Burns on fire to win £60k in Beat the Chasers show

25 May 2022

TV’s biggest brainiacs met their match when Saintfield man Brendan Burns scooped a record £60,000 for a Northern Ireland contestant on the ITV game show, Beat the Chasers.

The father of twins went under the spotlight to showcase his razor sharp intellect against five Chasers in what he later learned was “the most comprehensive win of the series”.

And the 43-year-old so impressed the formidable quintet that they rose to their feet to offer him a standing ovation in tribute to him.

A former maths teacher at St Patrick’s Grammar school, where he was also a pupil, Brendan also taught in the Middle East, including Kuwait and Qatar, but latterly turned his mathematical mind toward a career as a creative tax specialist.

Brendan appeared on our TV screens on Friday night but it was back in March that he filmed the programme, which attracts more than three million regular viewers.

Brendan faced a barrage of questions, with host Bradley Walsh hailing the County Down man a “local hero”.

But it’s one of his wrong answers that most sticks in his mind, relating to boxer Muhammad Ali.

He said the question involved British boxers who went up against the American heavyweight and instead of Henry Cooper, Brendan answered Joe Bugner.

“If my dad, who was also called Brendan, was still about, he wouldn’t believe I got it wrong,” he laughed. He said he realised later that he knew the answer but in the “pressure” of the moment it just failed to come to mind.

Brendan said the show took half a day to film and that it was very interesting to see the machinations that go on behind-the-scenes to make it as seamless as it appears on TV.

Part of that was the preparation that contestants get to avail of to help grease the mental cogwheels before they face the questions proper.

“I got two dry runs in the ‘Green Room’ with a production assistant which were invaluable in helping you used to the way they ask the questions,” he said.

Stating that the win was “life-changing” Brendan intends to spend some of his winnings on a deposit for a new house, as his family are currently living in rented accommodation.

“We had money saved but not enough for a deposit, so buying something was off the table until this happened. It’s a life-changing amount of money,” Brendan explained.

Top of their list for the new family home is a garden for the children to play in.

And it might not be the last time Brendan pits his wits on television, if his son has anything to do with it.

“It was my son who put me up to it, because he loves The Chase, and now he has a list of quiz shows he wants to try out for,” he said.

His former colleagues at St Patrick’s Grammar School were among those to congratulate Brendan.

In a Facebook post they said: “He took them on and ‘Beat the Chasers’! They even gave him a standing ovation afterwards. Many congratulations Mr Burns — enjoy spending your winnings!”

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