Robert Kempe Brydges, a retired banker from Hampshire, was a contestant on Series 10 of the British version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on 29th September, 2001. He became the third contestant to legitimately win £1,000,000 and fourth million pound winner overall.
Robert was in the audience during Charles Ingram's infamous run to the million. Two years after his win, Robert returned to the show on 9th September 2003, playing for charity with TV presenter Judith Chalmers, winning £32,000, due to answering the £250,000 question incorrectly.
Robert previously acted as director of GNI Fund Management, an investment brokers firm, earning £300,000 a year and held the position of vice-president of US bank Hanover Trust.
Starting with the earliest, put these TV soaps in the order they were first seen.
⬥ A: Brookside
⬥ B: Home and Away
⬥ C: Coronation Street
⬥ D: Emmerdale Farm
From the 9 remaining contestants, 4 got it right, but Robert (with a time of 5.67 seconds) was the fastest to correctly answer C-D-A-B, making it into the Hot Seat.
Robert's Run to the Million[]
£100 (1 of 15) - Not Timed
Which of these is Britain's only poisonous snake?
⬥ A: Multiplier
⬥ B: Divider
⬥ C: Adder
⬥ D: Subtractor
£200 (2 of 15) - Not Timed
Which of these refers to an alcoholic drink served with ice?
⬥ A: Shingled
⬥ B: On the rocks
⬥ C: Pebble-dashed
⬥ D: Stoned
£300 (3 of 15) - Not Timed
At which specific time of day does 'a.m.' change to 'p.m.'?
⬥ A: Dawn
⬥ B: Midday
⬥ C: Dusk
⬥ D: Midnight
£500 (4 of 15) - Not Timed
Which fabric shares its name with a British river?
⬥ A: Damask
⬥ B: Hessian
⬥ C: Khaki
⬥ D: Tweed
£1,000 (5 of 15) - Not Timed
In which location are the famous seats known as the 'front benches' situated?
⬥ A: Canterbury Cathedral
⬥ B: Wembley Stadium
⬥ C: Buckingham Palace
⬥ D: House of Commons
£2,000 (6 of 15) - Not Timed
What type of vehicle was a Saturn V?
⬥ A: High speed train
⬥ B: Cross-channel ferry
⬥ C: Space rocket
⬥ D: Hot-air balloon
£4,000 (7 of 15) - Not Timed
The song 'Get Me to the Church on Time' is featured in which musical?
⬥ A: Brigadoon
⬥ B: My Fair Lady
⬥ C: Gigi
⬥ D: Camelot
£8,000 (8 of 15) - Not Timed
What does a cryptologist study?
⬥ A: Churches
⬥ B: Codes
⬥ C: Sea creatures
⬥ D: Architecture
£16,000 (9 of 15) - Not Timed
The DB range is associated with which car manufacturer? 'Ask the Audience' lifeline used
Unsure about the question, Robert decided to use his first lifeline - Ask the Audience. A massive 81% went for A: Aston Martin, and, satisfied, Robert locked in A. It was the correct answer, and Robert won £16,000.
£32,000 (10 of 15) - Not Timed
In the 18th century, Capability Brown was best known for designing what?
⬥ A: Wigs
⬥ B: Pottery
⬥ C: Theatre sets
⬥ D: Gardens
£64,000 (11 of 15) - Not Timed
Which 20th century poet wrote 'The Waste Land'?
⬥ A: Rupert Brooke
⬥ B: Ted Hughes
⬥ C: John Betjeman
⬥ D: T.S. Eliot
£125,000 (12 of 15) - Not Timed
Which of these is a type of flour?
⬥ A: Graham
⬥ B: George
⬥ C: Gordon
⬥ D: Gerald
£250,000 (13 of 15) - Not Timed
Which town provided the setting for TV's 'Little House on the Prairie'? 'Phone-a-Friend' lifeline used
⬥ A: Hazelnut Creek
⬥ B: Coconut Bay
⬥ C: Walnut Grove
⬥ D: Chestnut Wood
Robert felt it was C: Walnut Grove, but was not sure enough, so he decided to call his friend Edwina, who did not know the answer. Nonetheless, he decided to go with his hunch, C: Walnut Grove, and won £250,000.
£500,000 (14 of 15) - Not Timed
Which of these African countries is situated south of the equator?
⬥ A: Ethiopia
⬥ B: Nigeria
⬥ C: Zambia
⬥ D: Chad
£1,000,000 (15 of 15) - Not Timed
Which scientific unit is named after an Italian nobleman? '50:50' lifeline used
⬥ A: Pascal
⬥ B: Ohm
⬥ C: Volt
⬥ D: Hertz
After he used his 50:50, Robert decided to answer C: Volt. However, the announcement of the correct answer was delayed by Chris Tarrant going to a commercial break. After the break, Chris announced that Robert had won £1,000,000. Robert Brydges: Millionaire
Trivia[]
After winning, he studied for an MA degree at The Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham and dedicated his time to the ultimate upper-class dream.
When Robert's win was reported in the media, he was said to be the fourth top prize winner rather than the third as Charles Ingram's cheating had not yet been confirmed.
Robert himself has made light of this fact, calling Charles Ingram and himself winners 3A and 3B.
He was also, coincidentally, in the studio audience on the second half of Charles Ingram's run. He was one of those who suspected something wasn't right.
Robert's participation on the show raised the ire of his neighbour, Sarah Elliott, who said "Bob is loaded. When I found out he was going on the show I knew he would win. He’s as sharp as a razor and has no problem under pressure. But gambling on the tricky questions must be a lot easier when you’re already worth millions. I suppose £16,000 must seem like loose change to him." Elliott's grandmother was less kind, saying "It is so unfair that someone like Robert should be allowed on the show. That family certainly does not need the money. It won't make any difference to them because they're filthy rich and live like millionaires anyway." In addition, the show was called elitist, presenter Eamonn Holmes suggested live on GMTV that only millionaires or minor royals had a chance or winning the prize. A spokesperson for Celador responded "Everybody has an equal chance to get on. It is impossible for us to check how much money people already have when they get on the show. We'd love a penniless binman as our next winner, but it never happens."