Beat The Chasers' Maverick sparks outrage from fans as they say ITV show is 'spoilt'

Fans of Beat The Chasers were less than impressed with a huge change to the ITV quiz show this evening. On Sunday (October 19) the much-loved programme introduced a brand new Chaser, but left his identity a mystery - much to the disappointment of those watching at home.

The newcomer, who was known only as 'Maverick' and was a temporary stand-in for Darragh Ennis, wore a suit covered in red question marks with a mask to match covering their face and a bowler hat. Their voice was also distorted to keep their true identity completely under wraps. While many fans thought the latest change was exciting and got stuck in guessing who could be under the mask, other viewers were less than impressed and complained, saying that the "gimmick" was "spoiling" the ITV show. Posting to X/Twitter, one fan fumed: "The Chaser in the mask is a silly idea and quite frankly spoilt the show. #beatthechasers." Another said: "I thought for a second this was the Masked Singer, not #BeatTheChasers!"

One more complained: "What's the point in that daft masked man ? Ridiculous, and has ruined the show. #beatthechasers."

Someone else echoed: "I don't understand why #beatthechasers has chosen to have this annoying novelty masked chaser on tonight. Surely the ratings are good enough without messing about with a successful and popular format? Poor decision ITV."

However, some were more concerned about the missing Chaser - Darragh Ennis, also known as 'The Menace'. One viewer commented: "Maverick is there because Darragh was unable to be there for filming. Don't know what, but I hope all is well with Darragh, his family and friends #BeatTheChasers."

Another concerned fan asked: "Has Darragh left the show? #beatthechasers." While one more quizzed: "Who is Maverick and where is Darragh? #BeatTheChasers"

The show left fans guessing throughout the episode as to who the new Chaser could be, until a major reveal right at the very end. In a spectacular moment, the guest Chaser dropped the mask and disguised voice to reveal their true self - and fans couldn't believe it.

The huge moment revealed that the Chaser was comedian Joe Pasquale - much to everyone's surprise. Bradley exclaimed: "I should have twigged! You got all of the ones about the rocks. He's a geologist! He's actually a qualified geologist."