Overview

• ITV aired the pre‑recorded episode on 27 August, a month after the 64‑year‑old retired headteacher from Tyldesley died in July.
• McCarthy accepted a £95,000 offer and, with teammate Lorcan’s £5,000, helped secure a £100,000 team jackpot after narrowly beating chaser Jenny Ryan.
• Friends and relatives filled The Colliers pub in Tyldesley for a watch‑party that his family framed as a celebration of his life.
• His share of the prize was £50,000, which the family said they were unable to meaningfully spend as his health rapidly deteriorated.
• Tributes highlighted his four‑decade career in education, including graduating in physics at 19, leading Stockport Academy, and founding Aurora Academies Trust.