Retired doctor bottles it on the million pound question but still pockets £500,000 on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - so would YOU have known the answer about historic motor races?
Andrew Townsley could have been sixth contestant to scoop the ultimate prize
But faced with a motorsport question, he decided to play it safe with £500,000
Retired doctor from Glasgow said: 'I don't know and it's too much money to lose'
But agonisingly, Mr Townsley later said he would have guessed correct answer
But faced with a motorsport question, he decided to play it safe with £500,000
Retired doctor from Glasgow said: 'I don't know and it's too much money to lose'
But agonisingly, Mr Townsley later said he would have guessed correct answer
A retired doctor got to the final question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - but decided to play it safe and take the £500,000.
Andrew Townsley, from Glasgow, could have been the sixth contestant to scoop the maximum prize on the ITV quiz show after correctly answering the first 14 questions.
But faced with a question on motorsport, he left with half a million pounds.
Andrew Townsley pictured with host Jeremy Clarkson. He could have been the sixth contestant to scoop the maximum prize on the ITV quiz show after correctly answering the first 14 questions
Can you answer the 15 questions that would have won Andrew Townsley £1,000,000?
Question 1 for £100
'Which of these products is sold by the brands Colgate, Oral-B and Sensodyne?'
A: Deodorant C: Toothpaste
B: Shampoo D: Sun cream
Question 2 for £200
'Which tool was used as a weapon by the Norse god Thor?'
A: Pliers C: Screwdriver
B: Hammer D: Saw
Question 3 for £300
'What is the name of the classic dessert consisting of sponge cake and ice cream covered in meringue?'
A: Baked Rhode Island C: Baked Connecticut
B: Baked Wyoming D: Baked Alaska
Question 4 for £500
'Trigonometry is a branch of which subject?'
A: Biology C: Psychology
B: Economics D: Mathematics
Question 5 for £1000
'Lily Savage was a persona of which TV personality?'
A: Paul O'Grady C: Les Dawson
B: Barry Humphries D: Brendan O'Carroll
Question 6 for £2000
'Which of these means a speech in a play where a character talks to themselves rather than to other characters?'
A: Interlude C: Soliloquy
B: Revue D: Chorus
Question 7 for £4000
'Which of these is a religious event celebrated in Hinduism?'
A: Diwali C: Hanukkah
B: Ramadan D: Whitsun
Question 8 for £8000
'British athlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson became a world champion in which athletics event in 2019?'
A: Heptathlon C: 100 metres
B: Marathon D: 400 metres hurdles
Question 9 for £16,000
'Which iconic horror film involves a couple whose newborn child is replaced at birth with the Antichrist?'
A: The Shining C: The Exorcist
B: Don't Look Now D: The Omen
Question 10 for £32,000
'In the opera by Rossini, what is the first name of 'The Barber of Seville'?'
A: Tamino C: Don Carlos
B: Alfredo D: Figaro
Question 11 for £64,000
'Which of these books is believed to have been inspired by the real-life experiences of the Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk?'
A: Moby Dick C: Treasure Island
B: Robinson Crusoe D: The Court of Monte Cristo
Question 12 for £125,000
'Which toxic substance is obtained from the pressed seeds of the caster oil plant?'
A: Sarin C: Ricin
B: Strychnine D: Cyanide
Question 13 for £250,000
'The Twelve Apostles is a series of peaks connected to which mountain?'
A: Aoraki Mount Cook C: Table Mountain
B: K2 D: Mont Blanc
Question 14 got £500,000
'First performed in 1804, Beethoven's 'Eroica Symphony' was originally dedicated to which historical figure?'
A: Marie Antoinette C: Louis XVIII of France
B: Napoleon Bonaparte D: Voltaire
Question 15 for £1,000,000
'Which of these iconic races was held first?'
A: Le Mans 24 Hours C: Indy 500
B: Monaco Grand Prix D: Isle Of Man TT
The crucial final question asked: 'Which of these iconic races was held first?'
