THE Chase has been a hit on the tele box, with Bradley Walsh hosting the show filled with tight duels, big wins, and tough questions.
But the show has been hit with a shock blow in recent weeks after a record-breaking win was followed by tragedy.
What is the record amount won on The Chase?
Headteacher, Tim McCarthy, from Tyldesley in Greater Manchester, died in July aged 64 following a long illness, just one month after winning a record jackpot.
Tim was on the show with fellow players Lorcan, Shirin and Julie as they battled it out against Jenny “the vixen” Ryan in a bid to beat the Chaser.
Lorcan banked £5,000 for the team, while Shirin and Julie were unable to get beyond the first round.
Tim went last, who had a disappointing start as he answered just one question correctly in the initial cash-builder round.
But in the second round, the headteacher went with the riskiest offer on the table – £95,000.
Tim managed to outrun the Chaser, bringing the total jackpot to a whopping £100,000.
Tim and Lorcan then teamed up in the final round as they bid to secure their massive prize.
It was a huge win. In fact, it was the biggest jackpot won by a duo from the general public in the show’s history, only matched by one other pair in September 2024, Ian and Karen (both pocketing £50k).
The only other contestants to win a larger sum were Bryan, Laura, Julia who secured a total of £120,000, and pocketing £40,000 each.
What is the record amount won by one player?
However, The Chase viewers were left astounded as one contestant, Eden Nash, secured a staggering £75,000 win in August 2021.
The audience was shocked as the young whizz-kid faced off against Darragh Ennis, delivering 18 correct answers in the final chase.
But it was player Dan in 2022 who beat Eden’s record, when he bagged £80,000 and out-quizzed The Vixen.
The jackpot was the biggest solo win in the show’s history, and cemented Eden as one of the greats of The Chase.
Top 10 Biggest Amount Won Per Player on the Chase
The show has been subject to some massive wins in its time.
- £80,000 (Aug 2022) – won by Dan
- £75,000 (Aug 2021) – won by Eden
- £70,000 (Feb 2019) – won by Judith
- £60,000 (Jan 2013) – won by Larry
- £50,000 (Sept 2014) – won by Susan
- £100,000 (Sept 2024) – won by Ian and Karen (£50,000pp)
- £100,000 (Aug 2025) – won by Tim and Lorcan (£50,000pp)
- £80,000 (June 2014) – won by Debbie and Derrick (£40,000pp)
- £80,000 (Jan 2020) – won by Lyndsey and Jonny (£40,000pp)
- £120,000 (Sept 2023) Bryan, Laura, and Julia (£40,000pp)
Who are The Chasers?
Darragh Ennis – The Menace
Irishman Darragh Ennis is the newest Chaser, and joined in 2020.
Darragh took part in the show as a contestant in 2017, performing well in the cash builder round to put £9,000 on the table.
The confident quizzer contributed 14 correct answers to his team.
Shaun Wallace – The Dark Destroyer
Brainy Shaun AKA The Dark Destroyer or The Barrister is one of the original chasers, joining The Chase at the start in 2009.
Shaun won also Mastermind back in 2004, and so is no stranger to a quiz show.
His specialist subject? The FA Cup finals, of course.
The professional smart guy is a qualified barrister and has worked on a number of high profile cases.
Paul Sinha – The Sinnerman
Paul Sinha, also known as Sinnerman on the show, joined The Chase team back in 2011.
The brainiac is a qualified GP and trained at St George’s Hospital in London.
In a July 2017 episode of The Chase, it was revealed that Paul Sinha is gay and was in an open relationship.
He claimed that producers had edited out references to his sexuality, saying: “I have been on the show for six years and I have made lots of references to being gay.
“But they mysteriously never made the edit.”
Jenny Ryan – The Vixen
Nicknamed Vixen flame-haired Jenny Ryan joined The Chasers team in 2015.
But Jenny was no stranger to the popular show having actually written the questions for the pilot episode.
And she took part in Celebrity MasterChef in 2019.
Mark Labbett – The Beast
Mark Labbett – AKA The Beast – was one of the Chasers in the original line-up from the first show in 2009.
With a beast-like temper, Labbet is known for storming off the set on two occasions when outsmarted by contestants.
The former maths teacher has starred in the Australian and American versions of the show and previously competed on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire twice, winning £48,000 in total.
Anne Hegerty – The Governess
Anne Hegerty – known as The Governess – joined the show back in 2010.
The quiz boffin opted for the nickname over the original suggestion “The Headmistress” as she claimed it was “more kinky”.
Like The Beast, former-journalist Anne has also starred in the Australian incarnation of the popular show.
She is a competitive quizzer who has appeared on Mastermind twice.
Viewers also got to witness a more vulnerable side to the ruthless quizzer when she entered the I’m A Celebrity jungle in 2018.
