Rob Mitchell, a database administrator from Lutterworth, Leicestershire, was a contestant on series 14 of the UK version of the show on 25 October & 1 November, 2003. He walked away with £32,000 after incorrectly answering his £500,000 question, and became the second and most recent contestant in the UK, after Duncan Bickley, to lose £218,000, which was the highest amount of money ever lost on the British version of the show until 25th May 2025 when Nicholas Bennett lost £375,000 after getting the million pound question wrong having set his second safety net at £125,000.
He also became the sixth person on the show after Martin Skillings, Ben Bartle, Gerry Lennon, Diane Hallagan and Dougie Wilson and before James Plaskett to get up to £125,000 with all 3 lifelines still remaining.
He, alongside Alan Lofts, originally appeared on Fastest Finger First on 18th January 2003, but didn’t get into the hot seat.[1]
15 years later, on the 20th anniversary, Eleanor Ayres also answered the £500,000 question incorrectly, losing £125,000 in the process, and walking away with £125,000.
WWTBAM Run[]
Fastest Finger First[]
| Fastest Finger First Question | |
| Starting in America and working east, put these items in order of the country with which they are most associated. | |
| ⬥ A: Gondola | ⬥ B: Stetson |
| ⬥ C: Boomerang | ⬥ D: Shamrock |
3 from the 9 contestants correctly answered B-D-A-C, but Rob did it the fastest (5.09 seconds), making it into the Hot Seat. He also appeared in a FFF Round on January 2003, but failed to make it into the Hot Seat.
Rob's Run to the Million[]
| £100 (1 to 15) - Not Timed | |
| Which of these is a Native American ceremony for feasting and dancing? | |
| ⬥ A: Kowtow | ⬥ B: Powwow |
| ⬥ C: Hownow | ⬥ D: Browncow |
| £200 (2 to 15) - Not Timed | |
| Which word describes a schoolchild who spends a lot of time studying? | |
| ⬥ A: Swot | ⬥ B: Slot |
| ⬥ C: Scot | ⬥ D: Shot |
| £300 (3 to 15) - Not Timed | |
| At what type of bus stop will the vehicle only stop if signalled to do so? | |
| ⬥ A: Beg stop | ⬥ B: Plead stop |
| ⬥ C: Appeal stop | ⬥ D: Request stop |
| £500 (4 to 15) - Not Timed | |
| A 'tremor' is a small... what? | |
| ⬥ A: Avalanche | ⬥ B: Tornado |
| ⬥ C: Tidal wave | ⬥ D: Earthquake |
| £1,000 (5 to 15) - Not Timed | |
| Where in the body are the muscles known as 'abs'? | |
| ⬥ A: Thigh | ⬥ B: Back |
| ⬥ C: Stomach | ⬥ D: Legs |
| £2,000 (6 to 15) - Not Timed | |
| Which TV character is associated with the phrase “Who loves ya, baby?”? | |
| ⬥ A: Lovejoy | ⬥ B: Bergerac |
| ⬥ C: Kojak | ⬥ D: Seinfeld |
| £4,000 (7 to 15) - Not Timed | |
| With which athletics event is Ashia Hansen most associated? | |
| ⬥ A: Triple jump | ⬥ B: 400 metres |
| ⬥ C: Javelin | ⬥ D: 800 metres |
| £8,000 (8 to 15) - Not Timed | |
| A 'tournedos Rossini' is a steak topped with which of these ingredients? | |
| ⬥ A: Spinach | ⬥ B: Smoked salmon |
| ⬥ C: Carrot | ⬥ D: Foie gras |
| £16,000 (9 to 15) - Not Timed | |
| Freddie Eynsford-Hill is a character in which musical? | |
| ⬥ A: West Side Story | ⬥ B: My Fair Lady |
| ⬥ C: The Sound of Music | ⬥ D: Kiss Me Kate |
| £32,000 (10 to 15) - Not Timed | |
| In which British city was Cary Grant born? | |
| ⬥ A: Leeds | ⬥ B: Manchester |
| ⬥ C: Birmingham | ⬥ D: Bristol |
| £64,000 (11 to 15) - Not Timed | |
| The reign of which ruler features in Tennyson's book of verse 'The Idylls of the King'? | |
| ⬥ A: Henry VIII | ⬥ B: William the Conqueror |
| ⬥ C: Arthur | ⬥ D: Richard the Lionheart |
| £125,000 (12 to 15) - Not Timed | |
| The Ogaden is a desert region on which continent? | |
| ⬥ A: North America | ⬥ B: Africa |
| ⬥ C: Australia | ⬥ D: South America |
| The klaxon called time, and Rob would return on £125,000 with all 3 lifelines still available. |
| £250,000 (13 to 15) - Not Timed | |
| Which of these comics celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2003? '50:50' and 'Ask the Audience' lifelines used | |
| ⬥ A: Beano | ⬥ B: Eagle |
| ⬥ C: Marvel | ⬥ D: Hotspur |
| Ask the Audience Results: A: 68% ⬥ C: 32% | |
| £500,000 (14 to 15) - Not Timed | |
| How many inches tall is an Oscar statuette? 'Phone-a-Friend' lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: Eight and a half | ⬥ B: Eleven |
| ⬥ C: Thirteen and a half | ⬥ D: Sixteen |
| Rob didn't know, so he phoned his sister-in-law Moira, who didn't know either. Rob decided to play the question anyway and go for B: Eleven, but this was incorrect and he lost £218,000.
Total Prize: £32,000 |
Notes[]
- Just before revealing that Rob had lost £218,000, Chris said that Rob's sister up in the audience had said C: Thirteen and a half before announcing that she was right.
Trivia[]
- From the 10th Anniversary DVD Game - Best bits 2003, Chris said that Rob was the first person to get up to £125,000 without using a lifeline. This was a mistake, as 5 contestants had also done the same before him.
Gallery[]
Sources[]
References[]
| Preceded by Paul Walker |
UK Contestant (Series 14) Rob Mitchell |
Succeeded by Gavin Freeguard |