A history and politics teacher has been crowned as the first winner of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in 14 years.
Donald Fear, 57, now plans to spend some of his £1m prize money on a motor home to holiday across the UK.
The father of four, who lives in Telford, correctly answered the final 15th question about the death of a famous pirate in 1718 (scroll down to see the question).
Mr Fear, who has been married to his wife Debs for 33 years, is the sixth champion in the ITV programme’s 22-year history.
The streak runs in the family as his elder brother Davyth won £500,000 as a contestant on the same programme last year.
Mr Fear and his wife embarked on a caravan trip along the Northumberland coast with his wife after his win.
The couple previously planned to visit Santander, Bilbao and Pamplona in Spain before heading for the Pyrenees, but were thwarted by COVID-19.
Asked how he would be spending his next holiday, Mr Fear revealed he intended to buy a motor home and visit “wonderful Britain”.
He said: “Much as I’d love to jump on the next plane to the States or something like that, it’s just not an option.
“So for the moment it’s wonderful Britain, probably Wales first of all – so a motor home in Wales is what I’m going to spend my million pounds on.”
Mr Fear is seen at the moment he found out he had won £1million
Jeremy Clarkson, the show’s host, said Mr Fear was like “having the Encyclopaedia Britannica sitting opposite me” and added: “It’s Google, in a head”.
Mr Fear, who described himself as a “bit of a democratic socialist”, said he planned to give at least 70% of his winnings to members of his family and spend the rest on a “comfortable retirement”.
He also rubbished the idea of buying an Aston Martin sports car or moving house, saying: “It’s in a lovely area and I’ve been there for 27 years.”
After winning the second fastest finger first round of Friday’s show, Mr Fear said he was “in the zone immediately”.
However, he admitted: “Then my next thing to negotiate was getting on the chair because I was a bit worried I was going to fall off… because I’ve got quite short legs.
“I was concentrating, I was sitting as absolutely still as I can, so this thing about (me being) cool and calm is actually me trying not to make a complete idiot of myself on national television.”
The final question he answered correctly was: “In 1718, which pirate died in battle off the coast of what is now North Carolina?”
The answer was: Blackbeard.
“I’m a dates man,” he said.
“You don’t be a history teacher for 33 years without knowing a few dates, and the date 1718 and Blackbeard leapt out at me instantly.”
Jeremy Clarkson compared Mr Fear to ‘Encyclopaedia Britannica’
Mr Fear only used one of his lifelines, 50:50, to win the jackpot, leaving his “phone a friend” and “ask the host” options unused.
The episodes were pre-recorded without a studio audience due to COVID-19, with contestants given the option of a double “phone a friend” in place of asking the audience.
Mr Fear celebrated his win with his brother, who he claimed was the more intelligent sibling.
He said: “He is so pleased for me.
“We went to spend a night in a hotel with our wives last week and got absolutely plastered and he kept poking me saying how pleased and how overjoyed he was by it.”
Ingram Wilcox was the last winner of the top prize, going all the way in 2006.
In all, five contestants previously won the £1 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 correctly answered Henry II.
The 15 questions Mr Fear answered correctly to win £1million (answers at the bottom)
1 – £100
In the UK, the abbreviation NHS stands for National what Service?
Humanity / Health / Honour / Household
2 – £200
Which Disney character famously leaves a glass slipper behind at a royal ball?
Pocahontas / Sleeping Beauty / Cinderella / Elsa
3 – £300
What name is given to the revolving belt machinery in an airport that delivers checked luggage from the plane to baggage reclaim?
Hangar / Terminal / Concourse / Carousel
4 – £500
Which of these brands was chiefly associated with the manufacture of household locks?
Phillips / Flymo / Chubb / Ronseal
5 – £1,000
The hammer and sickle is one of the most recognisable symbols of which political ideology?
Republicanism / Communism / Conservatism / Liberalism
6 – £2,000
Which toys have been marketed with the phrase “robots in disguise”?
Bratz Dolls / Sylvanian Families / Hatchimals / Transformers
7 – £4,000
What does the word loquacious mean?
Angry / Chatty / Beautiful / Shy
8 – £8,000
Obstetrics is a branch of medicine particularly concerned with what?
Childbirth / Broken bones / Heart conditions / Old age
9 – £16,000
In Doctor Who, what was the signature look of the fourth Doctor, as portrayed by Tom Baker?
Bow-tie, braces and tweed jacket / Wide-brimmed hat and extra long scarf / Pinstripe suit and trainers / Cape, velvet jacket and frilly shirt
10 – £32,000
Which of these religious observances lasts for the shortest period of time during the calendar year?
Ramadan / Diwali / Lent / Hanukkah
11 – £64,000
At the closest point, which island group is only 50 miles south-east of the coast of Florida?
Bahamas / US Virgin Islands / Turks and Caicos Islands / Bermuda
12 – £125,000
Construction of which of these famous landmarks was completed first?
Empire State Building / Royal Albert Hall / Eiffel Tower / Big Ben Clock Tower
13 – £250,000
Which of these cetaceans is classified as a “toothed whale”?
Gray whale / Minke whale / Sperm whale / Humpback whale
14 – £500,000
Who is the only British politician to have held all four “Great Offices of State” at some point during their career?
David Lloyd George / Harold Wilson / James Callaghan / John Major
15 – £1 million
In 1718, which pirate died in battle off the coast of what is now North Carolina?
Calico Jack / Blackbeard / Bartholomew Roberts / Captain Kidd
Answers
1) Health 2) Cinderella 3) Carousel 4) Chubb 5) Communism 6) Transformers 7) Chatty 8) Childbirth 9) Wide-brimmed hat and extra long scarf 10) Diwali 11) Bahamas 12) Big Ben Clock Tower 13) Sperm whale 14) James Callaghan 15) Blackbeard