Shaun Wallace has revealed what would need to happen for him to leave The Chase, the ITV quiz programme he has been on since 2009. He was quick to insist he has no other reasons to leave the show.
When the quiz launched in 2009, there were only two Chasers on the show: Shaun and Mark Labbett, known as the Dark Destroyer and The Beast respectively. A year later, Anne Hegerty entered the line-up as the Governess before Paul Sinha arrived two series afterwards as the Sinnerman. No fresh faces appeared for another four years until Jenny Ryan, better known as the Vixen, became part of series nine. That appeared to be enough until Darragh Ennis featured on the programme as a contestant.
Shaun's warning to ITV bosses
Shaun's performance on the show has made him a staple since it first aired in 2009. Now, Shaun has confessed that adding any more Chasers would be "ridiculous" and should the panel grow further, he would quit. He explained: "I can't see any other chasers being appointed. And if it got too crowded, I'd probably leave."
The quizzer added: "I think if they had one more, then I'd consider it [quitting]. Because it would look ridiculous to have too many chasers."
International success and Chaser backgrounds
In the nearly twenty years since the show first hit screens, The Chase has been turned into an international spectacle, with versions across the world. The Chasers themselves have also made extra appearances in international editions, with Mark starring in both the US and Australian versions.
The Chasers were all spotted by execs through different routes including elite competitive quizzing, prior TV gameshow appearances and industry recommendations. Mark featured on University Challenge, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (securing £32,000), and triumphed on Only Connect in 2009. Meanwhile, Shaun established his credentials as a quiz champion by claiming victory on Mastermind in 2004. Anne was a former hack who had been ascending the World Quizzing Championships leaderboard.
She was already familiar to production teams following her Mastermind appearance in 1987 and her role as a reliable "Phone a Friend" lifeline on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Paul had become a leading figure on the British quiz scene and was headhunted by the programme's creators seeking a witty, quick-thinking character for the panel. Jenny was actually involved with the original production team, having been brought in as a question compiler for The Chase pilot in 2009. Several years down the line, Anne put her forward for a presenting position.
