'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?': Teacher wins UK quiz show jackpot, first to do so in 14 years

Donald Fear used only one lifeline to win the prize money

British history teacher Donald Fear became the sixth person to win the full jackpot on the UK quiz show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'. YouTube / ITV

A British teacher has become one of only six people to win the £1 million (Dh4.7m) jackpot in 22 years of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? He is the first person to win big on the UK show in 14 years.

Donald Fear, 57, correctly answered the run of 15 questions, prompting the show's host, Jeremy Clarkson, to call him "an encyclopedia with a moustache".

Earlier in the show, Clarkson joked that sitting beside Fear was like "sitting next to the internet in a pink shirt".

A history and politics teacher, Fear only used one lifeline, his 50:50, leaving him with the ask the host and phone a friend options.

The final question happened to be something he taught in class, when studying pirates "about eight years ago".

The question was: "In 1718, which pirate died in battle off the coast of what is now North Carolina?" The possible answers were: Calico Jack, Blackbeard, Bartholomew Roberts and Captain Kidd. Without hesitation, Fear was able to answer Blackbeard.

When Clarkson asked how he remembered the answer, Fear replied: "I'm a dates man."

"You don't be a history teacher for 33 years without knowing a few dates and the date 1718 and Blackbeard leapt out at me instantly," he said.

When asked if he planned to keep going with his job after winning the prize, Fear replied: "No. Well, this will hasten retirement, put it that way.

"I will probably see another year or two out to see my last A-level class through but I think it's about time me and my wife start looking around the world."

In September last year, Fear's brother, Davyth, also competed on the show, taking home £500,000. He correctly answered 14 questions to do so.

Donald described his brother as his "hero and best friend", to which Clarkson replied "other way around now", when Donald won the jackpot.

The show is currently being filmed with no studio audience and physical distancing measures in place. After Frear answered his final question correctly, Clarkson remarked: "I can't go near you, obviously."

Watch Donald Fear win the 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' jackpot here: 

Frear would have been the seventh person to win on the UK show, but retired British Army officer Charles William Ingram was denied the winnings over suspicions he cheated when he appeared on the series in 2001.

That story was told in popular ITV mini series Quiz, which was shown this year: