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''The Chase'' is a British television
quiz show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating and narrating whe ...
broadcast on the
ITV network ITV, legally known as Channel 3, is a British free-to-air public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television network. It is branded as ITV1 in most of the UK except for central and northern Scotland, where it is b ...
, hosted by
Bradley Walsh Bradley John Walsh (born 4 June 1960) is an English actor, television presenter, comedian, singer, and former professional footballer. Walsh's acting roles on television include Danny Baldwin in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (2004 ...
. Contestants play against a professional quizzer, known as the "Chaser", who attempts to prevent them from winning a cash prize. , the six chasers are
Mark Labbett Mark Andrew Labbett (born 15 August 1965), also known by his professional nickname "The Beast", is an English professional quizzer and television personality. Since 2009 he has been one of the "chasers" on the ITV game show '' The Chase''. He ...
, Shaun Wallace,
Anne Hegerty Anne Solway Hegerty (born 14 July 1958) is a British professional quizzer and television personality. Since 2010, she has been a "chaser" on the ITV game show '' The Chase'' as "The Governess", and was a contestant on the 2018 series of the IT ...
, Paul Sinha, Jenny Ryan, and
Darragh Ennis Darragh Ennis (born 29 September 1980) is an Irish entomologist, neuroscientist, professional quizzer, and television personality. He is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford and one of the "chasers" on the ITV game show '' The ...
. Labbett and Wallace have both been chasers since Series 1 while Hegerty joined in Series 2, Sinha in Series 4, Ryan in Series 9, and Ennis in Series 13. With exceptions for special episodes (for example Christmas specials and anniversary episodes), only one chaser participates in a single episode. A team of four contestants individually attempt to amass as much money as possible which is later added to a prize fund if the contestant survives their chase. The chaser must attempt to catch each contestant during their chase, eliminating that person from the game and preventing the money from being added to the collective prize fund. In the individual chase, the player must choose between a higher offer (closer to the chaser), their earned money and a lower offer (further away from the chaser). Later, in the final round, contestants who survived their chases play collectively as a team against the chaser for an equal share of the prize fund. Daytime episodes air in the
weekday The weekdays and weekend are the complementary parts of the week, devoted to labour and rest, respectively. The legal weekdays (British English), or workweek (American English), is the part of the seven-day week devoted to working. In most o ...
5pm slot (excluding exceptions for Bank Holidays), whilst celebrity specials air in a
weekend The weekdays and weekend are the complementary parts of the week, devoted to labour and rest, respectively. The legal weekdays (British English), or workweek (American English), is the part of the seven-day week devoted to working. In most o ...
primetime Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to b ...
slot, with ''
Beat the Chasers ''The Chase'' is a British television quiz show broadcast on the ITV network, hosted by Bradley Walsh. Contestants play against a professional quizzer, known as the "Chaser", who attempts to prevent them from winning a cash prize. , the six ch ...
'' also airing in a primetime slot. With a regular audience of three to five million, ''The Chase'' is one of the most successful and longest running game shows on UK television and one of ITV's most successful daytime shows ever. The show has been nominated seven times at the
National Television Awards The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and begun in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted o ...
, winning in
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
,
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
and
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
and 2024. They also won for the spin-off series ''
Beat the Chasers ''The Chase'' is a British television quiz show broadcast on the ITV network, hosted by Bradley Walsh. Contestants play against a professional quizzer, known as the "Chaser", who attempts to prevent them from winning a cash prize. , the six ch ...
'' in 2021 and 2022. It was also nominated for the inaugural Best Daytime award at the
2021 British Academy Television Awards The 2021 British Academy Television Awards were held on 6 June 2021, to recognise the excellence in British television of 2020. The nominees were announced along with the nominees for the 2021 British Academy Television Craft Awards on 28 April 20 ...
but won it in
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
. Additionally, ''The Chase'' has become a successful international franchise: regional versions have been made in Australia, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Israel, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, The Netherlands, Turkey and the United States. Upcoming regional versions are in development for New Zealand, Romania and Slovenia. Labbett and Hegerty feature as chasers on the Australian version (with Wallace appearing as a "Guest Chaser" in 2018). Labbett featured as the sole chaser on the 2013–2015 American version and joined the 2021 American version for its second season, leaving again in 2022.


