A contestant on the UK version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? has suffered one of the biggest losses in the show's history after answering the £1 million question incorrectly. Nicholas Bennett, a data analyst from West Hampstead, London, had already secured a £125,000 safety net before reaching the final question.
Host Jeremy Clarkson read the £1 million 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 used two lifelines—Ask Jeremy and Phone a Friend—but neither provided the correct answer.
Bennett chose Yahoo, but Clarkson revealed the correct answer was serendipity, coined by Horace Walpole from The Three Princes of Serendip. The audience gasped as Bennett lost the chance to win an additional £875,000. He had the option to walk away with £500,000 but chose to continue.
Clarkson consoled Bennett, saying, 'I don't think I've ever had a contestant I've enjoyed more than you.' Bennett remained optimistic, saying, 'Still get £125,000.' Clarkson remarked he would be 'sobbing' if it were his loss.
Only seven contestants have won the £1 million jackpot on the show, which originally aired from 1998 to 2014 and was revived in 2018 with Clarkson as host.
