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Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? player who scooped £500,000 explains how it will make a huge difference to their lives after tough times

Andrew Fanko missed out on the chance to take the jackpot on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? – but insisted his £500,000 prize had still saved his family financially.

The 44-year-old and his wife Frankie, who live in Market Harborough in Leicestershire with their six-year-old daughter, both work as translators. Andrew admitted work has been thin on the ground recently, as AI was putting them out of business, putting him under further pressure on him to do well on the show.

He made it to the million pound question but decided against answering it as he couldn’t be certain – and if he had gone with the ITV audience he would have been WRONG. It still meant he walked away with half a million pounds and played one of the best games in the show’s history.

Asked how the money will change his life, Andrew said: “It’s come at a really, really lovely time. First because our work has been kind of thrown under the bus a bit in the last few years because of AI. We are both translators and the freelance translation market has pretty much died to death in the last five to 10 years so although I’m lucky enough to have an in-house position at the moment, I don’t know how long that’s going to last, and Frankie’s work has dried up quite a lot so this will really make a huge difference to us.

“If either of us want to retrain or anything like that, it gives us the chance to be able to do that and I don’t think early retirement is a possibility, but it certainly makes our lives a lot easier.

“We genuinely were getting pretty concerned about the work situation. It was getting pretty stressful. Knowing that it is gonna come in fairly soon has been absolutely massive for us. It’s made a huge difference. We both feel a lot lighter, a lot more positive.”

Andrew sailed through the ITV show until hesitating on Question 12 for £125,000 about which cell type does not have a nucleus. He phoned his friend Jonathan who was 60 percent sure it is bacteria, and after using his 50-50 went with this correct answer.

He stumbled again on a question 14 for £500,000 about which character is killed in Murder on the Orient Express. He tried to get help from host Jeremy Clarkson but when that failed, correctly guessed Sam Ratchett.

His final question for £1 million was to name which one out of the four people named was an EGOT winner, meaning having scooped four different arts prizes including an Emmy and an Oscar.

He didn’t know the answer and asked the audience but the majority of them thought it was Bette Midler. After taking the £500,000 and not answering, Andrew was told the correct answer was Andrew Loyd Webber.

Reflecting on missing out on the big prize, Andrew said: “I’m fine with it. Honestly. The only way I wouldn’t have been fine with just missing out is if I had known the answer to the million pound question and not gone for it, but I just didn’t know it. So it is the best of all worlds really because I’ve been able to win a really life changing sum of money, genuinely life changing, and I know I couldn’t have done any better. So yeah, I have no regrets at all.

“The main pressure I felt was on the half a million pound question. So the Agatha Christie question, Frankie(wife) is a massive Agatha Christie fan. So I was like I could feel the eyes kind of burning into the back of my head. I knew that she would know it in a heartbeat. But I had to think about it, quite a lot before I was confident enough to go for it.”

Andrew and his wife are both big quiz fans and he has previously been on MasterMind, 15-1, Only Connect, and Brain of Britain. The couple also won on Eggheads with two friends, taking a £33,000 prize between them.

His big win has not put him off having a go at other TV quizzes.

He revealed: “I probably will do stuff in the future. Just because I absolutely love it. It might be harder to get on now, I guess, but you know… Mastermind. I got to the semi final four years ago and I still have ambitions to do well on Mastermind.. perhaps not immediately because I do want to take a little break from it, but yeah, I think Mastermind in the future is the one that I want another crack at. So the last time I did Britain at the Winter Olympics and African World Heritage sites.. so quite a range. I’d maybe do something like the TV show Spooks or perhaps something to do with Liverpool Football Club, although that’s been done loads of times. Something else sporty, I think.”

Now the episode has aired his long wait for the money is now almost over, having filmed the show last year, and once paid he will take his daughter Jemima to Disneyland and to buy his wife a new car.

He speaks French, Italian and Spanish but the first holiday they take will actually be a cruise to the Norwegian fjords with extended family.

Andrew said: “I wasn’t really nervous in the chair itself. I enjoyed it. I love answering quiz questions and it is what I spend most of my time doing. But the actual win with the lights and Jeremy and the audience and everything.. you do sort of lose a bit of perspective of where you are.

