Millions of viewers tuned in this week to watch new drama Quiz, based on the 2001 Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? coughing scandal.

The three-part ITV series starred Matthew Macfadyen and Sian Clifford as husband and wife duo Charles and Diane Ingram.

The couple made the headlines nearly 20 years ago after being accused, and later found guilty, of cheating at the popular game show which was hosted by Chris Tarrant at the time.

It was claimed that they, with the help of an accomplice, used coughs to signify the correct answers to some of the 15 questions.

Charles, in the hot seat, was only the third contestant to reach the £1m prize at the time, although he didn't receive the cash after bosses revealed the coughing plot.

The couple are still appealing their conviction.

But with the scandal, and the show, brought back to the forefront of people's mind, we take a look back at some of the winners from Kent who have appeared over the years.

1999

Mark Mills, from Bearsted, appeared on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in 1999.

He made it to the £125,000 question with two lifelines spare, but walked away with £32,000 after saying Tony Christie’s Avenues and Alleyways was the soundtrack to 1970s show The Persuaders, not The Protectors.

Mark said: "It’s a song that’s haunted me ever since. I was convinced I knew it but I’ll put the mistake down to a stress-induced error."

2002

Lyn and Steve Garnett, from Ashford, appeared on a newlyweds special in 2002.

They had £64,000 and decided to risk the next question which would either take them to £125,000, or drop their winnings to £32,000.

The vital question concerned the venue for the last African football tournament. Together they agreed that the answer was Ghana.

Sadly it was Mali and Chris Tarrant had to break the news that their winnings had plummeted to £32,000.

But they took it well and got great applause from the audience.

2003

Quiz buff Andrew Whiteley, from Canterbury, won a welcome £250,000 on the show in 2003.

Not bad considering his goal was to reach £32,000.

He planned to pay off his mortgage and put some of the cash into savings.

He said at the time: "I think the money will enhance our lives rather than changing them.

"It means we don't have to worry any more. We can pay the mortgage off and we've got a nice little nest egg to fall back on. We're happy."

He also planned to buy his wife a new car, adding: "We're going to replace her car when we feel it needs some major work done.

"But it's not going to be a Porsche, just a little runabout to get her A to B. We'd neither of us buy a fancy car just for the sake of having one."

2003

Comedian Vic Reeves - who lives in Charing near Ashford - appeared on a celebrity special in 2003 with Shooting Stars colleague Matt Lucas.

Together they reached £125,000 for charity.

A large sum of this went to the The Aspinall Foundation and helped build a new giraffe house at Port Lympne, near Hythe.

2005

Pub quiz fan Ken Owen, from Medway, got to the £125,000 question in the show but chose to gamble and walked away with just £32,000 after incorrectly answering that Kermit was the middle name of American First Lady Nancy Reagan.

The answer was Edith Roosevelt.

Mr Owen, who also appeared on Mastermind, died in 2018.

2005

Will Jones grabbed his chance to win the potential £1m prize in 2005.

Mr Jones, from Cliffe, scooped £64,000 before bailing out.

He said at the time: "I was shocked to get into the line-up but to win fastest finger first was when it really sunk in and I started to get nervous.

"Chris Tarrant was good at helping me overcome the initial shock and he seems like a genuine guy who's happy for people when they win."

Viewers watched as the tension mounted when Will considered risking all in an attempt to grab £125,000.

But the question: 'Livingstone House, in Mikindani, the home of the famous missionary and explorer, is in which African country?' stumped him. The correct answer was Tanzania.

2009

Gordon Dodd, from Sittingbourne, was happy to walk away with £50,000 after appearing on Who Wants to be a Millionaire 11 years ago.

The money helped Gordon and his wife no end as Gordon was one of the ASW steel mill workers who lost his pension when the firm went bust.

He said at the time: "We used the money to pay off some of the mortgage, I gave some money to my two sons, I bought myself a new motorbike - a Triumph Bonneville - and it freed up some money for me to invest after I lost my pension.

"The money has made a big difference to our lives. It was terrifying taking part, but I really enjoyed it.

"Without meaning to sound greedy, it's just a shame I didn't win £1 million."

Having been presented by Chris Tarrant from 1998 to 2014, Jeremy Clarkson took over when the show re-launched in 2018.

2019

Canterbury man Oli Blake let £93,000 slip through his fingers after trusting the audience to know their literature.

The Financial analyst reached the £250,000 question on the show last year but relied on two lifelines to help him answer it.

After being asked which famous novel opens with the words '3 May. Bistritz. Left Munich at 8:35 P.M', Oli decided to use his 50:50 lifeline, whittling the options down to just two - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Dracula.

Still unsure, he used his final lifeline and asked the audience members what they thought, with a staggering 81% opting for the spy novel.

With the number so high, Oli - a former pupil of Sir Roger Manwood's grammar school in Sandwich - decided to take a punt and go with the audience.

But they were wrong and he went home with only £32,000.

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