Beat The Chasers: ITV viewers left furious after Scottish contestant appears to be ‘ripped off’ in buzz-in controversy

Instead, a spokesperson for the show, which is a spinoff of The Chase, blamed an “error in post production” for the controversy in Wednesday night’s episode.

They added that an independent adjudicator was present throughout filming.

The broadcast saw Gordon, a college lecturer and semi-professional magician from Glasgow, take turns against a team of three Chasers to answer general knowledge questions against the clock.

Before attempting to answer a question in the round, Chasers are required to press their buzzers.

The name of the first Chaser to buzz in is then announced in the studio before they give their answer.

But during Gordon’s round, some viewers noticed that Chaser Paul “Sinnerman” Sinha’s name was not announced before he answered a question - leading some to suggest he had not buzzed in legally.

Despite this, Mr Sinha correctly answered “Persuasion” to the question “Anne Elliot is the heroine of which Jane Austen novel?”

Host Bradley Walsh went on to quiz Gordon, who ran out of time with just one second remaining on the Chasers’ clock.

His close defeat left several viewers furious at what they saw as “foul play” from producers.

One angry viewer told The Scotsman: “Gordon from Glasgow on the Chase has been ripped off! They’re due him £10k.

“Paul Sinnerman never buzzed in for one of his answers,” she added.

Another tweeted: "Didn't hear Paul's buzzer on one of those questions there. Mistake, or editing error?"

“Foul play, Chasers should be disqualified," said a third.

Asked to comment on the controversy, an ITV spokesperson explained: "Paul's name was announced in the studio but due to an error in post production was not included in the final edit.

“Viewers can clearly see that Paul was first to press his button and we can assure them that all timings and answers are correct.

“An independent adjudicator is present at every recording to ensure fair play for the Contestants and The Chasers."

Mr Sinha has not commented on the incident.

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