The Chase stars have hit out at online trolls
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The Chase stars Mark Labbett and Paul Sinha hit out at troll attacks on contestants

Some of the abuse was savage

The Chase stars Mark Labbett and Paul Sinha have hit out at online trolls who attack the contestants.

Mark, 56, and Paul, 51, are beloved Chasers on the hit ITV quiz show.

They’re often the ones savaging contestants in a quiz sense thanks to their outstanding trivia recall.

However, they have now both asked viewers of the show to calm down.

The Chase stars hit out at online trolling
Mark was the first to comment (Credit: ITV)

What happened on The Chase with Mark and Paul?

The daily quiz show is watched by millions up and down the country.

And during transmission, many take to Twitter to share their opinions on contestants.

Read more: The Chase star Mark Labbett apologises for behaviour on show

Some of them cross the line into abuse.

After the show on Wednesday (February 2) – where one contestant chose a huge minus offer – both Chasers had had enough and asked social media users to respect people taking part.

What did Mark from The Chase say?

Mark was the first to comment.

He said: “It’s just a quiz guys.

“Nobody deserves the rubbish some of the contestants are getting #thechase.”

What did Paul Sinha from The Chase say?

Paul then added a lengthy comment of his own.

He began: “Thread. Last night’s Chase was a classic. A brilliant team posted 23, and were desperately unlucky to find @MarkLabbett in imperious form.

“You’d never necessarily guess this from the spite on the hashtag.”

He went on to explain that contestants are “normal people” who are thrown into a “high pressure” situation.

“And so it needs to be repeated until people understand – we are all trying our best in a pressure situation.

“And as such the spite shown on here at people for appearance, accent, ability, confidence or lack thereof, wrong buzzes and especially lower offers, is disproportionate.”

Paul also added that he knows “many many people whose mental health really suffered because they were brave enough to go on a quiz show. It’s telly. It’s entertainment. And it’s an edited snapshot of the past.”

“If it makes you post objectionably, and angrily, that was way more about you than the contestants or the Chasers.

“We’re trying our best.”

The Chase stars hit out at online trolling
Paul wrote a lengthy message (Credit: ITV)

Support from fans

Paul’s fans agreed with him.

One said in reply to the thread: “It’s a sad indictment that as soon as you get offered a spot on the show, you also get told to lock your social media accounts.

Read more: Mark Labbett says he ‘barely recognises himself’ after weight loss

“A brief glance at the hashtag on broadcast day was enough to confirm why.

“It’s just a quiz show, there’s really no need to throw spite at strangers.”

Another added: “Always shocked by the pure vitriol thrown at contestants on here. Literal death threats for taking a minus offer.”

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor