Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? contestants regularly cheated with ‘nods and winks’ according to The Chase’s Mark Labbett

‘If the Ingrams did cheat they cheated stupidly’

The Chase’s Mark Labbett claims he knows of people who cheated on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? by getting their friends to sit behind the former host Chris Tarrant and send secret signals.

He told the Daily Star: “I know of people who cheated on Millionaire far better than that by having ­fellow quizzers seated just behind Chris Tarrant in their eyeline.”

The 54-year-old made the allegations which focused on Charles Ingram and his wife Diana who were accused of cheating using coded coughs during a recording in 2001.

Mark added: “If the Ingrams did cheat they cheated stupidly.”

During the Ingram’s trial, Tarrant maintained that he had not heard any coughing throughout the episode.

New host Jeremy Clarkson thinks the reason Chris did not hear the misbehaviour by Ingram or accomplice Tecwen Whittock was because he was so focused on the job in hand.

He told The Sun: “Tarrant just thought he was lucky or clever or a bit of a buffoon but certainly at the time he didn’t think he cheated.

“And obviously when you’re hosting the show, half of you is paying attention to the person sitting in front of you, but the other half is thinking about you making a TV show.

“I guess if you’re only paying half of your attention to the contestant you perhaps wouldn’t notice something untoward is happening.

“I don’t think I’d be any different. You just think, ‘Wow this is good television,’ and then just switch into TV presenter mode.”