The Chase host Bradley Walsh will never face the Chasers in a quiz, according to original Chaser Shaun Wallace. Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Wallace, known as the Dark Destroyer, said Walsh is "quite smart" but will not take part because he is "a quintessential host".
"I don't think you'll ever see him take part in a quiz. Because he's a quintessential host. So I can't see that ever happening," Wallace said.
Six Chasers Is the Maximum
Wallace also ruled out any increase in the number of Chasers on the ITV show. He has been on The Chase since the very first series alongside Mark "The Beast" Labbett. They were later joined by Anne "The Governess" Hegerty, Jenny "The Vixen" Ryan, Paul "The Sinnerman" Sinha and, most recently, Darragh "The Menace" Ennis in series 13.
"Six is the maximum limit," Wallace insisted. "As you see with other quiz shows, when you have quiz professionals, if you have too many, it's just too much. So I don't think they'd increase the number."
Balancing TV Fame and the Bar
Unlike his colleagues, Wallace has not given up his day job. The 66-year-old is a senior criminal defence advocate with over 35 years' experience and an Honorary Doctor of Laws. He specialises in serious criminal cases, including murder, manslaughter, fraud, money laundering, firearms and drug trafficking.
Wallace admitted that being recognised has no effect on his court work. "When I'm doing jury trials, I can't help being recognised, but they're not interested in Shaun Wallace from The Chase or the TV quizzer. They're interested in Shaun Wallace, the barrister. It's two different media, and it doesn't give me an advantage. It certainly doesn't change the evidence," he said.
Funding Concerns in the Legal Profession
Wallace has been a vocal advocate for his profession. In March, he told Express: "I'm passionate about the fact that we need to protect the rights of the citizens," as barristers prepared to protest the government's proposal to cut the crown court backlog by reducing the number of trials heard by jurors.
There have also been disputes over barristers' pay, including six months of strikes in Northern Ireland earlier this year over rates. The strikes ended after barristers accepted an 8.66% fee increase. The dispute delayed nearly 2,500 Crown Court cases, prompting recovery plans from the Lady Chief Justice to prioritise vulnerable and urgent matters.
"As long as my profession was happy in relation to this sort of settlement, then that was good," Wallace said. "I thought we caved in a little bit too early, but I think it was important that we made our point. It was important that we have proper funding for legal aid because if we don't, then it's going to mean that our profession dies because the youngsters who are coming through simply won't be able to survive."
"Sadly, there's not enough funding. I'm not saying that there's not enough funding in the sort of legal services, the court services, the prison services. It's just a question of funding, and the government simply doesn't have the time or indeed the resources to actually fund these things properly, so I'm sure somewhere down the line we'll be back out," he speculated.
"They always kick the problem. It's like kicking the can down the line. It's somebody else's problem, instead of them sort of grabbing the bull by the horns and sorting it out. That's what always happens, sadly," he reflected.
