The ITV programme was produced by Celador at Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. The show, hosted by Chris Tarrant, was recorded on 9 September 2001 and 10 September 2001. After the last question, Chris Tarrant said, "Charles, give me the cheque for £500,000. You no longer have it,... you've just won £1,000,000!" but the payout was suspended when he was accused of cheating by having his wife, Diana, and an accomplice, Tecwen Whittock, cough when he read out the correct answers.

      Following a trial at Southwark Crown Court lasting four weeks including jury deliberation for three-and-a-half days, which ended soon after a jury member was evicted for discussing the case in public, Charles & Diana Ingram and Whittock were convicted by a majority verdict of "procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception" on 7 April 2003. Diana had previously been a contestant and won £32,000. Her brother Adrian Pollock had also previously won the same amount. Both Diana Ingram and her brother had missed their £64,000 questions. On 7 April 2003 the Ingrams and Tecwen Whittock were each given 18-month prison sentences suspended for two years Whittock was sentenced for 12 months, also suspended, each fined £15,000, and each ordered to pay £10,000 towards prosecution costs.

      Within two months of the verdict and sentence, the trial judge ordered the Ingrams to pay additional defence costs, Charles £40,000 and Diana £25,000. Altogether with legal fees, the Ingrams had to pay £115,000.

      This particular episode was not only aired in the UK but also in many other countries including the United States where John Carpenter and Kevin Olmstead were big winners and Australia whose second jackpot winner was also subject to allegations of cheating but was later exonerated.

      On 19 August 2003, the Army Board ordered Ingram to resign his commission as Major, with his state-earned pension of 17 years.

      On 19 May 2004 the Court of Appeal denied Ingram leave to appeal against his conviction and upheld his sentence but agreed to quash his wife's fine and prosecution costs. On 5 October 2004 the House of Lords denied Ingram his leave to appeal against his fine and prosecution costs, and he appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. On 20 October 2004 the original trial judge reduced Ingram's defence costs order to £25,000 and Diana Ingram's defence costs order to £5,000.

      An essay external link written by James Plaskett in favour of the innocence of Charles Ingram, his wife, and Whittock led to the journalist Bob Woffinden, who had a long time interest in miscarriages of justice, publishing a two-page article in the 9 October 2004 edition of the British newspaper the Daily Mail, entitled "Is The Coughing Major Innocent?" Others supporters followed in his behalf.

      Charles and Diana Ingram declared bankruptcy in October 2004. Charles Ingram is now a novelist and has written two novels.

      The saying has come to pass. "THE WORLD LOVES THEIR OWN." The Ingrams committed a major robbery on national TV and were caught when a careful scrutiny of the shows was examined, but other than the major stress they suffered from forfeiting their winnings and being put on trial; they suffered very little and with the name recognition gained from the show Ingram is writing novels after writing off all of his debts incurred in the fiasco by declaring bankruptcy, and in doing so; he made a mockery of justice.