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Peter Lee, a former sailor from Llandygwydd, near Cardigan, Wales, was a contestant on Series 6 of the UK version of the show on 17-18 January, 2000. He walked away with £500,000, becoming the first contestant to walk away with that sum of money. Coincidentally, both contestants who played before and after him (David Neale and Margaret Whittaker respectively) both won £250,000.

Peter planned to use the money, equivalent to some $818,800 at the time, to move to the United States to be with the rest of his family. He appeared on the 100th episode of Millionaire as an audience member.

WWTBAM Run[]

Fastest Finger First[]

Fastest Finger First Question
Starting with the fewest, put these parts of the adult body in order, according to the number of each.
⬥ A: Ribs ⬥ B: Teeth
⬥ C: Toes ⬥ D: Kidneys
From the 9 remaining contestants, only Peter (with a time of 14.58 seconds) correctly answered D-C-A-B, making it into the Hot Seat.

Peter's Run to the Million[]

£100 (1 of 15) - Not Timed
What was the nickname of the American showman William Frederick Cody?
⬥ A: Bison Bob ⬥ B: Bulldog Bert
⬥ C: Buffalo Bill ⬥ D: Bumblebee Brian


£200 (2 of 15) - Not Timed
If you try to emulate your neighbours socially, you're 'keeping up with the ...'?
⬥ A: Browns ⬥ B: Smiths
⬥ C: Joneses ⬥ D: Bakers


£300 (3 of 15) - Not Timed
What is the centre of a storm called?
⬥ A: Nose ⬥ B: Eye
⬥ C: Ear ⬥ D: Chin


£500 (4 of 15) - Not Timed
In the world of trees, what is the opposite of 'evergreen'?
⬥ A: Desiccated ⬥ B: Deceptive
⬥ C: Deciduous ⬥ D: Deceased


£1,000 (5 of 15) - Not Timed
Which word means a person who has little or no experience at sea?
⬥ A: Landlady ⬥ B: Land-holder
⬥ C: Landowner ⬥ D: Landlubber


£2,000 (6 of 15) - Not Timed
Which industry is sometimes referred to as 'Tin Pan Alley'?
⬥ A: Steel ⬥ B: Music
⬥ C: Catering ⬥ D: Car repair


£4,000 (7 of 15) - Not Timed
'Corgi' means 'dwarf dog' in which language?
'Ask the Audience' lifeline used
⬥ A: Spanish ⬥ B: Italian
⬥ C: Welsh ⬥ D: Manx
Ask the Audience Results: A: 19% ⬥ B: 20% ⬥ C: 46% ⬥ D: 15%


£8,000 (8 of 15) - Not Timed
Who was the last British governor of Hong Kong?
⬥ A: Norman Lamont ⬥ B: Chris Patten
⬥ C: Neil Kinnock ⬥ D: Edward Heath
The klaxon called time, and Peter would return on £8,000 with 2 lifelines still available.


£16,000 (9 of 15) - Not Timed
Bhutan is a small country situated in which range of mountains?
⬥ A: Alps ⬥ B: Pyrenees
⬥ C: Andes ⬥ D: Himalayas


£32,000 (10 of 15) - Not Timed
Which of these is made from beef?
⬥ A: Prosciutto ⬥ B: Pastrami
⬥ C: Pumpernickel ⬥ D: Panettone


£64,000 (11 of 15) - Not Timed
Which of these actresses has not appeared in 'Coronation Street'?
⬥ A: Patricia Routledge ⬥ B: Maureen Lipman
⬥ C: Prunella Scales ⬥ D: Joanna Lumley


£125,000 (12 of 15) - Not Timed
Which John Osborne play features the character Archie Rice?
⬥ A: The Entertainer ⬥ B: West of Suez
⬥ C: Look Back in Anger ⬥ D: Time Present


£250,000 (13 of 15) - Not Timed
Which French Impressionist painter had a son who became a successful film director?
'50:50' and 'Phone a Friend' lifelines used
⬥ A: Pissarro ⬥ B: Degas
⬥ C: Sisley ⬥ D: Renoir
This question featured on the DVD documentary Magic Moments and More.

Peter thought it was D: Renoir, but used his 50:50, which left A: Pissarro and D: Renoir. Still unsure, he decided to phone his friend 'Del Boy' Derek, who thought it was D: Renoir. He went with him, and won £250,000.


£500,000 (14 of 15) - Not Timed
What does the Japanese word 'kamikaze' literally mean?
⬥ A: Sacred venture ⬥ B: Divine wind
⬥ C: Self-destruction ⬥ D: Final attack
Peter thought it was B: Divine wind. He said he knew this because he had visited Japan, one of his favourite countries, a few times and had picked up various phrases. He decided to go for it, and became the first contestant in the UK to win £500,000.
Capture d’écran du 2020-02-12 09-08-09

Peter won half a million pounds.

£1,000,000 (15 of 15) - Not Timed
Which county cricket side is based at Chester-le-Street?
⬥ A: Warwickshire ⬥ B: Durham
⬥ C: Northants ⬥ D: Leicestershire
This is the very first Million Pound Question to be shown in the UK. Peter thought it was D: Leicestershire, but wasn't sure, so he decided to walk away with £500,000. Chris Tarrant said that he would've lost £468,000 had he said that answer, as the correct answer was B: Durham.

Total Prize Money: £500,000

Post-Millionaire[]

Peter became instantly well-known after his appearance on the show. He wrote a book about his experiences, Yes Chris - Final Answer, complete with his letters to and from, and a foreword by, Chris Tarrant.

Trivia[]

  • On October 2, 2000, Peter was one of the Phone-a-Friends of contestant Ann Stanley. Ann phoned him on her £32,000 question, regarding under which US president did Dan Quayle serve as vice president. Peter told her he thought the answer was D: George Bush, but wasn't 100% sure. He said he didn’t think it was C: Ronald Reagan. Ann went for D: George Bush and won £32,000.
  • Peter called the show to get on the first series and, after getting through, was too far out on the general knowledge question with a numerical answer asked to those who apply.
  • Peter appeared on Sounds Like London in 1981, Password in 1983, Winner Takes All in 1984, and 100% Gold in 1999. He won £4,855 in total on those shows.
  • Peter is featured in a "Best of Phone a Friend" Montage on the official UK YouTube channel for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?[1]
  • A clip of Peter's run on the show is featured in the official iOS/Android game Millionaire Champions, in Champions mode which challenges players to beat contestants scores using their same question stacks.

Gallery[]

Sources[]


Preceded by
David Neale
UK Contestant (Series 6)
Peter Lee
Succeeded by
Margaret Whittaker
Preceded by
N/A
UK £500,000 Winners
Peter Lee
Succeeded by
Kate Heusser
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