Gameplay


Cash Builder and Head-to-Head rounds

Each contestant individually attempts to accumulate money for the team's prize fund through two rounds. In the first round, known as the "Cash Builder", the contestant answers as many questions as they can within one minute. Each correct answer awards £1,000; there is no penalty for incorrect answers or passes. After completing the Cash Builder, the contestant enters the "Head-to-Head" round, attempting to move the money down to the bottom of a seven-step board and into the team's prize fund ("home") without being caught by the Chaser. The board had eight steps in Series 1. The contestant is given three options by the Chaser at the start of the Head-to-Head round: play for the money earned in the Cash Builder and start three steps down the board (requiring five correct answers to reach home), accept a higher offer and start two steps down, or accept a lower offer and start four steps down. The lower offer can be zero or even a negative amount if the team has already banked some money. Once the starting position is selected, the host asks a series of multiple-choice questions to the contestant and the Chaser, both of whom individually select one of the three answer options on keypads. After either person locks in a guess, the other must do so within five seconds or be locked out for that turn. A correct answer moves the person who gave it one step down the board while a wrong answer or lock-out leaves them where they are. If the contestant reaches home without being caught, they advance to the Final Chase and their money is added to the team's prize fund (or deducted, if they took a negative amount). If the Chaser catches up, the contestant is eliminated and the money is forfeited. If all four contestants are caught by the Chaser, they nominate one contestant to play the Final Chase alone. Contestants who are blind or
visually impaired Visual or vision impairment (VI or VIP) is the partial or total inability of visual perception. In the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment, visual impairment may cause the individual difficul ...
, or who are
deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...
or hearing impaired, are allowed to have a helper present who can assist in conveying information to them as needed. The helper may not suggest answers or take any other active role in the game.


Final Chase

The contestants who have won their head-to-head chases blindly select one of two question sets for themselves, with the other set put aside for the Chaser, and then have two minutes to answer as many questions as possible on the buzzer. Any answer given by a contestant who has not buzzed-in is automatically ruled wrong; if only one contestant is participating in this round, the buzzer is not used. Every correct answer moves the team one step ahead of the Chaser, and they are given a head start of one step per contestant participating in this round. The contestants may not discuss or confer on any questions during this portion of the round and may pass as often as desired. There is no time limit on individual questions; the host will only ask a new question after someone has either answered or passed on the current one. The Chaser is then given two minutes to answer questions from the unused set in an attempt to catch the team, moving one step ahead per correct answer. If the Chaser passes or misses a question, the clock stops and the team is given a chance to discuss it and respond; a correct answer pushes the Chaser back one step or (from series 3 onwards) moves the team ahead one step if the Chaser is at the starting line. If the Chaser catches the team before the time expires, the prize fund is forfeited and the contestants receive nothing. During celebrity editions, a consolation £1,000 is donated to each celebrity's chosen charity in this case. If the Chaser is unable to catch up to the team, the participating contestants split the prize fund equally. If all four contestants are caught in their head-to-head chases and the one they nominate wins the Final Chase, each contestant wins £1,000 (£2,000 in celebrity specials).


Filming

Three episodes are filmed in a day, each one taking around an hour and a half to film. According to Walsh, "It runs like clockwork." The Final Chase can be stopped and re-started if Walsh stumbles on a question. He told the ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
'', "If there is a slight misread, I am stopped immediately – bang – by the lawyers. We have the compliance lawyers in the studio all the time. What you have to do is go back to the start of the question, literally on videotape where my mouth opens – or where it's closed from the previous question – and the question is re-asked. It is stopped to the split second." Between March 2020 and late June 2020, production of the series was suspended due to the
coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
; the series was already on a previously scheduled production hiatus at the time of the suspension. In an interview with ''
The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
''s ''TV Mag'', Walsh said that the show was "at least 100 episodes behind schedule" due to lockdown; during the production hiatus, repeats were shown in the programme's regular timeslot.


