TV legend behind Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Question Time leaves £1.5 million fortune in will after tragic death
A MAN credited with being behind some of the most iconic soundtracks on TV, left behind a huge sum after he died three years ago.
Michael Strachan was the composer behind some of the most iconic theme tunes on TV including BBC‘s Question Time and ITV‘s Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
The composer died at 50 years old in August 2021, leaving behind a whopping £1.58 million to his wife Bernadette.
Strachan won 12 awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, 10 of which were for the famous ITV1 quiz show’s soundtrack.
He was best known as the co-composer of the iconic Who Wants to Be a Millionaire theme music, which he wrote alongside his dad Keith.
It took the pair eight days in 1998 to come up with 95 snippets of music to cover the dramatic events on the classic game show.
Strachan died less than a month after being given a suspended prison sentence for setting fire to his own home.
A year before his death, splitting from his wife was reported to have left him in a dark place, and Matthew attempted to take his own life in 2020.
A court heard he started multiple fires in his kitchen using piles of bedding before calling 999, admitting he would probably be dead before emergency services reached the scene.
Matthew then jumped out of a first-floor window.
Attending court in 2021, he was handed a ten month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and told to undergo treatment for alcohol and mental health problems by the court.
After his death, his father Keith told the BBC: “Matthew was loved by his family and he will be sadly missed. He was a warm, funny and talented human being.”
At the time, a friend also told The Sun: “Matthew was a troubled soul but an incredibly gifted man.
“He was gentle and kind but endured an ongoing struggle with his inner demons. It is tragic he couldn’t be at peace.”
Who has won the jackpot on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire has offered hundreds of hopeful contestants the chance to become millionaires, but there has only been a handful of lucky winners.
There have only been five real winners so far on the show as Charles Ingram, who was the third winner of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in 2001, had his claim to the prize thrown out because of cheating allegations.
The official winners are…
Judith Keppel
- In 2000, garden designer Judith Keppel made quiz show history as she became the first ever winner of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Judith is also the only woman ever to have won the million-pound prize.
David Edwards
- Former physics teacher David became the second contestant to win the top prize in April 2001. Following his success, Edwards went on to compete in both series of Are You an Egghead? in 2008 and 2009.
Robert Brydges
- Oxford-educated banker Robert became the third Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? champion when he won the quiz show several moths after David in 2001. Robert has stayed out of the limelight since his win.
Pat Gibson
- World champion Irish quiz player Pat won the show in 2004. Amazingly Pat had TWO of his lifelines still available for his final question, something no other winner has managed.
Ingram Wilcox
- Ingram came close to losing on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2006 as he had used all his lifelines up at the £32,000 mark, but in a shocking twist he went on to scoop the jackpot.