Kiwis cut to the Chase for quizzes

sustainable compared to older quiz shows like The Weakest Link, because its success didn’t rely on the personality of one person, she said.

‘‘The Weakest Link was highly reliant on [quizmaster] Anne Robinson and as it reformatted itself to go around the world, it didn’t succeed because it didn’t have her in front. In a way, it was a kind of a dominatrix characterisation that made the show distinctive and successful.’’

There are nine international versions of The Chase – Australia, China, Croatia, Germany, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and the United States.

When asked if there would be a New Zealand version, a TVNZ spokesperson said: ‘‘Never say never, but it’s not something currently in the works.’’

To make the show work as an adaptation, a flow of experienced quiz show masters was needed, Dunleavy said.

‘‘A smaller country with a smaller pool of such people will not be as well able to do that.’’

Quiz shows had been popular since the inception of television, she said.

‘‘They’ve always been popular so what I think is working well here is the format. It’s a studio-style quiz show. Those have been around since the 1950s,’’ Dunleavy said.

‘‘They combine repetition with novelty – they always have something new in them to make their claim on the public’s attention.’’

TVNZ director of content Cate Slater said The Chase was in a league of its own.

‘‘Bradley Walsh and the Chasers are a magical combination and viewers enjoy watching the character dynamics,’’ she said.

‘‘The show also has an endearing quality that’s quite rare – it’s informative, it’s funny and it’s full of heart.’’