ITVX viewers go wild for Michael Sheen's 'incredible' performance in forgotten drama show
Michael Sheen starred in a drama series that was hailed by fans on release and has since garnered a cult following of sorts online - and it's available on ITVX.
A "simply incredible" performance from Welsh actor Michael Sheen can be discovered in an overlooked drama series available on ITVX.
The miniseries received critical acclaim upon launch and has subsequently developed something of a devoted online fanbase, with many sharing their love for the series on Reddit.
Admirers of the programme, which features Sheen alongside Matthew Macfadyen, Sian Clifford, and Mark Bonnar, praised it extensively when it first aired.
The series, which also stars Aisling Bea and Risteárd Cooper, is currently available for streaming on ITVX.
Audiences were astounded by the acting displayed in the programme, which dramatises a well-known British game show and one of its most significant scandals.
The Sheen-led series dramatises the scandal surrounding Charles Ingram's participation on Who Want's to Be a Millionaire? in 2001.
The former army major claimed the top prize on the programme, though he and his spouse were found guilty of fraud after he surprisingly secured the £1million jackpot.
An enthusiast of the series posted to the r/BritishTV Reddit page: "I remember watching Quiz when it debuted during the first Covid lockdown - ever the game show geek I am, I found and still do find the Charles Ingram scandal really interesting yet so, so bizarre.
"Without going into too much detail, I think this is one of those dramas where likely fabrication of what happened works (e.g. you see interactions between studio staff during Ingram's game, getting more and more suspicious).
"You've got Matthew McFaddyen, Sian Clifford, Michael Sheen (with his uncanny portrayal of Chris Tarrant), Mark Bonnar, Aisling Bea amongst others - what a cast! It's on ITVX - not sure if it's available anywhere else."
Viewers heaped acclaim on the programme, with numerous fans declaring it showcased Sheen at his absolute finest. One viewer commented: "Another example of Michael Sheen being simply incredible."
Sheen portrays Chris Tarrant in the drama, the seasoned quiz show presenter who remained oblivious to Ingram's deception.
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Another admirer of the series remarked: "Sheen had Chris Tarrant's slightly nasal-y tone down to a T." A third viewer penned: "That bit of the end, where he's talking out of the TV to Ingram, he was incredible. He was Tarrant."
Quiz originated from a stage production bearing the identical title, penned by James Graham. The theatrical version also garnered acclaim from audiences, who praised a "really clever" method of engaging with spectators.
Someone who attended the stage show revealed: "We got to vote twice - once at the end of the first half and then again at the end of the play.
"What was really clever was that the play was structured around the court case and the first half gave you the majors side of the story (aka the defence) so most people voted innocent at the end of the first half and then the second half was the prosecution that put forward the evidence of the coughing etc and then most people voted guilty at the end.
"A fun gimmick that also showed how influential story telling is to people's opinions of situations."
Another chimed in: "It was a really interesting approach to the story.
"Making the whole 'two sides to every story' very literal. I thought it was better than the tv adaptation, it felt truer to the characters where the TV show leant more towards caricatures."
