Anne Hegerty, known as The Governess on The Chase, was momentarily speechless after her ITV co-star Bradley Walsh delivered a witty remark during the quiz show on Monday afternoon.
Hosting the show, Bradley welcomed four new contestants – Clare from York, Paddy from Manchester, Rich from Peterborough, and Alys from the Vale of Glamorgan – who teamed up to challenge the Chaser with their collective general knowledge.
During the game, as the first contestant faced Anne, chaos ensued on set when Bradley posed the question: “Who is traditionally thought to have smuggled the Stuart Sapphire when he fled England in December 1688?”
The options were Henry Morgan, Colonel Thomas Blood, or James II. Anne correctly identified James II as the answer, adding: “I didn’t actually know about Stuart Sapphire.
“I know that he took within his great seal, without which laws couldn’t be passed, and threw it into the Thames.”
Bradley couldn’t resist responding with a pun, saying, “Well luckily seals can swim.” This caused Anne to burst into laughter, pointing at Bradley but choosing to remain silent.
Bradley continued with his playful banter, exclaiming, “So jammy,” and then mimicked a seal swimming, complete with arm flaps.
Composing herself, Anne replied: “I’ve just got this image of him taking this seal around with him everywhere!” Quickly getting back into her serious persona, Bradley did one more seal impression.
Stifling another laugh, Anne corrected Bradley, adding: “That’s sea lions by the way, not seals.”
In the end, three players were successful in making it to the final chase. With a target of 13, Anne was given two minutes on the clock.
Unfortunately for the team, they were no match for The Governess as beat them with 52 seconds spare.
The Chase is available to watch weekdays on ITV from 5pm.