Derry man comes out on top on TV quiz show 'Fifteen to One'

A Ballykelly man came out on top after being put through his paces on one of television’s toughest quiz shows.

Dad-of-12 Gareth Peoples recently appeared on Channel 4 show Fifteen to One, which was televised last Wednesday.

The 44 year-old battled through three tough rounds before eliminating all his opponents and becoming the winner of that episode.

Gareth hopes he will now be in with a chance to secure a place in the show’s grand final which is set to be televised at the end of June.

The winner of the series grand final will walk away with the title of Fifteen to One champion and an impressive £40,000 cash prize.

The classic teatime quiz returned to Channel 4 in 2014 after a break of 11 years.

The show, now hosted by Sandi Toksvig, originally ran from 1988 to 2003, and was seen as one of the most difficult on TV.

Viewers saw Gareth, who works at family-run hotel The Drummond in Ballykelly, lose a crucial life at the beginning of the first round of the show.

Despite a shaky start, Gareth, a former quiz champion at St Mary’s High School, Limavady, soon bounced back to make it through to the next stage.

Round two saw the show’s format change, with contestants given the chance to decide who answered the questions.

After getting a question right, Gareth subsequently nominated seven contestants in a row – who all answered their questions wrong and lost a vital life in the process.

At the end of the round, Gareth had an advantage over the remaining contestants as he was the only one with two lives intact.

The third round saw Gareth and the two remaining contestants battle it out in a closely fought contest.

However it was the north Derry man who came out on top with 112 points.

An opportunity to answer the remaining questions saw Gareth secure a further 30 points taking him to fourth place on the series leader board.

Gareth, who now needs to place in the top 15 to gain his spot in the grand final, said he ‘really enjoyed taking part in the show’.

No stranger to TV quiz shows – Gareth has appeared on three other programmes, including The Chase on ITV where he pocketed £7,500 – he said he knew the competition of Fifteen to One would be ‘brutal’.

“During the eighties and nineties when Fifteen to One was on, the people who won in the grand finals were masterminds.  They were at the top level of quizzing so I knew the competition on the show was going to be brutal.  It was a big challenge to go in there but I did it and I’m really glad I did it,” he said, continuing: “I enjoy the buzz of quiz shows and when you start getting a couple of questions right, you really start to get into it.  I love the challenge of it all.”

Gareth says he has been ‘overwhelmed’ by the support he has received from the local community since the show was televised.

“I have received so much support and messages on Facebook and I am so grateful and feel so humbled by it all.

“People locally in this area are very supportive of other people when it comes to things like this, so I really appreciate it.”

If you missed Gareth’s appearance on Fifteen to One, it can be viewed again on http://www.channel4.com/programmes/catchup