The Chase, a staple British quiz show and an acclaimed household favourite for nearly 15 years on ITV, features four contestants who team up to compete against some of the nation’s brilliant minds. Success means leaving with their pockets full, and over the years, it’s become one of the most cherished quiz shows on television, drawing fans to their screens regularly.
True to its format, The Chase consistently runs smoothly, with host Bradley Walsh sometimes cracking up in laughter. Yet there have been instances where things haven’t gone quite right.
Unlike what some might assume, host Bradley doesn’t see questions any sooner than the competitors, which means rehearsals aren’t possible.This spontaneity has led to on-air errors, prompting a rapid intervention from legal teams, reports the Liverpool Echo.
In a past discussion with Radio Times, Walsh, aged 63, explained: “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 video tape 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.”
Bradley Walsh shared some behind-the-scenes insights about the pace of The Chase, explaining: “On average, it takes me 3.6 to 4 seconds to ask a question.”
He elaborated on the importance of speed for contestants: “You have to be at such a speed: if you’re a contestant and I go ‘what’s… the capital… of France… ‘ they’d be dead and buried in thirty seconds. I have to make sure they get up to speed and they’re getting about 18 or 19 questions answered correctly.
“That’s the real banana skin score [that will trip the chasers up]. Once the chasers get in a rhythm there’s no stopping them. They can answer 24, 25 questions in two minutes. We’ve even almost reached thirty.”