The Chase on ITV would be nothing without its legendary Chasers, who challenge the hopefuls with lightning-fast questions and astounding expertise.
According to Mark Labbett, while host Bradley Walsh is the richest TV personality in the UK, the quiz masters aren’t far behind.
Mark, aka The Beast, is one of the two original Chasers who has been with the show from its start in 2009.
Despite his desire to be a competitor on I’m A Celeb, the 57-year-old is not short of cash.
The Beast revealed that his wage is comparable to that of a Premier League footballer.
However, it is not the main programme that brings in the big bucks for Mark and his fellow quizzers; it is the spin-off show Beat The Chase.
Every episode of Beat The Chasers has participants competing against all of the chasers, rather than just one.
Mark is one of six chasers, along with Shaun Wallace, Anne Hegerty, Paul Sinha, Jenny Ryan, and Darragh Ennis.
‘That’s the week we earn like Premier League footballs so of course I’ll do it,’ Mark told the Daily Star.
The Chasers are paid a predetermined price for each episode in which they participate, providing them with extra revenue during the week-long series.
Joking, he added: ‘If I could get away with it I’d purge half of them because the fewer Chasers there are, the more money I get…’
However, as Mark pointed out on the Australian edition, in which he also appears, there are now eight chasers.
This means some are in ‘a horrible trap’ and are unable to ‘make a full-time living’.
‘They are spreading it so thin some of the Chasers are starting to think “I can’t do this unless you give me a certain number of shows a year”,’ he shared.
Before becoming famous on The Chase, The Beast put his quiz skills to the test on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
Unfortunately, he did not make it to the £1 million question and was forced to go using a lifeline at the £64,000 question.
He also appeared on BrainTeaser, Countdown, and SUDO-Q on Channel 5.
The Chase airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 5pm.