Chasers


Spin-offs


''The Chase: Celebrity Special''

A spin-off series titled ''The Chase: Celebrity Special'' featuring celebrity teams as contestants began airing on ITV in 2011. As many contestants are comedians or actors, there is a much-higher comedic element. The game is played the same way as the regular version. However, if all four celebrities have been caught by the Chaser, the prize fund during the Final Chase is £8,000 (originally £4,000). If the team is caught during the Final Chase, a consolation prize of £1,000 is awarded to the charities for each celebrity who advanced to this stage. For celebrity specials airing at Christmas, the Chasers frequently appear in costumes adhering to a common theme, such as Panto villains, subjects of famous paintings, or characters typically associated with Christmas.


''The Family Chase''

In February 2017, ITV commissioned ''The Family Chase'', a spin-off featuring a team of four family members. The six-episode spin-off debuted on 2 September 2017. Series 2 was commissioned by ITV. This series aired from 24 March 2019 to 24 May 2020. No further series of the spin-off have been commissioned by ITV, though it has not yet been cancelled. This version follows the same rules as the parent programme, but any winnings in the Final Chase are awarded to the entire family rather than individual members.


''The Chase: The Bloopers''

In December 2017, a special episode of the show was broadcast entitled ''The Chase: The Bloopers'', featuring (mostly) unseen mistakes, outtakes and gags from the previous 8 years of the show. This has gone on to become an annual comedic bloopers show where Walsh and the Chasers introduce various clips from the show. As of 7 December 2024, 8 ''Bloopers'' shows have been broadcast.


''Beat The Chasers''

In November 2019, ITV commissioned another spin-off called ''Beat the Chasers''. It began airing in prime-time on 27 April 2020 and features contestants attempting to beat up to five Chasers to win big cash prizes. The Chasers that featured in the show were Sinha, Labbett, Ryan, Hegerty and Wallace. A single contestant plays the Cash Builder round, answering a series of multiple-choice questions worth £1,000 each. The round ends once they either miss a question or get five right; a miss on the first question immediately ends the game with no winnings. They must then decide how many Chasers from two to five to face in a timed head-to-head round, with the Chasers specifying a time limit for themselves (always less than 60 seconds) and offering larger cash prizes as an incentive to face more of them. The offer to face two Chasers is always equal to the amount earned in the Cash Builder. Any contestant who answers all five Cash Builder questions correctly is presented with a fifth "Super Offer" to face all six Chasers at once, with no time advantage and a still larger cash prize. The contestant's clock is set to 60 seconds, while the Chasers' clock is set to their agreed-on time. Only one clock runs at any given moment, starting with the contestant; the side in control must answer a question correctly to stop their clock and turn control over to the opposing side. The Chasers must buzz in to respond and may not confer on any questions. The contestant wins the money on offer if the Chasers' clock runs out first, or nothing if their own clock runs out first. Series 2 of ''Beat the Chasers'' commenced airing on 3 January 2021, and continued consecutively for seven nights, excluding 9January, until 10 January 2021. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the second series featured no studio audience. Series 3 was commissioned by ITV. The network had originally intended to have all six Chasers participate in this series; however, these plans had to be postponed as Paul Sinha was absent due to illness. The series began with a celebrity special on 27 March 2021 and once again featured no studio audience. Series 4 was commissioned by ITV, and premiered on 11 September 2021 with all six Chasers participating for the first time. It also saw the return of the studio audience and the return of Paul Sinha. This series introduced a "Super Offer", available only to contestants who answered all five of their Cash Builder questions correctly. This offer was presented in conjunction with the other four and gave the contestant a chance to play against all six Chasers at once, with no time advantage and a larger cash prize than that offered for facing five Chasers. Series 5 went into production in March 2022 and premiered on 16 May 2022. Hegerty was absent from the regular episodes of this series (Episodes 1–5) due to a positive
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
test and was replaced by guest Chaser Issa "The Supernerd" Schultz from ''
The Chase Australia ''The Chase Australia'' is an Australian television quiz show based on the British program of the same name. It is broadcast on the Seven Network and premiered on 14 September 2015. Four contestants play against an opponent, known as the "cha ...
''. Hegerty returned for the celebrity specials (Episodes 6–7) which were filmed as part of Series 6 in May 2023. Series 6 was recorded in May 2023 and premiered on 8 October 2023. Also, the series saw the return of Anne Hegerty following her absence from the Series 5 civilian episodes due to a positive
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
test. Series 7 is due to be filmed in 2025. The original working title for the spin-off show was ''Take On the Chasers''. The theme tune was composed by Paul Farrer using part of the original 2009 Chaser walk-on music.


