The Chase star Mark Labbett hits back at viewers as he sets the record straight

The Chase star Mark Labbett has hit back at online “trolls” who tuned into a recent episode of the hit ITV quiz show. 

The professional quizzer, who goes by ‘The Beast’, went up against Antony from Birmingham, Jeanette from Salford and Louise from Lincoln in the final chase of Thursday’s episode. 

The trio managed to put 18 spaces between them and The Beast and were hoping to walk away with £9,000.

While some viewers predicted Mark’s loss, the quiz guru managed to catch the players with 28 seconds remaining. 

Taking to social media, Mark set the record straight, revealing that a realistic target to beat the Chasers is 19. “For the trolls infesting this hashtag, the average team over the years plays for 22k and sets 16,” he penned. “To win 19 is the realistic target #TheChase.”

Fans were quick to share their support for the 59-year-old, with one person writing: “I don’t know what this is Mark, but great game this evening on @itvchase #MarkLabett #TheBeast clear winner,” while another added: “Brilliant performance today.”

According to One Question Shoot Out, the Chasers have a combined success rate of 76.5%.

© ITV

Anne Hegerty comes out on top, having won 385 out of 483 games, with Jenny Ryan a close second, with a success rate of 79.3%. As for Mark, he’s won 368 out of 489 games, as of February this year, giving him a success rate of 75.3%. 

For those who haven’t seen the show, there are three rounds in the game. The first is a round of quick-fire questions, which gives each contestant a chance to build up the prize pot. They then go head-to-head with the Chaser to bring the money down the board and into the joint prize pot. At this stage, they can opt for a higher or lower offer, which is chosen by the Chaser. 

© Shutterstock

The final round sees the contestants attempt to build distance from the Chaser by trying to answer as many quick-fire questions correctly as possible over two minutes. The Chaser is then given the same amount of time to catch the players and if they do, the chase is over. If they don’t, the contestants split the prize pot. 

The Chase airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV1 and ITVX.