Who is Judith Keppel? Why is quiz master leaving Eggheads, when was she on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Judith Keppel is leaving the long running TV programme Eggheads after 19 years.

Keppel was one the original members of the quiz show when it was founded in 2003, but will not be returning for its 24th series on Channel 5.

Here we take a look at Keppel’s career on Eggheads and why she is leaving the show?

Who is Judith Keppel?

Judith Cynthia Aline Keppel is a British quiz show host who has been an ever present member of the former BBC Two and now Channel 5 show Eggheads.

Keppel first rose to fame in November 2000 when she appeared on the UK edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, during which she became the first ever person in the UK to win the £1 million jackpot. Keppel is one of only six winners in the UK show’s history, however, one of the winners Charles Ingram had his claim thrown out due to cheating allegations.

The victory for Keppel changed her life forever and the former garden designer is the only ever female contestant to have won the £1 million prize. Since her victory, Keppel has remained a regular fixture on UK television screens and she was part of the first ever cast of Eggheads in 2003.

What is Eggheads?

Eggheads is a TV quiz show which involves teams of contestants trying to beat a panel of distinguished quiz specialists in a test of general knowledge. The current host of the show Jeremy Vine joined the programme in 2008.

Why is Judith Keppel leaving Eggheads?

Keppel has made the decision to retire from the popular quiz show after nearly 20 years on the show. The 80 year old quiz legend said: “I love doing it, but I have done it for 19 years and my memory is definitely not what it was.”

Keppel admits that she will miss many aspects of the show including all the behind the scenes stuff and claims she has fully enjoyed her experiences on the show. She said: “I think what I’ll funnily enough miss is having to concentrate. Because it was very good for me that I started reading the paper, concentrating hard. Now of course, I cast away any sports pages there are, don’t have to do that, don’t have to read about pop music or anything like that.”

How to watch the new series of Eggheads

Eggheads returned to Channel 5 on Monday 10 October at 6:30pm. The episodes are on for around 30 minutes and will take place at the same time every week.

You can also stream the show after it is finished through the My 5 website or via the app.