''The Chase Extra''

In this special isolation version of the show, broadcast on ''The Chase's'' YouTube channel and shown straight after the main show, all five Chasers are presenters and viewers at home can play along, for they are the contestants. Each series has five episodes; the first series was shown in mid-May 2020, and was hosted by Jenny Ryan. Between late-May and early-June, the second series was shown across consecutive days and presented by Shaun Wallace. On 1 March 2021, it was announced that a new series would be available on ITVX for six episodes, every Monday at 6:00 pm.


''The Chasers' Road Trip: Trains, Brains and Automobiles''

In November 2020, ITV announced another spin-off in which The Beast, The Dark Destroyer and The Governess go on a road trip around the world. On their travels, they play against child geniuses, great apes,
dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...
s and
robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...
s. The series takes them to the UK, the US and
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. Episode 1 of the show aired on 21 January 2021, episode 2 aired on 28 January 2021 and episode 3 aired on 4 February 2021. The series was narrated by
Rob Brydon Robert Brydon Jones (; born 3 May 1965) is a Welsh actor, comedian, impressionist, presenter, singer and writer. He gained prominence for his roles in film, television and radio. He was appointed Order of the British Empire, Member of the Order ...
.


''The Chase: Sidemen Edition''

On 11 February 2024, the popular British YouTube group the
Sidemen The Sidemen is a British collective consisting of YouTubers, influencers and internet personalities KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, and W2S. The group produce videos of various challenges, sketches, and video game c ...
posted a comedic spin-off episode of ''The Chase'' on their group channel, with clips also shared on ''The Chases official YouTube channel. The video was filmed on the show's set, and also used the on-set cameras and crew whilst using the graphics and music from the TV programme. It also features a guest appearance from
Bradley Walsh Bradley John Walsh (born 4 June 1960) is an English actor, television presenter, comedian, singer, and former professional footballer. Walsh's acting roles on television include Danny Baldwin in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (2004 ...
during a brief intermission. Fellow YouTuber Stephen "Stephen Tries" Lawson hosted, while Sidemen members were the Chaser and contestants: Vikram "Vikkstar123" Barn was the Chaser (nicknamed "The 123"), while the contestants competing in pairs were Olajide "KSI" Olatunji, Simon "Miniminter" Minter, Joshua "Zerkaa" Bradley, Tobi "TBJZL" Brown, Ethan "Behzinga" Payne and Harry "WroeToShaw" Lewis.


''The Chase: Double Trouble''

On 2 September 2024, a spin-off episode of ''The Chase'' was aired on ITV to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the popular quiz show. Hosted by Bradley Walsh, the episode featured two Chasers who took it in turns to play against the contestants. The two Chasers selected for the episode were
Mark Labbett Mark Andrew Labbett (born 15 August 1965), also known by his professional nickname "The Beast", is an English professional quizzer and television personality. Since 2009 he has been one of the "chasers" on the ITV game show '' The Chase''. He ...
(nicknamed "The Beast") and Shaun Wallace (nicknamed "The Dark Destroyer"). Both Chasers have been on the show since Series 1 in 2009. The contestants all shared their names with the other Chasers. The episode aired in ''The Chase'''s usual 5:00pm slot on
ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the ITV (TV network), Channel 3 ...
and snippets of the show were uploaded to ''The Chase'''s official
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel and
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account.


