ITV's popular quiz show The Chase has been embroiled in a controversy after viewers claimed the Chaser was given extra time during the final round. During Wednesday night's episode, hosted by Bradley Walsh, the countdown clock appeared to pause at 10 seconds for longer than expected, with the number flashing twice before continuing to nine seconds.
The incident occurred as Chaser Mark 'The Beast' Labbett was trailing the team by nine questions with a prize fund of £27,000 at stake. Despite the apparent glitch, the team went on to win the money after comprehensively beating Labbett. The questions and audio remained uninterrupted, suggesting the on-screen clock had been altered, though the reason remains unclear.
Viewers quickly took to social media to share their own recordings of the moment. One wrote to ITV: 'I have proof the chaser gets more time than the contestants!! Watch at 10 seconds.' Another tweeted: 'Added an extra second on for the chaser! 10 seconds turn to 10 seconds!'
The production company behind The Chase employs an independent monitoring firm, Beyond Dispute, to ensure fairness and random question selection. Television quizzes are heavily regulated, making any deliberate fix unlikely. Chaser Anne Hegerty, known as The Governess, previously defended the show's integrity, stating that the Chasers are professional quizzers who nearly always win in public appearances.
ITV has yet to comment on the incident, but the blip raises questions about how many times such occurrences have happened before. However, given the Chaser's significant deficit, the apparent extra time would not have changed the outcome.
