Who Wants To Be A Millionaire crowns first winner in 14 years

A teacher whose brother previously won the £500,000 prize has gone one better to win the jackpot on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Donald Fear, 57, used just one 50/50 lifeline to become the first £1m winner in 14 years.

Brother Davyth, who teaches geography, appeared on the show in September last year.

Mr Fear said his brother was his “hero and best friend”. “Other way around now,” said presenter Jeremy Clarkson.

The history and politics teacher’s final question on Friday’s pre-recorded show was: “In 1718, which pirate died in battle off the coast of what is now North Carolina?”

The options were Calico Jack, Blackbeard, Bartholomew Roberts, and Captain Kidd.

Mr Fear, who lives in Telford, said he had taught piracy to a group of Year 8 students about eight years ago, and remembered the date of 1718.

“I’m a dates man,” Mr Fear said.

“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.”

Clarkson expressed his amazement at the history teacher’s knowledge throughout his run of 15 correct answers.

“It’s like sitting next to the internet in a pink shirt,” he said, describing him as “an encyclopaedia with a moustache”.

Mr Fear is the sixth million-pound winner in the show’s 22-year history.

After his win, the father of four celebrated by going on a caravan holiday along the Northumberland coast with his wife of 33 years, nurse Debs.

And his elder brother Davyth has also been part of his celebrations.

“He is so pleased for me,” said Mr Fear.

“We went to spend a night in a hotel with our wives last week and got absolutely plastered and he kept poking me saying how pleased and how overjoyed he was by it.”

Mr Fear said he wanted to give at least 70% of his winnings to his family and spend the rest on a “comfortable retirement”.

And that retirement is due to begin soon – since winning the jackpot, he has resigned from Haberdashers’ Adams Grammar school in Newport, Shropshire.

But he said: “The rules are you have to go at the end of a term.

“Actually, I never investigated the possibility of whether it would be possible not to go back at all – but how unfair to my A-level students that would be?”

Mr Fear added: “I was planning to go in two years anyway just before my 60th birthday.

“As it is, I’m going just after my 58th.”

BBC