The 1% Club probes contestant over cheat claims after viewers spot gesture

A QUIZ show contestant hit back yesterday after being accused by viewers of cheating — by rubbing his ears to ­signal an answer.

Jason Duckett went with wife Rowena on ITV’s The 1% Club, which whittles down a field of 100 until anyone left can try to claim the £100,000 prize.

The correct answer to one question asked by host Lee Mack was “ear” and “hear” — and Jason was then spotted rubbing both lobes.

Wild online claims triggered a probe, which soon cleared DJ Jason and lawyer Rowena.

Both had already been eliminated when the gestures came.

Jason, 36, of Romford, East London, said: “I almost admire the creativity of someone to come up with that because I hadn’t thought of that.

“There was nothing to gain for either of us. We were both out. Anything I was doing it was to just sort of calm myself.

“If you spin it, you could say my arms are folded. Was the answer harm and arm?”

Lee chatted to the Ducketts on the show, pointing out they were husband and wife.

They joked they preferred their surname pronounced “Doo-kay” — like how Hyacinth Bucket pronounced her’s

“Bouquet” in sitcom Keeping up Appearances.

One viewer of Saturday’s show tweeted: “Did anyone else notice this guy giving away the answer when he touched both his ears?”

Another wrote: “Ear ear . . . think there was a wee bit of cheating going on in 1% Club.”

A third added: “Bit naughty from Mr Duckett there rubbing his ear.”

The claims had echoes of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? fraudster Major Charles Ingram who won £1million after being tipped off by a pal coughing in the audience.

A 1% Club spokesman said: “Any game show worth its salt attracts conspiracy theories. But happily, initial inquiries quickly established that there were no grounds for suspicion.”