The Chase’s Mark Labbett Buried His Head in His Hands at a ‘Horrible’ Question — but Still Found the Answer That Ended Julia’s Hopes

Even Mark Labbett looked like he wanted nothing to do with this one.

The Chase star buried his head in his hands after Bradley Walsh revealed an unexpectedly difficult question during 21-year-old student Julia’s attempt to reach the Final Chase.

Bradley immediately branded it a “horrible question,” while Labbett — better known to viewers as The Beast — appeared equally stunned by what had appeared on the screen.

The question was:

“How many copper half farthings were there in a pre-decimal British pound?”

Julia needed the Chaser to struggle.

Unfortunately for her, his initial reaction proved misleading.

The Beast Somehow Worked It Out

Despite appearing horrified by the question, Mark managed to land on the correct answer.

He joked that he was “not too shabby with numbers.”

For Julia, there was little to celebrate.

She was eliminated, joining fellow contestant Paul in failing to reach the final.

That left Rachel and Tom attempting to salvage the team’s chances.

Rachel decided to accept a lower offer of £1,000 and successfully made it back to the team.

Tom wasn’t as fortunate.

His elimination meant Rachel would have to face The Beast completely alone.

Rachel Faced Mark Alone for Just £1,000

The sight of one contestant standing at the Final Chase desk summed up how badly the episode had gone for the team.

“It’s a bit lonely over here to be honest,” Rachel admitted.

With only £1,000 in the prize fund, she now needed to produce a huge solo performance to have any chance of taking the money home.

Rachel managed 12 correct answers.

It wasn’t enough.

Mark chased down her total without too much difficulty, ending the episode with all four contestants leaving empty-handed.

But The Beast made sure Rachel knew he respected her effort.

“I’ve nothing but respect for you Rachel, unlucky,” he told her.

Viewers Were Far Less Forgiving

While Mark praised Rachel, several viewers watching at home were frustrated by the unusual final.

One branded the episode a “waste,” while another complained about spending an hour watching a contestant attempt to win only £1,000.

Another viewer described it as one of the worst episodes they had watched in a long time.

Rachel’s decision to take the lower offer also attracted criticism once she became the team’s sole finalist, with some viewers questioning the appeal of a Final Chase carrying such a small prize.

But arguably the episode’s most memorable moment had arrived much earlier.

A question about copper half farthings in a pre-decimal British pound was strange enough to make Bradley Walsh call it horrible and send Mark Labbett’s head straight into his hands.

Julia might briefly have thought she’d finally been handed the question that could stop The Beast. Instead, Mark recovered, worked it out and helped turn the episode into a brutal afternoon for the entire team.