The Chase fans shocked by real reason behind Mark Labbett's nickname The Beast

24 November 2020, 14:49 | Updated: 2 December 2020, 09:06

The Chase viewers have revealed the secret meaning behind Mark Labbett's nickname
The Chase viewers have revealed the secret meaning behind Mark Labbett's nickname. Picture: ITV/Twitter

The Chase star Mark Labbett is best known to viewers as The Beast, but there's a secret reason behind his nickname.

Mark Labbett has been a favourite with The Chase viewers since the show started in 2009, but it seems like some people are only just learning the real reason behind his nickname ‘The Beast’.

Fans can be forgiven for assuming the moniker is down to his towering 6ft7in height.

But one Twitter user has posted another explanation for why Mark calls himself ‘The Beast’, and it’s actually because it translates to ‘la bête’ in French - similar to his surname.

He wrote: "I have watched almost every episode of The Chase since it started airing in 2009.

Mark Labbett has been on The Chase since 2009
Mark Labbett has been on The Chase since 2009. Picture: ITV

"And I am only TODAY learning that Mark Labbett is called The Beast cos ‘la bête’ is french for ‘the beast’."

Read More: The Chase newcomer Darragh Ennis spills backstage secrets and reveals 'secret competition' between Chasers

A former contestant called Andy replied to the post, writing: "I was literally up against The Beast in 2010 and only learned this at a later date".

Another Twitter user wrote: "This genuinely thrills me”, while a third added: "Mind blown".

Mark and the rest of the Chasers - including Jenny ‘The Vixen’ Ryan and Paul ‘The Sinnerman’ Sinha - were all assigned their nicknames when they joined the show.

Meanwhile, latest Chaser Darragh Ennis recently told us what the Chasers are really like behind the scenes, praising them as ‘a lovely group of people.’

New Chaser Darragh Ennis reveals 'secret competition' between The Chase co-stars

Speaking to us at Heart.co.uk, he said: “I actually went to Paul’s wedding and we have a whatsapp group.

“They’re really good at helping me learn how to train. We record three shows a day, so they might be in the studio watching.

“They talk to you about the answers you got wrong and what you should be thinking about.

He added: “They’re really helpful and really nice. They’re a lovely group of people actually.”

But that doesn’t mean the professional quizzers aren’t competitive, with Darragh - known as ‘The Menace’ - admitting they have a secret competition backstage.

“Mark keeps a statistics sheet and posts them up,” he said, continuing: “It’s down to win percentages and how good the team you are up against.

"It’s extremely friendly, but it’s extremely competitive as well. If you lose or have a bad day everyone rallies round and it’s really nice, but we do keep an eye on the stats.”

Now Read: The Chase viewers fume as Bradley Walsh 'ignores correct answer'

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