Lee Mack left shocked after 'awkward' moment on new series of The 1% Club

Lee Mack is known for his banter, quick wit and hilarious moments when he's on screen - but he's very rarely left speechless.

The 1% Club host was left in this rare state as the game show returned last night (25 January) with 100 new contestants being brought to the fore to answer some common sense questions, and the final question already caught many out.

During the show, Mack usually talks to some of the contestants about how they're feeling, with some admissions usually coming as a laugh to the audience and those watching at home.

But this time, one answer caught the British comedian completely off guard.

Speaking to the contestants, his attention turned to Alice, who was giving him some blunt replies.

Mack pointed out: "Well I must say, I've not even spoken to you properly yet and I already think you're not full of confidence."

But then, the contestant responded with something that nobody expected, replying: "I don't actually know what I'm doing here, I thought this was a scam, my boyfriend was going to propose."

Ouch.

The crowd understandably quietened down before a burst of laughter, as Mack called it 'heartbreaking', asking: "Did he put you forward?"

It turned out that Alice applied but didn't expect to be selected, and so assumed that the confirmation email was part of his plan to pop the question.

Mack, like many of us watching, couldn't believe it, adding: "Hang on, so you set off this morning still thinking that you might be proposed to?"

The TV host was shocked at first, but hit his comedic stride soon after (ITV)

Alice said she genuinely thought so, as Mack continued to joke that she probably expected him to be in the studios when they arrived.

He quipped: "You didn't think it was going to be live on television did you?"

She still didn't give up hope though, as she thought that he might 'come out halfway through', as Mack joked: "Yeah I don't want to shatter your dreams but he's not", triggering laughter from the crowd.

The comedian didn't stop there as he joked about the next question, adding: "If I said 'let's have a look at your 5% question' and his face went 'will you marry me? ' and you went 'yeah' and they all went 'is that the question?' and they all put yes, and you said no and everyone's out, this would be your fault."

Alice might have been the most hopeful contestant in the show's history (ITV)

A very hopeful Alice said that she could be 'part of it', but the host said that this wasn't 1990s film classic The Truman Show.

Well, there's blind optimism and then there's that.

The hardest 1% Club questions ever

That one too easy for you? Here's a list of some of the hardest ever questions contestants on The 1% Club have faced:

What is the first number that when spelled out has its letters in alphabetical order? Answer here.

If January equals 717, March equals 5315 and June equals 4624, then what does August equal? Answer here.

Lee was driving when he noticed his milometer read 16961 and was the same backwards and forwards. What will the next mileage be that also reads the same backwards and forwards? Answer here.

Into, Therefore, Evaluate, Benign. All of the words have something in common. Can you work out what it is? Answer here.

A bat and a ball cost £1.10 in total. The bat costs £1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? Answer here.