An Encyclopaedia In A Shirt”: Retired IT Analyst Stuns Jeremy Clarkson To Win Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Jackpot
For six long years, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? had a problem: nobody was winning it. Contestant after contestant climbed the money ladder, only to fall short of the dream, walk away with a safety net, or simply run out of nerve at the final hurdle. Then Roman Dubowski walked into the hot seat, and Jeremy Clarkson got to say six words he genuinely wasn’t sure he’d ever say again.
Dubowski, a retired IT analyst originally from Manchester who now lives just outside Stockport, became only the seventh person in the UK show’s history to walk away with the full £1,000,000 jackpot. It made him just the second contestant to pull off the feat since Clarkson took over hosting duties, following Donald Fear’s legendary run years earlier.
What made the win genuinely gripping wasn’t just the outcome, it was how Roman got there. Despite a shaky start that saw him burn through a lifeline on a surprisingly tricky early question, he steadily rebuilt his composure, keeping two lifelines in reserve as he approached the business end of the game. By the time he reached the final question, with everything on the line, he still had a 50:50 and his Ask the Host option untouched.
The million-pound question itself was the kind of fiendishly specific trivia the show has become known for: which trademarked logo, in use since 1876, is mentioned in James Joyce’s Ulysses and appears in works by Manet and Picasso? The four options were Bass Ale, The Famous Grouse, Coca-Cola and Stella Artois.
Roman later explained that the moment the question appeared, something clicked instantly, he recognised it from Manet’s famous painting “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère”, which he’d seen in person at The Courtauld Gallery in London. He used his 50:50 anyway, more to confirm his instinct than out of genuine doubt, and then locked in his answer: Bass Ale. Correct.
Clarkson, visibly impressed throughout Roman’s run, later described him as “an encyclopaedia in a shirt”, high praise from a host who has seen plenty of contestants come and go over the years. Roman also credited Clarkson directly for a piece of advice that stuck with him the whole way through, telling him the 50:50 lifeline is best used the moment you have even a slight inkling that one or two answers might be right, rather than saving it purely for total blanks.
For Roman, the win is genuinely life-changing. Speaking afterwards, he said the moment felt surreal, admitting it didn’t fully sink in until he was sitting quietly at home with a cup of tea rather than celebrating loudly. He’s already got plans for the money too: a new house, and long-postponed travel to destinations like New Zealand and South America.
It’s a reminder of exactly why Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? has stayed a beloved fixture of British television for over two decades, ordinary people, extraordinary knowledge, and one unforgettable night where everything comes down to a single answer.
