Chris Hughes, the popular Eggheads quizzer and TV personality, died at the age of 77.

The news was verified in a statement posted on the Eggheads social media website, which read, “It is with profound regret that we announce the demise of Eggheads legend Chris Hughes.

“Chris joined the show in 2003 and over the next 20 years gave us not only brilliant answers but also many laughs and happy memories.” He will be deeply missed by his whole Eggheads family.”

Hughes has been a part of Eggheads since its establishment in 2003, with a gap in 2021.

Hughes had previously worked as a train driver and railway worker before becoming a professional quizzer and joining the Eggheads team. His major break into the world of quizzing came in the 1980s, when he won the BBC general knowledge series Mastermind and International Mastermind in 1983.

He also won BBC Four’s Brain of Britain general knowledge quiz in 2005, making him one of just seven persons to have won both Mastermind and Brain of Britain.

He was also one of the most successful participants on the game show The Weakest Link, reaching the final without answering a single question incorrectly. His talents impressed presenter Anne Robinson so much that she chose not to use her famed ‘You are the weakest link, farewell’ tagline when the other participants eliminated him. She later referred to Hughes as the ‘greatest contestant’ she’d ever had on the show.

Fans of the program have subsequently begun to post condolences on social media.

“Spent many hours watching Eggheads when I was younger, so this is very sad to hear,” one user remarked on X. “Thank you, Chris. May you rest in peace.”

“Spent many hours watching him as a kid—rest in peace,” a second said.