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Warning: This article contains discussion of gambling addiction which some readers may find distressing.

Mark Labbett offered a brutal assessment of what he thought was Bradley Walsh’s new rival game show.

Despite starring on The Chase together, the quizzer who is better known as 'The Beast' didn't get a heads up about the true premise of Channel 4's Million Pound Shot.

He discovered that the tense scenes which aimed shed light on the dangers of gambling were a ruse at the same time as the rest of us – and didn't shy away from sharing his opinion on social media.

Labbett and Walsh, 66, have been working alongside each other for almost two decades, as they both joined The Chase when it made its debut way back in 2009.

Although the general knowledge expert, 61, appears to have a knack for anticipating a contestant's next move on the ITV programme, it seems he was initially fooled by Walsh's poker face.

On Sunday (1 November), viewers tuning into Million Pound Shot were expecting to watch a standard game show – but there had been some speculation that everything was not as it seemed.

Touted as a 'nail-biting, brand-new, one-off quiz event', the show featured three contestants who had the chance to win up to £1million.

However, the trio had to risk their own money on Million Pound Shot, which is something that Labbett complained had 'been done before' on past quiz shows such as Grand Slam and Stake Out.

The Beast was live tweeting his viewing experience on Sunday, offering fans a blow-by-blow of what he thought of Walsh's latest TV project in real time.

It wasn't all bad, as he enjoyed certain elements of the game show, such as the fact that contestants ceremoniously put their bank cards into machines to transfer the funds they were putting a stake.

Labbett dubbed this a 'nice touch', while jokingly adding: "Card out, pin in…Brad's trying for a new catch phrase."

A few minutes later, he shared another post to X which read: "If this goes to series I am applying, or am bankrolling as many serious quizzers as they will let on…or train up some quiz assassins."

But Labbett began to smell a rat around 20 minutes into Million Pound Shot.

He wrote: "Having said all that, I am wondering if it is going to pivot to an 'evils of gambling' theme."

As we all now know, he was bang on the money – as the contestant who plied thousands of pounds into the game, Reece, was actually an actor.

But before this was revealed to viewers, Labbett began complaining that he had 'suddenly lost interest' in Walsh's show.

Once the secret was out, he was seemingly glad that the twist brought a bit of excitement, as he wrote: "Thank god for that."

Finishing off his review of Million Pound Shot, the TV star then concluded: "Interesting show, but I wish they actually made a good new quiz show.

"Also wondered how audience felt spending hours on a fake show."

The whole idea of Walsh's latest project was to highlight the techniques used by the gambling industry to prey on punters, and how easy it can be to end up in a spending spiral.

In a post shared to Instagram after Million Pound Shot aired, The Chase host said: "Thank you to everyone who tuned in to watch Million Pound Shot tonight. I know it was a bit of a shock at first, but this is a vital subject and that’s exactly why I wanted to do it.

"A huge thanks to the incredible experts and gambling harm charities who helped shape the show, and to Patrick and Charlotte for so bravely sharing their stories.

"I hope everyone who watched is feeling okay, and has come away knowing a bit more about the techniques of the gambling industry."

In response to the issues raised in Walsh's show, the Gambling Commission said it has 'implemented a wide range of consumer protections in recent years, including tightening rules on free bets' and pointed out that all 'operators are required to look out for and act on the warning signs of harm'.

Please gamble responsibly. For help, support and advice about problem gambling, contact the National Gambling Helpline anytime on 0808 8020 133.