Retired IT analyst becomes seventh person to win Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

By Georgia Bates, Press Association

A retired IT analyst has become the seventh person to win the £1 million (€1.15 million) jackpot on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Roman Dubowski said winning the ITV game show, which is hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, was “unreal”, adding that he “had to have a cup of tea” afterwards.

The contestant is planning on buying a new house with his prize money and also hopes to travel and visit destinations including New Zealand and South America.

Mr Dubowski, who does quizzing as a hobby, correctly answered the final 15th question, which was: “Used since 1876, which trademarked logo is described in the James Joyce novel Ulysses and depicted in works by Manet and Picasso?”

The options were Bass Ale, The Famous Grouse, Coca-Cola and Stella Artois.

Describing the final question, Mr Dubowski said: “When it came up… I thought, I think I know this straight away.”

He explained that he had seen the Manet painting – called A Bar at the Folies-Bergere – at The Courtauld Gallery in London.

Mr Dubowski said he could “distinctly” remember seeing a red triangle on the painting, which “has always been the symbol of Bass beer”.

The contestant decided to use the 50/50 lifeline to answer the question and said that when the answers were narrowed down to Coca-Cola and Bass Ale, he thought “well I may as well go for it”.

Mr Dubowski, who is originally from Manchester but now lives just outside Stockport, correctly answered Bass Ale.

He said that Clarkson, 66, had given him some “very good” advice about using the 50/50 lifeline which had “stayed with me throughout the show”.

According to Mr Dubowski, Clarkson told him that the lifeline should be used when you have got an “inkling” that one or two of the answers are correct.

Asked to describe how he felt when he answered that final question correctly, he said: “It felt unreal… it didn’t feel like the real world, almost, this isn’t where I expected to be. It didn’t sink in until later.”

During the show, Mr Dubowski experienced a “strange bit of self-doubt” after he was asked what is mixed with vinegar, mustard and oil to make a basic mayonnaise.

The possible answers were plain flour, salted butter, egg yolk and double cream.

Mr Dubowski said that cooking is one of his “weaker points” and he made the decision to use the ask the audience lifeline for help answering, with 93% opting for the correct answer – egg yolk.

The contestant said that in that moment he thought he “might go and walk away with nothing”.

Mr Dubowski said: “That was like, you know, shame and humiliation almost, so I had to put it to the audience.”

Asked what he did after the show ended, he said: “I did sort of go home quietly, to be honest, I didn’t get drunk – I had to have a cup of tea.

“I think it was just sitting in a quiet room and letting it all sink in, and thinking about what happened in the previous 24 hours.”

Mr Dubowski said the first person he told about the win was his sister, adding that she was “absolutely thrilled” for him.

He said he will be giving some of his prize money to his niece and nephew.

Mr Dubowski said he had “always” wanted to appear on the game show and had even applied to it when Chris Tarrant was the host – but said he “didn’t get a response”.

The retired IT worker also applied after lockdown, but was not successful.

He added: “Then in October last year, I suddenly saw an advertisement, or something online saying they’re recruiting for new competitors again.

“I thought oh, might as well try again, got nothing to lose, and just from that sort of casual opening, it ended up with the top prize.

“So (I’m) just happy I did it really.”

Asked what advice he has for other quizzers, Mr Dubowski recommended they read a book called A To Z Of Everything by Trevor Montague.

Prior to Mr Dubowski’s win, only six contestants in the UK’s version of the show had won the £1 million prize.

The most recent was Donald Fear in 2020, who answered all 15 questions correctly with three lifelines remaining.

The other winners are: Judith Keppel (2000), David Edwards (2001), Robert Brydges (2001), Pat Gibson (2004) and Ingram Wilcox (2006).