A Who Wants to Be a Millionaire contestant faced one of the biggest losses in the UK show’s history after getting the £1 million question wrong, despite using two lifelines.
Nicholas Bennett, a data analyst from London, had safely reached the £125,000 mark before facing the final question: “Which of these words, each coined by a famous writer, was derived from a fairytale about three princes?” The options were: A) Pandemonium, B) Serendipity, C) Utopia, and D) Yahoo.
Bennett asked host Jeremy Clarkson for help, then phoned a friend, but neither could provide the answer. Trusting his initial instinct, he selected “Yahoo,” only to discover it was incorrect. The correct answer was “Serendipity,” coined by Horace Walpole in The Three Princes of Serendip.
Had Bennett walked away, he could have left with £500,000, but his decision to continue cost him £375,000. Despite the disappointment, he remained optimistic, noting he still secured £125,000.
Clarkson expressed sympathy, saying he would have been “sobbing” in Bennett’s place and praising him as one of the most enjoyable contestants he had hosted.
Since its debut in 1998, only seven contestants have won the £1 million prize. The show was originally hosted by Chris Tarrant, paused in 2014, and revived in 2018 with Clarkson taking over.
