Michael Sheen performance hailed in forgotten drama series available to stream for free

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 its debut and has subsequently developed something of a devoted online fanbase. Admirers of the programme, which features Sheen alongside Matthew Macfadyen, Sian Clifford, and Mark Bonnar, praised it highly when it first aired.

The series, which also features 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. For those who haven't yet experienced Quiz, the present moment appears ideal for viewing.

The Sheen-led series dramatises the furore surrounding Charles Ingram's stint on Who Want's to Be a Millionaire? in 2001.

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The ex-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 reward.

An enthusiast of the series posted on the r/BritishTV Reddit forum: "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."

Others heaped praise on the programme, with many declaring it a perfect showcase of Sheen at his absolute finest. One viewer wrote: "Another example of Michael Sheen being simply incredible."

Sheen takes on the role of Chris Tarrant, the seasoned quiz show presenter who remained oblivious to Ingram's deception. Another admirer of the series commented: "Sheen had Chris Tarrant's slightly nasal-y tone down to a T."

A third penned: "That bit of the end, where he's talking out of the TV to Ingram, he was incredible. He was Tarrant." Quiz was based on a theatrical production of the same title penned by James Graham.

It also garnered acclaim from audiences, who praised a "really clever" method of engaging with viewers.

Someone who attended the stage version shared: "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 added: "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."