Ian Manly is part of a very exclusive club — but it was never his intention to join.
The 65-year-old magician from Middlesex signed up for ITV’s The Chase with a simple plan. He wanted to have a nice day out and meet the daytime series’ host, Bradley Walsh. However, due to some excellent gameplaying, Ian didn’t just win, he won big — and walked out of the studio with a 50% share of a £100,000 jackpot.
Alongside science and maths tutor Karen, Ian made history by securing the largest sum of money by two players in the show’s history.
‘I went on there for a great experience and a nice day out,’ Ian humbly told Metro.co.uk.
He added: ‘The money wasn’t something I considered because having watched it for years, I know it’s rare for anybody to take home a big amount.’
According to a data scientist, around 24% of The Chase contestants win the jackpot. 2018 was the last time £100,000 was taken home (done so by a group of four).
‘I’d have had a wonderful time, even if I hadn’t won. I’d been on Tipping Point before and won nothing, and still loved it.
‘But now, I’m more than happy.’
As it was something he never considered might happen, Ian was left in shock.
After winning, he exited the studio – awkwardly walking past the two contestants who were knocked out before the final – and headed to Iceland to pick up a pint of milk.
‘I just stood there in the middle of the store, staring at the rows of shelves. I couldn’t wrap my head around how I had £50,000 that I didn’t have the day before. It was surreal,’ he recalled.
A couple of weeks later, the money was deposited into his bank account and Ian quickly got to work spending the ‘life-changing’ sum.
He headed on holiday to Turkey and is on a search for the perfect car to drop some more GBP on. Unfortunately, he’s also been expected to pick up more rounds in the pub by his friends. ‘I’ve had a lot of Facebook friend requests too,’ he added with a laugh.
Ian has one person he wants to thank for his purchases: Karen, who put £94,000 into the communal pot.
The rules dictate that no matter how much contestants bring back from individual chases, the sums are combined and split between all players. Ian feels no guilt for taking his equal share. ‘It’s just the game. That’s the way it is, and we wouldn’t have won the final chase without each other.’
Despite having such an impact on his life, Ian hasn’t spoken to Karen since leaving the Elstree studios in Borehamwood over a year ago. Ian hopes that one day he can find Karen’s email address and say thank you.
Before he was a contestant, Ian was just a huge fan of The Chase. He submitted an application after a mate, who previously took part but didn’t win, encouraged him. Once Ian made it through the written form, telephone interview and Zoom audition, he was granted a spot, and so got to work practising.
Each time he watched an episode, he would play along. During his viewing parties of one, he spotted that questions about Henry VIII’s wives would come up occasionally. Ian therefore decided to undertake specific revision on the six women.
He painstakingly wrote down everything he could find out about them on a piece of paper, which he read right until he had to start playing. ‘It wasn’t any use whatsoever.’
The Chase's biggest winners
Bryan, Laura and Julia win £120,000
In 2023, Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett failed to answer 22 questions in two minutes – he had five to go when the time ran out. £120,000 still holds the record for the biggest jackpot on the daytime show.
Gayna, Tim, Luca and Diane win £100,000
Before the trio, a team of four held the biggest prize fund title. They took home a hefty £100,000, after Ann ‘The Governess’ Hegerty, also known as The Governess, failed to catch them. They set a target of 21 and pushed her back once. She had eight questions left when Bradley Walsh revealed the game was over.
Karen and Ian win £100,000
In an episode aired earlier this month, Karen and Ian managed to win £100,000 against Paul ‘The Sinnerman’ Sinha. It was a very close game – he only had one question left to answer after successfully answering 15.
Dan wins £80,000
Dan didn’t need any teammates in 2022, as he managed to take the jackpot home without assistance.
After the three other contestants were knocked out, he was left to face Jenny ‘The Vixen’ Ryan alone. Once again, it was close to the wire. She had just one question of the 17 target left when the time ran out.
As a The Chase superfan, Ian didn’t waste his opportunity to be in a studio and took mental notes of what viewers don’t get to see, which varied from the mundane to the starry.
Running through his list of observations, he told us that contestants are given complimentary water bottles, but are not allowed to drink from them when it’s filming. He then disclosed that watches have to be removed, so they don’t know the time while in play.
While walking us through his day, Ian becomes most animated when moving onto the subject of Bradley.
Bradley stans will be happy to hear, the 64-year-old is just as friendly when he isn’t on the small screen. ‘He told me he loved my joke,’ Ian proudly declared, before retelling it. ‘My car is my baby. It never goes anywhere without a rattle.’ With Bradley’s approval, Ian will be recycling in future.
He continued: ‘And he said to call him Brad, as Bradley is too formal. He put me at ease straight away.’
Ian also got to be privy to a part of the show which is always referred to on the programme, but never shown. The contestants must choose between question set A and B before the final chase, and he’s now discovered that despite ITV’s big budgets they keep things simple. ‘You literally have two scrunched-up pieces of paper that you choose between,’ he shared. The Chase tidbits can join the Catherine, Anne, and Jane facts inside his brain.
There’s a reason that The Chase has recently celebrated 15 years on TV, and has a regular audience of between three to five million people. No matter how many episodes you consume, the final chase is thrilling, to watch. And Ian, who faced Paul ‘Sinnerman’ Sinha, has revealed it’s just as intense as it looks on TV.
‘I was so calm throughout as I was just there to have a nice time. I didn’t feel any nerves, and then the final chase began. It got real.
‘You can’t help but feel the pressure, especially as I didn’t know Karen’s position. Maybe she really needed the money. Being part of a team adds an extra layer,’ he shared.
If anybody is thinking of following in Ian’s footsteps and applying for The Chase, he has one piece of advice: ‘Just do it!’
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The Chase airs on ITV1 at 5:00pm on weekdays.
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