Fans of The Chase were baffled by the first episode of the new season.
Viewers of the popular game show were excited to finally see a brand new edition after ITV had broadcast repeats for the majority of the year.
Host Bradley Walsh welcomed contestants Jen, Josh, Phil and Lesley - who tested their wits against Chaser Mark Labbett to see if they could win a cash prize.
READ MORE: Bradley Walsh drags The Chase contestant off set after rule break
And fans on Twitter were immediately confused at whether it was actually a new episode as none of the contestants appeared to be socially distancing.
One user said: "Just switched onto #TheChase. Have @ITV ditched SD'ing as this is a new episode?"
Another added: "I've just switched over to The "new" chase. I thought the contestants would be sitting further away from each other, like Tipping Point. #thechase"
A third commented: "I think the TV is lying. This isn't new."
Other fans of the show clarified that despite it being a new episode, it was filmed before the first lockdown - which is why none of the Coronavirus restrictions had been implemented during the production.
But viewers were baffled at the decision to hold the episode back for so long.
One tweeted: "It's not a repeat apparently, it's just been held back for almost 2 years. Your guess is as good as mine as to why though?"
Another said: "18 MONTHS?! Why did this take so long to air?!
A third commented: "So #TheChase is new but not as new as the new episodes shown before? Right, got it."
Jen and Lesley made their way to the Final Chase to compete for a whopping £60,000.
They built up an impressive 20 steps in the last round - but they were caught by The Beast with just four seconds remaining meaning they left empty-handed.
The Chase airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV and ITVHub.
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