THE Chase legend Mark Labbett has revealed why he’s ‘barred’ from joining Strictly Come Dancing.
Nicknamed “The Beast”, the quiz Goliath has appeared on The Chase since its 2009 debut.
However, the former maths teacher seemingly won’t show off his dance moves on Strictly anytime soon.
The 59-year-old revealed why during an episode of the beloved ITV quiz show.
He faced Annaka, from Newton Abbott, who brought in £2,000 from her cash builder.
Mark told the contestant: “Good afternoon, Annaka. Well, you quiz like I dance: it’s not pretty and it’s the reason I’m barred from Strictly.”
In usual strong form, The Beast reduced this team down to one player in the final round.
He promptly caught the sole contestant, Debra, with 50 seconds remaining on the clock.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun last year, Mark revealed whether he would be up for joining the BBC show.
He told us: “We actually film The Chase at the same place, at the George Lucas in Elstree.
“I could do one show in the morning and then go straight on up and do the other in the evening.
“I would be very happy if my agent said, ‘Strictly would love to chat to you.’
“From October, November, December, I practically live in Elstree doing The Chase so it would work out perfectly.”
It has previously been claimed show bosses had Mark on their wish list.
A show insider shared he’d been considered for the 2018 series – which was later won by Stacey Dooley.
They told The Sunday People: “Mark has become one of the best-known personalities on TV so he has come on to Strictly’s radar.
“They think he could be a real hit with viewers, as he has been on The Chase.
“He would certainly make people stand up and take notice with his stature.”
The Chase continues on ITV1 and ITVX.
The Chase's best moments
The Chase has been entertaining ITV viewers for years, here are some of the show's most memorable moments...
Bradley Walsh can’t stop laughing
- Every time host Bradley Walsh erupts into fits of laughter on The Chase it makes for pretty entertaining TV. One particularly memorable occasion was when he was asking the question ‘The title of which Elvis Presley song was engraved of the inside of Freddie Star’s coffin?” As usual the contestant was given four multiple choices but Bradley could get through reading them out before bursting into hysterics. Seeming the idea of the song being option ‘B: Way Down’ was too much for the presenter to handle.
The Double Trouble special
- To celebrate 15 years of The Chase on screens, ITV launched a special ‘double trouble’ episode where contestants faced off against not one but two of the show’s beloved Chasers. And despite the odds, the contestants managed to go home with some cash!
The contestants with famous names
- Eagle-eyed ITV fans are always quick to spot interesting and sometimes hidden details on the quiz show – but there have been a few times where the names of some contestants have been overtly obvious. For example, one 2017 episode of the quiz show saw Bradley welcome four contestants who were named after Friends characters Ross, Rachel, Phoebe and Joey. Another group of contestants with named from The Simpsons were also grouped together in another episode, much to viewers’ amusement.
The Beast’s anger gets the best of him
- During an episode from the 2024 season, Mark Labbett let out his inner beast as he exploded in a fit of anger. Close to losing the competition in the Final Chase, Mark then made a silly mistake and incorrectly answered the question, “Rabbit was a 1980 hit for which Cockney duo?” “Oh, you idiot!” he yelled at himself while slamming the table in front of him. With seconds left on the clock, the Chaser then admitted defeat, moaning “I don’t deserve to win.”