LIFE CHANGING
The Chase’s Anne Hegerty got job on the show after ‘fighting off muggers’ reveals boss
THE Chase star Anne Hegerty was cast on the show after fighting off a gang of muggers, TV boss Sue Allison has revealed.
The brainbox has been a Chaser on Bradley Walsh's gameshow since 2010.
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Producers had searched far and wide for a new Chaser and wanted a strong female character in the mix.
And Anne caught their attention after writing a letter to bosses telling them she was tough as nails, as well as smart.
The Chase producer Sue told the TV Show and Tell : "For the series I really wanted the third chaser to be a woman, a strong woman who could hold her own and could be completely herself.
"That was quite a hard task. We saw quite a lot of people.
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"There were really good quizzers on the circuit, that was the most important thing first and foremost. The people that we met were quite often great quizzers but they were just a bit too nice.
"When we got a letter from Anne, she wrote into the team and said something like she 'realised what kind of character you needed to be' because she'd seen the pilot series.
"And she realised you needed to be quite tough, and she had once chased off a couple of muggers.
"I remember getting this letter and thinking, 'come on, be as good as you sound' and she was."
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After meeting with show bosses Anne's charm and wit sealed the deal.
And producers only had to change just one thing.
Sue continued: "I think the challenge with Anne was how do we get the look?
"Because outside of The Chase her style is, she wears these gorgeous floaty, quite floral outfits, which is obviously completely wrong for a Chaser.
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"So I remember the day our wardrobe designer took her off to the shops to find something.
"Then this picture comes back of her looking like Ms Trunchball, and it was like yes, that's the one. She has been a genius from the start.
"She just got it. She's actually a brilliant actress and she delivers those lines so perfectly when she comes out. Her comic timing is absolutely spot on."
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