THE Chase star Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett stunned amateur punters at a pub quiz night when he beat them to the £50 jackpot – before they realised his identity as the show’s brainbox.
He turned up late at a boozer near the theatre where he’s starring in pantomime – before wiping the floor with seasoned quiz regulars.
Mark – who has an IQ of 151 – skyrocketed to the top of the leaderboard after he joined the weekly quiz in Gravesend, Kent last week.
But locals didn’t have a clue who he was until he failed to lose a round.
Our exclusive snaps show the 59-year-old – who was in a team with panto actors and production workers – going head-to-head with regular quizzers.
Pub local Barry, who witnessed Mark’s triumph, said: “We had no idea who he was until he kept winning every round.
“It was very impressive to see.”
But one punter said: “It’s a bit cheeky to come in and take part in a pub quiz which is meant to be for regular people and not let people know you are.
“He was obviously going to win.
“No one clocked on until they were crowned the winners.
“We were all so surprised. We just couldn’t believe it.”
Mark – who was in town for his role as the villainous henchman in the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk – was playfully booed when he collected his prize money.
The team – who called themselves “Oh No We’re Not” – arrived 20 minutes late to the quiz at The Hatch pub last Wednesday but locals said they wasted no time in dominating the competition.
Mark is one of the show’s original Chasers and one of its biggest success stories.
He also stars on the US and Australian versions.
The former maths teacher’s love life has attracted attention too.
In 2014, aged 49, he married second cousin Katie, then 22.
They share a son but split in 2020.
More recently, he enjoyed a year-long fling with TV host Hayley Palmer and they posed for photoshoots.
But they split in May during a three-minute phone call, as revealed by The Sun on Sunday.
Pro quizzer Mark – who has shed a whopping ten stone since 2020 – has boasted he is a “genius” and smarter than his fellow Chasers.
