Hit quiz show The Chase to remain on TV for another two years after 500 new episodes commissioned
BRITAIN’S love for The Chase had better continue into 2020 – after Bradley Walsh revealed ITV has commissioned 500 episodes for the next two years.
The hit quiz show — which is set for several spin-offs including Beat The Chasers and Are You Smarter Than A Chaser?, where the quiz experts take on children and AI robots — has attracted a peak audience of 5.1million.
Host Bradley believes the secret to its success is the fact he laughs at the questions.
He said: “I have stopped [filming] for a good four, five minutes where I can’t get it together.
“We’ve just signed a two-year agreement to do another 500 episodes but the concept was pure luck.
“There was a saucy question and I found it funny and one of the guys said, ‘Look Brad you’ve got to stop laughing’ and the other guy said, ‘Why don’t you leave it in?’ — and they started adding in questions that made me laugh.”
It is not just Bradley who will be on screens for another two years as chasers Mark “The Beast” Labbett, Shaun “Dark Destroyer” Wallace, Anne “The Governess” Hegerty, Paul “The Sinnerman” Siha and Jenny “The Vixen” Ryan are due to return, along with a new face.
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Who hers wins
AN Olympic rower, two sisters and a drag queen are among the brave souls taking part in the new series of SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Marketing manager Mark, whose glamorous alter-ego is Cybil War, hopes to show he is more than just a pretty face.
He is out to prove he has the same “fire” as his dad, who spent 18 years in the SAS.
When asked about signing up to the Channel 4 show, Mark said: “My father was SAS so it’s something that I’ve always known about in the periphery of my life growing up.”
But viewers of the first episode last night saw he had tough competition from the other contestants, who are overseen by chief instructor Ant Middleton.
Among them is Carla Ashford, who came fifth with the women’s eight in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Carla, who has beaten breast cancer, said: “I feel like I’ve tapped into a side of me which I’ve never seen before.”
Sisters Bethany Robinson and Elouise Gregor learned more about each other than they expected, with the former finding exercise helped her bipolar disorder.
Elouise said: “I am very protective of my sister. We would be doing a challenge and I would find myself looking for Beth to make sure she was OK.
“I do it unconsciously because I know what she has been through.”
Fair play to them all for taking part – I wouldn’t go within 10ft of those instructors.
Bizbit
BIG Little Lies child actress Chloe Coleman, who plays Skye Carlson in the HBO show, says co-star Nicole Kidman is a “real mentor” to her on set.
She said: “I really do love her. I was able to be with her kids and we are all very close friends.”
Electric amp-ster
JAMES MAY’S eco-friendly views have rubbed off on one of his Grand Tour co-stars.
Captain Slow has revealed pal Richard “the Hamster” Hammond is considering following his lead and buying an electric car – despite the ribbing he would surely get from their fellow host Jeremy Clarkson.
James said: “I’ve been driving electrically since 2014.
“They’re quite magical cars – quiet and smooth, a bit science-fictioney.
“Hammond fancies one as well, he just hasn’t quite taken the plunge.”
Bizbit
EMMERDALE’S Natalie Robb, who plays Moira, will be booze-free for a year this month and says she does not miss the hangovers.
She said: “I’m not saying I won’t ever have a drink again but I won’t have the same relationship with it.”
Must watch
WHAT? 24 Hours In Police Custody, C4, 9pm.
WHY? Cameras follow police as they investigate the murder of a young man in Cambridgeshire. With no CCTV or witnesses, cops are up against it to find the killer.
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£40K uni fee blow for Rav
BBC presenter Rav Wilding has been forced to drop out of his university degree because of high tuition fees.
The former Crimewatch host started a course in osteopathy – an alternative medicine for treating muscle and bone problems – but needed £40,000 to complete three years at The College of Osteopaths in London.
He said: “I was doing a course in osteopathy, I did two years of a degree. Unfortunately, with the £40,000 it cost to continue, I put that on ice.
“It’s still very much something I want to continue.”
The Sun revealed in 2017 that Rav was spurred on to do the course after suffering life-changing injuries on ITV show Splash! in 2013.
He snapped hamstring tendons during a somersault dive in training, which then left him with one leg shorter than the other.
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