Chris Tarrant signs off in last ever Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? show

Chris Tarrant has bowed out from the hit ITV show Who Wants To Be Millionaire? tonight after a decade and a half, telling viewers: "I've loved every minute."

The presenter brought the series to an end with a low-key finale in which he was presented with a bouquet of flowers as he said farewell to the audience and thanked them for their support.

For many years, the show has dominated the TV schedules, but in its latter existence it was had mainly been reduced to occasional screenings, mainly with celebrities teaming up to answer questions for charity.

Tarrant claimed in November last year that the show was cancelled in part because of the public's reaction to the recession.

Viewers saw Millionaire come to an end this evening with a further celebrity special which included appearances by James Nesbitt, paired with Dom Joly, and Sir Chris Hoy who teamed up with comic Kevin Bridges.

But any hope of finishing on a colossal score were dashed by the final duo to face questionmaster Tarrant, Countdown star Rachel Riley and Hairy Biker Dave Myers.

The duo rounded off the show by winning just £1,000 for charity, losing out on £19,000 with their final wrong answer.

Watch the full episode on ITV Player

Closing the show, Tarrant gave a simple farewell after being presented with a bunch of flowers by the production team, telling him: "Oh darling, you shouldn't have."

He told viewers:

The studio was then filled with glittering ticker tape.

Since launching in September 1998, the form has launched around the globe, becoming one of the most successful programmes in the world, launching spin-off games and becoming the inspiration for Danny Boyle's hit movie Slumdog Millionaire.

Its first millionaire was Judith Keppel, in 2000:

The show's first episode aired in Britain in September 1998: