COVER STORY

The Chase host Bradley Walsh reveals how he went from a football career to showbiz fame.

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His status has been enhanced by his role hosting The Chase, a quiz show that has turned into a global smash. The programme, in which contestants must answer questions and compete against ‘The Chasers’ to win money, is also hugely popular in New Zealand.

Walsh relishes his role as host of The Chase, which has been running since 2009. He exudes good humour and laughs that he would be delighted to meet the hosts of different versions of The Chase around the world.

“That would be cool,” he says. “A Russian version of Bradley Walsh – Bradley Walshski!”

The presenter possesses a natural charm that puts contestants at ease.

Even when they give woefully ill-informed answers, he is still supportive. Walsh, who was born in Watford and grew up in Leavesden, north of London, confirms that, “I’m on their side. “Sometimes people’s perceptions of intelligence are way off the mark. Knowing answers to questions is about having a good memory, not being clever, and I am certainly not the brightest person on the planet.”

Clips from The Chase

also generate a huge following on the internet. One particular excerpt has proved an online sensation, racking up more than five million hits on YouTube. In the clip, Walsh cries with laughter after posing the question: “In what sport does Fanny Chmelar compete for Germany?” Wiping away the tears, he says, “I’d be straight down the court in the morning if that was my name. I’d have that changed right away.”

Walsh, whose parallel success as an actor is underlined by the fact that between 2009 and 2014 he starred in 53 episodes of Law

& Order: UK as the world-weary copper and recovering alcoholic DS Ronnie Brooks, now says, “I want to meet Fanny Chmelar to say, ‘Hi’, apologise for laughing and maybe have a glass of Gluhwein with her.”

The performer, who has also had a stint on Coronation Street as Danny Baldwin from 2004 to 2006, loves the diversity of his work.

“That’s the whole basis of what I wanted to do with my career,” he says. “I didn’t want to do the same thing all the time.”

As an example, in 2014, Walsh went straight from the dour grittiness of Law & Order: UK to the light-hearted sunniness of the ex-pat sitcom SunTrap.

“After I had spent so many years on Law & Order: UK being a downtrodden detective standing on Hammersmith Bridge at six o’clock in the morning being rained and snowed on and beeped at, I thought, ‘I’ll have a bit of a change of direction in my career and go and do SunTrap in Gran Canaria’,” he laughs. “That was the deciding factor.”

As he looks back on the great variety of his life, Walsh retains an admirably philosophical outlook.

“Everyone’s path is different. It’s not always about money – sometimes it’s about the journey. It’s taken me 57 years to get here, so maybe there’ll be more twists and turns, who knows?

“There is only one thing around the corner and that’s more corners.”