“I would say, the biggest tip I’ve got is probably to practise the fastest figure first – because that’s the key. I think once you get in the chair, that’s the great thing about Millionaire and the format is that once you get in the chair, anyone can win a huge amount of money because I don’t think they ever ask you sort of really, really genuinely very hard questions.

“It’s just such a wide range of things that that’s what makes it hard to progress quite a long way, but they can just fall for you. “But I would definitely practise faster than the first at home before you go and also while you’re practising in ‘the millionaire’s row’ where you sit before you go on, you get a chance to sort of get your fingers ready and practise on.”

Last month viewers saw Roman Dubowski win £1million in the opening episode of the series. He told the Mirror he celebrated with a cup of tea after he correctly answered that a Bass Ale logo appeared in the novel ‘Ulysses’ and paintings by Picasso and Manet.

There have been a total of seven winners of the £1million in the UK since the show began in 1998. Clarkson replaced Chris Tarrant as the host when the show returned in 2018 after a four year break.

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Actress Nicola Walker, famous for her roles in The Split and Unforgotten, will soon be back on screen starring in a brand new comedy drama

The release date for Nicola Walker’s brand new series has been revealed.

The actress, widely recognised for portraying DCI Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Stuart across seasons 1-4 of ITV’s detective drama Unforgotten, will appear alongside a star-studded ensemble in Disney+’s Alice and Steve.

The cast and creative team behind the new six-part comedy-drama launched their press tour yesterday (April 26) with a world premiere in competition at CANNESERIES 2026.

The story, which will be available to stream on Disney+ in June, follows Alice, played by Nicola, whose world is turned upside down when her best friend Steve (Jemaine Clement) begins a relationship with her 26-year-old daughter, Izzy (Topol Margalith). Faced with the possibility of losing both her closest friend and her daughter at once, Alice goes to extreme lengths to break them up.

But Steve is ready to fight back, and what starts as a close friendship quickly spirals into a bitter and chaotic feud.

Blending humour with emotional complexity, Alice and Steve explores the tangled dynamics of friendship, family, and love.

This anti-romantic comedy raises big questions such as how far would you go for love or revenge? And can Steve and Izzy’s relationship survive the fallout? One thing that will be certain is the fact that the characters’ lives will change dramatically.

The synopsis for Alice and Steve reads: “Alice tries everything she can to end the relationship. Unfortunately for her, Steve’s more than ready for the attack, and what begins as a perfect friendship devolves into an all-out feud.”

When the new programme was first announced, Nicola said in a statement: “I’m thrilled to be stepping into the fabulous world of friendship, motherhood, marriage, frantic revenge and fierce love that Sophie Goodhart has created, and to be doing it with Jemaine Clement is completely joyful!”

Meanwhile, actor Jemaine also sung Nicola’s praises and said: “I really relate to Steve – he’s classy, stylish and an all-round good guy – except for when he isn’t. I’m excited to be working with the wonderful Nicola Walker and seeing how Steve and Alice’s relationship descends into absolute chaos.”

Nicola was a fan favourite in the detective series, Unforgotten. However, her character was killed off in 2021, leaving viewers devastated.

As well as Nicola taking the leading role, the show includes an incredible ensemble working behind the scenes such as writer-creator Sophie Goodhart (Sex Education), director Tom Kingsley (Stath Lets Flats), Clerkenwell Films executive producer Andy Baker (Baby Reindeer) and series producer Frances du Pille.

All six episodes of Alice and Steve will be available to stream from Monday, June 8 exclusively on Disney+

This deal from Wowcher means you could be enjoying the magic of Disneyland Paris, with the cost of the ferry and a two-night stay at a hotel close to the park, at under £200 per person

Nothing beats the magic of a day at Disneyland, but it can be a costly choice just for the tickets alone. That’s why it often works out cheaper to book a deal that includes extras such as accommodation.

Wowcher has just launched a 4* Disneyland Paris Break which is now available to book that includes two-nights in a hotel, transport across the channel, and a one-day Disneyland Paris park entry for each guest, with prices that start at £189 per person.

You can check the availability calendar on Wowcher’s website to see the prices for each date. At the moment, the £189 deal is available in the first week of May with a 37% discount available. However, these dates are likely to sell out quickly, so you may need to snap them up soon.

