Chase spin-off most thrilling quiz ever

Paul Sinha, also known as The Sinnerman on British quiz show The Chase, loves New Zealand and New Zealand loves him right back. ‘‘I went to New Zealand last year and it was an absolute joy,’’ he says. ‘‘There’s nothing I didn’t like about the country – other than the lack of an integrated railway system.

‘‘The people are so friendly, the landscape is spectacular and the food is amazing. I put on a stone while I was there, the sign of great food and a lack of self-control.’’

Sinha, a qualified doctor and an accomplished stand-up comedian, says that, ‘‘I performed at the gala before the New Zealand Comedy Festival. I did a four-minute set and it went really well. I got a lot of free drinks and I wasn’t going to say no to them.

‘‘One newspaper described me as, ‘The rock star of the evening’. Before that, I was known as a moderately overweight, gay British Asian comedian, quizzer and GP.’’

Another reason for Sinha’s popularity in New Zealand is his starring role on The Chase.

He is now playing a leading role on Beat The Chasers, a spin-off of the original quiz show in which contestants get to take on all five of the Chasers – Sinha, The Governess (Anne Hegerty), The Beast (Mark Labbett), The Dark Destroyer (Shaun Wallace), and The Vixen (Jenny Ryan).

Sinha, 50, who is married to Oliver Levy, a fellow quizzer, thinks there are many reasons why the format of Beat The Chasers is so strong.

‘‘I have said this till I’m blue in the face – what people love about quizzes more than anything is questions, and we have loads of questions in Beat The Chasers.

‘‘The other thing that people will really like about Beat The Chasers is the fact that nobody has a clue who will win. It is a new format that very much depends on tactics.

‘‘If you get one question wrong, you might lose the game for your team. So, as Chasers, we don’t know whether to press the buzzer and risk getting it wrong or wait for another Chaser to buzz.’’

Sinha, the current British Quiz Champion, assesses why The Chase has proved so successful. ‘‘We appeared at just the right time. The Weakest Link and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? were both fading and people needed a new quiz show.

‘‘Also, we arrived during the Bradley Walsh renaissance when he became absolutely ‘A list’ and the master of every light-entertainment format he surveyed. The show is also really thrilling.

‘‘When the final chase takes place, no-one knows what will happen. The best final chases are as dramatic as any quiz show has ever been.’’

However, he adds, ‘‘The Chase never truly caught the public imagination until that now famous clip of Bradley cracking up – as he asked a question about Fanny Chmelar – went viral. All our lives changed after that.’’

Sinha weighs up his role on the quiz show. ‘‘Some people call me ‘Sarcasm In A Suit’ but I don’t consider myself sarcastic. It’s all pantomime. I’m the most obsessive quizzer amongst the Chasers, but I am also able to put myself in the contestants’ position and work out how they’re feeling.’’

But don’t think that he or any of the other Chasers take the show lightly. ‘‘We are all fiercely competitive. We absolutely hate losing. Even when a team outplays us, we still hate it. I may come across as friendlier than the others, but I’m still desperate to win.’’

Sinha emphasises his undying love of quizzing.

‘‘It’s been very good to me.

When I went into it, I never imagined I’d be British Quiz Champion.

‘‘The next competition is in September and a small part of me wants to see it cancelled so I can be champion for another year.

‘‘I could get highfalutin and describe quizzing as a mechanism for self-improvement, but it’s basically sport for people who are no good at sport.

‘‘I love quizzes like I’ve never loved anything else in my life. I’m having this conversation sitting next to my husband and he’s in a far-distant second place to quizzing.’’

– James Rampton, TV Guide

Beat The Chasers, TVNZ 1, Sundays, 8.30pm.