Transmissions


Regular


Celebrity Special


''The Family Chase''


''The Chase: The Bloopers'' editions


EXTRA editions


''Beat the Chasers''


''The Chasers Road Trip: Trains, Brains and Automobiles'' editions


International broadcasts


Australia

Episodes of the British version of ''The Chase'' air on weekday afternoons at 3:00pm to good ratings on
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
(and sometimes airing double episodes from 2:00pm), placing it in direct competition with rival Banijay-produced game show '' Tipping Point'' on the
Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
. Seven also considered producing a local version, and filmed a pilot episode on the UK set, but decided not to proceed. However, in mid-2015, a local version was commissioned to replace ''
Deal or No Deal ''Deal or No Deal'' is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was the Dutch '' Miljoenenjacht'' (''Hunt/Chase for Millions''). The centerpiece of this format is the final round (a ...
'' and '' Million Dollar Minute'' in a bid to revive ratings for its struggling flagship 6:00pm nightly news bulletin. Hegerty and Labbett feature as two of the five permanent chasers on the Australian version, while Wallace appeared as a guest chaser in 2018.


New Zealand

Episodes of the British version of ''The Chase'' air on Monday to Saturday afternoons at 5:00pm on
TVNZ 1 TVNZ 1 () is the first national television channel owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster Television New Zealand (TVNZ). It is the oldest television broadcaster in New Zealand, starting out from 1960 as independent channels in the ...
, while ''The Chase: Celebrity Special'' airs on Sunday afternoons at 4:55pm, providing the lead-in to the 6:00pm nightly news. Repeat episodes air on Monday to Friday mornings at 11:00am. The show frequently ranks in the weekly top-20 most watched TV shows, drawing in an average of 1.3million viewers per week. , they are currently airing series 15. In April 2025, a local New Zealand version was commissioned to be filmed in Australia and air on TVNZ, with applications open for Kiwi contestants.


Reception


Critical reception

''The Chase'' is highly popular with critics and viewers. Despite early criticism, opinion has improved over time. Some critics, as well as the chasers, put the show's success down to Walsh as host and his many memorable moments, some of which come from questions or answers which often leave him in highly contagious hysterics. Labbett also said that the sense of fun and the variety of chasers is a major factor. Sinha said, "The format has been brilliantly thought out. No matter the relative strengths of the players, it is resolutely a team game, with a dramatic climax."


Controversies

''The Chase'' has also been criticised on several occasions, such as the Final Chase, when it is alleged that Walsh asks the chasers' questions more quickly than those of the contestants. In an interview with the ''Radio Times'', Walsh repudiated those claims: "We have lawyers on the floor to watch all of this. I read he questionsat the same speed for both." He went on to say, "Don't forget, if I've got Mark Labbett answering questions for two minutes and I've got a team answering for two minutes, the team aren't going to be quicker. Simple as that, because they have to press the button efore answering which is why they get a head start based on how many people are in the final. If you've got three people in the final chase that's a three-step head start–that's about a twelve-second advantage." There have also been a number of games where the chaser has won with an answer right on the final buzzer, which some viewers have perceived to be out of time; spokespeople have asserted that an independent adjudicator – a representative from Beyond Dispute Ltd – always checks each show and makes the final call on whether answers were in or out of time. On 6 April 2016, on an episode where Labbett was the chaser, a glitch occurred whereby the clock froze at 10seconds and then increased to 11seconds, giving Labbett an extra second. Although the contestants were far ahead and there was no chance of them being caught (and would win a £27,000 pot), a spokesperson for the show told ''OK!'' Online the following day that an error occurred during the editing process, but gameplay was otherwise not affected by it. On 4 March 2019, an episode was broadcast where Walsh asked a question about which band had the fewest members, with the possible answers being
the Proclaimers The Proclaimers are a Scottish Rock music, rock duo formed in 1983 by twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid (born 5 March 1962). They came to attention with their 1987 single "Letter from America (song), Letter from America", which reached No. 3 ...
,
the Pretenders The Pretenders are a British rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (ba ...
, or
the Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured Rapping, MC and vocalist Maxim (musician), Maxim, dancer and occasi ...
. Many viewers criticised ITV for deciding to air the episode hours after it was announced that Prodigy frontman
Keith Flint Keith Charles Flint (17 September 1969 – 4 March 2019) was an English singer, motorcyclist, dancer and a vocalist of the Electronic dance music, electronic dance act The Prodigy. Starting out as a dancer for the group, he became the vocalist an ...
had died by suicide. On 26 January 2022, Labbett lost the final chase and, after briefly congratulating the winners, stormed off the set punching the wall on his way out. This left Walsh to apologise to the audience, though in a rather sarcastic tone, stating "I apologise to all the kids watching, that's not how you should take defeat." Labbett subsequently apologised for his behaviour via Twitter, as well as revealing that his mental health at the time of recording the particular episode was not very good, consequently affecting his behaviour. His fans online supported him through this, one of which was fellow Chaser, Paul Sinha. Sinha commented, "You should never have to apologise for the crime of “being human”. I’d have been nowhere on those questions." On 18 May 2023, one of the questions Walsh asked to a contestant in the middle of the cash builder run was "In computer security, what word can go before "code", "phrase" and "word"?" It had seemed this particular question had gained the contestant an undeserved £1,000 as he had answered "pass" so as to skip the question due to not knowing. This, ironically, turned out to be the correct answer which left both Walsh and the contestant stunned at this outcome.


