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Quiz
Is
A) The world premiere of a new play by acclaimed writer James Graham?
B) A provocative re-examination of the conviction of Charles Ingram, 'the coughing Major', for cheating, following his appearance on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire ?
C) A hilarious celebration of the great tradition of the British quiz show?
D) A razor-sharp analysis of the 21st century's dangerous new attitude to truth and lies?
You decide.
A) The world premiere of a new play by acclaimed writer James Graham?
B) A provocative re-examination of the conviction of Charles Ingram, 'the coughing Major', for cheating, following his appearance on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire ?
C) A hilarious celebration of the great tradition of the British quiz show?
D) A razor-sharp analysis of the 21st century's dangerous new attitude to truth and lies?
You decide.
- GenresPlays
112 pages, Paperback
Published April 23, 2018
About the author
James Graham
22 books6 followersJames Graham is a multi award-winning playwright and screenwriter.
His play This House gained critical acclaim, enjoyed a sell-out run at the National Theatre's Olivier in 2013 and its 2017 West End revival was Olivier-nominated. It was chosen by popular vote as the best play of the 2010's by Methuen Drama.
James created theatre history when his two plays Ink, about the early days of Rupert Murdoch, and Labour of Love, a romantic political comedy, played in theatres next to each other in the West End in 2017. James won an Olivier award in 2018 for Labour of Love and Ink transferred to Broadway in 2019, receiving six Tony award nominations.
James' play The Vote (Donmar Warehouse) aired in real time on TV in the final 90 minutes of the 2015 polling day and was BAFTA-nominated. His most recent television film, Brexit: An Uncivil War (Channel 4/HBO) is nominated for a 2019 Emmy Award.
His play This House gained critical acclaim, enjoyed a sell-out run at the National Theatre's Olivier in 2013 and its 2017 West End revival was Olivier-nominated. It was chosen by popular vote as the best play of the 2010's by Methuen Drama.
James created theatre history when his two plays Ink, about the early days of Rupert Murdoch, and Labour of Love, a romantic political comedy, played in theatres next to each other in the West End in 2017. James won an Olivier award in 2018 for Labour of Love and Ink transferred to Broadway in 2019, receiving six Tony award nominations.
James' play The Vote (Donmar Warehouse) aired in real time on TV in the final 90 minutes of the 2015 polling day and was BAFTA-nominated. His most recent television film, Brexit: An Uncivil War (Channel 4/HBO) is nominated for a 2019 Emmy Award.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 7, 2023
4.5, rounded down.
Graham consistently is giving the best fact-based dramas in contemporary theatre, and this is no exception. Highly entertaining, although I knew nothing about the subject (a trial concerning a possible cheating scandal on the UK version of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?') - primarily as it was happening while the rest of the world was focused on 9/11. A very sly dig at the rise of infotainment in the US, with Mark Burnett saying he's found the perfect reality TV show host (guess who?) in the final moments.
Graham consistently is giving the best fact-based dramas in contemporary theatre, and this is no exception. Highly entertaining, although I knew nothing about the subject (a trial concerning a possible cheating scandal on the UK version of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?') - primarily as it was happening while the rest of the world was focused on 9/11. A very sly dig at the rise of infotainment in the US, with Mark Burnett saying he's found the perfect reality TV show host (guess who?) in the final moments.
April 8, 2022
What a firecracker of a play!
Have discovered that I am a complete sucker for quiz shows meeting the courtroom in hybrid reality television legal thrillers. Add onto that a pondering of deception and the construction of truth; the flawed justice system and mob mentality; the multi-billion entertainment industry and the ferocity with which its players defend it; the cautious optimism we continue to carry despite it all, and you get Quiz.
The play had me on the edge of my seat the entire time; I can only imagine watching this staged!
Also just found out that the play is based on a true story, and that there's a TV adaptation of the play, so I guess I know what I'll be watching this weekend 📺
Have discovered that I am a complete sucker for quiz shows meeting the courtroom in hybrid reality television legal thrillers. Add onto that a pondering of deception and the construction of truth; the flawed justice system and mob mentality; the multi-billion entertainment industry and the ferocity with which its players defend it; the cautious optimism we continue to carry despite it all, and you get Quiz.
The play had me on the edge of my seat the entire time; I can only imagine watching this staged!
Also just found out that the play is based on a true story, and that there's a TV adaptation of the play, so I guess I know what I'll be watching this weekend 📺
May 23, 2020
I picked this up after reading about the upcoming TV adaptation. The events on which it is based either weren't covered at all in U.S. media or I wasn't paying much attention (or a little of both). In any event, I enjoyed the transformation of a quiz show scandal into an epistemological exercise, with a sly commentary on the entertainment industry's takeover of how we consume reality. The text suggests an innovative staging for a high level of sustained audience engagement to further blur the lines between reality and entertainment, suggesting them both to be artificial constructs. The TV adaptation looks like a more conventional production, and I'm eager to see it.
March 12, 2025
4.5 stars. Performing this play in my theatre group this coming summer and this is my first proper read through! Such an interesting story to write a play around but wow has James Graham done a fantastic job! I really look forward to catching more of his productions now!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews