The Chase cast: who are the ITV quiz show chasers alongside host Bradley Walsh - from The Vixen to The Beast

The Chase airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV and features Mark Labbett, Darragh Ennis, Shaun Wallace, Jenny Ryan, Anne Hegerty and Paul Sinha as the chasers
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The Chase is a popular British TV quiz show on ITV hosted by Bradley Walsh.

Contestants go up against one of six professional quizzers, known as the “Chaser”, as they answer a series of questions individually and as a team to win a cash prize.

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But who are the Chasers and the host of the show, Bradley Walsh?

Who is The Chase host, Bradley Walsh?

Bradley Walsh, 61, is an English television presenter, actor, singer and comedian and is known for his roles as DS Ronnie Brooks in Law & Order: UK and as Graham O’Brien in Doctor Who.

Walsh currently presents ITV game shows such as The Chase (2009-present) and Blankety Blank (2020-present).

Walsh also presents a TV series with his son, Barney Walsh, called Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad where they take road trips across several countries.

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Recently, Walsh revealed he “cheated” The Chase bosses after being informed that if he could beat one of the Chasers, then ITV would go ahead and make the series.

He said on Capital Breakfast with Roman Kemp: “When we first did the job, the only two choices that were first there were The Beast and The Dark Destroyer, right?

"And we were doing an office run through and this is to get the job up and running, I said ‘This is ludicrous, these questions are so easy’ and they said ‘Do you think you could beat the Chaser?’

“I said ‘If I beat the Chaser, we’ll make a series, let’s do that and they went ‘Yeah, alright, if you can beat the Chaser.’

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"Because they thought that the general public won’t be able to beat these gurus, right?

“And I went ‘Oh, I’ll beat them, if I can beat them, we’ll make the series, alright?’”

“What they didn’t realise was the sheets, with the questions and the answers on, were lying face down on my end of the desk.

"I could see the print through and I could read the answers backwards and I read them.

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“So every time they come in on the head to head as if they were at the table, I’d smash both of them.

“And as I walked away, I took the piece of paper and put it on the other table so no one saw it. So I’d cheated.”

Who are The Chase’s chasers?

Darragh Ennis - “The Menace”

Darragh Ennis, 41, is an Irish postdoctoral researcher at Oxford University who previously lived in Montreal Canada, undertaking postdoctoral research.

Ennis has previously been on TV before and was a contestant on the Chase in 2017 against chaser Paul Sinha. During the cash building round, he won £9,000 but the other three contestants took negative offers and the final prize total was £6,300.

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In April 2020, Ennis was announced as the sixth chaser and his debut episode was aired on 19 November 2020.

Jenny Ryan - “The Vixen”

Jenny Ryan is one of the six chasers on The Chase, and has made several appearances in TV quiz shows, such as University Challenge - representing her alma mater University of Leeds - Mastermind, on the topic of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Are you an Egghead in 2008 and 2009.

She is best known as The Vixen on The Chase which she has been a chaser on since 2015, however, she has been part of the show from the beginning as she wrote the questions for the pilot episode in 2009.

Mark Labbett - “The Beast”

One of the original chasers on the show since 2009, Labbett, 56, is also a chaser in the American and Australian versions of the show.

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He has also appeared on other quiz shows such as Mastermind, University Challenge, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire and Only Connect. His interest in quiz shows after working in Butlins when he supplemented his income with winnings from the quiz machines.

Labbett was born in Devon and obtained a Masters of Arts degree in Mathematics from Oxford University. He previously worked as a maths and PE supply teacher at Caldicot School.

Shaun Wallace - “The Dark Destroyer”

Alongside Mark Labbett, Wallace, 61, is one of the original two chasers joining the show in 2009.

He is an English Barrister, being called to the bar in November 1984, has been working as a Criminal Defence Advocate for over 35 years, being involved in hearings at The Old Bailey in London.

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Much like the other chasers, Wallace has taken part in other TV quiz shows such as Fifteen to One, The Weakest Link and Are You An Egghead? In 2004, he became the first black person to win Mastermind.

Anne Hegerty - “The Governess”

Anne Hegerty, 63, has been a chaser on the show since 2010 becoming the show’s first female chaser.

Hegerty began her career in journalism in the 1980s working as a reporter and feature writer at the South Wales Argus and has worked as a ghostwriter for Richard Scarry, as well as a proofreader.

In 2018, she appeared in I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Where the public’s perception of her changed after she discussed her Asperger’s diagnosis at the age of 45.

Since 2018, Hegerty hosts ITV’s Britain’s Brightest Family.

Paul Sinha - “The Sinnerman”

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Paul Sinha, 51, is a comedian, doctor and award-winning broadcaster who has performed on Radio 4 and became a chaser in 2011.

On the show, he is also known as ‘The Smiling Assassin’ and ‘Sarcasm in a Suit’. Sinha is a trained doctor, working as a GP and junior doctor before becoming a stand-up comedian.

He has appeared in other games such as The Weakest Link, University Challenge: The Professionals, Are You An Egghead? and Mastermind.

The Chase airs weekdays at 5 pm on ITV

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