Mark Labbett

Mark Labbett
Born Mark Labbett
(1965-08-15) 15 August 1965
Tiverton, Devon, England[1]
Occupation Television personality
Notable credit(s) The Chase (2009—)
The Chase USA (2013–2015)
The Chase Australia (2016—)
Height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight 27 st 2 lb (172 kg) (380 lb)[2]
Spouse(s) Katie Labbett (m. 2014)
Website marklabbett.co.uk

Mark Labbett (born 15 August 1965) is an English television personality best known for his role as a "Chaser" on the ITV game show The Chase in the United Kingdom. He took up this role in 2009 and has since appeared on the American version as their sole Chaser in 2013 and as one of five Chasers on the Australian version since 2016.[3] He has also appeared in several television quiz shows and is a regular in quizzing competitions.

Life and career

Labbett was born in Tiverton, Devon, to Carolyn and John Labbett.[4] He moved to Caldicot, Monmouthshire, in 1998 and then to nearby Newport, in 2003 before moving to Moorgate, Rotherham, in 2013.[5][6] He now lives in Herefordshire. He 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] He taught in secondary schools, and worked as a supply teacher in maths and physical education.[8]

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]

He works as a question writer for Redtooth, a quiz company from Barlborough near Chesterfield in Derbyshire. After two years of part-time work as a promoter for them, he moved to South Yorkshire in 2013 in order to work more often with them, but he no longer lives there.

In 2012, Labbett was ranked 81st in the World Quizzing Championships.[11]

Television

Labbett appeared on Mastermind in 1999, where his specialist subject was the Olympic Games.[12] He appeared again on Mastermind in 2000, with the animated television show The Simpsons as his specialist subject.[13] Also in 2000, he competed on Countdown, narrowly losing his first game on a crucial conundrum. [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] In 2005, he 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] In 2007, he was ranked as the 17th top quizzer in the country.[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] Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?,[18] where he won £32,000, and University Challenge.[12]

In 2016, Labbett took part in the three-part ITV series Sugar Free Farm.[19]

The Chase

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",[20] a two-pronged nickname referencing both his stature and his surname (Labbett sounds like the French la bête, meaning "the beast").

Since August 2013, Labbett has appeared as the only Chaser on the U.S. version of The Chase on Game Show Network. He also appears as one of five Chasers on the Australian version of The Chase on the Seven Network, alongside fellow UK Chaser Anne Hegerty.[3]

Quiz show appearances

Personal life

Labbett married his wife in October 2014 at Arundel Cathedral.[22][23] He has two younger brothers, Paul and Philip.[24][25]

References

  1. ↑ Mark Labbett Welsh Radio Interview. YouTube. 5 February 2012.
  2. ↑ Labbett, Mark. "Twitter - Mark Labbett". Twitter. Retrieved 2014-07-29. where is my invite? at a legitimate 30lbs I am by far the biggest heel on UK television!
  3. 1 2 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.
  4. ↑ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  5. ↑ Gaskell, Simon (5 January 2014). "The Chase quiz sensation Mark 'The Beast' Labbett cracks America". Wales Online. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "Chase's Beast moves to South Yorkshire". The Star. Sheffield. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "Biography". Mark "The Beast" Labbett. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 "The People's Quiz 2007". BBC. April 2007. Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 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. ↑ "Results". worldquizzing.com.
  12. 1 2 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.
  13. ↑ PRICE, KAREN (6 August 2004). "MASTERMIND ACCUSED OF SELLING OUT IN RATINGS FIGHT". Western Mail. Western Mail and Echo Ltd. p. 10.
  14. ↑ http://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_2771
  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. ↑ Heritage, Stuart (28 June 2010). "The Chase: how to make the perfect daytime gameshow". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  19. ↑ http://www.itv.com/presscentre/ep1week4/sugar-free-farm
  20. ↑ "Quiz beast appearance". Bristol Evening Post. Bristol United Press. 12 May 2012. p. 19.
  21. ↑ http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a813061/the-chase-tipping-point-charity-special/
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ "Winter 2014 Edition" (PDF). Parish Proclaimer. Arundel. 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  24. ↑ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  25. ↑ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 2 February 2016.

External links

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