Kiwis cut to the Chase for quizzes
Strong quiz show characters like The Beast and The Governess have made The Chase one of New Zealand’s favourite quiz shows, a media expert says.
The TV1 show draws in an average of 335,000 viewers each episode and, according to Nielsen figures for October, The Chase ‘‘family’’ –The Chase, The Celebrity Chase and The Family
Chase – all feature in the top five quiz shows watched in New Zealand.
Hosted by Bradley Walsh, contestants must answer general knowledge questions and play their tactics right to get themselves into the final chase, where they could win thousands of pounds if they can stay a step ahead of the Chaser, one of five quiz masters.
‘‘What [The Chase] does, that no other show I’ve ever seen does, is pair ordinary members of the public – contestants on the show –with brain boxes who are literally stylised and given characterisations,’’ said Trisha Dunleavy, associate professor in media studies at Victoria University of Wellington. ‘‘That introduces a unique facet to that show.’’
The interplay between the ordinary people and quiz masters with characters such as The Vixen or The Sinnerman was an important part of the show’s success, she said.
‘‘To make this show work, you need to have people who are very, very knowledgeable and you need to have a variety of them who are literally quiz show kings.
‘‘That’s literally what those people are. You’re putting them on a pedestal but you have very clever, very experienced quiz show masters.’’
The Chase was more 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.’’