Lee Mack was forced to apologise during The 1% Club Christmas special after accidentally bringing an eliminated contestant back into the spotlight.
The festive ITV episode took an awkwardly funny turn when Colin became the only contestant to get the opening question wrong. Players were shown an image and asked whether there were more elves or reindeer behind a fence.
Colin was immediately eliminated, leaving him visibly embarrassed.
“I don’t know what to say, I am embarrassed,” he admitted on camera.
Lee Mack jokes with embarrassed contestant
Rather than let the moment become too uncomfortable, host Lee Mack tried to reassure Colin.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed. It’s easily done,” Lee told him.
But Colin was still struggling to get over the mistake.
“I can’t believe I’ve done this on telly. I’ve done it now,” he said.
Lee then delivered a typically cheeky response.
“It’s easily done. Well no, it’s not—you were the only one,” he joked.
Viewers quickly reacted on social media, with one asking: “How did anyone in the history of this planet get it wrong?”
Another joked that Colin was “never going to live that down.”
© ITVLee tried to brighten the mood on The 1% Club
Lee accidentally calls Ray ‘Colin’
The awkwardness returned later in the episode when Lee spoke to another contestant, Ray Johnson, who was dressed as Santa Claus.
However, Lee accidentally called him Colin.
“So tell me, if you win, what are you going to do with the money, Colin? No, Ray, sorry,” Lee said, immediately correcting himself.
© ITVLee hosting The 1% Club on ITV
The camera then cut to Colin, whose bemused reaction suggested he had not expected to be brought back into the conversation.
Lee could not resist another joke.
“‘Oh yeah, bring up Colin again. Thanks, cheers, mate,’” he quipped.
Colin played along with the situation, saying: “They’d forgotten about me, but now they’ve remembered. Oh, another close-up. Great, Lee.”
Realising he had perhaps teased Colin enough, Lee turned back to him and offered a more sincere apology.
“So sorry, Colin,” he said.
The contestant responded with a laugh and appeared to take the mistake in good humour.
© ITVLee Mack is the presenter of The 1% Club
Christmas special keeps its festive spirit
Despite the series of awkward moments, the episode retained its light-hearted festive atmosphere, with Lee’s quick wit helping to turn the blunders into part of the entertainment.
One viewer praised the presenter online, writing: “Lee Mack is brilliant at keeping things funny, even when things go wrong.”
© ITVLee Mack having to say sorry on The 1% Club
Although Colin’s early elimination was undoubtedly disappointing, his reaction—and Lee’s playful handling of the situation—provided one of the memorable moments from the Christmas special.
The 1% Club airs on ITV and is available to stream on ITVX.