A couple on the frontline of the NHS’s pandemic battle were last night celebrating a £500,000 windfall after triumphing on ITV’s new quiz show, Ant and Dec’s Limitless Win.
Midwife Kathryn and her husband Will, an intensive care doctor, kept the audience on the edge of their seats by risking the loss of £100,000 to answer their last question.
In one of the most tense TV moments in recent memory, the pair correctly answered the question ‘July 2022 will mark how many years since Jeff Bezos founded Amazon?’ with just one lifeline remaining.
Jackpot! Midwife Kathryn and her husband Will won £500,000 during the first episode of Ant and Dec’s Limitless Win on Saturday night
They gave the right answer – 28 – which Will said he knew because his sister was born in 1994, the same year that wife Kathryn was born.
They told presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly that the money would mean they could buy a home instead of renting.
And it couldn’t have been better for ITV, with NHS heroes scooping a fortune on the first night of its new flagship Saturday night show.
Interviewed at the start of their appearance, the couple – who want to keep their surnames secret for the sake of their NHS jobs – said they were used to stressful situations and having to react quickly.
Tense times! The pair correctly answered the question ‘July 2022 will mark how many years since Jeff Bezos founded Amazon?’ with just one lifeline remaining
Covid heroes: Will and Kathryn worked on the frontline of the NHS’s pandemic battle
Kathryn said: ‘In our jobs we deal with a lot of pressure, but I’m hoping that under the studio lights we’re able to remain quite calm. A limitless amount of money is crazy to comprehend.’
She added: ‘People have been very busy in lockdown, Delivering many, many babies. I feel like with this one [Limitless Win] we’ve got a little bit more time to think.’
After cashing out, the emotional couple also said they hoped to buy a camper van for holidays. Will said: ‘It’s going to have all the accessories.’
Smashed it! They gave the right answer – 28 – which Will said he knew because his sister was born in 1994, the same year that wife Kathryn was born
Speaking after the show, Kathryn said: ‘What are the chances that question [Jeff Bezos founding Amazon] would come up?’ Will agreed: ‘I know, £500,000. That’s so much money, Oh my word, oh my word.’ Earlier, the couple were asked how many individual lines on a digital clock face would be used to show 10.30am. Guessing 19, their correct answer took them to win £100,000.
Another question asked how many flags and sails there are on the Blue Peter ship logo. Their reply of five was also correct.
The new quiz show, which is being hailed as one of ITV’s big Saturday night offerings, sees couples having to consider questions where all the answers are numbers – with the promise of an unlimited prize fund.
Life changing: They told presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly that the money would mean they could buy a home instead of renting
Win, win! And it couldn’t have been better for ITV, with NHS heroes scooping a fortune on the first night of its new flagship Saturday night show
Kathryn said: ‘In our jobs we deal with a lot of pressure, but I’m hoping that under the studio lights we’re able to remain quite calm. A limitless amount of money is crazy to comprehend’
At the beginning of their appearance on the show, Kathryn and Will won sustained applause when Ant and Dec thanked them for their tireless work in the NHS during the Covid crisis.
Ahead of the first episode, Ant and Declan joked their new gameshow could bankrupt ITV.
In what ITV say is ‘the biggest prize ever conceived’ up for grabs, the five-part series features an endless money ladder, with only a correct answer banking the cash.
Unlimited jackpot: Ahead of the first episode, Ant and Declan joked their new gameshow could bankrupt ITV
If they push their luck too far, they’ll crash out of the game and lose it all.
Speaking about the limitless prize money, Ant told The Mirror: ‘We did worry that we were going to bankrupt ITV.’
The dynamic duo say they have completely reinvented the rule book when creating the gameshow and it is unlike any other on the television.
Dec explained: ‘The great thing about this show is that the questions can’t really get harder because the answer to every question is a number, with a lot of TV shows, the further it goes on, the harder it gets.
‘And I find as a viewer, I can’t play along any more because I don’t have any idea, but the thing with Limitless Win is that all of the answers are numbers, so you can have a good stab at most of them. You might not get it exactly, but you might stay in the game.’
Contestants have a limited number of lives which they can use if they get a question wrong.
Shock: In what ITV call ‘the biggest prize ever conceived’ up for grabs, the five-part series features an endless money ladder, with only a correct answer banking the cash
Ant and Dec announced their latest project in September when they posted an image to promote the show.
They wrote: Casual thinking poses… poised to launch a top secret, VERY special something rather soon… Oh wait! We forgot to clean the whiteboard.
‘We should probably just tell you now then!!
‘So, SO excited to be bringing you a ground-breaking, brand new TV format, featuring the world’s first ever LIMITLESS jackpot and a money ladder that never… ever… ends!
‘Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win is coming soon to @itv and ITV Hub. Brace yourselves folks!’
Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win starts on ITV on Saturday night at 8.30pm.
Brand new! Taking to their shared Instagram in September, they posted an image to promote the show
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