THE audacious attempt to cheat television bosses out of £1m on Who Wants To be A Millionaire? is to be turned into a movie blockbuster.

The plan to turn one of history's most daring scams into a Hollywood drama was confirmed at the end of ITV's documentary on the fraud last night.

One of the biggest television audiences for years tuned in to watch Army major Charles Ingram's thwarted attempt to cheat his way to £1m on Britain's most popular quiz show with the aid of coded coughs from an accomplice in the audience.

And cough medicine manufacturers cashed in on last night's programme, with an advertisement for Benylin - featuring several patients coughing in a doctor's waiting room - being shown first during the commercial break.

Ingram, his wife Diana and their coughing accomplice Tecwen Whittock were convicted of the outrageous fraud earlier this month but escaped prison sentences.

Families in every street in Britain tuned in to ITV at 9pm last night as the scam was shown for the first time in a Tonight programme entitled Major Fraud, presented by Martin Bashir.

Viewers watched Ingram struggle from the early stages, changing his mind as a result of coughing clues from both his wife and Whittock.

After using two lifelines to reach only £4,000, host Chris Tarrant said: "We thought he had as much chance of getting to £32,000 as getting to the moon in a rocket."

Ingram, from Easterton in Wiltshire, attempted to stop ITV screening the show, claiming it would prejudice a possible appeal.

Now, Hollywood's finest will be queueing up for the plum part of Major Charles Ingram - the Who Wants To be A Millionaire? cheat.