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Mark Labbett

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Mark Labbett
Labbett on The Chase USA in 2014
Born
Mark Andrew Labbett

(1965-08-15) 15 August 1965 (age 59)
Tiverton, Devon, England
Other names"The Beast"
Alma materExeter College, Oxford (BA)
University of Exeter (PGCE)
OccupationTelevision personality
Years active1999–present
Notable credit(s)The Chase (2009–present)
The Chase USA (2013–2015, 2021–2022)
The Chase Australia (2016–2020, 2022–present) Master Minds, 2022–present
Spouse
Katie Labbett
​
​
(m. 2014; sep. 2020)​
Children1
Websitemarklabbett.co.uk

Mark Andrew Labbett[1] (born 15 August 1965), also known by his professional nickname "The Beast", is an English professional quizzer and television personality. Since 2009 he has been one of the "chasers" on the ITV game show The Chase.[2] He previously appeared between 2013 and 2015 on GSN's American version as their sole chaser; between 2016 and 2020 as one of six chasers on the Australian version; and as one of four chasers in the second season of ABC's American revival and from late February 2022 rejoined the Australian version of the show.[3][4][5]

Labbett has appeared as a contestant on several other television quiz shows and is a regular in quizzing competitions.

Early life

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Mark Andrew Labbett was born on 15 August 1965 in Tiverton, Devon and attended Bishop Wordsworth's School in Salisbury.[6]

Labbett obtained a Master of Arts degree in mathematics from Exeter College, Oxford, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in secondary education from the University of Exeter and legal CPE and LPC qualifications from the University of Glamorgan (now the University of South Wales).[7]

Career

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Teaching

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Labbett was a mathematics and physical education supply teacher.[8]

Quizzing

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Labbett became interested in quizzing when working at Butlins holiday camp, where he supplemented his income with winnings from the quiz machines.[9] His pub quiz team won a weekend in Paris in April 2001 after competing in the national competition Jumbo Quiz.[10]

Labbett appeared on Mastermind in 1999, where his specialist subject was the Olympic Games.[11] He appeared again on Mastermind in 2000, with the animated television show The Simpsons as his specialist subject.[12] Also in 2000, he competed on Countdown, narrowly losing his first game on a crucial conundrum.[13] In 2001, he appeared on Stake Out, where he was the second contestant eliminated during the Face Off round. In 2003, he appeared on Grand Slam, where he lost against Clive Spate in his first match.[14]

In 2004, he won £500 on the Channel 5 show BrainTeaser, and a year later he won £1,500 on BBC One's SUDO-Q.[9] He appeared on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? twice, firstly on fastest finger first in Series 18 broadcast on 5 November 2005. He returned the following series (19) and made the hot seat, winning £32,000 across two episodes in April 2006. In 2005, he also won £32,000 on Millionaire Live, a live version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? that toured seaside resorts throughout the summer.[9][15]

As captain, he led the Welsh quiz team to fifth place in the 2006 European Quizzing Championships.[8]

Labbett's team, the Rugby Boys, won BBC Four's Only Connect in 2009.[16] Other television appearances include The National Lottery People's Quiz (2007) where he came second in the grand final,[17] University Challenge (1996-7) where he reached the quarter-finals as captain of the Glamorgan University team,[11][18] and Are You an Egghead?

In 2012, Labbett was ranked 89th in the World Quizzing Championships.[19]

In 2016, Labbett took part in the three-part ITV series Sugar Free Farm, when he revealed he has false teeth, as a result of eating too much sugar.[20][21] That same year, it was announced that he would become a producer for Hull-based wrestling promotion New Generation Wrestling (NGW).[22]

The Chase

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See also: The Chase (British game show), The Chase (American game show), and The Chase Australia

Labbett is one of the "chasers" in the ITV teatime quiz The Chase, first broadcast in 2009 and hosted by Bradley Walsh. In the show, his nickname is "the Beast",[23] a two-pronged nickname referencing both his stature and his surname (Labbett sounds like the French la bête, meaning "the beast").

In August 2013, Labbett appeared as the only chaser on the American version of The Chase on Game Show Network. He also appeared as one of the seven chasers on the Australian version of The Chase on the Seven Network, alongside fellow UK chasers Anne Hegerty and Shaun Wallace.[4] His weakest subjects are horse racing and soap operas.[24] He noted that the American version posed far more difficulties for him, as American game shows typically allow far more competent contestants than British or Australian shows.[25]

Labbett joined ABC's US revival of The Chase for its second season.[2] Although ABC had considered adding Labbett to the show with its first season,[26] his contract was not renewed for the third.[5]

Personal life

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Labbett moved to Caldicot, Monmouthshire, in 1998 and then to nearby Newport in 2003 before moving to Moorgate, Rotherham, in 2013.[27][28] Labbett married his second cousin Katie in 2014, who is 27 years his junior.[29][30] They separated in 2020. Together they had a son.[31]

Following Labbett's separation from his wife, in early 2023, he began dating television presenter Hayley Palmer.[32] The relationship ended in 2024.[33]

Labbett supports Sheffield United.[34] In the Australian Football League, he supports the Western Bulldogs.[35]

Television

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Year Title Role Channel
2009–present The Chase Chaser ITV
2011–present The Chase: Celebrity Specials
2013–2015, 2021–2022 The Chase USA Game Show Network, ABC
2016–2020, 2022–present The Chase Australia Channel 7
2017–present The Family Chase ITV
2020–present Beat the Chasers
2021 The Chasers Road Trip: Trains Brains and Automobiles Himself
2023–present Master Minds Master Minds Game Show Network

