They are staples of our TV screens but it take a brave person to take the plunge and test their wits on a gameshow.
For those who do, however, it can be a life-changing experience.
After neighbours from Fife won thousands on BBC quiz Bridge of Lies, we take a look at nine memorable times contestants from across Tayside, Fife and Stirling have succeeded on TV gameshows.
Kirkcaldy dad’s £92,000 win on Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel
Colin Brown brought viewers and celebrities to tears when he won £92,000 on Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel in 2023.
Colin had to answer questions with the famous ‘experts’ on different topics before reaching the final round.
He asked for Richard Madeley’s help to pick the correct answer on a question about dinosaurs.
After winning the cash, Colin told The Courier how his boss had called to make sure he was going back to work the following Monday.
Angus player’s £250,000 jackpot win on Deal or No Deal
One of the biggest wins in recent history for a player from Tayside and Fife came back in 2017, when Arbroath woman Vikki Heenan was a contestant on Deal or No Deal.
She joined the show’s final airing in a special recording from Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow.
With the show being axed, host Noel Edmonds went on tour with special farewell editions at locations such as the Blackpool Tower, Longleat Safari Park – and even on board a Boeing 737 mid-flight.
The swansong tour culminated in 28-year-old Angus kennel worker Vikki becoming the ninth £250,000 jackpot winner in a nail-biting game.
Kirkcaldy woman takes up The Chase – and wins
Kirkcaldy contestant Lynn won more than £31,000 when she was part of a winning duo on popular teatime quiz show The Chase.
While facing Chaser Anne ‘The Governess’ Hegerty, Lynn was offered the chance to play for minus-£5,000, £3,000 or £80,000.
Fellow contestant James tried to convince her to go for the low offer, with £60,000 already in the bank.
But Lynn said: “I can’t take a minus offer. I could not hold my head up in Kirkcaldy if I took that minus offer.”
The pair’s 18 points in the final round were enough to win the cash.
Third time lucky for Glenrothes pensioner
Fellow Fifer Frank McClure scooped £25,000 on The Chase in January 2025 – making it third-time lucky for the Glenrothes pensioner.
Frank revealed he had lost on other gameshows before trying his luck on the quiz hosted by Bradley Walsh.
The retired electrical technician revealed how he had previously appeared on 15 to 1 in the late 1980s but was knocked out.
Then in 2008, he made the final three in The Weakest Link but was again knocked out, and had to do the ‘walk of shame’ past intimidating host Anne Robinson.
Carnoustie man reaches the Tipping Point
In January 2023, Carnoustie man Grant Wilson took on the coin dropping machine on Tipping Point and scooped the £10,000 jackpot.
The retired accountant banked £2,300 in the opening rounds of the ITV quiz show, using his general knowledge.
But he also had a huge slice of luck when, after just six attempts, he managed to move the star counter into the drop zone to take the top prize.
After his win, a tearful Grant threw his arms in the air and said he would use the money for a new car.
Jeremy Clarkson’s helping hand
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire host Jeremy Clarkson helped a Stirling contestant win big on the long-running quiz in 2024.
Gemma Kennedy stumbled at the £16,000 question about an ingredient of a dish served ‘a la Florentine’ and used her option to ask for Clarkson’s help.
The mental health nurse’s trust in the host paid off and, after answering another question correctly, walked away with £32,000.
Dundee couple prove their knowledge is anything but Pointless
A Dundee couple joined one of the longest-running modern gameshows back in 2015 when they appeared on Pointless.
But Glen Young and Kirsty Garnett proved their knowledge was anything but that, as they took £9,000 on the quiz show.
The win came after they correctly named moons of the solar system, having coincidentally researched them before the show.
Tayside’s eight-time Countdown champion
No list about gameshow winners would be complete without mention of Countdown ‘octochamp’ Michael Macdonald-Cooper.
Michael, who was originally from Barnsley, lived in Kirriemuir for about 30 years before his death aged 75 in 2017.
He was an eight-time champion on Countdown in 2008.
Michael also reached the semi-finals of Mastermind in 1986, where his specialist subject was the poems of Rudyard Kipling.
His love of words came in handy elsewhere, too – as he was a renowned crossword compiler for several national newspapers.
Fife neighbours cross the Bridge of Lies
A team of neighbours from Coaltown of Wemyss won more than £4,500 during a tense appearance on BBC show Bridge of Lies in June 2025.
The team of four – which included former Courier reporter Craig Smith and his wife Lyndsey – competed against the clock to spot correct answers when crossing the ‘bridge’.
Craig said: “None of us could watch it go out live, so we all gathered together to watch it on iPlayer with a wee glass of fizz to celebrate.”
The quiz is hosted by actor Ross Kemp, famous for his role as Grant Mitchell in Eastenders.
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