A finalist of The Chase Around the World has revealed what actually happens behind the scenes of the new ITV spin-off.
The Chase has been one of ITV's biggest programmes since its launch in 2009. Presented by Bradley Walsh, it sees four strangers working as a team to answer general knowledge questions to defeat one of the quiz specialists known as The Chasers. Pulling in millions of viewers every day, it is one of the most successful and longest-running game shows on UK television, winning seven National Television Awards including Best Daytime and Best Quiz Show.
Previous spin-offs include Beat The Chase, which debuted in 2020 and saw contestants trying to beat five Chasers. Last month marked the premiere of The Chase Around The World, which began with six teams of two having to locate all six of the Chasers hiding across the world. Teams used their general knowledge, observation skills and intellect to solve clues to track them down. In a twist, the pair who arrived last at each destination had to take on the Chasers in a quiz. If they won, they kept the time advantage; if they lost, they were immediately out.
How Steven and his dad got on the show
With the final airing on Thursday night (August 20), a finalist named Steven, competing with his dad David, spoke to the Manchester Evening News about how they got involved. “I grew up watching a lot of quiz shows,” he said. “Me and my dad had both applied to go on the regular Chase and never heard anything back. I didn’t even make it past the first stage. I saw an advert for this on TikTok one day. I filled out the application form and at the end of it they wanted you to do a bit with both of you.
“My dad lives in Cumbria and I live in Manchester so I sent in a video of me chatting to the camera. I decided to make it stand out, I'd juggle pears throughout all of the video. I was amazed they called me back because my dad didn’t even feature in the video.”
He applied a week before the deadline thinking they'd already cast everyone. “This was like at the end of March. I heard back on Good Friday, which was two weeks later. They said ‘we’re starting filming in three weeks’. It was a really quick turnaround. Everything that has happened, including its airing, has been in the space of five months which is mad.”
Filming and meeting the Chasers
According to Steven, his dad ‘wasn’t surprised by the news’ due to the amount of TV shows he’s put him up for. Prior to being accepted, the father and son took part in several quiz auditions. “We’d get random phone calls where they’d throw random questions at us. We had to go to London for the final audition. My dad just wanted to know how many people we’d be up against, but they wouldn’t tell him.”
Steven said: “I understood the general idea of the show, I didn’t realise that each place you went the questions were going to be heavily about where we were. We didn’t know where we were going to be. It was hard to revise random cities. That’s what they wanted, they don't want people predicting what will happen. They want natural reactions to stuff.”
One day before they flew to Italy for filming, Steven and David stayed at a hotel in London, trying to figure out who else was taking part, but later learned everyone was in different hotels. “The first time we met two other contestants was at the airport, where we learned we were going to Rome. The other three pairs had already flown out at 5am and we met them at the hotel, the next morning at breakfast.”
“We sat in cars by the coliseum on the first day of filming and did our entrances. Then Bradley was just standing there. Our first interaction with him was on camera. That was quite exciting and it made it all feel real. I thought ‘what the hell is going on in my life’.”
What happens off-air
Due to completing challenges swiftly, the team had not yet taken on one of the Chasers in a one-on-one showdown. David admitted they didn't necessarily want their rivals to lose. “We spent a lot of time together and got close. You’re aware it’s a competition. I thought that the more people who got through increased our odds of getting to the next one. There’s another couple who could be last behind us. It was daunting seeing them beat them. We were lucky we didn’t have to do that as I think I’d have been a nervous wreck.”
Steven recalled: “When we were in Barcelona it was Jenny and Darragh who met us. They were really nice and a calming pair. I think they sent them out because they’re maybe more similar to us. Darragh was a contestant and knows what it likes. In the final, I went somewhere with him which was fun. He’s a man of science and I work in science. We were in a cable car in Zurich with Anne and Shawn. Anne was having a great time looking out the window while we were going down the steepest cable car in the world.”
Asked how his friends reacted, Steven said: “I disappeared for a month because they took your phone off you. My work was a bit unsure at first, but they were really kind about it and let me go. All my colleagues and friends were all really excited for me. A lot of us have bonded over quizzing and asked why I didn't bring them with me. I had to bring my dad.”
Keeping his lips sealed on whether they managed to take home the £100,000 prize, Steven branded The Chase Around The World ‘an amazing opportunity, full of so many memories’. “It gave me a great understanding of what happens behind the scenes. They all told me stories about the shows they’ve worked on, which calmed me down during the moments of panic. It’s made me appreciate traveling more. I feel like I was scared to do it and was holding back, maybe I got a bit stagnant with it. Race Across The World would be the dream show. I’m going through a big phase of watching Ross Kemps’ Bridge of lies, I'd love to go on that.”
