Has The Chase been cancelled and what is Rylan Clark-Neal’s game show Babushka about?
EVER since it was revealed that Rylan Clark-Neal's new show Babushka would take over The Chase's coveted teatime slot, fans speculated the Bradley Walsh led quiz show would be taken off air for good. So has The Chase been cancelled forever? Why has Babushka replaced it? And what is the new show even about? Here is all you need to know:
Has The Chase been cancelled?
Absolutely not. In fact it's back on tonight.
Despite appearing to have a permanent place on ITV's teatime schedule, The Chase actually runs in series.
As a result, the show periodically takes four or five week breaks from being on air, giving the Chasers time to swat up on their general knowledge, and for new episodes to be filmed.
Babushka has been filling in for The Chase during the four week hiatus - with the 20 episode run perfectly fitting the four week Monday to Friday slot available.
How did fans reacted to Babushka?
Rylan Clark-Neal, the presenter of Babushka, removed himself from Twitter following the backlash from outraged fans of The Chase.
He initially tried to make light of the situation, and even appeared on This Morning with a jumper that read "I [heart] The Chase" in a bid to calm people down.
The star then told Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: "I am not cancelling The Chase, it has not been axed. Please stop hurling abuse at me, it's not fair, OK?"
Holly and Phil started to laugh and she quipped: "You still hate Bradley Walsh though!"
Rylan continued: "Oh I hate him, I slapped him round the face and said: 'You're AXED mate!'"
However, as the barrage of insults continued, he wrote on Twitter: "Getting a bit ridiculous now. Just doing my job. Enjoy the show. Coming off here for a while."
His account was then taken offline.
Chaser Jenny Ryan has also tried to reassure fans and told them: "Nooo, I hope #TheChase fans give @rylan's #Babushka a chance - I've heard good things! We're having a few weeks off, you're in good hands x."
When was Babushka on TV?
Babushka aired its first episode on Monday, May 1 and was on for four weeks.
It aired weekdays at 5pm with each episode lasting an hour.
Each episode was then put on the ITV1's streaming service, ITV Player.
How does Rylan Clark-Neal's Babushka gameshow work?
The show works similarly to Noel Edmonds' Channel 4 series Deal or No Deal - which sees people open up boxes to reveal cash prizes.
It sees contestants putting their knowledge to the test as they search through 10 giant “babushka” dolls in a bid to win a huge cash prize of up to £44,000.
If a doll is empty, hopefuls will lose all of their accumulated money – but a smaller doll inside means they can continue to win more dosh.