The options were A. Le Mans 24 Hours B. Monaco Grand Prix C. Indy 500 or D. Isle Of Man TT.
Mr Townsley, who said he will use the money for a trip to Niagara Falls, used his final lifeline, phone a friend, but his chosen helper did not know the answer either.
Explaining his decision to pocket the £500,000, he said: 'I don't know the answer and it's just too much money to lose.
'Having got so far and to go on a whim I think would be foolish and Niagara Falls is looking very nice at this time.'
Agonisingly, Mr Townsley said he would have said Isle Of Man TT, which was the correct answer.
Mr Townsley was hugged by his wife, Paddy and son, Angus after winning £500,000
Host Jeremy Clarkson congratulated him on being a 'truly fabulous contender'.
The £500,000 question asked who Beethoven's 1804 Eroica Symphony was originally dedicated to.
Mr Townsley, who appeared on the show in a wheelchair and has progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), asked the audience before correctly answering Napoleon Bonaparte.
He also answered the £250,000 question, correctly identifying The Twelve Apostles peaks as being connected to Table Mountain.
On how tempted he was to answer the million-pounds question, the contestant told The Sun: 'I was actually 50/50. If I still had the 50/50 lifeline I would have.
'I thought it probably was the TT. But was I prepared to risk it?'
He added: 'The show went very quick. That was my abiding memory of it. I found myself suddenly running out of questions in no time at all.'
Social media users reacted to the nail-biting episode, with one posting: 'Nooooo the guy on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire could’ve won the whole thing if he had guessed.'
tense.'
A third added: 'Incredible episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Andrew did incredible winning £500,000. Fantastic contestant.'
A fourth wrote: 'What a show tonight!'
Ingram Wilcox was the most recent winner of the million pounds, going all the way in 2006.
In all, five contestants have won the one million prize on the UK version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. The first was Judith Keppel in November 2000.
For her final question, then host Chris Tarrant asked: 'Which king was married to Eleanor of Aquitaine?' Ms Keppel corrected answered Henry II.
Perhaps the most famous contestant in Who Wants To Be A Millionaire history, Major Charles Ingram, has been back in the news thanks to ITV drama Quiz.
Ingram 'won' the grand prize but it was never paid out after he was accused of cheating in an infamous coughing scam.
The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire episode aired on ITV at 9pm on Tuesday.
WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE - THE BIG WINNERS
Amazing: Judith Keppel is to date UK Millionaire's only female winner
Judith Keppel - November 2000
Judith is to date UK Millionaire's only female winner, and made history when she was the first contestant to scoop the top prize.
She went onto return to the show in 2003 for a winners special and with the help of David Seaman won £32,000 for charity.
Iconic: Physics teacher David Edwards stunned viewers in April 2001
David Edwards - April 2001
Former physics teacher David Edwards stunned viewers when he reached the coveted final question.
He also appeared on a winners special with Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, winning £32,000 for charity.
Shocking: Robert Brydges appeared on Millionaire in September 2001
Robert Brydges - September 2001
Robert - a former banker - appeared on Millionaire just 11 days after Charles Ingram's infamous stint, and had even been sat in Winners Row while the show was being filmed.
He reached the final question with relative ease, and with the help of a 50:50 received the famous seven-figure cheque.
Pat Gibson - April 2004
Winner: Pat Gibson scooped the top prize in April 2004
Pat proved to be one of Millionaire's best-equipped contestants by the time he reached the £1 million question, as he still had two lifelines to use.
With the help of a 50:50 and Phone-A-Friend, he was crowned winner, and is now a regular in the world of professional quizzing and on BBC's Eggheads
Huge: Ingram was the last contestant to win the top prize on Millionaire in 2006
Ingram Wilcox - September 2006
Ingram was the most recent contestant to win Millionaire, and shared his winnings among his five children.
The retired civil servant from Bath moved into a new home in France a year after appearing on the show.
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