Shropshire quizzer demolishes 'Frosty Knickers' on The Chase - viewers say he should be the next Chaser

The Bridgnorth brainbox racked up £9,000 in a lightning-fast cash builder, squeaked through to the final after a one-question shoot-out in the head-to-head, then played a starring role in demolishing Anne 'Frosty Knickers' Hegerty in the final chase.

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Ben, a former Mastermind finalist who hosts a pub quiz at the Bassa Villa in Bridgnorth, had a watch party at the pub on Tuesday night (January 13).

Viewers online were astonished by his knowledge, with some suggesting he could become the next Chaser.

The Shropshire lad was third up to take on The Governess on the ITV1 game show, after Sam from Margate and Terry from Leeds. Kate from Edenbridge was to follow.

The first question began “What toy cube…”, but before host Bradley Walsh was able to utter another syllable, Ben was in with: “Rubik’s Cube.”

It was that ferocious pace which enabled him to earn £9,000 in the cash builder - the same as Darragh 'The Menace' Ennis scored when he was a contestant in 2017 before being recruited as a Chaser.

Frosty Knickers offered Ben £2,000 to move a step closer to home, or £70,000 for a shorter head-start.

Ben opted to stick with the £9,000 he earned but the questions did not fall his way in the cash builder. 

Fortunately for him, a mix of educated guesses and luck gave him a shot at a one-question shoot-out, from which he emerged victorious.

Despite the close shave in the head-to-head, Ben did not let it affect him and was back to his unstoppable best in the final chase.

The team racked up a score of 22, with Ben in imperious form, comfortably scoring the most points.

That gave The Governess a mountain to climb - however, she has caught a team with 26 in the past, so it wasn’t a foregone conclusion.

The Chaser tried her best to catch Ben and the team, but a disastrous first minute left her with too much to do and she only managed 14, sparking jubilant celebrations among the contestants.

All smiles at the end, Ben said he would put his £5,750 share of the prize fund towards a deposit for a house.

The reaction online was all about Ben, with one X user saying: “Petition for Ben to be the next Chaser.”

Another said: “Ben won The Chase. The others were poor. Ben would have got about 18 on his own.”

Walsh said that the damage was done when all four players got through, but Hegerty said the damage was done when Ben got through.

Ben joins Who Wants To Be A Millionnaire winner Donald Fear in the pantheon of Shropshire quizzing extraordinaires.