Family, friends, and viewers have been paying tribute to The Chase contestant Tim McCarthy, who died just weeks after filming an episode in which he and a teammate walked away with a huge £100,000 jackpot.
The retired headteacher, 64, from Tyldesley in Greater Manchester, had long dreamed of competing on the ITV quiz show. He recorded his episode in October, but sadly passed away on 19 July following a long illness – before it was broadcast.
Only his wife Rachel and their three children knew the outcome before the programme aired, keeping his victory secret until friends, family and locals packed out his pub, The Colliers, to watch the emotional episode together on Wednesday evening.
Rachel said: “He was so excited when he was selected for the show even though he was very ill.” She added watching the broadcast was “going to be very difficult but it was part of his bucket list”.
“He was the most clever man I ever knew,” she said, per BBC News.
On the show, Tim played alongside fellow contestants Lorcan, Shirin and Julie, facing professional quizzer Jenny Ryan, also known as ‘The Vixen’.
Although his first head-to-head saw him bank just one correct answer, he stunned viewers in the next round when he accepted the riskiest offer of £95,000 – and won. With Lorcan previously securing £5,000, their combined jackpot soared to £100,000.
Asked how he might spend his winnings, Tim smiled and told host Bradley Walsh: “I’m here to have fun!”
In the tense finale, the pair narrowly beat The Vixen by just a single second, securing victory.
Rachel recalled: “He liked to punch the air when he won on the horses and this was a punch-the-air moment. Tim was so scared they wouldn't let him compete if they knew about his diagnosis. So he didn't tell them. It was a very narrow victory but he won.”
She added: “He was overjoyed when he won but we had to keep it secret – he beat The Chaser by a second with his fellow competitor. Sadly we never got to spend his £50,000 prize as his health deteriorated and we couldn't even go on a holiday.”
Tim’s teammate on the show, 21-year-old student Lorcan Thorpe from Coventry, said he was devastated to learn of his death.
The pair had met for the first time on the day of filming.
Per the BBC, Lorcan said: “We had a little conversation that you don't get to see in the episode because it's between the camera filming. I said to him 'Tim, what are you going to do?' And he says 'Lorcan, I'm going to go big'. I thought if anyone's going to do it, he's definitely the man to do it, and he absolutely smashed it out of the park.”
The student described Tim as his “hero” on social media after the episode aired, later explaining: “Being able to see it all back and being able to see our hug at the end when we win is a nice touch and it's certainly something I won't forget for a long, long time.”