Bradley Walsh left The Chase audience in stitches when he aimed a cheeky swipe at Mark “The Beast” Labbett, joking that the Maldives might “disappear” if the popular Chaser ever decided to holiday there.
The moment came during a celebrity edition of the ITV quiz show featuring Adam Thomas, Brendan Cole, Naga Munchetty and Amanda Byram, who were all competing against Labbett in an attempt to raise money for charity.
Bradley Walsh’s joke leaves the studio laughing
At one point during the episode, Walsh turned his attention to Labbett and delivered an unexpected joke about the Maldives.
“Apparently the Maldives are going to disappear soon… especially if you go on holiday there!” he quipped.
The remark immediately prompted laughter from the audience.
Walsh himself struggled to keep a straight face, leaning over the table as he cracked up. Brendan Cole also appeared to appreciate the joke, leaning across and tapping Walsh on the arms in congratulations.
Walsh then took the gag a step further.
Making a bubbling sound, he lowered himself down and raised his hand from beneath his chin toward the top of his head, mimicking the islands gradually disappearing beneath the water.
Mark Labbett takes the joke in good humour
The joke was clearly aimed at Labbett’s famously imposing size, but the Chaser appeared to take it in good spirits.
Rather than retaliating, Labbett simply rolled his eyes as Walsh moved on with the quiz.
Viewers also reacted to the exchange on social media, with one amused fan writing: “Aw, wow! Mark’s gonna f***ing sit on you, Bradley #TheChase.”
Despite Walsh’s attempt to distract him with the joke, Labbett quickly demonstrated why he remains one of the show’s formidable Chasers.
The show was a celebrity special and Brendan Cole was amused by Bradley’s joke
The Beast catches two celebrities
Labbett managed to catch Adam Thomas and Naga Munchetty during their individual rounds, leaving Brendan Cole and Amanda Byram to represent the celebrity team in the Final Chase.
However, the pair struggled to build a substantial lead.
Brendan and Amanda managed to put 12 steps between themselves and Labbett, but that proved insufficient to keep the Chaser at bay.
Labbett eventually caught them in just over a minute, bringing their Final Chase to an end.
Because the celebrities were competing for charity, however, Walsh still ensured that the contestants received money to take back to their chosen organisations.
The episode once again showcased the familiar combination of tense quizzing, celebrity competition and playful banter between Walsh and the Chasers—with Labbett proving that even a few jokes at his expense were unlikely to throw him off his game.