Local man’s ‘millionaire’ bid falls short

Colin Jones (pictured) won’t be in a hurry to visit Germany after a question on the country prematurely ended his bid to become a millionaire on prime time television last night.

The Arddleen-based former farmer was the third contestant on ITV’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire and travelled back to Mid Wales £10,000 richer but knows it could have been a lot more!

“Please tell me it’s Italy and not Germany!” the 41 year-old jokingly pleaded to host Chris Tarrant after deciding to quit the game at the £20K question.

After a nervy path to the £10k mark, Colin was asked ‘from which language did the word ‘yodel’ originate?’. With just one lifeline remaining, he used the 50/50 option to remove two of the four choices, leaving him with Germany and Italy.

Colin quipped that he had a feeling it was Germany before deciding to pocket the £10k already in the bank. Agonisingly his gut feeling was right and Germany was the correct answer.

Cheered on by his wife Karen, from Welshpool, Colin cruised through the first three rounds before using one of his three lives to decide that Bear Grylls was the new Chief Scout.

His second life went on the very next question when he ‘phoned a friend’ which happened to be his boss that was driving along the motorway at the time. Colin will owe him a drink after he told him that a petit beurre is a biscuit to double his money to £10k. But that was as far as it went for Colin who played it safe on the next question.

Colin confessed on the show that he left farming when he turned 40 to “try something different” but added that if he won the million then he would buy his own farm and return to the outdoors.

Unfortunately it was not to be and he was back to work this morning!

£500:                     In cricket, LBW stands for Leg Before what? (Wicket)

£1,000:                 Which of these four is a device for storing computer date? (memory stick)

£2,000:                 Danny Cipriani is a famous name in which sport? (Rugby Union)

£5,000:                 Which TV personality was named chief scout in 2009? (Bear Grylls)

£10,000:               What is a petit beurre? (biscuit)

£20,000:               From what country did the word ‘yodel’ originate? (Germany)