Victor Meldrew buried by Millionaire?

Lisa O'Carroll, site editor
guardian.co.uk, Monday November 20 2000 11.30 GMT

If Victor Meldrew was running the BBC, his response would have been an unequivocal "I don't belieeeeve it."

In an extraordinary turn-up for the books, ITV's Who Wants to be a Millionaire? has come up with its first ever £1m winner, according to press reports.

It is a result that has eluded the hit game show since it began more than two years ago.

And the question everyone is asking this morning is whether the questions in the show are any easier than normal?

For ITV will be screening the nail-biting episode at 9pm, at exactly the same time as Victor Meldrew bids the nation farewell on the BBC.

The grumpy pensioner, played by Richard Wilson, makes his final appearance in One Foot in the Grave and BBC1 controller Lorraine Heggessey has been looking forward to it for weeks.

She has planned a documentary on the making of One Foot in the Grave to precede it and hopes are high that it will pull in at least as many viewers as the 13m that final Inspector Morse attracted last week.

Now, however, the nation will be divided between the final episode of the BBC sitcom and the spectacle of TV's first ever true millionaire game show winner - Chris Evans gave away £1m last year on TFI Friday, but there was little hype or viewer interest.

Executives at the BBC are suspicious that the ITV show has been dumbed down to boost the ratings for the game show.

One BBC insider said: "It is bemusing. We are all suspicious as to how their first million pound winner comes along just as Victor Meldew is shuffling off this mortal coil.

"Call me old-fashioned, but this looks like more than a coincidence when ratings for Millionaire are down."

According to BBC figures, ratings for the ITV show are down by more than 1m over the past year. In 1999 the average audience was 13.5m but this year it stands at 12.2m.

ITV was refusing to confirm that a woman wins a million pounds on tonight's show, despite reports on the front page of today's Sun newspaper.

Judith Keppel, 58, scooped the jackpot in the programme, which was recorded last night.

She appeared on Saturday night's episode and had got to the £16,000 level using only one lifeline.

ITV insiders confirmed that the jackpot had been won but is refusing to release the questions ahead of tonight's show.

• Anyone with information on the show can contact us on MediaGuardian.co.uk.