Quiz fans are left amazed by Michael Sheen’s ‘uncanny’ portrayal of Chris Tarrant

Quiz viewers branded Michael Sheen’s portrayal of Chris Tarrant ‘brilliant’ in tonight’s episode of the new hotly anticipated drama, Quiz.   

During the first episode of the three-part dramatisation of the 2001 ‘coughing’ Who Wants To Be A Millionaire scandal, it was revealed that Major Charles Ingram’s brother-in-law Adrian Pollock, played by Trystan Gravelle, had created a Fastest Finger machine in his garage.

However, despite the shocking revelation he had the machine in a bid to increase his response speed for when he got a place among the real contestants competing to get in the chair, it was Michael Sheen’s impression of Chris Tarrant that really got viewers talking.

”Is it just me or is Michael Sheen doing a better job of portraying Chris Tarrant than Chris Tarrant does?’ joked one, while a second penned: ‘Can’t believe how much like Chris Tarrant Michael Sheen is in Quiz. Brilliant.’

And with his convincing orange tan and blonde hair, a third commented: ‘Jeepers creepers. Michael Sheen is so much like Chris Tarrent it’s unreal,’ while a fourth added: ‘They even got Michael Sheen to do the Chris Tarrant Phone A Friend repeat greetings move. Quiz did their research…’

During the opening episode, it was revealed that Major Charles Ingram, played by Matthew Macfadyen, was never a fan of quizzes, while his wife Diana, played by Sian Clifford, and her brother Adrian, were quite the opposite. 

After television producer Paul Smith (Mark Bonnar) put everything on the line to make the ITV quiz show, a much-loved pub-quiz hobby soon turned into outright obsession.  

But as Diana and Adrian’s repeated attempts to get into the hot seat fell short, all eyes turned to an unsuspecting Charles to win the million-pound prize.  

During the opening scenes, ITV’s new director, David Liddiment, attempted to form the premise of a new quiz show that would grip the nation, and it soon turned into the award-winning programme hosted by Chris Tarrant, played by Michael Sheen.  

But the opportunity to win £1 million proved too tempting for pub quiz lovers from across the globe, who quickly tried to find a way to hack the system and become contestants on the quiz show. 

Diana Ingram and her brother Adrian were among the quiz fans hoping for a chance to become millionaires, and reached out to a group of elite pub quizzers known as ‘The Syndicate,’ who claimed they could help individuals get onto the show in return for a fee.

Later, Adrian headed to a secret meeting with Paddy Spooner, played by Jeremy Killick – who managed to get in the chair three times – despite the rules saying you can only sit in the hot seat once.

‘It was three different versions, three countries – Australia, Ireland and the UK,’ explained Paddy. ‘They don’t check. There’s a lot they don’t check.’

‘I’ve been working with some people – an underground community has sprung up. 

‘They are fans of the show who have grown into a quiet little resistance in the quiet little villages of England, but the perfect place to plan our attack.’ 

He continued: ‘In the world of quizzing, the man who has the questions may be King, but the man who has the answers is God.’ 

‘Thousands of people call the hotline, the show selects a random hundred numbers to call back with a question that’s all but impossible to get exactly right. 

‘What the makers haven’t predicted was what people tend to do – talk to each other. 

‘The fools are using the same “closest to” questions, in rotation, time and again. All you need is a network, or, as we call ourselves, “The Syndicate.”

The experience quizzer advised Adrian that when he got the callback from the producers, he should pretend to be someone else and say that Adrian is out, to give them time to prepare and for Paddy to mobilise – before helping him with the answer.

Paddy then added that once in the chair, there was a final highly bespoke service they could offer on their phone a friend.

‘There’s a room in London where we gather – the finest pub quizzers in the land – secretly, silently, in solidarity,’ he explained. ‘If you give the producers one of the dozen special numbers we have around the country, they are all diverted here, to this one phone.’

After hearing Paddy was expecting 25 per cent in return, Adrian replied: ‘I am grateful for all the hints and tips and things, but I’m not sure whether I need your services.’ 

However, when Adrian and Diana both made it into the hot seat and failed to scoop the big prize, both walking away with £32, 00, they turned to Charles as a last resort. 

‘You must go on – onto the show,’ Diana told him. ‘I’ve been on, Adrian has – it’s your turn.’ 

A frustrated Charles replied: ‘It’s my turn is it, to join the family business? I warned you of these bad schemes. I don’t even like quizzes!’  

Quiz will continue to air on Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th April at 9pm on ITV