The 1% Club’s Biggest-Ever Winner: Matthew Lock Takes Home £99,000

Matthew Lock has secured one of the biggest prizes in The 1% Club‘s history after correctly answering the show’s notoriously difficult final question, winning an impressive £99,000.

Since the ITV quiz, hosted by comedian Lee Mack, first aired in 2022, only a handful of contestants have managed to reach the 1% question and claim the money on offer. Matthew’s victory places him among an exclusive group of winners, although the show’s maximum £100,000 jackpot has yet to be claimed.

Five Contestants Face the £99,000 Challenge

Each episode of The 1% Club begins with 100 contestants tackling questions based on logic and common sense. Players start with £1,000 each, which contributes to the prize fund if they answer incorrectly or exchange it for a pass. Contestants can also leave the game with their £1,000, reducing the amount available in the jackpot.

Those who survive the earlier rounds eventually face the final question, which is designed to be answered correctly by just 1% of the British public. The potential prize can reach £100,000.

In the episode broadcast on Saturday, Matthew made it through to the final alongside four other contestants. At that stage, Lee Mack offered the group a choice: split £10,000 between them and leave with £2,000 each, or risk their share by attempting the final challenge for the entire £99,000 prize pot.

Lee explained that anyone who chose to continue and answered correctly would receive their share of the full jackpot.

All five contestants decided to take the risk.

A 30-Second Word Puzzle Determines the Winner

The finalists were then presented with the question:

“If you remove all the underlined letters from the sentence below, what word can be spelt if you rearrange all of the remaining letters? ANIMAL TO SHUN IN STAMPEDE.”

They had just 30 seconds to work out the answer.

When the timer ran out, two contestants had left their answer sheets blank, while two others were said to have written down seemingly random words. Matthew, however, revealed that his answer was “elephant”.

The moment of truth came when Lee announced that Matthew had got it right.

“Congratulations, Matthew. You are the winner and get everything in the prize pot,” the host told him, before confirming the life-changing amount: “You’ve just won £99,000.”

Matthew Reveals He Spotted the Answer Straight Away

Reflecting on his remarkable win, Matthew said he had spotted the answer almost immediately. Despite recognising the word quickly, he was still in disbelief after discovering that he had secured the entire prize fund.

He also revealed that his journey through the competition had not been entirely smooth, admitting that he had come close to being eliminated in two earlier rounds.

Matthew’s victory marks the second time a contestant has won £99,000 on The 1% Club. Daniel O’Halloran previously claimed the same amount in an episode that aired in 2023, although his final challenge involved numbers rather than letters.

Despite these impressive wins, the show’s top prize of £100,000 remains untouched.

The 1% Club continues on Saturday nights on ITV, ITVX, STV and STV Player at 8.30pm.