'How easy was that?': The moment Donald became a millionaire
Video report by ITV News Reporter Ivor Bennett
A quick question for you.
In 1718, which pirate died in battle off the coast of what is now North Carolina?
Sadly there's no prize if you do know.
Not unless you're Donald Fear, whose correct answer saw him scoop the top prize on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire tonight, making him the show's first millionaire for 14 years.
The final question he answered correctly was: “In 1718, which pirate died in battle off the coast of what is now North Carolina?”
The answer was: Blackbeard.
“I’m a dates man,” he said.
“You don’t be a history teacher for 33 years without knowing a few dates, and the date 1718 and Blackbeard leapt out at me instantly.”
He now plans to spend his £1 million bounty on a motor home.
The history and politics teacher and father of four, who has been married to his wife, Debs, a nurse, for 33 years, is the sixth champion in the ITV programme's 22-year history.
The lucky streak runs in the family as his elder brother, Davyth, last year won £500,000 as a contestant on the same programme.
Following his win, Mr Fear and his wife embarked on a caravan trip along the Northumberland coast.
They previously planned to visit Santander, Bilbao and Pamplona in Spain before heading for the Pyrenees, but were thwarted by Covid-19.
Asked how he would be spending his next holiday, Mr Fear revealed he intended to buy a motor home and visit "wonderful Britain".
He said: "Much as I'd love to jump on the next plane to the States or something like that, it's just not an option.
"So for the moment it's wonderful Britain, probably Wales first of all - so a motor home in Wales is what I'm going to spend my million pounds on."
The show's host, Jeremy Clarkson, said Mr Fear was like "having the Encyclopaedia Britannica sitting opposite me" and added: "It's Google, in a head".
Describing himself as "a bit of a democratic socialist", Mr Fear said he planned give at least 70% of his winnings to members of his family and spend the rest on a "comfortable retirement".
He also rubbished the idea of buying an Aston Martin sports car or moving house, saying: "It's in a lovely area and I've been there for 27 years."