarded 100,000 levs, but soon returned them, when it became clear that his daughter - Iskra Angelova, was working in Nova TV (the TV that airs the show), which is against the rules.

Chile

  • Gonzalo Miranda, 2002

Colombia

  • Enrique Carlos, 2006

Croatia

  • Mira Bicanic, 2002

Germany

Hong Kong

Hungary

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)

Israel

  • Yizhar Nevo 2000

Italy

  • Francesca Cinelli 2001
  • Davide Pavesi 2004

Japan

Kazakhstan

  • Saule Akhmetova, 2002
  • Irina Stal'naya, 2003

Latvia

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

Middle East and North Africa

  • Khaled al-Mulla (خالد الملا), from United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2001
  • 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" [March 2006].

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

Russia

Slovenia

  • Jaro Leskovsek, 2004

South Africa

Sweden

Spain

  • Enrique Chicote

Ukraine

  • Svyatoslav Vakorchuk, 2005

United Kingdom

United States (Prime time and Syndicated versions) in order of winning

In addition, Robert Essig won $1,000,000 on Super Millionaire on 23 February 2004, but did not win the top prize of $10,000,000. Also, an audience member who attended a taping told a radio station in Springfield, MO that Dan Weisman was crowned the 13th person to win the million-dollar prize (and the youngest as of yet).

In March 2002 Paddy Spooner became the first and only person to sit in the hot seat in 3 countries when he won in Ireland, having previously won $250k in Australia and £250k in England. In Ireland though, he didn't make it to the €32,000 level, according to an Australian game show website.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Original UK version

[edit] National variants

[edit] Miscellaneous

[edit] Internet Movie Database pages

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