ITV’s The Chase is known for its ‘brutal’ Chasers – the hyper intelligent professional quizzers that the general public must go up against during the show. And their goading has become par for the course – but host Bradley Walsh had to apologise on Wednesday for one Chaser’s comments, which started to veer towards more than teasing.
In the episode, four new players – Tony, Alex, Laura and Jack – joined to pit their general knowledge against Anne Hegarty, known as The Governess. The Chaser dominated the game, swiftly eliminating Jack and Laura from the chase. Despite Jack impressing viewers with an £8,000 cash builder, he admitted feeling “intimidated by Anne”, and failed to make it back home.
Laura also fell victim to The Governess, whose confidence began to grow. One viewer observed: “Anne’s on fire today!!”, while host Bradley Walsh acknowledged her “fantastic form”, noting she hadn’t answered a single question incorrectly in the episode, reports the Liverpool Echo.
However, when it was Alex’s turn to face The Governess, she took it up a notch. Alex, a student studying equine science, was met with laughter from Anne who quipped: “So they literally do courses for horses.” She added, jokingly: “What do you get, ‘hay’ levels?”, after which Bradley stepped in and apologised to Alex, saying “I’m so sorry”.
Fans took to social media to share their views, with one viewer speculating: “I’ve got absolutely no idea what it must be like in the studio, but the last couple of times that Anne has been on, she seems to have scared the contestants.”
Another The Chase devotee loved it: “Condescending Anne….. brilliant.”
The final player, Tony, opted for the lower offer, citing The Chaser’s exceptional performance and saying she was on “superlative form”. In the endgame, Tony and fellow contestant Alex managed only eleven points, and with 28 seconds to spare, Anne caught them, leaving them to depart without any winnings.
Anne has been a staple on ‘the show since 2010. Speaking to Mirror Online recently, Anne revealed her reluctance to welcome new Chasers, explaining: “We are paid per show, so we’re not on a salary. It’s not as if they’re going to up the budget and add a new salary. A new chaser would just mean the same number of shows shared between more people – so less money for everyone. So, hope not!”
The Chase airs on ITV1 at 5pm.