Dates are available later in the year for November and December at around £249, and this can be an excellent time to visit the parks for the festive period. If you’re looking for summer holiday dates, then the last week in August is the cheapest, with dates from £309 per person.

OPINION

Julie Delahaye

The package includes a stay at the 4* Paxton Hotel Paris MLV, just 10-minutes from the gates of Disneyland by car, which also offers a bus connection to the parks. The price also includes a return ferry crossing for a vehicle, and the drive from Calais to the hotel is just over three hours, mostly on motorways.

The one-day entry pass includes access to all attractions, shows, Character Encounters, parades, and more, so you can pack a lot into your trip.

Since the package has two nights in a hotel, you may also want to enjoy the onsite indoor pool, spa, and hammam, or even head to nearby Bussy-Saint-Georges station to get a train into Paris for some sightseeing. The city centre is about half an hour away by train.

If you’d rather stay onsite at the parks, you can book Disneyland Paris breaks via its official website, which gives you the option to stay in official Disney hotels. Staying in an official Disney property gives you perks such as early access to the parks and a quicker journey home at night, but it is a pricier option.

One night at the Disney Newport Bay Club in early May, with a two-day park pass comes in at £372.45 per person, and considerably more during peak times.

Another way to save money is to look for the deals that Disney offers throughout the year. For example, Walt Disney World in Florida has just relaunched its popular Free Dining offer, as well as offering up to £400 off breaks. This deal can be found on disneypackages.co.uk, and is available during most school holidays. This site also offers packages that include flights, making it easier to plan your trip.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

There’s a mysterious new character that fans are wondering about their true identity

The latest season of hit Marvel sequel series Daredevil Born Again has introduced a mysterious new villain.

While the show debuted last year, it quickly became a hit with fans and critics alike and succeeded in picking up where the Netflix version of the comic book character left off. It also meant that the character was now officially a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Its first season managed to score an impressive 87% on website Rotten Tomatoes and the premiere episode of the second season is streaming now on Disney+.

As episodes are released on a weekly basis, fans will see Mayor Wilson Fisk crush New York City underfoot as he hunts down public enemy number one, the Hell’s Kitchen vigilante known as Daredevil. But, beneath the horned mask, Matt Murdock will try to fight back from the shadows to tear down the Kingpin’s corrupt empire and redeem his home. Resist. Rebel. Rebuild.

The show sees most of the original cast return including Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio reprising their roles as Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk respectively. Also returning are Wilson Bethel as Bullseye and Deborah Ann Woll as Karen.

One newcomer to the show though has already made an impact just one episode in. That is the currently mysterious Mr Charles, played by Matthew Lillard. Lillard is famed for his previous roles in the Scream franchise as well as Five Nights At Freddy’s, the Scooby Doo live-action films and Prime Video series Cross.

But who is his character Mr Charles? Is he in the original Marvel comics? Here’s all you need to know. Beware some mild spoilers for Daredevil Born Again season 2, episode 1.

Who is Mr Charles?

In the show, we meet Mr Charles as he watches developments in New York on the TV from Washington. Daredevil has just sunk the North Star ship which was secretly smuggling weapons for Wilson Fisk and his associates. Turns out, Mr Charles is a middle man for these associates.

As a result, he gets a phone call and agrees he needs to address the matter personally. He arrives at Fisk’s office on his own terms, seemingly one of the very few people unafraid of the Kingpin. In a reference that may have missed the average viewer, the name Miss de Fontaine is mentioned and confirmed to be Mr Charles’ boss.

This means he works for Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus and seen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier , Black Widow , Black Panther: Wakanda Forever , and Thunderbolts. So this Mr Charles works for the CIA but is assisting de Fontaine with illicit operations.

However, some fans believe that this name could be a cover for who the character really is. According to Screen Rant there is a character called Mr Charles in Marvel lore but he only appeared in one issue, outside any main storyline or continuity. The issue was published in 2013 and he was a Roxxon Corporation employee who was in charge if illegal oil drillings in the ocean.

Fans will just have to wait as the series continues to see who Mr Charles really is and what he is truly up to. There is always the chance that he is an original character created for the show.

Daredevil Born Again is streaming on Disney+.