Wealth of facts and trivia on world's most popular TV show

Published: 12:00am, 14 Aug 2001

The television quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? has taken Hong Kong by storm.

For interesting facts, figures and trivia about the programme, visit the following Web sites.

ATV Millionaire

The official ATV Web site at www.hkatv.com has been re-packaged as the official Millionaire site following the show's phenomenal success.

The site details the rules of the game and the origin of the programme.

The first round of the quiz game is the 'Fastest Finger First', which is a warm-up exercise for the 10 contestants. Contestants are given four items that they have to put in the correct order.

The contestant who can do it the quickest will proceed to the main round of the game. The contestant is then asked a series of questions with a choice of four answers. The cash prizes go up as the questions get more difficult.

At the site, you can find out how many people in the world have become millionaires through the programme; who was the quickest in the 'Fastest Finger First' session; and who was the youngest millionaire.

There is also a section on the mastermind behind the popular quiz, British director David Briggs. He came up with the idea in 1995 and the programme made its debut in 1998.

Imagine you become a millionaire after taking part in the show, what would you do next? If you have no idea, the Voting Area offers suggestions. You can vote online to choose what you would do with your million.

Discussion Board provides a platform for Internet users to share their opinions about the show. As rival television station TVB will broadcast the popular United Kingdom-imported show The Weakest Link, fierce discussions about the two game shows have started.

Final answer

The site at www.geocities. com/millionaire has links to the official British Millionaire Web site. Visitors can join in the quiz and try their luck in the Fastest Finger section to test their trivia knowledge.

Visitors can also download the game and play offline.

Who is a millionaire?

Besides featuring game rules and background information, the www.whoismillionaire.com site has a section called Knowledge is Wealth. The Preparation for the Quiz Show section features information ranging from Chinese history, sports, politics to religion.

The site is ideal for those hoping to brush up their general knowledge.

You can also download the show's theme music and submit your own questions to test other people.

Official Web site

The British site at www.itv. co.uk shows visitors how the quiz differs around the world.

You can find out the total number of viewers the programme has had worldwide and the number of countries that have broadcast the show.

The site also reveals that Singapore will launch its first Chinese-language version of the show soon.

Another interesting fact is that there are only two female presenters: Pamela Wallin in Canada and Barbara Stoekl in Austria.

The Highlight section also recalls the many dramas, delights and disappointments contestants have been through on the show.

The Community section, as its name suggests, tries to get people involved in the programme. An e-mail address is given for those who want to give new ideas or ask questions about the programme.

Graphic: YPWWWGLO

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