A hit TV show which could make people instant millionaires has had another Essex winner.

A Braintree banker was celebrating today after he scooped £64,000 on the quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Neil Read's win follows on from Jonathon Green, of Doddinghurst, who scooped the biggest pay-out in British TV history when he walked away with £250,000.

Mr Read, 31, who works in a Dutch bank in the City, had a chance to win £125,000 last night but was eventually stumped by the question: Which country was the first to give woman the vote?

Having used two of his lifelines on an earlier poser, he decided to "cut and run" when faced with the brain teaser.

An audience of millions heard Mr Read - who works for Rabobank in London - tell host Chris Tarrant he would buy his daughter Holly a chocolate bar if he answered all 15 questions to become the first person to win the £1 million.

And he also promised to treat himself to a new Porsche if he hit the jackpot.

Mr Read made his debut on the hit ITV quiz on Sunday night, answering two simple questions before the end of the show.

And last night he continued in the same calm and collected manner until being asked which Christian festival falls on January 6.

His first lifeline - Ask the Audience - failed to uncover the correct answer so it was down to Mr Read's mum Pat to provide the answer: epiphany. He recovered to answer another question which netted him £64,000.

The win comes as Mr Read and his wife Kay await the arrival of their second child in the next few weeks.

Celebrating - Who Wants To Be A Millionaire contestant Neil Read

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.