The 1% Club host Lee Mack forced to apologise after "harsh" player comment

ITV's The 1% Club got off to an awkward start when host Lee Mack delivered a stinging one-liner to a contestant - and then had to backtrack with an apology. The moment came when player Ali failed the very first question, which challenged contestants to solve an anagram of "tomato soup." Instead of finding the two words, she guessed just one - "tomatoes." The 70-year-old held her head in her hands, branding herself "a div," before Lee asked what she would have done with the prize money.

Ali revealed she'd have splashed out on "lots of different pairs of specs like Prue Leith, one for each outfit," referencing the Great British Bake Off star's trademark bold glasses. Without missing a beat, Lee shot back: "Yeah, get lots of different pairs so you can see the second word." The studio erupted in awkward laughter, prompting the comic to quickly add: "Oh no, I'm so sorry, that was really harsh, I'm sorry."

Another contestant soon decided to call it quits, taking the £1,000 prize money to bow out early. But before she left the studio, she sparked an unexpected back-and-forth with host Lee Mack over her reasoning.

When Lee asked why she was walking away, the player bluntly replied it was down to the "cost of parking" to be on the show. "It costs £30 to park here!" she exclaimed, prompting a ripple of laughter from the audience.

Not missing a beat, Lee reminded her that even after paying for parking, she was still £970 in profit.

ITV recently announced a major shake-up to the show - and the stakes have never been higher. The hit quiz show will be returning this autumn for a special week-long event called The 1% Club Rollover.

The format will stay the same - questions based on logic, reasoning and common sense - but with one big twist.

Any prize pot that isn't won on one show will now roll over to the next. If the pots keep rolling, players could be competing for an incredible jackpot of up to £500,000.

There's another big change too - anyone who reaches the final 1% question will automatically return for the next episode, with the chance to win again and potentially double, treble or even quadruple their prize money.

Sue Murphy, ITV's Head of Factual Entertainment, promised: "The 1% Club Rollover as event TV is a perfect fit. This special Rollover week will really be a primetime event that will have the nation hooked. Five nights of The 1% Club and Lee Mack... What's not to like?"

Since launching three years ago, The 1% Club has become ITV's biggest original quiz show in more than a decade, drawing over six million viewers per episode, streamed 40 million times, and winning multiple awards - including two NTAs.