Retired IT consultant Roman Dubowski played an epic game of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on Sunday night, becoming the seventh winner of the quiz show.
After ITV teased that not one but two contestants would reach the final £1million question in series 35, Jeremy Clarkson watched on as the contestant answered 15 questions correctly in the opening episode of the new series.
It was a shaky start though as the contestant stumbled on the £1,000 question and had to use his Ask The Audience lifeline.
A couple of questions later and for the £4,000 conundrum, Roman was forced to use his Phone A Friend lifeline to call his sister to ask ‘Which of these fashion retailers was founded in Japan? A: Zara, B: Uniqlo, C: Urban Outfitters, D: FatFace’.
Roman’s sister immediately answered correctly, sending her brother to the next question.
From there it was smooth sailing for Roman who soared through varied topics including mythology, theatre and some questions on his favourite subjects of history and geography.
Retired IT consultant Roman Dubowski played an epic game of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on Sunday night, becoming the seventh winner of the quiz show
Before reaching the final question Roman modestly revealed he planned to spend any winnings on ‘home improvements’ including a new kitchen, to which Jeremy joked he could easily afford two new kitchens.
For the £250,000 question Roman confidently answered a question on Greek mythology, as an impressed Jeremy admitted: ‘Hey I’m a bit excited, we have a proper encyclopedia in a shirt here!’
The £500,000 question was: ‘Presented in 1901, the first Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for the discovery of what? A: Wireless telegraphy B: X-Rays C: Cosmic radiation D: Quantum mechanics’.
Despite Jeremy’s nerves, Roman was sure he knew the answer was X-Rays, locking in his final answer within seconds of the question coming up.
Jeremy then threw the show to an advert break before asking Roman the final question.
Roman entered the £1million question with two lifelines remaining, his 50/50 and his Ask The Host.
After ITV teased that not one but two contestants would reach the final £1million question in series 35, Jeremy Clarkson watched on as the contestant answered 15 questions correctly
It was a shaky start though as the contestant stumbled on the £1,000 question and had to use his Ask The Audience lifeline
Roman entered the £1million question with two lifelines remaining, his 50/50 and his Ask The Host
His final question was: ‘Used since 1876 which trademarked logo is described in the James Joyce novel Ulysses and depicted in works by Manet and Picasso? A: Bass Ale, B: The Famous Grouse, C: Coca-Cola, D: Stella Artois’.
Roman admitted ‘I have something in my head’ but opted to stay safe and use his 50/50 lifeline leaving him with A: Bass Ale and B: Coca-Cola.
Roman was then convinced the answer was Bass Ale, recalling a painting by Manet depicting the brand’s logo. He decided not to use his Ask The Host lifeline to gasps from the audience and went straight for answer A, landing him a million pounds.
As the confetti fell a cool and calm Roman admitted ‘it hasn’t sunk in’ and said the first person he would call with the news would be his sister who helped him to the million.
Roman, who recently retired after a 34-year career as an IT Analyst, said: ‘I was aiming for £32,000 or £64,000 – that would have been a fantastic result.’
‘Winning £1million never really crossed my mind. It’s life-changing, but I don’t want it to be personality-changing,’ he said. ‘It removes financial stress completely, that’s what makes the biggest difference.’
Roman plans to use the winnings to move home after more than 30 years in the same property, as well as enjoying more travel in retirement.
‘I was already thinking about moving, and this gives me the opportunity to do that at the right time in my life,’ he said.
Having applied for the show three times over more than two decades, Roman described simply making it onto the programme as an achievement in itself.
‘Just getting onto the show felt like a win,’ he said. ‘If you’re thinking of applying, I’d say have a go. You never know what might happen.’
As the confetti fell a cool and calm Roman admitted ‘it hasn’t sunk in’ and said the first person he would call with the news would be his sister who helped him to the million
It was revealed by ITV earlier this month that two contestants make it to the £1million question in the most dramatic season of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? yet – and another suffers one of the biggest losses in the show’s history.
Judith Keppel got her hands on the cash in 2000, followed by David Edwards and Robert Brydges the following year.
Pat Gibson was crowned winner in 2004, and Ingram Wilcox got hold of the money in 2006.
The sixth winner, Donald Fear, was very recent and won back in 2020. Five of the previous winners were crowned during the Chris Tarrant era, with just one contestant winning the top prize since Jeremy Clarkson took over as host in 2018.
Unfortunately it’s not all good news for those taking part in the new series.
The channel also revealed that one contestant loses £186,000 – one of the biggest losses in the show’s history. The biggest loser was Nicholas Bennett who answered the £1million question wrong last year and lost £375,000.
Speaking about the upcoming episodes, Jeremy said: ‘I think this may be my favourite series so far.
‘Seeing two people get to the £1 million question was extraordinary.
‘When they’re sitting there on that final question the tension in the studio is incredible, you can really feel it. Can’t wait for people to watch it.’
ITV’s official press release has labelled the series ‘the most suspenseful runs the show has delivered in years’.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire first aired in 1998.
At the time, Chris Tarrant presented the show, and he did so until 2014.
After a four-year hiatus, the programme returned to our screens on ITV in 2018, but with a different presenter – Top Gear star Jeremy.
The show is currently airing series 35 on our screens.
