A The Chase contestant who helped secure a staggering £100,000 prize for his team died just weeks before the episode was broadcast, leaving his family and friends to watch his remarkable victory without him.
Tim McCarthy, 64, from Tyldesley in Greater Manchester, had filmed the ITV quiz show in October last year. He was diagnosed with a serious illness and knew he had only months to live, but he kept the outcome of the programme secret because contestants were not allowed to reveal their results before transmission.
The episode finally aired at 5pm yesterday, just one month after Tim died on July 19.
View this post on Instagram
His widow Rachel McCarthy and their three children were among the very few people who knew how the game had ended. Even they had been unable to share the news publicly.
Friends and relatives instead gathered at a local pub to watch Tim’s appearance together, turning what could have been a painful occasion into what Rachel described as a “celebration of life.”
Tim’s dramatic £95,000 gamble
Tim had applied to appear on The Chase because of his love of general knowledge and because friends and family admired what one friend called his “brilliant mind.”
His appearance did not begin particularly well.
During the opening head-to-head, the former teacher answered just one question correctly and earned £1,000.
But the next stage of the game changed everything.
With a much larger offer of £95,000 on the table, Tim chose to take the biggest risk.
He pulled off a stunning performance and secured the £95,000, taking the team’s total prize fund to £100,000 after another contestant had already contributed £5,000.
The final chase then went right down to the wire.
Tim and his fellow contestant managed to stay ahead of Chaser Jenny Ryan, who came within less than a second of catching them. When time finally ran out, the pair had held on and secured the victory.
For Tim, it was a moment of enormous personal significance.
He had told viewers before the game that he was “not wanting any money” and had mainly come on the programme “for the fun.”
But he also admitted that the prize could make a difference to his family, who wanted a new conservatory.
He knew he might not live to see the episode
Tim’s family knew just how much the appearance meant to him.
Rachel told the BBC that her husband had been “so excited” when he was selected, despite being very ill at the time.
She said Tim knew he had only months to live when he decided to take part.
His health later deteriorated to the point where the family was unable to enjoy the money as they had hoped.
Rachel explained that although Tim had won his share of the £100,000, they never got the opportunity to spend it on a holiday.
She also revealed that Tim had been worried his diagnosis could prevent him from appearing on the programme, which was why he chose not to tell the show’s producers about his condition.
The family therefore had to keep his victory secret for months.
“Sadly we never got to spend his £50,000 prize as his health deteriorated and we couldn’t even go on a holiday,” Rachel said.
Friends gathered to watch his final TV appearance
The secrecy surrounding the result meant Tim’s friends were also left guessing.
Jen Headey, one of his friends, said the group had been eagerly waiting for the episode and planned to watch it together.
“We lost Tim last month, he never told us how he did, he wasn’t allowed. He loved to keep us guessing though,” she said.
Friends and family gathered at The Colliers pub to watch the programme, while other people connected to Tim were also expected to tune in elsewhere.
Jen remembered his bear hugs, laugh and Manchester accent, adding that she was looking forward to hearing him again on television.
For Rachel, watching the episode was always going to be difficult.
She said it was “part of his bucket list”, making the broadcast an especially emotional moment for the family.
One viewer summed up the reaction online, writing that seeing Tim win his share of the £100,000 knowing he had not long to live was deeply moving — particularly because he never lived to see the programme broadcast.
A career built around education
Tim’s achievements extended far beyond his appearance on The Chase.
Born in Warrington, he studied physics at the University of Manchester and graduated at just 19.
He went on to build a career in education, eventually becoming principal of Stockport Academy before launching academies across the UK, Dubai and India as the founding chief executive of Aurora Academies Trust.
He had already made headlines in 2000 while serving as deputy head of Avondale High School in Stockport.
Tim placed a £1,000 bet that his pupils would improve their GCSE results. When they did, he shared the winnings with colleagues and students at a celebration.
Looking back on the unusual wager, he said the idea had initially been intended as a joke but eventually became a motivating force for the pupils.
“The children really put a big effort into their exams,” he said at the time.
His friends remembered him not only for his academic achievements but also for his personality.
Friend Stuart Keane described him as a “brilliant friend with a brilliant mind.”
Rachel, meanwhile, remembered her husband as the cleverest man she had ever known.
A final victory his family will always remember
Tim’s The Chase appearance gave his family something precious to hold on to after his death.
He had wanted to take part in the programme, had kept the result secret, taken the biggest offer on the table and helped secure a £100,000 team victory.
But he never got the chance to see himself on television or enjoy the money he had won.
Instead, his family and friends watched the episode together, celebrating the man they knew while seeing one of his final achievements unfold on screen.
For those who knew Tim, the broadcast was not simply another The Chase episode. It was a chance to hear his voice, see his personality and remember a man who had made an impact both in the classroom and in the lives of those closest to him.