Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? jackpot is now worth just £500,000 compared to 1998

The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire top prize has been devalued by inflation and is worth half what it was when the show launched.

Over the weekend it was revealed teacher Donald Fear, 57, had become the sixth winner since WWTBAM launched in 1998.

At the time the unprecedented £1 million top prize gave the show huge prestige.

But inflation of 2.8 per cent means Donald's six-figure payout is worth the equivalent of just £564,000 in 1998.

Business expert Guy Shone, from Explain the Market, said: "When the show launched winning the top prize would have changed your life completely.

"People still think to themselves 'I will win Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and retire.'

"But in actual fact unless you are near retirement age £1 million doesn't go very far these days if you want to stop working .

"It's still a fabulous prize and would shift a lot of worries away for most people.

"However, at some point the producers will have to up the prize."

When Chris Tarrant launched WWTBAM the average house price was £69,000, with a pint of beer costing £1.91.

Over the last 22 years these figures have risen to £228,000 and £3.79.

On Friday new host Jeremy Clarkson announced Donald, of Telford, Shrops., as the latest winner.

But inflation means he would need to have been paid £1.77 million to match the 1998 top prize.

Donald, whose brother Davyth previously won £500,000 on the show, plans to give away much of his winnings.

He will spend the rest of the money retiring from his school two years earlier than planned.

A total of six contestants have now won the top prize on the UK version of the show.

Ingram Wilcox was the most recent winner when he took home £1m in 2006.

The other champions were Judith Keppel (2000), David Edwards (2001), Robert Brydges (2001) and Pat Gibson (2004).

This does not include Major Charles Ingram who hit the jackpot but was later accused of cheating.

The story of the infamous 'coughing' scandal was recently revisited in the ITV drama Quiz.