BEAT The Chasers viewers were fuming as Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen narrowly lost out on winning thousands of pounds for charity.
The former presenter of BBC’s Changing Rooms was first up to face Chasers Mark Labbett, Shaun Wallace, Anne Hegerty, Paul Sinha, Jenny Ryan and Darragh Ennis.
After his first round, Laurence chose to go up against four Chasers for £30,000, giving the quiz titans 38 seconds on the clock.
While making the decision, he said: “It certainly feels like a very exciting opportunity to go big. Look at you all. But I’m going to go with 38.”
Laurence’s tense round went down to the wire, but he was unfortunately beaten with just one second to spare.
Host Bradley Walsh acknowledged the close loss, saying: “Literally down to the wire. Good answers”, to which Laurence replied, “I will be back. And I will have you all.”
Although he fell short on the ITV quiz, Laurence did not leave empty-handed.
He received £1,000 for his chosen charity, Shooting Stars Children’s Hospice.
Devastated fans took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share their disappointment as they said Laurence deserved to win.
One fumed: “Getting very annoyed with #beatthechasers @ITV. The contestants’ countdown clock starts instantly.
“Bradley says their name; the Chasers’ clock starts a second after he has said their name. Every. Single. Time. So fixed. It’s a shame as the premise is okay.”
Another commented: “There’s a smell of a fix about this one #beatthechasers.”
A third fan shared: “Damn, the Chasers beat Laurence Llewellyn Bowen with only a second to spare. They honestly should have just given him that because it was close enough. #BeatTheChasers.”
A fourth raged: “Laurence was about to win, but he was THIS close by one second! #BeatTheChasers.”
Another added: “One second! It came down to… one… bleeding… second! #BeatTheChasers.”
It comes as TV presenter Rick Edwards had a much different outcome during his appearance on Beat The Chasers earlier in the week.
The likes of Neil Delamere, Charlie Stayt and Michelle Ackerley fell short earlier in the night.
However, it was a very different story for Rick who wowed fans as he won £120,000 for a whale and dolphin conservation charity.
Having faced and defeated all six Chasers, the group praised Rick as being ‘very smart’.
The only other £120,000 win took place back in March 2021, when former EastEnders actor Shaun Williamson scooped the big prize.
You can watch Beat the Chasers on ITV and ITVX.