Guest appearances

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References

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  1. ^ Labbett, Mark [@MarkLabbett] (14 February 2018). "In that case, for posterity, Mark Andrew Labbett :)" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 February 2018 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b Peter White (19 May 2021). "Mark 'The Beast' Labbett Joins ABC's The Chase". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  3. ^ Michael Patrick (24 February 2022). "'The Beast' Mark Labbett returns to The Chase Australia following amazing weight-loss transformation". Seven News. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b Byrnes, Holly (29 November 2015). "The Chase Australia's newest UK recruit Mark Labbett is already doing a number on rivals at Nine". The Sunday Telegraph. Australia. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  5. ^ a b Mark Labbett [@MarkLabbett] (4 February 2022). "Not been re-signed, That's life. Grateful for the opportunity to work with (and compare myself to) the GOATS" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ Trim, Liam (22 October 2021). "Who is Mark Labbett? The Chase star's journey from Salisbury school pupil to TV star".
  7. ^ "Biography". Mark "The Beast" Labbett. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  8. ^ a b "The People's Quiz 2007". BBC. April 2007. Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  9. ^ a b c Papworth, Jill (27 January 2007). "Lucky break? Don't leave it to chance". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  10. ^ Smale, Will (17 April 2001). "PUB QUIZ TEAM IS GIVEN PRIZE GRILLING". South Wales Echo. Western Mail and Echo Ltd. p. 16.
  11. ^ a b Hutchinson, Clare (13 October 2009). "'Come on, Paxman, if you think you're hard enough...' says wicked Humphrys ; Questions at 20 paces in quiz duel – and we'll even make it easy for you Humphrys". The Western Mail. Western Mail and Echo Ltd. p. 14.
  12. ^ Price, Karen (6 August 2004). "Mastermind Accused of Selling Out in Ratings Fight". Western Mail. Western Mail and Echo Ltd. p. 10.[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ "Episode 2771 – Countdown".
  14. ^ "Match Review – Game 01 – Channel 4 – Grand Slam". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 31 August 2004. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  15. ^ Hedge, John Paul (5 September 2005). "Winners walk off with two cars and £16k". Herald Express. Torquay: Herald Express (Torquay). p. 4.
  16. ^ "NEWSBRIEF". South Wales Echo. Western Mail and Echo Ltd. 1 September 2009. p. 6.
  17. ^ Bjortomt, Olav (23 June 2007). "Your starter for £200,000 (subscription required)". The Times (The Knowledge). Times Newspapers Limited. p. 33.
  18. ^ "University Challenge 1997". blanchflower.org.
  19. ^ "Results". worldquizzing.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  20. ^ "Sugar Free Farm Episode 1".
  21. ^ "The Chase's Mark Labbett reveals he wears false teeth due to daily 10 bar chocolate habit". BT.com. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  22. ^ "NGW: 'The Beast' comes to NGW". ngwuk.com. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  23. ^ "Quiz beast appearance". Bristol Evening Post. Bristol United Press. 12 May 2012. p. 19.
  24. ^ Lorraine (23 January 2017). "The Chase's Beast Reveals His Quiz Knowledge Achilles Heel". Lorraine. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ Pinsker, Joe (24 April 2019). "James Holzhauer Explains the Strategy Behind His Jeopardy Winning Streak". The Atlantic. Retrieved 24 April 2019. I've got to give Jeopardy! immense credit, and The Chase U.S.A. In Britain or Australia, James would not have made it onto television, because he's just too damn good. They would never have him on.
  26. ^ Roffman, Marisa (6 June 2021). "THE CHASE EP Vincent Rubino on Season 2 Changes, Adding Mark Labbett, and More". Give Me My Remote. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  27. ^ Gaskell, Simon (5 January 2014). "The Chase quiz sensation Mark 'The Beast' Labbett cracks America". Wales Online. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  28. ^ "Chase's Beast moves to South Yorkshire". The Star. Sheffield, UK. 2 January 2013. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  29. ^ Yaqoob, Janine (11 October 2014). "The Chase game show star Mark 'Beast' Labbett marries girl less than half his age". Daily Mirror. London. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  30. ^ "Winter 2014 Edition" (PDF). Parish Proclaimer. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  31. ^ "The Chase's Mark Labbett opens up on split from ex-wife and second cousin Katie". Heart. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  32. ^ Seaman, Molly (7 November 2023). "Inside the life of Mark Labbett's TV host girlfriend". Devon Live. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  33. ^ Knox, Susan (25 May 2024). "ITV The Chase star Mark Labbett ends relationship with girlfriend after one-year anniversary". The Mirror. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  34. ^ "Mark Labbett 'talked' The Chase co-star Anne Hegerty into I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here". R Sheffield Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  35. ^ @MarkLabbett (24 September 2016). "Glad I picked the Bulldogs to be my AFL team. Nice bunch of lads and a 55 year drought ended. Go Doggies! #Bulldogs #BulldogNation" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  36. ^ "'The Chase' Star Mark Labbett Was On 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' (But How Much Did He Win?)". HuffPost. 6 January 2017.
  37. ^ "The Chase and Tipping Point are crossing over!". Digital Spy. 3 November 2016.
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