Mark Labbett lived up to his nickname “The Beast” in a memorable episode of The Chase when a single wrong answer sent his frustration over the edge — and left part of the set damaged.
The veteran Chaser had been chasing contestant Mike in the final round, but after working his way through a demanding run of questions, Labbett stumbled on the very last one.
That mistake allowed Mike to escape with an £8,000 prize.
One question decided everything
Mike was the only member of his team of four to reach the Final Chase, where he built up a substantial total for Labbett to chase.
The Beast faced 18 general-knowledge questions and initially made rapid progress. But as the clock began to run down, his pace faltered and the pressure mounted.
Then came the decisive question from host Bradley Walsh.
Walsh asked Labbett what “Callard and Bowser” meant in Cockney rhyming slang.
Labbett answered “biscuit” — and almost immediately realised he had made the wrong call.
With the clock running out, there was no opportunity to recover. Mike had successfully stayed ahead and secured the £8,000 prize.
“You’ve broken the table!”
Labbett’s reaction was anything but restrained.
Clearly furious with himself, he kicked the table in front of him and slammed his hands down on it.
The force of the outburst was enough to break part of the scenery.
“You’ve broken the table!” Walsh exclaimed as he looked for the piece that had come loose.
The host then jokingly reprimanded his Chaser, pointing out the damage he had caused.
“Look what you’ve done to my table, he’s broken my table!” Walsh said.
Labbett appeared largely unfazed by the commotion, but the damage provided an entertaining ending to an already dramatic Final Chase.
And for anyone wondering what the correct answer was, “Callard and Bowser” means trousers in Cockney rhyming slang.
For Mike, that single mistake made all the difference — turning what had been a tense chase into an £8,000 victory.