Ratings

During its first two series, the show averaged 1–2 million viewers, then more than 2million during series three. By December 2012, ''The Chase'' had become ITV's most popular "teatime" programme since ''
The Paul O'Grady Show ''The Paul O'Grady Show'' was a British comedy chat show presented by comedian Paul O'Grady, first shown on 11 October 2004. The programme was a teatime chat show consisting of a mixture of celebrity guests, comic stunts, musical performances ...
'' in 2005, with more than 3million viewers an episode. In January 2021, ''The Chase'' managed a peak audience of more than 5 million, an all-time high. Almost every episode is now seen by between 4 and 5 million viewers, and regularly features on ITV's Top 15 weekly broadcasts.


Rivalry with ''Pointless''

In its timeslot, ''The Chase'' airs at the same time as
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
's ''
Pointless ''Pointless'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British television quiz show produced by Banijay Entertainment subsidiary Remarkable Entertainment for the BBC and hosted by Alexander Armstrong. In each episode, four teams of two contestan ...
'', a game show launched in August 2009, two months after ''The Chase''s debut. The two programmes usually receive similar ratings (for example in September 2012, ''The Chase'' had 2.44 million viewers versus 2.27 million for ''Pointless''). However, between October 2012 and January 2013, ''The Chase'' beat ''Pointless'' in the ratings each week. For two weeks in February 2013, ''Pointless'' received a higher share than ''The Chase'' (3.53 million viewers to 3.41 million, and again 3.58 million viewers to 3.30 million).


Awards


International versions


''The Chase'' international versions

Legend: Currently airing   Reinstated and currently airing No longer airing   Upcoming  


''Beat the Chasers'' international versions

Legend: Currently airing   No longer airing   Upcoming  


''The Chase Celebrity Special'' international versions

Legend: Currently airing   No longer airing   Upcoming   Unknown status  


Merchandise

A board game based on the show was released in 2012 by Ideal. In 2013, a card game based on the show was released by Ginger Fox. On 12 December 2012, a version for
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
was released by Barnstorm Games. The app features four chasers (excluding Jenny "The Vixen" Ryan and Darragh "The Menace" Ennis, both of whom had not yet appeared on the programme at the time of release) and can be played by up to four people, as in the actual show. The only differences between the app and the show are that four choices are presented for questions in the Cash Builder and the Final Chase rounds and that no Final Chase is played if all four players are caught in their head-to-head chases. The app is designed for both
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
s and
iPad The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The IPad (1st generation), first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. ...
s. An updated version, ''The Chase: Ultimate Edition'', was released in 2017 and features five chasers (excluding Ennis) and host Walsh. In 2020, the app is updated with now featuring Ennis. In 2023, a free app entitled ''The Chase: World Tour'' was launched and features Chasers from the British, American and Australian versions of the show.


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* * * Beyond Dispute a
www.beyonddispute.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chase, The (game show) 2009 British television series debuts 2000s British game shows 2010s British game shows 2020s British game shows Bradley Walsh British English-language television shows ITV game shows Television series by ITV Studios Television shows shot at Elstree Film Studios Television shows shot at Teddington Studios