Beating the ‘Beast’- meet Omagh’s Chase winner

OMAGH-born Molly Quinn-Leitch was a part of Tuesday’s winning team on the ITV hit gameshow the Chase, when they beat ‘The Beast’.

The Queen’s University Literary Studies Masters graduate won £5,000, splitting the £20,000 jackpot with her other three team mates.

Molly, who is currently working and living in Belfast, applied for the show at random a couple of years ago.

The episode she was on was recorded before lockdown in January 2020, so Molly had to keep the secret of her appearance and big win quiet for some time!

The Chase winner told the Ulster Herald about the ‘oddness’ of being on the show and how it operates behind the scenes.

Molly said, “It was a very surreal experience, but a really good one.

“The producers were really lovely and the introduction to my team was very quick, and then filming for my episode started straight away.

“Bradley Walsh was also very nice. He made us all feel relaxed by telling lots of jokes so we all felt very at home.

“However, at the same time it was a very odd experience being on a set that I’ve seen so many times and thinking about how many people will be watching.”

Molly got a little shock as she was introduced to the Chaser they would be up against – the infamous ‘Beast’, otherwise known as Mark Labbett.

Molly said, “The first time you see the Chaser you are up against is the same as when the viewers see them on TV.

“In my opinion, Mark is the best, he has the best general knowledge, and it was a little worrying when he came out.

“You could tell he got a bit annoyed when he got a question wrong, but he couldn’t chase our score down and we won.”

Molly added, “If you are thinking of going on a show like the Chase, just go for it! It was a fantastic experience and I would recommend it for anyone.”

By Thomas Maher