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A science teacher from Lincoln has won “the business end of three years’ wages” when he scooped £64,000 on the ITV quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
JP Hogan won the prize by correctly answering that Hercule Poirot was the detective played by the same actor in a television drama from 1989 to 2013 – after going 50/50 and asking for host Jeremy Clarkson’s help.
Host Jeremy Clarkson cracked a joke when he rang his wife for help on the £8,000 question – only for a male voice to answer.
Luckily, it was just an automated message – but it didn’t stop people chuckling about it on social media.
JP, a former scaffolder who retrained as a teacher after injuring his hands in a 5m fall at work, eventually took the money at £64,000 and bowed out before answering the £125,000 question.
The tricky teaser about art for that sum was: Which of these statues was originally conceived as part of a work named The Gates of Hell? A) Pieta B) David C) The Thinker D) Venus De Milo.
The Lincoln man used his last lifeline to call his mother’s husband Chris, who unfortunately was unable to help him.
Jeremy then asked JP what answer he would have given had he played on, and it turned out he would have chosen C) The Thinker, which was the right answer.
He had earlier looked shocked when he called his wife as his Phone a Friend lifeline on the £8,000 question and another man appeared to answered the phone.
It began with the question, which was: “Which of these days is part of the weekend in Germany?”
The options were A) Donnerstag, B) Mittwoch, C) Sonntag, or D) Dienstag.
JP said: “My wife’s auntie has lived in Germany for over 50 years. My wife’s been there a few times.
“My wife, who at different times would probably have been in the audience, is at home as one of my Phone a Friends.”
“Call we call Elizabeth?” said Jeremy.
As a male voice answered the call, Jeremy pointed out: “That was another man just answered your phone, relax, relax, it could be completely innocent.”
The man can be heard as saying: “I am sorry there is no service.”
£100 Which of these is a type of armour? A) chain mail B) Royal Mail? C) direct mail D) junk mail. Correct answer: A
£200 Which of these is an informal name for a photograph of a person’s face kept in a police file? A) hotshot B) buckshot C) potshot D) mugshot. Correct answer: D
£300 Which of these languages is a type of Chinese? A) Maltese B) Mandarin C) Malagasy D) Mayan. Correct answer: B
£500 In which sport are players awarded six points for a touchdown? A) basketball B) ice hockey C) American football C) Baseball. Correct answer: C
£1,000 Which of these snakes is able to spread its neck into a distinctive hood shape? A) king cobra B) Common adder C) Anaconda D) Rattlesnake. Correct answer: A
£2,000 In which famous dish is the main ingredient wrapped in puff pastry? A) lobster thermidor B) chicken Provencal C) lamb souvlaki D) beef Wellington. Correct answer: D
£4,000 Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson star in which recent film franchise? A) Deadpool B) Jumanji C) X-men D) Terminator. Correct answer: Jumanji.
£8,000 Which of these days is part of the weekend in Germany? A) Donnerstag, B) Mittwoch, C) Sonntag, or D) Dienstag. Correct answer: C
£16,000 Sugarloaf Mountain is the English name for the peak that overlooks which city? A) Johannesburg B) Kathmandu C) Rio de Janeiro D) Geneva. Correct answer: C
£32,000 The foundations of which retail company were laid in 1884 when a Polish refugee opened a penny bazaar market stall in Leeds? A) WH Smith B) Marks & Spencer C) John Lewis D) Sainsbury’s. Correct answer: B
£64,000 In an ITV drama series, which detective was portrayed by the same actor for spanof 24 years from 1989 to 2013? A) Hercule Poirot B) Jane Tennison C) Jack Frost D) Endeavour Morse. Correct answer: A
Luckily for JP, it was just an automated message – although it did lead to some cheeky comments from fans on Twitter.
Elizabeth eventually told JP: “Sonntag I think is Sunday. I’m about 80 per cent sure. Sorry.”
Jeremy asked JP what he would really spend the money on if he won big – despite the notes stating he intended to pay off student loans – and JP said he would like to go to a Superbowl or a World Cup.
And after winning £64,000, a beaming JP said: “It’s the business end of three years’ wages.”
JP fared a lot better than former physics teacher Pat Lucas, of North Kesteven School in North Hykeham, who appeared on the show on Wednesday, September 9.
She breezed past the first five questions, reaching the first safety net of £1,000, but her game ended after she got a science question wrong.
